PerreaultForever

Well they suck, but they are a defensive team so they might give them problems just like Philly did. One would think Sabres would be motivated after the other Calgary loss and bring their best but who knows. Greenway hat trick maybe 🙂

Well yes, that's true. Draft mistakes have been numerous (as they are with all loser teams) and not valuing the right guys is a big thing too. For example I'm looking at Zadorov turning into captain like leadership in Boston and find myself thinking he could have been a career Sabre. A perfect player? Far from it, but I'd think a guy like that on the back end creates an entirely different defensive dynamic and the team culture is different too. Tage doesn't have to do his payback fight because Zadorov would have done it already. A Foligno or two, a Zadorov, a few others we passed on or let go and we might still be talking about how good Eichel and Reinhart are for us.

Was he? I guess I've forgotten that. His early years were just about violence though. His scoring didn't come in until later. But I admit I've forgotten his draft status.

well you can't top that so I guess I will just go listen to a little Pink Floyd.

I'd take a young Matt Martin over a young Jordan Greenway any day. That's the point though. Nobody thought Wilson had that in him in his earlier days. Greenway's just a big slow lug who takes shifts off when he doesn't feel like it.

The concept isn't flawed. This is how Washington turned Tom Wilson into a productive player rather than just a wrecking ball. But Greenway is no Tom Wilson.

I think it is now. I do think when they hired Ruff Terry and Kevyn thought they would start winning. That they had the pieces in place. Terry may have decided now Ruff was a mistake and he will get the blame. Whether or not Adams goes with him remains to be seen but I certainly hope so. Mind you, if Terry still controls the next guy it really won't matter and might even get worse.

idk, I think there's still some believers here. Not many, and some might even be afraid to post, but there's always some. I guarantee you that is Adams mindset though. If it wasn't, if he actually wanted to win now, he'd have made moves already. The other theory I have, which is highly possible, is Terry has blocked ANY transactions and Adams is a lame duck and the plans for next year are already under way for Jarmo or whoever. I mean there's no logical explanation for the goalie thing unless everything's frozen.

Yes, this should be reserved for the Folignos. (you know if we'd kept Marcus, and added Nick in free agency, we'd have had the veteran leadership we desperately needed along with a hometown thing and then maybe it would all be different and then Kane might have entertained the hometown idea for real. But Terry knows better.)

I think Dahlin will ask for a trade too. Given his personal life this year he might really want a new start in a new place as well. All depends on how his wife is and how tied (or not tied) she is to the community. I know the feeling because many years ago my wife almost died in childbirth and after she didn't, she kind of felt like it's a "new bonus life" and she wanted to throw caution to the wind for several years and that's when we took the kids and moved across country to the west coast. It's a real rebirth moment when you go through something near death and serious and if she has it, he might want it too.

Zucker and Benson should be switched imo but Greenway in that top spot relates directly to what I said earlier in a thread. They are one top veteran forward away from a decent line up but they don't go and get that forward, they just plug in Greenway instead and thus we stay where we are.

Oh definitely. I am quite sure in Adams mind he's thinking "I don't need anybody here. I have Helenius, Kulich back, Östlund and Rosen so more than enough forwards and Mrtka will play D, Levi will fix goaltending and then we will surge. Don't need a thing. " Some people will believe that is true too.

For me, although the trade is arguably even or maybe a win (hard to say since Kesselring is always injured) Adams biggest failure was not getting a solid veteran top 6 forward to play top minutes for Peterka. They were 1 forward away and they are still 1 forward away and as such players play above their level and when injuries hit things are all over the place. For me, you'd have a better team (a much better team) if your healthy line up was more like this: Veteran winger - Thompson - Tuch Zucker - Norris - Doan Benson - McLeod - Quinn/Kulich (whichever plays a better 2 way game) Dunn-Kozak-Malentstyn (couldn't care less what happens to Greenway or Krebs but I guess they are your depth forwards and Danforth is irrelevant) Part of the issue is Quinn has not stepped up to become a good top 6 forward and Benson is still young and developing. Some will argue give it time, but that's the forever argument with them isn't it? To win now they needed that top veteran winger and instead they choose to wait and develop internally and thus we wait, and wait, and wait some more until the next guy leaves and then we wait again.

If they were ALL traded I honestly don't think I'd miss anyone. Not if the team they got was a unit that could win. There are no untouchables here for me. I mean I like Benson and Dahlin is a top player who even has a little nastiness sometimes (which I think would come out more on a different team where he felt truly protected) and Doan and McLeod are okay but if you want to clean house have at it. After all the years of losing I don't think you can do another rebuild and keep Dahlin though. I don't think he'd be on board with another 5 year plan. You could only keep the very young ones.

I will agree that line had it's moments but I actually like Dunn-Kozak-Malentstyn better. I think that's the most effective 4th line combo. I really think Kozak is better than Krebs but I guess the Sabres are still trying to convince us they won the Eichel trade.

I think it has looked bleaker but it's definitely very bleak right now. It will be bleakest when Tuch walks for nothing and Dahlin and/or Thompson asks for a trade.

You know what our GM Pegadams is going to do though right? He's just going to wait for Mrtka.

Nah, get back to battling through it. A little brush on the goalie should be nothing. Only clear indisputable interference called. They want more goals don't they?

Just want to add I think it's clear Thompson is better at center for the way he likes to play so my centers are Thompson, Norris, McLeod, Kozak (because I like Kozak better than Krebs and not playing Kozak in Winnipeg was a weird decision to me)

Because he needs to be paired with a stay at home guy, a defender first, and all we have is puck movers. Samuelsson is the closest but the only one.

Personally I'd rather go back to no challenges, no replays. Just hate the refs when they screw up like we always have and keep playing mistakes and all. All this new video stuff just slows down the game and doesn't really make anybody happy. The old flawed way was better.

Yes, it's always this. Giveaways, turnovers, lost puck battles along with bad net front coverage. Those things lose you games even when you play half decently. My comment on the game is really just same, same. It's always the same. I don't like some of Ruff's line match ups and decisions on who plays and with who but that's nuance not even worth bothering with given the above core problem. Greenway tried to be physical at least. There was that.

Nothing in here is incorrect but the solutions are complicated and that's an off season discussion really. A long one. Some guys don't play good D. Some are inconsistent. Some lack effort. Some just don't want to play that way. So ultimately for me it's about roster construction and lack of leadership. Habs for example have a better constructed roster and maybe the Ducks now do as well. The scoring talent has never been an issue here imo.

I think most of this is true. However I would say they need to swap out some of their young guys for a veteran top 6 winger. Tuch is a situation that is obviously unfortunate if it can't be resolved but it's not a wanted one. It would set them back if he's moved for prospects. Benson right now should be third line imo but I am also confident eventually he plays higher and effectively but it's too much too soon and he's not there and it does cost us.

I believe so yes.