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Posted

Probably about time to kick this thread off...

 

This should be an interesting team this year. New coaching staff and plenty of new players.

Today Tim Murray said that they are trying to do things that may have never been done before in regards to the head coach in Rochester (maybe Terry Murray will be both a Buffalo assistant and AHL coach?)

 

The team added winger Jason Akeson, defenseman Matt Donovan and Ryan O'Reilly's brother Cal O'Reilly. O'Reilly captained a Utica Comets team that went to the Calder Cup finals. Akeson was nearly a PPG player last season.

 

On top of that the team will be welcoming Justin Bailey and Nic Baptiste to the squad.

 

What are your expectations for our AHL club? More additions are likely coming to what already looks like a much better team.

Posted (edited)

Who is the coach?  I missed his presser. 


And what innovations are we talking about?  I have often thought that the lack of integration between philosophies of the parent club and farm was the ripest area for new thinking. 

Edited by 3putt
Posted

Less high-end prospects, better team?

Baptiste, Bailey, Rodrigues, Dupuy, Carrier, Ullmark — pretty much it for unproven AHLers, right?

 

 

Murray's vague comments about the coaching staff were very intriguing.

Are they actually planning some kind of innovative structure down there?

Posted

I like Matt Ellis.

 

I like him in Rochester.

 

Has anyone seen Inky?  I hope there are no sharp objects near him when he reads this.

Posted

So barring any surprises (such as player trade/cuts and/or players making the Sabres that aren't expect to) Rochester is looking at:

 

Left wings:

William Carrier, Jerry D'Amigo, Jack Nevins, Matt Garbowsky

 

Centers:

Matt Ellis (L), Phil Varone (L), Tim Schaller (L), Jean Dupuy (L), Cal O'Reilly (L), Justin Kea (L)

 

Right wings:

Jason Akeson, Dan Catenacci, Evan Rodrigues, Justin Bailey, Nic Baptiste

 

Defense:

Jerome Leduc, Matt Donovan/Carlo Colaiacovo, Bobby Sanguinetti, Brady Austin, Chad Ruhwedel,

 

Goalies:

Nathan Lieuwen, Andrey Makarov

 

 

I may be missing some and there is a chance that Jake McCabe and a forward from the Sabres' bottom six joins this group. It's going to be tough for guys like Rodrigues and Garbowsky to make this squad. They should be very competitive this year. Am I missing anybody important?

Posted

I see Bagnall  remains listed as a UFA, but thought I read somewhere he was coming back.

I figure they sign someone like him if he's not returning.

 

Neither Colaiacovo nor Donovan played in the minors last year.

Other than a two-game conditioning stint, Colaiacovo hasn't played there since 2008.

I think they want McCabe in the minors to start the year and work his way up, but they will need to add a real NHL defence man to guarantee that.

Be interesting to see what happens there.

 

And Ullmark will be in the mix once he recovers. I wonder if they add a veteran goalie because there is no guarantee with Lieuwen.

 

Lots of viable forwards. This doesn't look like a team built to include Sam Reinhart.
 

To me, as an AHL team, it looks

* very strong down the middle

* good depth and variety on the wings,

* good high-end AHL top-3 D (especially if Donovan or Colaiacovo is there)

* questionable D depth

* very questionable goaltending

 

Carrier O'Reilly Akeson

Rodrigues Varone Baptiste

D'Amigo Schaller Bailey

Catenacci Dupuy Ellis

Garbowsky Kea Nevins

(McCabe) Sanguinetti

Ruhwedel (Bagnall)

Leduc Austin

Posted

^^

I like the looks of this line up. I think Kea plays in Elmira and Sam plays a while in Rochester(or not at all. What the hell do I know?) The only change I would make is pairing Bagnall with Austin and Rudy with McCabe. I guess I'd be ok with Austin paired with Sanguietti as well.

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