dudacek

How about his come March? Skinner Thompson Greenway Peterka Cozens Kane Quinn Mittelstadt Tuch

No one can replace Tuch on line one. That line obviously gets worse regardless; that's the price you pay for using him carry line 2. When Quinn gets back, he slides in at his normal spot. I'd use Greenway's big body and defence with Tage and see if Mitts and Tuch can maximize Victor.

Skinner Thompson XXX XXX Mittelstadt Tuch Peterka Cozens XXX Girgensons Krebs Okposo XXX = 3 of Quinn, Olofsson, Greenway, Jost, Rousek, Kulich, Rosen, Benson if Peterka takes a step, that's a helluva rotation, no matter how the 3rd wheel shakes out.

From the Athletic this morning. Keep in mind when Clifton played with Hampus Lindholm last season for 276 minutes last season, Boston had 60 percent of the expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. When he was on the ice with Dimitry Orlov for 77 minutes, the Bruins had 67 percent of the expected goals. So Clifton, in a small sample, has shown he can handle that type of role.

The entire thing is structured around giving Kulich, Rosen and Benson a taste of NHL linemates, even though they are likely to be sent down? And where the vets are is mostly meaningless? Seems like an utter waste of time for an event designed to get a team ready for the season. I mean, I agree things will change and they will try different things, but I would hope Donnie is approaching every practice with more purpose than mostly random. These guys have their legs, they’ve been skating together for weeks.

Somebody posted earlier about being excited about seeing how they lined up on Day 1, just to get a glimpse inside Donnie's mind. Now you know what they say about the best-laid plans, but I think we did get a glimpse into what the coach is thinking. 1) Dahlin/Clifton, Power/Jokiharju, Samuelsson/Johnson I think this one probably caught most of us off-guard; don't recall many people thinking Clifton would be skating with the franchise and nobody was champing for more Owen and Henri. But the more I looked at it, the more it becomes clear that Mule and Johnson is a clear D-zone pairing and OP/HJ is a clear O-zone pairing, with Ras and Clifton very comfortable going either way. To be clear, I suspect there is going to be a lot of mix and match with this group, Donnie said as much. But we are going to see a much more balanced rotation back there when healthy. And there's lot of utility there for matchups if he sticks with this as a base. And of course there is the obvious L/R combinations. Maybe the opportunity for saying "i told you so" might even bring @Thorny back (hope so). 2) Bryson/Stillman Ryan Johnson/Clague There's your 4 spare defencemen, all battling with each other for one or 2 spots. Each is being given an equal opportunity, unsupported by a strong partner. May the best man/men win. 3) Tage/Skinner, Cozens/Peterka, Mitts/Tuch This, by far, was the most intriguing meatball Donnie gave us. I've been convinced Krebs was going to be the 3C and Mitts was going to get moved to the wing. Instead, it looks like the coach is considering 3 scoring lines built around 3 duos known to work well together. If the 3rd wheels step up, this could be exciting. 4) Krebs Girgensons Okposo Each of these guys got his own line, tied predominantly to AHL vets with outside roster shots. I'm reading this as Granato knowing exactly what he has in each of them, so he's using them to set the tone and test drive guys for the 13th forward and depth call-up roles. It makes me reasonably confident that the trio will be reunited come opening night as his go-to shutdown unit. 5) Greenway Jost Olofsson Here are your misfit toys, the trio who will definitely be on the starting roster – likely mixed and matched with the three top offensive duos above — it's just not clear yet exactly where. They get to skate together to start with an equal opportunity and will get rotated into their eventual homes as camp progresses. 6) Benson, Kulich Rosen I honestly didn't see any of these guys on the roster to start the year, but goddamn are they apparently going to get a fair chance. Each one is apparently getting a real shot to replace Quinn in the lineup as they ride shotgun with the Sabres top offensive talents. Maybe one of them will actually take advantage and force his way in. I'm very excited by what I'm seeing. What did you guys think?

I disagree. I’m drinking the Kool aid. I think their goal was to create a culture and accumulate a talent base that puts them in a position to win the cup every year for an extended period of time. Rightly or wrongly, they think they’ve done that.

I think Terry was always going to be interested. What people tend to forget is that Donnie coached him in Chicago, and Kevyn roomed with him when PK was a rookie. Buffalo-born was never the only connection.

I thought it's been pretty apparent this is what they've been building towards organizationally despite others reading otherwise. With the growth of the past 2 years, plus the fact this is year 3 of the plan, it makes sense to start talking like this publicly. But I'm still glad to hear it said out loud.

And he thinks he has built a roster that can do more than that. Guess we'll see who's right.

When he added a big middle-six winger and a physical depth defenceman to address the most obvious holes in his lineup? Or do you mean he didn’t do something smart, like trading a 1st-rounder for Patrick Kane? How exactly did McCrimmon and Zito “manage like a contender” at the trade deadline on their way to the finals?

Maybe he has been.

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?