Are the Sabres out of the running for the playoffs?

[Carmel Corn]

Getting tired and frustrated with Granato's post game pre-conferences.  He projects nothing but weakness and excuses.

[Crusader1969]

5-8 new additions seems ambitious

im thinking at max 3 new players are brought in

Kulich and Savoie will be given every chance to make the team next season 

Greenway will replace KO.  Girgs will be brought back and Jost will Center them

the 3rd line will start as 

Mitts. Krebs . Savoie / Kulich

and the top 2 lines set in stone 

hopefully a major piece is added on D

i like Joker but maybe you package 71 & 10  plus draft picks and a lower prospect to bring in a partner for Power?

And I think that’s all that gets done 

 

 

[LGR4GM]

23 minutes ago, inkman said:

I agree that playoffs were not very realistic to start the season. Then they were better than we all thought and have regressed back to what we thought they’d be all along. Challenging for a playoff spot at this point in the season.  It’s been largely disappointing mainly due to their own success.  
 

They need a more well rounded roster.  You aren’t going to win games that matter with 14 offense first forwards and 2/3 of your D being offense first as well, especially with below average goaltending.  
 

I really like Okposo and Girgs but I need more out of those kind of players.  More offense, more hitting, harder to play against. They also need to figure out something with 71, 37, 17.  Maybe Jost is worth keeping but I’m not sure.  
 

The D needs at least one significant addition and a couple rugged D first options. Not sure if 61 fills that bill. After a promising start, it seems to have been fueled by adrenaline.  
 

I’d like to see 5-8 new faces next season.  I don’t think Kulich or Savoie are going to help the roster diversity much.  Kinda more of what you already have.  If they want to upgrade 37 & 71 with those two, it makes sense.  Still like to see a couple rugged forwards who are defensively minded that other teams can’t stand. Though Greenway could fill one of those slots but he looks not very good at this point.  Maybe pairing 12 with those rugged guys would get more out of him and solidify the bottom.  
 

This team is hardly a finished product.  I’m hoping at the very least they do a minor retooling with the roster. Goaltending will sort itself out.  Let Levi, UPL and Comrie battle it out next season and let the two best take the jobs. Not opposed to bring it a sold vet goalie for a season but I don’t think it’s happening.  
 

I think the future is bright. Now Kevyn needs to show us what he’s worth.  Complete this roster and make it a contender. 

0 chance we see 5-8 new players impo.

[BUFtoNCfan]

14 hours ago, Weave said:

Fork tender.  They are done.

Come on man, it’s Buffalo, there’s always a chance. Nobody sells hope better than Buffalo. 😎

Cue the Jim Carey memes.

[Mango]

21 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

5-8 new additions seems ambitious

im thinking at max 3 new players are brought in

Kulich and Savoie will be given every chance to make the team next season 

Greenway will replace KO.  Girgs will be brought back and Jost will Center them

the 3rd line will start as 

Mitts. Krebs . Savoie / Kulich

and the top 2 lines set in stone 

hopefully a major piece is added on D

i like Joker but maybe you package 71 & 10  plus draft picks and a lower prospect to bring in a partner for Power?

And I think that’s all that gets done 

 

 

So do I. He’s just a guy, like many on this roster, that has more responsibility than they should at this point. If Joker was further down the depth chart, or was a call up from Rochester I’d probably be even more excited about him than I am. And I am already relatively high on him.

This take works for probably another 3-5 players on the game day roster. 

[Quint]

To me, the season ended when the Sabres lost handily to CBJ. That's a team we beat 9-4 earlier in the year. They've been stumbling and bumbling ever since with Toronto being the exception. As bad as the Sabres have been playing, Ottawa, Washington, Florida, Pittsburgh and NYI are in striking distance. Maybe they're not playing so well either. Buffalo needs to put together a final kick and will need an Andy Dalton-type play to get in. 

[inkman]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

0 chance we see 5-8 new players impo.

I’d also like a billion dollars.  I know the likelihood of either happening. 

