JohnC

The GM was on WGR either yesterday or today. He specifically cited Mitts as a player the organization likes and who is committed to the team and being in Buffalo. My money is on Mitts getting an early deal like some of the other young core got. (I'm not talking about the size of the contract. I'm talking about getting him locked up sooner rather than later.)

Granato has spoken about Mitts on a number of occasions. He has made it evident/clear that Mitts is a talented player who is blossoming because he is playing with players that enhance his game. He has also made the point that Mitts is one of the hardest workers in practice, and is always working on his game. He's a player that the coach and GM appreciate. They both want him to be part of the core.

I think Buffalo and Ottawa are going to be intense rivals in the near future. Both teams are young and are moving up the ranks together. This is going to be a rivalry that we are going to enjoy.

Olofsson is more likely to be traded than Mitts. The issue for the organization is whether to keep Mitts on the first line or what players he is going to be playing with on another line. Mitts is not going anywhere. The GM is likely to follow suit with Mitts that he has done with other core players i.e. lock him up soon rather than later.

Taking a guess, I would say that he got hurt. Probably, aggravated an injury he has been playing with.

If you listen to the other teams' broadcasters when we play, it is universal that they acknowledge the abundance of young talent, and the team's future prospects. The Sabres are widely acknowledged in the hockey community to be a team on the rise. The Sabres are not going to be sneaking up on any team next year because everyone is aware of how good this team is, and will be.

I didn't make myself clear. That's on me. What I was asking is after his college hockey career was an evaluation of him as a NHL prospect increased, decreased or stayed the same.

Has Johnson's draft stock gone done after playing this year?

Unless Anderson is hurt, why wouldn't they play him? He is concluding a long and illustrious career, and his family is in town. Our organization is usually classy in acknowledging players, even players who were dealt. I'd be very disappointed if he didn't play. It would also give the players an incentive to rally around him. If the Sabres can finish the season winning the last two game, it will be a 16-point improvement from the prior season. That's progress!

The problem with the Sabres on defense isn't so much schemes. Most schemes on offense and defense are essentially similar, with slight variations due to team composition. The fundamental issue is having enough talent on the blueline unit. Our lower pairings are inadequate. Our top two pairings get overused because of the lackluster talent on the bottom half of the pairings. It's likely that the GM addresses this deficiency this offseason. At least, I hope so.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/don-granato-postgame-41123/t-277822760/c-16563752

Granato has addressed this issue of balance between the offence and defense a number of times. He's not unaware that there has to be a balance between the two sides of the ice. He has repeatedly stated that it is more difficult to score in the NHL than to play defense. He has pointed out that it is a more complex endeavor than instituting a defensive scheme. His priority was to get the offense established, and from there work to tighten up on defense. My basic point is that the coaching staff and organization are well aware of what next needs to be done to make this a more competitive team. It's only logical that you emphasize step one before you do step two. And it should be noted that this team did tighten up defensively at the end of the season during its late surge. There's certainly more to do on the defensive side of the game, and much of that will be to bring in a blueliner or two in the offseason.

You are getting weird on me.

So what! Players playing hurt at the end of the battering season is nothing unusual. Don't kid yourself, there were more players on the team who were gutting it out trying to get to the end of the season. Again, that's a standard scenario for all teams.

Our GM made the right decision. Arizona, wanting one of our top prospects, is an indication that other franchises recognize the quality of players in our system. I'm glad that it worked out as it did.

They all came back in the season. At the end of the season, most players on all teams are dealing with injuries. There was nothing exceptional about the number of injuries that this team incurred when compared to other teams. It's a reality of a tough sport in a long season.

When did we lose half the team to long term injuries? It didn't happen this season. In fact, it was the opposite. The Sabres sustained fewer serious injuries this season than the norm. Your negative imagination is running amok.

Do you remember if KA offered a first-round pick for the proposed Chycrun deal? If that is the case??? that is an indication that the GM is willing to part with a valuable asset for a second pairing defender.

What's cursed is your line of reasoning. The Sabres had one of the better offenses in the league with one of the youngest rosters. Why do you believe the offense will regress? I say this with respect: you make no sense.

