JohnC

Did you expect them not to?

And to burnish the record even more is the fact that our wins were against top tier teams.

The one aspect of this game that elevates my "optimism meter" is that Calgary played at a high level throughout the game. They certainly didn't play down to the level of the competition. The intensity that the Sabres played at was matched by the intensity they played out. Their goalie was sterling throughout the game up until his boondoggle play in OT that led to Tage scoring. This was a slugfest where when one team punched hard the other team punched back just as hard. It is undebatable that Calgary has a more robust roster. Yet, we still matched them in this game. I agree with you that this was our most mistake free effort of the season. However, to twist your words a little I thought it was the effort throughout the game more than the lack of mistakes that was the decisive factor for us. This game represented hockey at its best. And although only one goal was scored it was an entertaining to watch. And regardless what the Sabres' record is this iteration of a team under Granato is so much more entertaining to watch than before he got behind the bench.

Almost everyone on this site expects to see him on the Sabres next year. He is not the forgotten prospect. The reason why he doesn't get as much attention as Quinn is because Quinn was moved up to Buffalo before getting hurt and sent back down to get back to form. JJ will be on the Sabres next year at the start of the season, and if not, sometime within the season. From a development standpoint, JJ playing full time in Rochester is the right thing to do for him and the organization.

Some quick observations about this game: The top two stars in this game were the two goalies. Tokarski's laying prone on the ground and stretched out to catch the puck targeted at the open net was the play of the game. It was stupendous stop! That stop allowed us to win the game. Both teams played a tight north/south game where you couldn't dicker with the puck because the opposition was quickly on the puck. Each side relentlessly battled and fought for the puck. The ferocity of play never stopped in this game. There were no lulls. The quantity of shots were relatively low because there was little space to work with when the potential shooter got the puck. Both sides were adept at getting out of their zones. I can't recall a game in which the Sabres uniformly played so hard throughout a game. What is remarkable is that this sustained intensity happened in the second game of a back to back. Even with the tightness in play Skinnner more than any other player for the Sabres was able to get a shot off. I thought Gergs was back to form/speed with his typical Gergs gritty play. You can't quantify what he adds to this team. Krebs is getting the message that it is better to shoot than get cute with the puck. I was impressed with Calgary and the talent spread out throughout the lineup. In this game we matched them. Regardless what team the Sabres are playing when watching the games it is evident that Dahlin is one of the best players on the ice. Although only one goal was scored in overtime this game was exciting to watch. To play this way after playing the previous night is a tribute to the coach and players. Great game!!!

I'm too much of a dullard to understand jokes. 🙃 Your price range for VO is very reasonable for the player and organization. I had him pegged at 4 yrs per $4 M.

So what? This high #1 pick better be better than the 7th pick in the 2014 draft. Quinn being better than Olofsson or any other player on the roster doesn't mean that the lesser player should necessarily be dealt. I consider Olofsson to be a good third line winger and also would be a good second unit player on the PP.

If Quinn quickly becomes an impact player then that would be great. But it isn't a guarantee that he will from the start be an impact player. He, like a number of other youngsters, most notably Krebs, Joki etc. need to get stronger. I'm excited about prospects such as Quinn and JJ. But from a NHL standpoint these boys are not yet men. And going back to the VO discussion I don't see how adding Quinn and JJ to the mix should be an argument to trade VO, at least for the near term.

The one lesson that is obvious from this year is that you need team and system depth to respond to the inevitable injuries. I'm not worried about having too much talent at this point because the real issue for this bottom-feeding franchise is not having enough talent.

The Sabres do not have one player in the top 20 in 11 offensive categories. The problem isn't that we have plenty of players who can score---it is that we don't have enough of them. There is a false assumption that prospects such as Quinn and JJ are instantly going to be prolific goal scorers when they get to the NHL. Unless the player is an exceptional prospect it doesn't usually work out that way. It takes time for a good scorer in the lower ranks to become a proficient scorer in the NHL. When you have a team that lacks talent the solution towards success isn't to subtract talent.

The Sabres don't have a player in the top twenty in any of the 11 offensive categories. Your solution is to trade one of our better shooters. VO could be slotted into a more productive third line, and he could be useful on the second PP unit. I don't understand your reasoning.

