JohnC

I appreciate your knowledge of this player and his attributes. I was well aware that he was a pass first center but was not sure of his ability to play a grittier game that is required in this higher league. I thought he was mostly a finesse player. I am happy to say that I was wrong.

The biggest surprise to me is your observation that he has become so dogged on the forecheck and the back check. A brilliant coaching move recognizing that the influence of Okposo/Girgs play would influence his play so much. I would also submit that the coach sitting down Krebs for a number of games got his undivided attention that he needed to alter his game to play in this league.

Sometimes when you watch a condensed version of a game you don't get an accurate picture of the flow of the game. I agree with most of your commentary except for Skinner. I don't see the drop-off that you are seeing. Even though he's not scoring many goals since his suspension, he's consistently putting himself in position to get scoring chances. And what I have noticed is that assist numbers have increased. His line is still our most prolific line. And he is an important factor why it is one of the top first lines in the league.

I don't know if you have listened to DG in his Tuesday coach's segment on WGR. They are gems. They are illuminating about him as a person and coach. His responses are usually short, clear and thoughtful. He doesn't dance around difficult questions; he directly answers them. Very often, when asked a question, he will mull it over, and then respond that is an interesting question. On more than a few occasions he will state that he didn't look at that particular issue from that perspective. The point that I'm making here is that he is open-minded and receptive to different perspectives. He constantly talks about the learning process for players, and he is also involved in the learning process for himself as a coach. He's terrific.

Much of DG's career has been spent working with young players in their formative years prior to reaching the NHL level. That's what forms his orientation in the game, even at the NHL level. He looks at the puzzle of assembling a team from the perspective of the individual pieces/players he has to work with. He is constantly searching how to unlock the talent of each player and then work to put that player in a position to succeed. For the coach, it is an ongoing process. Constantly striving, and willing to adjust and change his approach to the player in order draw out the player's potential. This coach is a terrific teacher and leader. This franchise is so fortunate to have him. It shouldn't be lost that DG's approach toward coaching also applies toward veteran players. Skinner is a good example of that. I'm also confident that both Okposo and Girgs would agree that the current coach behind the bench is one of the best coaches they have had in their career.

Even if you don't have an opportunity to have a beer with him to get his thoughts, all you have to do is listen to him talk about hockey and developing players. What was clearly evident is that once he took over for the dispatched Krueger, he immediately jettisoned the Krueger approach to the game and handling players. Right from the start, his goal was to liberate the players from the straitjacket that the former coach made them wear. One ineffective coach stressed conformity, while the other coach allowed his players to express their talents. The biggest beneficiary of that change was Dahlin. That's why he is constantly smiling.

I agree with you on the quality of play of Mitts in this game. As @Taro Thas often noted the coach is astute in juggling his lines, especially at the end of the games. I thought that putting Cozens on the Mitts/Olofsson line was a good change of pace move. It just seems that Quinn and JJ have for a period of time become no-factors or even generating many scoring opportunities. It's simply part of the growing process.

The "track meet" style of play is our identity. That's how this team needs to play, and that is what the opposition is trying to take away. What's great about this style of play is that it is entertaining and exciting to watch. Compare this Granato style of play to the troglodyte style of play that Krueger promoted? There was the obvious tribute to Hamlin that made this crowd revved up. But what kept them aroused throughout the game was the pace and quality of play. What a difference a coach makes!

It wasn't that long go when the Sabres got down there was an almost visible deflation. In hockey, as there is in most pro sports, there is an ebb and flow. But even when the tide is turning against them, this team keeps playing its fast paced and north/south game. The talent on this team has clearly increased. But what is evident is that this is a character team with multiple leaders that keep this team together when it is facing adversity.

Do you know when he is expected back?

I predict that Mitts will score a goal against his hometown team. I'm confident that @K-9 is sneering at my prediction. 😃

You make some interesting observations in the way DG handles his young players in order to allow them to deal with the vicissitudes of being a young player at this higher level of hockey. As you point out, Quinn and Peterka have lately struggled. This was after they previously sparkled. The opposition adjusted to them causing them to hit a plateau. The coach's response was to lessen their roles in higher stress situations, most notably at the end of the games. I'm confident that in the near future these two talented youngsters will find their footing, and as you point out, their struggling experience will ultimately enhance their development. The issue for me is whether the coach can put Mitts in a position to succeed. While I'm more upbeat about Mitts (and Joki and Olofsson) than most of the skeptics here, I hope the coach can get Mitts to play at a more consistent level and contribute to spreading out the production beyond our prolific first line. We shall see.

