What Should the Goals be Next Season?

[Weave]

There needs to be a team wide commitment to producing a winning season.  Looking at you Kevyn.  It’s overdue.

[Marvin]

Goal?  Make the playoffs.  That is my expectation for the next decade with the talent on the team -- and he should be able to keep the pipeline continually stocked.  Therefore, Adams needs a plan which preserves most of our futures but makes a couple of big moves.

Far and away the top need is goaltending.  This team is probably in the playoffs with just mediocre goaltending.  Because of Adams's experience in Carolina, I am dubious that he will get a goaltender of the caliber I want; it is far more likely that he hunts in the 2nd and 3rd tiers for goalkeepers.  IMHO, he must get a sure thing.

Because Adams went after Chychrun, he knows that he needs a legitimate top 4 D.  He needs someone who does all the boring stuff well.  I would prefer a heavier set of defencemen in the 5-8 slots overall.  I would also prefer that Bryson, Clague, et al. start in 9th position.

A competent defencive centre who is competent at face-offs is also a must.  Face-offs don't necessarily matter when you are not statistically significantly different from 50%.  But when a team is as bad as the Sabres are, it puts them back on their heels far too often.

Next season, there had better be an emphasis on team defence, from structure through positioning to awareness.  I am sick of opponemts routinely cruising down the slot or on the weak side being totally uncovered.  If this comes at the price of some offence, then so be it.  I would start by teaching the youngsters not to overpursue in the defencive zone.  Heck, start now.

A very reachable goal is to rebalance the team with more rugged player.  This team needs to learn how to play playoff-type hockey.

The PK has to stop being embarrassing.  I know that they have been experimenting with players to figure out who should be doing it after Girgensons and Okposo leave, but the coaches had all season to correct the glaring mistakes.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Marvin

[Goldseatsaud]

Win more games at home

[Pimlach]

ONE GOAL -  That goal should be playoffs.  Nothing else.   How they get there is debatable.  
 

Fixing the way they play at home is a must and probably key to reaching that one goal. 
 

If no playoffs next year, then I take a serious look at the coaching staff and put them on the clock.   

[Thorner]

10 minutes ago, Marvin said:

Goal?  Make the playoffs.  That is my expectation for the next decade with the talent on the team -- and he should be able to keep the pipeline continually stocked.  Therefore, Adams needs a plan which preserves most of our futures but makes a couple of big moves.

Far and away the top need is goaltending.  This team is probably in the playoffs with just mediocre goaltending.  Because of Adams's experience in Carolina, I am dubious that he will get a goaltender of the caliber I want; it is far more likely that he hunts in the 2nd and 3rd tiers for goalkeepers.  IMHO, he must get a sure thing.

Because Adams went after Chychrun, he knows that he needs a legitimate top 4 D.  He needs someone who does all the boring stuff well.  I would prefer a heavier set of defencemen in the 5-8 slots overall.  I would also prefer that Bryson, Clague, et al. start in 9th position.

A competent defencive centre who is competent at face-offs is also a must.  Face-offs don't necessarily matter when you are not statistically significantly different from 50%.  But when a team is as bad as the Sabres are, it puts them back on their heels far too often.

Next season, there had better be an emphasis on team defence, from structure through positioning to awareness.  I am sick of opponemts routinely cruising down the slot or on the weak side being totally uncovered.  If this comes at the price of some offence, then so be it.  I would start by teaching the youngsters not to overpursue in the defencive zone.  Heck, start now.

The PK has to stop being embarrassing.  I know that they have been experimenting with players to figure out who should be doing it after Girgensons and Okposo leave, but the coaches had all season to correct the glaring mistakes.

Good one. 

Agree with all this - I like the point about face offs. They don’t really matter that much, that’s exactly what I’d say if someone asked me, cause that’s what the data reveals in large sizes. But as it seems to happen so frequently, in a non hyperbolic sense- the Sabres love to sit around the historical outliers and exceed them. Playoff drought? Face offs we are DEAD LAST. Ok, UNCLE! you got me, they matter for Buffalo!

sabres the truthful, frequent embodiment of paradise lost 

Better to reign in hell, indeed 

[Carmel Corn]

Playoffs...that's it.  Aside from personnel, they need improved coaching for special teams and goaltending.  Therefore changes in the asst. coaching staff are also needed IMHO.

