WJC: Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (BUF) has been named captain of the 2020 @usahockey National Jr Team. Defenseman K’Andre Miller (NYR) and forward Oliver Wahlstrom (NYi) were named alt capts. of the squad. All 3 were members of the silver-medal winning U.S. team at 2019 WJC
I watched this video hours after I posted it, hockeyguy is a respected opinion in social media. Having said that, I think as long as they could focus on the core going forward while slowly improving their depth, they'll make headway.
The Hockey Guy has definitely earned respect and credibility. Buffalo Sabres fans are rapidly loosing the right to expect respect and credibility. Fuck ‘em! They call this a GAME for a reason. Get over yourselves. The Sabres have work to do, but anyone that looks at where they’ve been and where they are now - as long as that person is not a shit for brains - would reach the same conclusion as skinny. Three years ago the org. was in great shape; great, that is if you overlooked these: Forwards, Defense, Goalies, HC, prospect pipeline, farm system, and organizational system/identity. Now the team has a respected HC, a D that is deep*, good G prospects, a Hart candidate at 1C with some complimentary F’s, a strong AHL & ECHL team, and an emerging identity as a very gritty team. (* The D is deep, but there’s overlapping or redundant skill sets - they have some solid prospects that greatly compliment the D core in place. I think they’re going to have to come up with some new terms to describe the Sabres defensive style of play once they mature.) They have some potential for F help already within the org. But, they will not become a successful team without importing one premium and one to three more role players. Hard work; but it can be done.
It might not look like progress, but there's a lot of good to take from this season. The only players that really matter are the top#6, top 4 Ds and they have UPL in the pipeline. Buying out Okposo should be a serious consideration this off-season.
I like and respect Ray Ferarro. That said, it astounds me that he could be SO wrong on certain facts. For instance, about Casey Mittelstadt’s development, he actually asked: “what difference would it have made if he had started in Rochester, or if he had spent a year in college?”. CM DID spend a year at the U. of MN. You can argue that he hasn’t been developed properly. But do not completely fail basic facts when making your case. I think CM should have been left a Gopher for his sophomore season (with the benefit of hindsight). But, if his physical development was his primary need - and he correctly noted that was the case - then the AHL is the worst option. It’s a more physical league than the NHL, and bad for physical development. You send a prospect to the A when you want him to hone is game; not his body. Second instance: Ferraro whiffed on the Sabres cap situation; they are in a situation where they have no wiggle room. That’s true. But, that ONLY applies to this season. He specifically stated “it’s not like they have a lot of cap relief coming after the season”. That is a BIG false. The Sabres have a TON of expiring contracts, and other than Okposo’s deal, they’ll be finished with all bad contracts. The question really is who can/will they bring in to replace all that cap space? I personally do not get so caught up in a game that I get angry at my favorite team. If I could do a better job then I would have a job in the NHL. I understand why people are upset. But when one uses specious or insipid arguments to justify that angst, then it discredits the one making the argument. Ultimately, it makes them sound like a f^€king a$$hole.
Ferraro comes in from a very harsh angle, what's the point of bringing up 8 or 9 years ago? The reason I posted this was because I was looking for a clip of that exchange between Harrington and Reinhart. The only thing I agree with is that Skinner and Johansson have to step it up. To totally have it wrong on Casey playing right away is laughable.
Btw, Mittelstadt played only 6 games in his first year and had 5 pts, not the worst move in the world.
Harrington was an embarrassment, IMO, to journalist with his “interview” with Reinhart. It’s not that he did not have the right to challenge Samson, it’s the way he did it. A good journalist would choose to engage in more of a dialogue to elicit the answer he sought. Instead, he was confrontational to the point of assuring Reinhart would not answer. To his credit, Samson did not lose his cool. Rather, he simply stated that he would not answer him.
Yeah, I don’t even call Casey’s debut as his first season. It is often a stipulation for a collegiate player to be given an immediate pass to the NHL, or else he’d stay in college. Of course we now know that the Univ. of Minnesota was a hot mess that season, and presumably Casey jumped at the chance to get out. In hindsight he should have started his first full season in Rochester. But, he did look ready. Nevertheless, Botterill’s clear preference for the slow-grow, and Casey being a big boy but not yet a man, should have had him ticketed for the AHL. They compounded the error by waiting until Dec. of his second full season before sending him down. Mitts has some great skills, and he’s always been supremely confident. But, they risked a crisis of confidence if they kept him in Buffalo. They did a similar thing with Tage Thompson a year ago. He went down and regained his confidence. (He lost his season to injury in his first NHL game this season, so we do not know what the final outcome will be).
Obviously no one his happy with Skinner’s production. But he was put in a difficult situation - second line wing without an acceptable 2C. I clamored for Johansson to be signed. He needs to step up his production if he wants respect. But I think that he too is in a situation where he cannot perform at a peak.
It's normal for teams to give their rookies that 9 game stint in their first year to get some nhl experience before they send them down. Not a big deal and just highlights how some in the press exaggarate to help with a certain narrative. I think for Skinner to be that $9M guy, they have to go with what works, and that's having him play with Jack. Olofsson should understand that he was there first and in order for him to be that 40 goal player, it's the only move.
I was surprised to see Skinner taken off the top line. But let’s face it, the Sabres we’re doomed regardless because they’re simply not deep enough. If Skinner played with Jack everyone would be crying the Sabres lack of scoring past the first line. If he goes to the second line he could not be expected to produce at last year’s pace. I actually think putting Olofsson on the top line was a form of sheltering. I also think they told Skinner he got the big bucks to help scoring depth, and not to be hitched to Ike. My real problem with all the “Sabres blew it again” and the “can Botts” yap is that it’s so myopic. I advocate giving the GM, the HC, and each player the time needed to execute the plan they laid out * to the Pegulas. (* This is conjecture on my part, but if Botts and Krueger deserve ANY credibility then we must acknowledge that they HAVE a plan.) This team was not going to compete for anything meaningful this season. Don’t shove a stick up yer ass because the team IS performing to expectations. Going back to Ferarro, the Sabres have a TON of cap space come July. They also have a winning farm system (unlike pre-Botts) that is ready to start maturing to NHL readiness. THIS summer, if I’m right, was the timeframe everything was planned around. If JB bombs in July ** then we can start the rant up, but until then, STFU! (** This does NOT mean going crazy over UFA’s. It means judicially acquiring the talent needed to push the team into playoff contention. Botts needs to find a 2C and another top-six winger. He’ll need to rotate out some of the current bottom nine and find replacements that are a better fit for Krueger’s system. Hard work, indeed, but doable.)
Dan.........do you think the Sabres are going to bring up Ukko Luukkonen this year......I sure hope so because he is on my Keeper team and I want to drop Devan Dubnyk. Hope all is well my friend ......Top of the Morning to you and the Lazz.......\+/
