pi2000

fwiw a close friend of mine who played with him in Sweden has told me the same thing... actually i'm mildly surprised it's taken this long for this info to get out.

Whatever Lindy is preaching isn't resonating with this group. The only guys performing well are the veteran players, Zucker, McLeod, Greenway, etc.. The young core hasn't taken that next step, why? Who the ***** knows, that's Kevyn's job to figure out. If he believes Lindy isn't the right guy then he should move on, but it feels like the tail is wagging the dog in this case... Lindy dictating to Kevyn what he should do with the roster... which probably doesn't sit well with guys like Karmanos. It wouldn't surprise me if Karmanos said "***** it" and left for greener pastures in the offseason.

No he won't. His hockey IQ is too low and lacks high end skill. Could be a nice 3rd/4th line guy down the road but he's below average at too many things. He's a guy that could've benefited from an extended bake period in the AHL. Jumping directly from juniors to the NHL typically doesn't end well unless you're a generational type talent. I'm afraid Zach Benson is head down the same path. Love that kid, but the toxic losing environment and pressure of the NHL will eventually wear him down.

He works hard and makes smart plays, but he's not producing. He was a point producer in juniors, but he's a third line player on this team and has 21 points on the season. I don't care that he's 19. This isn't a development league, it's the NHL. Do better.

What's next?!

How? Jason Botterill acquired Jokiharju from Chicago for Alex Nylander back in 2019... which turned out to be an excellent deal for Buffalo.

upgrade over Bryson

Power, Byram and Quinn a combined -11. That's actually impressive.

Zucker, Reimer maybe. Lafferty possibly. Malenstyn.... bottom of the lineup guys who could help a playoff team.

Pitt with a -49 goal differential and Buffalo at -7, yet they have more points. At even strength, PIT is -53, DET -19 and BUF is +4. Make it make sense!

next season it'll probably be HC Appert, AC Leone

Savoie had an assist last night for Edmonton. Fire Adams.

If you're going to use someone as scapegoat, Byram isn't the guy. Take your pick from Cozens, Quinn and Power, but fact is they're a much better team with Byram on the ice. ============================================================== BUF even strength goal differential through 54 games = -5 BUF even strength minutes played through 54 games = 2743.27 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 16.49 54 15 -1.49 29.7 BUF Ryan McLeod 11.26 51 10 -1.26 25.3 BUF Bowen Byram 10.97 54 9 -1.97 39.4 BUF Rasmus Dahlin 6.72 46 5 -1.72 34.3 BUF Tage Thompson 5.37 48 4 -1.37 27.4 BUF Henri Jokiharju 4.11 39 3 -1.11 22.1 BUF Jason Zucker 3.26 52 2 -1.26 25.2 BUF Connor Clifton 2.08 48 1 -1.08 21.6 BUF Jiri Kulich 1.94 40 1 -0.94 18.8 BUF Jordan Greenway -0.53 20 -1 -0.47 9.4 BUF Zach Benson -0.93 48 -2 -1.07 21.3 BUF Mattias Samuelsson -1.00 35 -2 -1.00 20.0 BUF Jacob Bryson -1.21 33 -2 -0.79 15.7 BUF Tyson Kozak -1.80 11 -2 -0.20 4.0 BUF JJ Peterka -3.58 52 -5 -1.42 28.4 BUF Dennis Gilbert -3.66 20 -4 -0.34 6.7 BUF Peyton Krebs -3.79 53 -5 -1.21 24.2 BUF Sam Lafferty -5.35 39 -6 -0.65 13.0 BUF Beck Malenstyn -7.19 50 -8 -0.81 16.2 BUF Owen Power -8.17 54 -10 -1.83 36.6 BUF Jack Quinn -15.92 47 -17 -1.08 21.6 BUF Dylan Cozens -16.60 54 -18 -1.40 28.0 ==============================================================

Byram isn't the problem, lol.

too slow, doesn't have the quickness/top end speed to keep up with the McDavids/Mackinnons...

I'm glad he's not playing. He needs to the rest and he's had some injuries, so the time-off will help.

He's getting closer, but he still only has 48gp in the AHL. IMO a goaltender needs at minimum 100gp at the AHL level before they should sniff the NHL. By comparison, Askarov has 108gp in the "A" and he's just now breaking in to the Sharks lineup. Ryan Miller played a full season in the AHL at age 23 and another full season at age 24... having 170gp in the AHL before permanently breaking into the NHL in 2005 as a 25 year old.

Statistically speaking how it impacts wins and losses, blocking a shot probably doesn't have a big impact. However, in key situations... PK, end of period, close games... it is important to prevent pucks from getting to the net. That said, it's less about the statistical impact and more about the player proving to his team that he's willing to sacrifice himself by "eating one" for the benefit of the team. It's culturally significant.

Dumb tournament without some of the best in the world... Kucherov, Vasilevskiy, Sergachev, Malkin, Ovechkin, etc.. And no Caps in the tournament even though they're the top team in the league? OK NHL. If it's not best-on-best it's meaningless.

Zegmus!

I'd remain patient, he's still young for a defenseman and has shown he's a solid defender when healthy. Jake McCabe also had trouble staying healthy early in his career and yet he developed into a very reliable player over the past 4-5 seasons.

what's john rigas up to these days?

Team, family, warriors—today, we stand on the edge of something extraordinary. Four games. A chance to prove to ourselves and to the world that we are unstoppable. This isn’t just about winning; it’s about creating a legacy. It’s about showing up, again and again, and refusing to accept anything less than greatness. Let’s be clear: winning one game takes talent. Winning two takes focus. Winning three takes heart. But winning four? That takes something deeper. That takes an unbreakable spirit. That takes a team that refuses to quit, no matter the odds, no matter the pressure, no matter the noise. Think about what’s at stake here. Four wins in a row isn’t just a number—it’s a statement. It’s a declaration that we are a force to be reckoned with. It’s proof that when we come together, when we fight for each other, when we give everything we have, there’s nothing we can’t achieve. But let’s not sugarcoat it—this won’t be easy. Nothing worth achieving ever is. There will be moments when the pressure feels overwhelming. There will be times when doubt creeps in. There will be challenges that test us, push us, and force us to dig deeper than we ever have before. But here’s the thing: we’ve already done the hard part. We’ve already proven we have what it takes. Now, it’s about finishing what we started. This is our moment. This is our time. And I need every single one of you to believe—not just in yourselves, but in each other. Look around you. These are your brothers. This is your family. And when we fight for each other, when we trust each other, when we leave everything on the ice for each other, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. So, let’s break this down. One play at a time. One shift at a time. One period at a time. We don’t need to focus on four wins right now. We just need to focus on this game. The next moment. Because if we take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves. And when we win that first period, we’ll build momentum. When we win the second, we’ll build confidence. And when we win the third? We’ll build a legacy. A legacy of resilience, of determination, of excellence. A legacy that will inspire everyone who comes after us. So, let’s go out there and give it everything we’ve got. Let’s play with passion, with purpose, and with pride. Let’s show the world what this team is made of. Let’s make history. Four games. Four wins. One team. One mission. Let’s do this together. Now, who’s ready to fight for four? Let’s go!

FWIW Greenway would've made a big difference in this game. The problem is if he's out of the lineup, they have no ability to answer back... they get push around without any fear of reciprocation. Part of that is roster construction. The other part is youth. This team is still very young and simply hasn't developed the size and strength to matchup physically with certain teams. Guys like Power, Quinn, Cozens, Peterka, Byram and even Dahlin... are still growing into their "man bodies". I expect there to be a heavy focus on getting bigger and stronger over the offseason. gym day