I have gotten the same sense of anticipation for Sabre games. The Sabres are a competitive and entertaining team. Even against the elite teams, there is no expectation that this team is incapable of winning. I don't want to get carried away but based on what I have seen this year, this team is one year ahead of where I expected this team to be this season. What I have observed over the past 20 games or so is that when this team gets credible goaltending, it is a good team. (And we have been getting it in this latest stretch of games.) Without question this is still an incomplete team because of the deficiencies on the lower backend; but steadily deficiencies are being addressed.

I'm not making any conclusive judgment in which team is on a better pathway to success. It's simply too soon. Right now, I would say Buffalo has the edge. But Yzerman has had a history of success of being an integral part of rebuilding two franchises. And as you astutely point out Yzerman's approach is different, although not dramatically so, from Adams's approach.

I have repeatedly said that I would take our roster over Detroit's. I also believe that the teams are in the same strata. The record and standing points indicate that. You also have to consider that Yzerman seems to be more willing to augment his young core with outside talent. Is that a better approach or not? Only time will tell.

Is that brotherly love or antipathy?

I don't consider Detroit better than Buffalo. But I do consider them to be in the same strata. It will be interesting to track each team in their rebuilding process. My sense is that Yzerman is more willing than KA to go outside the system to round out their team. Overall, I'm more than pleased with how KA has overseen the Sabre operation.

There are no maybes in that oldster category. You are either old or not. 🤡

Don't get fooled by the fact that the Sabres have dominated Detroit when they have played this season. Sometimes due to matchups comparable or even more dominate teams don't match up well. This season Detroit has earned 39 points in 36 games while Buffalo has earned 40 points in 36 games. In my mind both teams are in the same strata. I do agree with you that I would rather have our roster than their roster. I wouldn't put Yzerman in the terrestrial wizard camp. I have listened to him on a couple of occasions talking about the rebuilding process. He knows what he is doing. He may have a sour personality but he is a good GM. These are little deals that make you a little better. Inching your way forward is better than sliding back in a highly competitive league.

That's an astounding record when those two anchor players are on the ice. Getting Samuelsson signed sooner rather than later was a terrific move by the GM that will enable the GM more cap flexibility in the not-too-distant future. The accumulation of wise decisions by the young GM has gotten to the point of critical mass where this team is becoming good sooner than many of us thought (including me).

Moving Krebs to the Girgs/Okposo line seemed odd to me when it was made. Krebs just seemed to be an incongruous fit with those two thumpers who played a simple game with little flash. Boy was I wrong! It was a brilliant move that forced the loose playing Krebs to play a more simplified and tighter game. Although I don't think that it is a line meant to be together for the long term, its major benefit was to make a younger player play in a more of a mature fashion. Another coaching factor that compelled Krebs to alter his loose style of play was sitting him for a number of games. (As you noted.) I'm sure that got his attention. With respect to Joki I'm more positive about him than most are. He's still a young player with upside. (This observation on upside has been noted by DG on more than a few occasions.) And he seems to know how to play with talented players such as Power. Repeating what you have said about the coach, his forte is in working with and developing young players. There is no question that he is the right coach for this young team. KA has made a number of transactions that have worked out well. Retaining DG as the coach may be his most consequential decision.

You basically repeated what DG said on WGR a couple of weeks ago in his weekly appearance on WGR when addressing the issue of the Mitts and VO line. He pointed out that disrupting the other lines, including the Okposo/Krebs/Girgs line, would create other problems. What's different this week is that Quinn and JJ are currently struggling while Cozens is elevating his play. I would rather stay the course and let things play out longer. The coach is not afraid to juggle lines. And as you have previously pointed out he is not afraid to juggle lines in the games. So I'll trust his judgment on the composition of the lines.

He's not a flash in the pan. He will never reach your loftier expectation of him (compared to what I have of him) but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have a role on this team. He is a third line player and not a second line player. I accept that while you seem not to.

There is no question that Buffalo is an emerging team that is being recognized by other organizations. But what makes Buffalo different from most teams moving up the ladder of rankings is that Buffalo is also one of the most entertaining teams to watch. Compared to a few years ago when I felt there was no entertainment value to watching them, I now want to watch this team. I now feel somewhat disappointed when their next game is too far off. They are simply enjoyable to follow.

That's the issue being discussed here. Casey isn't the same as Cozens or Quinn. And will never be so. But just because he isn't what we expected of him, doesn't mean that he can't be a contributing player in a lesser and more simplified role. Jost and Lazar had to come to the realization that their roles in the NHL would be a lot different in the NHL than at the lower levels of hockey that they dominated in. That's the situation Mitts is having to deal with. What I can say is that Mitts has more offensive potential than these two previously mentioned players.