Rank the Sabres defenders

[LGR4GM]

When all healthy and playing, how would you rank the Sabres defense? You can include prospects and use any criteria you see fit. 

[pastajoe]

Power
Dahlin     
Samuelsson   
Jokiharju   
Fitzgerald
Bryson
Psyek
Ryan Johnson
Miller
Haag
Laaksonen
Prow
Butcher

 

[LGR4GM]

3 hours ago, pastajoe said:

Power
Dahlin     
Samuelsson   
Jokiharju   
Fitzgerald
Bryson
Psyek
Ryan Johnson
Miller
Haag
Laaksonen
Prow
Butcher

 

Interesting. I can see the argument for this

[DarthEbriate]

My criteria: It's game 81 at Boston at the end of this 2021-22 season. A win and the Sabres are in the playoffs and Boston is eliminated from playoff contention. (Right now) whom do I trust to play the most minutes and give the Sabres a chance at victory?

Dahlin - Pysyk; Hagg - Jokiharju; Bryson - Miller; // Samuelsson - Fitzgerald; Power - Johnson; Butcher - Prow; Laaksonen

And by the end of the season I would hope that Samuelsson supplants Hagg and that Power replaces Miller (Bryson switches to play on the right side).

[dudacek]

Dahlin - top pairing 

Power - projected top pairing

Jokiharju - top 4

Samuelsson - projected top 4

Johnson - projected 3-5

Bryson - 4-5

hagg/Pysyk/Miller - NHL 3rd pairing

Butcher/Fitzgerald - NHL spare

Prow/Schuldt/Davidson/Laaksonen - AHL depth

[Weave]

24 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Dahlin - top pairing 

Power - projected top pairing

Jokiharju - top 4

Samuelsson - projected top 4

Johnson - projected 3-5

Bryson - 4-5

hagg/Pysyk/Miller - NHL 3rd pairing

Butcher/Fitzgerald - NHL spare

Prow/Schuldt/Davidson/Laaksonen - AHL depth

This seems about right.

[GASabresIUFAN]

5 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

When all healthy and playing, how would you rank the Sabres defense? You can include prospects and use any criteria you see fit. 

I’ll let you know when we get a few who can actually play defense. 

[bob_sauve28]

29 minutes ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

In order of resistance offered

1. Crotchless panties

2. Swiss Cheese 

3. Tissue Paper 

4. Fog 

5. The Sabres Defense Corps

 

 

 

 

 

Wow, lame 

[bob_sauve28]

 

 

 

*****

 

Here is the true list! 

Dahlin is alone at the top, for now. 

Joki and Pysyk occupy the second rank as good, solid, reliably, un-flashy but very valuable defenders. 

Bryson is just a notch below but (hopefully) getting better. 

Miller is good. Not sure why he is so hated. 

Hagg is serviceable, not a major liability and I would be happy to have him as a seventh defensemen 

Butcher is not so good,. 

I have no idea how good--or bad--Power and/or Johnson will be. Samuelson looked really good the brief time he was here, I'd probably rate him at Bryson level to start, but he obviously has an upside 

[Pimlach]

6 hours ago, pastajoe said:

Power
Dahlin     
Samuelsson   
Jokiharju   
Fitzgerald
Bryson
Psyek
Ryan Johnson
Miller
Haag
Laaksonen
Prow
Butcher

 

This looks like all prospects reach their peak with exception of Ryan Johnson.  

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

Dahlin - top pairing 

Power - projected top pairing

Jokiharju - top 4

Samuelsson - projected top 4

Johnson - projected 3-5

Bryson - 4-5

hagg/Pysyk/Miller - NHL 3rd pairing

Butcher/Fitzgerald - NHL spare

Prow/Schuldt/Davidson/Laaksonen - AHL depth

I think I am here as well. Hope the Sabres add a RHD in this draft because there will be many even outside the top 5. 

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

Dahlin - top pairing 

Power - projected top pairing

Jokiharju - top 4

Samuelsson - projected top 4

Johnson - projected 3-5

Bryson - 4-5

hagg/Pysyk/Miller - NHL 3rd pairing

Butcher/Fitzgerald - NHL spare

Prow/Schuldt/Davidson/Laaksonen - AHL depth

Pretty good. 
 

