dudacek

No, he is not poised to start tweaking. He thinks he has the horses right now to create a playoff berth.

Zegras isn’t as highly thought off by the industry as he is hyped by fans. Remember that Athletic ranking of the top 125 NHL players? The one that had 6 Sabres on it? It was vetted by NHL scouts, coaches and GMs and it has one Duck on it. And it ain’t Mr. Michigan.

Winning, playoffs and sold-out buildings, eh? That’s a good start.

I don’t think that’s correct. I’m not sure many NHL teams own their ECHL team, or are responsible for stocking their entire roster. Players on AHL contracts are typically free agents for NHL purposes, and not the property of an NHL team. Regardless, I’m talking NHL contracts. According to capfriendly, the Sabres have 5, which seems to be pretty normal.

The backup in the ECHL is not, and really never has been, a matter of much concern for the Sabres. How many NHL teams have 6 goalies under contract?

Adams has pretty clear track record of trying to find players other opportunities if they don’t fit into the Sabres plans. Not being one of the 2 goalies come opening night for either UPL or Comrie means that player doesn’t fit into the Sabres plans. I think the plan is one of those 2 gets a new home. Everything falls into place quite smoothly after that.

A healthy approach.

Shrug. I posted a separate thread on every single current Sabre in order to talk about the present. I don't think any of them got past a 2nd page. I have no interest in the endless navel-gazing of what it might mean every time Terry Pegula may or may not have farted. He names himself president and people speculate about it for 11 pages. It's a Sabres board. People talk about whatever aspect of the Sabres that interests them.

I've never been afraid of the present. I've always been about building a foundation so the present can actually matter.

@PASabreFan we crumbled when you stopped hearing what I was actually trying to say. I still love you 😘 But in this case, so far I was wrong, you were right. Hedged bets and built-in excuses everywhere in this thread. I hope the team is made of sterner stuff than the fans.

It's time for the Sabres to expect to be there again. Finally. And to believe they can do something once they get there. -Mike Harrington https://buffalonews.com/sports/columns/mike-harrington-its-time-for-sabres-to-perform-with-swagger-thats-been-missing-for-too/article_7cc6f64c-5651-11ee-9d77-a7d6efede8b8.html As training camp opens, this is the proper tone. End the decade of despair. No more building and waiting and hoping for someone from the outside or something in the future to save us. And this goes for the fans as much as the players. Expect to win. It’s time to be good again.

I honestly think the players don’t really matter here. They might play, but this trade is basically $1.4 in cap space for a 3rd rounder.

This is one is little odd to me. Average middle six winger for backup goalie of relatively equal value, Canucks add a 3rd because the Habs taking on $1.4 in salary?

Depends on what it is. This is a kid who has had shoulder issues already. It as hard to tell exactly what happened, or even how, but it wasn't anything dramatic. If it is the same shoulder, there has to be a question about whether it might be something chronic.

Thing about Kozak is he played half the season as a 19-year-old. His season (and Kisakov's) could be best described as an internship for what would be most 2021 draft pick's rookie AHL season: the coming year. i think we'll get a better sense of the NHL potential of each player this year.

I compared his potential path to Connor Clifton’s.

And thanks for all the hockey talk today! Finally starting to wake up around here.

Amerks are so deep on the blueline. It will be interesting to see which of the kids get pushed out and which will push past the vets to become lineup fixtures. Prow 30, 7 pro seasons, 4 NHL games Cecconi 26, 4 pro seasons, 0 NHL games Davies 26, 4 pro seasons, 23 NHL games Clague 25, 5 pro seasons, 91 NHL games Metsa 24, rookie Jandric 24, rookie Johnson 22, rookie Savoie 21, rookie Novikov 20, rookie

Appert talked about him being exceedingly motivated on and off the ice, but raw. Strikes me as a guy who coaches might underestimate in drills but who will make up for it on the ice. I certainly liked what i saw and have high hopes. I think his aggressiveness and skill will be exposed somewhat by NHLers, but he will adjust with experience. I like the fact he will probably be playing with a veteran guy like Prow or Clague in Rochester and expect he will push past them by season's end. I don't see the offence you seem to though, would be very surprised if he gets anywhere near 35 points in 60 games.

It’s developed and prepared by a panel of Athletic staffers, vetted through a large group of NHL coaches, scouts and executives, and adjusted based on their feedback. So a cross section of hockey industry observers and professionals.

i think what people aren't really considering is how skilled players can, and frequently do, evolve. Seth Appert just pointed out that Ryan Johnson – despite being a great skater with good skills - is being groomed to be a shutdown defenceman because that is how his skillset best fits into what the Sabres are building. i love the fact you bring up guys like Bolland and Compher. Peyton Krebs, last season, was very much being groomed to be this team's 3C, and it's not hard to see how his skillset can translate. From what i've seen of Savoie or Östlund, they could also be groomed for a similar role. GA thinks they have Kulich on that path. Others think he's on the path of replacing Olofsson. One of the reasons people love Benson is the way he plays without the puck. Very few of the players in the Sabres system are guys you'd consider "he's this or bust". Up until this week, I'd largely pigeonholed Rosen as top-6 scoring winger or nothing. Now I see him adding strength, diligence and responsibility to his obvious NHL skating and I wonder why can't he play the PK or be trusted to protect a 1-goal lead late? When has it ever been a bad thing to have skilled guys in your bottom six? The issue you guys have identified isn't skillset. It's coaching and ego. I've said elsewhere that the question being posed by this thread is premature. I'm not going prejudge which players are going to let ego get in the way of coaching and refuse to develop in the way the team needs, but the ones that do, those are the ones I'm trading.

Take 5 of your 6 most talented forwards out and all of a sudden the team doesn’t look quite so talented.

It’s good to see you’re getting your shot in the rookie tournament, rather than getting thrown into the fire with a regular season GDT.

And a lot of other tweeners, be they older ones like Murray and Rousek, or newer like Nadeau and Cedarqvist. Metsa is a very interesting pick. Looked like a player last spring and certainly did this weekend. Unlike the above guys, he does have a path as a right D.

Also raises an interesting point, particular in the context of @PASabreFan’s recent post about the room questioning the franchise’s commitment to winning, and others questioning the lack of talent acquisition this off-season. This piece should serve as a very good barometer of the current league-wide perception of the Sabres: They have an all-star centre flanked by 2 1st-line wingers, a franchise defenceman, another 1st-pairing defenceman with upside, and a 1st-line centre anchoring their second line. That comprises a core with high-end players in all the key slots (goalies weren’t included), a pattern not a lot of teams match. What exactly do we have here?