[Gatorman0519]

It’s going to take a near miracle to get this roster up to playoff standards and playing like a playoff team. I don’t expect playoffs next year just hope for a more well rounded game and maybe 2025 we take the next step. 

[Quint]

The roster is full of finesse players who can skate, shoot and pass, with many more coming up in the pipeline. But even the biggest and most talented guys are getting pushed around. They are essentially weak. Need to balance the roster out with gritty checkers and guys who can set an example on how to play defensive hockey. Need a policeman or two. Greenway is not it. I'd like to see three new physical defensemen, one #1 goalie with Levi as backup (goodbye UPL and Comrie), and emphasis on the boring things in hockey...defensive structure, responsibility, checking, blocking shots, faceoffs and the penalty kill. So far, these boys have been fed a steady diet of ice cream and cake (shooting and making plays) but they need a basis of meat and potatoes (defensive hockey). Trade some prospects and guys who have grown stale here. Balance the lineup.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Quint

[WhenWillItEnd66]

How about not to be embarrassed at home and by bottom teams in the NHL.

[Archie Lee]

10 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

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

 

I don’t mean this as a criticism of Adams. I think he is good though at changing the narrative to spin things positively. None of us are eager to give up Savoie or Kulich. The post-deadline narrative became that Arizona wanted more from us than they got from Ottawa.  The implication was that Arizona asked for a high end prospect like Savoie or Kulich and these players were non-starters for the Sabres. What was not clear or addressed, from what I saw, is if Arizona was willing to take our 2023 1st instead of Savoie or Kulich. If so, then that is a bit of a different story. If Arizona’s ask was a 2023 1st or Savoie or Kulich and two 2nds, then they wanted basically the same thing from us and we were not willing to pay the price.  

[French Collection]

Playoffs, period.

Team defense is a big issue but that can be corrected with coaching and leadership that makes everyone accountable. They can still play a swashbuckling style on offense but they need to have better defensive awareness. I would look to bring in an assistant coach with a good grasp of PK and team defense to help.

Most here have said it over and over and I concur, get a top 4 Dman. It adds talent, depth and pushes guys down to where they belong. I would prefer a gritty, stay at home style vet like Ryan McDonagh. A guy like that has been to war, won Cups and has been a captain. I think the culture needs that type of shot in the arm.

Goaltending. @Pimlachstated in another thread that they have 3 goalies, so they have none. UPL/Comrie tandem should probably be in Rochester, the first one to refine his game and the latter to find his. One of them could be a Sabres backup option with a good summer and training camp. I am extremely excited by the Levi signing but I believe he should be in Rochester. He is smart enough to realize this is a marathon, not a sprint. Get a true #1. I love the top prospects but they are assets. A guy like Saros would instantly boost the team.

 

[Scottysabres]

Yes, Goals for next season would be nice. Maybe that's why they stopped scoring them this season, to bank them up for next season....

[Contempt]

There is only one goal. Playoffs. Period. Nothing else is acceptable.

[LGR4GM]

Find out the price for Saros, pay it. 

Add another top 4 defender. 

Make the playoffs or die trying. 

[Stoner]

Directive to Don: coach to win. Always. Before during and after games. Show you belong or there isn't another kick at the can.

The coach's turkey thermometer is also up. He's been basted.

Feast!

 

[Archie Lee]

I would say playoffs should be the goal. I don’t think they will make this their explicit goal though, at least not in the way fans would be looking for.
 

While I think they will play every game to win with the lineup that they have, as they did this year, I don’t think they will move out any potential long term pieces for the sort of players who would clearly signal they have now changed their approach. I also don’t see us being significant players in free agency.
 

if anything, I think we will continue to be the NHL’s youngest team and with the departure of Anderson and Okposo we will be younger than this year’s team. I could see us starting the year with 5-6 rookies on the roster (Levi, Johnson, Kulich, Savoie, and a couple of older Rochester guys like Biro and Rousek).
 

There will still be opportunity there for us to get incrementally better due internal development. Based on recent history though, I will be surprised if the team makes moves that clearly change the direction towards improvement via the acquisition of experienced players. 

[Thorner]

6 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

I would say playoffs should be the goal. I don’t think they will make this their explicit goal though, at least not in the way fans would be looking for.
 

