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

[4merper4mer]

57 minutes ago, JohnC said:

One takeaway that I have when I tune in to these classic games compared to the Sabre games in its recent history is how engaged and lively the fans were in those meaningful games. The energized fans were raucously involved throughout the game. It just seems as if this string of mediocre seasons has sucked the spirit out of the fans who have become (understandably) very cynical and skeptical. 

 

This organization has gotten itself in a bind when it has acted out of desperation resulting in set backs. However, that doesn't mean that it shouldn't show more urgency. The GM needs to be more aggressive in the offseason in making some deals to better balance out this roster.  

Mediocre is inaccurate.  Murray's ineptitude create a product seven levels below mediocre and Bots has stagnated it. The impact of the virus is the only reason to keep him.

[plenzmd1]

11 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Mediocre is inaccurate.  Murray's ineptitude create a product seven levels below mediocre and Bots has stagnated it. The impact of the virus is the only reason to keep him.

24 team playoff, and they still miss!!!!

 

They have retreated so far from mind, its scary to think prolly most fans are like me. I mean, i could have seen half full stadiums even before the virus.

 

And, to top things off, saw a projection the other day when you take into account projected RFA salaries, Sabres have about $9M, not the $23 we used to use

[BillsFan4]

 

 

[JohnC]

Attached is a WKBW link by Matt Bove on Casey Mittelstadt. The thrust of the segment is that by playing a lot more in Rochester he gained more confidence and played better. Will he be on the roster next year and be better prepared to meet the expectations of a first round drafted player? I can't say---only time will tell. What is obvious is that by rushing him to the NHL instead of starting him off in the AHL or playing another year in college his development was set back. 

 

As it happened to Casey the same issue of rushing a player also applies to Tage Thompson. In hindsight, it would have been better for Tage's development to keep him in the minors until he was more fully developed and prepared for the rigors of the NHL.    

 

https://www.wkbw.com/sports/sabres/sabres-mittelstadt-sees-time-in-ahl-as-blessing-in-disguise?view=getnewpost

[BillsFan4]

53 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Attached is a WKBW link by Matt Bove on Casey Mittelstadt. The thrust of the segment is that by playing a lot more in Rochester he gained more confidence and played better. Will he be on the roster next year and be better prepared to meet the expectations of a first round drafted player? I can't say---only time will tell. What is obvious is that by rushing him to the NHL instead of starting him off in the AHL or playing another year in college his development was set back. 

 

As it happened to Casey the same issue of rushing a player also applies to Tage Thompson. In hindsight, it would have been better for Tage's development to keep him in the minors until he was more fully developed and prepared for the rigors of the NHL.    

 

https://www.wkbw.com/sports/sabres/sabres-mittelstadt-sees-time-in-ahl-as-blessing-in-disguise?view=getnewpost

That’s one gripe I had about Botterill. He preaches development and not rushing players, then he rushes 2 of our most important prospects for (IMO) reasons other than them truly being ready (the ROR trade). 

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

That’s one gripe I had about Botterill. He preaches development and not rushing players, then he rushes 2 of our most important prospects for (IMO) reasons other than them truly being ready (the ROR trade). 

As you insinuated he broke with his policy of not rushing prospects because he was trying to salvage something he, himself, created by that ROR deal. He grossly miscalculated that Mittelstadt would have been able to a reasonable degree fill the void left by the departure of  that disgruntled player. If Mittelstadt and Tage would have been ready to play then that deal makes more sense. But they weren't ready. 

 

Botts has made some good deals that in the long run will prove to be adroit moves such as the Joki and Kahun deals. But the ROR deal was a setback that he is still contending with. And one way or the other needs to remedy. It should be remembered that the GM was trying to get one of the top two prospects from the Blues in a ROR deal. They wouldn't budge. So they ended up giving up maybe their third ranked prospect and a lower first round pick for one of the best two-way forwards in the league.  

 

I certainly haven't given up on Mittelstadt and Tage as developing into quality NHL players. But that is not to say that I'm sure about their prospects as solid NHL players. That's still an open issue with me.  

Edited May 15, 2020 by JohnC

[4merper4mer]

I ordered Biils and Sabres masks for Covid.  The he Bills mask is cloth and it looks good but the Sabres mask is just a paper bag a la the NO Aints.

[BillsFan4]

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-ryan-miller-auction/c-316903350

Former Sabres goalie Miller to hold auction in support of WNY relief

 

‘Proceeds will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank in Orange County, FeedMore WNY, and the Buffalo Police Athletic League.’

