mjd1001

A bit off topic, but as far as where the Sabres rank... Dylan Cozens now has more goals this year (with the season almost done) than Sydney Crosby, Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel, Nikita Kucherov, Mitch Marner, and Artemi Panerin (all who have played about the same number of games/full seasons). Imagine the odds on that before the season started.

When you consider his ice time, he is actually 14th in the league in assists per 60 minutes this year. 15th when you only consider primary assists (I'm not a huge fan of secondary assists. You get just as many 'points' for being the 2nd last player to touch the puck on your team before a goal as you do for actually scoring? In my perfect world when considering the scoring champ for a year, scoring a 'goal' would get you 3 points, a primary assist 2 points, and a secondary assist 1 point--but that is a different discussion)

So, Greenway has scored a few times. Maybe he has the potential on this time to produce offense on a regular basis? The thing is, after watching him score a few goals, play a bunch of games now, I still have no idea what I expect of him going forward. I don't think there has ever been a player on a Sabres team that they aquired, that I have followed him on the ice as much as I can, that I have had less of an opinion on. I really have ZERO idea what he is or can be.

I'm not upset if in training camp next year you bring UPL, Comrie, Levi, and a low-priced free agent. Sure, find a vet guy who is 28-32 years old who is content with only 30 starts per year but is a good locker room guy and plays those 30 starts really well and I'll sign up for that...but good luck finding it! If you have UPL, Comrie, Levi and one other low priced guy fine, have them fight it out in training camp and preseason. If UPL gets better, if Comrie IS better because he was playing hurt this year....then whoever the best 2 guys are go with it. BUT, the only way that works is IF you find that 1-2 other guys for your D-unit. I really think this team can be good and a playoff team with what they have now in goal, as long as they upgrade the back end.

Maybe this is a bit obscure, but my complaint for today is how news article titles are written online. More and more stuff, even from what you would think are legit sites, is clickbait. Google or Apple news feeds, front page news from Microsoft of Google, all of it. What do I mean? Articles Titled "New York state may suspsend your liscense this week"....."Controversial actor confirmed to return to big budget movies", "You won't beleive what (celebtrity) said about their co-star". National Enquirer style headlines. The content of the articles in some cases is something I MIGHT be interested in, but then when you DO click on the article you have to read 4 paragraphs (and scroll through 8 advertisements and 3 more pop ups) before you get to what the article is actually about.

I realize this is not a popular opinion, but I bring both back and have a training camp fight to see who makes the team. UPL showed flashes this year (yes, I know both good and bad) and he still can get better. Comrie had some good games, and a lot of his 'bad' games came when he returned from an injury and there is a chance he was playing through something for most of the year. If, IF you can find someone who is clearly better than both who is OK with possibly being a #2 guy and is on only a couple year deal then do it, but that goldilocks situation might be hard to find.

As you said, for all intents and purposes this is 'their' and 'our' playoffs (meaning the team and us fans). If they lose, I view it just as if they were in the playoffs and lost. I know its not exactly the same, but in many ways it is.

I can't find it now, but there was an article on Ullmark a few weeks ago (NHL.com maybe?) that basically said his style, the whole way he plays net changed over this offseason. The Bruins coaching staff wanted him to make some major changes to his game, he resisted for a while, but he finally gave in and started playing a different style, and that is when his numbers got better. If anyone can find the link to that article, it was kinda short on exact details but interesting.

Tuch is proving to be as productive (or more) than Eichel, and might be a better fit here. Krebs is not even close to Reinhart. Krebs HAS improved this year, but he isn't even in the same zip code as far as Reinhart in terms of production, and he still loses a lot of battles and if someone gets behind him he rarely catches up on the backcheck. Krebs can get better and hopefully he will continue to do so, but him and Reinhart aren't even close at this moment. The Greenway/Risto comparison....Ristos biggest problem is the mistakes he made...Greenway so far look like his issue is that he doesn't make mistakes but doesn't do much productive (up until the last 2 days). Their overall value may be the same, but how they get there, I don't know yet.

