With the imports Hall and Staal and with Dylan Cozens likely arrival from Lethbridge (he is not eligible for Rochester because he is 19) the Sabres have: (pick your way of phrasing it) 1) A crowded top six, or 2) a great deal of flexibility on where to slot the top nine. I believe Hall and Eichel will be on the top line. Foremost for my belief here is that I believe Kreuger really believes they'll be deadly together. Second, I believe that promises may have been made to Hall to get him to sign. Regardless, I think Hall & Eich are 2/3 of the first line. Reinhard is the odds-on favorite to be the third man. But I love the idea of Olofsson playing there. What makes VO good is his elite shot. And a sniper usually thrives when he's given space. No team is goi g to ignore Eich or Hall, and Jack is certainly smart enough to set up anyone if he sees opportunity. Helper or Goal? Jack does not care, all he really cares about are the Wins. Staal and Skinner played together in Carolina, Skins has notoriously followed good seasons with bad ones - and vice versa. Last year was a bad one for him, so he's due a good one. Playing with the second best C he's ever skated with will really help. So, I like a second line of Skinner-Staal-Reinhard. I think Cozens will be given 9 games before they decide on Buffalo or Lethbridge. With the WJC Bubble in Edmonton thrown into the mix along with the possibility of an extremely short season* then finishing in the WHL may not be a bad choice. (* The NHL moved from an early Dec. to an early Jan. start. The AHL just pushed back their start by two months. No one knows, but if the recent spike in reported Covid cases is followed with a spike in deaths then we can expect another postponement.) Eakins may be the stealth signing of the Sabres offseason. He's a capable 3C, can greatly improve the PK, and will be defensively sound if youngsters Tage Thompson and/or Cozens are on his wing(s). Casey Mittlestadt appears headed back to Rochester, but he'll be given a chance to make the roster if he's added muscle durinng the break. The Sabres already had a very good (if overpaid) fourth line. That should make it difficult for opponents to cheat on the Sabres. But really what I like is that the top nine does not have to be static. Ralph may shift players up and down the lines depending on game matchups or even as intra-game adjustments. The Sabres are going to be a difficult opponent for every team. They need to - ideally - move out a RHD and hopefully add a LHD. Getting another goalie remains high on my to-do list but I am not certain that Kevyn Adams shares that view.
3 interesting questions addressed on NHL.com... 1. Can the Taylor Hall-Jack Eichel combination lead to Buffalo reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Hall signed a one-year contract Oct. 11 and should make the Buffalo Sabres much more formidable. The plan is to play the left wing, who was voted winner of the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP for 2017-18, with Eichel, a center who has scored at least 24 goals in each of his five NHL seasons. The Sabres are hoping that combination will help get them to the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season; at nine seasons, they have the longest active drought in the NHL. "You have to be excited when you think of two elite forwards of that caliber attacking the opposition with the system we have," coach Ralph Krueger said. "It will be lethal." 2. Will Eric Staal help Jeff Skinner return to form? Skinner struggled last season, scoring 23 points (14 goals, nine assists) in 59 games after the forward scored 63 points, including an NHL-career high 40 goals, in 82 games in 2018-19. The Sabres are hoping Staal, a center and Skinner's former teammate with the Carolina Hurricanes who was acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 16, can help him regain his scoring touch. "I think that's what separates the best players in the League is being able to bring it every night," Skinner said. "To be able to bring it every night and compete that hard for that long is probably the most unique thing about [Staal]." Two of Skinner's 30-goal seasons came when he was Staal's teammate: his rookie season of 2010-11, when he scored 63 points (31 goals, 32 assists), and 2016-17, when he scored 63 points (37 goals, 26 assists). "I hope last year was a bit of an anomaly for him," Staal said. "I think he's going to be counted on for a lot." 3. Will the goaltending hold up? There was speculation that Buffalo would address the position in free agency, but the Sabres are sticking with Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton, who are a combined 62-67-17 with a 2.99 goals-against average and .907 save percentage over the past two seasons. "We really had stretches from both Ullmark and Hutton of strong goaltending last season," Krueger said. "At the moment, they are our goaltenders. We are working hard to work with them through this long break. "For the moment, this is the way it is. I would feel extremely comfortable if we begin the season this way." General manager Kevyn Adams said he feels Ullmark (17-14-3, 2.69, .915 last season) has the makeup to be a solid No. 1 goalie and that he looks forward to seeing what he can do in that role. "I think everybody feels good about the steps that Linus took last year, and we're excited about him," Adams said.
I hadnt realized its been 9 long years without a playoff run for the Sabres. My memory is not what I wished it was. I think this years team in Buffalo is diffrent and will do some regular season damage and secure a spot (playoff)... finally, but you cant put the cart before the horse, its one step at a time. I see enough improvement and talent from top to bottom for the Sabres to get the job done... feeling a good feeling about them, Dan. Good luck.
