JohnC

It could be worse. It can end up a generation. ☠️

I would argue that more resources ($$$) should have been used to bring in a higher end goalie in addition to the Comrie add. Bringing back an elderly Anderson who needs to be sheltered with limited playing time was not something I would have done. I have no problem with adding Comrie. But another goalie could have been added to the mix when a number of candidates were on the market. And as @Taro Thas frequently stated another defenseman could have been added to the blue line.

That period of time was a failure because too many bad personnel and contract decisions were made. But prior excessive and imprudent decisions shouldn't be a blanket argument to not better use available cap space to not only improve the roster but also put the young players in a better position to succeed. What I'm arguing here is that there is a middle position where judicial decisions on cap spending and personnel can contribute to winning more.

What would be the return if Mittelstadt was dealt? That's the conundrum when talking trades. It comes down to getting value back. When you send out an inconsequential player you definitely are not going to get back a consequential player unless it is packaged with high end prospects and draft picks. Would you take that option? The Sabres had Jack, ROR, Reinhart, Risto, Hall and Ullmark. What did they all have in common? They all wanted out because they concluded that they were stuck in an organization that had no ability to get itself out of the muck of mediocrity in a reasonable period of time. You see teams like Jersey make that quantum leap after a rebuilding process. And there are teams that had succeeded and then needed to retool after their cup contending lifespan came to an end. And then they do it. My fear is that this prolonged failure is corrosive and demoralizing on the players (and the fans) gets to the point where the next batch of our better players will want out when their contracts allow them to do so. I don't know what the answer is about this interminable slide into meaningless and irrelevant hockey. It's numbing to the point of being apathetic.

I agree with your argument of seizing opportunities to get better. However, those types of meaningful transactions usually happen at the trade deadline and offseason. I wouldn't rule out some fringe deals but I don't see KA going outside his often repeated mantra/strategy of building from within. I understand everyone's impatience but I just don't see any impactful transactions in the near future. Unless there is a total collapse I'm fine with his approach.

I believe that Lyubushkin is hurt. He's the type of player who plays up to his moderate talents. He adds value beyond his talent level because he adds an element of physicality that is not in surplus on this roster. However, when a player is limited talent-wise and has to contend with a plaguing injury then his utility is diminished. But that brings up the issue of missing the opportunity to acquire more depth players in the offseason when there were opportunities to do so. With respect to the impact of missing Okposo and whether there is a correlation or causation as to how this team plays when he is missing, it again goes to the issue of depth and roster fragility. Injuries are part of the landscape. What happens if Tage or Dahlin gets hurt? Is the ship then torpedoed? The Sabres have a number of promising young players in JJ, Power, Quinn, Samuelsson etc. But so do many teams. It's just the thought that this team could be out of playoff contention by New Year's is dispiriting. Just think that Jack, O'Reilly, Reinhart, Risto, Ullmark, Hall, Montour all wanted out and are now happier with their new teams. They simply got tired of being enmeshed in a losing environment. Will that depressing losing environment wear down players like Dahlin and Power to the point that they will seek better options when their contracts come up? Winning has a positive medicinal effect when wounded! Right now it is not at a level that will create a positive environment for the emerging players.

I agree with just about everything you said. There were opportunities this past offseason to get another quality third pairing type of defenseman that would have given the blue line more depth when the inevitable injuries happened. What makes it even more aggravating is that there was more than enough cap room to bring in another player, and also it would not have cut into the playing time and development of any of our young players on the backend. (I am more than sympathetic to @GASabresIUFAN 's frustration with the GM's seemingly passive attitude toward bringing in players from the outside that can help.) Granato has made it known a number of times on WGR that his first priority with working with young players is to emphasize the offense, then work on instituting a defensive system. It's apparent to anyone who is watching the games is that he better start putting more emphasis on the defensive side of the game. He needs to balance out the offensive/defensive ratio or this team will fall into another extended malaise. The problem I have with the PP is that the puck is being moved around the perimeter. Although the time of possession is high the high scoring chances are limited. Shoot the freaking puck and put more bodies around net! I was watching the game last night and I got the same sensation that I have gotten for a number of games: It seems that other teams are playing with more urgency and effort while the Sabres seem to be more complacent. When you are on an extended losing streak you have to play with more desperation. I just didn't see it last night. It's sad to say that I wasn't satisfied; I ended up turning the station to a NBA basketball game.

