JohnC

UPL is a fascinating story. When making assessments about goalies you have to be humble about predicting how they will play from one year to another. One year the player is a king, and the next year the player becomes a peasant. It's a difficult and peculiar position to assess. How many people on this site wanted to dispatch UPL for another veteran retread. The same premature assessment was made by many on Mitts. Even a player such as Bryson who was scorned by many can turn out to be a useful player. When rebuilding a roster with young players sometimes judicious patience is a good strategy.

I'm not defending Adams at all. What I am doing is pointing out that the course of action that he did take was supportable. His strategy of staying the course within his mostly rebuilding from within appeared to be working based on the previous season where the team made a leap from 75 points in the 2021-2022 season to 91 points in the 2022-2023 season. I'm sure that he didn't count on our all of top gun goal scorers to have lesser years this season. And I'm sure that he didn't assume that our PP that was in high gear at the end of last season would falter at the level he did. As you point, he miscalculated by not bringing in a few more experienced players to augment/support the youth movement as Yzerman did. The Greenway, Clifton and Eric Johnson pickups were good pickups to bolster the roster. In hindsight, he should have brought in 2 or 3 more mature players to round out the roster.

Two to three weeks went by before UPL got back to his current level. Even if it was two weeks, it took additional time for him to solidify his position as the primary goalie. I don't disagree with you that this regime was leaning toward Levi in the competition. That shouldn't be surprising considering how Levi played at the end of the year. He struggled more than expected. There was no question that there was a sorting out process. Was it avoidable or strung out too long? Not necessarily. In the end, there was a 3-way competition with UPL rising to the top. This is what happens when you have a young roster with spots and roles not completely decided on when going into camp. Assuming that UPL continues with his current standard of play, I'm confident that there will be less vying for roles next season. My expectation (hope) is that UPL grabs the mantel, and Levi becomes the backup. And it won't be a shock to me if Levi challenges UPL for the primary goalie position. In retrospect, this season has been good for UPL from a developmental standpoint, and it also has benefited Levi's development by getting a lot of playing time in Rochester. It's a tough up and down process that has a lot of inevitable frustration built in.

UPL got sick and was out for some time. Then when he returned it took more time to for him to get in a groove. That was a reason why that 3-way competition lasted as long as it did. If UPL didn't get sick and played at the level he is playing now (stunningly well), that competition would have been determined sooner. The illness factor extended the goalie selection process.

I'll spell it out to you so you better understand what I want. I prefer talent and tough players. You don't have to be a dirty player to be an effective player. Different strokes for different folks.

I agree that there needs to be more than the attributes listed. This team needs more tougher and grittier players; players who are not afraid to park in front of the net when in their offensive zone. As of late, the Sabres have done a better job of hovering near the opposition's goalie. They still need more of it. Adding another Greenway type of player or two would better round out this roster.

I have little regard for cheap shot players. You seem to admire them. I don't.

There were some draft analysts who considered him to be generational. You cited Bowman as an example. What I have been saying is that he is not, although he is an all-star. Based on his play he is probably our best player who is an upper echelon defenseman. He is not a generational player and shouldn't be judged by those standards. Crosby and McDavid are generational players. Dahlin is good but not at that historical level.

You have not read my posts carefully. Prior to the draft there were people who considered him to be a potential generational player. I don't know anyone who would say that now for this all-star defenseman.

The issue isn't only the player you want to trade for, disgruntled or not. The issue is what are you going to give up for a player like Thkachuk? I'm not giving up multiple young good players for a someone I know who doesn't want to be here. This team doesn't have a deep enough roster to begin with. I'm not thinning it out for a player who may turn out to be problematic. Tkachuk is certainly an impact player. I've not said otherwise. However, building up the roster in general is more important than adding this kind of player with his attitude.

Bowman may have made a prediction on him before he played in the league or just started off in the league. So what! Would the distinguished Bowman say that now? Of course not. You created a standard that no current analyst in the league would now say. Dahlin is an all-star caliber defenseman. He's not the best but he certainly is in the upper echelon. Your argument is a manufactured argument that no one other than the partisan fanatic would make.

I watched the game. Winnipeg is an impressive team. They are not dazzling or provide scintillating plays. They played a tough two-way team defense. There was no distinction in how they played when they were down and when they caught up. It was a full throttle effort from start to finish. They don't give the opposition much room to maneuver. If you try to get cute and dangle with them, they will quickly pounce on you. I'm not making any excuses. But especially as the game went on, it was apparent to me that they were the fresher team. They never lost their steam while our engine did. (My opinion and observation.) One positive note is that UPL played well again. He kept us in the game.

