mjd1001

I am thinking there are going to be a lot of ups and downs with the prospects in Rochester. As others have said, I'm all for keeping them down there the entire year, even if the big club 'needs' a little extra scoring. Although, toward the end of the season, I would like to see all of the prospects get a week/3 games with the big club. Even if they go back to Rochester, it can be a late season 'reminder' of the difference in competition between the AHL and the NHL and a reminder also of the things they need to keep working on.

It will be interesting to see the Arena full (or close to it) if that is true. When was the last time we had a full arena for a game....1.5 years ago? almost 2 years ago?

I had a big problem with buffering the first few games of the season on ESPN plus, but today has been fine. I am watching it on Hulu though, Not ESPN plus. I'm not sure if it should make a difference but when I watch the games on Hulu I have zero buffering or stuttering....but I have major problems on ESPN plus.

Players with a ton of speed are just more fun to watch.

Did Rick D just say a lot of people say he is the most talented player in the history of the NHL. Now THAT would be a discussion. I'd say Mario Lemieux would want to have a few words regarding 'most talented' before you just give it to McDavid.

Its really hard to see, but I don't think it was a goal.

I'm not saying the 'tank' went well or I want to go through that again....what I am saying is being stuck 'in the middle' as a bubble team every year was pretty awful also. So maybe 'a tank' is not the way to go...but how about when you get to be the bubble team year after year...you commit to a rebuild? or a 'teardown'? I would just want something done to 'retool' instead of just being stuck in the middle every year.

I disagree with #3. That 'bubble team' that you think will never get that far is awful. To me being a fans is about 2 things (besides winning the cup at all costs). 1. Thinking there is a CHANCE in the next 5 years you may compete/win the cup. 2. Exceeding expectations, no matter how low they are. With being that bubble team, I didn't really get either of those so it was like I was stuck in the gravitational pull of a black hole, slowly just orbiting around the center with no hopes of escaping it.

On a somewhat (but not really) related thought... I remember when the Sabres drafted Sam, the thought among many people was we got the 'wrong Sam' (Bennet) That quickly went away with Bennet seemingly a bust...he struggled to even get into double digit goals most of his seasons, and the narrative was he had to carve out a 'niche' to his game to stick in the NHL (the good skating pest with an occasional ability to score) Well, I just looked at Bennet with Florida (as they now have both Sams) and, while it is a small sample size, he seems to be turning it around. Since he was traded to Florida, he has 10 goals in 18 games....22 points in those 18 games...He is one of their top Penalty Killers...he has as much PP ice time as the other Sam (Reinhart), and they are giving him more overall ice time.

This thread is dumb without a poll.

They don't produce at the SAME rate, but I think you can say their production is indeed similar: Since the start of their career, per 82 games: Sam: 24.0 goals, 29.5 assists Tuch: 19.6 goals, 25.0 assists That is just per game played. Tuch did his with less ice time and a LOT less PP time: Per 60 minutes: Sam: 0.73 goals per 60, 1.69 points per 60 Tuch 0.76 gals per 60, 1.83 pionts per 60. In terms of their production, per 60 is the purest measure how how someone produces per time on ice...and Tuch is actually slightly better than Sam (but similar) Over 34% of Sams goals were on the PP. Only 19.6% of Tuch's were. The primary reason is Tuch got about 50% less PP time than Sam. But back out those numbers....Tuch is actually a more productive scorer even strength than Sam...and with more PP time his PP goal totals would likely go up. Even Strength Sam produced .193 goals per game even strenth. Tuch produced .196. And Tuch did it with less minutes per game. Even Strength goals per 60: Sam .642, Tuch .741 Overall I think it is totally fair to say they produced at a similar rate. I many aspects (most actually other than on the Power play), Tuch can be said to produce at a slightly higher rate than Sam.

I think I fall someplace in the middle of both of your arguments. Sam has a better pedigree from his draft status, he's probably slightly more talented, and his production has been better. On the other hand, going forward Tuch has a chance to be almost as productive on the score sheet as Sam, and he actually might be a slightly better fit for this team.

I think it's a notable piece of news that players have actually said that... But I also agree with you that it's not an issue right now. By the time the sabres are looking for free agents, it should be a few years down the road.

I don't disagree with you, but I think the significance is your point could be said it would just be common sense.... But here a guy who talks to NHL players his actually come out and said that players have admitted openly that they are going to have second thoughts. It's not something that's common sense to believe it's likely, we now know that players have definitely said it for sure.

One more thing Friedman just brought up, said Buffalo should be worried about how they handled the injury situation and the fact that they wouldn't let Jack get his surgery of choice. When the question was asked to press Frieedman on that, he said that a few players have told him they would have second thoughts about playing for Buffalo because of how they treated Jack regarding the injury. He said behind the scenes the situation between Jack and the sabers was personal and nasty, more than most people know.

