GDT: Sabres @ Oilers, Thursday 3-17-22, 9:00 PM (EDT) SNW, MSG-B

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

They learned that EDM is pretty good. What I don't know is how are the Oilers barely in the playoffs with that talent??

They have always had a subpar roster outside of those two guys, but some nights the best two players in the league just go off

[woods-racer]

The Oilers were amped up for the game, playoffs are on the line. Sabres came off a two week period of playing the best hockey they can, they were going to have a let down. 

[dudacek]

9 hours ago, SDS said:

I made a joke about the heritage classic ice being slow just like our team. Someone chirped me for it.

Our team may be faster than it was in the past, but they really aren’t that fast.

You can be fast and not play fast.

That, more than anything was the issue to me. Nobody was pushing the play.

 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Oh, well ...

Who's next.

Let's go ...

[GoPuckYourself]

10 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

They have always had a subpar roster outside of those two guys, but some nights the best two players in the league just go off

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Puljarvi and EVander Kane are pretty darn good also.

[LGR4GM]

9 minutes ago, dudacek said:

You can be fast and not play fast.

That, more than anything was the issue to me. Nobody was pushing the play.

 

This is known as the Jack Eichel Paradox 

[North Buffalo]

I think it was a number of factors... long travel, let down after two motivated games, Edmonton fight for playoffs and Miller and Girgs looking like they had a long layoff (cough they stink anyway).  Sigh better get ready for Calgary or wash rinse repeat.

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I guess VO's shot is back.  Trade value increasing.

The Sabres don't have a player in the top twenty in any of the 11 offensive categories. Your solution is to trade one of our better shooters. VO could be slotted into a more productive third line, and he could be useful on the second PP unit. I don't understand your reasoning. 

[sweetlou]

8 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The Sabres don't have a player in the top twenty in any of the 11 offensive categories. Your solution is to trade one of our better shooters. VO could be slotted into a more productive third line, and he could be useful on the second PP unit. I don't understand your reasoning. 

Too many players like him. He has value because of being a goal scorer. Sabres will have plenty of guys who will be able to score.  They need a more gritty winger who can also score.

[JohnC]

9 minutes ago, sweetlou said:

Too many players like him. He has value because of being a goal scorer. Sabres will have plenty of guys who will be able to score.  They need a more gritty winger who can also score.

The Sabres do not have one player in the top 20 in 11 offensive categories. The problem isn't that we have plenty of players who can score---it is that we don't have enough of them. There is a false assumption that prospects such as Quinn and JJ are instantly going to be prolific goal scorers when they get to the NHL. Unless the player is an exceptional  prospect it doesn't usually work out that way. It takes time for a good scorer in the lower ranks to become a proficient scorer in the NHL. When you have a team that lacks talent the solution towards success isn't to subtract talent. 

[sweetlou]

So you would rather have for the next three years Olofsson over Skinner, Tuch, JJ and Quinn.  I believe Mitts adds more play making ability and a little more grit than

Oloffson.  It's more of him being the odd man out and using him to fill a hole somewhere else on the team.

[JohnC]

16 minutes ago, sweetlou said:

So you would rather have for the next three years Olofsson over Skinner, Tuch, JJ and Quinn.  I believe Mitts adds more play making ability and a little more grit than

Oloffson.  It's more of him being the odd man out and using him to fill a hole somewhere else on the team.

The one lesson that is obvious from this year is that you need team and system depth to respond to the inevitable injuries. I'm not worried about having too much talent at this point because the real issue for this bottom-feeding franchise is not having enough talent. 

[LGR4GM]

35 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The Sabres do not have one player in the top 20 in 11 offensive categories. The problem isn't that we have plenty of players who can score---it is that we don't have enough of them. There is a false assumption that prospects such as Quinn and JJ are instantly going to be prolific goal scorers when they get to the NHL. Unless the player is an exceptional  prospect it doesn't usually work out that way. It takes time for a good scorer in the lower ranks to become a proficient scorer in the NHL. When you have a team that lacks talent the solution towards success isn't to subtract talent. 

I got good news about Jack Quinn for you. 

[Pimlach]

Looks like I missed a bad game.  6-1 drubbing. 

 

On to the next one.   They need to rebound.  

 

This is the situation were we need another goalie.  Something better than Toker.  

