JohnC

The attached link is a column by Bill Hoppe from the Buffalo Hockey Beat. He talks about the friendship among Larsson, Girgs and Risto. One stark statistic he gives is Risto's improvement from a -41 to his current 0 plus/minus. This is an illustration that coaching matters. My hope is that Larsson and Risto are both retained. But this team has to consider all offers. http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/through-seven-years-of-losing-three-sabres-have-grown-close/?view=getnewpost

For the most part we agree on this issue. (A rarity!?) Skinner is a goal scorer who relies on other players. Unless the players he plays with are dramatically upgraded the team won't get the production from him worthy of his bonanza contract. I listened to Biron on WGR talking about Skinner. What he said about Skinner mimicked the not so oblique Krueger's assessment of Skinner. Make no mistake about both of their comments: They were each critical of the player. My assessment of the situation is not as harsh about the player. His game is predicated on being set up by players who are first or second line caliber. He is not playing with that type of players. Or another way of looking at it he is not being put in a position to succeed. I don't see the situation being much altered until better talent is brought in, most likely in the offseason.

You sign a contract/deal that you and management agreed to. What you get is what you got offered. Sometimes the system works against you; and sometimes the system works in your favor. Some players play above their contracts while others play below it. This is the reality of the workplace that exists in all fields of endeavor. ?

The Sabres have obvious glaring deficiencies. The one deficiency that has most sunk us this season is the second-rate caliber of goaltending. With consistent good goaltending I believe we should have had maybe earned 8 more points.

Attached is a WGR link with Biron. Much of the segment relates to the Skinner issue. My sense is that Marty agrees with Krueger that he shouldn't be rewarded with an elevation of his line because of his uneven level of play. In his diplomatic way he is critical of Skinner and makes the point that it is Skinner's responsibility to upgrade his play or he will continue to have a diminished role. This is an 18 min segment. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/02-20-marty-biron I agree with you that the goalie was the main factor for the loss in this game. But there are other games with them in which we played them and lost. My point was that there are lesser teams that you don't play well against and there are better teams that you do play well against. That dynamic happens in all sports. That was my main point.

I have listened to Howard and Jeremy bring up the Skinner issue with Krueger on more than a couple segments. Krueger is usually very composed when being interviewed. However, I have noticed that whenever the subject of Skinner comes up about playing him on the first line he bristles and acts irritated. My sense is that he is not enamored with Skinner's one dimensional and lone ranger style of play. He pointed out that he and the other coaches are working with him to get him back on track. But he has also insinuated that he is not giving any player a reward unless he earns it. (See my response to BillsFan4 on this issue.)

You may have misread my post. I didn't say that Ottawa was the better team. I said the opposite. Toronto is indisputably more talented than Buffalo. Yet, we have played reasonably well against them in a number of games. Ottawa is less talented than Buffalo but we have not been able to earn enough points against them that we should have. It's not only about this game but you have to include the other games against them. I agree with you that the subpar performance was the major factor in us losing that game. But there was also repeated loose play in our own end that contributed to the breakdown.

Krueger was being stubborn about not playing Skinner on that premier line when Olofsson was hurt. But there is another side to the Skinner saga that relates on how he wants his players to play. He has made it a team and individual emphasis to be a responsible two way player. That is at the core of his coaching philosophy. He applied that high two way standard when he was coaching in Europe and now in the NHL. It doesn't matter if you are Jack who is a top 5-10 player in the league or a grunt role player. He wants his players to not be one dimensional. Jack is a marvel on offense; he is also a tenacious defender when the play is going the other way. Although I disagree with his not playing Skinner with the top line, even if it would have been for a short duration in order to jolt the player, I respect him for applying his standard to everyone. In my mind the best way to maximize Skinner's scoring talents is to upgrade that line. That is more likely to happen in the offseason when bigger deals are more likely to occur.

Attached is a link with Krueger on WGR addressing the Skinner issue. To summarize it Krueger is not willing to tamper with what he considers one of the top five lines with the Jack-Reinhart-Olofsson line. The solution with the Skinner malaise is to get him better players to play with in order to put him in a better position to succeed. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/02-20-sabres-head-coach-ralph-krueger The discussion about the playoffs with respect to the Sabres needs to be put in perspective. The reality is that the Sabres are not a playoff caliber team. They have the ability to compete for a bottom end playoff position but when their roster is matched with the other competing teams it has too many deficiencies to match the teams above us. The Sabres lost a gruesome game to Ottawa. The goaltending and loose play were evident. For some reason (goaltending) this matchup is difficult for the Sabres while Toronto, a much better team, is less troublesome. In the prior game the Sabres dominated a better team while were dominated by an inferior team in the next game. Problematic matchups occur in all sports. What I don't want to see is a trade made out of desperation resulting in getting less in a return that we should have gotten if we waited for the offseason. I'm not against making a deal that will better balance the roster (second line player for defenseman) prior to the trade deadline but my belief is that a better deal can be secured after the season.