I hadnt realized its been 9 long years without a playoff run for the Sabres. My memory is not what I wished it was. I was hoping the Sabres were going to bring up Goalie Luukkonen......as Dan knows I have him in my Keeper money league and he has been in my Prospect Bin for 2 years.......I don't want to drop him BUT just wish the Sabres would give him a Try in the NHL.....he is very good. Happy Birthday Will........\+/....Beer
I hope that the Sabres do not feel compelled to rush 6K. He is very good, but he’s also very young (a good thing, too). But bringing him up before he’s ready could derail his career. I hope he’s in Rochester, or Cincinnati, all year.
Also, everyone needs to take a deeper dive into both Ullman’s and Hut’s stats from last season. We use stats as a guide to the future - as a principle. But they can mislead us if we overlook other important considerations. Buffalo’s putrid PK and Hut’s eyes are just too important to overlook. I do not expect even an engaged fan of another team to recognize these considerations. But, I do wish that (ostensibly) professional reporters to do their due diligence when commenting on the Sabres goaltending.
Mr. Merritt just dropped off a team issued Sabres pin for my boy. He's proudly wearing it on his sweatshirt telling him that he's on the Sabres now. Between Dan and Paul Merritt they've turned a 4 year old Mass kid in to a Sabres fan.
There are a lot of storylines available for commentary on the 2021 Buffalo Sabres. From day one of camp, here are some: - Hall and Stahl bring veteran leadership (Eakin too) to a team that has sorely lacked that. They’ve gotten off to very strong starts the past two seasons only to falter - badly. Consistency. That is what the very young team could not really grasp, and vet leaders on every line should help. - Players have obviously spent the lockdown in the weight room. Most noticeably, Rasmus Dahlin added 14 lbs. and should be ready to fulfill his Norrisish potential. - Jack Eichel is out, but I’m buying the team report that it’s a minor training issue and he should be ready in a day or two. Casey Mittlestadt has been given a golden opportunity to reassert himself into the team’s plans by skating at 1C with Hall and Olofsson. Obviously he will slide down when Jack comes back, but one key to team success will be the ability to roll four lines and get meaningful secondary scoring. The Hall, Eichel, Olofsson line may be the NHL’s BEST line. With Hall & Eich each giving defenders fits, Ollie and his brutish shot could benefit tremendously because he’ll be more open than if he had normal linesmates. The FO priorities this season were: 1) Gain consistency and secondary scoring. Nothing is proven, but this appears to be checked. 2) Improve the putrid Special Teams’ play, especially the PK. Most likely that’ll be through a better scheme and I have not heard Ralph Krueger asked about that yet. Time will tell, but they HAVE to know that last year's system was a huge Fail and it had to be addressed. I know that some key additions have strong PK creds. Again, time is needed for answers, but there’s enough for a storyline for plausible optimism on this issue. The PK WILL be improved - this much we know. But that is not particularly encouraging by itself. They were so bad last year that they quite literally have to be better. 3) The RH/LHD imbalance needs to be smoothed out. B. Montour did not look comfortable or effective playing his off side. Yesterday C. Miller played LHD. If he works out, great. Otherwise trading him or Monty (or Ristolainen) is necessary since the team has too many RHD. Solving this is not the most daunting problem Kevyn Adams faces. 4) Goaltending. L. Ullmark is the presumptive starter with C. Hutton serving as backup. Certainly on the surface, they’re not the most inspiring duo. I believe there’s a few facts beneath the superficial stats line that are more sanguinary than what might be expected from them. This has already been addressed with priority 2 - fixing the PK. Simply put, the PK dragged Ullmark’s stats down from Good to (at best) Average. Hutton’s greatest attribute at this stage in his career may be his great locker room contribution. But - with fixed eyeballs , quite literally - his outlook may be much better, too. Casey Mittlestadt and Tage Thompson are both first round picks that have failed thus far to establish themselves as NHL worthy. They both possess the talent to succeed at a high level. So, if one or both really step up then the outlook for the Sabres is much brighter. Dylan Cozens will arrive in Buffalo after the WJC. He almost certainly will earn a roster spot. Jack Quinn cannot go back to the 69’ers since the OHL appears shutdown for the season, and he cannot play in the AHL. His best option appears to be to have tutalage on the taxi squad. JJ Peterka has a year remaining on his DEL contract, but it appears a matter of time before people ask: “WTF! How did he slip outta the first round?!”
Girgensons out for season for Sabres after hamstring surgery Forward injured during scrimmage, expected to need six months to recover He had hamstring surgery... injured while checking a teammate during practice.
