Thorny

1

Like others have said, I think it’s by choice. We are scoring among the very top of the league’s teams - we aren’t among the league’s best teams. Other teams don’t have to sacrifice so much D to put up the offence they do. Coaching has seemed to actively prioritize enhancing our goal scoring even to the detriment of play the other way. I have no idea why, others can field answers, but I do think it’s happening this is why I kept pointing to the goal differential, which is closer to mid pack, when others kept saying our F group was set: some of the raw offence is in effect a mirage in the sense we need to play an unsustainable system to achieve it. The differential is a better overall indicator: we are much improved, but still ~ middle, roster wise. Internal growth, as well as outside additions, will be what we need to climb further up the ranks

It’s still uncommon for goalies of Levi’s size to start consistently in the nhl. The lion’s share are bigger dudes. He can absolutely be the exception to the rule, just like Saros. His talent suggests it. It’s becoming more common, like you said - but he’d still be bucking a significant trend. I’m sure analysts that see less of him especially simply acknowledge this battle and default to some sort of an odds-play re: “I’ll believe it when I see it at the nhl level since goalies of his size aren’t commonly starters“ if they used this logic they’d be right 8/10 times, without looking at any numbers. Personally, looking more in depth at Levi makes me think he’s going to carve out a solid nhl career. For me re: prospects that’s actually a significant endorsement as for beyond that, we’ll just have to see. So much potential landing ground, timeline a huge question mark

Don’t really get what people mean when they say no goalie can “succeed” here without upgrading the D. What does that mean? They can’t put up Vezina numbers? Well, ya, I agree. But like... rosters... players.. teams..they don’t operate on an “all or nothing” plane. our goalies aren’t “good”. They aren’t even “average”. Bringing in a “good” or “great” goalie wouldn’t represent a magic wand that solves all the issues - but since when is getting *more* saves and a few *more* points a bad thing? Since when is good the enemy of great? Even after upgrading the D, we’d be looking at needing better goaltending. The numbers clearly suggest we had below average tending made terrible by team D, not good GT made terrible just upgrade both

I forgot the fact a goalie can only be bad if EVERY goal is directly his fault It’s both lol The, “Oh, so you are saying the defence is great?!” is getting to “oh, I was told steph curry couldn’t shooot?!l levels of absurdity

Will we win? Well that’s pretty simple: Dahlin has a point in 1 of the last 6 Sabres games played. The Sabres have won 1 of the last 6 games played Three guesses which

Nope, today we’re going to.. (queued up)

It’s a size bias. But they’d probably freely admit that.

Like I said, he’s my favourite prospect - if we could acquire a guy like Saros and keep him, all the better. But, you’re right: you don’t, often, see a team move their top prospect. Which is to say, presumably if we need to, we could beat any competing offer and avoid the “well, we tried” fallback and instead get our guy, then, by dealing it. What a fortunate position to be in then! Near the top of the league in goals scored. A position of such strength. Boston is having one of the best seasons of all time. Of all time. We have 2 less goals. We don’t actually need more goals. And what with our cap, so optimally positioned to make that move, if necessary. Im honestly glad you said the “don’t usually see top prospect move” thing cause it helped me wrap my head around it even further. “What could KA have even done?” Need not apply again, really, no? If we have that tradeable asset other teams just won’t trade / don’t have. like you said hopefully the deal doesn’t take a Savoie. I do feel, though, that Savoie shouldn’t be an obstacle that prevents a deal for a player of that caliber SHOULD they become available

Dunno who was running him out but yes

And I’m 36 so I think my statement is fair 🤪 Man typing out your age on a hockey message board makes you feel WAY older wow haha. Just seeing it in the same font where “36” represents “old ass player” is a trip

I feel..... young old

Like him too, watch his show a lot. He’s right about Dahlin but not Tage (unless things changed and we got into a playoff spot). Hart never goes to a non playoff team even if McDavid wasn’t playing

Chicago blew it but at least they tied it late and we’re getting an exciting ot here lol aaaand Montour scores after being double (triple? Quadruple?) shifted. Florida pulls a little ahead, Montour pulls a little closer to Dahlin....derp season getting real annoying real quick

Blank space for me. So you posted John Cena or my phone is hella old Maybe even both

So much more value found in severely aiding the team on ice in the next 2 seasons while TT Skinner Tuch and Dahlin are all going off than sitting on an asset we already have an abundance of that likely won’t provide much value in those 2 seasons. I do not care at all that Saros expires in 2 years, the arm-chair GMing has jumped the shark. It’s *really, really ok* to concentrate on the next 2 critical years, I promise you. How many years on this planet does everyone think they get? People just toss out time like it’s *nothing* when it’s the most important asset, sports or otherwise. Be good in the next 2 years. Have fun. Sign Saros along the way, or move on to Levi after in stride. Or horde prospects and posts links to prospect pool rankings detailing a future that as of yet hasn’t ever arrived It’s a prospect. In the hypothetical it’s a prospect for a no-bones-about-it starter among the league’s best when it’s BY FAR our biggest need and people be like “nope”

Mrazek standing on his head

Love Savoie, my favourite prospect. I’d swap him for Saros without a moment’s hesitation.

Chicago up 2-0 on FLA currently. Chicago regulation win gets the Sabres back into 10th in points %...

So you only see a budget D signing (while hoping for more) and a bargain bin back up G? That’s the extent of our GM’s work all summer, to help get this squad into the playoffs?

It’s a good point for how quickly the odds can change florida has a 1/3 shot and we are winning our game in hand from being tied with them

Lol that’s hilarious I read “miro Satan” when he meant the devil grier reference just lost me I guess, my bad. Didn’t see it referenced in thread until you alluded to him

Their evaluation of Eichel has been key. The team assembled around him facilitates his ability to be their best player, or rather, Eichel’s aptitude capably fills the niche of what they require, for THEIR best player, *because* they’ve identified the proper support “Eichel-as-top-guy” requires. In a league where your best guy plays only 1/3rd of a game, there isn’t a player in this league (not even McDAVID) that doesn’t need this consideration. (Especially when your best player is on his ELC and not really “that guy”, yet - just as an aside.)

Just on a tangent, the fact Cozens hadn’t even played in the NHL yet, Thompson had only played less than one full season, 66 games, as a Sabre, and that what Dahlin had committed to record was really good, when Adams took over, is support against the idea Botterill shouldn’t get credit, of some sort, for these additions, because of how they performed under him. These top shelf guys either didn’t play at all, played very little, or played really well. One can rule them out for other reasons, ie, “I’m not giving Botts credit for finishing last and taking the obvious guy in Dahlin”, sure, that’s more than fair. But these weren’t guys playing poorly under him. Though, given how poor a GM he was, I don’t doubt it very well could/would have got to a point where he DID squander them ala how he managed the key Eichel asset

Wait Satan is a GM?