You make some good points. The difference I see between Johnson, the defenseman, and Portillo, the goalie, is that Portillo will competing with Levi who is on the same development timeline. Whereas in the Johnson case, he more likely will be able to earn a spot on the roster and play sooner because he will more quickly be ready to fill a need on the blueline. It's not inconceivable that he could play in the NHL in his first pro year. I agree with you that KA has to bolster the blueline. However, I don't believe it is going to be done on your timeline. I think that more likely it will be done in the offseason. I'm not precluding that he considers all his options. He would be a fool not to. But what I am saying is that after scanning the market Buffalo would be a good situation for him right away because there is a chance that he could earn a NHL roster spot sooner than if he went elsewhere. And as I said in the prior post I don't believe that the father factor will be as important an influence in his decision as you seem to think.

I'm aware that his father works for the Ducks. But why would that be more of an influencing factor than going to an organization that is more likely give him a chance to play sooner rather than later? From a career standpoint Buffalo would be a good landing spot, even after considering all the other team options. And the way the pro sports world functions you can be employed in an organization and then after a few years of franchise failures become unemployed. My point here is that where your daddy currently works shouldn't be as important a consideration as it may seem to be.

I'll just reply to the end of your response. Why do you think that Johnson is likely to sign elsewhere? Considering the thinness of our blue line group he would be a player who can rather quickly earn a roster spot. Even for Portillo, who I think will join another organization, he would be in a good situation here to earn a NHL roster spot sooner rather than later, even with Levi in the prospect pool. I'm starting to accept the fact that UPL will fall by the wayside. Although his failure isn't necessarily a definite development, it is a more likely development.

KA only brought in Lyubushkin to bolster the blue line. He had a strategy of going with the young defenders and allowing them to play significant minutes. There was nothing secret about his intentions about how he was going to build the roster and grow with them. That's exactly the same formula he is taking with the rest of the roster, the forward lines filled with young players. It's unlikely, at least for the first half of the season, that he is going to resort to bringing in marginal veteran players to take the place of the youngsters. There is no question that this team lacks depth. But that shouldn't be a surprise for any roster that is being rebuilt. That's an inevitable characteristic of any team going through this process i.e. the roster is incomplete and thin to begin with. KA and DG have been open and explicit about their strategy to rework this roster. Developing players is at the heart of it. It certainly can at times be an excruciating and exasperating to witness. I understand your frustration and impatience with this front office. But the course of action has been set and it is being followed. If you look at this team's record it is about where it should be. As @Taro Tand some others have astutely pointed out the Sabres have played a number of top tier teams. For the most part, although the outcomes have been disappointing, this team has not been outclassed. You need to be more patient.

As you also point out in the highlighted segment what mostly changed the trajectory of the game more than anything were those near misses. We also did not capitalize on a few good scrambles around the net with the goalie in a vulnerable position. In my opinion not scoring more than not defending was the critical difference in the outcome.

For the Sabres to be a playoff team they can't let games like Arizona slip away. The Sabres are a fringe playoff contender without much margin of error to work with. They need every point that they can garner even if it is in the first part of the season. That Arizona loss was maddening.

(I watched the game on TV.) Even with a large segment of the fans rooting for the opposition there was an electric atmosphere caused by a capacity crowd that was fully engaged. I thought the Sabres outplayed the Bruins until that part of the third period when the momentum irretrievably shifted. Their best players, who are experienced players, came through. The Sabres had their chances but they just can't seem finish. How many times has Olofsson hit the post this season? In this game there were plenty of scrambles in front of the opposition goalie where he was down and vulnerable but couldn't be capitalized on. The difference between the Sabres and many good teams is that there is less margin of error. When the Sabres have injuries, as all teams do, we simply don't have the reserve talent to absorb the lost. I just hope that the mounting losses don't dispirit the team and fanbase. At times it can be tough to take and excruciating to be in the midst of a growing and learning process. However, standing back and trying to put things in perspective the quality of play is better than prior iterations.

