mjd1001

A lot of us were burying Tampa, saying they were done, the Sabres had a chance to catch them, if the played the Leafs they were going to get swept, etc, etc. The Sabres aren't catching them, they may still lose to the leafs, but they now won 3 in a row, including back to back over New Jersey, and are within 3 points of Toront in the standings again.

I agree with most of that, if not all of it, and I'm ok with it. you NEED some extra help on the backend, but most of your expected growth should come from within/additonal development of the young guys.

Well, we have had a few games now. I'm not seeing much yet. Players who seem to be much better on the Sabres? -Jost. Cost you nothing. Decent PK. Has hands and skating ability, chips in a goal here and there. -Girgeonsons. Best PK on the team. Motor guy. Part of a 4th line that at times pins the puck in deap and does a great job as a 4th line. -Hinestroza. Guy is fast and it shows when he plays. He may not be noticeable for games, but then he chips in some offense and actually scores meaningful goals. -VO. As much as people don't like him, the number of goals he scores, no matter the rest of his game, blows away anything Greenway is giving you. Maybe he has taken a step back and the reason the Sabres traded for him is to get him in a position to get back to where he was. Maybe this year the step back he as taken is SO great because he is banged up. Who knows. I'm not impressed by anything at all, nothing really stands out, but get him a month or two off after the season, get him into Buffalo for camp, and lets see what he shows in camp.

I'd much rather see him in Rochester, but as others have said, he had a little leverage here. He can be 'with the team', not playing much but collecting an NHL contract, not riding a bus in the minors but staying in first class hotels in the NHL, and even if they told him he won't play much he can 'enjoy' those things while he probably gets some time off from the grind and workload in college, time off he may need (mentally if not physically). Bring him to camp next year of course, and if he blows everyone away as the best goalie he makes the team. If he doesn't....even if he is at the same level as everyone else...then he goes to Rochester. Honestly, I'm fine with it either way, i'm fine with them pushing him/rushing him A BIT, but if he is clearly not ready then do not rush him that much where he is put in a bad situation.

I was looking at the stat sheet earlier in the year and thinking the same thing. Sure other guys were/are also getting a ton of minutes. But 25-26 minutes per game as the norm? Just too much. He averages almost 1.5 minutes of ice time per game on the PK. FIND SOMEONE ELSE to take all those minutes. Yes, Dahlin, once he gets the puck may be really good at getting it out of the zone (if he is? I assume he is but not sure actually), but on your PK, get me a big, tall guy with a long reach who just plays his spot and when there is a loose puck can fire it down the ice. I don't need Dahlin for that. I'd MUCH rather have with zero PK time and sit him on the bench for PK and rest and expend zero energy. Getting a better 3rd pair will probably help. You have Power, and if you think he is going to be great then you don't need that "one" guy on the back end to get 24 minutes of ice time. You have "two" guys that now you can give 22-23 minutes. Next year, start doing that.

I have said over and over on this board that the Sabres are not out of the race. If you can 'get back in it' then you are never out of it. This team has had winning streaks all year and I always said to myself..if they run of 3 in a row or get 7 out of 8 points are they 'back in it'? If the answer was yes (and it has always been yes) then to me they aren't out of it. After yesterday, while they are technically still in it....yesterday's game for me is the game where I now consider them out of it. If they win 4 in a row will I be wrong? yes, but in my mind, I'm not thinking playoffs anymore and the philly game did it for me. With that said, I'm not all that upset. This team seems to have hit some kind of wall. But I think you have one of the top 10 first lines in the league. I think Dahlin has been playing bumped up (all those games were he got 25+ minutes early in the year WITH a couple minor injuries are starting to show), but when rested and healthy I think Dahlin may be the best 2 way D-man in the league. I'm anxious to see Power get better. Cozens is taking a big step forward, Mitts is 'kinda' settling into some kind of roll, and Peterka and Quinn are having respectable years. The important players on this team are under 30, many/most under 25 so that bodes well for next season. Seeing this team add Levi and (hopefully) Johnson, seeing what will happen with adding a couple guys for the Back end....that will make the offseason exciting for me. As I'm writing this it is coming across to me that the Sabres seaons just ended and there are no games left. Again, I don't think they will anymore but they still can run off a streak and get into the playoffs, but for having accepted this team doesn't deserve the playoffs yet, overall I'm OK with the direction. I keep looking at New Jersey, they got their young guys. They played them a lot of ice time. Those young guys made a lot of mistakes and sometimes looked not that good. The team floundered for a few years. They finished behind the Sabres last year and if you look at their roster and moves, you could be saying the same things the Sabres fans are (why aren't they making any moves, the young guys aren't taking as big of a step forward as we want, etc). But then when management was happy with the team, despite the lack of patience of the fans, they made those one or two moves AND the young guys took that final step forward and they went from a team that finished below the Sabres last year and has less total points than the Sabres in the last 4 years to one of the better teams in the league.