Most players who have been out of action for as long as he has take more than a few games to get their timing back. I doubt that his play is going to be sharp enough to want to make a GM offer anything more than a piddling amount for his services. The real action in adding to this roster is going to be in the offseason, especially around the draft.

Is he going to blame the Sabre training staff for his injury? I didn't realize until this year how vulnerable to injuries goalies are.

If Adams gets a first for Miller it's likely he has pictures of the other GM intermingling with a busty naked woman who isn't his significant other. I don't believe that KA could get a second round pick for Miller. If he is dealt and the return is a third or fourth I would consider it a fair deal.

No they are not guaranteed like NHL, NBA and MLB contracts. However, the bonus amount is guaranteed. The best way to value the contract is to look at the bonus and then year to year contract.

I wonder if the Miller signing results in Jerry Hughes being released?

One thing that we have learned from this season is that injuries are an inescapable part of the game for all teams. You have to have depth to draw from when players are unavailable. One thing that I'm not going to consider a negative is having more than enough players to fill spots when players go down or if a player needs some down time to recover from a nagging injury. Where it seems that we are not in accord is that you are taking an either/or stance while I'm arguing that you can have both. My position is that this team has enough assets to acquire a player such as Comtois (as an example) and still comfortably keep VO. Having a greater pool of talent to draw from to assemble quality multiple lines is a problem that Granato would love to have. And as a coach one of his strengths is in assembling lines and pairings. Having too much is certainly better than not having enough.

I agree with the concept of what you are saying but respectfully disagree in trading VO in a deal for Comtois. This team lacks scorers. We don't have one player in the top twenty in any of the offensive categories. I don't see Quinn replacing VO because I believe that Quinn will be playing on a higher line than VO. If VO returns to form and becomes a good third line sniper I would consider that a positive role. I wouldn't mind acquiring a player like Comtois. However, not in an exchange for VO.

If you want to get into the money I would recommend that you go lower. 🍺

When placing a bet on me always go with the under. You'll consistently win money taking that strategy. 😃

The coach has talked about the issue of whether it is more important to accentuate offense vs defense or vice versa. His philosophy is that it is much more challenging to install an offense than it is to install the defense. He stated that his bias is toward working on the offense at the expense of defense as opposed to first building a defense at the expense of the more difficult task of establishing an offensive system. The issue of offense vs defense that you bring up at this point is circumscribed by the lack of overall talent. As the talent base is increased the imbalance between the two parts of the game will in my opinion be more equalized. Adding Power to the mix along with the expectation of added blueline talent in the offseason should equalize this imbalance more.

You have been touting Comtois for a long time. In many of your trade scenarios with Anaheim in the Jack sweepstakes you always included him on your wish list. Why do you think that he would be available? Are there whispers that he could be available? I'm more of a VO supporter than most are here. Although this has been a difficult season for him due to a nagging shoulder injury, I think it would be a mistake to trade the shooter. This team lacks offense. In 11 offensive categories we have no top twenty on the list. I would rather use draft capital (maybe 2nd rd) and take on a salary to get him if he were to become available.

I'm looking for a 1B goalie to add to the mix. Even with the addition I'm not eliminating Anderson from the roster if he wants to come back. Our difference revolves around my concern over putting too much reliance on UPL as a primary goalie at this stage of his career. I'm not down on him as a prospect. For me, it is too much and too soon to rely on him. I would love to be wrong. It just seems that this team is starting to move in the right direction. You can see that team progression when our goalies play well. Why risk it by rushing the issue with our current prime goalie prospect.

I agree with your comment. I don't believe it will require a major asset to acquire another goalie. Our cap situation (as you noted) puts us in a good position to add another goalie.

It certainly would be useful to see how UPL plays in Buffalo as the season winds down. But I wouldn't consider it a necessity. Getting heavy duty playing time in Rochester, and hopefully a playoff run in the AHL would also be a beneficial experience for him. I still feel strongly that another experienced goalie should be added to the mix this offseason to hedge the risk of prematurely designating UPL as a NHL goalie to rely on. And considering the high rate of injury for goalies the organization needs to add another experienced goalie to the mix.