msw2112

The take is that the owner doesn't need to change, the management below him does. Many feel differently and think the owner needs to change. I can be verbose at times, but that's the gist of the post. I believe that they opinion is fairly central to the discussion in this thread (whether people agree with it or not). I also believe that a new owner could move the team to a larger market and make a lot more money. Cities are falling all over themselves for professional sports franchises and there's plenty of money out there outside of Buffalo.

Some people think Pegula meddles too much. Others think he's not involved enough and is invisible. Some people think he's handed out too many big contracts to undeserving players, others think he doesn't spend enough. I don't know what's true. I do know that the team has failed to achieve success in a very long time. I believe that if and when the right management team is in place (GM and coaching staff, and maybe a POHO who hires the GM or both), the team will be fine. Whether Pegula is the owner or not, that's what's needed. While the Bills are having a slightly "off" season, they are viewed as one of the top organizations in the NFL. Terry Pegula is the owner. I believe that the same can be achieved with the Sabres if proper management in place, whether Pegula is the owner or someone else. I prefer to stay with Pegula, as we know he'll keep the team in Buffalo. A new owner might not. In addition, Pegula could make a lot more money with the Bills and/or Sabres in a larger market, but has stayed loyal to Buffalo. While the long run of bad hockey is really difficult to live with, the loyalty to a small market is very meaningful, in my opinion.

I'm thinking the same thing. I hope you and I are wrong.

Obviously Ellis let in a lot of goals last night. I had the game on in the background on a smaller TV, so I wasn't able to really assess his play or see the nature of the goals closely. Did Ellis let in any softies? I'm sure there were some that got in that might have been stopped with an elite save, but overall, was he simply hung out to dry and played fine, or did he play poorly? With UPL, often the team plays great in front of him, then he lets in a softie and the team deflates. From what I saw last night, after the first goal that the Sabres scored on the PP, they were terrible for the remainder of the game and no specific poor play by Ellis had anything to do with deflating them. That said, the failed challenge of the goalie interference may have deflated them. The wheels seemed to come off right then and there. Perhaps Lindy saw the wheels coming off and felt that the challenge was worth it to try and salvage momentum by: a) the small chance that the goal would be taken off the board; b) standing behind his guys who thought it was interference; and/or c) the Sabres PK has been good, so if they lost the challenge and killed off the PP, it would fire the team up. Obviously, it didn't work and instead backfired in a big way.

It is fun and almost a guilty pleasure. It's probably not the best or fairest way to hand out a valuable extra point, but I agree that it's very fast and dramatic to watch. Gets the heart pumping a little bit faster. And after a string of OT losses, maybe it's starting to swing in the Sabres' favor. They do have the speed and offensive skill to succeed in OT and shootouts, and with mobile defensemen like Dahlin, Power, and Byrum, it should give them an advantage, as these guys can (theoretically....) defend, but also have speed and offensive skill to jump into the play in the offensive zone. Most teams have a guy or two of that ilk, but the Sabres have 3. Kesselring may also fall into that category when he returns. It's ironic that the guy with the recent OT game winner is Samuelsson, who is NOT that type of player.

From what I've seen, Ellis has the most upside. He had one bad game which has skewed his numbers in the wrong direction, but he has otherwise played quite well, and the entire team was a disaster in that one game. It's possible that his back injury is a factor in him playing less than he otherwise would be playing, as Lindy alluded to in an interview. Lyon was terrific to start the season, but he's come back down to earth. UPL seems to be the same UPL that we know. I have not seen him steal a game or be THE difference in a game this season. He gives up the goals he's supposed to give up, and on occasion a goal that he shouldn't, which is often a backbreaker for the team. Ellis gives up the goals he's supposed to give up, but also makes a couple key stops a game that maybe he's not expected to (like stopping multiple breakaways against Detroit). I'd like to see more of that upside. A big save in a key moment can really inspire a team, whereas letting in a bad goal can deflate a team.

To answer my own question, I just read an article on WGR where Ruff said that they played UPL because the team got back from Minnesota at 4:30 AM and that UPL was the "freshest" of the 3 goalies given the travel-weariness of the team; PLUS, Ellis has the ongoing back stiffness issue and they want to do some "maintenance" on it.

