2018 - 2019 Lineup

[LGR4GM]

12 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

Wilson -  Kerfoot - Jost
Nieto - Soderberg - Comeau
Bourque - Andrigetto - Compher

Is what played behind the Avs' stud line on a playoff team. If our super line works, no reason not to stick with it! 

At least next year they can Jack Hughes to that team... 

[GASabresIUFAN]

Interesting lineup from today’s practice

Skinner Eichel Reinhart - the no.1 line going forward

Nylander Berglund Oglevie - They are giving Nylander a long long look.  Odds of him making the team seem to be increasing

Smith Mittelstud Okposo - good look for Smith also playing on a line with 2 sure Sabres

Bailey Erod O’Regan - not sure what to think other then saving some guys for the back to back.  Girgensons Sobotka Pommers were a line in practice yesterday and I think they are the Sabres 4th line.

McCabe Bogo

Dahlin Nelson

Guhle Borgen -looks to me like they are ticketed for top pair duty in Roch.

[LGR4GM]

Are we sure Mitts has done enough to have earned a Buffalo job? 

[Randall Flagg]

8 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Are we sure Mitts has done enough to have earned a Buffalo job? 

I'm not, but I'm convinced he's going to get it anyway.

[GASabresIUFAN]

17 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Are we sure Mitts has done enough to have earned a Buffalo job? 

It's the one position that we really don't have enough quality.  Quantity yes, quality no.

[dudacek]

Mitts is a tough one.

He has not done enough to win a job, but has done enough to lose one? There isn’t an observer who didn’t have him in the starting roster over the summer.

The other thing to look at is who is a better choice given Berglund and Eichel look to be the other two centres? No one else provides enough offensive upside to be on second line unless you move Reinhart over. Sobotka? ERod?

Finally, there is the issue of guys like Smith, Nylander, Thompson and Asplund, who most would say have outplayed Casey. What message do you send them?

Ultimately, I think it’s a non-issue. The plan was always to have Casey on the team, and they will stick with the plan. And if Casey struggles early, I have no doubt he comes around.

Training camp is for doubt and confirmation, and players force you to change your plans, but most organizations have a pretty good idea of 80 per cent of their lineup going in and Casey was in that 80 per cent.

Edited September 25, 2018 by dudacek

[LGR4GM]

One of the reasons I am glad we have 3 first round picks in the upcoming draft. We can add some more quality centers to the pipe. 

[erickompositör72]

IMHO Casey has the level of talent and compete that any necessary growth/development can happen best while playing at the NHL level.

At worst, he will be significantly better than our worst roster player last year, and I believe he'll improve very rapidly no matter what his level is at the beginning.

[GASabresIUFAN]

WGR had a nice article on  the work Girgensons is doing in camp.  Apparently they like him in a hard checking role, which makes good sense. 

Also as to Casey, he seems like a quick study, but this is his first NHL camp and he has been thrown into the deep end.  Like Erick, I think we'll see a small adjustment period and then he'll take off.  If not, they can always send him down for a quick confidence boost.

[inkman]

40 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

WGR had a nice article on  the work Girgensons is doing in camp.  Apparently they like him in a hard checking role, which makes good sense.

I think is the only role he'll have in the league. He's just not talented enough for anything else. Works hard, plays hard. Just isn't really good at any particular thing. 

[mjd1001]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Are we sure Mitts has done enough to have earned a Buffalo job? 

I agree 100%.  He just hasn't stood out to me at all.  I'm not saying he is bad, but I think he might be a LOT farther away from being an impact player on this team than we think.

Is he eligible to go down to Rochester?  I think he and the Sabres might be better off with him on Rochester soaking up minutes there, while Bergund/Sobotka or one of the other eligible players takes up Centering lines with the big club.

[Doohicksie]

8 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Is he eligible to go down to Rochester? 

Of course he is, which is one of the reasons he can start on the big club.  If he doesn't do well and needs to be sent down, he doesn't have to clear waivers.

[Die Hard]

2 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

I'm not, but I'm convinced he's going to get it anyway.

That’s kind of where I’m at. Watching him in the prospects tournament and the pre-season games.... he’s giving up the puck a helluva lot.... many egregiously. Bad decisions, careless with the puck, and getting pushed off the puck. And he really hasn’t been threatening at all either playing against the prospects or AHL/NHLers. On the PP when he has some space... he’s looked his best. But he’s hasn’t done anything to make me believe he can successfully play at this level, at the moment.

[GASabresIUFAN]

One of the things Casey does well is driving offense down the middle of the ice.  Every scout and columnist seems to talk about it.  However to do it in college, the USHL or the World Jrs is one thing and to do it consistently against AHL and NHL players in another.  We desperately need his skill set and it will take him so time to learn to do it and NHL speed.  However it's pretty clear he can do it.  Frankly, we need him to learn through mistakes.  He will learn from them and improve, quickly I think.  

[dudacek]

Tonight may have been Flagg’s worst nightmare.

Because we looked like a team that gets careless with the puck. And when a team gets careless with the puck, it is the young guys the coach tends to sit to “develop” and “send a message.”

Alex Nylander has been very puck-smart prior to tonight, but his glaring error on the P.K. might be the thing that gives the brass the excuse to put him back in Rochester, where I fully believe they intended him to start.

Brendan Guhle I believe punched his ticket to Rochester tonight, cementing a disappointing camp of puck carelessness. Unlike the game day thread, I thought Casey had his best, most controlled game tonight, but he hasn’t been smart or safe overall. Tage Thompson has been an offensive treat but he hasn’t been safe. Dahlin has ridiculous skills, but he’s made more turnovers than all of them. Pilut doesn’t play a safe game.

