The New Jersey Devils can do it, But not the Sabres.

[Sidc3000]

19 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

Maybe the Pegulas are cheap

Some people are like that 

They’re not cheap, per se. I’m sure the team was hemorrhaging money and  had to reorganize to try and slow the bleeding. 
 

if the team wasn’t consistently at the bottom of the league it would be different 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

The one thing that Ruff had in his first few years was Hasek.  Hasek really was a huge factor in that teams success.

After Hasek determined his exit the team treaded water or worse until Miller arrival and his becoming a true #1 goalie.  The rest of the team developed with Miller and when Drury and Briere were added the team became gold.

All that does not take anything away from coach Ruff.

Ruff may consider returning much like Sutter did with Calgary ... to try to finish the unfinished business.

I'm not slighting or diminishing him as a coach. He is a good coach and is respected within his ranks. Time moves on and situations change. It appears that he's got thinks clicking in Jersey after that franchise went through some tough times. The unfinished business that Ruff has now is in Jersey, and not in Buffalo. 

[Believer]

22 hours ago, Eleven said:

Wanna win?  When Ruff leaves the Devils at the end of the season, and IF he wants to coach again, and IF he's willing to come back here, HIRE HIM.  Look at Hoppe's article about last night's game.  Ruff is the difference.  Enough with the development coaches.  Get the right guy back here.

Ruff will be 63 in Feb… Coaching in the NHL since ‘93 with 15 of those years as HC in Buffalo… Must have made many friends and memories here… Still lives in Clarence according to bio… Proven NHL winner…. 800 NHL wins…Granato earns kudos as a Development Coach… Still a question if he can be a winner at the NHL level… On a 40% win pace after 110 NHL games… Personally, would give DG through 2023… Would hire Ruff in a skinny minute were he available… Won’t ever happen with KA as GM, in my opinion… Too threatening… KA is committed to DG

Edited November 27, 2022 by Believer

[Thorner]

The Good - The Sabres are 15th in goal differential through ~ a quarter season

The Bad - The Sabres are in 25th place, pacing for 70 points, and (surprise) the 8th overall pick in the looming draft

 

Do some of the more positive markers a little below the surface, like goal differential, start to bear out in our record, allowing us to surpass the 2015-16 total of 81 points? Or are we what our record says right now, and we finish with a disappointing-for-this-stage in the rebuild total in the 70s?

I could see it going either way. My heart says they'll surpass the 81 from 7 years ago. 

[Marvin]

The time to hire Ruff was instead of Housley or Krueger.  It's too late now.

People forget how much Hasek covered for Ruff's inexperience when he started.  Granato is learning on the job too, which is frustrating.

[Thorner]

I am le bored

- - - 

Skinner (30) - Thompson (25) - Tuch (26)

Peterka (20) - Cozens (21) - Quinn (21)

Olofsson - Mittelstadt - Hinostroza

Girgensons - Jost - Okposo

 

Samuelsson (22) - Dahlin (22)

Power (20) - Jokijarju (23)

Fitzgerald - Lyubushkin

 

Anderson

Comrie

 

... 10 of the 20 regular roster spots of the Sabres team we ice, when we finally make the playoffs are (conceivably) set, who says no?

- - - 

• the top line is a bonafide, playoffs-worth top line: I think the statistics bear that out at this point. Thompson is a top 11 scorer right now league wide, if he ends up ~ there at season's end, I think it's fair to say he's arrived as a top-level 1C. The rub, maybe, is that it's a playoffs-worthy line *right now*. The ages in brackets w/those 3 players are the only ages that give me a bit of pause, here: will they still be this good, when we DO make the playoffs? There's evidence of a smart build here, though, which may address that point, moving on to: 
• That second line might have the chops to be a first line. It's about balance here - or, rather, on balance, I think things look stable - potential regression from the top line has a reasonable likelihood of being offset by the growth of line 2. Maybe the top line *is* at it's best, right now, but if it drops off a bit, I don't think it drops below good *second* line (and, who knows, Tage may be in his prime for a good long while still.) There were posters that said the build was going to be excruciatingly long, largely because of the idea we need to insulate our youth with quality vets, with the key (and tough to hear) argument, or "catch", being that we need to grow our own vets. That attempting to bring them in from outside would be an inferior strategy. Well, this might be exactly what we are seeing. Maybe the current top line being the "veterans", and not the upswing-trajectory component of the F group, is exactly the plan - that Adams willingly understands that we *might* not (fully) capitalize on their primes, that that is a sacrifice necessary/part and parcel with the organic development he seeks. Could be.
• I don't really think about Jokijarju that much due to the stand-out nature of the other 3 d-men in the top 4, but here's one area of the team where rose-coloured glasses simply need not apply. The D is going to be good. Scary good. Just fill out the bottom pair. One of Dahlin or Power on the ice for the majority of every playoff game is...formidable.
• Goalies? Who needs 'em. Right? ...right?

