dudacek

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?

Agree with you 100% with Dahlin. Thing is, there are plenty of players (Hintz, Robertson) that I don’t watch enough to fairly judge. But I’d bet that the same applies to their panel as well. And I have seen plenty of Eichel and Point and Marner and Barkov and Hischier and I would take Dahlin over any of them. They had the money quote: “I’ll believe it when I see him do it again.” The doubt is largely a Buffalo tax he is paying for the Krueger era and for not making the playoffs. You’ve got observers simply not believing their own numbers or their own eyes.

Further to ^^^ Dan Girardi was interviewed between periods in the Montreal game and said that up to that point, he had Johnson rated as a perfect 13 for 13 on puck touches — meaning, every time he had the puck he made a good, safe play with it. And then there's this from Seth Appert after the New Jersey game: "I thought he was real good last night, and I thought he was excellent tonight," said Appert following Saturday's victory over the Devils. "Using that great skating ability to defend and take time and space away from people. I think he’s broken the puck out pretty darn efficiently in games that are a little bit chaotic, and I’ve been really pleased with how he’s played." Johnson isn’t going to be an offensive defenseman, because the Sabres already have Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power who will lead the way there. Appert says there are other things Johnson does well that will definitely help. "His game starts with his skating," he said. "Is he intelligent? Yes. Does he have talent? Yes. But Minnesota has done a really good job with him, as he and Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild) became their shutdown defensive pair. Now he’s been learning over the last few years to use that great skating for defense." Johnson has not gotten any power play time in the first two games, but that’s by design. "He could be running our power play, easily, because he’s got more than enough skill to do it. And he could run a power play in Rochester, but that isn’t his path to the NHL, because we have Dahlin and Power. They’re going to be running it for a long time. So it’s going to be being an elite defender, being a transitional puck-moving defenseman, and getting us on offense 5-on-5 and being a strong penalty killer," said Appert. The Sabres have been perfect on the penalty kill in the tournament so far.

The write-ups for both Tage and Ras had some pushback: basically 'don't trust they have the defence" Cozens was a guy who didn't make the cut initially, but was added after the list (built in-house by Athletic analysts) was vetted by NHL professionals and adjusted using their feedback

Mathematically average would be a tad under 4. Carolina and Edmonton had 7. Just did a quick look and might have missed somebody, but they appear to be the only teams with more.

Not sure how I missed him. Editing to the OP

Has anyone except Peters reported this/

Annual Athletic ranking is out. They don’t specifically assign numbers, but instead group players within tiers: MVP, franchise, all-star and 1st-line Dahlin is “franchise” in the 25-30 range with Hintz, Hischier, Marchand, Hedman and Karlsson Tage is in the “all-star” tier in the 30-40 range, ranking with group that includes Devon Toews, Slavin, Lindholm, Stone, Stutzle, Panarin, Nylander and Gaudreau. The other 4 are 1st-liners: Tuch in a grouping at 70-95 Power in the 95-112 group Cozens and Skinner in the 112 to 125 group Dahlin was the only Sabre on last year’s list, and made one of the biggest climbs according to the writers.

You shouldn’t really put on much emphasis on two September games. And Rosen is the oldest of the 4 high-end prospects at this tournament. But it is pretty hard to continue ranking him on a tier below Benson, Savoie and Kulich based on what he’s doing. He’s looked fantastic.

I saw Johnson make plenty of good net-front plays over two games. Not sure if you are dramatically over-emphasizing the 3-rebound goal today, or you think the only way to play defence is to overpower people, but calling his play “absolute garbage” is, well, absolute garbage. “Can’t take pucks away”? I saw him do this multiple time. He has been strong defensively. His head is always up and he marks his man with consistency. He mirrors the rush with ease, forcing guys wide, and he has a good stick in one on ones. The puck rarely stayed in the Buffalo zone when he was on the ice. And this was while learning play on his off-hand. No idea if that will hold up against men, but against boys, he’s been good.

Further to the above, Savoie is flat out fast. And not only is he fast, he plays fast: the video game play button is pushed down at all times and at both ends. If you aren’t prepared he can overwhelm you. He seems to always be pushing and both of his goals came, in part, from that quality. Rosen’s hands and feet are NHL level, that’s been the case from day one. People are going to talk about the fact he’s gotten stronger, but what I also saw yesterday was a player who sees the ice better than I thought; he’s taking what the game is giving him, moving himself and the puck to good spots, with authority. Two fantastic assists and a goal scorer’s goal. There was a lot to like last night from each of them.

I thought it was real interesting that with Benson and Kulich sitting at the top of most people’s hopes and dreams list that it was Rosen and Savoie who were the stars up front last night. My point is not that the first 2 were disappointing - they weren’t - it’s more about the depth of skill the organization has collected and the culture they seem to be establishing. Hockey isn’t basketball, the same players rarely shine over all 82 games. To win consistently, you need different players stepping up and taking control on those nights their peers might not be doing that. It’s starting to look like Adams has successfully built the culture of friendly in-house competition he said he was trying to create. No more “it’s Jack’s team, I’ll just sit quietly over here and do my job.” Guys like Savoie and Rosen (or Cozens and Quinn, or…) are saying “this is my team and I can make a difference.” It’s just a rookie game in September, with players who probably won’t be Sabres, but the approach has been deliberate and we’re seeing signs of it bearing fruit at all 3 levels (NHL, AHL and prospects).

Rayzor's talking about Ratzlaff being hung out to dry, don't know if i agree. I mean they've had a few rough patches, but overall they haven't allowed much.

Kisakov usually seems to create in these things. tonight was no exception. Kulich seems to be pressing a bit. Kozak looks like good role player. Plays responsibly and he hustles Still liking Novikov and Rosen.