LGR4GM

We? No, I was exactly right about Samson. He's fine af

Maybe, but that's asking a lot.

We should talk about Michael Misa. First, he would only have to go back to jrs for 1 more season if drafted, he would be AHL eligible after the 2025 season. This is due to seasons played not age because he was granted exceptional status and is in his 3rd OHL season. Misa is a 6'1" center with excellent skating and some Benson-esque ideas. He currently has 30g, 31a in 29games. That leads the OHL in pgp, in goals, and puts him 5th in assists. That includes all OHL players, so guys who have been drafted already like Calum Ritchie, Quinten Musty, Beckett Sennecke are behind him for scoring in the OHL. Scoring isn't everything, well not everything we should look at. Misa does something that Benson does well, plays through contact. If you watch him, he will engage to get leverage and comes up with the puck quite often. This is due to 3 things. First, his skating. He has quick feet and powerful strides allowing him to get the leverage. Second, he is smart so he isn't just going in guns blazing hoping good things happen (see Cozens), and Third, his stick skills. He has good hands which allows him to get pucks out of those situations and into good spaces. Misa in the video below gets lots of credit for "reloading" above the puck. This is something Benson does and Quinn was doing until whatever the F this season was. It allows him to use his brain to activate his skating and get pucks or breakup passes. It allows him to rotate effectively which is something our centers struggle with. Is he perfect? No. I think at times his passing could be crisper and occasionally I want him to be more selfish. He doesn't do a lot of stickhandling but uses his pace and skating to get where he wants. He has those skills but I want his hands connected to his feet more often. I am nitpicking but the short version is more flash to go with all the substance. If I were Buffalo, I would be heavily scouting Misa because the motor, physical engagement, skills, and brain are what the Sabres need more of. He's a blend of Helenius and Benson but better than both at most things (Benson has a better brain and is more physical). In an ideal world, I would trade for another top 4 pick and grab Martone. Benson - Misa - Martone would be something when they are all 22-24. Before the boo birds show up, I am not advocating Buffalo waits 4 more years to get good. This is simply about the draft.

2nd round picks get used all the time to take more defensive minded defenders. Both at the draft and in trades. Whitecloud is a guy that has been tossed out a lot as the perfect option but Adams would have to have the stones to do it.

I think Martone and Misa could/might step into an NHL lineup next year. Hagens I would leave in college 1 more year, not because he isn't good but because he is smaller and can continue to learn/grow at that level. Misa and Martone are destroying the CHL now so leaving them might give you less development. Schaefer I would also leave in the jrs but that's because he is going to be draft eligible by a measly 10 days, so that gives you growing time. however, Martone and Misa should not be relied on to be otherworldly next year. They should be slotted in a sheltered 3rd line role. Misa with McLeod and Greenway would be a great starting point for example. Really quick for the size worriers out there... Michael Misa is 6'1" 184lbs (C/LW) Porter Martone is 6'3" 208lbs (RW) James Hagens is 5'10.5" 177lbs (C) Matthew Schaefer is 6'2" 183lbs (LHD) And Misa, Martone, and Schaefer all have physical sides to their games. Not Brady Tkachuk but Zach Benson would approve. My favorite at this time is Misa because his engine revs high and I think we need more high rev guys. Sadly, Misa was left off of Canada's WJC roster. If you take Schaefer, it makes Power or Byram expendable. In fact, I prefer Schaefer's style to Power's and Schaefer is 10 days shy of being 2026 eligible which is noteworthy.

Hagens probably does college for a 2nd season. Martone needs another JR year maybe... he's another one of these *should go to the AHL players Misa same thing All in all I would say you are looking at 3years post draft before these are top 6 players you can rely on and that is at the earliest. NHL players by and large need around 250 games and about the age of 24 before they hit their stride. These guys maybe at 22 with 200 games are ready to be go to players. It's why A. Benson is amazing, he won't even be 20 until May and B. Jack Quinn playing bad for 25 games doesn't worry me that much compared to what he showed before. To answer your question though, D+ 3-4 years. Tage, Quinn, and JJP could all still be here in 3 years as well. Personally don't think you can worry about what Martone or Misa is like in 3 years but you need to start winning now. As always, depends on the the picks worth. There are other assets you can trade before that pick that might get you something good.

Watched the highlights...

What is Steve Yzerman

Terry giving an inspirational speech is bound to turn the season around... it would be like if Pippin gave the Theoden "death speech"

Maybe he is importing some Palm Tree from Boca to help the team?

Looks at Zach Benson and Konsta Helenius... Then looks at Misa and Martone... Savoie, Östlund, and Kulich. FTR, I have no problem trading a first round pick, what are we getting in return?

Which brings us back to xG numbers. If your xGF% is 40.8% and you consistently run with that, you will not and I mean WILL NOT, be a playoff team. That makes you a bottom feeder. I don't care about the boxscore last night, all the advanced metrics that we blab about show us 1 very important thing, Buffalo is a bottom 1/3 team in shot quality and hd chance creation. They simply do not get shots from the difficult areas at higher rates compared to their peers.

https://eprinkside.com/2024/12/09/what-we-learned-palm-tree-guys-love-palm-tree-teams

Imagine if you ended up in economy next to Pegula... what a flight that would be.

I'm not trying to be a dick but the direct flight part is laughable. Terry can direct flight to anywhere he wants. He isn't googling delta to see if the have direct flight, he's chartering a private jet if he doesn't own one and going.

You're asking me for a solution. I'm merely identifying a problem because there is no internal solution. We're an 85ish pt team without outside help coming in.

As always, depends on the return.

That's okay, the Sabres have missed the last 10 or so.

Respect is earned. It's also a 2-way street and these players don't deserve respect from any coach.

Did Pegula suddenly remember he had a hockey team? Also interesting he won't be meeting them in Buffalo... or taking questions. Changing Adams or Ruff at this point, is almost academic. Without a significant roster move, this season is #14 of 14 for Pegula missing the playoffs.

James Hagens Michael Misa Porter Martone Matthew Schaefer

Or... he sat 5 games and finally got his head right.