Breakout Candidates 2018-19

[GASabresIUFAN]

Who will breakout (take their game to another level) next season and can we get any of them?

Most of these guys are 23-25 years old and because of a departure on their team or commonly a trade to another team, their role increases and their career takes off.

I think ERod is one such candidate. If he wins a job as Jacks LW, I can see him hitting 50 pts next year.

Thoughts?

Edited May 7, 2018 by GASabresIUFAN

[Randall Flagg]

I'm always going to be skeptical of EROD because of his size, but the dude has a legit hockey mind, and he is the only Sabre that plays every shift like it's his last.

[Wyldnwoody44]

I have been on the Erod train since he got here, his wheels are sorely needed on this team.... We were tearing him apart a good chunk of the season, I didn't think he deserved some of the negative commentary he got, here's to hope!

[GASabresIUFAN]

But who on other teams and do you think they could be acquired for a reasonable price?  In various threads guys like Tobias Rieder, Rust, and Sheahan have been mentioned.  Tampa can't keep everyone, could they make Adam Erne available?  Jake Virtanen Can't quite make an impact with the Nucks, think they might trade him to us for Nylander and Larsson? 

[LikeEich]

Potential breakout candidates around the league imho would include but not be limited to, and in no particular order: anders Bjork boston, Daniel Sprong Pitty, Milano and Bjorkstrand from clb, donato boston. Guys that I think are less likely to achieve 50 points but establish themselves as useful nhl players with potential: Ottawa Colin White, Kevin Roy Ana, tolvanen Nsh, Dal Colle Nyi, Dylan strome Ari, ty Rattie stl. there's a ton in this category I could update with more if anyone is interested- same goes for defense.

 

 

Our team expecting a good year from Mitts should hit 45-50 pts, while I expect steps from most of our young guys a dark horse for me would be CJ Smith, I could see him having an impact.

[Doohicksie]

I'm going out on a limb and say Alex Nylander will show with a vengeance that he's NHL fodder.  40 points with a positive +/-.

[Drunkard]

I'm going out on a limb and say Alex Nylander will show with a vengeance that he's NHL fodder.  40 points with a positive +/-.

 

Are they sending him to Cincinnati?

[Doohicksie]

Pheh.

[LGR4GM]

I'd say CJ Smith could potentially get 14 goals and 23 assists if he played all 82 games with Buffalo next year. Would be good 3rd line scoring. 

 

Mittelstadt would be in line to get roughly 14 goals as well unless he starts shooting a lot more. He is technically on pace for 54 assists if he maintained his rate from last year. Note that a sample size of 6 games is weak sauce. 

 

Alex Nylander, I don't currently believe in. He has too much float in his game and you can't coach that out. Either you attack the puck or you don't. If he comes up and plays all 82 games, 8 goals and 28a. He gets those assists because he is playing with either Eichel or Mittelstadt and they will make him look better then he is. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Sorry. Bad joke.

 

I will delete. Please delete your quote. Thanks.

[Doohicksie]

No, it was fine.  My response was pretty bad.

[LGR4GM]

Olofsson will probably be in Rochester all year unless injuries get him a call up. Right now he seems like a 3rd line guy with 2nd pp unit duty. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

No, it was fine.  My response was pretty bad.

 

:beer:

 

Still, glad you deleted.  Now there is no trace of it unless someone scrubs it out.  So, realistically all that would have seen it were the 3, or 4, logged on here and the FBI.

[GASabresIUFAN]

I thought OJ was out already anyway.

 

Back to the topic. Are any of the possible breakout players expendable by their current club?

 

I keep looking at TB and see they have to re-sign JT Miller this year and then next year Kucherov and Point plus replace 4 aging D including McDonagh. Would they trade Miller or maybe Erne (also a RFA)?

[dudacek]

Sam Bennett

[North Buffalo]

Just hope JBots can find a scoring winger for Jack with speed... If CJ great but not convinced.

[pi2000]

Dahlin's forehead

[drnkirishone]

Dahlin will outperform expectations and be the leading pointgetter amongst D not just rookies

[Iron Crotch]

I expect a big year out of Phil Ovechkin

 

 

[pi2000]

Dahlin will outperform expectations and be the leading pointgetter amongst D not just rookies

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

Sam Bennett

Breakout Candidate? or Change of Scenery Candidate?  Probably amounts to the same thing in the end.

[bunomatic]

I expect a big year out of Phil Ovechkin

 

Can't you just smell the hockey bag aroma off that photo ? Lovely !

[TrueBlueGED]

Sam Bennett

Is there any truth to the rumor they're rebooting Die Hard with you as the star and a plot centered around unwavering belief in disappointing prospects?

[GASabresIUFAN]

http://buffalonews.com/2018/05/07/bucky-gleason-any-chance-nhl-can-hold-expansion-draft-for-buffalo/

 

As usual Bucky doesn't get it.  I'm rooting for Vegas because of what they accomplished.  Bucky is right about one thing, LV is a bunch of blue collar guys that Buffalo fans would embrace.  

 

The way McPhee built the Knights is why I started this thread.  Why can't our GMs (DR, TM, Jbot) find those bargain players that aren't being properly utilized by other organizations and just need a chance to show what they could do?  Jbot tried with Baloo and although it hasn't worked out so far, I'm not going to criticize him for trying.  Frankly we need more such attempts. 

 

 Where is our Marchessault or Colin Miller or William Karlsson?

 

What 3rd liner for some another team can become a top 6 winger for us?  They happen every year.   

 

If this rebuild is ever going to work we are going to need to find some players that outperform their paycheck beside kids on their ELCs.  

[LGR4GM]

I don't care about blue collar. Almost no hockey player is blue collar. I want good hockey players and I don't get this weird Blue Collar Buffalo mantra that doesn't apply to the city anymore. The biggest companies in Erie County are what? UB, Deleware North maybe, Independent Health, Kaleida Health, Wegmans, Roswell Park, Geico... I mean I guess the ford plant would be blue collar but the rest certainly aren't. What non agricultural manual labor jobs are in Buffalo making it a blue collar city? Hard working city, sure. Blue Collar, not for 20 years. 

Edited May 8, 2018 by Skurk Liger