Buffalo Sabres and NHL: 2019/20: Sabres season officially over. Draft lottery June 26th

[JoeF]

Just now, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

...sure sounds reasonable....despite other issues and refocusing, Robyn fared better with the Isles......surprised that they let him walk and he signed a one year deal with Chicago.......

Our partial seasons in Carolina are right behind the goal where the Sabres shoot twice ...but the one period where the Sabres goalie has been in front of us was pretty educational.  A relatively smallish rookie #1 draft choice was the guy most willing to mix it up last year.  6'3" Zach Bogosian was less than impressive.....

[K-9]

32 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

I’ll take it!

 

 

Yep. Solid signing that can play LW or C. Another Swede in the stable. 

No wonder why Risto wants out. 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

6 minutes ago, JoeF said:

Our partial seasons in Carolina are right behind the goal where the Sabres shoot twice ...but the one period where the Sabres goalie has been in front of us was pretty educational.  A relatively smallish rookie #1 draft choice was the guy most willing to mix it up last year.  6'3" Zach Bogosian was less than impressive.....

.....thank you for sharing....interesting...........didn't they just draft some 6'6" goalie?...sound more like a Verizon cell tower............

Edited July 6, 2019 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[JoeF]

1 minute ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

.....thank you for sharing....interesting.......

One more important aspect is that our puck handling in our own zone is also less than impressive.  Just lots of minor things that make the difference between an undisciplined lower tier team and a playoff team. I really do believe the Sabres have the talent to be a playoff team. They just don’t take care of business.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

8 minutes ago, JoeF said:

Our partial seasons in Carolina...

Oh no!  Another Buffalo - North Carolina ‘connection’!  ?

*

?

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

1 minute ago, JoeF said:

One more important aspect is that our puck handling in our own zone is also less than impressive.  Just lots of minor things that make the difference between an undisciplined lower tier team and a playoff team. I really do believe the Sabres have the talent to be a playoff team. They just don’t take care of business.

....and I thought Housley could fix that.......woefully wrong.....thought he had earned his stripes with Preds and Team USA with a proud career in Bflo...we'll never know if Pegs was influenced by Phil's Sabres lore as he was with LaFontaine who flew the coop with the Miller trade....

[plenzmd1]

2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

I’ll take it!

 

 

 Very nice signing,, right AAV  and right term 

1 hour ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

...sure sounds reasonable....despite other issues and refocusing, Robyn fared better with the Isles......surprised that they let him walk and he signed a one year deal with Chicago.......

Faced least amount of shots per 60 and least amount of dangerous chances in the NHL. I believe., but that’s going off memory. Not saying he did not have a good year, but I am sure the belief is plug any halfway decent goalie in the net and they will be okay. 

[BillsFan4]

1 hour ago, JoeF said:

One more important aspect is that our puck handling in our own zone is also less than impressive.  Just lots of minor things that make the difference between an undisciplined lower tier team and a playoff team. I really do believe the Sabres have the talent to be a playoff team. They just don’t take care of business.

 

2 hours ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

...what is your current assessment of goalie situation?......

 

Agree on the sloppy play in our own zone, in general. Lots of dumb mistakes.

and on on clearing the front of the net. 

 

I think another things that been a HUGE factor are the systems (or lack there of), as well as being terrible at limiting high danger scoring chances. 

 

Nolan pretty much had no discernible system. 

 

Bylsma’s system relied on long stretch passes by our defenseman and we had none capable of doing it (plus, teams have really learned how to counter it in recent years).

 

and housley played a man on man coverage system that was awful. All the puck carrier had to do is circle the o zone and the Sabres players would either lose their man or cover the wrong guy. It constantly led to guys standing wide open in front of the net. 

 

 

 

There has been WAY too much chaos in our own zone these last # of years. Goalies need to know what their guys (especially the defenseman) are going to do so they can play the right angles and know when to be aggressive and when to be more conservative. But since the Sabres has little to no structure, it left the goalies guessing way too much. 

