Game Discussion Thread: Prospects Challenge vs Blue Jackets, 9/13/2024

[LGR4GM]

The Sabres spent the offseason on a purpose built 4th line. Barring injuries, Kulich won't be on it. 

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

He's a horse, with the neck of a rhino.

 

2 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Wahlberg is a beast. Massively thick neck.

Ya, that was what I noticed. Not just tall but big, beefy. He keeps developing he might be a good net front guy.

[PerreaultForever]

37 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

My first thought was this too BUT if Krebs isn't signed or if Kulich looks to be the better player, let him get his feet wet on the 4th line.  he would get more minutes than a reg. 4th liner cause he would be on the PP2 as well 

 

That would be a huge mistake imo. You don't go out and purposely build a checking/crash line and then stick a young sniper on it. 3rd line might be up for some variations but I suspect that 4th line stays as is.

[JoeSchmoe]

8 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

That would be a huge mistake imo. You don't go out and purposely build a checking/crash line and then stick a young sniper on it. 3rd line might be up for some variations but I suspect that 4th line stays as is.

Greenway could easily be moved down to the 4th line to make room for Kulich on the 3rd. 

[Thorny]

21 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

That would be a huge mistake imo. You don't go out and purposely build a checking/crash line and then stick a young sniper on it. 3rd line might be up for some variations but I suspect that 4th line stays as is.

We don’t even know what it is yet, though. Everyone is just assuming the additions are going where they think they are. @dudacekhas done an admirable job all summer suggesting that there are actually lots of different ways the lines may be configured 

Edited Saturday at 03:46 AM by Thorny

[PerreaultForever]

14 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Greenway could easily be moved down to the 4th line to make room for Kulich on the 3rd. 

Or up. Greenway is an odd player and I will be interested to see what Ruff can get out of him. 

12 minutes ago, Thorny said:

We don’t even know what it is yet, though. Everyone is just assuming the additions are going where they think they are. @dudacekhas done an admirable job all summer suggesting that there are actually lots of different ways the lines may be configured 

Well, given what they signed and how it looks, and given Ruff's comments about guys who chuck 'em and such I'd be pretty surprised if he follows a Granto mish mash structure and doesn't have a character/grit/crash/whatever you want to call it 4th line. 

[SabreFinn]

Great to start the season with a victory. Kulich even better than expected. 

[steveoath]

Go Sabres - undefeated 

[bob_sauve28]

Nice write up on game

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-columbus-blue-jackets-prospects-challenge-recap

Jiri Kulich spent his summer in the weight room, intent on adding a physical, defensive dimension to the offensive prowess that made him a first-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft.

The 20-year-old arrived in Buffalo this month feeling stronger than ever, but Friday night marked his first chance to feel the fruits of his labor in a game setting. The early returns were positive.

“To be honest, I felt so much stronger,” Kulich said. “But it was tough game.”

Kulich was an offensive standout with two goals and an assist in the Sabres’ 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, their first of three games at the annual Prospects Challenge inside LECOM Harborcenter. He also served as a tone-setter through his work ethic and relentlessness on the forecheck.

The Sabres outshot the Blue Jackets 41-21 in a game that featured a combined 32 penalty minutes, including two fights during the third period. Rochester Americans coach Michael Leone, who is leading the Sabres prospects through the event, provided the players with a simple directive to play hard, smart, and fast – qualities that will be foundational to the Sabres’ identity under incoming coach Lindy Ruff.

[JustOneParade]

If the guys we saw last night make up a good portion of the Amerks roster, that will no way be a small team in Rochester this season.

[LGR4GM]

 

 

[LGR4GM]

9 hours ago, Thorny said:

We don’t even know what it is yet, though. Everyone is just assuming the additions are going where they think they are. @dudacekhas done an admirable job all summer suggesting that there are actually lots of different ways the lines may be configured 

Kevyn Adams has repeatedly said that Ruff and him wanted to remake the bottom 6 and they feel they did that. Sabres marketing has all talked about remaking and given a fixed identity to the bottom 6. Lafferty talked about playing bottom 6 center. 

So, yea we kinda know. Kulich isn't going to be 4th line center. Would be a waste for him When his game is best suited at minimum to the top 3 lines. When the inevitable injury happens, I think we see Kulich in Buffalo. 

