pi2000

Terry is smart enough to fill the role of POHO.

And if he doesn't, he's a traitor.

To me, being a fan means standing by them through every high and low, even during long stretches of disappointment. It’s about loyalty that isn’t tied to wins, but to the identity and community the team represents. Supporting the Sabres requires patience, resilience, and faith—finding joy in small victories, appreciating the effort, and valuing the connection with fellow fans who share the same unwavering passion. In the end, being a fan is about love for the journey, not just the destination.

It depends where they deploy him. I've said this before... if he plays top line and PP, I expect somewhere in the 45-55 pt range. If he plays 3rd line and very little PP time then probably somewhere around 35-40pts. I look at a guy like Andrew Cristall, who put up similar numbers as Benson his draft year in the WHL. Unlike Benson, he stayed in junior and put up 132 points in his d+2 season, an NHLe of 48 points. That's a good target for Benson imo. If he plays the full season and puts up <40 points, then I'll considered him damaged goods.

The list of players who entered the league too soon and never fully blossomed, is very very long. The list of players ruined because they played 1 or 2 more years in junior (or NCAA) post draft, is very short, if it even exists. If his career arc resembles that of Zemgus Girgensons, would that be satisfactory? Zemgus also had 30 points his sophomore year. I believe he would've grown his offensive game in junior more than he has is the NHL. That could've paid dividends down the road, but we'll never know.

He was a 17 year old offensive star in juniors, should've let him continue to develop his creative skill instead of forcing him to play a much more disciplined pro game at such a critical stage of his development. He's a confident kid, so that helps his case, but I'm afraid the damage has already been done.

His 10g and 28 points in his second full season speaks for itself. That doesn't exactly scream "young offensive star". He was an offensive juggernaut in Winnipeg. Buffalo turned him into a forechecking role player like a smaller version of Zemgus Girgensons (who also posted 30pts in his second full season). I really hope that's not his carrer arc, but I'm concerned.

Same could be said for just about every player on the roster.

Sure there's learning the pro game but there's also a level of confidence you'd like your prospects to maintain during that process. We'll see, if given the opportunity, does he have the confidence to take chances on the offensive side of the puck.

Tuch is a long shot to make the team. Tage's golden goal and the worlds locked up his spot.

Is that a good thing? IMO he would've been better off continuing to develop in junior playing +25min/gm. Instead he's been pigeon holed in Buffalo during his critical developmental years, stunting his growth as an offensive contributor.

Is he tho? I'd put McLeod and Tuch ahead of him if we're talking defensive forwards. ============================================================== BUF even strength goal differential through 82 games = -10 BUF even strength minutes played through 82 games = 4201.25 exp+/- is a function of %min played at ES and team ES goal diff TRpm(team relative +/-) is the diff btwn actual+/- and exp+/- %min is % of ES minutes played ============================================================== Team Player TRpm GP +/- exp+/- %min BUF Alex Tuch 18.88 82 16 -2.88 28.8 BUF Ryan McLeod 15.64 79 13 -2.64 26.4 BUF Bowen Byram 14.85 82 11 -3.85 38.5 BUF Rasmus Dahlin 14.54 73 11 -3.54 35.4 BUF Henri Jokiharju 7.55 42 6 -1.55 15.5 BUF Jason Zucker 6.28 73 4 -2.28 22.8 BUF Mattias Samuelsson 5.44 62 3 -2.44 24.4 BUF Jacob Bernard-Docker 3.51 15 3 -0.51 5.1 BUF Peyton Krebs 3.48 81 1 -2.48 24.8 BUF JJ Peterka 1.80 77 -1 -2.80 28.0 BUF Tage Thompson 0.85 76 -2 -2.85 28.5 BUF Zach Benson 0.23 75 -2 -2.23 22.3 BUF Tyson Kozak -1.49 21 -2 -0.51 5.1 BUF Jiri Kulich -2.03 62 -4 -1.97 19.7 BUF Dennis Gilbert -2.43 25 -3 -0.57 5.7 BUF Isak Rosen -2.82 8 -3 -0.18 1.8 BUF Jordan Greenway -3.00 34 -4 -1.00 10.0 BUF Connor Clifton -3.69 73 -6 -2.31 23.1 BUF Noah Östlund -5.81 8 -6 -0.19 1.9 BUF Jacob Bryson -7.47 48 -9 -1.53 15.3 BUF Owen Power -9.57 79 -13 -3.43 34.3 BUF Dylan Cozens -10.93 61 -13 -2.07 20.7 BUF Sam Lafferty -13.66 60 -15 -1.34 13.4 BUF Beck Malenstyn -14.36 76 -16 -1.64 16.4 BUF Jack Quinn -15.79 74 -18 -2.21 22.1 ============================================================== It's inevitable that young players (drafted for their offensive output) will struggle defensively early in their pro career's. That said, agree that Wilford needs to go as they haven't made any real progress on the defensive side of the game.

Remove kicker. Change flex to superflex.

Are you kidding me? Surely a 10 goal scorer in the top 6 will propel this team to the playoffs!

Until they're no longer in the bottom 3rd of youngest teams, they'll continue to struggle.... there's not a single player or group of players that can save them, other than perhaps UPL or Levi or whoever standing on their head for an entire season.