A little more info from Friedman on his interview... Said Calgary was very interested but it never got close to closing the deal. He doesn't believe there was any truth to Calgary willing to give up Thachuk. Sabres were more interested in Krebs than any other prospect from Calgary, and more interested in Tuch than any other roster player that was available from Calgary. Calgary definitely willing to give up a future first round pick possibly a 2nd future first, but didn't have the roster players/prospects Sabres wanted. Friedman keeps on stressing over and over how big a part of the deal and how much the Sabres really wanted Tuch.. as a very key piece and a leader of the team going forward. Said the Carolina had interest but they didn't want to give up Jarvis, and there was some concern about how Eichel would fit in with the rest of the team. Mentioned Anaheim dropped out a while ago, they may not have been comfortable with The surgery issue. Montreal was never in it, they also had concerns about whether Eichel would fit in with the team, or as Friedman put it whether he was the 'right play' for them.

590 out of Toronto is playing an interview with Elliot Friedman about the Sabres in general. The events of the past couple of days. I don't know if it's live or not but it's definitely an additional interview to his first one with Jack. Not sure if anyone can find a link to post but it's kind of interesting. A lot of it is his opinion not necessarily fact, but he hinted that ownership/Pegula felt a little bit betrayed by Jack with the trade request 2 years ago and they may have impacted the way things went from there. Also, he said it was important to get a player like Alex Tuch who would come out and openly say how happy he is to be a member of the team. Said he's impressed by how Kevin Adams handled a difficult situation and impressed by his patience. He jokingly called Adams a jerk, because he said Adams didn't leak much information to him or to many people around him so it made it hard on reporters. He said that if there were any leaks, he doubts they came from Adams. Hinted that Jack is very intense and wants things done quickly. Expects a lot of himself and everyone around him including his agent. The reason he made the agent change was strictly to get this moving quickly. That contrasted with Adams who was willing to be his patient as possible with this to get the better deal, which was a point of conflict. The goal of the new agent was to put as much pressure on the sabers as possible.

I don't know what numbers you are looking at, but there are numbers I have seen that support the opposite point of view.

Well, the numbers, the results, and the 'eye test' of many of us say you are wrong.

For some of us, the issue wasn't that the team was not better with him on the ice. It was the 'significant' part. Was Eichel significantly more TALENTED than the rest of the team? Yes. Did he show periods of time where he executed on that talent? Yes. But overall, the team may have been better with him on the ice....but it wasn't significantly better enough of the time. Certainly not to the level that you would expect out of a 2nd overall pick/Semi-generationally labeled talent that was getting paid over 12% of your entire cap space. At least that is how I feel. It might not be all his fault, just when he was drafted a lot of us bought into the hype of 'almost McDavid' and the interview with Tim Murray where Eichel himself said he thought he was the best player in the draft...etc, etc.

Honestly, I think he has been more visible this year than last year. I think his overall play is a bit better this year. However, he still isn't producing many points and is making some mistakes. Send him to Rochester for a few weeks? I'd be OK with that. Maybe sit him in the pressbox for a couple games in a row but still have him practice with the team (not as a punishment, but rather to have him watch the game from a different perspective while getting a 'break'). I'm ok with that too. If I had to choose though, it would be a big stint in Rochester. As long as the 'kids' who are playing there are doing well, add Cozens to the list and let them have fun getting to know each other really well down there. I know Cozens did well in training camp and had a few good games last year, but honestly he should have been in Rochester to begin with.

He will have flexibility in building this roster, that is for sure. I was surprised when I looked into it...the D-men under contract for next year currently with the Sabres? Dahlin and Jokiharju. That is it. Bryson is restricted, but that is all you have. Of the 12 Forwards, you look to bring back, only about half are under contract. Goalies? 2 new ones next year also. This will be a vastly different team next year.

Unless someone comes banging down your door and offers you something absurd, I don't think you make any moves. You have a lot of draft picks coming up already, and remember there are only so many contracts you can give out in a given year. I don't need any more picks in the 3rd round or later. Now, if someone wants an expiring contract off your team, and the offer is something like "Sabres trade player 'x' and a 4th round pick to that team for their 2nd round pick"....then I'll listen. I just don't see the need to shuffle the roster around to extra 4th or 5th round picks.

Defensemen take time. Even the great ones. Charra was awful at times early in his career in NY. It wasn't until the trade to Ottawa that he turned the corner, and even then it took him a few more years to get to Norris trophy caliber. His 3rd and 4th year in the league was a combined -54 for plus-minus and scored a total of 4 goals over 2 seasons. Yes he was drafted a bit lower, but he didn't have his first 'good' year until he was 24 or 25. Erik Karlsson was not only considered bad in his own end, but he was considered a total train-wreck in his own end until he was at least 5 years into his career. How about Victor Hedman? I watched a lot of Lightning games over the years, and by his 3rd or 4th year, there was a LOT of talk that he would be a 'decent D-man', but most had given up hopes of him living up to his high draft status. He didn't have a break-out year putting up points until his 5th year in the league, and he was on better teams than the Sabres currently are.

Those are only 5 highlights, and of course they are picked specifically because he scored....however one thing stands out....he likes to get the puck and go right at the net.