I agree on all of that. I looked at Philly, the entire D-unit (especially Risto), how they play, and figure if the Sabres played them in a 7 game series, Buffalo should sweep that team. Then in January, Philly beat a pretty healthy (at the time) Buffalo 4-0, putting almost 40 shots on Anderson I think. I blocked out most of that game form my memory, but what I do recall is Jost was probably the best player on the ice for the team.

a 91 to 92 point pace has been what the projections for the Wildcard in the east have been for quite some time. I posted a few times, but in December it was 91 points. A day in January I looked it it and it was 91 points. A few weeks ago it looked to be between 91-92 points. And as of this morning? 91-92 points. So whether the Sabres are 'out of it or not', the easiest way to look at it is..how likely is it they can finish the season with 91 or 92 points?

Jost on a pace for 12 goals and 20 assists over 82 games with the Sabres. I'd sign up for a 4th line with him, Zemgus if you resign them. You get a respectable 4th line and I really want Zemgus back for the PK. He is the best Sabres forward by far there on a team that is lacking on the PK.

Can I stop getting blasted over and over seeing and hearing commercials for gambling sites, and phone numbers to call to see what free medicade/medicare/government programs benefits I may be eligible for? Enough already.

For what was traded for him it's hard to expect him to be more than a 3rd or 4th liner. The question is, can he turn into a very good 3rd or 4th liner? If so, great. If not, then he's just another guy.

Don't know if Miller will be starting game one....or if so will he be at 100%. White wasn't that good when he came back...hopefully an off-season of healing gets him back to his old form. A healthy Poyer and Hyde are good....but part of me was/is ready to move on and take that small step back to get youger/faster/more athletic back there.

-So Minnesota.....Have only lost 1 of their last 16 game in regulation (and that was a one goal loss to Colorado). -The Kings have the 5th best record in the NHL since the first of the year, and are the best in the West since then. -Look at the last 10 games that every team has played and the most points in their last 10 games are all Western Conference teams up top (Min, L.A. Dallas, Nashville, Vegas) I know the West is a lot weaker than the East this year, but I'm looking forward to the playoff series in the west, just becasue I have NO IDEA at how how it is all going to shake out.

If the players will vote among themselves for who the captain is, then the discussion is kinda moot as there isn't much that can be discussed other than who do we think the players like in the room. However, if it is done by a a hybrid decisions, players in put, coach/gm input, and we as fans are trying to 'figure out' who would be best....I vote for Dahlin. I really don't know if he would handle the role better or worse than Tuch, all I do know for sure is he is on the ice more than any other Sabre (other than the goaltenders in a particular game) so I go with him.

If you use it the right way, being tall/having great reach can be a huge asset on the PK.

Maybe, but here is the key thing to look at. Are the Sabres that team in perpatuity? Or is that just a quick stop on a journey to something else? To me it appears all those things you say may be true, but they aren't a permanent feature of this team, the Sabres may be (have been) there, but SOME of those things are just temporary. I'm fine with that.

I still don't have enough info on Stillman yet, but as far as Joki and Lyubushkin, I think they are 'good enough' bottom 3 d-men. This team needs to add one or two more guy though. Jok and Lyubushkin not only have both been injured, but their play when they come off of their injury (first week or two back) is lacking. But WHEN HEALTHY, they are solid. So the key is to have enough depth that if you have those 2 guys, and they get hurt, you don't rush them back where they are playing at less than 100% and that is when they have bad games.

Other than the fact Greenway wasn't a first round pick, Greenway seems to be the forward version of what Stanley would be on the back end. Tall. Big. Physical. IQ being questionable, not the best passing, some injury issues, not a good skater. I'm not saying it WOULD be a good idea, but for a guy to compete for a spot, might be something to look at, becasue he seems the kind of player Adams and the Scouting staff have taken a shot at in the past. Again, the similarity to Greenway but as a D-man seem very close.

