JohnC

They are not mutually exclusive. The reality is that our playoff chances are dim. Getting an early peek at Levi, like last year's peek at Power, is the major attraction in this game. If Levi should sparkle in this game and other games as the season winds down, the expectations and anticipations for next season are elevated.

Greenway is not fully healthy. I'm not suggesting that he is anything special but as a third-liner and he adds an element of size and a more physical style of play. It should be remembered that it was coached Don G who advocated for him. The coach believes that he has more to draw from. With respect to either or both Kyle retiring or Zemgus leaving that shouldn't be surprising. All teams are subjected to roster changes. Rosters are rarely the same from year to year. What puts Buffalo in a more favorable position is that it is the lower half of the lines and pairings that need to be upgraded. And that type of player is more easily gotten from the market. Terrific work! 🍺

With respect to getting more experience there are a few young players I expect to make a noticeable step up. A few of them are Power, Krebs, Quinn and JJ. It could be argued that Cozens should be placed in that category. As have been often said internal improvement will undergird our improvement. I don't know what the GM is going to do in the offseason to address the vulnerability at net. I'm not sure he will do anything. What the Chycrun overture indicates to me is that he is very likely to address that unit this offseason. From an overview perspective the roster is already at a later stage of being filled. Give me some names that could be attainable.

With Levi between the pipes, I see his team play a tighter and more defensive focused style of play in front of him. In my opinion, I thought the Sabres played one of their best two-way games in a recent OT loss to the Rangers at home. Not too long ago, the Sabres were one of the most irrelevant franchises in the league. It won't be much of a surprise if the hockey analysts and commentators will be focusing on this game because of our intriguing prospect. How things have changed!

A good sign of what you are saying is the pursuit of Chycrun during the season. He failed in sealing the deal but he made a credible offer. That's an example that he's simply not standing pat and allowing the process to follow through on its own lumbering pace. When he sees opportunities, he's willing to explore them. The acquisition of Stillman and Spellman were not major deals. (Needless to say.) They were in-season smaller deals that added some depth and tweaked the roster in areas of weaknesses. I'm not sure what the GM's thoughts are on the goalie position and what he is willing to do to address it. Maybe nothing? At the minimum he needs to add a defenseman or two, at least 4-5, or better yet a 2-3, caliber players to the mix. I still believe that adding a Saros caliber goalie to the roster will do more than anything to elevate this roster. This offseason is going to be intriguing.

As @pi2000 noted in a post prior to yours the description is suitable to describe Joki. If it turns out to be so, it will be a good pickup. Whether he is slotted to be a 4-6 or 5-7 player, it fills a need and improves the unit.

I understand your sentiments. But I have a slightly different take on how KA is handling his job. What KA has wisely done is not allow the futility of how this bedraggled franchise was operated before he took over to influence how he was going to operate. He had a blueprint, clearly stated it for everyone to understand and has followed it. I would argue that the timeframe that he set (and I expected) for the rebuild is ahead of schedule. I expected/hoped the Sabres to be in the playoff running up to the end of the season. That is what is happening. And I expected/hoped the Sabres would be a 90 pt team when the season concluded. They'll probably fall a little short but they won't be far off. My point is that his timeframe where this team would be at is on a reasonable, if not, accelerated schedule.

I come from an Italian immigrant family. My father once told me to chop the ice before it freezes. He also called out to me and brother and said both of you three bring the garbage cans back behind the house. I'm fine with broken English. It represents my roots. 🍷

If you watch opposing teams' broadcasting crews when they are playing Buffalo, there are many positive comments about how well the team is playing. More importantly, there are comments about the promising prospects for the near future. That wasn't the perception for a number of years. When one gets too too close and is immersed in the immediate, you often don't get the same perception that outside eyes have. It's indisputable that the Sabres are on an up cycle. And outsiders recognize it, maybe more than insiders do.

Was @PASabreFan in the audience hectoring the GM to add more hooligans to the roster? 🤡

Split up the posts. Did he give you any responses that surprised you?

