Sabres shopping Mittelstadt?

[Flashsabre]

3 years ago is when he should have got a goalie. What is the point now? UPL is starting to play like a number 1 and unless they plan on keeping Levi in Rochester all next season then bringing in another goalie is going to be pointless.  

Bring in a coaching staff that demands structure and accountability first before everything else. Vancouver and Winnipeg have improved greatly by improving behind the bench instead of making a ton of deals. Torts has Philly much improved as well.

Right now they can’t score enough to win. 

[Thorner]

15 minutes ago, Mango said:

We extended Tage at a similar age?  Over the last 365 days Mitts has been the outright better player. What about Tuch? UPL is 4 months older? 

Also if a 25 year old player is "too old" to see this thing through in year 4 of this FO, WTF ARE WE DOING!!!!!!

Another couple of seasons of this and the Kevyn Adams era alone will make the big board for longest ever (active or not) playoff draughts in NHL history). Where does the runway end? This is bonkers. 

A 25 year old is too old to go through the growing pains with this team. Jesus Christ. This team is doomed. 

EDIT: To be clear, it seems like we may be on similar pages here in this not making a ton of sense. Without seeing the return, I highly dislike moving on from Mitts. I am more responding to comments I have seen here and elsewhere cosigning "we aren't supposed to be good"

I agree. People are often like, “right or wrong, they don’t have the baggage we do, this is only Adams’ 4th year, he isn’t amendable to what came before.”

Ok. There are *5 teams total*, out of 32, including Buffalo, that have current droughts 4 years or longer. 4 years is a long time: most teams don’t get that far. The build had been long just in Kevyn Adams years.

It’s not just something said, it’s true: we are so divorced of any real standards people have forgotten 

we’ve forgotten 

 

[Indabuff]

Oh look Kevyn is waking up:

 

[Thorner]

And there are people saying Adams shouldn’t even be canned if we miss NEXT year. It’s divorced from realistic standards 

It’s off wandering aimlessly in the desert 

[GoPuckYourself]

Middlestadt will most likely bring in our top 4 D, as he should be dealt. I've stated before he's a good player but we can't pay him what he's about to be paid. We should have actively been trying to get a goalie for the past 2 seasons, the fact that he is still trying is worrisome. 

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, inkman said:

So says one former Sabre.  No idea if it’s accurate. 
 

 

If this is true, Kevyn is a moron.  If it's not, Peters is a moron. I think it's Peters.

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

We need centers, we need playmakers, and we need two-way forwards.  I have an idea, let's trade the only guy on the roster who does all that, is our leading point producer, and the only guy on the roster who makes everyone he plays with better.  That sounds like a great idea.  

I have an even better idea.  Let's fire KA and hire a Team President and GM who know what the hell they are doing.

PS: Mitts' best friends on the team are Cozens and Dahlin.  

And Bryson. You forgot his homie Bryson.

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

they are happy to pay Casey as an ancillary piece

Supposedly they haven't even approached him in contract talks this year.

[Thorner]

7 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

And Bryson. You forgot his homie Bryson.

Supposedly they haven't even approached him in contract talks this year.

Lol ok damn

i don’t understand their valuation at all in that case, IF they are indeed shopping him. It could be they are very hockey trade focused for him: if that’s the case, so be it 

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, #freejame said:

revolutionary Mike McDaniels hockey wonk

McDaniels is moron who favors flash over substance, but I understand the point you're trying to make.

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

With DG he said he put the offense in first because its harder to play offense, then add the defense later.  We are seeing how that philosophy worked out this season. 

Yep.  As much as I like the guy's story, he's proven this season that he's not NHL caliber.

[Doohicksie]

10 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Lol ok damn

I think I saw it in a tweet or something in the last couple weeks, that Sabres mgt hasn't even approached his agent.

[Marvin]

47 minutes ago, Mango said:

We extended Tage at a similar age?  Over the last 365 days Mitts has been the outright better player. What about Tuch? UPL is 4 months older? 

Also if a 25 year old player is "too old" to see this thing through in year 4 of this FO, WTF ARE WE DOING!!!!!!

Another couple of seasons of this and the Kevyn Adams era alone will make the big board for longest ever (active or not) playoff draughts in NHL history). Where does the runway end? This is bonkers. 

A 25 year old is too old to go through the growing pains with this team. Jesus Christ. This team is doomed. 

EDIT: To be clear, it seems like we may be on similar pages here in this not making a ton of sense. Without seeing the return, I highly dislike moving on from Mitts. I am more responding to comments I have seen here and elsewhere cosigning "we aren't supposed to be good"

I was joking.  I was just commenting that the team would likely go with one of the recent draft picks instead of replacing him with a veteran for the rest of the season, this making the team even younger.  Mittelstadt has matured as a player and I think that he should be kept at his likely price.

[nfreeman]

Let's not kid ourselves here.  Mitts has progressed from potential washout to reasonably good player, but he's not a guy a team can't live without.  (And that was the rare and difficult Sabrespace triple negative -- hello @PASabreFan.)

As always, it depends on the return.

[Doohicksie]

[Mango]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

I think of it as he was 67% wrong. 