[erickompositör72]

Someone close to me works for another team's FO, and he said they've been trying to pry Kulich from us for a long time. Shows why. I'm glad they didn't!

 

I missed this one, but I hope Kulich makes the team, and hope he plays tonight because I can't watch the Monday one.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Kevyn Adams has repeatedly said that Ruff and him wanted to remake the bottom 6 and they feel they did that. Sabres marketing has all talked about remaking and given a fixed identity to the bottom 6. Lafferty talked about playing bottom 6 center. 

So, yea we kinda know. Kulich isn't going to be 4th line center. Would be a waste for him When his game is best suited at minimum to the top 3 lines. When the inevitable injury happens, I think we see Kulich in Buffalo. 

A line of Kulich/Cozens/Quinn is intriguing. They can all skate and have some grit to their game. If Quinn makes the big club roster, I can see him on starting off on a third line with the potential to move up to the second line. 

As you and others point out, the GM and the new HC were determined to remake the lower lines this offseason for the purpose of better balancing out this roster. Hopefully, their efforts will accomplish that. 

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

  When the inevitable injury happens, I think we see Kulich in Buffalo. 

Or, injuries, I would guess. Depending on the position that sees an injury, he might have to wait for a few guys going down. 

[JohnC]

4 minutes ago, erickompositör72 said:

Someone close to me works for another team's FO, and he said they've been trying to pry Kulich from us for a long time. Shows why. I'm glad they didn't!

 

I missed this one, but I hope Kulich makes the team, and hope he plays tonight because I can't watch the Monday one.

I'm sure there were a number of teams eyeballing him in proposed trade scenarios. Were the Rangers or Islanders the teams keenly interested in Kulich? I can understand why for reasons of confidentiality you wouldn't be interested in saying. How about a clue? Gotham City area? 

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Kevyn Adams has repeatedly said that Ruff and him wanted to remake the bottom 6 and they feel they did that. Sabres marketing has all talked about remaking and given a fixed identity to the bottom 6. Lafferty talked about playing bottom 6 center. 

So, yea we kinda know. Kulich isn't going to be 4th line center. Would be a waste for him When his game is best suited at minimum to the top 3 lines. When the inevitable injury happens, I think we see Kulich in Buffalo. 

I think we'll see a checking line, but Ruff often has his "parts" line. A faceoff, PK, or PP specialist. Or a kid. Kotalik was a staple on the 4th line, often with Gaustad. And then mix-and-match as the game dictates (Gaustad, Drury on the ice late to protect the lead). Afinogenov-Rasmussen-Ray in 2000-01. And he'd just run a goon squad: Peters-Mair-Kaleta 2008-09.

Here's a 12/21/2022 lineup from Ruff's 112-point Devils -- with an amendment to put an injured Palat back in (and Zetterlund/Holtz as the 4W, based on TOI).

90 Tomas Tatar - 13 Nico Hischier - Palat *   (for Zetterlund)

56 Erik Haula - 86 Jack Hughes - 63 Jesper Bratt

44 Miles Wood - 20 Michael McLeod - 70 Jesper Boqvist

17 Yegor Sharangovich - 91 Dawson Mercer - 49 Fabian Zetterlund/ 10 Alexander Holtz

Top 6. Checking line (what we'd call 4th). And then a kid line. And Mercer was on PP and PK lines that season, so his TOI ran 4 minutes higher than the others in the bottom 6.

 

No one is gifting Kulich a space in the Sabres lineup, but Ruff could easily see him as a 4th-line PP2 guy with his VO-level shot.

Edited Saturday at 02:47 PM by DarthEbriate

[erickompositör72]

4 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm sure there were a number of teams eyeballing him in proposed trade scenarios. Were the Rangers or Islanders the teams keenly interested in Kulich? I can understand why for reasons of confidentiality you wouldn't be interested in saying. How about a clue? Gotham City area? 

Not in our conference

[Taro T]

29 minutes ago, erickompositör72 said:

Not in our conference

 

Not trying to guess who your buddy works for.  But pretty sure it was fairly well known that Arizona wanted Kulich when the Sabres drafted him.

[Two or less]

53 minutes ago, erickompositör72 said:

Someone close to me works for another team's FO, and he said they've been trying to pry Kulich from us for a long time. Shows why. I'm glad they didn't!

 

I missed this one, but I hope Kulich makes the team, and hope he plays tonight because I can't watch the Monday one.