I agree with everything you said but would like to comment further. There is a good reason why he didn't talk about the playoffs when he first took over. In a rebuild for any organization going through such a multi-faceted and complicated task, you simply can't know for sure in advance how the process will work out, especially when you start the process. As you well know, it isn't just wheeling and dealing for players. You have to consider ability to shed contracts, cap considerations, other teams' willingness to trade with you, free agency etc. As an example, the Jack trade was not a simple matter. He was injured and there were issues regarding what surgery he would allow. This trade was an important deal for us because it brought back Tuch, Krebs and a first-round pick. That deal worked out well but prior to the deal none of us, including the organization, could project what the outcome would be. I agree with you that if a Saros deal was offered that required either Savoie or Kulich, our GM would out of hand reject it. However, if Rosen or Ryan Johnson (assuming he signs) were part of a deal, our GM would be more inclined to make such a deal. Would I be willing to offer one of our prized prospects for Saros? I'm not sure. What I can say is that adding a goalie such as Saros would have a major impact on this team. It would immediately change the dynamic of this team for the good. A good "what if" question is: where would the Sabres be in the standings if we had Saros this year? I suspect that we would be talking about match ups instead of talking about the long shot odds of the Sabres making the playoffs this year. I just want to make it clear that our views are consonant on this topic with some small differences.

If you closely look you can see the lips quivering.

Most of the remnants (core) of the prior era are gone. Jack, Reinhrt, Risto, Montour, Hall etc. are gone for a variety of reasons. (No need for the rehash.) I believe you are making a mistake if you believe that what's needed now is a flamethrower (your word) approach to gain credibility from the skeptical crowd. There are obviously identifiable needs entering the offseason, regardless how this end of season turns out. Anyone who stands back and puts things in perspective and compares where this team is compared where it was two to three years ago should be happy because the trajectory is without a doubt pointing upwards. I'm not saying you should be satisfied because I'm not fully in that receptive camp just yet. (Waiting for the offseason transactions.) However, if one has been following this team over the past decade or so, one would have to acknowledge that this franchise is moving in the right direction and is ready to move into the fast lane.

Yes, the Sabres are knocking on a new door. He isn't saying anything differently now than when he took over the hockey operation. And what he said he was going to do is showing results at a faster pace than I thought it would take. The Sabres are still in a playoff race. Odds are that they won't make it this year. And the odds are that the Sabres will earn 10-15 pts more this year than it did last year. You don't consider that progress in a relatively short period of time? If you factor in the fact that the Sabres are one of the youngest teams in the league, I would definitely consider this season as an example of demonstrable progress. In less than 3 years, this GM has dealt the old core and significantly reshuffled the roster. Tage, Cozens, Quinn, JJ, Dahlin, Power, Samuelsson, Joki etc. are young players with even more upside. Next year, my expectations are that this team will be a playoff team. If they don't make it, I will be very disappointed. As far as I'm concerned, the pace of this rebuild has been steady and rather fast. In my view, the results, after KA's installation, have been better than I anticipated after. He is one year ahead of the timetable that I had in mind. There certainly are needs that need to be addressed this offseason. There is no need to restate what they are. My point is that this franchise is on track to become a serious team, and it is being done at a rather quick rate.

What's encouraging is that KA did make a serious offer to acquire Chycrun. That's a clear indication that he wants to address that unit. What that failed transaction tells us is that he willing to expend assets to upgrade that unit. Is he willing to take the same action for the goalie position? I'm not sure.

When one takes an overview of all the players that were listed it becomes evident that most of our roster is set for next year. The potential rookies you listed at the bottom of your post won't have to be rushed. The only player in the rookie list who might be moved up quicker than preferred is Savoie. And that is due to not being able to play in the AHL next year. Most of us agree that the blueline needs to be bulked up. That should be doable. The big challenge for this GM is to go outside his comfort zone of sticking with the process and be more aggressive in acquiring a high-end goalie. Adding a goalie such as Saros would do more to solidify the Sabre roster than any other move that he can make. The Sabres are on the doorstep of being a serious team. How will the cautious GM respond. We shall see.