Who has said that he is a generational player? Maybe some fanatic fan who is a delusional partisan has made that ridiculous claim? The vast majority of normal fans have never categorized him as a player at a historical level. Let's just stop with making up stuff. Dahlin is arguably our best player who gets an overload of minutes. He is an all-star caliber of player. But trying to make an argument that he is a failure/disappointment because he hasn't attained the historical pinnacle of his profession is a manufactured and wasteful position to take.

I don't always agree with you and vice versa. You have not flip flopped. Your message has been the same prior to the season and now, within the season. You have clearly and repeatedly stated that if this team doesn't make the playoffs, it will be a disappointment. Anyone saying otherwise, is inaccurately stating what your position is and has been. The reason why you are drawing slings from some members of the blow it up crowd is that you pointed out that this team is not completely out of the playoff race just yet. You pointed out that there is an avenue for success (playoffs), and to your credit you specifically stated what it would take to accomplish it. What the doomsdayers can't tolerate is someone expressing that there is some hope (low percentage or more) that this team still has a chance to be successful as you define it. Some gloomy people see that as a betrayal to what they believe. That's not how I see it.

No. Joki is getting better and expanding his game offensively. And compared to Chychrun, he has been more durable. What happens after a year when Chychrun's contract runs out? Needless to say, I'm more than a Joki fan than you are. If the GM was going to add another defenseman, I would like to see another Clifton like deal that would bring in another solid blueline player. If the GM was going to parlay a second-round pick, I would rather it be used to bring in a gritty forward who would give us more net presence. My priority would be to re-sign Mitts. Adding a Chycrun contract would make player retention more challenging. Again, no to your proposal.

https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/buf-vs-vgk/2024/03/02/2023020960 I didn't watch the game because of availability but I did listen to most of the game on WGR. I went on the NHL.com site and watched the scoring highlights. For me, the most impressive goal was on the Girgs goal. The play had little to do with dazzling play but everything to do with hard work and tenacity. Robinson was like a starving junkyard dog ferociously hounding the Vegas players who had the puck. He tangled with a Vegas player on one wall, and then went to the other side to tangle with another Vegas player on the opposite wall. He battled for the puck, got it, and the made a pass to Girgs for his perfectly placed shot. That was an effort play that impressed me the most.

How can you make up your mind when the issue as to who was going to win/earn the #1 position had yet to be determined? Based on his play, UPL won the position as the primary goalie. Ultimately, UPL rose to the occasion, while Comrie and Levi didn't. The GM's strategy of allowing this competition to play out actually worked. Maybe not on the timetable you would have preferred, but in the end the internal competition played out and was a success. It needs to be remembered that UPL got sick and was out for some time. And then when he came back it took more time for him to get back into the groove. Now, after an extended period of time his stats for goalies are near the top of the league. What's amusing is that for the hindsight analysts success is characterized as failure. I for one am stunned by how well UPL is playing. It was the three-way competition that got him to this elevated platform, so far. I'm ecstatic while the nay crowd still bellows about the imaginary "what ifs". It never ends.

Are those empty seats actually bought seats that are vacant?

Not satisfactory if it is 70%. Disappointing.

I'm listening to the game. What's the estimate for the attendance? Is it close to a full house?

I'm confident that you will be able to take enough drugs to allow you to continue with your hazy thinking. Please don't drive while you are in your mellow state. 😶‍🌫️

Your third paragraph gives us a good picture of the potential openings on the roster that will exist next year. It will be in the 3-5 range, in my estimation. I do believe that most of the improvement will come internally from young players such as Ryan Johnson, Peterka, Quinn, Power, Cozens etc. Hopefully, UPL and possibly Levi will continue on their upward trajectory. As has frequently been stated on this forum, much of the problem associated with underachieving can be attributed to the mix of players. We need to add at a minimum a couple of tougher and grittier players who are comfortable playing in the dirty areas, i.e. in front of the net. There are a number of people here who forcefully argue that this roster needs to be blown up. I strenuously disagree.

You may not be aware of it but the caveman hockey era has been over with for a long time. Maybe MMA events could be a more enjoyable sport for you to follow? 😀

I saw a bumper decal when I was down south that is fitting: If your heart ain't in Dixie, get your asssss out. That's how I feel about people who don't want to be in a particular workplace. Bringing in players you know in advance who don't want to be there has a predictable outcome.

I'm not saying that Draisaitl isn't good or even great. What I'm saying is that Dahlin is more important to the Sabres than Draisaitl would be. If you think otherwise, then that's fine. It's not an insupportable position to take.