Unfortunately, I don't see any of the 3 goalies seizing the crease anytime soon, so they may be stuck there. Östlund is deserving to stay, but may need to go down for now so that they don't lose a contributing player. If it's not Östlund, it's probably Dunne. All of the early season injuries aside, which has been abnormal and crazy, it's normal for teams to have injuries here and there during the course of the season and it's likely that a Sabre player will be injured sometime soon, clearing the way for Östlund's return. I do agree with the post above saying that Dunne is the most replaceable and would likely clear, so I wouldn't be shocked if he were the one sent down. I don't have time to get into a Greenway discussion/debate right now, but I do believe that Dunne is adding more value than a less than 100% Greenway at this point. Greenway to IR might not be a terrible decision, as he clearly can't play every night, so he's wasting a roster spot on nights he can't play (and others may argue that he's wasting a roster spot on nights that he DOES play, but, again, not looking to get into that debate here). I assume it's going to be quite some time before Kulich comes back, but things could get a lot more challenging/interesting then. I assume that Kesserling takes the spot on the ice from Bryson, but I don't know what that does in terms of a roster spot. I'm not as down on Bryson as some here, but I do believe he's the most expendable of the defense corps.

One thing that I believe is overlooked about Norris is that he's only 26. If he can somehow find a way to get past the injuries (not likely, but you never know), he's a not only a really talented player, but he has a lot of years ahead of him. He was certainly a difference maker on the ice last night and a huge addition to the power play.

No, he (John Muckler) was at the bar. Drake Hotel in Chicago. We talked about the 4 OT win against the Devils in the 1994 playoffs, when Muckler was behind the bench. I'm sure some of the more senior members of Sabrespace remember that one.

Why? Lindy typically goes with the hot hand and I thought Ellis played very well the other night (outside of the shootout). Ellis, in my opinion, gives them the best chance to win at this point in time.

I once bumped into Stevenson at a restaurant in Chicago. Not much else to the story, but I always remember that when his name comes up. I also bumped into John Muckler at a bar in Chicago when he was still the Sabres GM. Had a great conversation with him. He was wearing a very nice gold watch with a Sabres logo.

Östlund - no shi$ - it works!

I agree that Östlund would be the one going down when Norris returns to the lineup. He and Rosen have played well enough to stay, but there are only so many spots and they are both waiver exempt. Plus, they need a more physical presence in the lineup and that's not Norris' or Östlund's game. It's good to have more "qualified" players than available spots, for a change. The emergence of Östlund and Rosen is the silver lining of the recent injury situation. (I don't know how to type the "O" with dots over the top, but I copied and pasted the character from the previous post.)

I played hockey as a kid in the Buffalo area and played in some adult rec leagues over the years. On occasion, NCAA and/or former NHL players would come out and skate with us. Their talent level (even for NCAA women players) was MILES above any one of us, even the best of our group. At that, they were likely going at half-speed. Basketball is an even more interesting reflection of this concept. I've played pickup basketball with guys that can hit shots from anywhere. Inside, 3-pointers, mid-range, driving the lane, etc. They are SO good, and it's so effortless for them, yet the very best of these pickup guys had only a brief sniff of Division 3 hoops. D-2, D-1, and the NBA were not even remotely realistic for him, or for others like him. Malenstyn is who he is. He's a 4th line NHL player with great speed and tenacity and also some offensive skill, but he lacks the ability to put it all together on a regular basis at NHL speeds. There are some AHL players that are better overall hockey players, but based on the rosters of their parent clubs, they're not getting a shot at the league right now. For a moment yesterday, he was able to put it all together and score a highlight reel goal. If he had the ability to do it on a regular basis, he'd be a star, but he can't an he isn't. He is still a solid 4th line contributor for the Sabres and will have a nice goal every now and then. Adams may have given up too much draft capital to acquire him (a 2nd round pick, while maybe his value was more of a 4th round pick), but he's a solid role player for the Sabres. At the time he was acquired, the Sabres lacked in speed and guys willing to execute a body check against an opposing player. He has speed and is very willing to hit.