 

 

If theres one thing krueger has shown, its that he can install a good defensive structure. 

 

 

 

Also, I really question Andrew Allen (our ex-goalie coach). The longer he worked with our goalies, the worse they seemed to get.

3 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

 Very nice signing,, right AAV  and right term 

Faced least amount of shots per 60 and least amount of dangerous chances in the NHL. I believe., but that’s going off memory. Not saying he did not have a good year, but I am sure the belief is plug any halfway decent goalie in the net and they will be okay. 

His goalie partner (a career backup) also put up pretty much the same numbers as Lehner.

 

IMO Barry Trotz’s system had a huge impact on the NYI goaltending.

 

Having Mitch Korn as your goalie coach also helps. He’s a legend. 

 

 

Lehner had a great year, don’t get me wrong.

But Ill be curious to see how he does in Chicago. They are not nearly as structured as they once were. Jeremy Colliton has them playing a much more open game than Q did. 

Edited July 6, 2019 by BillsFan4

[K-9]

13 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

 Very nice signing,, right AAV  and right term 

Faced least amount of shots per 60 and least amount of dangerous chances in the NHL. I believe., but that’s going off memory. Not saying he did not have a good year, but I am sure the belief is plug any halfway decent goalie in the net and they will be okay. 

Let’s see how that classless A hole likes playing behind that Chicago D and their second most goals against. I hope he gets peppered to the point of shell shock. 

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

I’ll take it!

 

 

The three signings this offseason are all solid players who are two way responsible players. I wouldn't be surprised if we sign another player or two from teams that are cap stressed. It's not about the glitz and flash as it is about playing a harder and more physical game. This offseason is about changing from being soft and loose to playing a harder and tighter game. I like how the GM is handling the offseason. He isn't pulling a Murray and forcing things. He's waiting for opportunities and then seizing on them. 

[BillsFan4]

 

this is the tweet Zadorov sent out after signing his new 1 year deal with the Avalanche. 

 

Pretty sure that’s from the game where Zadorov got away with this hit to Eichel’s head and Eichel retaliated and got suspended 2 games. 

 

 

[BillsFan4]

 

 

 

[K-9]

10 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

 

 

As I was watching this, I think I felt it move.

17 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

this is the tweet Zadorov sent out after signing his new 1 year deal with the Avalanche. 

 

Pretty sure that’s from the game where Zadorov got away with this hit to Eichel’s head and Eichel retaliated and got suspended 2 games. 

 

 

Yep, that's the one. And if you look at the sleeve of the Sabres player in the background, you'll know that's Casey "The Pusillanimous Wonder" Nelson watching the whole thing happen. 

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, K-9 said:

As I was watching this, I think I felt it move.

Yep, that's the one. And if you look at the sleeve of the Sabres player in the background, you'll know that's Casey "The Pusillanimous Wonder" Nelson watching the whole thing happen. 

Casey Nelson claims that he was screened from the play and didn't witness the hit. The coached talked to him about the play and sat him out the next game. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  The Sabres were well known within the league as a soft team that could be taken advantaged of. And they were. It's not surprising that the three acquisitions this offseason are known for their gritty play. Obviously, the team softness is being addressed. 

 

http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-casey-nelson-bothered-by-response-to-hit-on-jack-eichel/

[K-9]

17 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Casey Nelson claims that he was screened from the play and didn't witness the hit. The coached talked to him about the play and sat him out the next game. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  The Sabres were well known within the league as a soft team that could be taken advantaged of. And they were. It's not surprising that the three acquisitions this offseason are known for their gritty play. Obviously, the team softness is being addressed. 

 

http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-casey-nelson-bothered-by-response-to-hit-on-jack-eichel/

Let’s hope that’s the case. We let Skinner get run by Yandle last season without a response as well. Teams simply can’t be allowed to take liberties with your star players. Nothing divides a locker room faster, too. 