A 40 assist guy on a line that isn't you top line is pretty good. That means you are making at least some plays and setting up things on the offensive zone that is positive. Its a big step up. Last year he wasn't productive at all, but the coaching staff said over and over and OVER (to the point most of us didn't want to hear it) that he was getting better and he was playing well in the ways they wanted him to play. Maybe all the stuff they see in practice does give them a lot more vision to players development than any of us see in a game. Mitts is used on the PP, but is mostly on the 2nd unit. His stats/goals might be a little higher if he got some first unit time, but that isn't going to happen. He's made a huge jump this year in his assist totals, if he just made a slight additional jump next year in his goal scorer, he could turn into a 60 point guy. He is also a player than can benefit from the D-unit getting better. I'm not sure how much ice time he gets with Dahlin, but the 'eye test' tells me the First line gets the benefit of Dahline getting the puck up the ice more than Mitts does. If the bottom 4 D-mean get better next year, it might have a marginal impact on Mitts line, giving him just a few more shots and a few more minutes of ice time in the offensive zone that may benefit stats/production even more. Sometimes a better D-corp leads to more production from the forwards, as they spend less ice time in their own zone and more of their ice time attaking.

A bit off topic of what is going on in the league, but I'm watching the Rangers/Caps games, and I don't know what it is, but there is just something about the Rangers uniforms that I don't like. I know, original 6 team, classic colors/uniforms, but to me, they just look like something that a High school team would wear. The seemed 'old fashioned/from the 70's design', but not in a good nostalgic way.

The part about him looking 3-5 years down the line, being calculated with who they add, wanting players reaching their prime...etc. That will not be what a lot of people who think this team needs a shot of veteran leadership want, but I'm good with it. BUT, I'm only good with it if they do something, they can't do nothing at all this offseason. If they pass on some good veterans, then fine, but make sure you find SOMETHING of value to add to this roster next year.

I'm not looking for super talented, top pair guys for this team. I need a balance of skill AND salary expectations. The key thing is getting someone good enough that you can not have to pay $5 mil per season or more, I WANT as much money available to sign as many of the key 'stars' on this team as possible. It doesn't have to be a big name. It just has to be someone better than Clague/Bryson, etc. Give me someone with 'average' skill (a decent skater, not a tiny guy..doesn't have to be super fast or huge, just someone who isn't overmatched). What I want is just 3 things: 1.) Wins 50% or more of battles for loose pucks in his own end. 2.) positionally sound...doesn't chase pucks all over like a dog chasing a squirrel, knows when to make a hit and when it is more important to maintain his position. 3.) good at identifying who to pass the puck to in his own end and good at making that first past. I don't need a guy with a 95mph slap shot, or a guy who skates like a top-5 fastest player on my team, or a guy who is 6'4" and 230 lbs. Just someone who can get that loose puck in my own and and that as quickly as possible pass it to a forward or Dahlin/Power and that is it.

I agree with most (but not all) of the above. Not giving up on Greenway, but I have seen nothing, ZERO from him. Maybe he needs a training camp with the team? Krebs. He shows flashes of being 'pretty good', but I just still see a guy that is a 'good' hockey player but with physical deficiencies. I just think he is too small, doesn't win battles, and too slow to ever be a guy that justifies his draft status/expectations. Stillman isn't great, but I'm open to him being a good part of this team. As other have said, you don't need a star player to pair with Dahlin and Power. You need a guy who is positionally sound, can win 50% or more battles in your own end for loose pucks, and has 'decent' skill (average size/skating/first pass ability). To get all of that in a player isn't easy, but you don't need to be a star. I think Stillman can be 'close' to that ideal player. VO....I just don't think you LOOK to get rid of a player that can score 25 or more goals for you. If you have a young guy that is banging down the door to replace him fine. But you don't replace him until that young guy is actuall doing that...not someone you HOPE will do that eventually. Also, for as 'bad' as VO is without the puck, he doesn't make many glaring errors/giveways that result in goals. Is he a good forechecker? no. Does he backcheck well and take the puck away from wingers in his own zone? No. But he is not a turnover machine that causes the puck to be in his own net every game player. UNTIL one of the guys in the minors turns into a 20 goal scorer, or until Quinn AND Peterka are BOTH 20-25 goal scorers, I keep VO around unless someone else is begging for him in a trade. Johnson? Since I heard that rumor he was going to sign with the Sabres, total silence. I'm interested in what is going on there. Maybe he can be that D-man as I described above when typing about Stillman that this team needs. They don't need a high-priced Chychrun type player. They need a steady but VERY consistend D-man that knows his role (woudn't McCabe fit on this team really well if the Sabres still had him?) Girgensons I very much want to see back. He is a good 4th line player-very often that 4th line he is on has the puck deep in the oppoents zone and holds it there. He is not terrible offensively, he actually ranks in the top 6-10 on the Sabres in terms of goals-per-60 minutes year in and year out (not great but not awful for sure, in the .6-.7 GP60 range). And he is the best penalty killer on this team. When he is out there on the PK, the eye test says he is aggressive when he needs to be, makes good decisions, and is positionally sound. Statistically on the PK, the Sabres have 2 groups of players, those that are on the ice for 12+ goals per 60, and those that are on the ice for 9 or less goals per 60. For most of his career, he has been in the second (better) category.

