What Should the Goals be Next Season?

[Taro T]

 

Open topic, looking for something positive to talk about besides the possibility of Levi having a miracle effect on the trajectory of where they seem to be heading these past few games.

 

So, we'd all like to see the team make the playoffs next year, and doing some damage there would be a very nice bonus. What do they need to be striving for to make that a reality. 

 

Won't focus in this post on what the individual player goals need to be, though hopefully those come up here. Will focus on what the team needs to have as team based goals to reach those higher end goals.

 

They HAVE to be at or above an NHL 0.600 to get there. To make that a realitiy, they should focus on getting to 0.750 at 1 home and 0.500 on the road. The latter should be doable, because with 1 more win this year away from the MMArena, they don't just guarantee an NHL 0.500 but that mythical Deluca 0.500.

 

Getting to 0.750 at home, will be a much tougher task given where they are now, but it SHOULDN'T be an impossible task.

 

On a shorter term basis, the team should have a goal of never losing 3 games in a row. There is no way a team this young will be able to avoid any back to back losses, and no 3 game losing streaks would be a stretch goal, but getting there will make those other goals reachable.

 

They also should strive for not going 2 games at home without taking at least 1 point.

 

Do all that and making sure they get 12 points in every 10 game segment becomes doable and guarantees that NHL 0.600.

 

To make that happen, they really need to fix the PK. If the PP can stay top 5 (and actually be legitimately top 5, not just ride a 1 month hot streak to a good ranking even though they're usually middle of the pack at best), then somewhere in the middle of the pack might be good enough to reach those goals. Could being top 20 be enough of a jump to make the other goals possible?

 

What else do they need as smaller goals to get? to the big one?

 

 

Edited March 20, 2023 by Taro T

[Eleven]

I'd say about two feet by three, unless the Sabres get better goaltenders.

[Buffalonill]

Playoffs 

Playoffs

Playoffs

Thats it.

If they dont fire both adams and meatballs ***** the draft picks 

[SABRES 0311]

Stay at home second pair dman.

                      +

Actual starting quality goalie.

                      =
                  Playoffs 

Edited March 20, 2023 by SABRES 0311

[GoPuckYourself]

The goal has to be playoffs, Adams has been here since 2020 and granato 2021, Adams is 2 seasons removed of Eichel and yet to make the playoffs, Granato has 2 years of development for some of these players. The clock is ticking and if they put up another stinker for the playoffs it will be rinse and repeat once again. I thought it was very dumb not to give Granato the pieces to make the playoffs this year, there were goalies out there that could have helped and plenty of players. We have one of the deepest prospect pools why didn't we go after a top 6 forward, top 4 Dman or Goalie?

[MattPie]

Not getting shut-out by a touchdown would be a good now.

[OverPowerYou]

The goals next season? Well if they play 82 games they should score at least 3 goals a game. So I’d say 246

[Crusader1969]

8 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

The goal has to be playoffs, Adams has been here since 2020 and granato 2021, Adams is 2 seasons removed of Eichel and yet to make the playoffs, Granato has 2 years of development for some of these players. The clock is ticking and if they put up another stinker for the playoffs it will be rinse and repeat once again. I thought it was very dumb not to give Granato the pieces to make the playoffs this year, there were goalies out there that could have helped and plenty of players. We have one of the deepest prospect pools why didn't we go after a top 6 forward, top 4 Dman or Goalie?

They did go after a top 4 Dman but the other team wanted Savoie or Kulich, plus 

they have gone after goalies but also wanted to be sure that Levi signed, so they had to be walk a fine line 

im guessing Adams took the big picture approach over adding a couple of pieces this season so that they might make the playoffs.   Even if they did make it , any chance they beat the Bruins once ?   Is that worth losing a prospect like Kulich or Savoie

 

[PerreaultForever]

33 minutes ago, Taro T said:

So, we'd all like to see the team make the playoffs next year, and doing some damage there would be a very nice bonus. What do they need to be striving for to make that a reality. 

Same things they needed going into this season. 

- a solid starting goalie

- a solid D partner for Power

- a 2 way checking 3C

- grit and toughness in the bottom 6

- defensive depth

We added a tiny bit of D depth with Stillman, but really just swapped him in to fill the spot Fitzgerald had. 

[PerreaultForever]

4 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

im guessing Adams took the big picture approach over adding a couple of pieces this season so that they might make the playoffs.   Even if they did make it , any chance they beat the Bruins once ?   Is that worth losing a prospect like Kulich or Savoie

 

I'm sure he did take that view and it's a big F U to the fans and so you get a rink filled with Bruins jerseys. 

Would it be worth it to make the playoffs? Yes. Absolutely yes, because you need to change perceptions for the fans AND the players too. You have to get everyone seeing and believing in a step forward and making the playoffs, even exiting early, would be a monumental step forward and would help with creating that culture they say they want. 

Instead, they just learn to lose again, accept losing, and nobody will want to come here. 

[Crusader1969]

So they give up Savoie for Chrychrun plus this years first-   They still are unlikely to make the playoffs with current goaltending 

if they did make the playoffs and quickly got disposed by the Bruins im betting the same posters are spewing the same rhetoric as they are today.  it’s tiresome 

Of course,  in 2 years when Chychrun leaves and Savoie and the first rounder and making contributions for another team.  The same guys will be “I can’t believe they traded 2 first round players for a guy  who bolted  after 2 years” 

[GoPuckYourself]

14 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

They did go after a top 4 Dman but the other team wanted Savoie or Kulich, plus 

they have gone after goalies but also wanted to be sure that Levi signed, so they had to be walk a fine line 

im guessing Adams took the big picture approach over adding a couple of pieces this season so that they might make the playoffs.   Even if they did make it , any chance they beat the Bruins once ?   Is that worth losing a prospect like Kulich or Savoie

 

I dont see how they would ask us for Savoie or Kulich for Chychrun but give a bargain to Ottawa? It doesn't add up and I never read anything about the specifics and not sure how someone would find that info out.

Devin Levi I agree but now that he's signed I would get a legit goalie

Shouldn't the big picture always be playoffs? Seriously they could have added Schenn, traded for Meier and traded for Joonas Korpisalo,  what would that have done but made us better?

[GASabresIUFAN]

The Goal is to make the playoffs!  That's the only relevant goal at this point.

How do we get there?

1) Get better goaltending.  

2) Get better defensemen.

3) Learn to play tougher.  A legit 4th line center who can win draws and kill penalties is now crucial.

4)KA now needs to focus less on development and more on winning.

That means that outside of Dahlin, Power, Mule, Tuch, Cozens, Quinn, and TNT, every asset in the organization is available for the right price.  Levi, Savoie, and Kulich will also be very difficult but not impossible to acquire.  However, everyone else and every draft pick is available for the right price. Östlund, Rosen, Johnson, UPL, Mitts, VO, JJP, Greenway, Jokiharju, Krebs, Jost, our 1st in 2023 and 24, and both 2nds this year are available, but we have to get the right pieces back.

This is going to be KA's biggest challenge.  He has no experience building a winning team.  This is his first attempt.   

I said before the season that we need to not only score more goals but learn how to limit them as well.  The Sabres are allowing a whopping 3.63 GA per game.  Our team save % is .891.  Our PK is now down to 71.88%.  Incredibly these are all worse than last year.  

To make matter worse, this team has regressed just when they needed to gel and play their best hockey of the season.  DG needs to look in the mirror and so do the players. 

[Buffalonill]

2 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

So they give up Savoie for Chrychrun plus this years first-   They still are unlikely to make the playoffs with current goaltending 

if they did make the playoffs and quickly got disposed by the Bruins im betting the same posters are spewing the same rhetoric as they are today.  it’s tiresome 

Of course,  in 2 years when Chychrun leaves and Savoie and the first rounder and making contributions for another team.  The same guys will be “I can’t believe they traded 2 first round players for a guy  who bolted  after 2 years” 

And whos fault  is that adams had ever opportunity to improve the team in goaltending or get some help on D .

He did nothing at least show the team you want playoffs 

[Night Train]

Anyone that still endorses a missed trade this past month as the reason for failure is in serious denial. 

They do NOT play D at all and allow opponents to own the middle lane of the ice.  Float and watch.  

So what they need going forward is better or new coaching. Hit the weight room. Get an edge to their play. Find a goalie to go with Levi because these 3 are not it. More leadership types. 

[tom webster]

7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The Goal is to make the playoffs!  That's the only relevant goal at this point.

How do we get there?

1) Get better goaltending.  

2) Get better defensemen.

3) Learn to play tougher.  A legit 4th line center who can win draws and kill penalties is now crucial.

4)KA now needs to focus less on development and more on winning.

That means that outside of Dahlin, Power, Mule, Tuch, Cozens, Quinn, and TNT, every asset in the organization is available for the right price.  Levi, Savoie, and Kulich will also be very difficult but not impossible to acquire.  However, everyone else and every draft pick is available for the right price. Östlund, Rosen, Johnson, UPL, Mitts, VO, JJP, Greenway, Jokiharju, Krebs, Jost, our 1st in 2023 and 24, and both 2nds this year are available, but we have to get the right pieces back.

This is going to be KA's biggest challenge.  He has no experience building a winning team.  This is his first attempt.   

I said before the season that we need to not only score more goals but learn how to limit them as well.  The Sabres are allowing a whopping 3.63 GA per game.  Our team save % is .891.  Our PK is now down to 71.88%.  Incredibly these are all worse than last year.  

To make matter worse, this team has regressed just when they needed to gel and play their best hockey of the season.  DG needs to look in the mirror and so do the players. 

I agree with almost all of this except I would add that Levi, Savoie and Kulich would be EXTREMELY hard to move. Time for excuses is over. Time to stop with the “I tried.” 
I also don’t put much stock in their end of season swoon. Tage and Rasmus hit a wall and the every other night schedule has taken its toll on everyone.

[Thorner]

If the playoffs are truly the expectation, ie falling short is viewed as a detriment to the rebuild we cannot afford, a starting goaltender is a must. Otherwise, playoffs CAN ONLY be a hope. Playoffs being “the hope”, but not the expectation next season, is not something I can get on board with 

Edited March 20, 2023 by Thorny

[Thorner]

7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The Goal is to make the playoffs!  That's the only relevant goal at this point.

How do we get there?

1) Get better goaltending.  

2) Get better defensemen.

3) Learn to play tougher.  A legit 4th line center who can win draws and kill penalties is now crucial.

4)KA now needs to focus less on development and more on winning.

That means that outside of Dahlin, Power, Mule, Tuch, Cozens, Quinn, and TNT, every asset in the organization is available for the right price.  Levi, Savoie, and Kulich will also be very difficult but not impossible to acquire.  However, everyone else and every draft pick is available for the right price. Östlund, Rosen, Johnson, UPL, Mitts, VO, JJP, Greenway, Jokiharju, Krebs, Jost, our 1st in 2023 and 24, and both 2nds this year are available, but we have to get the right pieces back.

This is going to be KA's biggest challenge.  He has no experience building a winning team.  This is his first attempt.   

I said before the season that we need to not only score more goals but learn how to limit them as well.  The Sabres are allowing a whopping 3.63 GA per game.  Our team save % is .891.  Our PK is now down to 71.88%.  Incredibly these are all worse than last year.  

To make matter worse, this team has regressed just when they needed to gel and play their best hockey of the season.  DG needs to look in the mirror and so do the players. 

Every asset we have is available for the right price, full stop

- - - 

Other than goalie: I did a breakdown recently of the fact the Sabres don’t win games when Dahlin doesn’t contribute on the scoresheet. Biggest need after G is competent reinforcements on D, as good as we can get, so as to ensure we can get Norris Dahlin for a full 82, let alone playoffs. 

25 minutes ago, tom webster said:

I agree with almost all of this except I would add that Levi, Savoie and Kulich would be EXTREMELY hard to move. Time for excuses is over. Time to stop with the “I tried.” 
I also don’t put much stock in their end of season swoon. Tage and Rasmus hit a wall and the every other night schedule has taken its toll on everyone.

The fact they hit a wall is exactly why I put stock in it 

The fact they hit a wall, the fact our point total ends up at whatever it ends up at, is simply revelatory of what the 2022-23 sabres actually are 

Guy who busts it out of the gate in a marathon and gassed himself to run the first half in a good time, collapses down the stretch can’t logically write off the end and extrapolate the earlier bit forward. No logic in it. The Sabres are what they finish with.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Thorny

[Stoner]

I'm just gonna say it. Thorny is having his finest posting season. We need to listen to this fella.

[North Buffalo]

Not reading back... imo upgrade D, upgrade D so Muel is on third pair.... and find another goalie.

[nucci]

38 minutes ago, tom webster said:

I agree with almost all of this except I would add that Levi, Savoie and Kulich would be EXTREMELY hard to move. Time for excuses is over. Time to stop with the “I tried.” 
I also don’t put much stock in their end of season swoon. Tage and Rasmus hit a wall and the every other night schedule has taken its toll on everyone.

but what would change for next season...will there be no walls, will the schedule be spread out more?

[tom webster]

17 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Every asset we have is available for the right price, full stop

- - - 

Other than goalie: I did a breakdown recently of the fact the Sabres don’t win games when Dahlin doesn’t contribute on the scoresheet. Biggest need after G is competent reinforcements on D, as good as we can get, so as to ensure we can get Norris Dahlin for a full 82, let alone playoffs. 

The fact they hit a wall is exactly why I put stock in it 

The fact they hit a wall, the fact our point total ends up at whatever it ends up at, is simply revelatory of what the 2022-23 sabres actually are 

Guy who busts it out of the gate in a marathon and gassed himself to run the first half in a good time, collapses down the stretch can’t logically write off the end and extrapolate the earlier bit forward. No logic in it. The Sabres are what they finish with.

I don’t put stock in many of the axioms associated with development but I do believe there is a learning curve. I also believe that greater depth allows your stars to not be as relevant every game. I don’t get excited when a team goes on a crazy run when they are eliminated, I don’t get excited when they collapse after realizing the season is coming to an end.

[tom webster]

2 minutes ago, nucci said:

but what would change for next season...will there be no walls, will the schedule be spread out more?

See my response but to summarize. Guys learn, they get smarter and next year guys like Cozens and Quinn will carry more of the load. 

Also, better goaltending will give them a margin of error and a better team won’t lose ten in a row and eliminate that margin of error even further. Look around them. A lot of teams are faltering but they already had that cushion.

[Thorner]

On 8/12/2020 at 6:31 PM, Thorny said:

That Jack looked spectacular playing along with an early season VO, who was producing at more of a third line rate at ES for the first half of the year, tells me at least I’m more than comfortable with Jack’s ability to play with marginal top 6 guys. 

Jack seemed to get worn down as the year went on, the most important thing is getting him a second line he can feel reasonably comfortable getting off the ice for.

twitches 

[Thorner]

22 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I'm just gonna say it. Thorny is having his finest posting season. We need to listen to this fella.*

*this has been a paid advertisement by thorny