BillsFan4 Posted January 17, 2020 Author Share Posted January 17, 2020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted January 17, 2020 Author Share Posted January 17, 2020 https://sports.yahoo.com/hurricanes-hamilton-suffers-broken-fibula-out-for-extended-period-172325246.html Dougie Hamilton broke a home in his leg last night. What a shame. He was having a Norris caliber season for Carolina. I wonder if they’ll be in the market for another defenseman now? Rumor was they were looking to add to their blue line before the Hamilton injury. Can we interest them in a slightly used Zach Bogosian? ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 26 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: https://sports.yahoo.com/hurricanes-hamilton-suffers-broken-fibula-out-for-extended-period-172325246.html Dougie Hamilton broke a home in his leg last night. What a shame. He was having a Norris caliber season for Carolina. I wonder if they’ll be in the market for another defenseman now? Rumor was they were looking to add to their blue line before the Hamilton injury. Can we interest them in a slightly used Zach Bogosian? ? It's obvious that we have an excess in defensemen resulting in players having to sit out and understandably causing disgruntlement. But I don't see having an excess in a unit as a problem especially when considering that the excess players that many people would like to deal off would give us little in return. In hockey that excess on the unit can quickly vanish with the onslaught of injuries. Are the Sabres a playoff team? I don't know. What I do know is that there is a very good chance that this team will be in the playoff running up to the end of the season. So why deal a player or two on that unit and leave your team vulnerable to a lack of depth when you will not get much in return for them. Although Bogo is a diminished player due to his accumulated injuries he played well against the big and tough Dallas. So if he can contribute why get rid of him now when he will leave next season when his contract runs out? I'm not against trading any player other than the special core known to all. But if a player is still useful in a possible (maybe probable run?) then I would prefer to retain the player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I’ll be at the Sabres game in Nashville tomorrow night with the family. Walk to the Arena from our hotel. Love that city and looking forward to being there. The Predators seem to have a better following (historically and ignoring the Titans playoff run) than the NFL in Nashville. I’ve done several of both, and Pred’s games rock.....but GO SABRES! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowgirlsFan Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 I was in attendance last night. Sabres looked really good. Lots of Bills like chants post game while heading to the train and even on the train. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said: https://sports.yahoo.com/hurricanes-hamilton-suffers-broken-fibula-out-for-extended-period-172325246.html Dougie Hamilton broke a home in his leg last night. What a shame. He was having a Norris caliber season for Carolina. I wonder if they’ll be in the market for another defenseman now? Rumor was they were looking to add to their blue line before the Hamilton injury. Can we interest them in a slightly used Zach Bogosian? ? Hamilton with a broken leg is more mobile than Bogosian. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 4 hours ago, JohnC said: It's obvious that we have an excess in defensemen resulting in players having to sit out and understandably causing disgruntlement. But I don't see having an excess in a unit as a problem especially when considering that the excess players that many people would like to deal off would give us little in return. In hockey that excess on the unit can quickly vanish with the onslaught of injuries. Are the Sabres a playoff team? I don't know. What I do know is that there is a very good chance that this team will be in the playoff running up to the end of the season. So why deal a player or two on that unit and leave your team vulnerable to a lack of depth when you will not get much in return for them. Although Bogo is a diminished player due to his accumulated injuries he played well against the big and tough Dallas. So if he can contribute why get rid of him now when he will leave next season when his contract runs out? I'm not against trading any player other than the special core known to all. But if a player is still useful in a possible (maybe probable run?) then I would prefer to retain the player. I want Bogo gone because he’s disgruntled, because he sucks ans because having 8 defenseman on the NHL roster is causing issues with multiple defenseman. So, if possible I’d like to get rid of our worst and most expensive defenseman. He’s keeping guys like Colin Miller out of the lineup (and I guess Miller’s not too happy either). I get the depth argument which is why I’m not looking to get rid of our good defenseman (unless it’s for a good top 6 F) because we will need that depth next year and beyond. But they don’t need Bogo and (as I already mentioned) having too many defenseman is causing issues. The Sabres have excellent defensive in Rochester to call up (Nelson, Gilmour, Borgen, Hickey, Bryson, Redmond, etc) if needed for a playoff run, and even without Bogo they’d still have to scratch a defenseman most nights. They have 8 defenseman on the roster right now. NHL teams don’t make a habit of carrying 8 defenseman for a reason. Same reason it’s rare to carry 3 goalies (though it does happen on occasion). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 (edited) 11 hours ago, BillsFan4 said: I want Bogo gone because he’s disgruntled, because he sucks ans because having 8 defenseman on the NHL roster is causing issues with multiple defenseman. So, if possible I’d like to get rid of our worst and most expensive defenseman. He’s keeping guys like Colin Miller out of the lineup (and I guess Miller’s not too happy either). I get the depth argument which is why I’m not looking to get rid of our good defenseman (unless it’s for a good top 6 F) because we will need that depth next year and beyond. But they don’t need Bogo and (as I already mentioned) having too many defenseman is causing issues. The Sabres have excellent defensive in Rochester to call up (Nelson, Gilmour, Borgen, Hickey, Bryson, Redmond, etc) if needed for a playoff run, and even without Bogo they’d still have to scratch a defenseman most nights. They have 8 defenseman on the roster right now. NHL teams don’t make a habit of carrying 8 defenseman for a reason. Same reason it’s rare to carry 3 goalies (though it does happen on occasion). How do you get rid of Bogo? Who is going to take him at his salary and performance level? When your GM has a history of not eating contracts then what do you do? As far as the issue of disgruntlement, so what? Rodrigues is also disgruntled. And it has been reported (Dreger et al) that the GM is actively trying to trade him for peanuts. He can't get a penny on a dollar deal because his contract even at the halfway mark of the season is overvalued. Bogo clearly isn't what he was prior to his accumulation of injuries. However, he was good enough for the calculating coach to insert him back into the lineup against a big and rugged team. Why did the coach play Bogo instead of Miller? Because he felt that he would be better in that situation. This is a long and grinding season. In the second-half of it the schedule gets more compressed and punishing. What you now consider an excess in players can quickly turn to a dire shortage. Krueger has been adept at juggling his roster. I have no problem with how he has handled the players he has to work with. As far as the issue of a player being disgruntled over the lack of playing time or how he is being used I'm not bothered by it. It is an inescapable aspect of any team sport where the coaches make decisions on playing time and usage. How did we end up acquiring Frolik? He complained about his limited playing time and how he was used. So he was dealt. The difference between the Frolik and Bogo situation is that there was a trading partner for Frolik and so far one hasn't been found for Bogo, Edited January 18, 2020 by JohnC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 The attached link is a Paul Hamilton WGR column on the Dad trip. It focuses on Jack and Reinhart's fathers. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-fathers-enjoying-their-time-with-their-sons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 4 hours ago, JohnC said: How do you get rid of Bogo? Who is going to take him at his salary and performance level? When your GM has a history of not eating contracts then what do you do? As far as the issue of disgruntlement, so what? Rodrigues is also disgruntled. And it has been reported (Dreger et al) that the GM is actively trying to trade him for peanuts. He can't get a penny on a dollar deal because his contract even at the halfway mark of the season is overvalued. Bogo clearly isn't what he was prior to his accumulation of injuries. However, he was good enough for the calculating coach to insert him back into the lineup against a big and rugged team. Why did the coach play Bogo instead of Miller? Because he felt that he would be better in that situation. This is a long and grinding season. In the second-half of it the schedule gets more compressed and punishing. What you now consider an excess in players can quickly turn to a dire shortage. Krueger has been adept at juggling his roster. I have no problem with how he has handled the players he has to work with. As far as the issue of a player being disgruntled over the lack of playing time or how he is being used I'm not bothered by it. It is an inescapable aspect of any team sport where the coaches make decisions on playing time and usage. How did we end up acquiring Frolik? He complained about his limited playing time and how he was used. So he was dealt. The difference between the Frolik and Bogo situation is that there was a trading partner for Frolik and so far one hasn't been found for Bogo, Thats the real issue right there. I am not at all worried about how Bogosian factors in to defensive depth. As I said we have plenty without him. I don’t know if you can actually move that contract though (Bogosian’s agent is reportedly working hard behind the scenes to find a trade partner). But if you can move it, then you absolutely do it, as long as you’re not taking back worse contract. If you can flip Bogo (even with 50% retained) for a 7th or something, I’d definitely do it. Or for a forward with a similar expiring contract. I’m obviously not willing to take drastic measures to move Bogo. But if you can actually move him in a Frolik style trade, or even for a bag of pucks, I wouldn’t think twice. I would do it in a heart beat. It would solve a bunch of problems if they could actually move Bogosian. (Btw, I was just joking around in the post that started this conversation. That’s why I put “slightly used” in italics. I doubt anyone actually wants Bogosian). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 21 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: Thats the real issue right there. I am not at all worried about how Bogosian factors in to defensive depth. As I said we have plenty without him. I don’t know if you can actually move that contract though (Bogosian’s agent is reportedly working hard behind the scenes to find a trade partner). But if you can move it, then you absolutely do it, as long as you’re not taking back worse contract. If you can flip Bogo (even with 50% retained) for a 7th or something, I’d definitely do it. Or for a forward with a similar expiring contract. I’m obviously not willing to take drastic measures to move Bogo. But if you can actually move him in a Frolik style trade, or even for a bag of pucks, I wouldn’t think twice. I would do it in a heart beat. It would solve a bunch of problems if they could actually move Bogosian. (Btw, I was just joking around in the post that started this conversation. That’s why I put “slightly used” in italics. I doubt anyone actually wants Bogosian). Bogo is aggressively being shopped by the GM. The player's rep and the organization are both working to accommodate his trade request. Nothing has gotten done. From what I have heard about our GM he is not willing to eat any portion of traded players/contracts. I'm not sure that he is willing to go against his rigid history on that issue. With respect to he highlighted area that's the point! If you have a chip that apparently no one wants then you have a chip that no one wants. You then have no choice but to bide your time hoping that the situation will change and the log jam will be broken. On this issue of having excess players on a unit I'm not bothered by it as some are . It will work itself out one way or the other. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 19 hours ago, BillsFan4 said: I want Bogo gone because he’s disgruntled, because he sucks ans because having 8 defenseman on the NHL roster is causing issues with multiple defenseman. So, if possible I’d like to get rid of our worst and most expensive defenseman. He’s keeping guys like Colin Miller out of the lineup (and I guess Miller’s not too happy either). I get the depth argument which is why I’m not looking to get rid of our good defenseman (unless it’s for a good top 6 F) because we will need that depth next year and beyond. But they don’t need Bogo and (as I already mentioned) having too many defenseman is causing issues. The Sabres have excellent defensive in Rochester to call up (Nelson, Gilmour, Borgen, Hickey, Bryson, Redmond, etc) if needed for a playoff run, and even without Bogo they’d still have to scratch a defenseman most nights. They have 8 defenseman on the roster right now. NHL teams don’t make a habit of carrying 8 defenseman for a reason. Same reason it’s rare to carry 3 goalies (though it does happen on occasion). Actually, though teams traditionally have chosen to keep 14F and 7D on their roster, a lot of teams have been switching to 13/8 because it makes it a lot more sense to run 8 D in practice (having a pair running through drills and another ready to run at each end and only having to roll 1 spare F through the lines) than to only have 7 and either mix & match pairs w/ 2 Fs to roll through the 4 lines or slide a F back onto a pairing. It is unusual though to have the 7 & 8 NHL caliber D men in/ close to their prime rather than guys that are either tweeners or long in the tooth on the back side of their career. (Yeah, Bogo kind of fits that latter description but he is still on his 1st non-ELC/bridge contract.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 The below link is Krueger's post-game response after yesterday's game. It's disappointing that the Sabres lost but you can't criticize the effort. Although the Predators have been underachieving they are a more talented team. Both teams seemed to play with desperation and both teams had exceptional goaltending. Hopefully, we will get Skinner and Olofsson back for the last stage of the season. To be candid I don't see the Sabres making the playoffs but I do see them in the running up to the end. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/1-18-ralph-krueger-post-game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 On January 17, 2020 at 6:19 PM, JohnC said: It's obvious that we have an excess in defensemen resulting in players having to sit out and understandably causing disgruntlement. But I don't see having an excess in a unit as a problem especially when considering that the excess players that many people would like to deal off would give us little in return. In hockey that excess on the unit can quickly vanish with the onslaught of injuries. Are the Sabres a playoff team? I don't know. What I do know is that there is a very good chance that this team will be in the playoff running up to the end of the season. Dude do a little math. Although they can play well in brief stretches, the playoff ship has sailed already. They will not be in the playoff running until the end of the season any more than the Detroit Lions were. How many teams would they have to pass to get to 8? They are way, way, out of it. Saying that they can contend until the end, given the numbers, explains the spin you put on other aspects of the team's status. You should just wait the sevens years for Cozens and the goalie with all the k's and hope every viable free agent is signed via text from the 4th green because that is the best that'll happen with Botts. The coaching, effort level in many games....not all, and development of some of the guys are the positives this year, and they are big and important. That is offset by the grind against the backdrop of substandard talent assembled and tolerated by a GM that is in way over his head. Those two factors are opposed. If the former wins out we can be good soon. Unfortunately that is probably