Pimlach

Well yes it should. Let see it unfold and take it from there. That would mean the best players are playing like the best players again.

Or maybe Novikov on D. Only 20. Big kid at 6'3" 207 that will get bigger and stronger. Needs to stay down there awhile but he could be something.

Tanev does not meet the veteran in prime requirements.

On your learning comment: So far they learned that tit for tat fencing with the fan base is ok - You boo, we no salute. I feel this was a misguided lesson to learn and much prefer the comments the Bruins coach and captain made after they got booed. The fact that the coach and captain allowed it is the worse part. Okposo, Girgensons, Tuch, and Dahlin - they all should have shut this down, they are influential in the room. When they didn't, Donny himself should have. Only in Buffalo, and under Terry Pegula, could this happen and get out of control.

It sure did - he did next to nothing to take the next step so he over rated his team, his coaches and himself. I still don't want them to lose just because the GM is an idiot and can't see a good season from a bad one.

But have they really? The biggest change with the fans is they now boo after the first period when the team does not start well and falls behind - which has become a very bad habit for this team and something the coaches cannot seem to fix. The team no longer scores enough to catch up, and they struggle at zone entries whenever the opponent is playing shut down, often giving up breakaways and odd man rushes. Again, this has been happening all season and has not been corrected but the coaches. The fans are smart - they know that starting in the hole after one period equals a loss this season. Recall the home game against the Kracken on TNT (or ESPN). The first period ended 2-1, some fans booed at the end. The announcers all chuckled and said given the situation in Buffalo they can't blame them. The game was 2-1 but it was not really close, this team dogs it at home.

If he can't evaluate the entire season and figure out the adjustment needed than we are screwed again.

If Krebs is to remain a Sabre it will be as a 3C. He has to show he is ahead of the next wave (Savoie, Rosen, Kulich, Östlund), this is his time to do it. He is not suited for 4C at this point in his career. The 4C position needs a stronger defensive player, a better faceoff guy, and better PK skills. That should be a shutdown line.

Krebs is getting 3C time. They want to see him produce with Peterka and Benson. Probably a good move at this juncture.

You haven't been around much lately. Enjoy the Amerks game.

John, my comments on your review of the defense: We have Dahlin and the rest are all question marks. Everyone after Dahlin is tradeable with the exception of Power who needs a longer look and who's contract makes him almost impossible to move Mule had a rough year. Hopefully he gets better next year. We desperately need more physical presence from a guy with his size. His ability to play a tougher game, to clear out the front of the net, and to be rugged and durable is still a major question mark. He has big potential still. Power had a sophomore slump. Not gonna comment further, just leave it at that. He is going to be very highly paid next year and he needs to grow up faster than the average defenseman because of it. He has a ton of work to do this off season. Not sure Adams did him any favors - this kid will be making $8.35M and wont be 22 until November. 😞 We lack the big, strong, steady stay at home RHD that would help Power immensely. This is a major need. We don't need another Clifton - we need a top 4 veteran in his prime years to steady this group and take minutes away from Power. We should be able to add this player and keep Mitts. The addition of Clifton is fine for the 3rd pair. He hits, he is a tough middle weight player, he shows ability to clear the net and to be rugged. He has periods of being error prone but as a 5/6/7 that is normal. The addition of EJ will end this after this. He was a one year addition, a 3rd line guy now in the twilight of an excellent career. I am not sure he got through to the youngsters, I hope he did. I would love to pick his brain after the season and get his real thoughts on this group and the entire organization. Joker - he is playing well most of the time. He does not fill the bill as a top 4. His game is similar to Dahlin, Power, and R Johnson - a puck mover and not a heavy hitter or a defense first guy. His presence "blocks" adding the big tough defensive defenseman that we still need. More of a 5/6 that can move up to top 4 in a pinch. Very tradeable IMO. Ryan Johnson - he has played well in sheltered minutes. He looks to be smart, good skater, good passer, his head is up and he is usually composed. He lacks ideal size and strength, but still very young and will get stronger, will rely on mobility, passing and breakout skill to become a solid NHL player. Due to injuries on the team his minutes have gone up lately and he is looking much more like a rookie now. In fact, I thought he was targeted by the Ducks. Despite not having the last line change the Ducks had their best line out there against RJ for all three 2nd period goals. We hardly saw RJ in the 3rd period. Coincidence? This speaks more about the terrible game day coaching that we continually get from Don Granato and his staff. I will be watching Ryan closely tonight as I expect Montreal will try to take advantage. Bryson - an AHL/NHL tweener and a 8/9 guy on the roster. In summary - the defense is better than last year, improving on that was not a high bar either. Some of it is the better goaltending (UPL). Some of it is the better players at 5/6/7. Some of it is the system changes that focus more on defense (and consequently stifles our ability to score). There need to be changes next year. This still not a playoff caliber group but just a few moves away from it.

When does this ever happen? I hope they play to win. I want to finish strong. They have a good shot to win this on the road. After all, they have less pressure on the road.