[JohnC]

13 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I got good news about Jack Quinn for you. 

If Quinn quickly becomes an impact player then that would be great. But it isn't a guarantee that he will from the start be an impact player. He, like a number of other youngsters, most notably Krebs, Joki etc. need to get stronger. I'm excited about prospects such as Quinn and JJ. But from a NHL standpoint these boys are not yet men. And going back to the VO discussion I don't see how adding Quinn and JJ to the mix should be an argument to trade VO, at least for the near term. 

[SABRES 0311]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

You're saying they can't learn from failure. 

Nothing new they haven’t already learned or should have learned. At best a reaffirmation of past lessons. 

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, North Buffalo said:

I think it was a number of factors... long travel, let down after two motivated games, Edmonton fight for playoffs and Miller and Girgs looking like they had a long layoff (cough they stink anyway).  Sigh better get ready for Calgary or wash rinse repeat.

Yup. Not just a letdown after two motivated games, but also that Sabres played once in 6 days and that game was a slow snowy ice surface with a ton of pomp & circumstance around it, then starting a road trip. And trying to work two out-of-practice guys into the lineup at the same time over folks who were clicking.

Meanwhile, Edmonton has been lights-out on their homestand trying to capitalize on Vegas' plummet. Caps, Lightning, Wings, Buf, NJ... win, win, win, win, TBD.

The key is how do the Sabres respond now that they've taken one on the chin? And do Miller and Girgs look closer to game speed in Calgary?

[LGR4GM]

16 minutes ago, JohnC said:

If Quinn quickly becomes an impact player then that would be great. But it isn't a guarantee that he will from the start be an impact player. He, like a number of other youngsters, most notably Krebs, Joki etc. need to get stronger. I'm excited about prospects such as Quinn and JJ. But from a NHL standpoint these boys are not yet men. And going back to the VO discussion I don't see how adding Quinn and JJ to the mix should be an argument to trade VO, at least for the near term. 

Quinn can do everything VO can do but the opposite cannot be said. 

[pi2000]

Granato did not have them ready to play, and made zero in game adjustments.   This one falls on him.

[DarthEbriate]

14 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Quinn can do everything VO can do but the opposite cannot be said. 

That's the plan. First, Quinn has to stay in the lineup. VO on a fair contract extension (easy because he's an RFA and his own injury this season means he won't break the bank) will still be easily traded when Quinn has supplanted him. But that hasn't happened yet. And removing blockers doesn't force Quinn to beat anyone out for a roster spot. I want that competition for the sweater.

[GoPuckYourself]

35 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Granato did not have them ready to play, and made zero in game adjustments.   This one falls on him.

To be fair, the way everyone was standing around looking lost, I don't think there would have been an in game adjustment that would have made a difference in this 1 imo.

[GASabresIUFAN]

4 hours ago, JohnC said:

The Sabres don't have a player in the top twenty in any of the 11 offensive categories. Your solution is to trade one of our better shooters. VO could be slotted into a more productive third line, and he could be useful on the second PP unit. I don't understand your reasoning. 

It was a joke.  If you look at all my mock rosters for next year I have VO returning for 3 years @ 4.5 per season.

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Quinn can do everything VO can do but the opposite cannot be said. 

So what? This high #1 pick better be better than the 7th pick in the 2014 draft. Quinn being better than Olofsson or any other player on the roster doesn't mean that the lesser player should necessarily be dealt. I consider Olofsson to be a good third line winger and also would be a good second unit player on the PP. 

Edited March 18, 2022 by JohnC

[JohnC]

28 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

It was a joke.  If you look at all my mock rosters for next year I have VO returning for 3 years @ 4.5 per season.

I'm too much of a dullard to understand jokes. 🙃

Your price range for VO is very reasonable for the player and organization. I had him pegged at 4 yrs per $4 M. 

[GoPuckYourself]

26 minutes ago, JohnC said:

So what? This high #1 pick better be better than the 7th pick in the 2014 draft. Quinn being better than Olofsson or any other player on the roster doesn't mean that the lesser player should necessarily be dealt. In consider Olofsson to be a good third line winger and also would be a good second unit player on the PP. 

Don't we already have enough mediocre players? If someone is willing to pay for ours I would hope we would deal him.