JohnC

I'm not a Mittelstadt basher. But the best one can say in his short stint is that he didn't hurt you while on the ice. With a young player what's more important than the stats on a player is whether one can visualize his future upside. I want to see it and am eager to see it but as of yet I don't see it. My belief is the best thing for his development is to go back to Rochester when it opens up again and get a bountiful amount of playing time so if he gets a call to move up to the big club he would be more developed. Sometimes one's earnest hope never materialized.

What separates me apart from the overwhelming majority of posters (including you) is that I don't see Hutton as much of a disaster as it is being portrayed. He is an average backup. I'm comfortable with that ranking because most teams are in the same situation with their backups. I am not arguing to maintain the status quo. If you can upgrade the position, in fact any position, then do so. But as you well know the cap system makes it more complicated and challenging to respond to roster deficiencies. In summary, I am more comfortable with Hutton serving as the backup than most others are.

As you so state when a player is almost free to acquire and it is still a challenge to unload him what does that tell you about his value? When the issue is whether he is better than Hutton (marginal so or not?) then that is a testament to the caliber of player he is at this very late stage in his career. When you frame the issue that he could be the difference then you are also framing it as he could also not be the difference in making the playoffs. My response is then why even bother pursuing this high cost player? There might not be backup options now but that doesn't mean that there will not be reasonable options later in the season.

It's tough breaking through the psychology of losing. It's akin to the battered wife/husband syndrome. It's difficult to get beyond your sordid history when you are in a new year. I'm not getting carried away and over evaluating this team. It's certainly not a top tier team. However, I do see it as a legitimate lower qualifying playoff team. What I don't understand is the advocacy of some people to explode the roster and start rebuilding the roster form scratch. That makes no sense.

The point is that in a zero sum year treading water keeps you floating in the same water with the opposition. That's certainly better than sinking while the opposition is racing away from you in their lanes.

For a team that has struggled to earn points coming out of the gate I'll take three out of four points on the road any time and any place. Over the past couple of years this team has proven to be fragile after being faced with obstacles. It's important for this team to stay in the mix and not get too far back from the pack.

Bland. Right now he is an inconsequential player. At best he is a fill in player. He needs a change of scenario and a fresh start somewhere else.

It's interesting to observe how two people can watch the same game and have different takeaways. I'm not saying your view is wrong because it is as valid as mine is. What you see is what you see; and what I see is what I see. In this game we played a team that played a tight game and whose goalie played at a high level. We had more than a few quality chances that he stopped. On balance I thought we were slightly the better team but if someone took the opposite view I would have to acknowledge that it is also a creditable view. As I stated before (apologize for the repetition) in every game but the sloppy first game the games were played evenly. (My opinion.) The difference between winning and losing is miniscule. What is encouraging is that for the most part our big guns have had opportunities to score but they have been stymied. If they can get untracked that will give us a bigger margin to succeed.

He isn't what he formerly was. If I had a choice between Ullmark and MAF it would without bothering to put any thought into it be Ullmark. Because of his contract price and length it would be better to keep Hutton. Our major issue is getting our scorers to have a better conversion rate for the chances that they have. Our goaltending isn't elite but so far it hasn't been the main issue for us.

Attached are the standings taken from NHL.com. NHL Hockey Standings | NHL.com

I didn't claim Jack was a generational talent. But he certainly is a perennial all-pro caliber of player. In my view Dahlin is a special talent. But with him just like the defensemen you listed it is going to take time to become a top tier talent. Why should anyone be surprised that there is a developmental process before he becomes more of a finished product? If our major deficiency revolves around the middle of the lineup that is certainly more fixable than addressing the top of the roster. My assessment of this team is that although it is not a top tier team it is good enough to be a lower qualifying playoff team. If this team gets credible goaltending this team will be in the hunt. If not it will fall by the wayside. Right now the most determinative player for us is Ullmark. As I stated before those advocating to dramatically dismantle this roster (including Jack and Dahlin) are way off the mark.

When Krueger wants to make a point he doesn't shout. He emphatically makes his point by sitting your sluggish arse on the bench.