It just amazes me that he made that bet on Levi, while saying that they are "all in" and going for the playoffs.   Levi will spend next year in the AHL if we get a real NHL goalie.  No surprise.  

It also amazes me because everyone in the league knew that Comrie was, at best a backup that gets a limited number of games (he played only 19 games the year before we signed him).  We needed a 1A/1B to have a shot at the playoffs, Comrie is not a 1B, and has not proven to be a reliable 2.  

UPL is trending up as an NHL goalie. That is the remaining 33% thankfully.  We have one piece finally.  

 

Do we need another goaltender? Yes

But as of right now is goaltending high on my list of what is holding this current season back? No, not at all really.

Wildly enough goaltending is not in my top 3 things I would address with this team at the moment. Currently the holistic roster construction from prospect to big club is a mess. We don't have anybody to fill any of the actual needs of this team. Most of our forwards don't have a 200 foot game. And even the ones that are only good in the offensive zone all seem to have the yips. Defensive responsibilities by everybody at every position are embarrassing. The power play....

Yes we need another goalie. Yes Adams totally botched this position group. But it is wild that in a depth chart of FO gaffe's and inventory of the 23-24 season goaltending isn't among the "greatest hits" for failures. 

 

[Doohicksie]

On the other hand, Mitts for Saros (and pieces to make it work)....

[Mango]

21 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

 

Are there any affiliation between AFP and the Sabres/Amerks orgs? They are based outside of Rochester. 

Curious if this is Pegula/Adams laying the ground work on spinning this whole thing. 

EDIT: Both listed staff members on their website worked with the Amerks at one point. One as an intern and then "tax and analytics dept" the other as an assistant. The other as part of hockey ops. Video and data collection. 

https://afpanalytics.com/staff/

Edited February 9 by Mango

[Mango]

12 minutes ago, Marvin said:

I was joking.  I was just commenting that the team would likely go with one of the recent draft picks instead of replacing him with a veteran for the rest of the season, this making the team even younger.  Mittelstadt has matured as a player and I think that he should be kept at his likely price.

I really dislike reddit for most big 4 sports talk. It stinks. 

The other day I mentioned something about Adams being over his head and it came with a barrage of downvotes and "You just don't get it man. We are acquiring so much talent". I think I took some PTSD on that post. Ha

[Stoner]

4 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

Are there any affiliation between AFP and the Sabres/Amerks orgs? They are based outside of Rochester. 

Curious if this is Pegula/Adams laying the ground work on spinning this whole thing. 

The French Press Agency?

[Mango]

11 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

The French Press Agency?

I assume you are joking. But the two guys who run this thing both worked with the Americans at one point or another. 

https://afpanalytics.com/staff/

[Stoner]

8 minutes ago, Mango said:

I assume you are joking. But the two guys who run this thing both worked with the Americans at one point or another. 

https://afpanalytics.com/staff/

I was.

A good pickup on your part. And entirely plausible.

Next up: Wawrow.

[Night Train]

Sabres need multiple changes. Coach and GM included. 

Way too many forwards having down years.  Dahlin is off many nights, with Power and Muel way down. Floating many nights, yet the Tampa game saw a ton of chances with players unable to finish.

 Seem both scenarios too often to think it will change with the current lineup. Points show a steady decline. 

Rumors...   but Sabres need a big jolt. This lineup needs a lot more new faces than we think. 

[HOUSE]

I am so excited

 

[Pimlach]

49 minutes ago, Marvin said:

I was joking.  I was just commenting that the team would likely go with one of the recent draft picks instead of replacing him with a veteran for the rest of the season, this making the team even younger.  Mittelstadt has matured as a player and I think that he should be kept at his likely price.

And this was in my first comment, although I was thinking next season.  Should we replace Mitts with either Rosen/Savoie/Kulich we are looking at a 2-3 year learning curve in the NHL.  It's like we are running in place.  

We need to get stronger up the middle, even if we keep Mitts.  

[Pimlach]

51 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

Do we need another goaltender? Yes

But as of right now is goaltending high on my list of what is holding this current season back? No, not at all really.

Wildly enough goaltending is not in my top 3 things I would address with this team at the moment. Currently the holistic roster construction from prospect to big club is a mess. We don't have anybody to fill any of the actual needs of this team. Most of our forwards don't have a 200 foot game. And even the ones that are only good in the offensive zone all seem to have the yips. Defensive responsibilities by everybody at every position are embarrassing. The power play....

Yes we need another goalie. Yes Adams totally botched this position group. But it is wild that in a depth chart of FO gaffe's and inventory of the 23-24 season goaltending isn't among the "greatest hits" for failures. 

 

To the bold.   It was good fortune that UPL took a step.   Goaltending is not our biggest problem this year, scoring is, especially the PP.   That said if Adams  gets a really good goalie in return right now for next season, then we have said goalie and UPL - if they are 1A and 1B then all the better, gives Levi real competition for the future.  

We still need a veteran (in NHL prime) RHD that can play top 4.  (Dahkin, Power and R Johnson are not going anywhere so goodbye Joker)

We still need, even more than before, veteran help at center and at wing.   

We still need, good 4th line player(s) that the other team is afraid to piss off.