Theyve still got a few games to make up their minds, but we are really going to get a taste of whether Botterill and Housley are serious about turning this team into an up-tempo, five-man attack possession squad this year. Because Berglund, Sobotka, Girgensons, Wilson, Larsson, Pominville, Hunwick doesn’t say that to me at all.

But it does say safe.

Edited September 26, 2018 by dudacek

[Randall Flagg]

Glad I coouldn't watch then!!

Though I think I want Guhle in Roch. 

I am just ready for the real games to start. And I think the players are too.

[pi2000]

Mittlestadt needed to be stronger on his stick that second CBJ goal. Good lesson to learn in preseason... still not sure he makes the team right away tho.   I think Asplund is more NHL ready tbh.

[dudacek]

6 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Glad I coouldn't watch then!!

Though I think I want Guhle in Roch. 

I am just ready for the real games to start. And I think the players are too.

I agree with all of that (and I don’t think you would have minded the game) But There is still a group of about a dozen young Sabres who may or may not have stalls in the locker room in a week and I am so scared that they have run out of time to force there way on to the team.

4 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Mittlestadt needed to be stronger on his stick that second CBJ goal. Good lesson to learn in preseason... still not sure he makes the team right away tho.   I think Asplund is more NHL ready tbh.

I think Asplund is still in the running and I think Smith and Oglevie are too.

Edited September 26, 2018 by dudacek

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

I agree with all of that (and I don’t think you would have minded the game) But There is still a group of about a dozen young Sabres who may or may not have stalls in the locker room in a week and I am so scared that they have run out of time to force there way on to the team.

I think Asplund is still in the running and I think Smith and Oglevie are too.

Who's on the bubble you're thinking?

I basically need to see Tage and one of Casey/Rasmus on the team, and I'd like to see Nylander but wouldn't die if he were sent down. The other of Casey/Rasmus can go down and I'd be fine. I wouldn't mind seeing Smith make it but understand he's almost certain for Rochester.

And I'd like to see one more game of Pilut, but I won't be able to.  I'm not convinced he's not a top 4 defenseman on this team so I'm going to be pretty sad when he goes down. Sounds like McCabe has been pretty good which is nice to hear

[GASabresIUFAN]

Why was Nylander killing penalties anyway.  He was doing great holding onto the puck and should have shot it in deep, but waited to long and made a bad decision. My first thought was hello Amerks.  However it all depends on Sheary's injury and management view of Smith.

Right now IMHO the only kids that make the club are Thompson, Dahlin and Casey.  All three are going to get protected minutes early in the year.  Larsson, Bailey and Baptiste, hello waivers.

[Thorner]

11 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

One of the reasons I am glad we have 3 first round picks in the upcoming draft. We can add some more quality centers to the pipe. 

Don't get me wrong, it's always good to add more depth to any position, but I don't think the centre pipeline is that big of a concern. Regardless of Mittelstadt's NHL readiness right now, I'm pretty sure Eichel, Mittelstadt and Asplund have the top 3 centre spots locked down for/in the foreseeable future. 

[Hoss]

17 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Don't get me wrong, it's always good to add more depth to any position, but I don't think the centre pipeline is that big of a concern. Regardless of Mittelstadt's NHL readiness right now, I'm pretty sure Eichel, Mittelstadt and Asplund have the top 3 centre spots locked down for/in the foreseeable future. 

The latter two have combined for six career NHL games. After that there’s Davidsson and nothing else. Malone can’t stay healthy and is a long shot like the rest of that group.

[thewookie1]

I'd start the year

Skinner-Eichel-Reinhart

Sheary-Berglund-Thompson

Mitts-ERod-Okposo (At least until Mitts starts to look more confident and stops trying to force things)

Girgs-Sobotka-Pommers/Bailey

[nfreeman]

For the record:  the Sabres have 2 dudes named Casey -- and I thought Nelson looked pretty good last night.  With Hunwick out, it seems pretty likely that Nelson will be in the top 6 on opening night.

[LTS]

I think the pain everyone is going to feel is that certain players will be sent down just because of numbers and certain players will be kept until they can do something with regards to trades, etc.

After watching Bailey play I think he's going to be kept on as a 4th line/PK guy.  He is a high energy guy who can put pressure on the other team and he's all over the ice on the PK (in a good way).

Forwards Kept on Sabres: Bailey, Berglund, Eichel, Girgensons, Okposo, Pominville, Reinhart, Rodrigues, Sheary, Skinner, Sobotka, Wilson

Forwards Sent to Rochester: Asplund, Criscuolo, Malone, MIttlestadt, Nylander, O'Regan, Oglevie, Olofsson, Smith, Thompson

Forwards Waived: Larsson, Baptiste

Defense Kept on Sabres: Beaulieu, Bogosian, Dahlin, Hunwick, McCabe, Ristolainen, Scandella

Defense Sent to Rochester: Borgen, Guhle, Nelson, Pilut

If some of them have been moved and I missed it.. whoops.

The Sabres know they aren't deep playoff contenders this year and they aren't going to come out of the gate waiving veterans.  They will ice the conservative team in my opinion but one that is still significantly different than last year.  The youth movement will learn that they have to be better to be in Buffalo.  I don't think they've proven themselves to be keepers yet.

I'm not sure who they keep up for Sheary.  I have to pay more attention to where players have been playing because looking at the Sabres site they have only 4 LW on the roster and SKinner is listed as a C.

On the bright side, the Amerks should be a loaded team.