[JohnC]

Attached is a 7 minute interview of Tage Thompson from Sabres.com. In the interview Tage stated that because of his shoulder injury he wasn't able to skate until just recently. That means he was not skating for 6 months. He also noted that he has worked hard to strengthen his lower body and gained 10 pounds, now weighing around 225 lbs. It's really a shame that his injury after the Rochester callup ended his season not allowing him to gain more experience. 

 

From a physical standpoint he is tall and lean. He has good skating and shooting skills.  However,  young players with his type of thin frame take additional time to physically mature before they can withstand the rigors of NHL play. My criticism with his play so far is although he can get away with free lancing and floating around with the puck in the lower leagues in the more physical and tighter game of the NHL you have to react more quickly and decisively with and without the puck. 

 

Will he and Mittelstadt be ready to contribute next season? I don't know. If they could it would really give this team a boost and put the organization in a better position to make deals to balance out the roster. 

 

 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/checking-in-with-tage-thompson/t-277443402/c-5383317

[BillsFan4]

 

Sounds like it would be 1-24 by points percentage, which would put the Sabres on the outside. They’d be 1 of 7 teams not to make the playoffs. But it sounds like we’d at least get the chance at the #1 overall pick.

 

I still don’t see how they can finish this season but they seem determined to try.

[4merper4mer]

1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

Sounds like it would be 1-24 by points percentage, which would put the Sabres on the outside. They’d be 1 of 7 teams not to make the playoffs. But it sounds like we’d at least get the chance at the #1 overall pick.

 

I still don’t see how they can finish this season but they seem determined to try.

It seems very ambitious to even try a playoffs but the poorly managed Sabres are better off not being in.  Another year of Bot's ineptitude is all but assured and really the only way to go.  I'm rooting for competence in 21-22.

[BillsFan4]

 

 

 

 

I would almost think that Every player+coach+NHL & team employee would have to quarantine for 2 weeks upon return. Then they’d have to be kept in quarantine for the entire length of the playoffs (until they were eliminated) and have all of their interactions with anyone/everyone in the hotels limited to those who have stayed in quarantine. How else do you ensure that this virus doesn’t make it into one of the hotels the players are staying at? Imagine how quickly it could spread if it did? Or if it made it into a locker room?

 

 

 

There’s really no way to do it without any risk. So I guess it’s up to the NHL & NHLPA to decide if they’re willing to take the risk.

 

I’d love to watch some playoff hockey, but I also don’t want to see anyone put at risk.

[JohnC]

Attached is a 10 min link from Sabres.com where Wayne Simmons is interviewed. It will be interesting to see if the Sabres are interested in signing him this offseason. Odds are the Sabres will not be participating in the playoffs if they do get held. If that is the case it might be a blessing in disguise for a rugged veteran player like him to have the additional time to recover and get ready for the next season. Just from this short clip it is apparent that he is an engaging and personable person who would fit in any locker room. 

 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/checking-in-wayne-simmonds/t-277437090/c-5383074

 

[4merper4mer]

6 hours ago, JohnC said:

Attached is a 10 min link from Sabres.com where Wayne Simmons is interviewed. It will be interesting to see if the Sabres are interested in signing him this offseason. Odds are the Sabres will not be participating in the playoffs if they do get held. If that is the case it might be a blessing in disguise for a rugged veteran player like him to have the additional time to recover and get ready for the next season. Just from this short clip it is apparent that he is an engaging and personable person who would fit in any locker room. 

 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/checking-in-wayne-simmonds/t-277437090/c-5383074

 

I wouldn't mind keeping him but Bot's has positioned the Sabres to barely afford a pack of gum after the RFAs.  If he keeps Simmonds he will overpay.  

 

Free agency is going to be weird this year playoffs or not.

[JohnC]

Greg Wyshynski from ESPN was on WGR's Schopp and the Bulldog Show talking about the probable NHL playoffs and likely format. There are still many issues to be resolved but because of a TV contract stipulation requiring games in order to receive TV money there is a strong desire to not end the hockey season without some games. There are still many hurdles  for the league to jump over to resume play but there is a determination to overcome them. Wyshynski also brought up the issue of the draft. This is a 12 minute segment. 

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/5-18-greg-wyshynski-espn-nhl

[BillsFan4]

 

 

[JohnC]

18 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

 

Is he going to be sent to Rochester? 

[BillsFan4]

11 hours ago, JohnC said:

Is he going to be sent to Rochester? 

