2016-'17 Lineup

[thewookie1]

True Randall

[Hoss]

Not only that, but how does moving Lindholm for futures make them competitive this year?

Addition by subtraction. Trading Lindholm to us ensures that they don't drunkenly trade him to a team within their division/conference. You should always be proactive about these things.

[Brawndo]

Addition by subtraction. Trading Lindholm to us ensures that they don't drunkenly trade him to a team within their division/conference. You should always be proactive about these things.

This is an excellent point

[Samson's Flow]

Addition by subtraction. Trading Lindholm to us ensures that they don't drunkenly trade him to a team within their division/conference. You should always be proactive about these things.

Sidethought: If every GM in Hockey were to get together and attend an all-out rager weekend, where the booze was flowing, how would our GM fair? Would we end up with a lot of bad drunken trades or would GMTM be able to hold his booze and take advantage of the other teams GM's before they pass out from the Fireball shots?

 

Inquiring minds want to know... :nana:

[GASabresIUFAN]

GMTM has been preaching r/l balance on D since he got here. He moved Pysyk ® to get Kulikov (l). He now has his balance. We'll have about 4 mill in cap space after Z and Risto are signed and i'd love to upgrade Franson as well. However no one is taking Franson off our hands. So to upgrade Franson we r going to have to spend our cap limited space or create more by finding someone to take Kane off our hands. Also remember that both Lindholm and Fowler are LD. Replacing Franson with either player un-balances the D lines. I don't have an issue with that, but GMTM clearly does.

 

The best solution in the short term is to hope Nelson is ready and beats out Franson in camp. Then as we see how the season goes, maybe GMTM can make a hockey trade to get a RD upgrade.

[dudacek]

Not going to be a popular opinion here, but I'd be interested in seeing Foligno with Jack and Sam

 

On the golf course, right? Carrying their clubs and whatnot? I can see it.

 

Death, taxes, and Dudacek liking depth players more than he should

 

So, I read that Foligno's GF/60 is the best on the team.

For us analytically-challenged, what does this mean?

Edited August 29, 2016 by dudacek

[rakish]

The plus in plus minus

[dudacek]

The plus in plus minus

So not that he actually creates offence, but that offence seems to happen most frequently when he's on the ice?

Hmmmm.....

[WildCard]

So not that he actually creates offence, but that offence seems to happen most frequently when he's on the ice?

Hmmmm.....

It has the same issues as +/-. Linemates, situations, and opponents aren't accounted for

[GASabresIUFAN]

so basically he is on the ice while other people do good work

[rakish]

It's actually a bit more situational than the plus in plus/minus, since you get it vs. minutes played.

 

Foligno didn't lead the team, he came in about 5th, depending on who you count, like Rodriguez or Cal O'Reilly.

[dudacek]

Cody Franson talking about his injury (eye?) recovery and how last season was the worst of his professional career.

http://www.wgr550.com/pages/22859770.php?contentType=4&contentId=18834114

 

I'll say it again, for a team that improved so much last year, the Sabres enter training camp with a ton of players with something to prove.

 

Kane, Ennis, Franson, Bogosian, Moulson, Lehner - all of them had poor seasons or off-seasons.

I figure neither Jack nor Sam got the fanfare they probably expected. Okposo and Kulikov have that new team thing going.

Larsson, Foligno and Gionta are playing for new contracts. Zemgus and Risto are in tough negotiations.

 

It's not the normal self-satisfied situation you get after a 27-point improvement.

 

I am optimistic.

Edited August 31, 2016 by dudacek

[Hoss]

I think you'd be able to look up and down most rosters that finished 10+ points out of the playoffs and see the same thing.

[dudacek]

I think you'd be able to look up and down most rosters that finished 10+ points out of the playoffs and see the same thing.

The teams that disappointed, yes. Not teams that just made a big jump.

Usually big jumps are tied to a bunch of players having career years.

I think the only Sabre who fits that mould is Risto.

[TrueBlueGED]

The teams that disappointed, yes. Not teams that just made a big jump.

Usually big jumps are tied to a bunch of players having career years.

I think the only Sabre who fits that mould is Risto.

In fairness, not many teams have ever been in a position to jump as many points as we did. I'm firmly in the camp that believes last year's 27 points were a lot easier to get than this season's ~12.

[dudacek]

In fairness, not many teams have ever been in a position to jump as many points as we did. I'm firmly in the camp that believes last year's 27 points were a lot easier to get than this season's ~12.

It will be.