[Cripple Creek]

5 hours ago, JohnC said:

The three signings this offseason are all solid players who are two way responsible players. I wouldn't be surprised if we sign another player or two from teams that are cap stressed. It's not about the glitz and flash as it is about playing a harder and more physical game. This offseason is about changing from being soft and loose to playing a harder and tighter game. I like how the GM is handling the offseason. He isn't pulling a Murray and forcing things. He's waiting for opportunities and then seizing on them. 

 

5 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

this is the tweet Zadorov sent out after signing his new 1 year deal with the Avalanche. 

 

Pretty sure that’s from the game where Zadorov got away with this hit to Eichel’s head and Eichel retaliated and got suspended 2 games. 

 

 

"Funny" to see these two posted back to back.  Hopefully @JohnC is correct and the team is harder and more physical.  If that were the case last season then Zadorov's hit might not have ever happened & if if did Eichel wouldn't have been the one to retaliate. 

[JohnC]

25 minutes ago, Cripple Creek said:

 

"Funny" to see these two posted back to back.  Hopefully @JohnC is correct and the team is harder and more physical.  If that were the case last season then Zadorov's hit might not have ever happened & if if did Eichel wouldn't have been the one to retaliate. 

A Zadorov type hit periodically happens. That's part of the game. The issue is how do you respond to that type of thuggery. The only player that I recall consistently standing up for his teammates was Bogosian. In my eyes the makeup of the team was the real problem associated with their soft style of play.  As you also noted the players added to the roster are tougher and more physical. Getting the right mix of players should address the issue of our players being able to better handle themselves when the game gets physical, as it inevitably does. 

Edited July 7, 2019 by JohnC
addition

[Beast]

The Sabres soft style of play led to the mess we are in now.

 

Remember Lucic running Miller? That was the start of the tank years that we still haven’t found our way out of.

 

 

[plenzmd1]

11 hours ago, JohnC said:

A Zadorov type hit periodically happens. That's part of the game. The issue is how do you respond to that type of thuggery. The only player that I recall consistently standing up for his teammates was Bogosian. In my eyes the makeup of the team was the real problem associated with their soft style of play.  As you also noted the players added to the roster are tougher and more physical. Getting the right mix of players should address the issue of our players being able to better handle themselves when the game gets physical, as it inevitably does. 

Sam stood for Eichel on this one, and Housley sat Nelson for a game( maybe 2) for not responding to something he didn’t see.... and Nelson’s game pooped the bed the rest of the season.  

 

We may look look back at Housley and put him on the Mount Rushmore of Worst Coaches in Buffalo Sports history. Two consecutive last place finishes with teams designed to win, drove ROR out of town, possible ruined the confidence of two promising d-men in Pilut and Nelson, started Sabotka in OTs instead of Skinner, have Sabotka, possible the worst player in the NHL  last season , get top 4 minutes. 

 

Might start on thread on this Lol

[Cripple Creek]

11 hours ago, JohnC said:

A Zadorov type hit periodically happens. That's part of the game. The issue is how do you respond to that type of thuggery. The only player that I recall consistently standing up for his teammates was Bogosian. In my eyes the makeup of the team was the real problem associated with their soft style of play.  As you also noted the players added to the roster are tougher and more physical. Getting the right mix of players should address the issue of our players being able to better handle themselves when the game gets physical, as it inevitably does. 

Of course it periodically happens, it's hockey.

[K-9]

56 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

Sam stood for Eichel on this one, and Housley sat Nelson for a game( maybe 2) for not responding to something he didn’t see.... and Nelson’s game pooped the bed the rest of the season.  

 

We may look look back at Housley and put him on the Mount Rushmore of Worst Coaches in Buffalo Sports history. Two consecutive last place finishes with teams designed to win, drove ROR out of town, possible ruined the confidence of two promising d-men in Pilut and Nelson, started Sabotka in OTs instead of Skinner, have Sabotka, possible the worst player in the NHL  last season , get top 4 minutes. 

 

Might start on thread on this Lol

I’m already looking back at Housley as one of the worst coaches in Buffalo history. He has nudged past Hank “took the sails out of our wind” Bullough as I type this and is gaining on John Rauch. 

