dudacek

Accurate or not, there is a perception here and around the NHL that Eichel is and was a clear step above Byfield. Same with Reinhart and Turcotte.

Not that we agree on anything other than "thank god Ralph was fired," but I would say this described the board's general opinion on the following developing players in February: Olofsson: good on the PP but not a top 6 player Mittelstadt: he still might turn into an offensive 3rd-liner, but he could just as easily be a complete bust Thompson: probably not going to be a useful NHL player Asplund: barely talked about and largely overlooked Cozens: going to be a stud, play him with better players Ruotsalainen: why haven't they called this guy up? Dahlin: what is wrong with Rasmus? He's supposed to be turning into a stud, he looks bad. Jokiharju: struggling Borgen: love this guy, he needs to play Bryson: what about the little guy in Roch? Sounded like he was pretty good last year, does he have a chance? Samuelsson: Meh. Big and slow and a few years away How much has the past month changed your views?

And playing "out of position" with two (other) guys who can't score without Jack Eichel.

Reinhart looked like a leader this afternoon.

6-4-2 in their last 12 vs Bos, Phil, Pit, Wash, and NYR

In Matt Barnaby's first eligible draft year, he scored 9 goals and didn't get picked, compared to Quinn's 52. Also, when Matt scored 45 he finished 15th in Q scoring. Quinn's 52 was 2nd in the tougher OHL. Also Matt Barnaby played more than 800 NHL games and put up more than 300 NHL points. Junior stats with context aren't irrelevant.

I don't. It's a downloadable magazine format. It does not count those players as "prospects" and they don't include them in the top 100 prospect rankings. But they definitely count 21-and-under NHLers in the team rankings and have for years. Those two players and Cozens are specifically identified on the team page.

Since Jan. 1, 2020 he has gone 15-9-3 with a .921 S% and a 2.47 GAA (both in the top half of the league among starters) on this team. Numbers wise you can find maybe a half-dozen goalies who are clearly superior over that stretch http://www.nhl.com/stats/goalies?reportType=game&dateFrom=2020-01-01&dateTo=2021-04-24&gameType=2&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,20&sort=savePct&page=0&pageSize=50 He has been remarkably consistent, allowing over 3 goals just twice in that stretch, again on this team, and by the eye test keeps us in every game. https://www.espn.com/nhl/player/gamelog/_/id/3069285/linus-ullmark He has improved every single season as a pro, following the development path a majority of good starters take to emerge at a time most of them emerge. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=152794 He may be the best shootout goalie in the NHL. Plus he seems to be a good human being, a reliable teammate. I get the injury concern. I don't get the sense there are other goalies out there who are as skilled and at an equivalent point in their careers that can be easily acquired. We've been in goalie purgatory for years as we've waited for someone like Linus to develop. Letting him walk as he is emerging would be so Buffalo.

Did we know that since Jan. 1, 2018, Sam Reinhart is the 47th highest-scoring player in the NHL? He's 32nd in goals, just behind Paccioretty and just ahead of Huberdeau and Malkin. Remember when people used to say he wasn't a 1st-line player? Good times.

Where do you think Ullmark will get a better offer than what the Sabres will want to match, and how much will it be?

Freddy Andersen would likely cost as much as Linus and isn't as good. Fleury costs $7 million and a 3rd rounder. Linus will cost maybe $5 million with no acquisition cost. Fleury is 37 and will be one and done. Andersen is 31 and likely exiting his prime. Ullmark is 27 and entering his. He is the only one of the 3 likely to anchor our crease for 5 years, or even 3.

Comes up in nearly everything I've read about him. He was the captain of his USNDTP year and is described as a person the other players gravitate to; and look to for direction.

I know you aren't alone in this, but I'm not sure how you are going to easily replace Ullmark.

Let's not discount the bargain contracts the Sabres have signed Reinhart to already: Cap hit/Points $.9/42 $.9/47 $.9/50 $3.6/65 $3.6/59* (prorated) $5.2/59* (prorated) You'd be hard-pressed to find many more productive players per cap hit in the entire league over the past 6 years. Yet another thing overlooked by the Sam haters.

Hockey News Future Watch prospect ranking (a poll of real NHL scouts) is out. The Sabres pool ranks 9th overall, and that counts NHLers Dahlin, Jokiharju and Cozens. We had 4 prospects in the top 100 25 Quinn 40 Peterka 58 UPL 72 Johnson For those who like to keep track of such things, looks like Quinn is 11 and Peterka 18 out of the guys picked last year. Top five are Zegras, Byfield, Drysdale, Raymond and Seider

Agree wholeheartedly. I just wonder where their preference lies, and the team’s.

Me too.

Based strictly on the money the Sabres offer him a $30-35 million deal would he be foolish not to take it? Or is there a better contract out there in the summer of 22?

Im just not so sure about that with the flat cap. If the flat cap tendencies hold, who is going to give Sam $6 million+ and term? I think Sam’s a better player, but Toffoli’s 4x4.25 is an interesting comparable, as is Mantha’s 4x5.75. Most of us were debating 6 or 7 over 6 or seven for Sam before COVID.

Sure, but he would have paid more than Adams would have had to last year. That’s circumstance, not any great Botterill foresight. Also, in 2019, Botterill still had leverage in 2020 as a fallback. Adams did not in 2020 and Sam has the power this year. But given what Tom, said about Sam not wanting term, he may have already decided a year ago to keep the door open for moving on.

This is interesting, and IMO completely impossible to effectively argue one way or another. The consensus was the east was the strongest of the 4 divisions Are the Rangers and the Flyers bad, or good teams being pushed down in a strong division? How good are Toronto and Florida really? How do the Sabres rate against the Sharks and the Ducks and the Canucks and the Coyotes?

This is the best case I can see for Sam staying. When you look at the teams that can or will pay him, the Sabres will be able to make a competitive offer. I don't see it a Botterill screw-up; the flat cap saved his ass. The time to sign him long term was the past off-season and that was Adams watch.

I’m not advocating signing bad hockey players 😜 I am not talking about adding specialists. I am talking about adding a middle six player who can produce and never stops grinding. We should not be using our resources for more players who play like Sam Reinhart or Victor Olofsson. That’s not a shot at either player, or a suggestion to get rid of either player. It’s an acknowledgment that good hockey teams carry a variety of skill sets, and our forwards are weighted toward a specific type and are lacking in others.

I thought he seemed like Reinhart. A fist pump, an acknowledgement of the guys, and back to business. Again, not dismissing your overarching point - I’ve thought he is gone since he signed his one-year deal - but I see no evidence that it’s affected his game, or his on-ice behaviour.

I’m looking more for the specific qualities these guys bring than adding “talent.”