JohnC

I agree with your comments about the Sabre playing with desperation and heart throughout the game. On the other hand, I have a different analysis as to why this team is playing better at this juncture of the season. The primary reason is that with UPL in between the pipes, the level of goaltending has risen to a high level. His play for a sustained period of time is one of the best in the league. There is no question that our blueline unit and team defense in general is better. But the main reason for this turnaround can be attributed to how UPL has played in net. Candidly, I am stunned by how much he has risen as a goalie. Go back I watch how UPL played in the shootout in the Carolina game and compare it to how he played in shootouts last year, when he would flop like a frantic fish facing a shooter. The metamorphosis is stunning!

It's getting to the point that he is more than sneaky good. He's simply playing well. He's one of the surprising good stories in this season.

On the post game, Don G was asked why Krebs didn't get much playing time, especially in the third period. The coach said that it was simply game specific. Both Paul Hamilton and another WGR radio commentator voiced the same opinion that they thought Krebs in general played well and that being benched didn't make much sense. I lean towards WGR's Hamilton point of view.

Some quick thoughts about this game: As each game goes by it becomes more evident that UPL is solidifying himself as our #1 goalie. The play of the game was Mitts pass to Dahlin for the score. Tage had a good game. It seems that he is the focus for the opposition's game plan. I thought Greenway had a good game. No flash but solidly good. Lately, he has become a shooter. Good for him. Granato jumbled the lines quite a bit. Dahlin is our best defenseman. The coaches are going to ride him until he collapses. He's accumulating a tremendous amount of minutes. This game didn't have much of a flow. It was a bit choppy. Each team put a lot of effort on defense. I'm happy about the win but am a bit agitated that it took so long for this team to get it together. What's encouraging is that the goaltending and defensive effort are coming together.

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Your central point that there shouldn't be a need for the HC to motive his players to play with a degree of desperation because they should have the ability on their own to recognize that need makes a lot of sense. However, I have a slightly different perspective on that issue as it pertains to this team/roster. How long have posters, analysts and media commentators talked about the necessity to have players have greater net presence, especially on offense? It's clearly not done enough. Why? This roster is simply not built with enough players who have the desire, ability and inclination to consistently do that dirty work. I'm not saying anything that hasn't already been repeatedly said, but our roster construction isn't well-rounded enough to do it on a consistent basis. It's not so much about adding bigger players as it is about adding tougher and grittier players. In my view, a few more of these types of players would make a big qualitative difference to this roster. The three opposing players you mentioned are the types of players we don't have on this roster. They add a "physical presence" that we don't currently have. What's ironical about the Sabre roster construction is that Benson, who is one of our smallest and least physically developed players, provides the most "net presence" that we don't adequately have. That's sad.

I'm sure he is aware of it. The more developed our high-end prospects are, the greater their value will be. This is going to be an important offseason for this franchise. I'm not expecting blockbuster deals to come from this cautious GM. However, I do expect a couple to few deals this offseason that will both improve and alter the mix of this roster. From a conceptual standpoint, the roster mix needs to make this team tougher.

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/sabres-live Within this WGR link is a 13 min. segment with Kris Baker going through a list of prospects within the system. He starts off talking about Savoie pointing out that many of his points come from driving to the net. He also talks about the defensemen in the system. He made an interesting comment that he views prospects as chips that can be parlayed.

More old era humor: https://www.google.com/search?q=rodney+dangerfield+the+tonight+show&oq=rodney+dangerfield+the+t&aqs=chrome.0.0i512j69i57j46i512j0i22i30l7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:82967a91,vid:MjHsay6P_J4,st:0

Benson is an intriguing prospect. Right now, even though his offensive production is minimal, he is not a liability on the ice. As you noted, he plays a responsible two- way game. Although I don't see him ever being a prolific scorer, I do see him being a good two-way third line player who can score 15 plus goals a season. In another couple of years when he gets stronger, he will become a mainstay player for us. I can envision him on a line with Krebs and another good winger. I like this guy a lot.

You should be aware that the youngsters on this forum have no clue who Imogene is. If you bring up the name of Sid Caesar, the youngsters are more likely to believe that he is a Roman character who spends a lot of time on a horse holding a spear and a shield. https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tTP1TcwTC6uMjFg9OIvzkxRSE5MLU4sUijOyC8HAHfgCP4&q=sid+caesar+show&oq=sid+ceas&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j46i10i433i512j46i10i512j0i10i512j46i10i340i512l3j0i10i512l2.13918j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:14b56ea9,vid:03VOs3HRi5M,st:0

How many finishers does this team has? He's not a complete player. Far from it. He was never a well-rounded player, and will never be. He's a goal scorer. And in general, he has fulfilled his role. And goal scorers like him have a tendency to be sporadic. He is what he is. His assets make up for his liabilities. At least, that is how I see it.

