The Mittelstadt Line

[JohnC]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The RK effect

Mitts

Games w RK as coach - 44 - 5g 9a 14 pts (.32 pts per game)

Games w Granato as coach - 13 - 5g 2a 7pts (.54 pts per game)

Asplund 

Games w RK as coach - 34 - 2g 2a 4 pts (.12 pts per game)

Games w Granato as coach - 8 - 4g 1a 5pts (.63 pts per game)

Thompson 

Games w RK as coach 14 - 1g  1a 2pts (.14 pts per game)

Games w Granato as coach - 10 - 3g 2a 5pts (.5 pts per game)

 

The Krueger effect not only inhibited the play of the young players as you starkly catalogued. It also stifled the play of the veterans and the rest of the roster. Okposo and Skinner are two players who seem to be rejuvenated and are now playing with some verve. These players certainly have deficiencies but they also have assets that are now being utilized while under the former erudite coach they were squandered. 

It's well understood that with or without Krueger this roster still needs to be bolstered in order to be a serious team. And it is clearly evident that our goaltending tandem, most notably the backup, needs to be upgraded. I hate "what if" discussions because of the futility and loser taint it brings to a discussion. But if this team would have been coached by a lesser ideologue who was in tune with the NHL of today this team even with all of its limitations should have been in the same range in the standings as the Rangers and Flyers are in. 

[Thorner]

21 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

But from the viewpoint of the season's start, the general impression was that KA had made solid off-season moves to improve the roster.

It’s true - it just doesn’t matter to me at all - and thankfully is not what the general manager is evaluated based on.

I had a long discussion with John all offseason arguing the same thing: that we could not say Adams had a good offseason yet because we had to see the results. 

My position has remained consistent 

[nfreeman]

Let the record reflect that with the Bruins swarming for the GWG in the final minutes of the 3rd period last night, the Sabres got a whistle and a D-zone draw with about a minute left -- and Mitts cleanly won a huge faceoff, enabling the Sabres to clear the zone and create a couple of chances of their own.

@GASabresIUFAN might turn out to be right about him.  Holy mackerel.

[inkman]

9 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Let the record reflect that with the Bruins swarming for the GWG in the final minutes of the 3rd period last night, the Sabres got a whistle and a D-zone draw with about a minute left -- and Mitts cleanly won a huge faceoff, enabling the Sabres to clear the zone and create a couple of chances of their own.

@GASabresIUFAN might turn out to be right about him.  Holy mackerel.

What was @GASabresIUFAN opinion of Our flossing forward?

[nfreeman]

53 minutes ago, inkman said:

What was @GASabresIUFAN opinion of Our flossing forward?

GA has pretty consistently assumed -- with zero justification IMHO but with possible correctness -- that Mitts would turn into a good NHL forward. 

I'm not there yet, but certainly Mitts is now showing signs that this is outcome is quite possible.

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

Let the record reflect that with the Bruins swarming for the GWG in the final minutes of the 3rd period last night, the Sabres got a whistle and a D-zone draw with about a minute left -- and Mitts cleanly won a huge faceoff, enabling the Sabres to clear the zone and create a couple of chances of their own.

@GASabresIUFAN might turn out to be right about him.  Holy mackerel.

Yeah, starting to get a fancrush on young Casey.

[inkman]

7 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

GA has pretty consistently assumed -- with zero justification IMHO but with possible correctness -- that Mitts would turn into a good NHL forward. 

I'm not there yet, but certainly Mitts is now showing signs that this is outcome is quite possible.

The transformation is quite unbelievable.  Makes you wonder how many kids just get annihilated through the system and never put it together.  A few short months ago, we wanted this kid sent outta town on the next train.  

[SDS]

On 4/8/2021 at 12:49 PM, Thorny said:

These things would seem to hopefully return us to competence - if playoffs are the goal I think we need to aim a little higher. And that's up to and including finding replacements for Eakin, or even KO. 

One top 6 F is the bare minimum and really just replaces Hall. Combined with the goalie add, to me those are the base level requirements, aside from replacing the lost-to-UFA depth on D. 

If we intend to make a playoff push and we want to count on something a little more tangible than the schedule lightening and growth from the younger players, it'll be about what Adams does with the roster beyond those stated roster alterations. 