As far as a 'reclamation' project, what does anyone think of Logan Stanley on the backend from Winnipeg? Former first round pick, 24 years old, 6'7" tall and 230 lbs. Hits. Gets PK time. Requested a trade from Winnipeg recently. Has had a few injuries, and has shown 'inconsistent' play. He's from Kitchener so only about 1.5-2 hours away (kinda a local guy) I remember being bored and watching Winnipeg play St. Louis a couple months ago and he stood out as a pretty good player, yet he gets benched every once in a while. Big Physical guy who at one point had enough talent to justify a first round pick, with SOME nhl time. His contract is up but he is an RFA. Might be one guy (not the ONLY guy though) that I'd be happy to see brought in to fight for a roster spot, possibly a 2nd pair spot with some development.

Need at least 1, maybe 2 guys that are '2nd pair' quality if possible. One for the actualy 2nd pair, one for the 3rd pair. In addition, you really have to try to find one, maybe 2 guys who are potentially future NHL guys to put in Rochester. That might be tough to do, but it should be a priority also.

Ever since Dahlin came back from his injury last week, he hasn't looked quite the same.

I really haven't been following the Kings that much but they are doing a LOT better than I thought. I looked back and they played in Buffalo in early December, just coming off an overtime loss to Columbus. The Sabres beat them 6-0. At that time the Kings were 15-17. After that loss to Buffalo, they went on to win 6 of their next 7, and in 34 games since that loss to Buffalo, they have gotten 48 out of 64 possible points (123 point pace). I'm just really suprised at how well they are doing. They have good players, but no superstars (to me at least), yet since Mid December, they are one of the best teams in hockey.

I was, and still am fine with the lack of moves at the deadline. But as you said some things need to be done internally and externally this offseason. They really can't take a 'build from within' approach to the D-unit, because there simply isn't much to build from within to work with. Do you sign Johnson? If yes, is he ready for the NHL? If so is he good enough to be a top 4 guy? Too many "ifs" for me. -Has Comrie been playing still bothered by an injury? Do you think UPL can take a step forward in the offseason. If the answer to those things is "No" then you have to seriously think about goaltending again. -Cozens, Tage, Power, even Peterka and the other young guys....can you convince them to spend more time on video or in Buffalo over the Summer, working on their 2 way game and just learning things they haven't been exposed to yet? -Can you find and add a D-man with talent to be a 2nd pair guy....maybe 2 guys like that, and have them both added to your top 6? In Addition to that, can you find a guy with NHL talent that may need a little work, and have him in Rochester so you at least have ONE more guy in the pipeline? -Can Mitts be your true 2-way center? A guy who can put up 40 or more points and be a top guy in the league at shutting down other teams top lines at the same time? If No, can you find one? It looks like you have your top 2 C's in terms of scoring/production, now I need a guy who is a TRUE shut down guy with SOME offensive talent. I don't need the top free agent on everyone's list to come here, but I do want to see some progress on the above.

As you said about Bergeron, I'd love the Sabres coach to just get an iso camera on him and have the Sabres forwards study him. Show how he can sometimes NOT go for the hit or NOT be too aggressive and those things allow him to maintain positinion. Show them how he uses his stick to make plays, but yet not get called for penalties. Krebs. I forgot about Krebs. I think he has gotten better lately, but still not that good, as the first month of the season he may have been the worst forward in the league in terms of being a liability away from the puck. Again, he seems to be getting better, but he still loses more than half of his battles for loose pucks, and honestly I have seen too many times where he is a step behind an eventual goal scorer and just can't catch up to even get a stuck on him. He's getting better again, but his limitations on size and speed (maybe not even top end speed but his acceleration) will mean he may never be a great 2-way guy. If he works on his positioning and reaction he can still get better though. VO, honestly I don't think he is as bad as everyone says. Is he good? No, but his giveaways in the D-zone and him chasing the puck and leaving opposing players open isn't as bad as others. As you said, he may not be willing to engage and he doesn't go to the boards and take the puck away from others, but I don't see him 'give up his spot' that much. He isn't an asset in the D-zone, but I also don't see him as a huge, mistake making liability.

I agree with you on that. Honestly, I am happy with Cozens overall, I think he is putting up more points and goals than I thought possible. I thought he would max out as a 20-25 goal, 50-60 point guy. He's better than that. My point is that is D-zone and neutral zone coverage is awful. But that might be a good thing because that is easier to 'fix' (or at least improve) compred to trying to 'teach' someone to score. As I said in my original post, some people like to think of Cozens as a good 'two-way' guy, and that isn't true. Aggressive skating and willingness to follow up a hit/check doesn't mean he is a good 2 way guy, far from it. Cozens needs to get better, but his game just may not lend itself ever to being that 2-way shutdown center. The Sabres may need to find someone else to fill that role.