 

I’d like to believe that Nelson didn’t see what happened to Eichel on the Zadorov hit, but I don’t. 

Edited July 7, 2019 by K-9

[JohnC]

57 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

Sam stood for Eichel on this one, and Housley sat Nelson for a game( maybe 2) for not responding to something he didn’t see.... and Nelson’s game pooped the bed the rest of the season.  

 

We may look look back at Housley and put him on the Mount Rushmore of Worst Coaches in Buffalo Sports history. Two consecutive last place finishes with teams designed to win, drove ROR out of town, possible ruined the confidence of two promising d-men in Pilut and Nelson, started Sabotka in OTs instead of Skinner, have Sabotka, possible the worst player in the NHL  last season , get top 4 minutes. 

 

Might start on thread on this Lol

If you really believe that the team that was assembled last year was designed to win then I highly recommend a thorough eye examination. The team that the GM put together was precariously thin with only a few prime players. ROR was traded and the exchange was Sabotka, Berglund and Thompson. You take away one of the best two way players in the league, a second line center that we are now desperately trying to replace, and replace him with a bag of stale donuts what do you expect is going to happen on the ice? You want to mock Sabotka, go ahead. He was garbage as was Berglund. Their invisible performances weren't due to a coaching problem--- they were due to a talent problem. That's on the GM. When you give away one of your best players for a bag of dry manure the outcome is not too difficult to predict. 

 

Housley was far from being a good coach. But as I have repeatedly said the team's main deficiency revolved around its lack of talent. The solution is about getting better players and developing your young players. Your are wasting your time chasing the coaching bogeyman.

 

(The notion that the coach chased ROR away is utterly ludicrous. ROR recognized that the team he was on was not good and wasn't going to be good for the foreseeable future. He wanted out. The GM should not have dealt him until he got a better exchange in a trade. That was the GM's grotesque miscue-----not the coach's.) 

[BillsFan4]

 

Full Johansson conference call ^

 

 

 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-marcus-johansson-ralph-krueger/c-308206054?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral

“Talks with Krueger helped bring Johansson to Buffalo”

 

Quote

Positive conversations with coach Ralph Krueger and excitement regarding the Sabres' young players were factors that helped bring Marcus Johansson to Buffalo, the forward said during a conference call with the media on Monday....

 

....."I think talking to Ralph and Jason, I like what Buffalo's got going," Johansson said. "Talking to Ralph, he's got some really good ideas on how to play, and it's a really young and exciting team. I'm looking forward to it and once it came down to it, I was really happy I ended up going to Buffalo."

 

[JohnC]

I was listening to Danny Gare on WGR's The Instigator Show. He was asked about Risto and the issue of trading him. He was adamant that the Sabres should keep him. He noted that he has some business ties to the Tampa area and knew that the Lightening organization coveted him. He said he didn't want to see another talented player be dealt like in the ROR deal and thrive somewhere else. He also pointed out that the organization specifically asked every coaching candidate what they would do to make Risto a better player. Gare thought highly of Krueger as a defensive coach and felt that he was capable of getting the big defenseman to play at a high level. 

 

I'm open to the Risto trade or no trade issue. What I am not open to is trading him for less than a big haul such as an established second line center and more. The ROR deal turned out to be a boondoggle and set this franchise back. It can't happen again. 

[Alaska Darin]

12 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I was listening to Danny Gare on WGR's The Instigator Show. He was asked about Risto and the issue of trading him. He was adamant that the Sabres should keep him. He noted that he has some business ties to the Tampa area and knew that the Lightening organization coveted him. He said he didn't want to see another talented player be dealt like in the ROR deal and thrive somewhere else. He also pointed out that the organization specifically asked every coaching candidate what they would do to make Risto a better player. Gare thought highly of Krueger as a defensive coach and felt that he was capable of getting the big defenseman to play at a high level. 