[That Aud Smell]

It will be.

 

Something about this reminded me of

 

[beerme1]

so basically he is on the ice while other people do good work

 

 

Making space to allow others to do good work innit?

[GASabresIUFAN]

Cody Franson talking about his injury (eye?) recovery and how last season was the worst of his professional career.

http://www.wgr550.com/pages/22859770.php?contentType=4&contentId=18834114

 

I'll say it again, for a team that improved so much last year, the Sabres enter training camp with a ton of players with something to prove.

 

Kane, Ennis, Franson, Bogosian, Moulson, Lehner - all of them had poor seasons or off-seasons.

I figure neither Jack nor Sam got the fanfare they probably expected. Okposo and Kulikov have that new team thing going.

Larsson, Foligno and Gionta are playing for new contracts. Zemgus and Risto are in tough negotiations.

 

It's not the normal self-satisfied situation you get after a 27-point improvement.

 

I am optimistic.

I agree about much of this except we also got career years out of ROR, Risto, and Johnson, while other guys like McCabe and Larsson used those failures to secure NHL futures by picking up the slack coupled with the emergence of probably the two most talented young Sabres (Sam and Jack) to come along since Mogilny and LaFontaine (or maybe Housley and Barrasso).  

 

I agree that this is the reason to be optimistic.  You have to figure that McCabe, Jack and Sam will take another step forward.  Also that Lehner, based on his limited performance last season, has the stuff, if healthy, to be a top tier goaltender.  Add that at least 2 of Moulson, Ennis, Big Z and Kane should have better seasons coupled with the addition of Okposo and I can see that Sabres scoring 230+ goals next season.  They do that and keep the goals against down to last years 215 (or below) this is playoff team.  

 

230 isn't a crazy number either.

Line 1 Kane ROR Reinhart - They scored scored 64 last year.  Is there any reason to think that can't score 70, especially if Sam improves and Kane stays on the ice?

Line 2 Ennis Jack Okposo - Okposo typically score 18- 24 goals, Ennis averaged 20 for the 2 years before getting hurt last year and Jack could easily jump from 24 to 30.  How about 70-75 for this line?

Line 3 Foligno Larsson Gionta - They scored 32 last year, but a full season together and healthy could garner 35? More?

Line 4 Moulson Girgensons Bailey - Z and Matt had 15 together in their bad years.  Bailey has 20 goal power and skill, and is an improvement on Deslauriers. Granted no 3rd/4th rookie is score 20, but he should do better then Nick's 6 goals.. I think 24 is reasonable, but that 30 goals for the line is a fair estimate,, especially if Z and Moulson rebound at all.

Defense - Last season Risto (9), Franson (4), Bogo (7), Gorges (2) and McCabe (4) had 26 goals, now add Kulikov and this group should improve by at least 5-10 goals.

 

Add this up and you have 70+75+35+30+35 and that's 245 as an upside estimate.  I haven't yet included the 10 or so goals scored last year by AHL call-ups and fill in players like Colaiacovo.  I do think 230 is a probably more realistic estimate however as the original estimate relies on everyone remaining mostly healthy.

[thewookie1]

Any interest in Alex Tanguay as a placeholder/ PTO or Brad Boyes, same idea 

 

 

Tanguay is preferred since he still seems to put up some points and won a cup.

Edited September 2, 2016 by thewookie1

[thewookie1]

Sabres signing any PTO's? I'd take Legwand, Tanguay, and Quincy and see where things go this preseason with our youngsters

[Hoss]

It's now official that Cody Franson will switch to #6

[Thorner]

It's now official that Cody Franson will switch to #6

Well, that's a Weber numb..sorry, Wetter num..oops, better number.

[dudacek]

Analytics model predicts Sabres headed for a last-place finish:

http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/thn-s-2016-17-nhl-season-preview-buffalo-sabres

[ubkev]

Analytics model predicts Sabres headed for a last-place finish:

http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/thn-s-2016-17-nhl-season-preview-buffalo-sabres

I stopped reading when they listed David Legwand, C; Cody McCormick, C; Chad Johnson, G; Mark Pysyk, D; Matt Donovan, D as KEY departures, instead of just not listing them and saying no one that left this team made it worse.

 

But then I got bored so I went back and read it. That article blew. Seriously, it was bad. Just some jerkoff behind a keyboard, not watching any hockey, pulling "analytics" out of his ass.

 

If the Sabres finish within 10 points of dead last, please revisit this post and throw it in my face.