Seattle’s entry just makes adding players that much harder. Teams are losing almost a player for team in NHL tab and now the task is to replace that and then go get even more.

I would much rather see league contraction to 28 teams than an expansion to 32. 

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, inkman said:

The transformation is quite unbelievable.  Makes you wonder how many kids just get annihilated through the system and never put it together.  A few short months ago, we wanted this kid sent outta town on the next train.  

And some of us actually saw an improvement in Mittelstadt's game down in Ra-cha-cha.  The transformation shouldn't have been "unbelievable."  The kid was continually put in situations that he was almost guaranteed to fail and not surprisingly, he often did fail.

Maybe his poor results in his 1st stint weren't due to playing Fortnite all night long, but rather being a young kid put into situations that he wasn't ready for.  Still believe if he would've centered the 4th line rather than oftentimes centering the 2nd line he would not have needed the demotion to figure it out.

Edited April 14, 2021 by Taro T
4th, not 5th

[Crusader1969]

21 minutes ago, inkman said:

The transformation is quite unbelievable.  Makes you wonder how many kids just get annihilated through the system and never put it together.  A few short months ago, we wanted this kid sent outta town on the next train.  

most but not all

[SwampD]

His game looks pretty much like it always has. He’s just older.

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

GA has pretty consistently assumed -- with zero justification IMHO but with possible correctness -- that Mitts would turn into a good NHL forward. 

I'm not there yet, but certainly Mitts is now showing signs that this is outcome is quite possible.

 

1 hour ago, inkman said:

The transformation is quite unbelievable.  Makes you wonder how many kids just get annihilated through the system and never put it together.  A few short months ago, we wanted this kid sent outta town on the next train.  

Unlike many here I was unwilling to write off a very talented 21 year old kid because of a bump in his development.  Chris Taylor, a person I respect now more then ever (partially because RK hates him) and even RK himself said that Casey turned the corner in Rochester last year and was working diligently to become a complete player.  I took Taylor at his word and what Taylor said is exactly what we are seeing now.  Offensively he is playing like the kid who dominated at the World Jrs and in the USHL/High School.  The difference now is that he is so much more defensively aware.  

Ultimately his confidence was destroyed by the incompetent RK and fortunately for Casey and the Sabres, Chris Taylor was there is fix the kid and get him back on track.  It is also a great compliment to Casey in that he put in the work to get better.  

Thompson is much the same story.  He was set back a year in his development by the injury last season.  The good news there was that RK didn't get an opportunity to destroy him as well.  Honestly I was not as confident that Tage would turn the corner.  I thought (and still do) it unwise to sign him to a 3 year deal when he had proven nothing in the NHL, but I'm thrilled he has matured into his large frame and is beginning to show the promise he showed in college.

If Casey, Tage and Asplund continue to play this way for the remainder of the season, it will go along way toward making KA's job much much easier this off-season.   KA then walks into the off-season knowing he has 9 forward slots filled for next year in Eichel, Reinhart, VO, KO, Skinner, Asplund, Cozens, Mitts and Thompson.  That's a good start.  He also has 3 more disposable forwards under contract in Bjork, Eakin and Z with prospects R2 and maybe Quinn knocking on the door.  

Edited April 14, 2021 by GASabresIUFAN

[Thorner]

2 hours ago, SDS said:

Seattle’s entry just makes adding players that much harder. Teams are losing almost a player for team in NHL tab and now the task is to replace that and then go get even more.

I would much rather see league contraction to 28 teams than an expansion to 32. 

And in an offseason of paramount importance for KA

[dudacek]

3 hours ago, SDS said:

Seattle’s entry just makes adding players that much harder. Teams are losing almost a player for team in NHL tab and now the task is to replace that and then go get even more.

The draft is designed to rob each and every team of their fourth-best defencemen or their 8th-best forward

With all due respect to Will Borgen, it seems like the worst-case scenario for the Sabres heading into the expansion draft is losing a 25-year-old with 8 games of NHL experience that we hope hits his ceiling as a 4/5.

I'd say compared to catching the competition, the expansion draft is among the least of our concerns.

[Taro T]

6 minutes ago, dudacek said:

The draft is designed to rob each and every team of their fourth-best defencemen or their 8th-best forward

With all due respect to Will Borgen, it seems like the worst-case scenario for the Sabres heading into the expansion draft is losing a 25-year-old with 8 games of NHL experience that we hope hits his ceiling as a 4/5.