I respectively but strenuously disagree with your characterization of Skinner as a player. From my observations, he is more intensely involved in the game than most players are. The Sabres have not been a playoff team for a long time for a variety of reasons, mostly associated with the inadequacy of its roster. I don't see where that is his fault. Skinner is a goal scorer who scores in spurts. That's what he is now and what he has always been.

Power is still a young player with a lot more potential to draw from. He's not a banger, and never will be. However, my expectation of him, at the minimum, is to be an anchor player for us, and as he gains experience will be a top tier defenseman in this league.

That's what I project. I try not to say it out loud because more than a few people already consider me to be a crackpot. But I believe that he will eventually be in that same lofty echelon.

My sense of Skinner is that he likes it in Buffalo and his teammates. Skinner is one of our best goal scorers. I see no need to deal him away. I'm not sure the return will be greater than the departure.

Two ways???

I just heard on the WGR Marty Show that Skinner went to get an imaging procedure.

Does Skinner have a no trade clause?

I'm very confident that my position of no on a Power for Tkachuk trade is the right position to take. For me, it is not only the right call but also an easy call. Adding an inconvertible knucklehead to the room at the expense of a talented young defenseman with a lot more upside is a mistake that will become more evident as time passes on. You have been in the work world for a long time, as I have. A jerk is a jerk who disrupts the balance of the group. You don't have to be a bad person to be a toxic person that has a contaminating effect on those who work in the same vicinity. With respect to Power there is a misconception about him as a player just because he is not a banger, and neither is Samuelsson. He's big and strong and can skate. He's going to get better and become an anchor defenseman for us for a long time. He's not as flashy and stylistic as Dahlin. They are simply two different types of players. But there is no doubt in mind that he is going to be an instrumental player for us for a long time. Also, if you add in the fact that he is a good kid, this becomes an easy call for me.

Absolutely not! Power is going to be a stud anchor defenseman for a long time. That caliber of defenseman is tougher to acquire than a high end forward. Respectfully, it would be a mistake to make that proposed deal.

Krebs is an interesting player from a development standpoint. It still hasn't been conclusively proven yet, but it appears that Granato putting Krebs on a line with Okposo and Girgs forced him be more focused on the defensive side of the game rather than a free-floating offensive player. He would have been too much of a defensive liability if he started off his NHL career as primarily an offensive center. In his last few games he has played well. He's also a feisty and rambunctious player that irritates the opposition. There is little bland to his game. He's fun to watch.

Some quick thoughts: This was a terrific game to watch. Maximum effort throughout and drama on scoring chances. Our first line is back in sync with a lot of scoring chances. Tage is creating chances but isn't converting. However, he and his mates are playing well. UPL is my first star in this game. He is a transformed player. The transformation is stunning and not expected. It wasn't long ago where there was a chorus of voices yelling to jettison him. Krebs is looking better and better. Playing with Okposo and Girgs helped him to play a more responsible and tighter game. Now he is playing with players who are a little more offensive oriented. It has allowed him to exhibit his set up skills. I thought the play of the game was when he was maneuvering behind the net waiting for one of his players to step into an open space. Power moved into the open spot to receive his pass, and then made a laser shot into an open space. Mitts is playing well. And Greenway is playing well and moving better than I thought he could. He was a terrific pickup for a small price. Bryson is playing well. It wasn't that long ago where he also was a scorned player. I disagreed with the penalty on Dahlin where he ended up driving into the goalie with an opposition player on him when he was going to the net. It was apparent that Dahlin was trying to hold up when he was at the net. That penalty could have been a disastrous call against us. This team showed a lot of fortitude and character to not let it deflate them. Both teams played a tough brand of hockey. This was a game full of tension. This is the type of full throttle game that will help get the fans back into the arena.

Some issues are simple. An easy and safe answer are called for when a question is so obvious to respond to. If you have a different opinion on this possible trade scenario, then that's fine. My answer is clear and firm.

I don't have an offer because I have no interest in him. Let him create a ruckus in the locker room for another team. I'm not giving up valuable draft or prospect capital for a disrupter on his own team. I want our GM to use his assets to acquire talented players who are mature and not problematic.