dudacek

I appreciate the posts that have genuinely tried to address the question posed by this thread. Can we please keep the Dahlin-is-the-reincarnation-of-MA-Gragnani-and-must-be-burned-at-the-stake stuff to the clearly marked thread?

Never said I approved of the plan. Pretty sure I predicted it would lead to what we’ve seen the past month.

Let’s not talk past each other here. I don’t think the plan is to have the type of goaltending we got in November right through until the end of next season. I think the plan was to not invest significant assets or long-term cap space in net because they expected UPL to emerge fairly soon as their long-term starter and that we’d get the type of adequate goaltending we got in October from the bargain bin. Subban is proof they hope to stick with that plan at least a while longer, but he is also proof that they aren’t content to hand the reins to Aaron Dell regardless of how poorly Dell plays. Other options will be tried if the beatings continue.

This is an outstanding series of posts. I will take it a step further and suggest that this season is intentionally a crucible designed to forge and test the type of character you speak about. I believe the coaching staff has made sure from day one the players are fully aware of this and watching to see who cracks and who perseveres. I agree with those who say Adams is walking a dangerous road, but it’s a road that his chosen role models (Z and KO) have passed through and continue to walk. And I believe that if and when reinforcements arrive it is one that will serve the survivors well.

This has been my theory as well. I think it’s pretty clear that the organization has annointed UPL, not as clear how universal the feeling is, who is driving that boat and how flexible they will be in that plan if UPL continues to cast doubt on his readiness.

Adams is a half-year into a traditional build-and-develop-from-within plan that generally has unfolded better than expected. Really, who would have bet on the Sabres being middle-of-the-pack in scoring and Thompson, Asplund, Power, Quinn, Peterka and Levi all making the leaps they have? It seems so weird that he would risk all that on an Anderson/Dell/Tokarski crease and even weirder that he seems content to see that through.

Second time I’ve seen someone post this. It’s actually year 2. He’s been on the job since June of 2020.

Hockey games are too chaotic and complex to ever blame one thing, but some numbers stand out to me over the past 10: Vs. Canes: Sabres goals 2, Sabres starting goalie SV% .760 Vs. Panthers: 4, .884 Vs. Kraken: 4, .806 Vs. Wings: 2, .927 Vs. Habs 4, .962 Vs. Bruins 1, .818 Vs. Jackets 4, .667 Vs. Rangers 4, .861 Vs. Flames 0, .873 Vs. Penguins 2, .978 Here are some generally true statements about the modern NHL: 4 goals for should be enough to win. .920 SV % should be enough to win SV % < .900 is not enough to win The Sabres skaters have given their goalies enough goals to win 5 times. The Sabres won once. The Sabres starters have given the skaters enough saves to win 3 times. The Sabres won twice and lost the 3rd in OT. The Sabres goalies have absolutely ***** the bed statistically 7 times, giving the team no chance to win. When the goalies have done their jobs, the skaters have done enough to win. The reverse has not really been true.

So according to Marty, Dahlin is winning the Corsi shot attempt battle 17-6 after 2 periods. Sabres winning the shots battle 21-19?

Everybody expected a number of players would be under- or over-drafted last July because of COVID. Van Barnekow, Nadeau, Bloom and Novikov, and even Kozak certainly seem like great value for where we got them. Marjala and Sardarian, not so much.

He is looking to me like the most likely Sabres target.

Olofsson is clearly still bothered by what ever kept him out earlier. He hasn't unleashed his one-timer at all since returning. Last night was the first time I recall him even trying. Dahlin couldn't have served it up to him for multiple chances on the PP because I read here that Dahlin sucks on the PP. I mean the guy is only 8th in the league in PP points among defencemen since he entered the league. That's not even top 7.

Don’t look now, but he’s just 2 points off the team scoring lead all of a sudden.

