JohnC

As you noted the Washington broadcasters made more comments about our individual players and recent play in this game than in a typical Buffalo covered game. There was simply a lot more detail in their coverage than the shallow coverage of the local broadcast team. Maybe it is due to fresh eyes calling the games rather than the home team broadcast that has become jaded covering this team for the past number of years. As you indicate the contrast in quality of coverage is clearly evident.

One of the advantages of being a team that has a losing record is that bad rulings against you don't have serious playoff implications when the games are finally tallied. What would have been difficult to tolerate is missing out on the playoffs by a point or two because of a bad call that affected a game. That's not the situation that this team is in. The more important takeaways in that game beyond as it was in the Washington game is that UPL played well and the team competed well against a more talented roster. Although it might not be satisfying it is encouraging.

Declaring Dahlin a bust right now is an absurdity. You and I are travelling in parallel universes that will never meet. What you see is not what I see; what you believe is not what I believe. For many Sabre fans the inglorious past is coloring the views about this team and its direction. That is understandable.

Utter freaking nonsense. Just because a player is the first player selected it doesn't mean that the player is automatically designated to be a transformational player. His talent is his talent. Just because you expect him to be something beyond what he is doesn't mean that he is a failed player. I said it before and I will say it again that when evaluating the talent on this roster he is one of the least issues one should be concerned with. It's not his fault that this organization has not provided him with the support he needs for the team to be better than what it has been. And that same line of thinking applies to Jack and Reinhart when they were here.

I don't always agree with your takes. But I want you to know that those of you such as @inkman @dudacek, @Brawndo, @Norcal and others who follow the Amerks and report on them are providing us with terrific information on the prospects. Especially when this season is more about the future than the present your contributions are much appreciated. I salute you guys and if applicable gals. 🍺

When evaluating a player such as Dahlin you have to ask what type of player is he? He's not a stalworth defender in the defensive zone, and probably never will be. That's not his game. He excels when he is moving out of his zone and entering the offensive zone. I agree that he makes a lot of mistakes that lead to chances. But that is due to the fact that he is doing more than he should, and his pairing support doesn't adequately cover for his mistakes. In general, beyond this game I'm more than satisfied with is play. He's not playing with a roster that is robust. So his mistakes are more likely to be taken advantage of than if he played on a better team. When you look at this roster and individual play he is not (in my view) a player that you need to worry about. I think with Rasmus the negative view of him relates more to one's outsized expectations than to his actual play.

I agree with the general sentiment. It's the same one that I have. However, where I have a slightly different take is that the GM doesn't have to take on a high contract or even a long term goalie this offseason to upgrade the position enough to uplift this team. He can get a good goalie who not only immediately upgrades the position but also helps the organization buy itself more time to deal with that critical position. Is our long term goalie already in the system? Maybe? However, having a good bridge goalie helps this team in the short and long term. It's an issue that needed to be better addressed last offseason, and still needs to be addressed this offseason.

A better and more impactful trade still needs to be made. A stopgap deal is inadequate for what this organization wants to accomplish.

I don't see any way where Power won't be on the Sabre roster at the start of next year. Will he be a first or second-line defender? How he plays in camp will determine that. He played in a World Tournament with pros. He quickly worked his way up to a top tier role, even outshining some of the vets. The more he played the more responsibility he was entrusted with by the coach. Unless he struggles in camp (which I doubt) I see him on the big club roster.

What last night's game demonstrates is that even when the other team has more talent, with good goaltending you can compete with the opposition. As you highlighted it is an imperative that the GM enters next season with another quality goalie who can keep this team competitive while its roster gets steadily bolstered. As you and others have consistently stated that having a major deficiency in goal undercuts what the organization is trying to accomplish in the rebuild. What should have happened last offseason needs to happen this next offseason.

Despite the disappointment of the outcome, I thought this one of the better games that Sabres have played. UPL was the #1 star for us. He was a big goaltender who used his size and positioning to make stops. There was little scrambling even when he was under pressure. He allowed a juicy rebound that ended in the net but other than that he looked stellar. No one can argue that he didn't belong. There is a calmness and efficiency to his game that is quite impressive for a young goalie. Both of the goaltenders in this game played well. Other than in the first period I thought the Sabres matched the Rangers evenly. Where the Rangers played demonstrably better than us is on the PP. They impressively moved the puck around and maintained control of it. What is encouraging is the play of Tage. He is getting better and better. For a big player he has an ability to skate with the puck on his stick and move into the open areas. I just wish he would do a little less dangling and shoot the puck quicker. One big positive in this season is his play. I didn't think he would be this good. And now that he is more physically developed there is still more potential to tap. Dahlin is starting to get a lot of negative attention from this room. I'm just not seeing his play the same negative way as the critics with the jaundiced eyes are seeing it. Defensemen who handle the puck a lot are going to sometimes lose it. Overall, he is smartly handling the puck and getting it to the right spots. This team needs more and better finishers. They are in the pipeline but it's going to take more time before they arrive.