I mean this in a friendly way: I'm not buying what you are selling. If you have an opportunity to draft Jack you do so with no hesitation. If you have an opportunity to draft Dahlin you do so with no hesitation. In your response you cited Tampa. They built their team mostly with draft picks. When Chicago had its run their team was built mostly with draft picks. I understand what you are saying but I'm not subscribing to it. It's obvious that the Sabres don't have top tier goaltending. If the opportunity arises the organization should pursue it. Who would argue otherwise? If you look at our defensive corps it is constructed mostly with first round picks. Overall, this is a good unit. The Sabres are not a complete team. On the other hand they are not as depleted or as misaligned as you are making it out to be.

I would rather celebrate a win with some booty dancing. How to Shake Your Booty | Beginner Dancing - Bing video

Your scenario is not going to happen. Your fanciful thinking induced by frustration is not reality based. Hang in there and you will be pleasantly surprised.

That OT session was exciting from the start to the end. Jack has some jets but Hall is also a turbo skater. Just a general observation that will irritate the despondent crowd: Other than the first game there was no game in which I thought we were outplayed. I'm not saying that we were the superior team but I'm also not saying that we were the inferior team. Once Hall and Jack break it loose we will be back in the hunt.

If you want to go backwards in order to eventually go forward that is your prerogative. I'm not taking that bumpy and rutted road.

Eichel is currently one of the recognized premier players in the league. Dahlin entered the league when he was 18 yrs old and is now 20 yrs old. You don't have to be wedded to any player. They are going to be long-term anchor players for us who would gladly be divorced from your lack of affection. side note: Who is the union soldier in your profile? Is that you or a genuine civil war soldier? If you are a reenactor those sunglasses are too modern and make you out to be less authentic. Just curious??? Gettysburg is one of my favorite historical locations.

Two players I will be rooting hard for in this game is Mittelstadt and Skinner. If you watch Skinner after he misses a shot that he use to make he can see how much he is pressing. He is a traumatized player.

Of course the fans are frustrated with the play of Dahlin. So am I. But even for a player who was ordained to be a generational player playing a challenging position that doesn't mean that the unrealistic expectations of exasperated fans is going to make the youthful player an instant success. That's not how it works. Chara is going to enter the HOF when his career ends. How many years did it take for this tall and gangly player to develop into a premier defensive player? It took years! The problem with Dahlin isn't that he doesn't play hard; the problem is he doesn't always play smart in the defensive side of the zone. He's a fluid skater and player who excels playing end to end hockey but when he has to play in his defensive zone his weaknesses in coverage are exposed. That's a part of his game that he has to work on. There are frustrated fans who are talking about trading Eichel and Dahlin. They are freaking crazy.

Your response leaves me perplexed. What does it mean? Although this early into the season Hall has not converted many plays it is obvious that he is a top tier talent. Why would you want to dispose of him for basically nothing? @GAsabrefanyou are jumping off the horse too soon. Be a little more patient before throwing in the towel.

In any major teardown for the purpose of rebuilding the goal would be to add players with the potential to be elite. We already have two top of the draft type talents in the fold in Eichel and Dahlin who would be very difficult to replace. So what is your solution? Get rid of them so you can hope to get similar talents. That approach makes no sense. It's like running on a treadmill. A lot of exertion that gets you nowhere.

Why do you say that Dahlin is not a hard worker? You don't think that the increased weight and muscle he added this offseason is a sign of a person who was dedicated to be prepared for the upcoming season? I agree with you that Dahlin has been inconsistent this season. Why is it surprising that a young player is inconsistent? Risto is now playing well and has played with more consistency. How many years has he been in the league? For those who are recommending that the Sabres should trade Jack and Dahlin and start completely over for another multi-year rebuild on top of the current multi-year rebuild you are not being rational. Acting out of frustration instead of acting with thought, clarity and proportion is promoting a strategy that leads to regression and self-destruction. It makes no freaking sense.

In sports you get bad calls that work in your favor and bad calls that work against you. That happens. But for the life of me not only was the Risto penalty a non-existent penalty but what made it worse was the timing of the call. Typically referees are inclined to swallow their whistles at the end of an even game and let the players play on. The tide has to change sometime soon----I hope!

Hang in there. Maybe an extra helping of grits will soften you up. The difference between success and failure can be miniscule. How many golden opportunities have our shooters have and failed to convert? When you find yourself in a state of despair you can lean on me for support. 🤡 Bill Withers - Lean On Me (1973 live) - YouTube