Everybody that posts here should read this. Thanks for posting it. I know I’m not crazy after all.

Granato himself should have told the team to knock it off. If the veterans guided them to the wrong decision, and they did, then they are the wrong veterans, and this should have been overturned by the coach. The younger players just learned the wrong lesson and got away with the wrong behavior. If nothing else Adams should have ended all this salute bull crap as soon as he knew about it. There should have been no story outside the locker room. This is dysfunctional.

Some very good observations and comments. Some bad ones too To be clear, I have no hatred towards this group. I even defend them - Power, Cozens, EJ, Zemgus, etc - it’s documented all over here. I don’t boo, never have, but I don’t hear any boos that aren’t deserved either. I was ok with being a loyal Sabres fan and just accepting another losing season when all of a sudden the Harrington article hits the BN. The Secret Veteran interview rubs me wrong, why secret? The veteran leaders side with the young millionaires who don’t like the coach being booed. In Boston, the fans are right when they boo, their coach and their captain just said so. Yet in Buffalo it’s different. It hurts their feelings to hear boos, that’s what our coach and captain have to say about it. Look at the standings. What do Boston fans have to complain about? Marchand said they have the right to cheer or boo. Such a progressive city, people exercising freedoms and all that stuff. Granato tells us that the players feelings are hurt, and some signed extensions. I have a hard time understanding why a coach of a professional sports team would tell us that. Do they want to void the contracts now? Are they not men? Are they not professional hockey players? Is the fan base supposed to carry guilt now? Should we feel bad? I wish I didn’t know about any of this. I thought the franchise was heading up. I just commented on off years happening in a rebuild (see Detroit last year). Now I’m not sure about the direction of this team any more.

Some “give you the chills” harmonica by Lee Oskar. War - City Country City

No doubt Adams is here because he was a known commodity, he carries out orders, he listens, and I am sure he is very smart too. He was not on an NHL GM path, and yet he became one suddenly. Up until this year his teams showed slow but steady progress, He has a stockpile of prospects from trading away some very good assets He jumped the gun locking up a few kids and that could become a big problem, or he could look like genius someday. He settled for very poor goaltending in the past and now he is fortunate that UPL might actually be good. If his own acquisition (Levi) develops then Adams could look like a genius again. We are all waiting for him to ship out dead weight and use some assets, especially his prospects cache, to reshape and improve the roster and produce a strong team. This reluctance is driving the fan base crazy. Granato is there because Adams wants him there.

You jump the gun by thinking a player said the city was a dump, but extensions came up so … Winning. The Bills have a very good Coach and GM, and they have a franchise player. If the Sabres had that then this isn’t a conversation. The fact that booing hurts them so much that they talk about it to the coach amazes me. They are men. The season after the Sabres lost the SC to Philly they had a down year. The fans booed a little, first time in 6 seasons that the Sabres heard boos, and it was very little for a game or too. Peter McNab said something about it to a reporter. Imlach was pissed. He shut him up. They had dog houses back then. McNab was traded before the next season. Times change.

The Bills get Cart Blanche funding and Beane knows how to push out the cap $$ out into the future The Sabres are on a budget. This was explained in the Covid era when the family sold off failing parts of their businesses, and tightened the purse strings in an effort to achieve long term viability and maintain the family lifestyle (their words). The Sabres were put on a budget, and also had major layoffs. Boterill resigned rather than comply with “efficient and economical “ policies. PSE eventually dissolved and the Bills and Sabres are separate again, Sabres are still on budget. Bills spend to full cap.

I think he could thrive if healthy and on a better line. Tuch is fine but Skinner is lost and not doing anything. I am still not sure that he isn't better at wing if he played with Mitts at center.

Let’s keep the harp blowing going.

Move on and learn.

You think most of the team is better this year except Tage and Cozens? Power, Samuelsson, Skinner, VO, Tuch, Okposo, Krebs, Dahlin and Levi - All of them have played consistently worse than they did last year. Quinn is excused by injury and his contribution is sorely missed. Thats 12 players that declined and most of them are targeted as Core Players and stars. Mitts, Joker, Girgensons, and maybe Comrie are about the same as last year. Other than Mitts that is not much. Peterka, UPL, and Greenway are clearly better than last year. We added a better 3rd pair rotation (Clifton/ EJ/RJ) than last year and Benson has been helpful most of the time. Jost and Robinson are a not applicable

Just like a coin flip: Good luck for the Bills => McDermott and Beane and Josh Allen Bad Luck for the Sabres => No Coach, No GM, No Savior The Bills success has little to do with Pegula and much more to do with how the NFL operates. The NFL is a league that does things to increase parity, and to help the best future head coaches and future FO staff become known and available to other teams. The NFL is fed by one draft pool that is much better scouted and much better understood. NHL drafts players that are very young. They have different rules for Jr Hockey, different rules for NCAA, and different rules for Europe/Russia. Its harder and slower to re-build in hockey team.