How concerned is Sabrespace about the defense and goaltending?

[steveoath]

I wasn’t concerned until last nights game. Clifton is not a top pair guy based on that game. We are still freewheeling it in the the Dzone with no obvious structure. I had high hopes for this year, but I don’t think enough has been done…. yet. We need the saves that played in front of Levi at the end of last season to show up. 

[Claude Balls]

Just as concerned as I was last season when they brought in Comrie to take over the net. And not really impressed from what I've seen, thus far, from Clifton and Johnson. I really wasn't expecting much from Johnson anyhow. Could turn out to be another frustrating season. The Sabres can put up some goals, but that is not a sustainable way to win games. 

[Norcal]

My opinion:

Trade incoming

UPL will be on the way out

Maybe

[Crusader1969]

Just now, Norcal said:

My opinion:

Trade incoming

UPL will be on the way out

Maybe

Let’s hope.   I’m still in a bit of shock.  Honestly thought we’d seen the last of Bryson.   
season better start out of the right foot 

[steveoath]

1 minute ago, Norcal said:

My opinion:

Trade incoming

UPL will be on the way out

Maybe

Tampa for a nice partly used sun lounger. 

[Crusader1969]

50 minutes ago, steveoath said:

I wasn’t concerned until last nights game. Clifton is not a top pair guy based on that game. We are still freewheeling it in the the Dzone with no obvious structure. I had high hopes for this year, but I don’t think enough has been done…. yet. We need the saves that played in front of Levi at the end of last season to show up. 

Please.  It’s preseason.    

 

[Norcal]

2 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

Let’s hope.   I’m still in a bit of shock.  Honestly thought we’d seen the last of Bryson.   
season better start out of the right foot 

I agree. Thought he was good as gone

2 minutes ago, steveoath said:

Tampa for a nice partly used sun lounger. 

Sold

[Mango]

I was very high on this team coming into the season. I thought for sure we’d have at least one new top 4 defenseman, a goalie, and a new assistant coach. We kept hearing that “money isn’t an issue”. But here we are basically rolling the whole thing back with the 31st most expensive roster. 

Pre-season has been bad with little redeeming quality other than Benson. I get it’s pre-season but for me a historically bad hockey owner doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt.
 

I am unsure of Adams/Donnie have peaked here and this is all by design. Or if Pegula is holding the purse strings tight. 
 

I’m excited for the season but I’d be lying if I said I am more concerned about this team today than I was last year.

This regime has to work. I needed Adams to go shore up our deficiencies this offseason and Donnie to show he could coach defense. Or at least one of the two. I’m so sick of being a terrible hockey franchise. 105 points and a 6 game loss or playoff series win was my expectations for the season. That seemed like a reasonable timeline for Adams.

I know this is so Debbie Downer. But it’s been a long 12 years. 

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, triumph_communes said:

Clifton is bottom pairing at best. Doesn’t have the hockey IQ to play this system. If he’s getting top pairing minutes we’re doomed. 
 

not worried about goaltending. No goalie can handle bad defense. 

What system? Seriously, I'm asking. Not being sarcastic or facetious, really asking cause I do not see a defensive system at all. The forwards seem to have little or no defensive responsibility at all. It's just rely on the D to move the puck or provide a quick outlet pass. We lose the board battles, we don't box out, we don't cover our opposing player, we don't take away the passing lanes. We don't play defense at all. 

I said in the summer (as some others did) that this year we had to see a defensive system in place and it's just not there. 

The party line was always offensive is harder to teach and Granato did that first and now it was going to be the (allegedly) easy part of adding D. Interestingly to me (as I've said this all along) I was listening to a presser with Tortorella today and he was saying words to the effect of last year we put the system in place and they learned what was expected of them defensively and how to play it. Now we have to keep that and I have to change a little and give them more freedom to create offensively but keeping that in place, playing the right way and hard every night.   It is the EXACT OPPOSITE.  Now, I am in no way suggesting Philly will be any good but it was interesting to see a rebuild plan that is opposite to ours. Torts also acknowledged that they are a team without star players and high end talent so until they have that added they will have to work hard every single night. So, is defense the easy part? Does Torts have it backwards or does Granato? I guess we will see in time, but right now it does not look like our team finds playing defense to be easy, or maybe they just won't do it.  Scoring goals is more fun, but losing isn't. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

6 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

What (defensive) system? Seriously, I'm asking.

This is an excellent question.  

Edited October 7, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Mango]

20 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

This is an excellent question.  

This is a big part of why I really wanted/needed Adams to address the personnel for the defensemen and goaltending. The explanation of goaltending and defense has been pretty muddled with “young guys, learning the game” but also “system”. 
 

I really wanted to cross personnel off the list so we could get a clear inventory of problems for 24-25. 

[mjd1001]

I'm not concerned yet.  As others have said, lets see where things are after 10 games.

[Marvin]

7 hours ago, Shoot da Puck said:

Never should have traded Roger Crozier

 

Welcome back!

[Brawndo]

5 hours ago, Taro T said:

Agreed w/ all the above.