not 20-21 without miracles because the GM has been asleep at the switch and we need about 6 new impact guys....too many to be realistic in one offseason. If it is the latter, it will get very ugly within two years and make the tank look like the good old days. From everything I've seen Krueger is the right guy for a turnaround and beyond, but he can't work miracles and paint the Sistine Chapel when Botts keeps giving him .99 c styrofoam brushes and low end paint. We are likely in a period similar to the McDermott/Whaley era. Hopefully Krueger knows someone like Beane. And yes I realize Whaley and Botts are different. Whaley overpaid some actual talents like Dareus who underachieved and held us back whereas Botts thinks Vesey and Sheary and Thompson and Hutton and others are sufficient talent. It's the same end result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 1 hour ago, JohnC said: The below link is Krueger's post-game response after yesterday's game. It's disappointing that the Sabres lost but you can't criticize the effort. Although the Predators have been underachieving they are a more talented team. Both teams seemed to play with desperation and both teams had exceptional goaltending. Hopefully, we will get Skinner and Olofsson back for the last stage of the season. To be candid I don't see the Sabres making the playoffs but I do see them in the running up to the end. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/1-18-ralph-krueger-post-game By my count, they were outshot 11-0 in the last 12 minutes of the game. I can critique that effort. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, 4merper4mer said: From everything I've seen Krueger is the right guy for a turnaround and beyond, but he can't work miracles and paint the Sistine Chapel when Botts keeps giving him .99 c styrofoam brushes and low end paint. Maybe he can make the Last Supper from dryer lint? Edited January 19, 2020 by snafu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 3 hours ago, GG said: By my count, they were outshot 11-0 in the last 12 minutes of the game. I can critique that effort. You can critique whatever you want to. Overall, both teams played hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmotionallyUnstable Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Another year, same result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 33 minutes ago, EmotionallyUnstable said: Another year, same result. Just wait for Cozens to mature in three years. Then we'll only need five more players to secure the 8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 14 hours ago, GG said: By my count, they were outshot 11-0 in the last 12 minutes of the game. I can critique that effort. I turned it on just in time to see the last 7 minutes or so. I really wish I didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 WGR's Paul Hamilton reports the players will be sent to Rochester during the all-star break. Pilut will probably be the player who will return to the big club when the league returns to play. He also indicates that Skinner should soon be ready after the Sabres resume their schedule. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/the-sabres-send-three-to-rochester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Well, here we are again. Starting in the 2015/2016 season in Bylsma’s first year and continuing through Housley’s tenure, this team went into their bye week well within striking distance of a playoff spot and needing to come out of the break making noise, only to fold like the proverbial cheap tent; the task simply being too big for their fragile psyches. Which way will this team, under Krueger, decide to go this season? 9 of their next 10 at home, including five in a row upon returning to action. If there was EVER a time when the hockey gods provided an opportunity to make a move, this is it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 13 hours ago, bbb said: I turned it on just in time to see the last 7 minutes or so. I really wish I didn't. They actually played a pretty damn good game outside the first 7(ish) minutes and the last 7(ish) minutes. Nashville came out strong, but then Buffalo pushed back. It went back and forth. 1-0 Sabres. 1-1 preds. Then that killer PP goal with 6:30 remaining in the 3rd. Buffalo was struggling leading up to that Nashville PP and just never seemed to recover. 1 hour ago, K-9 said: Well, here we are again. Starting in the 2015/2016 season in Bylsma’s first year and continuing through Housley’s tenure, this team went into their bye week well within striking distance of a playoff spot and needing to come out of the break making noise, only to fold like the proverbial cheap tent; the task simply being too big for their fragile psyches. Which way will this team, under Krueger, decide to go this season? 9 of their next 10 at home, including five in a row upon returning to action. If there was EVER a time when the hockey gods provided an opportunity to make a move, this is it. Yeah I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do after the all star break, especially if they get Skinner back right after the break and hopefully Olofsson back in early Feb (if not sooner!). They definitely have the opportunity to stay in the playoff race. I still don’t expect them to make it, but if they can even stay in the race till the end I’ll consider it a pretty nice step forward for this team. As you said they usually fold like a cheap tent (and we have many of the same players as last year so I don’t know how high I should have my hopes). I’m going to a couple home games coming up after the break. I hope I don’t regret it... lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 2 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: They actually played a pretty damn good game outside the first 7(ish) minutes and the last 7(ish) minutes. Nashville came out strong, but then Buffalo pushed back. It went back and forth. 