JohnC

I have a different take on Joki. Whether he is on the first pairing or second pairing his role is as a complementing player to the primary player in the pairing. He's the subordinate player to the dominate player whether it is Dahlin or Power. That's what you want when pairing a player with a highly talented player who will dominate the puck. As you point out it seems that Granato believes that Joki has more untapped upside. Granato has been adept at putting lines and pairings together. Granato has shown that he is open-minded and flexible when assembling lines and pairings. I'm sure that he will not pre-determine a role for either Lyubushkin or Joki. Their play in training camp and even during the season will have them vying to be paired with Power. I lean toward Joki being paired with Power.

The big unknown for me is whether the success in the last third of the season was meaningful. Or was it a team that was out of the playoffs playing with no pressure because there were no playoff implication games. I'm leaning toward meaningful because during that end of the season stint the roster was belatedly healthy. And being healthy the team demonstrated that it could play competitively against all teams. (Not saying they were better than the upper echelon teams.) So my tepid prediction is that the Sabres will be vying for a playoff spot up to the very end of the season. Will they make the playoffs? Probably not.

We are two ships passing in the night. Where you are going is not where I am going. That's okay.

Peterson made the right decision for himself. No one can argue that it didn't work out well for him. Look at the list of players in your last paragraph. How many are still with the team? And how many of those players eventually wanted out? Yes, at that time this franchise was in a disarray. And it should be noted that Marty Biron has no axe to grind against this franchise. He bends over backward not to be too scathing with his criticisms. He said on the radio that losing Peterson was not a big loss because at that time when he bolted he would not have succeeded in Buffalo because the franchise was in a state of chaos.

Your first paragraph repeats a commentary that Marty Biron made when discussing Peterson's decision to become a free agent and sign with another team. He pointed out that there was a recognition by everyone in the business that the Sabres were in a state of disarray and was a franchise to be avoided if possible. He also opined that Peterson would not have succeeded here not because of his talent level but because at that time this franchise was in a situation where players could not succeed. Most people believe that the organization has been has stabilized and is functioning as a normal and competent franchise.

I believe that the Sabres will be competing for a lower rung playoff position up to the end of the season. Will they make the playoffs? I'm not sure. But as you indicate this team should be entertaining to watch. This DG coached team plays a fast paced north/south style of game that leans more toward the offense than defense. (Compare that to the stultifying play that Krueger promoted!) I'm hoping that the play during the last third of the season is a reflection of this team stepping up.

If Sabre fans get butt hurt over a prospect signing somewhere else they can soothe the pain with a soothing jelly lubricant to quell the fire. Player movements for a variety of reasons are part of all pro sports. That movement is now more evident in the college ranks. You just have to deal with it. The best way to handle these setbacks/departures is to have depth within the system so you are in better position to handle these losses.

Absolutely, running the hockey operation in a smart manner is all you can ask for. How do you expect to reach the point that you so vociferously clamor for? I'm not jumping on the proverbial bandwagon (your words) based on faith. I'm predicating it on what has been done during the tenure of KA and DG. If you can't handle the challenging process then that's an issue you have to deal with. I don't see any other way.

I'm in the camp that it's more likely than not that Portillo will become a free agent and sign with another team. When he gets to that free agent status he will see which team offers him the best opportunity to reach the NHL. That's his prerogative. I don't begrudge him using the system to pursue his best interest. That approach worked out well for Peterson.

An interesting debate could center around the question who one would prefer having in the system next season between Portillo or UPL? The UPL durability issue really concerns me. I wouldn't be surprised if Portillo exercises his free agent rights and moves on to another franchise.

My time frame is three years if you start with this season. In general terms I'm simply more optimistic than you are with our young core maturing together and stepping up to the level of becoming established good players. The list of young players that I'm counting on is expanding. They include Dahlin, Power, Tage, Cozens, Mitts, Tuch, Joki, Quinn, JJ, Krebs, Samuelsson and hopefully another player or two bubbling up from the system. As I and others have stated the biggest concern is the goalie position. That's where my uncertainty comes from. Only time will tell whether my more optimistic projection materializes. What I can say for sure is that the organization is making a lot of sound decisions that is putting this formerly erratic franchise on the right path to sustained success. That's all you can ask for.

I also heard Marty Biron make the comments about UPL on his WGR Show that @dudacekand @GASabresIUFANreferred to. His major criticism was that he had difficulty tracking the distant shots, even shots where he had a good sight line. Marty B wasn't totally down on UPL. He liked how the goalie utilized his size and his economy of movement when there was congestion around the net. But the issue of durability and giving up those long shots were liabilities that bothered him. Just a sidenote on UPL and the issue of his durability. I either read it or heard it on WGR that the coaching staff wanted UPL to take up yoga this offseason in the hope that it would improve his flexibility and help him to be more durable.

I don't think it is unrealistic for this team to be a serious cup contender two years after this upcoming season. The roster is being filled out with mostly young players who have upside. The issue comes down to what level of goaltending will we have at that time? That's the key issue that will determine success. I don't expect Vezina caliber of goaltending. That would be unrealistic. What I'm hoping for is consistently good play.