Jack Eichel and Linus Ullmark took part in practice with the Sabres for the first time during training camp Wednesday. Eichel, a center, had been day to day since Friday with an upper-body injury sustained during training. Ullmark, a goalie, finished his quarantine because of an immigration issue. NHL.com
I'm not here to pile on, just looking at the future and what could be done for the Sabres. Hate to say it but I think they gotta blow it up and Krueger looks like he's in a placeholder position until the summer. For the first time I think Buffalo should take a serious look at trading Eichel. Would love him in Boston but the teams dont typically trade with one another and the Bruins dont have the pieces it would take to land Eichel, or the cap space really. If theyre actually entertaining Eichel trades (not claiming they are), then Hall would be out at the deadline too. Is it possible to get out from under the Skinner and Okposo deals? Skinner specifically. This article is a little aggressive but the hypothetical haul they have for Eichel is tremendous- https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2127552
Matty, you’re not piling on; you’re stating the obvious in a much calmer voice than I would use. Yeah, it looks like blow up time (again). Hopefully they’ve learned* some lessons. (* This presumes that there are at least some personnel that stay with the team through this.) My view of GM Kevyn Adams has improved greatly from my initial take that he was a cheap Kim Pegula lackey. I think he might have the smarts to pull this often, but it certainly will not be easy. A tear-down is not synonymous with a blow-up. That’s what Regier started and Murray continued. It does require patience (lacking patience was ultimately Murray’s undoing), and that’s extra hard after 9 years of ... well, the past 9 years have been, uhmm, challenging. This means that not one asset is “untouchable”. But that’s not the same as saying everyone is for sale. Those with a real read on character, mind set, and locker room dynamics, will need to evaluate each player. Those who are not a good long term fit need to be marketed. Players such as Staal, Hall, and Montour need to be actively peddled at/before the deadline. If Ristolainen likes being in Buffalo (reports are that’s now the case) then they could keep him since he’s still young. But chances are his trade value exceeds the merit of keeping him. Eichel is - by far - the hardest case. He’s still young and he’s damned good. My concern is that by the time the Sabres get good ** he may be fed up and not so young. His no-trade clause has not kicked in yet. If he is traded, then that should be this offseason. He’ll bring in a huge haul, but I hope they’re very sensitive to treating him with the respect he’s earned through this. If he wants to stay, then keep him. If he’s ready to move on then treat him as if he has a Limited NTC , i.e., consult him about possible destinations. (If they wait until he has a NTC then they lose a lot of leverage with opposing GM’s.) The last tear down resulted in a team that resembled a 1990’s era expansion team. ** Modern rebuilds done right can return a team to competitiveness in 3 seasons. That means keeping some key talent. Dahlin is the second hardest case. He has not flourished under Krueger, and may have regressed. A team would have to offer something like an established 1C to get the Sabres to listen. But, if some team is willing, then listen they should. It is hard to find any justification for keeping Krueger, and I entirely agree with his placeholder status. Regardless of the reason why, he has failed. It’s a colossal failure. I believe that the blame really rests on the Pegulas. Since they won’t fire themselves, I hope they have the gumption to accept responsibility and resolve to do the right things. That starts with firing Kim Pegula as President and bringing in a real hockey person to head Operations. They need to create an organizational identity. They need to decide what style of play they’ll roll out, and stick with it. That’ll influence every personnel decision. They need to spend money on FO personnel and on scouting. Swinging back to Eichel, the LAK & NYR are teams rumored to be after him that also have requisite assets to pull it off. For a few reasons, I’d prefer the Kings. But Jack should have some say in this.
I actually posted my response before reading the report Matty linked. I hope it’s obvious that I agree with much of both the content and the tone. It starts at the top. Until Kim Pegula is relegated to the appropriate role of lead cheerleader there’s little to suggest that the team will have the savviness to get this right. It also be a prerequisite for the fans stomaching another rebuild. The fans cannot really do anything one way or the other. But they are ready to revolt. The last time Buffalo fans revolted the Braves became the San Diego Clippers. PSE is dependent on both the Sabres and the Bills to fulfill their empire. It’s in the Pegulas’ best interest to make sure the fans don’t revolt. The Bills will only get them so far.
PSE is dependent on both the Sabres and the Bills to fulfill their empire. It’s in the Pegulas’ best interest to make sure the fans don’t revolt. These are Multi Billionaires.....they don't give a Flying F about the Fans......they just want to win Championships something the Sabres are having trouble with. It is amassing the Teams this Family owns...... (Kim Pegula and Husband)....The Rochester Americans Affiliated to the Sabre's and they have 6 Calder Trophy's. Sadly looks like Sabre's are going to have to re-built .......I agree with Matty.....Trade Eichel and hope for some draft pick's.
I think the most likely spot for Hall is Colorado. I think Buffalo will retain the max 50% of his (pro-rated) $8MM salary. (Edit: STL is a contender for Hall.) Since CO will draft late - possibly at 31st - I think the first could be the chip that lands Hall. I think there’s a small chance that it becomes a bigger deal. If Sakic is willing to move JT Compher then it gets more interesting.