[inkman]

4 minutes ago, Quint said:

To me, the season ended when the Sabres lost handily to CBJ. That's a team we beat 9-4 earlier in the year. They've been stumbling and bumbling ever since with Toronto being the exception. As bad as the Sabres have been playing, Ottawa, Washington, Florida, Pittsburgh and NYI are in striking distance. Maybe they're not playing so well either. Buffalo needs to put together a final kick and will need an Andy Dalton-type play to get in. 

Losing Samuelsson and 50% Dahlin is severely hurting the team defense.  They have struggled almost every game without Mattias.  They will also struggle if Dahlin isn’t close to 100%.  Those things together add up to bad team defense. 

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, inkman said:

Losing Samuelsson and 50% Dahlin is severely hurting the team defense.  They have struggled almost every game without Mattias.  They will also struggle if Dahlin isn’t close to 100%.  Those things together add up to bad team defense. 

Plus Tuch.

Seems to me the injuries were a factor, but more so how they fed into the lack of experience, coupled with the pressure of the race.

The team tightened up and too often stopped playing their signature game.

There have been more stinkers over the past month than any two months combined since the 8-game losing streak.

The shorthand is they weren’t mentally tough under pressure enough to overcome their roster holes.

The question that needs to be answered is whether this experience toughens them up the way Donnie thinks it should, or whether they need to adjust the personality of the roster.

That is in addition to upgrading the roster in and of itself.

Edited March 18, 2023 by dudacek

[steveoat87]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Plus Tuch.

Seems to me the injuries were a factor, but more so how they fed into the lack of experience, coupled with the pressure of the race.

The team tightened up and too often stopped playing their signature game.

There have been more stinkers over the past month than any two months combined since the 8-game losing streak.

The shorthand is they weren’t mentally tough under pressure enough to overcome their roster holes.

The question that needs to be answered is whether this experience toughens them up the way Donnie thinks it should, or whether they need to adjust the personality of the roster.

That is in addition to upgrading the roster in and of itself.

I live in Long Island and get the watch the Rangers, Devils and Islanders.  When I look at the Rangers bench, they look like a championship team, with a certain amount of swagger.  While maturity is certainly a factor, as well as past success, by comparison, when you look at the Sabres bench during a game, they do look very young, and a little bit like a dear in headlights.  Hoping that another year of experience will change this, but I also feel they need a more fiery leadership and someone to get in peoples faces -- a little like Josh Allen and Jalen Brunson of the Knicks.  The coach seems too much like a gentleman, and needs to show a little more fire.

[mjd1001]

3 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

5-8 new additions seems ambitious

im thinking at max 3 new players are brought in

Kulich and Savoie will be given every chance to make the team next season 

Greenway will replace KO.  Girgs will be brought back and Jost will Center them

the 3rd line will start as 

Mitts. Krebs . Savoie / Kulich

and the top 2 lines set in stone 

hopefully a major piece is added on D

i like Joker but maybe you package 71 & 10  plus draft picks and a lower prospect to bring in a partner for Power?

And I think that’s all that gets done 

 

 

I agree with most of that, if not all of it, and I'm ok with it.

you NEED some extra help on the backend, but most of your expected growth should come from within/additonal development of the young guys.

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

Plus Tuch.

Seems to me the injuries were a factor, but more so how they fed into the lack of experience, coupled with the pressure of the race.

The team tightened up and too often stopped playing their signature game.

There have been more stinkers over the past month than any two months combined since the 8-game losing streak.

The shorthand is they weren’t mentally tough under pressure enough to overcome their roster holes.

The question that needs to be answered is whether this experience toughens them up the way Donnie thinks it should, or whether they need to adjust the personality of the roster.

That is in addition to upgrading the roster in and of itself.

That absolutely is the question and Adams needs the read the results of this test properly.  Still expect this team only needs 2-3 pieces to be really dangerous.

[Pimlach]

4 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

5-8 new additions seems ambitious

im thinking at max 3 new players are brought in

Kulich and Savoie will be given every chance to make the team next season 

Greenway will replace KO.  Girgs will be brought back and Jost will Center them

the 3rd line will start as 

Mitts. Krebs . Savoie / Kulich

and the top 2 lines set in stone 

hopefully a major piece is added on D

i like Joker but maybe you package 71 & 10  plus draft picks and a lower prospect to bring in a partner for Power?