I agree with you that the coaching position is not usually noted for its longevity. But it just seems to me that the coach and GM are tightly synced with respect to roster building philosophy. You bring up a key question with respect to Granato. It's widely acknowledged that he is adept in developing players and guiding a young roster. In a year or two the next issue is going to be whether that ability to develop talent will result in leading a more mature team to being serious cup contending team. I think he is capable of making that next step up. But it is still an open question.

DG and KA are riding on the same train. If DG succeeds, KA succeeds. If KA succeeds, DG succeeds. They are inextricably linked. The owner has a history of impatience and changing staffs. I believe that he has learned his lesson that constantly turning over of staffs isn't a solution. When your franchise is unstable creating more instability isn't the answer. This staff is going to be in place for the next few years.

You make a good point that even for highly ranked prospects it takes time for them to develop before becoming established NHL players. But what I can say about the three prospects that you listed is that they should be better than the players they will be replacing on the roster. Based on Peterka's and Quinn's play in the AHL they demonstrated that they are ready to move up the system. (However, that is not to say that especially for Peterka more time in the AHL will not benefit him.) It's encouraging that in the short audition that Power had last year he demonstrated that he can play at this highest level of hockey and not look out of place. Each of these players will at times will struggle. And along with their struggles they will show glimpses of their abundant talent that they will have to tap in to during the season and future. The NHL has changed since the Tampa players you listed were drafted. It's gotten younger. Although I am expecting inconsistent play from these young Sabres, I am also expecting enough production to the point where they are considered to be more assets than liabilities for this team. I'm really excited to see how the large group of young players on the Sabres play next season!

It is often suggested that Skinner's contract is significantly excessive and has limited the organization's options to add talent. But does it? If he continues to score in the 30 goal range for the rest of the contract, then that contract should be viewed to be more reasonable. There is no question that he is not a $9 M per year player. But if he continues with his usual production level he becomes a $ 7 M per year player. He would still be playing beneath his contract value but it would be at a more respectable level relative to his contract.

Yes, the new GM inherited a mess. That's obvious But that doesn't mean that he was able to instantaneously wipe the slate clean and install his replacements and start implementing his plans. The quibbling over when the clock started when he had full authority is not very meaningful because no matter how you calculate the time the GM has accomplished a lot during that period of time. Let's look at what KA during his time as a GM. He nearly completely rebuilt and restaffed the hockey operation. He dealt the old core and got a fair-value return on those assets. This roster has substantially turned over with younger replacements. The prospect pool has increased. The point here is regardless how you manage the clock the GM has put this franchise is a good situation to succeed in the near future. Compare that to where this franchise was before he took over?

Where you designate him at is where he should be, and probably will be. I'm also fine with that role.

I'm not counting Adams's first year when Krueger was the coach. As I said before Krueger was the most influential person in the hockey operation at the time. It wasn't until Krueger was fired that everything that Krueger espoused was dramatically changed, starting with the designation of Granato as the interim coach. That's when the Adams clock starting ticking for me. And during that tumultuous year it took time to undo what had previously been done.

I don't know you very well. What I can say with confidence is that you and your wife are wonderful people. You both are kind and generous. I hope the situation with your wife's friend gets worked out. She needs a good lawyer and a court restraining order to address her situation. I wish her the best.

You are right that Goodall has the final say and can more severely punish this sleazeball player. However, if he does, then the issue is going to be challenged by the union (which it is not challenging the judge's ruling and punishment recommendation) and then the case will go into the legal system. If that happens there is a good chance that there can be a legal ruling that allows the player to get back on the field while the case is being adjudicated. As you well know that will only keep this scuzzy issue alive for a much longer period of time. It has to remembered that the judge who was examining the case was not reviewing all the more than 20 abuse claims. She was reviewing only four cases, and then made here ruling. My sense (opinion) is that Goodell either will accept the judge's six game punishment or he might add a couple of games to make the punishment an eight game period. I don't believe that he wants this tawdry affair to exist for another year. Goodell has been in his position for a long time. He knows that whatever decision he makes will be publicly debated and criticized. It's in his interest to get this case finalized and then deal with the claims against the creepy Washington owner, Dan Synder. That might be an even more tricky case for the Commish.

The Skyway issue was discussed for so many years. When it came down to computing the total costs of bringing it down and the costs of adding new roadways it was simply too much because it would crowd out so many other worthy projects. It was decided to spread the money around to a number of other projects rather than use it up on one project. I think it was the right decision at the time. In contrast to the Peace Bridge project as @Taro Tstated after years if not decades of discussion everything fell into place for building another bridge on the West Side. Both the unyielding environmentalists and the Signature Bridge fanatics killed the project that was ready to go. The unwillingness to compromise is a mentality that has set this community and country back. On the positive side, a lot has been done by the cooperation between the developers and the local governance. One of the best things that has happened is that an outside developer like Douglas Jemal has been able to establish a good relationship with the local government/s and get projects on the drawing board completed.

I doubt it because it is recognized that he can't handle the load of a #1 goalie. I'm offering my opinion because nothing is written in stone. I think that UPL will start off in Rochester and will be given a full load down there. It wouldn't be surprising that eventually he will be moved up. He will have to earn his way onto the roster. It's going to be interesting to see what happens if UPL shines in camp. It's my opinion that it would be better for him to get a full load in the AHL than intermittent play in the NHL.

Comrie will be the #1 goalie when camp begins and when the season starts.