1-0 Sabres. 1-1 preds. Then that killer PP goal with 6:30 remaining in the 3rd. Buffalo was struggling leading up to that Nashville PP and just never seemed to recover. Yeah I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do after the all star break, especially if they get Skinner back right after the break and hopefully Olofsson back in early Feb (if not sooner!). They definitely have the opportunity to stay in the playoff race. I still don’t expect them to make it, but if they can even stay in the race till the end I’ll consider it a pretty nice step forward for this team. As you said they usually fold like a cheap tent (and we have many of the same players as last year so I don’t know how high I should have my hopes). I’m going to a couple home games coming up after the break. I hope I don’t regret it... lol “High” and “hopes” in the same sentence regarding the Sabres chance. I admire your optimism. In my case, I’d have to be high to have hopes at all. Nope. My expectations are lowered to the point of needing an electron microscope just to detect them. I expect absolutely nothing from this group. Anything above nothing is gravy. I only watch to see Eichel, Dahlin, and our other young prospects to see how they’re developing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 12 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: They actually played a pretty damn good game outside the first 7(ish) minutes and the last 7(ish) minutes. Nashville came out strong, but then Buffalo pushed back. It went back and forth. 1-0 Sabres. 1-1 preds. Then that killer PP goal with 6:30 remaining in the 3rd. Buffalo was struggling leading up to that Nashville PP and just never seemed to recover. Then 7ish minutes left is exactly when I turned it on. I saw about a minute before the penalty was called, and I kept trying to count Sabres because I thought Nashville must be on the power play and there was a glitch in the scoreboard type thing up top not saying it............Then, the PP, then the goal, and then not a friggin shot on net. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 2 hours ago, K-9 said: Well, here we are again. Starting in the 2015/2016 season in Bylsma’s first year and continuing through Housley’s tenure, this team went into their bye week well within striking distance of a playoff spot and needing to come out of the break making noise, only to fold like the proverbial cheap tent; the task simply being too big for their fragile psyches. Which way will this team, under Krueger, decide to go this season? 9 of their next 10 at home, including five in a row upon returning to action. If there was EVER a time when the hockey gods provided an opportunity to make a move, this is it. The schedule is set up for them to have ~3-1/2 weeks of really strong results, 3 weeks of poor results, and then finish w/ ~3 strong weeks down the stretch. But people have expected them to stay in the abyss a couple of times this year after poor play but they've bounced back. (Not as high as they've needed but considering 1/2 of their scoring forwards have been out for a few weeks, their backup has been AHL backup bad, and they have a deficient C-spine better than probably should've been expected.) Doubt they climb into the playoffs but also doubt they have another Bylsma/Housley race to the bottom either. Just watching them to see what Eichel will do next, how Dahlin will continue to grow, see if Reinhart can finish above 70 (pretty sure he can), and how Montour and Jokiharju continue to learn the system and in Henri's case, grow as well. But if they had a 2C and a backup goalie, they'd be playoff bound. IMHO. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 4 minutes ago, Taro T said: But if they had a 2C and a backup goalie, they'd be playoff bound. Too bad most of them are 4F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 37 minutes ago, Taro T said: The schedule is set up for them to have ~3-1/2 weeks of really strong results, 3 weeks of poor results, and then finish w/ ~3 strong weeks down the stretch. They've been streaky all season. If they win the first two after the break, then they'd have 14/20 points for January. 37 minutes ago, Taro T said: But if they had a 2C and a backup goalie, they'd be playoff bound. IMHO. If they had a 2C and a starting goalie...I don't think either of their G's are starter material at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 1 hour ago, snafu said: They've been streaky all season. If they win the first two after the break, then they'd have 14/20 points for January. If they had a 2C and a starting goalie...I don't think either of their G's are starter material at all. Ullmark has progressed as a goalie. However, I agree with you that he is more of a backup than a starting primary goalie. The goalie position is one of the most unique positions in sports. You can have a goalie who indicates that he is a #1 goalie on a team only to fall into the abyss the next year. And that same mercurial player can go to another team and carry his team to the playoffs and beyond. Look what's happened to Hutton. He was our starting goalie who was expected to be our mainstay stopper for the duration of his contract. No one would consider him to be a good to elite player but he was expected to be a solid player. It wouldn't be surprising to me that if he was dealt that he would regain the respectable play that he had before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 WGR's Paul Hamilton wrote a column on Lazar whom he believes has earned a roster spot. He points out from a point standpoint he is outperforming the other lower line players. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-lazar-has-earned-a-spot-to-stay-in-buffalo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalophil1948 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Wouldn't mind seeing an Ullmark and Jonas J tandem. Anything would be better than Hutton right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 4 hours ago, snafu said: They've been streaky all season. If they win the first two after the break, then they'd have 14/20 points for January. If they had a 2C and a starting goalie...I don't think either of their G's are starter material at all. Good point on the goalie. A true starter that could relegate Ullmark to backup duty could have them in the playoffs all by himself. Just don't know that with their cap troubles (and bringing in a top tier goalie coach) that a true starter was viable get in the off-season and there aren't any of those on the market at present. A good backup (possibly even Johansson if they were to get lucky) could be obtainable now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 On 1/18/2020 at 6:40 PM, Taro T said: Actually, though teams traditionally have chosen to keep 14F and 7D on their roster, a lot of teams have been switching to 13/8 because it makes it a lot more sense to run 8 D in practice (having a pair running through drills and another ready to run at each end and only having to roll 1 spare F through the lines) than to only have 7 and either mix & match pairs w/ 2 Fs to roll through the 4 lines or slide a F back onto a pairing. It is unusual though to have the 7 & 8 NHL caliber D men in/ close to their prime rather than guys that are either tweeners or long in the tooth on the back side of their career. (Yeah, Bogo kind of fits that latter description but he is still on his 1st non-ELC/bridge contract.) How many actually carry the full 23 though? It's always seemed to me like most teams will go with 22, not have a 3rd guy rot away in the pressbox, all while banking a little extra cap space. I would look at rosters right now, but the break makes that pointless. 12 hours ago, Taro T said: Good point on the goalie. A true starter that could relegate Ullmark to backup duty could have them in the playoffs all by himself. Just don't know that with their cap troubles (and bringing in a top tier goalie coach) that a true starter was viable get in the off-season and there aren't any of those on the market at present. A good backup (possibly even Johansson if they were to get lucky) could be obtainable now. I'd say Ullmark is the kind of guy who could work well in a platoon. Based on his career, Hutton should be too, which is what they were hoping for and it really wasn't all that unreasonable. But why has this guy fallen off a cliff? Maybe it's just age, but there really isn't all that much wear on those tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Kris Barker was on WGR talking about the team's prospects. This is a 15 min segment. He specifically mentioned that he believed that Cozens and maybe Arttu Ruotsolainen, who might need some AHL play, could be with the big club next year. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/1-21-kris-baker-with-brayton-wilson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 damn, this team even sucks off the ice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 1 hour ago, plenzmd1 said: damn, this team even sucks off the ice That just screams “nobody here gives a damn”. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 3 hours ago, plenzmd1 said: damn, this team even sucks off the ice If I had to bet on it, I’d say this is another AdPro screw up as I believe that’s the company to whom the Sabres outsource their customization work. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 The attached link is an 8 min segment with Chad DeDominicis on WGR with Jeremy White. The core of the discussion is that under Krueger Risto has played better making his value go up. The issue as always comes down to is what can you get for Risto in a deal? Jeremy White has for a long time argued to deal him not only for the return but for the sake of changing the mix on the roster. I don't go along with his reasoning. The issue for me comes down to what can you get for him? If you can get a second-line forward such as Winnipeg's Ehler for him then I would be open to such a deal. If not, then keep your asset and don't settle for a lesser asset. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/01-22-chad-dedominicis-from-die-by-the-blade-with-jeremy-white 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 On 1/21/2020 at 2:19 PM, plenzmd1 said: damn, this team even sucks off the ice Apparently the "Robitalle" picture is not from this season. I did some digging over on sabrespace and the board ads in that picture do not match anything from this season. So someone's being a bit disingenuous trying to pin both of those pictures as one act. The Andreychuk typo is bad, but let's face it, it's not the first or the last time that we'll see a screwed up name plate in any of the pro sports. It's bad, but it's not "this organization is inept" bad. The internet is littered with countless examples from over the years. My guess is the next one we'll see is "they poured me a blue instead of a blue light, this organization sucks!" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 On 1/21/2020 at 2:19 PM, plenzmd1 said: damn, this team even sucks off the ice 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts