Sabres Training Camp 2022

[Doohicksie]

7 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Sigh. I said “That’s what I’d like to see Comrie do.” I obviously know Ullmark specifically isn’t an option (hold on, wait, he’s not on the roster anymore?), nor did I say he had a “trash” sv%. My point, which I’m now making for the third or 4th time is that it’s about seeing whether Comrie can put together a sample size he hasn’t yet come close to outputting now at age 27. 

Do I think he CAN do it? Yes. But whether he can bump up what’s a minuscule sample size over a larger, and sufficient amount of games is where the risk comes in. Apparently what they’ve seen in the numbers suggests they believe he can do it. 

His stats last year were good. To be honest we can start his base as 19 games, .920, and forget the other 9 game spot starts as they don’t provide very much information. My question is only about whether he can translate what we saw over 19, to something similar (even .917) over something like 45-50 games, because last I checked, we were looking for a Starter.

Right on.

I think this is one of the early analytics moves.  We'll see if it's successful.  Tbh given that they team really doesn't have any young goalies in the system that are NHL ready I'd rather see them take a flyer on an up-and-comer who didn't have a path on his current team than to chase after the success of a proven goalie who might have already peaked and is on the downslide, but still commanding big money.

Edited September 15, 2022 by Doohickie

[Thorner]

12 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Right on.

I think this is one of the early analytics moves.  We'll see if it's successful.  Tbh given that they team really doesn't have any young goalies in the system that are NHL ready I'd rather see them take a flyer on an up-and-comer who didn't have a path on his current team than to chase after the success of a proven goalie who might have already peaked and is on the downslide, but still commanding big money.

I feel the same way. It’s tough to remove bias but I think objectively speaking I’m not sure our goaltending heading into this year projects as more-likely-successful than last year’s tenders did heading into that year, but I for one am not-insignificantly more intrigued and hopeful with the Comrie addition. 

For me it’s less about knowing they picked the right guy and more about believing they actually plausibly believe they did. It’s an honest effort from my POV. Last year I couldn’t see Anderson making it through healthy at his age and that’s exactly what happened. Easiest prediction when the guy was 56. 

Edited September 15, 2022 by Thorny

[Doohicksie]

And Anderson aside, the other signings were clearly grasping at straws, bringing in bodies that no other team considered NHL level goaltending.  Aaron Dell had a good start to his career in San Jose before tailing off.  His year with the Devils before the Sabres picked him should probably have been the end of his NHL days.  Malcolm Subban is an .898 career NHL goaltender and I don't see that getting better in the future.  They were both on a downward trajectory.  I would have rather seen them give Michael Houser an actual shot at real NHL time to be honest.

Comrie has limited success, but he does appear to still be on his upswing.

[nfreeman]

So Mike Weber, who is starting his 3rd season as an assistant in Rochester, had a presser today that I really enjoyed:

 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/mike-weber-91622/t-277437090/c-12764198

 

I enjoyed it in part because I liked Webby as a Sabre quite a bit -- he scratched and clawed his way to 351 NHL games, all but 10 of which as a Sabre, over six seasons, with plenty of time lost to injury.  He retired at age 30 with an unusable knee that required a replacement.  He was drafted in the 2nd round in 2006, and didn't become an NHL regular until 2010-11 -- in that season, btw, he played in all 7 games of the Sabres' most recent trip to the playoffs, a 7-game loss to the Flyers in the 1st round that the Sabres lost despite being up 3-2 in the series, and up 3-2 in the 3rd period of game 6 at home with a chance to close it out, before blowing that game and then the series in game 7.

Weber had zero offensive game, and other limitations, but he played a very tough, honorable, blood-and-guts game.  I think it's fair to say that most fans appreciated him.  He hated the tank, like all right-thinking people, and it consigned 5/6 of his career to playing for atrocious teams.

Anyway, IMHO he comes across very well in the presser.  He is articulate and passionate and I can see the players being inspired by him.  He also provides pretty detailed and informative breakdowns of a bunch of the prospects.  The only problem is that the press' questions are pretty close to inaudible in the video, and Weber usually doesn't identify the player that he was asked about -- he just plunges into a long discussion of the player in which Weber describes the player as "he" and not the player's name.  I was able to figure out who he was referring to some of the time, but not all of the time.

 

[bunomatic]

3 hours ago, nfreeman said:

So Mike Weber, who is starting his 3rd season as an assistant in Rochester, had a presser today that I really enjoyed:

 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/mike-weber-91622/t-277437090/c-12764198

 

I enjoyed it in part because I liked Webby as a Sabre quite a bit -- he scratched and clawed his way to 351 NHL games, all but 10 of which as a Sabre, over six seasons, with plenty of time lost to injury.  He retired at age 30 with an unusable knee that required a replacement.  He was drafted in the 2nd round in 2006, and didn't become an NHL regular until 2010-11 -- in that season, btw, he played in all 7 games of the Sabres' most recent trip to the playoffs, a 7-game loss to the Flyers in the 1st round that the Sabres lost despite being up 3-2 in the series, and up 3-2 in the 3rd period of game 6 at home with a chance to close it out, before blowing that game and then the series in game 7.

Weber had zero offensive game, and other limitations, but he played a very tough, honorable, blood-and-guts game.  I think it's fair to say that most fans appreciated him.  He hated the tank, like all right-thinking people, and it consigned 5/6 of his career to playing for atrocious teams.

Anyway, IMHO he comes across very well in the presser.  He is articulate and passionate and I can see the players being inspired by him.  He also provides pretty detailed and informative breakdowns of a bunch of the prospects.  The only problem is that the press' questions are pretty close to inaudible in the video, and Weber usually doesn't identify the player that he was asked about -- he just plunges into a long discussion of the player in which Weber describes the player as "he" and not the player's name.  I was able to figure out who he was referring to some of the time, but not all of the time.

 

I liked Webber as well for what he brought to the table. I agree with pretty much all of this. 

[triumph_communes]

Weber was soooooo bad

[Sabres Fan in NS]

4 hours ago, triumph_communes said:

Weber was soooooo bad

10 years in the NHL.  300+ games played.  He was not as skilled as many players, but he brought what he had every night he played, which most fans appreciated.  He was a good soldier who bled Blue and Gold.  He brought what the Sabres needed then and what they need now.

[JustOneParade]

9 hours ago, nfreeman said:

So Mike Weber, who is starting his 3rd season as an assistant in Rochester, had a presser today that I really enjoyed:

 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/mike-weber-91622/t-277437090/c-12764198

 

I enjoyed it in part because I liked Webby as a Sabre quite a bit -- he scratched and clawed his way to 351 NHL games, all but 10 of which as a Sabre, over six seasons, with plenty of time lost to injury.  He retired at age 30 with an unusable knee that required a replacement.  He was drafted in the 2nd round in 2006, and didn't become an NHL regular until 2010-11 -- in that season, btw, he played in all 7 games of the Sabres' most recent trip to the playoffs, a 7-game loss to the Flyers in the 1st round that the Sabres lost despite being up 3-2 in the series, and up 3-2 in the 3rd period of game 6 at home with a chance to close it out, before blowing that game and then the series in game 7.

Weber had zero offensive game, and other limitations, but he played a very tough, honorable, blood-and-guts game.  I think it's fair to say that most fans appreciated him.  He hated the tank, like all right-thinking people, and it consigned 5/6 of his career to playing for atrocious teams.

Anyway, IMHO he comes across very well in the presser.  He is articulate and passionate and I can see the players being inspired by him.  He also provides pretty detailed and informative breakdowns of a bunch of the prospects.  The only problem is that the press' questions are pretty close to inaudible in the video, and Weber usually doesn't identify the player that he was asked about -- he just plunges into a long discussion of the player in which Weber describes the player as "he" and not the player's name.  I was able to figure out who he was referring to some of the time, but not all of the time.

 

I've mentioned this previously as its quite typical and, frankly, drives me nuts. Why can't, prior to releasing a presser video, questions asked be added via closed caption? (Or a synopsis of the question if Paul Hamilton is the one asking).

[Flashsabre]

Appert, Peca and Weber are a pretty good team to develop these kids. 

[bob_sauve28]

 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

10 years in the NHL.  300+ games played.  He was not as skilled as many players, but he brought what he had every night he played, which most fans appreciated.  He was a good soldier who bled Blue and Gold.  He brought what the Sabres needed then and what they need now.

I'm not knocking Weber as a player or person. There is no question that he was a character guy who was an asset to the roster. But this era is demonstrably different from the previous era where grit and pugnacity could compensate for a lack of talent/skills. In this current era you have to have a baseline level of speed and skill to be able to keep up with the opposition. Whereas he was a functional player for us at the time he most likely would not be able to make a roster for any NHL team in this era. His ceiling now would be as an AHL player. 

What's intriguing about players such as Weber who were able to hang on for an extended career is that very often they made the best coaches, especially compared to more talented players who had less ability to work with less talented players.  Again, I'm not knocking him as a player. It is a tribute to him because of his work ethic and dedication to the game that he was able to carve out a productive career for himself. 

[JohnC]

11 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

 

It would be such a bonus for this team if he were able to elevate his game because he was fully healthy. Internal improvement with players such as Mitts, Cozens, Samuelsson, Olofsson, Asplund etc. more than adding players is going to be the key to success for this team. I'm really excited about this upcoming season. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

25 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm not knocking Weber as a player or person. There is no question that he was a character guy who was an asset to the roster. But this era is demonstrably different from the previous era where grit and pugnacity could compensate for a lack of talent/skills. In this current era you have to have a baseline level of speed and skill to be able to keep up with the opposition. Whereas he was a functional player for us at the time he most likely would not be able to make a roster for any NHL team in this era. His ceiling now would be as an AHL player. 

What's intriguing about players such as Weber who were able to hang on for an extended career is that very often they made the best coaches, especially compared to more talented players who had less ability to work with less talented players.  Again, I'm not knocking him as a player. It is a tribute to him because of his work ethic and dedication to the game that he was able to carve out a productive career for himself. 

Maybe, but there are still players like Weber around.

The most important thing to keep in mind is Weber was Bogo before Bogo ... the most ruggedly handsome Sabre of his time.  The Bogo of that era.  Am I right @inkman ??  I am not wrong.

[inkman]

Just now, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Maybe, but there are still players like Weber around.

The most important thing to keep in mind is Weber was Bogo before Bogo ... the most ruggedly handsome Sabre of his time.  The Bogo of that era.  Am I right @inkman ??  I am not wrong.

Not my type 😀

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Just now, inkman said:

Not my type 😀

Okay ??

Call the thought police !!  Some terrible person has hacked Inky's account.

[triumph_communes]

2 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

10 years in the NHL.  300+ games played.  He was not as skilled as many players, but he brought what he had every night he played, which most fans appreciated.  He was a good soldier who bled Blue and Gold.  He brought what the Sabres needed then and what they need now.

He was the problem during those years 

[JohnC]

17 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Maybe, but there are still players like Weber around.

The most important thing to keep in mind is Weber was Bogo before Bogo ... the most ruggedly handsome Sabre of his time.  The Bogo of that era.  Am I right @inkman ??  I am not wrong.

There are players like Weber around but not many. Bogo before his injuries mounted was a much more skilled player than Weber. Before the injuries took its toll was an excellent skater and was more offensive minded. 

[French Collection]

14 minutes ago, JohnC said:

There are players like Weber around but not many. Bogo before his injuries mounted was a much more skilled player than Weber. Before the injuries took its toll was an excellent skater and was more offensive minded. 

2022’s version of Weber would have to have more skill but there is still a place for those guys. I don’t want 6 of Quinn Hughes on D. I need someone to battle in front, throw hits, block shots and stand up for teammates.

Like he said in the press conference, you need to find a role and do it well.

[LabattBlue]

24 minutes ago, triumph_communes said:

He was the problem during those years 

Did Weber steal your girlfriend, kick your dog, or both?

[JohnC]

32 minutes ago, French Collection said:

2022’s version of Weber would have to have more skill but there is still a place for those guys. I don’t want 6 of Quinn Hughes on D. I need someone to battle in front, throw hits, block shots and stand up for teammates.

Like he said in the press conference, you need to find a role and do it well.

The highlighted segment is my point. You have to have more skill in today's game to even have that more physical role. Without it you don't make the roster. 

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

I'm not knocking Weber as a player or person. There is no question that he was a character guy who was an asset to the roster. But this era is demonstrably different from the previous era where grit and pugnacity could compensate for a lack of talent/skills. In this current era you have to have a baseline level of speed and skill to be able to keep up with the opposition. Whereas he was a functional player for us at the time he most likely would not be able to make a roster for any NHL team in this era. His ceiling now would be as an AHL player. 

What's intriguing about players such as Weber who were able to hang on for an extended career is that very often they made the best coaches, especially compared to more talented players who had less ability to work with less talented players.  Again, I'm not knocking him as a player. It is a tribute to him because of his work ethic and dedication to the game that he was able to carve out a productive career for himself. 

There are still a few players like Webbie left in the league.   We just acquired a similar type of player in the off season.  

Reports out of Rochester are positive on Weber as a developmental coach.   Same with Michael Peca.  

[Digger]

13 hours ago, nfreeman said:

So Mike Weber, who is starting his 3rd season as an assistant in Rochester, had a presser today that I really enjoyed:

 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/mike-weber-91622/t-277437090/c-12764198

 

I enjoyed it in part because I liked Webby as a Sabre quite a bit -- he scratched and clawed his way to 351 NHL games, all but 10 of which as a Sabre, over six seasons, with plenty of time lost to injury.  He retired at age 30 with an unusable knee that required a replacement.  He was drafted in the 2nd round in 2006, and didn't become an NHL regular until 2010-11 -- in that season, btw, he played in all 7 games of the Sabres' most recent trip to the playoffs, a 7-game loss to the Flyers in the 1st round that the Sabres lost despite being up 3-2 in the series, and up 3-2 in the 3rd period of game 6 at home with a chance to close it out, before blowing that game and then the series in game 7.

Weber had zero offensive game, and other limitations, but he played a very tough, honorable, blood-and-guts game.  I think it's fair to say that most fans appreciated him.  He hated the tank, like all right-thinking people, and it consigned 5/6 of his career to playing for atrocious teams.

Anyway, IMHO he comes across very well in the presser.  He is articulate and passionate and I can see the players being inspired by him.  He also provides pretty detailed and informative breakdowns of a bunch of the prospects.  The only problem is that the press' questions are pretty close to inaudible in the video, and Weber usually doesn't identify the player that he was asked about -- he just plunges into a long discussion of the player in which Weber describes the player as "he" and not the player's name.  I was able to figure out who he was referring to some of the time, but not all of the time.

 

Great post.  When I was listening to Weber's interview today I was thinking about how authentic he is.

My only complaint with these interviews are that it's difficult or impossible to hear the questions. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

There are players like Weber around but not many. Bogo before his injuries mounted was a much more skilled player than Weber. Before the injuries took its toll was an excellent skater and was more offensive minded. 

I do believe you missed my point.

[Thorner]

5 hours ago, French Collection said:

2022’s version of Weber would have to have more skill but there is still a place for those guys. I don’t want 6 of Quinn Hughes on D. I need someone to battle in front, throw hits, block shots and stand up for teammates.

Like he said in the press conference, you need to find a role and do it well.

Oh I’m definitely taking a 6th Quinn Hughes before I take 1 Mike Weber

Quinn Hughes is a top pair D. Weber was a decent bottom pair D, at best, on a bad team. 

There’s no comparison. 

[French Collection]

4 hours ago, Thorny said:

Oh I’m definitely taking a 6th Quinn Hughes before I take 1 Mike Weber

Quinn Hughes is a top pair D. Weber was a decent bottom pair D, at best, on a bad team. 

There’s no comparison. 

I get what you are saying, Hughes is way better than Weber. I get it. However,   Hughes is a great skater and is a pure offensive Dman. That is why he is a first pairing Dman. I definitely want him or a pair of him QBing my PP.

He is not very good defensively, physically weak and I wouldn’t want him or two of him killing a penalty.

I obviously don’t want 6 Webers but I want a variety of skill sets, role guys who are better at certain things who can play that role well. I also think 2022 Weber would be a way better skater than than Weber 1.0. He may only get 9-12 minutes for my team where Hughes will get 25.