Just a tidbit about Jason Alexander who plays George Costanza. He's a cousin of Howard Simon, now retired from WGR. Last year, Howard had him on the show. Jason seemed to be very personable and down to earth.

Within this WGR link is a 20 min discussion about the Sabres's season and the future. It mirrors a lot of what is discussed here, such as the goalie situation before the season started and its post season approach in the offseason. Paul H also talked about Okposo and Girgs's future. In general, he agreed with the GM's decision to give the young players extensive playing time instead of bringing in veterans for a short term benefit. Good hockey talk. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

Just some general thoughts. The Devils are one of the best teams in the league. They will finish the season with 110-112 pts. When I watched this game the difference in play and talent between these two teams wasn't apparent to me. The difference in this game was that their goalie played really well. So did ours but the opposition made more big stops. The Devils have been accumulating high draft picks. Now that talent is in the NHL. The Sabres have gone through the same process of having high draft picks who are now in the league or ready to be in the league. I would say that we are a year behind the Devils as a burgeoning team. The big question for the Sabres is obviously our goaltending. Does Levi solve that issue? Maybe. But I would like to see the GM bring in another goalie to support Levi. Will he do so? I don't think so. I think that he is going to bulk up the defensive corps and hope that it will help shield our goalie a little better. In this game, the best Sabre pass was Mitts blind pass to Skinner for a score. It was a beautiful pass. How can one not be impressed with Mitts recent play! Next year, will he be a center or forward? His versatility makes this team deeper and better. The main thrust for improvement is not going to be from the outside. It is going to be driven by internal improvement. I thought JJ has recently shown a glimpse of his talent. How much better are JJ, Quinn, Power, Krebs, Cozens etc are going to be next year, and thereafter? Growing together makes this team stronger and more cohesive. Taking an overview perspective, compare where this team is now to two years ago? How can one not be impressed with the GM's body of work? This organization has accumulated enough talent to very soon make this team one of the more serious teams in the league. When? I would say next year. And what makes this team enjoyable to follow is that it is also entertaining to watch. I'm in the optimistic camp. This season certainly had its ups and downs, sometimes they were exasperating. But any fair-minded person would conclude that this team is on track to be a contending team for the playoffs in the near future, and a cup contending team in a couple to few years.

Next year, the Sabres are going to be a serious team. There are a couple of needs on defense that should be filled. The big issue is how to handle the goalie position. Will another goalie be added to support Levi or will the GM work with what he already has? I'm not sure what he is going to do.

KA in foresight and hindsight did the right thing by playing the young players. It was the right approach to take for the players and organization. Instead of being pushed to the bench, the team box in the arena or to the lower league by adding more outside veteran players, the young players got the extra playing time, and ultimately it has, and will even more in the future, accelerate their development. Sometimes thinking with a tactical mindset can get you a meaningless short-term gain at the expense of the more meaningful near future. Anyone with half an ounce of objectivity who assess what Adams has done in his three short years should easily come to the conclusion that he has done a remarkable job. He has made hundreds of decisions that involve the organization, staff, scouting, drafting and developing of players. You don't have to agree with everything. But overall, he has done a superlative job. If you stand back and take a broader view of what has gone on, I'm confident that you will come away with a more positive assessment. Speaking for myself, this year has been remarkably fun to watch. Unsurprisingly, it has had its ups and downs. But this team is entertaining, getting better and winning at a greater frequency. We just added an exciting rookie goalie who gives indications that he will be a mainstay goalie for us, something we haven't had in a long time. And he was acquired in a deal that involved dealing one our old core. I'm more than happy and excited about the present and the future.

What's odd is that the Sabres are finishing off the season in a flourish. Instead, you continue to focus your zealous campaign on this team's deficiencies. What you can't grasp is that when a team is rebuilding (as we are) not every weakness is going to be addressed all at once. That's part of the reality of a rebuilding process in any sport. You are not being personally attacked. So, spare me the victim card. What's be criticized is your lack of perspective on this team during this GM's short tenure. Your magical timeline for instant success doesn't correspond to the real world of fixing things.