As you pointed out the excess in defensemen we had this season that included Scandella and Bogo were UFAs and from our standpoint had little trade value. There is no question that Risto and Montour do have trade value. If they are going to be dealt now is not the time to do it. The offseason is the time when the Sabres are in a better situation to scan the market and review the options. There is no imperative to trade either one of these players unless the return is a fair-market return i.e. a second-line player. As far as I am concerned so far Botterill far has handled this trade market and upcoming deadline very well. It's apparent that he is not going to be pressured to make a deal/s for the sake of making deals. As it stands our core unit on the blueline is good and going to get better. That's a good situation to be in.

Will the GM make any deals prior to the trade deadline? Unless it is a deal that will help us next season and after I hope not. The players who are on the last year of their contract and are essentially limited players such as Rodgrigues or Girgs will not fetch much back in return. (One UFA player I want to keep is Larsson.) So why give up a player or two for lower round picks and disrupt the team when the season is winding down? My recommendation would be to play out this season with them and earn as many points as possible and build on it for the future. It's improbable that the Sabres will make the playoffs. But if they can get on role and earn a dozen points more than from the previous season that will be a positive step. I'm not against making a significant deal or two such as trading a player such as Risto or Montour for a second line forward. However, I see the GM having more leverage in making a deal in the offseason when we have more cap space. That's the time to make the bigger deal. Below is an article WGR's Brayton Wilson discussing the improved play of Colin Miller. What I really like about him is his ability to shoot and skate and create some offense from the blue line. He exhibited that talent in the Toronto game where he earned two points. This was a good deal executed by GM who many people scorn. Their evaluation of him in my opinion is off the mark. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/miller-returning-to-form-with-the-sabres

Couldn't they work out a settlement with him and just absorb the cap hit? If he's playing in Rochester you are still not using his services anyway.

Because he decided not to report he will not get paid. It's indisputable that the organization has the leverage. Why play hardball for a player who will be off the books at the end of the season? Botterill has a history/policy of not absorbing a contract for a player even if he is not wanted. Why not be a little more flexible for this player who has endured a lot of injuries and worked hard to rehab and get back on the ice? I realize that Bogo publicly exhibited his frustration by being shelved for many games. So what! He is a well respected veteran on the team whose roll had been severely diminished. It's understandable why his pride would be wounded. Sometimes doing the right thing goes beyond doing the right business tactic.

Couldn't the Sabres have worked out a buyout for him? I'm sure the organization knew that he wasn't willing to go down to the AHL. So why not accommodate him a little with a negotiated settlement. It's understood that the franchise had the leverage over the player but he was a well respected player who was on the last year of is contract. Why play hardball when a mutual settlement could have been worked out without any lingering rancor?

Attached is a NHL.com recap of the Toronto game. It is a five minute clip. https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-buf/2020/02/16/2019020913#game=2019020913,game_state=final

When evaluating this team don't include them in a 10 year evaluation. Two years ago when another rebuild started this team earned 62 points. Last year, this team earned 76 points. This year this team should earn around 88 points. So despite the unceasing lamentations of despair by the complaining chorus the trajectory is upward for this team. If you watch this team on a regular basis it is obvious that this is not a complete team. But that doesn't mean that it isn't moving in the right direction. This next offseason the team has a lot of cap room and should be in a position to add more pieces and become a better team. Dallas is a genuine Cup contender; the Sabres are not. But if this organization is wise enough to stay the course this team will be a serious team in the not too distant future.

Some observations about this game: I thought Hutton played exceptionally well and deserved the first star. This was one of the best collective defensive games that the Sabres have played all season. The forwards were swarming the Leafs and helping support the defensemen all game long. For the most part the Sabres were adept at getting the puck out of their defensive zones. However, because the Leafs are so offensively talented when we weren't always able to cleanly get the puck out of the zone Hutton would bail us out. One play that stuck out for me not involving Hutton was Risto's nifty pass close in to the goalie to Vesey for the tap in. From a defensive standpoint Risto is our anchor defenseman. I used to be receptive to him being trading Risto but now I am less so. He's our workhorse defenseman. I like how Miller has been playing recently. He was a good pickup by the GM. Vesey is starting to play well especially around the net. When the Sabres get secondary scoring they are a demonstrably better team. What makes me angry is now that the team has finished its long homestead with a flourish it wasted a golden opportunity when it allowed some games against lesser opponents to get away in the beginning of the homestand. This link is Krueger's post game comments on WGR after the game. There are additional player responses on this WGR page. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/2-16-ralph-krueger-post-game

Most scouts would agree that he has the requisite skill level to be a NHL player. What is also evident after a number of years of playing is that he doesn't have the consistent intensity level that is required in this highly competitive league. The issue as I see it relates to his internal drive. It's simply not there in a sport that is very much an effort sport. There comes a point where you have to just trust your eyes. In my estimation he belongs in Europe with the bigger ice surfaces where a player can float and be reasonably successful. That approach to the game doesn't work in the more intense and combative NHL league. The Blackhawks were seduced by his skill level while Botterill realized that his skill level would never overcome his languid makeup. There certainly are moves that Botterill can be criticized for. This isn't one of them.