Every move they have made indicates that this year was about next year: establishing a culture in Buffalo while adding another top-10 pick, maintaining maximum cap and roster flexibility, and playing their top kids in key roles where they can have success and gain confidence. It's why Dahlin is being used as a 1D regardless of his mistakes, and Thompson and Mittelstadt were handed 1st-line roles It's why Power is in Michigan and why Peterka didn't make the team in spite of his great camp. It's why Samuelsson and Quinn haven't been called up despite clearly dominating at the lower level. It's why Krebs got sent to Rochester despite being good enough to play in Vegas It's why 4 of their defencemen are on one-year deals Its why 5 of their forwards are on one-year deals And it's why they now have 4(!) goalies on minimum wage expiring deals They believe in UPL and fully expected him to emerge as a viable NHL goalie and join the team maybe not this year, but certainly next, along with Power and the rest. Maybe one of those cheap 1-year guys emerges as his sidekick, or maybe they have to find someone else next summer. But they are not going invest assets or dollars or term in someone they are essentially hiring to keep a seat warm until they see where they are with UPL at the end of this season. Kevyn has a plan and he's sticking to it.

Butcher, Jonsson-Fjallby, Wolanin, Boychuk and now Subban… New Sabres GM record for most free players acquired in one season? Or is it a new record for most useless players acquired in one season?

Oh I wouldn’t be so sure. Sure he might be an expiring contract, but he makes $850,000.

Adams going for that sweet spot in between Anderson and Dell to keep the season’s real aim alive.

I guess I don't see what I've been posting as hype. I've never once said "Whoo! Power! Kid is our ticket!" I'm generally in line with what posters like @Weave and @Curt are saying. I don't believe in saviours. I believe in assembling a lot of good players under a coach who can bind them into a cohesive team. But I see no problem whatsoever with watching what Power is doing and saying "Wow, that kid is having himself a special year." That's not hype, it's truth. I guess that's me doing what I need to in order to cope with the Sabres continued sucking, and you're doing the same.

You know what it's like with good running backs, how if you don't get square and tackle through them, you're dead in the water? Peterka is like that on skates. He just explodes past and through defenders on the rush. Gets at least one breakaway nearly every game. He's powerful and squat and hard on the puck, both carrying it, and on the forecheck. Like Krebs, he is fast and plays fast. Unlike Krebs, he's got man-strength already. Where he has surprised me most is that, unlike many rocket wingers, he's not a tunnel vision shoot-first type. He will use his speed to create space for his linemates and then find them with accurate passes. Sees the ice very well offensively. Has excellent chemistry with Quinn. i think he can score more goals than he's shown, but circumstances have cast him into a set-up role and he is well-rounded enough to play it. Of our Amerk trio, he's the one who would concern me most defensively. Krebs is good at that part of the game, Quinn is conscientious about it. It's not that Peterka is lazy that way, it's just that he approaches the game in an offence-first manner. He's still shaking off the vestiges of being the kid relied on to score all the time and never really asked to focus on the other end. He will cheat leaving the zone and regularly extends his shifts too long. Personally, I think he has the competitiveness and the vision to overcome that and that he will. As soon as he does, he will be in Buffalo.

Johansson is just another goalie who isn’t good enough to play regularly in the NHL. The problem was not acquiring someone who could. Letting him go was irrelevant.

I’d basically agree. I’ll also add that he engages all the time and loses most of those battles. He is fast and he plays fast. Knows where to go. Works his ass off on both ends. He gets chances but can’t bury them worth *****. I’ll be shocked if he gets 20 goals regularly in the NHL. His hands are good aside from that though to go with his vision. 40 assists at his peak wouldnt shock me. He needs to get stronger but otherwise is ready. He won’t be good until he can win some battles. Best case scenario down the road would be a Peca or Drury. Worst case Eakin (the Dallas/Vegas version)

The bold is what i am having trouble with. He is leading his team in scoring as a defenceman. That deserves more than 'pulling his weight.' And he is having the best season in 35 years. Is that really just "the way you'd expect"? FInally, Michigan is loaded, but I wish people would stop talking about them them like they are the '77 Canadiens. They are loaded with high picks, but they are also just the 3rd-ranked team in the country. Maybe that's where the brakes need to be pumped. This post captures exactly why I think there is no hype for Power. Buffalo fans are so bruised and shriveled from past disappointment, they look for reasons not to believe.

Do you pump the brakes on the point totals of all players on good teams? Do Gretzky's records not mean anything because of who he was playing with? Was Lafontaine not as good as his stats because he played with Mogilny and vice versa? And both padded their stats on the best PP in team history? Your post basically says I'm not going to get excited by the best numbers in 35 years. What would Power have to be doing to move the needle?

You mean 3rd-ranked Michigan? And what brakes exactly should I be pumping? There are no opinions in my post, just facts.