I am not sure. He is 27yrs old so if I had to guess I’d say he will probably at least get a shot at making the Sabres roster. Rochester seems more likely though.

[JohnC]

10 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

I am not sure. He is 27yrs old so if I had to guess I’d say he will probably at least get a shot at making the Sabres roster. Rochester seems more likely though.

I wouldn't be surprised that if he demonstrated that he was good enough to make a NHL roster he would still be sent to Rochester in order to get acclimated to the NHL and its smaller surfaces. A player to watch is Arttu Ruotsalainen. He probably will be sent to Rochester and hopefully will be a player good enough to call up when necessary.  

[shrader]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

I wouldn't be surprised that if he demonstrated that he was good enough to make a NHL roster he would still be sent to Rochester in order to get acclimated to the NHL and its smaller surfaces. A player to watch is Arttu Ruotsalainen. He probably will be sent to Rochester and hopefully will be a player good enough to call up when necessary.  

 

If this report is even accurate, this looks like the kind of guy who would be signing an AHL contract.  I just wonder how legit it is given that everything falls back to this one Swedish source.  You know how things go with these translations sometimes.

[bbb]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

A player to watch is Arttu Ruotsalainen.

 

You made that name up, right?  

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, bbb said:

 

You made that name up, right?  

Nope!  I make mistakes but don't intentionally fabricate. He was on last year's training camp and also developmental camp rosters. There is a good chance he can start the season in Rochester next season. 

 

https://www.diebytheblade.com/2019/9/11/20861402/buffalo-sabres-release-training-camp-roster-nhl-eichel-dahlin-ristolainen-ullmark

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, shrader said:

 

If this report is even accurate, this looks like the kind of guy who would be signing an AHL contract.  I just wonder how legit it is given that everything falls back to this one Swedish source.  You know how things go with these translations sometimes.

We should soon find out this offseason whether this report had merit or not. Sometimes low profile players/prospect can surprise you. His younger brother is an example of that. 

[shrader]

26 minutes ago, JohnC said:

We should soon find out this offseason whether this report had merit or not. Sometimes low profile players/prospect can surprise you. His younger brother is an example of that. 

 

While low profile, Victor was a highly regarded prospect compared to him.  Remember he's been within the Sabre system for 6 years now.  And the brothers have never played pro hockey together, so they weren't scouting the two at the same time.  I have a hard time seeing Victor as the kind of guy who would have any leverage to pull they "sign my brother or I leave" game.  If it's just a deal with Rochester, then it makes much more sense to me.  But anyway, I'm going to continue to be skeptical of this report until I see more than one source.  At this point, that probably means that the Sabres have to announce the signing, because it's not really a story anyone is going to bother putting much work into.

[JohnC]

10 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

While low profile, Victor was a highly regarded prospect compared to him.  Remember he's been within the Sabre system for 6 years now.  And the brothers have never played pro hockey together, so they weren't scouting the two at the same time.  I have a hard time seeing Victor as the kind of guy who would have any leverage to pull they "sign my brother or I leave" game.  If it's just a deal with Rochester, then it makes much more sense to me.  But anyway, I'm going to continue to be skeptical of this report until I see more than one source.  At this point, that probably means that the Sabres have to announce the signing, because it's not really a story anyone is going to bother putting much work into.

If his signing turns out to be useful for our minor league team  then it was a worthy deal. If his signing turns out not to be useful for our minor league team then what was the harm done by signing him? If the alleged deal doesn't materialize then so be it. For me the more interesting foreign player to follow and most likely the better prospect is Arttu Ruotsalainen. 

[shrader]

27 minutes ago, JohnC said:

If his signing turns out to be useful for our minor league team  then it was a worthy deal. If his signing turns out not to be useful for our minor league team then what was the harm done by signing him? If the alleged deal doesn't materialize then so be it. For me the more interesting foreign player to follow and most likely the better prospect is Arttu Ruotsalainen. 

 

I'm all for following Arttu closer as well, since we in fact know he has a contract with the Sabres.  My big question mark with older Olofsson is that at his age he's already at his ceiling.  I don't see someone worthy of an NHL two-way contract.  Now if it's an AHL only deal, I'm all for it.

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, shrader said:

 

I'm all for following Arttu closer as well, since we in fact know he has a contract with the Sabres.  My big question mark with older Olofsson is that at his age he's already at his ceiling.  I don't see someone worthy of an NHL two-way contract.  Now if it's an AHL only deal, I'm all for it.