It's not what you or I want. The owner/s make the call regarding their staff. I strongly believe that the GM will be back next year. And in my humble opinion he has earned the right to continue running the operation. I prefer stability over instability.

Trading Nylander for Joki. Trading for Montour for a reasonable price. Getting Miller at a reasonable price. Bringing on Krueger after Housley underperformed as a coach. Having nearly half of his roster on expiring contracts so in the next offseason he has more flexibility and be in an advantageous position to make deals. When he couldn't get a deal for Risto because the return wasn't good enough for him he kept him, and he ended up playing well. When Mittelstadt demonstrated that he wasn't ready after giving him the opportunity to play he sent him to Rochester. Hopefully, in the long run it will be the right move for the player and the team. He handled Olofsson smartly by keeping him in Rochester until the end of the season last year. And now he is a prolific goal scorer on the first line. Not every move worked out. But that is inevitable for all GMs when making personnel decisions. The ROR trade has proven to be damaging. But there is a backstory regarding his publicly expressed disgruntlement and upcoming bonus payments that drove the deal. Overall, I believe he has done a good job.

I respectfully disagree with your rating of our defensemen. I agree with you that Dahlin is clearly a first pairing player. Risto is in my estimation a second pairing caliber of player. He just doesn't have the elite acumen to be a first pairing player. However, his physicality on a unit that lacks that attribute makes him an important player on that unit. I rate Montour higher than you do. Although I consider him a second, and not first pairing type of talent, because of his skating prowess he can complement and play with Dahlin who is in an elite (maybe not now) player. Joki right now is more of a third pairing player but because of how smartly he plays the position it wouldn't surprise me if he turns out to be a second pairing caliber of player. Right now he may be our most efficient defenseman. I don't get hung up on the labels because it is not unusual for a second pairing caliber of player to play on the first or even third pairing because of chemistry and complementary considerations. If you add Miller and Pilut to the mix I see this grouping as being solid and emerging to be good. I am optimistic about this team's future. However, I don't consider it to be at the unrealistic and unbridled level. Last year, you exasperatingly asked me when I thought this team would be good. I told you that it would be in another two to three years. I'm holding to that timetable and assessment. I am cautiously optimistic that next year will be our bump up year and the year after this team will be a more established team. Time will tell.

Some people were complaining about the excessive number of defensemen on the team. That issue with the departure of Bogo and Scandella is resolving itself. I wouldn't be surprised if either Risto or Montour is traded, most likely in the offseason, to add a second line forward/center. We also have Miller playing well and Pilot ready to be a full time player. So even while the numbers get whittled down on that unit it is still a good unit.

With Olofsson back in the lineup we have a legitimate high quality first line. Our defensive unit is not only a good unit it is a young unit that will get better. Dahlin, Joki, Montour and Risto are genuine top one or two pairing caliber defensemen. I also like Miller, and Pilot is ready to be a good piece to that unit. That is a solid unit. What gives me optimism about this offseason? The GM has put this franchise in good cap shape with at least half a dozen expiring contracts to bring in additional talent to upgrade not only the roster but most importantly add to the second line. I also believe that Mitts and Tage are ready or near ready to be contributing players on the third line. In addition, what I find most encouraging is that this team has a good coach in Krueger who has been involved in a rebuild project. I place a lot of confidence in him as a coach and a leader.

What do you think of LSU's Edward-Helaire? Although he has some similar traits as Singletary adding him to the mix would enhance the offense. He's one of my favorite players in this draft. Maybe a third round grading to him?

You are so headstrong and blinded by your zealotry that you have no inkling what my position is on the Sabres, although I have stated it a thousand times. This is not a playoff team. And there is no turning point after this last win because there is no turning point. This roster has some glaring deficiencies that can't be overcome this year. That doesn't mean that this isn't an improved team from the prior lackluster years. I predicted prior to the season that this was an 88 point team. If the Sabres improve their point total by 10 from last year's 76 point total I will be satisfied that the team is moving in the right direction. But the meaningful evaluation isn't about the point total this year as it is how the team plays according to Krueger's system and philosophy. From that standpoint I am very encouraged about their near future prospects. What I have repeatedly told you and your snickering compadres is that when Botteril took over there was not going to be a quick fix to this team that needed a major reconstruction that also included an organization that was hollowed out. In my view this current GM has steadily addressed his challenging task without resorting to expedient quick fixes that in the end get you nowhere other than staying on the long road of mediocrity. You need to maintain your composure and trust the process. You may be too frantic to realize it but it is working. Hopefully my response offers some clarity to some of your misguided perceptions that you seem unable to shake from. ?