Joker could be a top 3/4, or a 5/6 on a strong team.  Johnson projects the same.  
 

Bryson and a Fitz are more like a 5/6/7 to me. 
 

 

[mjd1001]

I'm only going with guys who have played at least a handful of games this year:

1. Dahlin

2. Joki

3. Bryson

4. Pysyk

5. Hagg

6. Miller

7. Butcher

[thewookie1]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

Dahlin - top pairing 

Power - projected top pairing

Jokiharju - top 4

Samuelsson - projected top 4

Johnson - projected 3-5

Bryson - 4-5

hagg/Pysyk/Miller - NHL 3rd pairing

Butcher/Fitzgerald - NHL spare

Prow/Schuldt/Davidson/Laaksonen - AHL depth

This is pretty much my ranking.

Laaksonen reminds me a lot of TJ Brennan

[French Collection]

52 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I think I am here as well. Hope the Sabres add a RHD in this draft because there will be many even outside the top 5. 

Yeah, even if they don’t get Nemec or Jiricek there are quite a few 1st rounders. This is the year to get a RHD in the first or even early second.

[Curt]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I’ll let you know when we get a few who can actually play defense. 

 

3 hours ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

In order of resistance offered

1. Crotchless panties

2. Swiss Cheese 

3. Tissue Paper 

4. Fog 

5. The Sabres Defense Corps

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you guys for your contributions to the conversation.  Truly amazing.

[SwampD]

I thought “fog” was kinda funny.

[Broken Ankles]

15 minutes ago, SwampD said:

I thought “fog” was kinda funny.

I laughed as well.  100% of all responses do not have to be serious. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

35 minutes ago, Curt said:

 

Thank you guys for your contributions to the conversation.  Truly amazing.

Name the defensive stalwart on our team?  Butcher, Miller, Dahlin? What about Hagg, Jokiharju, Bryson or Pysyk?  Pysyk is the best defensive D man on this roster and he is a journeyman at best and a maybe bottom pairing guy on a good team.  Jokiharju is next and at best he is inconsistent.  The rest range from mediocre to down right awful.  

It’s probable that the best defenseman in this organization is sitting in Rochester for logical reasons unknown and his name is Samuelsson. 

One of the reasons our goaltending stinks is that guys playing defense in front of them stink at playing defense.  

The solution is to move on from everyone not named Samuelsson, Dahlin and Jokiharju, add Power and find two veteran D who can actually play defense.  Want Psysk back on the 3rd pair ok maybe, but a minimum of one veteran real good in zone D is a necessity.

Ok, Curt?

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by GASabresIUFAN

[Dreams Burn Down]

22 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:

I laughed as well.  100% of all responses do not have to be serious. 

The list was subversively good, but "fog" was great. Honorable mention to "tissue paper".

Edited January 14, 2022 by Dreams Burn Down

[GASabresIUFAN]

3 hours ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

In order of resistance offered

1. Crotchless panties

2. Swiss Cheese 

3. Tissue Paper 

4. Fog 

5. The Sabres Defense Corps

 

 

 

 

 

The biggest issue with this list is the Tissue offers the most resistance.  I was actually at the fog/bat game.  The Sabres D actually was pretty good back then.

Edited January 14, 2022 by GASabresIUFAN

[dudacek]

Playing defence means different things to different people I think.

The coach says the best defensive defenceman on the team is Dahlin because he has an elite combination of separating man from puck and transitioning it out of zone. 

In that context, I’d agree no one on the team can touch him.

Bryson and Pysyk, early in the year, and Joki, now, are also pretty good in this combination of skills. Butcher is not. Hagg is OK at the former, poor at the latter. Miller is all over the map.

Edited January 14, 2022 by dudacek

[Stoner]

Wilson

Huddy

O'Hurley

Campbell

Afinogenov

Ramsey

Edwards

Spacek

[Indabuff]

Fog is as porous as they come.  Cut his lazy hazy ass. 

Back to London you go.

[GASabresIUFAN]

The truth about of D group is that they are simply bad.  As a group they are terrible at handling the four check and clearing the zone.  They get physically manhandled, make stupid passes and the stats reflect the issues.  They give up the 4th most shots per game and are near the bottom in high danger chances allowed.  If someone can find our opponents time is our zone, I’m also sure it near the bottom of the league.