Agreed. It's about training camp next year and the pre season. If he blows your doors off and his play demands a spot on the sabers roster, then he makes the team. If he doesn't do that it's back to Rochester. It's great hes doing well in Rochester now, but training camp will determine where he stands with this team next year

I'm not sure. I watch the sabres games on television but we have a basic VPN service, so I decided to try it just out of curiosity on my laptop in the basement....and it worked. I was able to use the VPN and the sabers game was available. Maybe it is the VPN provider....some they catch and others they dont?

I haven't watched Vegas play lately, but maybe Eichel is comitting to playing more of a team game? Anyone who watches them play that is a serious question. His production is just not there. Less than a point per game player this year. Even with the hat trick a few games ago he only has 8 points in his last 10 games. The hat trick is the only game he scored in over the last 10. BUT, the team is winning again. Again, I'm curious if he is decided to play a more 'team centric' game first and not worry about getting his points or his ice time, and maybe that is contributing to Vegas doing better? He is actually becoming a team leader and a team player like he never has been?

New D-men...better goalies...getting rid of VO and replacing him with a free agent.....its all a bunch of garbage. All they need to do is either wear the red and black jerseys all season long, or learn how to play as good in the blue and gold as they do in the red and black. They proved they are an elite team in the red and blacks, so any other changes are not needed.

It is still working for some people.

If you have Hulu/ESPN plus, some people will take the option of using a VPN and getting the Sabres games that way. For some they don't want to watch on their computer or run an HDMI cable from the computer/laptop to the TV, but for others the 2-4 minutes of doing that before games is worth it.

It just seems like they want more than I expected. Again, the NFL makes sure your local team is televised to everyone for free. How many people have Hulu plus/ESPN and will just pay a few dollars a month for a VPN instead of subscribing to their package, where if the price they are asking was a bit more reasonable they wouldn't go through the trouble?

I'm all for it, even without the success wearing them. I grew up with the Blue and Gold but ever since seeing the Black and red they have been my favorite.

When I watched Eichel in college and McDavid in junior, they physically dominated players. Old clips of Lindros had him looking like he was 25 years old playing with 12 year olds. Bedard doesn't have that. His shot and skating (the things a casual viewer will notice right away) are good compared to some junior players, but he doesn't dominate them with his speed/strength/shot power...which is what most casual viewers would notice first. I'm not saying he won't be great, but he won't 'look' the part as much as other generational talents.

I don't know why but I just never was a huge Eichel Fan even at his peak in Buffalo. With that said, glad he moved on, it has taken longer than I thought for him to 'find his spot' in Vegas, but it sounds like he has. Hindsight, it didn't seem like he was ready to be viewed as the savior/superstar in Buffalo, and the team vibes/management/roster construction was not one that was going to work with him it seems. The trade allowed him to reset his career and slide into more reasonable expectations, while Buffalo got something of pretty good value back for him.

Slightly off topic of the actual play, but wow has the NHL changed a lot in the last decade or two. For all that Marchand has done, only now is he approaching 1000 career penalty minutes. Not there yet, but the lack of fighting really has caused that number to plummet. -Only 12 current NHL players have over 1000 career penalty minutes, the active leader with 1630. -The Sabres current roster Active Penalty minute leader for their career is Okposo with just over 500 (16 year career). Skinner has just over 400 (13 year career). No one else really close. (Rob Ray had a couple years with over 350 in a SINGLE SEASON while only playing in about 60 or so games those years). -Rob Ray had over 3200 for his Career. Barnaby and Brad May both had over 2000 for their careers. -The last time the Sabres drafted a player, who for his entire NHL career had over 1000 career penalty minutes was in 1996. They drafted Corey Sarich, who had 1089 pms for his career. Again, we all know the NHL has changed and fighting is way down, I just never realized just how MUCH the numbers have gone down over the years.