 

I'm open to the Risto trade or no trade issue. What I am not open to is trading him for less than a big haul such as an established second line center and more. The ROR deal turned out to be a boondoggle and set this franchise back. It can't happen again. 

I agree with Gare, though I'll say that there is only ONE player in the current roster that I wouldn't consider trading (Dahlin) at this time.  Obviously the haul for someone like Eichel would have to be insane (think 2 top eschelon players entering their prime, 2 mid-production players, and a first or two just to start the conversation) but I'd still be listening if anyone was offering.

 

 

[JohnC]

23 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

I agree with Gare, though I'll say that there is only ONE player in the current roster that I wouldn't consider trading (Dahlin) at this time.  Obviously the haul for someone like Eichel would have to be insane (think 2 top eschelon players entering their prime, 2 mid-production players, and a first or two just to start the conversation) but I'd still be listening if anyone was offering.

 

 

I think that with a coach such as Krueger he is more open to working with a player to accentuate what the player does well and recognizes the player's weaknesses and avoid putting him in those problematic situations. The criticism I have of Housley is that he didn't adjust his system even when his players struggled with it. Sometimes players can be hardheaded and sometimes a coach can be hardheaded to the detriment of the team.

 

Because of the team's history of recent struggles the Sabres have drafted near the top of the board. Reinhart, Eichel, Dahlin, Mittelstadt and  Risto were highly drafted. Nylander was a high draft but there is still a question of how good will he be. The Sabres are establishing a core. The trade for Skinner added to the core. Now its up to the GM to bring in support players and put this team in a situation to compete at a high level. I don't believe that we are that far away. 

Edited July 8, 2019 by JohnC
additions

[snafu]

On 7/7/2019 at 9:19 AM, JohnC said:

That's on the GM. When you give away one of your best players for a bag of dry manure the outcome is not too difficult to predict. 

 

Dry manure just needs a little water to make it useful again. Can’t say the same for Berglund or Sobotka. 

[JohnC]

46 minutes ago, snafu said:

 

Dry manure just needs a little water to make it useful again. Can’t say the same for Berglund or Sobotka. 

The more time that goes by the more idiotic that deal was. That was a damaging deal. ROR was an asset that was dealt for pennies on the dollar. If the GM at that time couldn't get an equitable return but still was determined to deal him then he should have just hung on to him until he could later get a reasonable deal. 

[Buffalophil1948]

Just a far out impression just because I don't see that many games. ROR never played as hard as he did this year when he was with the Sabres. 

[K-9]

8 hours ago, Buffalophil1948 said:

Just a far out impression just because I don't see that many games. ROR never played as hard as he did this year when he was with the Sabres. 

I never had a problem with ROR's effort on a game to game basis when he was here but I give Berube all the credit in the world for finding a way to reach him to get that something extra out of him. O'Reilly was the same miserable, sulking post game baby he was here while the Blues were finding their way to last in the league in January, but he was a different player after Berube was named coach. Helped to have Binnington come in and play like an All World goalie at the time, too. 

[ALF]

The Sabres sure are thin at RW , unless some Amerks are ready to move up.

[JohnC]

The below attached link is a WGR interview with Brian Duff who covers the Sabres. He offers his view that Mittelstadt is going to be a linchpin player who will determine how the lines will be assembled. One of his suggestions is putting him on an upgraded second line with players who will put him in a better position to handle the second center role. He proposed a Winnipeg deal that included Risto to get players who would upgrade our second line for Mitts. This is a 15 minute segment.  

 

As I stated in prior posts I'm not willing to trade Risto unless the return is significant. No more ROR catastrophic deals!

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/07-09-brian-duff-howard-and-nate

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

17 hours ago, JohnC said:

I was listening to Danny Gare on WGR's The Instigator Show. He was asked about Risto and the issue of trading him. He was adamant that the Sabres should keep him. He noted that he has some business ties to the Tampa area and knew that the Lightening organization coveted him.

I thought the Ten Commandments said you shouldn’t do that...