While I think they will play every game to win with the lineup that they have, as they did this year, I don’t think they will move out any potential long term pieces for the sort of players who would clearly signal they have now changed their approach. I also don’t see us being significant players in free agency.
 

if anything, I think we will continue to be the NHL’s youngest team and with the departure of Anderson and Okposo we will be younger than this year’s team. I could see us starting the year with 5-6 rookies on the roster (Levi, Johnson, Kulich, Savoie, and a couple of older Rochester guys like Biro and Rousek).
 

There will still be opportunity there for us to get incrementally better due internal development. Based on recent history though, I will be surprised if the team makes moves that clearly change the direction towards improvement via the acquisition of experienced players. 

I suppose starting 5-6 rookies would be an explicit message to the fans, in and of itself 

[phil_soisson]

If they stumble out of the gate next year (e.g. 8 game losing streak) Granato needs to be fired, at a minimum. I reserve judgment on Adams, pending what kind of moves he makes in the off season. Without naming names (everyone has their [least] favorites), I hope for a minimum of 5-6 different personnel on opening night next year, and not just for the sake of change, but rather tangible upgrades. No more excuses!

[SabresVet]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

There needs to be a team wide commitment to producing a winning season.  Looking at you Kevyn.  It’s overdue.

Absolutely.  

These last 2 off-season Adams has led the organization the big moves he's made were essentially made for him.  He traded players who wanted out and, to date, has decided to retain players acquired before his time who obviously produced (Thompson, Cozens) or they expect to (Samuelsson).  And yes, they're rebuilding a moribund farm system with prospects who are not traded away.  

But they aren't a few tweaks away either from being a playoff team as evidenced by recent play.  The gap is much wider that most people wanted to believe, myself included.  Sure, they're young and getting experience, but something is amiss there.  The offense goes silent against top-end teams.  The defense is still a mess and the goaltending, well, that's been covered.  This after almost 2 full season with his hand-picked coach in tow.  

There's some heavy lifting left to do...whether they pursue it or not.  Can't be in safe mode to continue this rebuild given their problems. 

[Thorner]

Interestingly, we have 4 players at +10, leading the team. 3 of them are defensemen. Considering that’s half the top 6, and the half much harder to find, there’s a non negligible chance it’ll be easier to fix the D of our D than the D of our F

Edited March 20, 2023 by Thorny

[Thorner]

A few reliable, stay at home types, but real NHLers, that coach would be unafraid to ice unlike Bryson and co would go along way to preserving our minute eaters on D.
 

A goalie add would go a long way towards addressing the D acumen of the F purely through the highly scientific principle: “no harm, no foul”

- - -

Add in a sprinkle of defensive growth, but still setting the forwards loose on O and providing a fail safe in net probably represents a more feasible correction strategy than finding more defensive, and good scoring, forwards. 

Edited March 20, 2023 by Thorny

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, Weave said:

There needs to be a team wide commitment to producing a winning season.  Looking at you Kevyn.  It’s overdue.

[French Collection]

24 minutes ago, Thorny said:

A few reliable, stay at home types, but real NHLers, that coach would be unafraid to ice unlike Bryson and co would go along way to preserving our minute eaters on D.
 

A goalie add would go a long way towards addressing the D acumen of the F purely through the highly scientific principle: “no harm, no foul”

- - -

Add in a sprinkle of defensive growth, but still setting the forwards loose on O and providing a fail safe in net probably represents a more feasible correction strategy than finding more defensive, and good scoring, forwards. 

I know many have said that even a good goalie would have poor numbers behind this team but a few huge saves per game can lift the entire team up.

I like your comment on defensive growth. Power will take the biggest step, he can improve by quite a bit by getting stronger and training for 82 game stamina. Mule has room to grow too. Dahlin is not a finished product either.

They still need a top 4 Dman. One who excels at the PK would be great.

Edited March 20, 2023 by French Collection

[Flashsabre]

A commitment to a defensive system. Change the assistant coaching staff. Like to see Peca promoted.

Top to bottom Boston aren’t more talented then Buffalo but they play a committed system that allows them to consistently win.

[Sidc3000]

I say baby steps since they are fragile snowflakes. I just want them to play structured defense. There should be a ***** ton of 1-0, 2-1 games. 

Edited March 20, 2023 by Sidc3000