For the most part, Joki has been paired with Power. Power has thrived as a player. Is Joki a factor for his emerging play? I would say yes. There are times when Joki is paired with Dahlin. Has that diminished the Swede's play? I don't think so. However, I have said many times if more talent is added to the unit that results in Joki or even Sameulsson moving to a lower pairing, I would not only be receptive to that change but also be ecstatic about it. It would clearly indicate more talent added to the unit. Having more talent is not an issue that I'm going to complain about. On the contrary, I will celebrate it. Sometimes a player can be rated as a third pairing player yet still be very effective being paired with another player on a higher pairing. The factors influencing that move up has a lot to do with the ability to mesh with another player. I believe that dynamic applies both to Joki and Sammy.

Over the past 10 games or so Boosh has really surprised me by his play. He has been one of our most consistent and dependable defenders. He has gotten healthy and seems more comfortable with the team's defensive scheme. I consider him more of a third pairing caliber of player. However, based on his improved play he is capable on a temporary basis of moving up the pairing list when needed. I have a different view on Joki than most of the members here. I'm higher on him than the rank and file are. Whether he is playing on the first or second pairing, his best role is being the complementary defender. Whether he is paired with Power or Dahlin, his style of play allows the other primary players to accentuate their impressive talents. The overwhelming consensus here is that the blue line unit still needs additions to create more depth to absorb injuries and still be able to maintain a level of play that doesn't become a vulnerability. I would like to see 2 Lyubushkin caliber of players added to the blueline unit.

I have said for quite a while that I would like another Lyubushkin caliber to the mix. I don't think that it is inconceivable that two players in that talent range could be added to the unit this offseason. What has recently surprised me is how well Illya is playing. I previously considered him a good third pairing player but now I would elevate my rating and categorize him as a 4-5 defenseman. I have a higher assessment of Joki than most of the members here have. I still see him having more upside to his game. Stillman is another solid addition who can be a quality 4th pair player. The high number of minutes that Power and Dahlin are currently subjected to is unsustainable on a long-term basis. I'm not sure what our GM is going to do this offseason in addressing the goalie position. If he stays with the status quo (which I think he will), one way to improve the play in net is to better support that position with better blue line play.

None of us knows for sure how he will develop or the timeframe it will take for him to be ready for NHL play. There is no guarantee on prospects except for a rare elite prospect. What your scout friend is probably warning you is to not expect him to be an immediate savior. If the GM believes that that Comrie, UPL and Levi are the goalies next year who will battle to earn playing time, he is taking a major gamble. I'm excited about having Levi in our system and eventually being our #1 goalie. An experienced and quality goalie needs to be brought in to buy time for Levi to be ready and help us win next year.

Granato stated on WGR that the team very often ends practices with shootouts. For the most part the players who are chosen for the shootouts are players that they have demonstrated to be the best at that aspect of the game. He also noted that there are some variations due to how a player is playing in a game and sometimes there is a gut consideration in selecting the shooter. His comments reflect what you just stated.

I'm as big a Samuelsson fan as there is on this site. But the record disparity between when he plays and doesn't play is deceiving. The main reason why the record plummets when he is not playing is the unit lacks depth. So when he is out there is a cascading effect when replacements have to be fill-ins, not only replacing his spot but through the rest of the pairings. Lyubushkin has recently demonstrated over the last half dozen games or so that he is capable of playing well but also playing on a higher pair. This offseason the GM needs to add one or two players Lyubushkin caliber players to the unit. That's an imperative and challenge for the GM to do this offseason. note: I wasn't able bring up your link so I don't know what players you would like to target.

If the organization is not allowed to send Savoie to the AHL (hate that rule--there should be exceptions) then it's more likely that Savoie will be added to the NHL club. And because of injuries and ineffective play it wouldn't be surprising if Kulich was called up.

A subdued Granato gives his postgame comments. This is a 6 min segment. He mentioned Rousek's and Mitt's play in the interview Our coach is a mature and composed coach/person. There are some volatile coaches who wouldn't be able to control their emotions at the podium after a tough loss. He's not one of them. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/don-granato-postgame-32723/t-277822760/c-16235120