Pimlach

It’s more likely that 75% won’t make but it’s fun to see the level of talent that Adams and his henchman have compiled. Maybe 6 of these guys make in the NHL someday. I saw young fans up against the glass calling for Bensons attention after the games. I see hockey coming back to life in Buffalo.

We now have a pipeline, and it might be pretty solid. I saw all 3 today. Johnson and Novikov were certainly noticeable and Strback looked ok. I think Strbeck he may need to but a vowel though.

I knew I could be near a Sabre Spacer at any time. I as looking nervously looking over my shoulder, kind of worried that @PASabreFan might be stalking.

I was there as well. Got a pat on the back from Sabretooth upon entry to the rink (wise guy). Fun to watch the 3v3 skill game. The best players were Benson and Novikov. Benson is a non stop player that will be fun to watch and a pain to play against. Novikov has size and skill. Hope he can project to top 4 someday. Next tier that stood out to me: Nuechev, Wahlberg and Kisakov. Especially Nuechev. Wahlberg looks like a high ceiling guy if he develops. Next tier: Johnson, Richard and Huglen. Johnson was quietly good, a steady player that does not flash but has good tools. The other two, Richard and Huglen, played like it was the final cuts and just kept working. It was fun for all. I was sitting behind Stiven Sardarian’s father and little brother for awhile. They were fun, especially after he scored. He played good as well. Great event and a beautiful, warm summer day. Downtown Buffalo was buzzing. Coach McDermott made the event and was introduced by Kevyn Adams after the game along with Don Granato.

I saw him the morning in the development camp and he stood out to me. Size, good speed, skilled and only 17. I think he could make it someday.

Who is a modern day Mike Foligno? 1018 games, 355 goals, 727 pts, 2049 PIM. Your not allowed to play that way any more. Nick and Marcus combined are just getting close to the old man’s numbers.

They are called subs in Buffalo.

Some people look at measurables too much. Adam’s holds his pick and then turns out to get a kid he wasn’t expecting to be there.

They likely will not carrying 9 on the roster. Especially with Quinn on IR. Ryan Johnson will start in Rochester and if he performs well he will get a late season call up.

Kevyn has to give up something to get Hanifin

Joker and Johnson are both RHD so maybe not. Depends on a lot of things and how the players mesh.

In reality he should be on a 3rd pairing. For Buffalo we has on the 2nd pair. Between newly added E Johnson and Clifton, I think Clifton is more likely to crack the top 4. E Johnson will be a 6/7 defender and play about 40-50 games unless injuries to other players force him into a bigger role (which is likely to happen a few times). 1. Dahlin - Muel 2. Power - Clifton 3rd pair rotation and depth: Lyubushkin/Stillman - Joker/Johnson

Joker was our 4 last year. If you think Clifton replaces him then he becomes the 4. No?

Comrie and Bryson are not gonna net anything unless packaged as throw-ins. Maybe Comrie is worth something during the season if a team is desperate but that would mean keep 3 goalies. Olofsson has some value to the Sabres and to other teams that need scoring or PP help. I see no reason not to keep Joker on the 3rd pair or in a rotation. He had a decent season last year, of course, if you could package him for an upgrade you consider that too.

Doubt it. They have to give up assets for either.

As much as I wanted a goalie I do not want Gibson. I would rather roll the dice with UPL.

Maybe so. That is the thought. But Clifton was a 17 minute guy that played 5/6 with a top contender so while I do think Clifton will add something and help us, we still have to see. We are banking on DG elevating Clifton’s game just as we are banking on him elevating Greenway. I think the defense has been improved some amount that has yet to be quantified. I question keeping the status quo on the forwards and goalies.

Well no one else wanted a slightly better goalie. Most of us wanted a proven NHL goalie to pair with Levi. They are all gone. So it’s easy for Adams to say that the goalies out there aren’t better than what we have because he failed to make the trades needed to get one when they were available. What did Adams do? Defense - Replaced Clague and Bryson with Clifton and Johnson. Sure, the defense is better, and the PK should be better, but by how much? Both of these guys were bottom pairings on contending teams Johnson brings experience and a cup and adds depth. Clifton is young and tough I give these moves a C+ for now, and maybe a solid B if Clifton has another level that we didn’t see in Boston. Forwards - he re-signed KO, ZG, and Jost. With Quinn on IR he failed to add a forward so is his plan to backfill with the one dimensional Olofsson? Kulich, Savoie and Rousek will all get a look Nothing was done to address face-offs or adding a solid two-way player on a team that ranked 32 in this category and was poor defensively. He is banking on a healthy first line (didn’t happen last year) and improved play of existing players, one if those key players is on IR. Goalies - Levi, UPL and Comrie are all inexperienced and unproven Levi looks like the real deal but 7 games is not a lot to go with. Anderson was the most reliable goalie on the team last year until Levi arrived, he is gone. Maybe UPL will surprise us? In my opinion Adams is taking a big risk. Are they a playoff team? That is a huge “we shall see”. We have to stay healthy and right out of the gate we lost a 2nd line winger in Quinn. This team is counting on improvement of young players. The core players all need to have another big season and Levi needs to be the very rare true rookie star goalie. They are almost the same team, the defense looks a bit better on paper, so the team improvement must come from player improvement. The players with more significant upside that must improve are Quinn, Peterka, Power, Samuelsson, Greenway, and the new rookies. Dahlin must have another Norris contending year Tage, Tuch, Skinner, Mitrs and Cozens must not slip in production. On top of that we better hope Pittsburgh, the Isles, and the Lightning all continue to get worse and that Ottawa and Detroit don’t make a jump. It’s possible we are a playoff team but if the goaltending doesn’t hold up we finished outside looking in.

... and not letting him sit at the cool kids table at lunch.

OK then, bank on Levi and UPL and hope everyone else stays healthy and gets better - and let the chips fall.

Still need a goalie.

I disagree with this approach, giving up essentially two #1’s for a one year rental is not ideal. Adding one “special guy” for one year may not help the locker room of a young and up and coming team very much either. However, it is probably better than doing nothing at all and going with Levi/UPL/Comrie. A lot can go wrong with the later. This core needs help to start winning consistently and the fan base deserves better than another season with no playoffs.

Thank you, and so true. When is an opening offer ever a best and final offer? The opening offer is typically followed by a counter. I guess the Flames fan with connections missed that part of it.

I have read one comment about that regarding a forward. Apparently the Flames got a better offer?

1. Not sure about next year but in future Levi is likely to be a 1A 2. Yes, get a goalie that can win right now and push Levi, can be short term to keep price down 3. We have the prospects or picks to spare to vault ahead and start winning. One first pick and one expendable player/prospect I want to win right now. We are not going to field all those forward prospects, that is impossible, so go get a goalie.