And I think that’s all that gets done 

 

 

71 and 10 plus picks and a prospect?  
 

who are we getting for that?  Josi? Pieterangelo? Ekblad?  

[Eleven]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

their signature game.

I don't think they have this yet.  It might be very soon, depending on goaltending, but I don't see it right now.

[JohnC]

5 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

0 chance we see 5-8 new players impo.

How about 3 to 4? I would bet on 3. I can see maybe two defenders added to the blueline unit. I know we just signed Levi but I would like to see an upper tier goalie added such as Saros. However, not counting on it. 

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, JohnC said:

How about 3 to 4? I would bet on 3. I can see maybe two defenders added to the blueline unit. I know we just signed Levi but I would like to see an upper tier goalie added such as Saros. However, not counting on it. 

3-4 is pretty much a given.

The only way we see 8 new players on the opening night roster is if Adams is gone.  Can't see a realistic likely scenario where that happens this off-season.  And even if Adams is gone, that's a huge stretch.

[JohnC]

12 minutes ago, Taro T said:

3-4 is pretty much a given.

The only way we see 8 new players on the opening night roster is if Adams is gone.  Can't see a realistic likely scenario where that happens this off-season.  And even if Adams is gone, that's a huge stretch.

Even if this team has an end of the season tailspin I don't see KA fired. The owner is committed to the GM and the plan he agreed to. I won't be as lenient if after another season this team continues to be stuck in the muck of mediocrity. 

[LGR4GM]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

How about 3 to 4? I would bet on 3. I can see maybe two defenders added to the blueline unit. I know we just signed Levi but I would like to see an upper tier goalie added such as Saros. However, not counting on it. 

3 seems likely unless Adams actually sees things the way they are. 

1 def, 1 goalie, 1 new forward is my guess and that goalie might not happen. 

Realistically, you need 2 defenders, 2 forwards, and a goalie not named Levi.

[Crusader1969]

5 hours ago, Pimlach said:

71 and 10 plus picks and a prospect?  
 

who are we getting for that?  Josi? Pieterangelo? Ekblad?  

If you give up you 2024 1st, you’d probably do pretty well.  
 

[Wyldnwoody44]

[DarthEbriate]

On 3/17/2023 at 6:05 PM, DarthEbriate said:

The puck did not bounce over the Flyers' stick.

RJ yells: "It's in the net!"

On the next shift... the puck is in the net in 15 seconds.

RJ sighs, "It's over."

[Marvin]

20 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

3 seems likely unless Adams actually sees things the way they are. 

1 def, 1 goalie, 1 new forward is my guess and that goalie might not happen. 

Realistically, you need 2 defenders, 2 forwards, and a goalie not named Levi.

IMHO, he can trade for 1 each of the defenceman, forward, and goaltender.  Then he needs 1 each of forward and defenceman from FA.

GMKA seems to know that he needs a more boring, grittier game from the newer players.  He also needs a centreman who can take face-offs and help teach the skill to the young guys.  And, like it or not, he will probably need to move an asset or 2 whom he would rather not move to get the higher-end guys.  Moreover, he will probably need to bribe other players a bit more than he wants to pay to play here.

[BUFtoNCfan]

1 minute ago, TRIP65 said:

Was reacting at the lets see them 4-5 years from now. That will NOT work. Already losing fans fast.

Well buckle up or get off because that’s where this trains headed. Let me look into the crystal ball, KA is not making a big move. Hope I’m wrong. I see playoffs next year, with a first round exit. Maybe two wins. Year after we start making waves but fall short. Hopefully after that our window opens. 
I’m not thrilled, but it’s a reality check based on KA’s tenure here.

I do think there are moves to be made to improve our chances without selling out down the line. Like a big bad forward with a physical presence. Oh wait, that’s Greenway. Yeah it sucks.

[triumph_communes]

No Samuelsson and this team is a train wreck. Yeesh. Need to fork over big bucks for veterans back there. Don’t care to ever see Clague or Bryson ever again 

[Marvin]

Just asking: is part of the problem simply that well-coached and veteran teams now know how to attack us?  I can see John Tortorella and Lindy Ruff licking their chops when the see how easily our defencive coverage breaks down.