I don't know the terms of his contract if he does sign. The only issue that I am concerned about is how he plays. It's unlikely that the older Olofsson will make the NHL roster next year when the season starts. When all is said and done it will be his play that is the determining factor. The same line of thinking applies to Arttu. 

[JohnC]

Attached is a column on Risto by Bill Hoppe from the Buffalo Hockey Beat. The writer points out that Risto's play improved under the guidance of Krueger who simplified his game, played him fewer minutes per game and surrounded him with more talent. Our GM has taken a lot of valid criticism for the way he has shaped the roster. But the one thing he has done well is put together a good defensive unit with a lot of young talent that includes Dahlin and Joki. 

 

The big question this offseason is whether he is going to be dealt for forward help. I'm open to him being traded assuming that we are going to get back equal value. There were stories last year that the GM was shopping him but the offers were not acceptable.

 

http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-succeeded-in-helping-rasmus-ristolainen-transform-game-this-season/?view=getnewpost

[4merper4mer]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

Attached is a column on Risto by Bill Hoppe from the Buffalo Hockey Beat. The writer points out that Risto's play improved under the guidance of Krueger who simplified his game, played him fewer minutes per game and surrounded him with more talent. Our GM has taken a lot of valid criticism for the way he has shaped the roster. But the one thing he has done well is put together a good defensive unit with a lot of young talent that includes Dahlin and Joki. 

 

The big question this offseason is whether he is going to be dealt for forward help. I'm open to him being traded assuming that we are going to get back equal value. There were stories last year that the GM was shopping him but the offers were not acceptable.

 

http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-succeeded-in-helping-rasmus-ristolainen-transform-game-this-season/?view=getnewpost

Yup he's quite the ping pong ball genius for getting Dahlin.  Let's wait a bit before annointing Joki.  He was ok.  

[plenzmd1]

This would be fun during the summer

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/hockey/2020/05/20/3-ice-new-3-on-3-hockey-league-coming/5209480002/

[BillsFan4]

44 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

This would be fun during the summer

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/hockey/2020/05/20/3-ice-new-3-on-3-hockey-league-coming/5209480002/

Definitely sounds pretty cool. I’ll watch it if they have it.

[4merper4mer]

Murray and now Bots have displayed a staggering display of ineptitude but I hadn't thought it possible that they may have helped kill the franchise.  But here we are:

 

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by 4merper4mer

[K-9]

20 hours ago, JohnC said:

Nope!  I make mistakes but don't intentionally fabricate. He was on last year's training camp and also developmental camp rosters. There is a good chance he can start the season in Rochester next season. 

 

https://www.diebytheblade.com/2019/9/11/20861402/buffalo-sabres-release-training-camp-roster-nhl-eichel-dahlin-ristolainen-ullmark

He was only let go to protect Rick Jeanneret because any combination of “Ristolainen to Ruotsalainen or Ruotsalainen to Ristolainen” was a stroke risk during RJ’s play by play call. 

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, K-9 said:

He was only let go to protect Rick Jeanneret because any combination of “Ristolainen to Ruotsalainen or Ruotsalainen to Ristolainen” was a stroke risk during RJ’s play by play call. 

RJ would love to have the opportunity to bellow out RUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTUUUUU!?

[shrader]

1 minute ago, K-9 said:

He was only let go to protect Rick Jeanneret because any combination of “Ristolainen to Ruotsalainen or Ruotsalainen to Ristolainen” was a stroke risk during RJ’s play by play call. 

 

We might as well throw Asplund and Dahlin into that call too.  Three Rasmuses, two Ristos, all we need is one extra forward to round out the collection.  Maybe we can throw RJ a bone and throw CJ Smith out there with them.

[snafu]

19 hours ago, shrader said:

older Olofsson

 

I see a nickname forming there. 

 

[BillsFan4]

 

@JohnC AHL it is.

[JohnC]

13 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

@JohnC AHL it is.

The young players I will be more closely following entering the next training camp are Arttu Ruotsalainen, Tage Thompson, Casey Mittelstadt and Kahun. I expect Arttu to start off in Rochester. Kahun playing on a line with Johansson and Olofsson at the end of the abbreviated season seemed promising. In my mind they have the makeup of being a good third line with a lot of skill and skating talent. With respect to Tage and Casey if they earn roster spots it will provide a lot more line options and depth. In my view the biggest issue is still to construct a credible second-line. We are not there yet. 

[BillsFan4]

https://puckpedia.com/agent-poll#P2

 

NHL player agent poll.

[4merper4mer]

13 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

@JohnC AHL it is.

Bots takes a page out of Murray's failed sign the brother strategery.