JohnC

I'm don't consider their comments absolute and ironclad. That would be naive on my part to rigidly hold them to their comments. However, Mitts, as does Cozens, fits the profile of players who are in the system and have been developed. It would not make sense (at least for me) to deal off a young player that appears (hopefully) has made the step up. Another reason that I can't foresee Mitts being dealt is due to his versatility. He not only can play both the center and forward position but has also expressed a willingness to do so. I'm not questioning whether other players will be brought in. I just don't see Mitts be subtracted in order for another addition.

I just don't see your expectations regarding Mitts coming to fruition. Granato said last year that Mitts was one of the best players in last year's training camp. Then he got hurt and was shelved until late in the season. I see him being either our 2C or 3C vying with Cozens for the higher role. In addition, Mitts, like Cozens, has the ability to play wing. So, his versatility would be an additional argument to keep him. Another reason that I can't foresee him be moved is that he fits the profile of how the GM wants to build this roster i.e. mostly building from within the system. I just see the organization counting on both Mitts and Cozens making the leap into becoming established players for this hopefully emerging team.

You get irritated with the notion of a big picture but that is the reality in this case since the installation of KA. It's not unrealistic to believe that the Sabres do end up in 7th place in the division. That would be disappointing but not necessarily indicating that the team isn't moving in the right direction. Anyone who believed that KA had a quick fix solution to remaking this roster and making this a serious Cup contending team was not being realistic. The GM would be the first person to tell you that it was going to be a challenging process. Upon his installation he gave an overview of how he was going to rebuild this franchise. He publicly acknowledged that it was going to take time. That's a harsh reality that many people refuse to accept because they are attaching the previous decade of failure onto his tenure. There are plenty of meaningful questions that should be asked of KA. Is the staffing and structure of the hockey operation demonstrably better? Yes. Is the drafting better? Yes. Is the roster filled with more talented young players who have upside? Yes. Was the right coach hired? Yes. I understand your impatience, everyone does. But if you want instant gratification you are not going to get it because that's not how things work in the NHL. Pointing out what has previously been done wrong is not much of a challenge. Recognizing what has been done right in a relatively short period of time may give you a more objective and optimistic picture of where this franchise currently resides.

The hockey operation with KA at the helm is currently running well. Why would you tamper with it by making a major personnel move within the hockey operation side of the organization? It's likely that Kim will require a lengthy recovery because of her health situation. But her role before getting sick dealt with the business and facilities side of the business. If she needs to step back from her responsibilities the person replacing her should come from the same side of the business.

You make an interesting point about the entertaining brand of hockey the coach promotes. It's a fast pace and north/south offensive style of play that is fun to watch. Rebuilding teams lose more than they win. That's not a surprise. More often than not when coaches recognized that their teams were outmatched, they typically resorted to suffocating the opposition with conservative defensive play that focused on stifling the opponent at the expense of suppressing their own offense. The emphasis is more on stopping the other team and not making mistakes rather than playing aggressively to win. It's gruesome to watch. It's soulless hockey that has little entertainment value in an entertainment business. Just compare how Dahlin and Skinner played under Krueger compared to being liberated under Granato? Needless to say, Granato was the right coach at the right time. KA's selection of Don G to be the HC was an exceptional decision that overshadowed any of his sound personnel moves.

Granato was the right coaching hire for the situation that called for a major rebuild. It is abundantly evident that he excels in developing young players. The big question is how is his team going to perform when there is an expectation that his team should be competing not only to make the playoffs but to be a serious cup contender? We know he can handle the stage one and two in a rebuild i.e. deconstruction of inherited roster and construction with young players. Can he excel at the third stage when the roster is mostly set and the young players have matured and are expected to compete when the stakes are high?

I'm more than happy with the Comrie signing. If I had my druthers, I would have preferred a second goalie being added. I'm just queasy about Anderson's durability as a backup. My sense is that KA is comfortable with UPL being next man up. We shall see if he is worthy of that trust.

In addition to the lineup flexibility that you described with the added talent there shouldn't be as great a drop off when the inevitable injuries happen. This more robust lineup has more cushion to absorb injuries compared to last year.

Assuming that the Skinner/Thompson/Tuch line stays in tact as our first line it looks like there is enough talent to configure an A second line and a B second line where they will be on the ice for nearly the same amount of time. That's a reflection of the talent pool increasing. For the past number of years, players were playing on lines and defensive pairings above their talent level. That is changing because more players and better players are competing for those higher lines and pairings.

Just a general observation: As a group this is a very good skating and skilled group. I'm aware that you can't draw too much from this particular format where there is a lot of open ice and not much defense but this group can skate.

It's fair to believe that Ottawa and Detroit are in the same strata as Buffalo is in. As you have perceptively pointed out to @PerreaultForever there is a valid reason why Buffalo didn't make many outside additions to the roster: The organization had the replacements within their system. Quinn, JJ and Power are players who will be replacing lesser talented players. And not only will they be better than the players they replaced but they will have significantly more potential than the players they will take over for. It seems that you, @dudacek, I and others believe that the 16-9-3 record at the end of the season reflected a positive trend. And it should be noted that this record materialized when the roster was mostly back to health. There was a big difference in play when Olofsson and Mittss were hurt and when they were healthy at the end of the season. While some others use the full season record as their measuring stick, others are drawing more meaning when our roster was fully healthy. (As you have also noted.) We'll just have to wait and see who is more correct in their assessment. I'm in the optimistic camp.

