[Vague Title] The Hope-ium Den

[IKnowPhysics]

This a thread to get high on.

Only earnest positivity.  No negativity, no sarcasm, no backhanded compliments.  Pour your hearts out about what you're liking or loving about the Sabres.  What are you looking forward to?  What elements are you hopeful about?   What's driving even the smallest amount of hope?

 

==============================================================================================

For me, from the top down:

• We have awesome and passionate fans.  And while the fanbase is centered in a town that's cool as *****, literally anytime I rock Sabres gear out of town, even very far out of town, I run into more awesome Buffalo fans.  We're all over.  This will never change, and I can't wait for the fanbase to get rabidly crazy again.
• We have financially stable ownership that has a sincere interest in winning.  We didn't have this for a many, many years, and I don't take that for granted.
• We have a pretty above average arena (certainly not among the league worst) that's going to get some cool renovations in the next decade.
• Roster-wise, we've been converting our player assets into futures, and these futures are starting to bear fruit.  We have some excellent young players already on the roster in Dahlin, Jokiharju, Cozens, Mittelstadt, Bjork, Olofsson, and even Thompson and Asplund are showing promise again.  High-grade talent is on our door step.  UPL, Ruotsalainen, Power, Quinn, Peterka, Johnson, Laaksonen, Samuelsson, Bryson are all poised to make impacts in the next couple seasons.
• We're not anywhere close to being in salary cap hell, which will afford us all sorts of interesting opportunity and flexibility.
• We've apparently got a new scouting and analytics approach that, if the draft is any indication, could be very aggressive in identifying and acquiring talent.  Our group of selections, even beyond the consensus 1OA, was very highly rated.  Maybe league-best.  I look forward to seeing this in action in the UFA period.  This is the GM that landed Taylor Hall, and while Hall didn't work out under Krueger, the UFA signing itself was a swing-for-the-fences player management home run.  And it's likely that this management group has likely only gotten smarter since then.
• We've got a new non-interim coach that has already established himself to be much, much better than our previous coach, as demonstrated in both team performance and critical individual player performance.  The systems are better.  The player usage is better.  And now that the staff has a chance to actually hold a training camp and practices, I'm upbeat about the opportunity they now have to make a bigger positive impact.
• With regard to a Jack trade, Kevyn Adams seems to be doing the right thing: holding and not lowering the price.  Jack is our best and most important player asset.  He's going to be a great Sabre or, if that's not in the cards, I'm hopeful that he's going be leveraged for an amount of franchise-transforming future potential that is simply staggering.
• I love watching hockey, I love playing hockey, and I love our team.

[pi2000]

sick jerseys

[IKnowPhysics]

Just now, pi2000 said:

sick jerseys

***** yeah.  I love our threads.  Simply gorgeous.

 

 

To the above, I'll add that Devon Levi could be an out-of-left-field franchise-altering piece of the Reinhart trade.

[Eleven]

[Sigh] maybe it is going to happen, Gretchen.

[pi2000]

Just now, IKnowPhysics said:

***** yeah.  I love our threads.  Simply gorgeous.

 

 

To the above, I'll add that Devon Levi could be an out-of-left-field franchise-altering piece of the Reinhart trade.

In my optimistic mind he's the next Jonathan Quick.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I am always hopeful and this new fangled wonder drug is really helping.

Long live Hope-ium.

Really, I think the Sabres will be fine.  Maybe not good this year, but we will be impressed with the effort.

[I-90 W]

I’m excited about Levi, I think he looked even better than Knight in the WJC. To me the Sabres are supposed to have top notch goaltending, and we haven’t had that since Miller. Looking forward to watching him and UPL develop. I’ll be really excited if we get a 1a or 1b back in the Jack trade. 

[PromoTheRobot]

25 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

sick jerseys

[PromoTheRobot]

21 minutes ago, I-90 W said:

I’m excited about Levi, I think he looked even better than Knight in the WJC. To me the Sabres are supposed to have top notch goaltending, and we haven’t had that since Miller. Looking forward to watching him and UPL develop. I’ll be really excited if we get a 1a or 1b back in the Jack trade. 

How close is Levi? Rochester close or backing up Ullmark close?

[I-90 W]

11 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

How close is Levi? Rochester close or backing up Ullmark close?

I think he’ll play for Northeastern next season but he could hold his own in Roch IMO. Not NHL ready yet, though Alex Killorn did tweet that he couldn’t score on Levi even when he was 14 years old 😅.

Edited July 26, 2021 by I-90 W

[pi2000]

3 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

How close is Levi? Rochester close or backing up Ullmark close?

2 years of college + 1 year AHL...close.

[spndnchz]

[This is an automated response]

As a courtesy to the other board members, please use more descriptive topic titles. A better title will help the community find information faster and make your topic more likely to be read. The topic starter can edit the topic title line to make it more appropriate.

Thank you.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Woof!!

[SDS]

40 minutes ago, Eleven said:

[Sigh] maybe it is going to happen, Gretchen.

So, this is used quite often in political characterizations. It’s already happened.

[bob_sauve28]

I’m just happy about everything. It’s good to be alive. I am even happy about the thread title 

[Eleven]

10 minutes ago, SDS said:

So, this is used quite often in political characterizations. It’s already happened.