*

On an unrelated note, anyone going to Tim Rigas’ ‘get out of jail’ party?  Maybe he’s got some ideas for the Pegulas.

[BillsFan4]

 

 

 

 

Now we know why Risto spends so much time flipping tires (strength training) in the offseason. lol

Edited July 9, 2019 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

5 hours ago, JohnC said:

The below attached link is a WGR interview with Brian Duff who covers the Sabres. He offers his view that Mittelstadt is going to be a linchpin player who will determine how the lines will be assembled. One of his suggestions is putting him on an upgraded second line with players who will put him in a better position to handle the second center role. He proposed a Winnipeg deal that included Risto to get players who would upgrade our second line for Mitts. This is a 15 minute segment.  

 

As I stated in prior posts I'm not willing to trade Risto unless the return is significant. No more ROR catastrophic deals!

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/07-09-brian-duff-howard-and-nate

 

Im guessing Duff maybe mentioned Ehlers? 

 

If so, that would be a pretty good get for Risto. Ehlers is only 23 and in his 1st 4 seasons in the league has put up 15, 25, 29 & 21 (in 62gp) goal seasons, and IMO there’s still a lot of room for growth there. He’s a winger which isn’t ideal, but he is still a guy that drives the play for his line. He’s also signed for 6 more seasons at a nice $6M cap hit. 

 

But Winnipeg needs more bargain long term deals like that, so I’m not sure if they’d even trade him. 

 

A Risto to Winnipeg trade does make sense for Winnipeg though. Thy need top 4 RHD pretty badly. But we would need a big piece coming back. Someone like Jack Roslovic isn’t getting it done as a main piece (not for me, anyway). It would have to be someone like Ehlers. 

 

 

Also, Ehlers dad dad was a coach in Switzerland. I Wonder if he and Krueger know each other? 

 

 

BTW I’m with you on not trading Risto unless it’s the right return for buffalo. I said something pretty similar to what Gare said a week or two ago here. 

Edited July 9, 2019 by BillsFan4

[shrader]

Is Chris Ostrander the guy from American Pie?

[JohnC]

11 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

 

 

 

Now we know why Risto spends so much time flipping tires (strength training) in the offseason. lol

The more I listen to opinions about Risto from those in the business the more inclined I am to keeping him. The Sabres were a low rung team last year with a lot of deficiencies. Not all of them are going to be addressed in one offseason. The hope or the gamble is that Mittelstadt and Johanssom can fill that role, at least in the near term. If the Sabres depart with Risto to address the center position then another hole is created with his departure. Right now my feeling is when in doubt keep the Paul Bunyan defenseman and hope that the temporary fix will be sufficient. It also has to be remembered that in the not too distant future Dylan Cozens should be ready to compete with Mittelstadt for one of the center spots. 

[plenzmd1]

Must acquire all the DMen on earth!!

 

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by plenzmd1

[K-9]

7 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

Must acquire all the DMen on earth!!

 

 

Head scratcher. Unless Pilut and Bogo are gonna be out longer than expected, Risto is getting moved, we need more depth in Rochester, or any combination thereof. 

[plenzmd1]

7 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Head scratcher. Unless Pilut and Bogo are gonna be out longer than expected, Risto is getting moved, we need more depth in Rochester, or any combination thereof. 

This is from the Hawks beat writer for the Athletic  just this morning on rumors on this trade

 

Quote

Me? I’d sure as hell rule it out. I saw enough out of Jokiharju last season to know he’s a legitimate top-four defenseman in the NHL right now, and a future top-pairing guy — which the Blackhawks desperately need in the present and the future. He has the skills, the smarts, the savvy and the self-possession to be a very good player for a very long time. And while the Blackhawks are loaded with promising defensive prospects, only Jokiharju has proven he can actually do it at the NHL level.

https://theathletic.com/1068059/2019/07/09/heylaz-mailbag-what-are-the-blackhawks-doing-with-henri-jokiharju/

 

the comments to this tweet are gold

 

 

another good tweet..have no clue who this dude is though

 

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by plenzmd1