The Sabres getting better this upcoming season will be more of a function of the young players who were on the roster last year getting better than the prospects moving up the ranks. Tage, Mitts, Cozens, Dahlin, Joki, Krebs (also a prospect who played some NHL games), Bryson and Samuelsson are players who already have demonstrated that they can play in this league. The issue becomes how much better will they get? I just think that the listed players have more growth potential that should be evident next season. I'm not disputing the fact that Detroit, Ottawa and Columbus made moves to bring in talent. The reason that the Sabres didn't is because they had players such as Quinn, JJ and Powers who should be added to the roster. The Sabres did add a goalie and the Toronto defenseman so some obvious needs were addressed. I don't know how teams such as Ottawa and Detroit will do in comparison to Buffalo. As it stands, I consider these three teams in the same strata. It will be interesting to watch how each team will rank in comparison to one another.

Don Granato was asked on WGR why the team was playing so much better the last third of the season. He said that is when we got our injured players back and when players who were playing hurt got healthier. (Just as you stated.) Olofsson and Mitts were two examples of impaired players getting healthier resulting in better play. What should be encouraging is this team's talent base is getting deeper. There is more depth here where a backup or even a callup from Rochester should be able to fill-in without a major drop-off in team performance.

I don't doubt that a coach told you that he felt that Thompson would eventually go back to wing. I just don't see that happening. He did play wing. And his talents were stifled. My understanding is that Don G. in the offseason made the decision to move him to center, where he has flourished. In fact, I have heard DG state on more than a few occasions on WGR that he believed that there was still more upside for him at the center position. I agree with the last sentence in your post. That's what KA has repeatedly said since assuming his position. And his actions have underscored his rebuild strategy.

Yes, absolutely Asplund has a place on this team. He is a good defensive player who has some room to develop more on offensive. Quinn and JJ are second line players, maybe higher. Asplund is a third or fourth line player who has an important role on those lower lines. That lower line role shouldn't be dismissed. I'm an Asplund fan. I really like his game and effort. I'm confident that the GM, the coaches and his teammates appreciate and respect his contributions.

You ask the key question whether the late season success represents a point of demarcation of an upward trajectory from its struggling past. I'm inclined to think so (but not sure) for the primary reason is that I witnessed a collective improvement from the enlarged core of young players. And if so, that improvement should continue. But as you indicate everything is relative. Just because we get better that doesn't mean that teams such as Ottawa and Detroit won't also get better at a faster rate.

I hope you don't mind if I ask you as a STH (paying customer) some maybe intrusive questions. As a loyal fan who backs up that loyalty with your $$$$ are you on board with what the GM is doing and is accepting of the rebuild strategy and rebuilding timeframe? Are you and the STHs you know optimistic about the long run and near term prospects of this team? And for someone who has already invested his money for this season what are your expectations for this team this year? I'm not arguing one way or the other but am interested in your view about this team and franchise. Just curious?

Attached is a 25 min WGR link with Paul Hamilton on the Howard and Jeremy Show. The focus is on free agents. The most interesting part is from 23 min to the conclusion of the segment. Paul talks about the GM's plan and what it entails. He basically reinforces the notion that the GM believes in his mostly internal rebuild from within and is sticking with it. It's a long segment but the last five minutes is worth listening to. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

Getting any return on these players is better than no return. It made absolutely no sense. The issue isn't whether they were not worth the contract. They made the determination it wasn't. So why not then try to get something for them? The DeBrincat deal made little sense because the return should have been more.

What they are doing makes no sense. Even if the organization wanted to tank for better positioning in next year's draft, they could have shed players for future assets. Compare what Chicago did with how much KA got in return for his dispatched old core trio? If you are going to explode your roster doing it with some purpose instead of being nihilistic about it makes more sense.

Within this WGR link are two segments with Chad De Dominicis of Expected Buffalo (18 min) and Travis Yost (18 min) segment talking about the free agent market. The Travis Yost is more interesting and lively. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

I'm aligned with @Brawndo's view on Asplund and his value to the team. It goes beyond the stats. I'm confident that the coaches and his teammates recognize his contributions.

Anyone who regularly watches the Sabres recognizes that he is one of our best defensive players. You don't have to be an analytical maven to not notice how hard and responsibly he plays. Right now, he is not much of a finisher but he has enough offensive instincts to put himself in a position to get opportunities. So, I do see him contributing more offensively even as a lower line player. And it should be noted that he is excellent on the PK. He is not going to be provide many scoring highlights but without a doubt his teammates and coaches appreciate him his contributions.

I was watching ESPN and saw a scroll that Kane and Edmonton were linked. What does that mean? Nothing. TBD.

We'll see. What I find interesting is the Chicago side of the equation. Are they just looking to dump Buffalo Kane and start anew, or will they try to get some assets for him? It might make sense for Chicago to hold him until the trade deadline and get whatever they can get. But it seems as if they want to clean out the cupboard and tank so they will have one of the top picks in the next draft for one of the premier prospects. I'm just so glad that Buffalo is more advanced in its rebuild because it is such a dispiriting and exhausting process for the fanbase to go through. I got to give KA credit for expediting our rebuild and shortening the time to get to the road of respectability.