I will fight it.  I will lead the fight against hopium.  May it take a hundred years, may it cost a million lives, I will NOT LET IT HAPPEN.

Edited July 26, 2021 by Eleven

[Weave]

23 minutes ago, spndnchz said:

[This is an automated response]

As a courtesy to the other board members, please use more descriptive topic titles. A better title will help the community find information faster and make your topic more likely to be read. The topic starter can edit the topic title line to make it more appropriate.

Thank you.

I don't think this title could be any more descriptive.

[Norcal]

Great thread! Title seems fine IMO

I always have hope.

I hope this thread remains one of optimism and positive vibes. 

 

[KC Scouts]

There is nothing more energizing and spine-tingling than listening to the Key Bank Arena erupt.....anybody remember that?   

[Norcal]

20 minutes ago, KC Scouts said:

There is nothing more energizing and spine-tingling than listening to the Key Bank Arena erupt.....anybody remember that?   

Can't wait till they can say...Take it to..

"The Bank"

Sabres are going to the Stanley Cup Final

[I-90 W]

40 minutes ago, KC Scouts said:

There is nothing more energizing and spine-tingling than listening to the Key Bank Arena erupt.....anybody remember that?   

And with RJ going crazy on tv.

[dudacek]

The Sabres prospect depth on the wing (Quinn, Rosen, Peterka, Poltapov, Kisakov) defence (Power, Samuelsson, Johnson, Laaksonen) and goalie (UPL, Portillo and Levi) is suddenly outstanding.

Edited July 26, 2021 by dudacek

[Drag0nDan]

53 minutes ago, KC Scouts said:

There is nothing more energizing and spine-tingling than listening to the Key Bank Arena erupt.....anybody remember that?   

I was at that 10th win in a row game.  It was pretty freaking great.  Lets not talk about anything that happened after.

[Drag0nDan]

2 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

This a thread to get high on.

Only earnest positivity.  No negativity, no sarcasm, no backhanded compliments.  Pour your hearts out about what you're liking or loving about the Sabres.  What are you looking forward to?  What elements are you hopeful about?   What's driving even the smallest amount of hope?

 

==============================================================================================

For me, from the top down:

• We have awesome and passionate fans.  And while the fanbase is centered in a town that's cool as *****, literally anytime I rock Sabres gear out of town, even very far out of town, I run into more awesome Buffalo fans.  We're all over.  This will never change, and I can't wait for the fanbase to get rabidly crazy again.
• We have financially stable ownership that has a sincere interest in winning.  We didn't have this for a many, many years, and I don't take that for granted.
• We have a pretty above average arena (certainly not among the league worst) that's going to get some cool renovations in the next decade.
• Roster-wise, we've been converting our player assets into futures, and these futures are starting to bear fruit.  We have some excellent young players already on the roster in Dahlin, Jokiharju, Cozens, Mittelstadt, Bjork, Olofsson, and even Thompson and Asplund are showing promise again.  High-grade talent is on our door step.  UPL, Ruotsalainen, Power, Quinn, Peterka, Johnson, Laaksonen, Samuelsson, Bryson are all poised to make impacts in the next couple seasons.
• We're not anywhere close to being in salary cap hell, which will afford us all sorts of interesting opportunity and flexibility.
• We've apparently got a new scouting and analytics approach that, if the draft is any indication, could be very aggressive in identifying and acquiring talent.  Our group of selections, even beyond the consensus 1OA, was very highly rated.  Maybe league-best.  I look forward to seeing this in action in the UFA period.  This is the GM that landed Taylor Hall, and while Hall didn't work out under Krueger, the UFA signing itself was a swing-for-the-fences player management home run.  And it's likely that this management group has likely only gotten smarter since then.
• We've got a new non-interim coach that has already established himself to be much, much better than our previous coach, as demonstrated in both team performance and critical individual player performance.  The systems are better.  The player usage is better.  And now that the staff has a chance to actually hold a training camp and practices, I'm upbeat about the opportunity they now have to make a bigger positive impact.
• With regard to a Jack trade, Kevyn Adams seems to be doing the right thing: holding and not lowering the price.  Jack is our best and most important player asset.  He's going to be a great Sabre or, if that's not in the cards, I'm hopeful that he's going be leveraged for an amount of franchise-transforming future potential that is simply staggering.
• I love watching hockey, I love playing hockey, and I love our team.

The culture shift that I think is important - is something that i heard a lot of bills players say including Shady McCoy when he played under McDermott.  You come to Buffalo to be the best version of yourself as a player.  Doesn't mean boy scouts or all "blue collar" players.  It to me means - you come to the buffalo bills to play football.  Not to get tax benefits... or the best paycheck... or because the party scene is awesome... those aren't the guys they want.  They want football players who want to put in the work and strive for greatness.  

I think it can and should apply to what they are trying to build with the sabres.  A group of guys who play together, who come to camp ready to compete and become the best version of themselves.  I don't think the core we had was capable of shifting to that methodology, and that was the most telling part of the Jack press conference.  Was how much about him it truly was.  I think in his mind he shouldered the burden of failure more than most of the team, and he felt like he was taking ownership.  But to me it never felt that way.  It always seemed like he was just Jack, and he could only control what he could control on the ice.  

[Claude Balls]

They're still in Buffalo.