I would imagine similar offers are coming in for Östlund. Completely different type of players but both have extremely high ceiling. I am not convinced Kulich will be a center in the NHL, but Östlund most definitely will be.
 

[Jorcus]

The thing I like about Kulich's game is his ability to get a shot off while under duress. I noticed that about him last year and he got a few off last night. He is the most sure thing we have as a functional NHL forward right now in the prospect pool. What kind of NHL player he becomes I am not sure. What an AHL player must do to make it to the NHL is play sound defense. I don't think I would assume he would not play on the 4th line to start his NHL journey but He could end up anywhere in the lineup depending on circumstances.

Edited Saturday at 03:51 PM by Jorcus

[Thorny]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Kevyn Adams has repeatedly said that Ruff and him wanted to remake the bottom 6 and they feel they did that. Sabres marketing has all talked about remaking and given a fixed identity to the bottom 6. Lafferty talked about playing bottom 6 center. 

So, yea we kinda know. Kulich isn't going to be 4th line center. Would be a waste for him When his game is best suited at minimum to the top 3 lines. When the inevitable injury happens, I think we see Kulich in Buffalo. 

No, we don’t know. Ask 10 to post what the bottom 6 configuration is. Are all the answers going to be identical? Who’s is correct? Just yours? 

We don’t know, at all, that 4C would be a “waste” for Kulich, when we don’t know who he’d ultimately line up with and how the line might be used 

I’m not saying Kulich WILL be at 4C, I’m just not sure how well “he isn’t going to be there, move along” serves any discussion or conversation 

Edited Saturday at 03:56 PM by Thorny

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, DarthEbriate said:

I think we'll see a checking line, but Ruff often has his "parts" line. A faceoff, PK, or PP specialist. Or a kid. Kotalik was a staple on the 4th line, often with Gaustad. And then mix-and-match as the game dictates (Gaustad, Drury on the ice late to protect the lead). Afinogenov-Rasmussen-Ray in 2000-01. And he'd just run a goon squad: Peters-Mair-Kaleta 2008-09.

Here's a 12/21/2022 lineup from Ruff's 112-point Devils -- with an amendment to put an injured Palat back in (and Zetterlund/Holtz as the 4W, based on TOI).

90 Tomas Tatar - 13 Nico Hischier - Palat *   (for Zetterlund)

56 Erik Haula - 86 Jack Hughes - 63 Jesper Bratt

44 Miles Wood - 20 Michael McLeod - 70 Jesper Boqvist

17 Yegor Sharangovich - 91 Dawson Mercer - 49 Fabian Zetterlund/ 10 Alexander Holtz

Top 6. Checking line (what we'd call 4th). And then a kid line. And Mercer was on PP and PK lines that season, so his TOI ran 4 minutes higher than the others in the bottom 6.

 

No one is gifting Kulich a space in the Sabres lineup, but Ruff could easily see him as a 4th-line PP2 guy with his VO-level shot.

Exactly 

[dudacek]

The thing about Kulich is not the finish. Kid has a fantastic shot and can find the space to deliver. That’s a given.

Its always been about the rest of the game. 

His strength and doggedness on the puck last night was not something we’ve seen from him on a daily basis.

And the question remains: he can do it against Charlie Elick at the Harbour Centre, but can he do it in the AHL playoffs against the Syracuse Crunch, or during the NHL stretch drive in Boston with Charlie McAvoy in his face?

I like that the organization is really focused on telling him “good” is not enough to get you to Buffalo, you need to dominate.

(PS, Vinnie Prospal is a press conference all-star. Love listening to that guy)

Edited Saturday at 04:25 PM by dudacek

[phil_soisson]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

The thing about Kulich is not the finish. Kid has a fantastic shot and can find the space to deliver. That’s a given.

Its always been about the rest of the game. 

His strength and doggedness on the puck last night was not something we’ve seen from him on a daily basis.

And the question remains: he can do it against Charlie Elick at the Harbour Centre, but can he do it in the AHL playoffs against the Syracuse Crunch, or during the NHL stretch drive in Boston with Charlie McAvoy in his face?

I like that the organization is really focused on telling him “good” is not enough to get you to Buffalo, you need to dominate.

(PS, Vinnie Prospal is a press conference all-star. Love listening to that guy)

Vinnie Prospal after practice: "Marty I liked, 'cause Marty's a great guy. Marty!... Hey!"