It's his decision. That's my point. So far it seems that he has regained his form pre-injury. There are individuals who have cancer or heart issues or variety of other health issues where there are a variety of approaches for treatment. The patient usually listens to the experts and consider the options. The patient ultimately has the right to make the health decision. Whether it is the right decision or not, no one can know for sure until a later time. Whether it is the right decision for the long-run doesn't change the fact that it is the individual's right to make that health decision for himself.

He made a decision that he felt was in his best interest. Are there risks? Of course there is, as with all surgeries. But there are also risks associated with the more invasive fusion procedure. You are right that there isn't as much data on this procedure as there is with the other procedure. But that doesn't mean that it was the best medical route to take. It just means that there wasn't as much data. Jack made a decision that he felt was in his best interest. And all indications are that he is back to his old form. And he has demonstrated this season that he is back to his pre-injury form. It's his body and he should have the last say on the best course of treatment. The issue isn't whether he made the right decision as it is his decision.

I didn't watch the game last night so I can't fairly comment on it. However, I did see the clips of the game. Without getting into the circular good or bad guy argument about him (my minority position is well known) what is evident to me is that Jack was right in his steadfast stance regarding his surgery preference. From the few glimpses of him from a variety of games it seems as if he has completely regained his physical capabilities. In one broadcast on another game it was pointed out following his surgery and successful results two other players had a similar procedure done. It seems that Jack was right on the treatment issue.

The acute problem in this game is something that has plagued this team : The lack of traffic in front of the goalie when shots are taken. Arizona's goalie played well, as did our goalie. The difference was that there was traffic in front of our net and a clear view for the opposition goalie when defending his net. Arizona got a couple of ricochet goals off of our players that couldn't be blamed on our goalie. But on the other side of the ice there weren't enough screens to create an obstruction or allow us to get a fortuitous bounce. To Arizona's credit they played a hard and trapping style of game. That type of game is tough to watch.

I really admire the intelligent play of Samuelsson. He's so young yet plays as if he is a veteran. He's big enough to be a brute player but instead he uses his intelligence to instinctively position himself to anticipate where the puck is going to be. Samuelsson and Power are or going to be top tier players, along with Dahlin, to make up a high quality and cup calendar blue line. I like Joki more than most do, but I consider him to be more of a complimentary player.

Let's not get greedy. If he scores a goal I'll be happy. JJ has recently been outshining him.

If Risto had Samuelsson's brains and instincts he would be an ace defender. At this point in his career it is locked in what he has and doesn't have as a player. He is what he is. Getting a first round pick for him was grand theft, a felonious heist.

That's great news! This team certainly isn't a top tier team yet. But you can see the progress. This team is entertaining to watch and is very competitive. Even against upper echelon Cup contending teams there isn't an attitude by most fans who have followed the team this season that on any given night this team can't come away with a win. Putting aside the Jack saga, a win against Vegas would be a meaningful measuring stick win. Let's start with a win against Arizona and start off well in these home games.

They are playing in Buffalo.

Your response makes no sense to me.

There are those who want to parse his emotional laden words in a post-game interview as if his comments were made in a legal context where word selection and precision matter. His remarks were made after an intensely fought game where he was relentlessly booed throughout the game. And as you point out the faction that is most outraged is the same faction that relentlessly harangued him throughout the game. Spare me the faux pas outrage! I watched the same post-game interview that @K-9and others witnessed. They were disturbed by it; I was not. The player candidly stated how he felt about the experience. The player's response certainly was not diplomatic but it wasn't out of bounds considering the context. The discussion on this topic has been exhausted and has become circular. However, what amazes me is the intensity of the responses and its lingering effect for a brief interview that happened a year ago.