- - - 

Most likely potential in-system upgrades for "non-set" spots, w/consideration for timeline:

Olofsson/Girgensons, 3/4 LW : Rosén, Rousek 

Mittelstadt/Jost, 3/4 C :  Krebs, Asplund, Savoie, Kulich, Östlund

Hinostroza/Okposo 3/4 RW : Poltapov

*Fitzgerald/Lyubushin 5/6 D : Johnson, Lindgren (system really lacks RHD imo)

*Anderson/Comrie 1/2 G : Levi (Got a feeling Portillo is gonzo)

(Disclaimer: don't get mad at me if I left off your favourite Weissbach or whatever, everyone of course loves all the prospects until they are suspects, I know, these are just the guys I think have the best shot LT. That we have 8 forwards in bold here is pretty good imo)

- - - 

* represent the spots where I think trade is the most likely avenue for reasonable improvement

 - Who knows if Johnson signs or if Lindgren amounts to anything, I really think a deal for vet d-men, or two, of more so the stay-at-home variety is in order, here, as soon as right now. 

- We'll need to use some of our abundance of cap space and picks (in addition to a deep prospect system, we have a full compliment of draft picks moving forward, including an extra 2nd in 2023, and a further 2nd in 2023, in place of/upgraded from a 3rd) to pay the price to acquire an established quality starter should Levi not pan out almost immediately upon arrival. And if he does, probably still looking for a back-up via trade. Comrie or UPL could work out as a backup, but, I'm not counting on it.

- We likely end up fortifying the bottom 6 with an outside addition or two when Adams determines the time is now to compete, even though, as listed above, we have several reasonably likely options for in-system replacements down the line to the F group. This is where our system has the most depth by far, particular at C, which is a very nice change from even recent times. 

- - - 

In conclusion, and serving as a TLDR for this post or as a reward for anyone that got all the way through this rambling: here is a picture of 22 year old Mattias Samuelsson to remind everyone that age, as always, is clearly just a number

Edited November 27, 2022 by Thorny

[Zamboni]

I don’t want Ruff back. He’s in my rearview. Bu-bye.

[Eleven]

9 hours ago, Believer said:

Still a question if he can be a winner at the NHL level…

Look at the thread title.

[North Buffalo]

Disagree on Mitts, and not sold on Krebs... he has a long way to go...Asplund... though Asplund could be 4th line center when its all said and done... Savoie, Kulich who knows, Johnson: will he sign, Lingren I like but a long way off... Sabres need a rough and tumble 4th D with skill... not sure who is available.  D prospect cup is bare... keep drafting goalies and hope a couple of these forwards show up.

[HOUSE]

15 hours ago, Sidc3000 said:

They’re not cheap, per se. I’m sure the team was hemorrhaging money and  had to reorganize to try and slow the bleeding. 
 

if the team wasn’t consistently at the bottom of the league it would be different 

I was kidding 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Awesome post @Thorny.  You should be le bored more often.  

I even agree with a lot of what you said.  I liked the funny bits too.  You used strategery to place them at optimum points.

[Believer]

Ruff said “When you look at our lineup we've got speed through all four lines. And really the other team really doesn't get a break from from us pushing the puck up ice."

Sure works for them… compared to the 50 ft entry passes we seem to like… 

[That Aud Smell]

8 minutes ago, Believer said:

Ruff said “When you look at our lineup we've got speed through all four lines. And really the other team really doesn't get a break from from us pushing the puck up ice."

Someone’s going to find and resurrect that WGR caller from 2006 who sang “I Roll Four Lines” to the tune of “I Walk the Line.”

[PromoTheRobot]

Mike Harrington's take...

https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/inside-the-nhl-lindy-ruff-now-has-the-depth-to-get-new-jersey-playing-a/article_6a372408-6d12-11ed-b621-8f8bc9a8e5c0.html