dudacek

Cozens doing his best Dahlin oopsy there

Every once in a while Bjork flashes that.

Awful call.

Yes. We saw less of him and don’t think he was challenged as much. Or at least that’s how I’m remembering it.

Hard to believe, but he’s definitely given us the best chance to win so far of the four contenders.

Hard not to like Peterka.

I’m pretty confident that boy will be a pretty good hockey player once he becomes a man.

Tage has created more chances than any other Sabre over the pre-season.

How? And I think I’m going to like Cousin Vinnie.

Murray’s size, Quinn’s hands and awareness. It’s what I want to see.

Bjork will make the team, but he has done very little from what I've seen and at least needs to find a role. I'd say the "2nd" line is Buffalo bound, as are Cozens and Thompson, even as they experiment with them. The other forwards are playing for jobs.

I think that was the hope. It may have even been Plan A after Ullmark left. After watching what Dell and Lukkonnen have delivered I would hope it's not still the plan.

I wonder if Adams has any intention of a goalie upgrade. If he does, it should come via trade, not the waiver wire.

I'm not going to spell his name correctly until he earns it. 😜

This is entirely the point of this season: Asplund Thompson, Mittelstadt, R2, Bjork, Fjallby, Jokiharju, Dahlin and to a lesser extent Cozens, Peterka, Bryson and Samuelsson are being given a chance to establish their NHL identities. Hinostroza, Caggiula, Hayden, Eakin, Miller, Hagg, Butcher, Pysyk, Dell, and to a lesser extent Skinner are being given an opportunity to save their NHL careers. Pretty much to a man, they understand that. Some will sink and some will swim, but the psychology of what's going on in terms of resetting the team identity to one of desperation and opportunity is well-drawn.

I think they leaned toward keeping the veteran fringe guys in the last rounds of cuts, other than Quinn and Peterka who will benefit from staying up. I see Quinn definitely being sent down and Murray, Hayden, Eakin, Peterka and Axel-Foley battling for the last couple spots up front. I think Hayden gets one, and Axel-Foley has to have the inside track on the other over Peterka. The D will be the veteran 6, plus probably Bryson. I'm keeping an eye on Schuldt though because I thought he was better than most in his only game. And Tokarski versus Dell might still be a thing for the second goalie slot.

Damn, I was worried that UPL would show enough that they would force him into the NHL roster. Now I'm worried that he didn't show enough to even consider that as an option. The organization considers him the goalie of the future, but to my eyes he has done very little as a pro to warrant that status. He really needs to establish himself as a bona fide AHL starter this year, the same way Linus did five years ago. It's a crucial year for him and the franchise.

I wonder if tonight will be his last game in a Sabre uniform?

Asplund was a bit of a prodigy growing up in Sweden, earning a full-time spot in the SHL as a 17-year-old and captaining their U17 and U18 national teams. Never a particularly explosive scorer at any level, Asplund was touted more for his tenacity and hockey sense. Tim Murray traded up to pick him high in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft. He was a centre in Sweden and Rochester, but has spent most of his NHL time on the wing. He struggled for most of the first half of his first year in North America, but broke through dramatically in the second half with the Amerks. He got an extended look with the Sabres in his second year over here, but couldn't quite make the leap effectively. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=176326 He barely played in the first three months of last season, spending most of his time as a taxi-squadder. But he flourished during the Granato reset, scoring 7 times mostly as the forechecker and defensive conscience on a line with Mittelstadt and Thompson. What do you expect from Asplund this season?

You can't ignore certain numbers, as much as you try to minimize their importance. And Thompson will never be able to separate himself from 6'7", a number rarely reached in the NHL and almost certainly unprecedented among the ranks of skill forwards. It was that elongated frame and that massive wingspan, with its accompanying potential to strip and protect pucks, coupled with decent skating, a hard shot and surprisingly good hands that elevated a skinny, teenage Thompson to the 26th overall pick in the 2016 draft. He signed with the Blues after scoring 33 goals in just 70 college games and was traded to the Sabres a year later as the unfortunate, resented-by-fans centrepiece in one of the most lopsided trades in franchise history. Circumstances did not do any favours to Tage's development path. He was in the NHL before he was ready with the Blues (playing in a limited role bottom-six role due to injuries) and the Sabres (playing in a limited role again, this time due to bad management). He finally started his 3rd-year pro where he belonged and was dominating at the AHL level before an injury ended his season. Rehab and the pandemic limited him to just 17 games in what should have been a crucial 15 month development period. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=177831 Last year Thompson was gifted a spot on Jack Eichel's flank in training camp, then pulled from that spot two games into the season. He played less than 70 minutes of NHL hockey over the next 7 weeks. Like so many other Sabres, things turned around for Tage at the end of March when Don Granato and Kevyn Adams decided to just let the kids play. He finished the season with 7 goals in his final 21 games. What do you expect from Thompson this season?

I'd like to do that because I like Vic. I think he sees the game well and gives an honest effort despite that lack of edge and strength. I just don't think his skill set can be maximized on this team because he needs someone to create space and get him the puck. The issues people (falsely, IMO) blamed for Skinner's fall will be real in Victor's case.

Gonna stick with the things I liked tonight. Going to have to to make it through the year: Speed, speed, speed - we’ve got it. Hinostroza is no impact player, but he looks like an NHL hockey player. He’s fast and he competes. Rasmus Asplund played hard and smart. Victor Olofsson looked like he was taking it upon himself to create, instead of just lurking. Looked like he understands that he is going to need to take another step. JJ Peterka didn’t have a great game overall, but he scored. A goal scorer’s goal. Again. It’s a skill we’re really going to learn to appreciate this year. See above, at least the goal scoring part, for Casey Mittelstadt. Those were some sweet hands. Hope he will show us why we need to appreciate him this year. Kyle ***** Okposo.

Great pickup, IMO. One more body standing between Cody Eakin and a Sabres uniform.

This is why Adams has to get a goaltender in order for his plan this year to work. The team is skating fast and playing hard, but not executing very well. Good goaltending has them down 2-1 or 3-1 with the game very much in reach and the youngsters still feeling empowered to try things and gain confidence. Bad goaltending and they start squeezing sticks, rushing things or backing off. It’s hockey psychology 101 and if Anderson or Dell can’t step up, Adams needs to be held accountable.

Miller…😔