I'd say compared to catching the competition, the expansion draft is among the least of our concerns.

Will be very surprised if the Sabre taken isn't Borgen, Jokiharju, or Bryson as the slightly off the board selection.

Wonder how much it would cost to buy Pilut out of the 2nd year of his KHL deal to bring him back? 

[dudacek]

47 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Will be very surprised if the Sabre taken isn't Borgen, Jokiharju, or Bryson as the slightly off the board selection.

Wonder how much it would cost to buy Pilut out of the 2nd year of his KHL deal to bring him back? 

I don't think Bryson is eligible.

And I would be stunned if they didn't protect Joki, especially if he continues playing how he's played with Dahlin the past stretch.

[nfreeman]

58 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I don't think Bryson is eligible.

And I would be stunned if they didn't protect Joki, especially if he continues playing how he's played with Dahlin the past stretch.

I thought Joki was excellent in the 3rd period last night -- cool as a cucumber under pressure, and beautiful skating and passing.

[Marvin]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

The draft is designed to rob each and every team of their fourth-best defencemen or their 8th-best forward

With all due respect to Will Borgen, it seems like the worst-case scenario for the Sabres heading into the expansion draft is losing a 25-year-old with 8 games of NHL experience that we hope hits his ceiling as a 4/5.

I'd say compared to catching the competition, the expansion draft is among the least of our concerns.

I would ask Skinner to waive his NMC for the expansion draft.  Then I would expose him and Ristolainen and dare Seattle to take either of them.  IMHO, from their POV, Colin Miller or Zemgus Girgensons is the obvious choice.

[LGR4GM]

10 minutes ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

I would ask Skinner to waive his NMC for the expansion draft.  Then I would expose him and Ristolainen and dare Seattle to take either of them.  IMHO, from their POV, Colin Miller or Zemgus Girgensons is the obvious choice.

You're gonna be pissed when Terry makes them protect Zemgus

[Marvin]

17 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

You're gonna be pissed when Terry makes them protect Zemgus

I like Zemgus.

[Andrew Amerk]

40 minutes ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

I like Zemgus.

I like Zemgus too, but not on the contract KA signed him to. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

The expansion list is the ATM line, Skinner, Jack, Sam and one other forward.  Probably Bjork right now  EDIT: VO (My bad).

The D are Dahlin, Risto and Joki. Borgen is the mostly likely player to be taken unless they make a deal.  See Yeah Borgen.

.... and now back to the topic.  

Im trying Mitts and Thompson on the first PP with Sam, Dahlin and VO.

 

Edited April 15, 2021 by GASabresIUFAN

[Taro T]

7 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The expansion list is the ATM line, Skinner, Jack, Sam and one other forward.  Probably Bjork right now

The D are Dahlin, Risto and Joki. Borgen is the mostly likely player to be taken unless they make a deal.  See Yeah Borgen.

.... and now back to the topic.  

Im trying Mitts and Thompson on the first PP with Sam, Dahlin and VO.

 

Would expect that the 7th F is Olofsson.

And hasn't Mittelstadt & Thompson already been playing on the top PP?  Mitts definitely has.  Haven't been paying that close attention to who the 5th guy has been when Ristolainen hasn't been there.  Would rather see Cozens in that last spot, but not opposed to Tage taking that spot.

[GASabresIUFAN]

4 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Would expect that the 7th F is Olofsson.

And hasn't Mittelstadt & Thompson already been playing on the top PP?  Mitts definitely has.  Haven't been paying that close attention to who the 5th guy has been when Ristolainen hasn't been there.  Would rather see Cozens in that last spot, but not opposed to Tage taking that spot.

I forget about VO

[dudacek]

43 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Would expect that the 7th F is Olofsson.

And hasn't Mittelstadt & Thompson already been playing on the top PP?  Mitts definitely has.  Haven't been paying that close attention to who the 5th guy has been when Ristolainen hasn't been there.  Would rather see Cozens in that last spot, but not opposed to Tage taking that spot.

Dahlin Reinhart VO Mitts and Risto have been PP1

Tage Skinner, KO Miller Cozens PP2