If the Sabres traded their lowest first round pick with other picks to move up to the middle of the first round which prospect would you find enticing to pursue? KA's trade up for Peterka appears to have worked well. Maybe he can duplicate the maneuver?

If you look at the prospects that @LGR4GM listed you can see the talent base in the organization swelling. How many of them (Quinn, Peterka, Krebs) will be NHL ready next season? When you include Samuelsson and Power to the prospect pool you are looking at half a dozen young players on the roster next year or soon after. Tuch should be on the ice this season so you are looking at half a dozen new players added, all with upside to their game. What will be the pace of the infusion of players? With the current Rochester group the primary prospects most likely will be funneled in between the beginning of next season to before the ending of the next season. That's quite a major transition. Of all the prospects in the system the most intriguing prospect to me is Levi. If he becomes what his college play indicates he could end up becoming in a couple years or so our anchor goalie.

Yzerman upgraded the goaltending position last offseason without giving up much in the way off assets. The Capitals made a pre-expansion deal with Seattle to expose their young backup and then have him traded back for a second round pick. My criticism of KA is not that he didn't re-sign Ullmark because the player had the ultimate say in where he wanted to go. My problem is that when you have a free agent player where there is a risk of losing the player you should have a reasonable fallback position just in case you couldn't get a deal done. The goaltending issue entering this offseason wasn't necessarily about addressing the position for the long term. It was to find a reasonable option for the position for the short-term and buy yourself some time to address it for the long term. Because of Anderson's age was he really going the best option for the short-term to bide time until either one of the younger goalies in the pipeline would be ready or for the short-term give the organization more time for a longer term solution? I don't believe it was.

It's way too early to tell but the Levi acquisition in the Reinhart deal could turn out to be the most impactful acquisition in the trade-off of players. Right now, he is one of the most prominent college hockey players. At first I was disappointed in the return for Reinhart. I'm now much more upbeat about it.

Whether one agrees with how the GM is doing his job what is clearly evident (as you demonstrate in your incisive responses) is that it is clearly understood that rebuild plan is being implemented. That in itself is a good sign especially when compared to this franchise's gyrations that mostly involved patchwork signings and rushing prospects when they were not ready. Mitts and Tage would be examples of that misguided approach. KA has spoken on more than a few occasions on how he is going to handle the prospects. The central issue when deciding to bring up a prospect is whether it is in the player's best long-term development. He stated he would rather error on waiting on preparing a player for the NHL if he believed that the player will be better prepared for the elevation. As you wisely pointed out the one thing that is often forgotten in assessing KA as a GM is his work in staffing the hockey operations. He has added quality people who are well respected throughout the hockey world. KA's style of management leans toward collaboration. He is secure enough to surround himself with talented staff. And his selection of Granato as the coach indicates that everyone is aligned in what needs to be done for the short and long-term. It's a frustrating process for the fans to be subjected to. But if handled adroitly it will be the best strategy to turn things around the fastest.

I'm out of town so that is probably why you are blacked out in the local market.

I'm listening to the game using that link. I'm not sure what the issue would be.

Try this link: https://www.audacy.com/wgr550#/questions

I also don't have ESPN+. If you have the NHL Package you should get the full package. I'm getting tired of this shiiit!

@dudacek and @Taro TDoes he have the potential to be a #2C?

How did the Casino know you were counting cards especially if the stakes were not exorbitant? Or were they?

I caught some of the Anaheim game with Washington. I was very impressed with Zegras's offensive skills. I would appreciate it if some of our astute talent evaluators here will give their thoughts on a comparison between Zegras and Krebs. What's your take @dudacek, @LGR4GM, @Thorny @Taro Tor anyone else? If Krebs is in the same echelon as Zegras I would be ecstatic. I predict a Sabre win. The back to back after an extended SO game can be depleting. UPL is being given an opportunity to display his talents even if it is for a short-term basis.

In general, I have little problem with how Adams has handled his responsibilities. But I do, as many others, have stinging criticism for him on how he has handled the goaltending position, the most important position on the ice. Ullmark was a free agent. Even if the GM felt that he was going to be able to sign him he should have had a better fallback position just in case it didn't work out. Not doing that has put this team in a difficult competitive position when it needed to that way. Compare how Yzerman addressed the position without giving much away in assets to how Adams handled the goalie situation? There were simply better options for our GM to resort to if Ullmark couldn't be signed. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2021/07/22/detroit-red-wings-acquire-goaltender-alex-nedeljkovic-carolina/8058296002/

No. Have the Bandits been bad for a decade?