But, IF that comes to fruition, will be extremely frustrating because there should've been adjustment to the bench coaches THIS offseason.

Agreed, the only change was Dan Girardi was promoted to Asst Coach this offseason, he just doesn’t have to travel if he doesn’t want to for road games 

Edited October 7, 2023 by Brawndo

[Second Line Center]

Not remotely.  
 

Just make sure Mule stays healthy.  
 

Time to play the games.  
 

 

 

I’m still sad about Quinn.  His loss is a big deal and I just really feel bad for him.  I hope he comes back to full strength by October 2024 because I’m really not expecting anything from him this year I just want a full recovery.  Not to throw him in during the heat of a playoff run.  

Edited October 7, 2023 by Second Line Center

[Flashsabre]

Clifton written off after 2 preseason games. Impressive 

[Taro T]

37 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Clifton written off after 2 preseason games. Impressive 

Some may have him written off.  Personally, doubt it's anywhere close to a majority that have, and just want him to get adjusted to the new system (or lack thereof) without being expected to be the #2 D-man on the team eating up necessarily tough minutes when he's in.  Putting him on a lower pairing until he's adjusted would seem to allow him to do that.

Edited October 8, 2023 by Taro T

[...]

9 hours ago, Pimlach said:

6K is a nickname that is not sticking.  

Who is "6K" supposed to refer to?

[Taro T]

39 minutes ago, ... said:

Who is "6K" supposed to refer to?

Ukka Pukka Dukka.

[Mango]

11 hours ago, SabresBaltimore said:

I think it's way too early/too small of a sample size to draw any conclusions about the defensive pairings. I'm definitely underwhelmed so far. If this goes on for a long stretch and he doesn't try swapping up pairs, then I'll be more concerned.

 

With regards to goaltending I'm no more concerned now than I was before. Which is to say a fair bit of concern. We have a rookie goaltender who could be great but is being asked to do far too much. I don't have a ton of faith in either of the others to be a consistent backup. I'd give the edge to Comrie though

I have to say I am thoroughly surprised we didn’t add a goalie and a better defenseman in the offseason. Yet still are bottom of the league in spending.

Even if we were always going to role with Levi I thought for sure that meant we’d spend in FA on one if not two big defensemen to protect the kid. 

I just don’t know how we did nothing and are still at the bottom of league spending. 

Edited October 8, 2023 by Mango

[SabresBaltimore]

1 hour ago, Mango said:

I have to say I am thoroughly surprised we didn’t add a goalie and a better defenseman in the offseason. Yet still are bottom of the league in spending.

Even if we were always going to role with Levi I thought for sure that meant we’d spend in FA on one if not two big defensemen to protect the kid. 

I just don’t know how we did nothing and are still at the bottom of league spending. 

I'm not sure there were goalies out there to be had. Pretty much all the FA goalies stayed put. And the 2 being that were reported of being on the trade market didn't go anywhere.

 

Defenders I'm not sure what options we had in free agency. Really I'm just not sure if we mostly stayed put because they aren't being allowed to spend like the Bills, they are expecting to need the cap space to pay our upcoming players, or simply because they didn't find anyone they liked for the price it would cost. 

 

Time will tell if  that comes back to haunt them or not.

[Rasmus_]

Only concerning that Bryson is somehow still making the team.  I thought he was meh most of last season.   I don't expect him here all season that being said.

[Radar]

6 hours ago, SabresBaltimore said:

I'm not sure there were goalies out there to be had. Pretty much all the FA goalies stayed put. And the 2 being that were reported of being on the trade market didn't go anywhere.

 

Defenders I'm not sure what options we had in free agency. Really I'm just not sure if we mostly stayed put because they aren't being allowed to spend like the Bills, they are expecting to need the cap space to pay our upcoming players, or simply because they didn't find anyone they liked for the price it would cost. 

 

Time will tell if  that comes back to haunt them or not

I'm in agreement. Not sure what options were available. What the costs would be. Suppose we traded our #1 that turned out to be Benson or one of our top three prospects for someone. Well we'd no doubt have opinions on the wisdom of that. It's not easy and I assume they looked at whatever options were out there.

[Quint]

12 hours ago, Mango said:

I have to say I am thoroughly surprised we didn’t add a goalie and a better defenseman in the offseason. Yet still are bottom of the league in spending.

Even if we were always going to role with Levi I thought for sure that meant we’d spend in FA on one if not two big defensemen to protect the kid. 

I just don’t know how we did nothing and are still at the bottom of league spending. 

I wonder if the Sabres targeted Hanifin and/or Pesce and they both didn't work out for some reason, whether it was they didn't want to come here or whatnot. I do not think the Sabres were ever serious about getting a starting goalie from elsewhere. I think they are so delusional, they think that Levi can lead us to the promised land as is, with Comrie and/or UPL in tow. 

Then again, the Pegulas might be cheaping out on us with their "organic" homegrown brand. Ugh.

Edited October 8, 2023 by Quint

[Broken Ankles]

14 hours ago, ... said:

Who is "6K" supposed to refer to?

Fetch?