JohnC

This issue was brought up before in this thread: Does anyone know what the status is of WGR's Paul Hamilton? Today on WGR's Howard and Jeremy Morning Show Pat Malacaro was on a segment talking about the Sabres. Usually, this is the role that Hamilton has. So his absence may indicate that he is no longer associated with the station. If anyone has an update I would appreciate it. I assume that he could immediately play in the NHL? Right now I'm of the belief that he will be on Buffalo's roster next year. I don't like rushing prospects but if he is good enough to beat out the competition at training camp I'm all for him to make the roster. If the organization believes that it would be good for him to have a short stint in Buffalo and then go back to the juniors that would also be fine with me.

If you want to play the lesser player that's okay. That's not how I would do it. If the coaching staff believes he is ready to play and help the club then I don't know what the problem is. I'm not suggesting that Cozens is the caliber of player that Jack is. But what Jack has demonstrated is that you can improve as a player while playing in the NHL, assuming that you are ready to play with the higher competition.

If Cozens plays well enough in training camp and outperforms the other center or forward candidates/competitors on the forward lines he will earn a spot with the big club. There are two sides to this issue: What's best for the player and what's best for the Sabres. Ideally, the best developmental situation might be for him to play a lot in Rochester. On the other hand he can also continue with his development playing in the NHL. Whether one is talking about Mittelstadt, Tage or Cozens it comes down to how they play when competing for roster spots. If he or the other prospects show that they can handle the upgrade in competition then I wouldn't have no reluctance with any of them starting the season in Buffalo.

The prospect who will soon be moving ahead of Mittelstadt is Cozens. I wouldn't be surprised if Cozens makes the roster next year, even if it's as a forward instead of a center. As far as Mittelstadt and his development only time will tell. He may be the type of prospect where it takes another year or so before he is ready to play in the NHL. If he can eventually become a contributing third line center then I'm fine with that. Another prospect to watch out for is Arttu Ruotsalainen who may be in Rochester next year. The below link is a 10 min WGR interview with Cozens current coach. After listening to it I came away believing that he will be on the roster next year and eventually be our second line center. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/01-31-lethbridge-hurricanes-general-manager-peter-anholt-with-howard-and-sal

Krueger is a lot tougher of a coach than Housley ever was. He is not going to tolerate loose play by disinterested players. His system/philosophy is predicated on the defense leading to the offense. Anyone who quits and lags in his responsibilities will be soon be watching the games from the team suite. This year there is an emphasis on installing his system. Hopefully, next year there will be a few additions to bolster the roster and give him a better chance to succeed. Botterill is the GM with the primary responsibility in putting together the roster. However, I have little doubt that Krueger in collaboration with the GM will have much to say in who is kept and who he is moved..

The Sabres certainly are not a complete team. That's blatantly obvious to anyone who watches the games. But when they get good goal tending they can compete and win, even against the better teams. Over the past couple to few years a solid defensive corps has been assembled. This unit will get better in the near future with the younger players such as Dahlin, Joki and Pilut getting better. Compare what we have now to what we had a few years ago? No question it is a dramatic upgrade. With Jack as the anchor we do have a credible first line unit with Reinhart and Olofsson as supporting members. The main problem on this team is that there is a gaping hole on the second line. The only player who is a second-line caliber player is Skinner. And to a large extent his scoring talents are being extinguished because he is playing with players who are not close to being second-line talents. Half this roster is on the last year of their contracts. Will the GM be able to swing trade deals for a couple of impacting players with teams that are cap stressed? I'm hoping so, and expect so. While there is a lot of lamenting that the GM has screwed the cap and left this organization in a cap bind this year they miss the point on what the situation actually is with their short term perspective. The GM deliberately decided to go with many one year contracts this year with the intention of giving us flexibility the following year/s. He is doing exactly what McBeane did with their cap strategy a year ago thus giving them the cap flexibility to acquire players the following year. The issue comes down to whether he can take advantage of his good cap situation. I'm not down on this team. I know what they are. Their scoring limitations are on exhibit every night. What I don't want to see happen is that out of fan and organizational frustrations this front office makes short term deals at the expense from making better deals this next offseason.

I really get tired how you distort my assessment of the Sabres. If you were paying attention to what I have been saying over the past couple of years instead of reflexively lamenting and childishly snickering about the team's status you would understand that I have clearly stated that the issue plaguing this team is its lack of talent. How many freaking times do I have to say it before it registers with you? This team is better than last year's team; and the HC is dramatically better than the prior coaches. But the talent base clearly isn't good enough to be a serious team. How many times have I said over the past couple of years that there was no quick fix to this messed up franchised? You act as if I am being conned by the organization into believing that this team is better than it actually is. I'm not. You can have whatever opinions you want about this team. That's your prerogative. But bloody stop with your deliberate distortions of what I have repeatedly stated about my views about where this team is currently at. Next offseason this team is going to have plenty of cap space and hopefully some of the younger players will be more developed. I expect that the GM will be in a good position to bring in more talent. This rebuilding was never going to be a quick and easy process. If you can't handle that harsh reality that is your problem.

This is a 9 min WGR link with Jason Botterill answering questions about the Sabres. There is nothing illuminating about his responses. Basically indicating that he is staying the course. His most interesting comments dealt with Mittelstadt and how he was doing in Rochester. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/01-28-jason-botterill

I will still blame you even if you are out of town because your karma is ubiquitous. ?

The attached link is Krueger giving a 10 minute WGR interview about where the Sabres are. He made an interesting comment about Montour and the effect of shifting him from the right to left side. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/01-27-ralph-krueger

Next year is going to be his make or break year. I'm sure you disagree but I believe he has put this franchise in a good position to have his bump up year next year. My advice to you is to be patient and trust the process. It will come sooner than you think. Trust me; I will not lead you astray. ?

I would rather wait for the offseason to make a deal to improve the second line because with the good cap situation we should be better able toparlay that chip to make a more impacting deal. As of right now the only player who could bring that caliber of player is Risto. If he is going to be dealt then his value to get a bigger return increases with the wise use of the cap space.

Keep your money in your pocket this year. Next year is when you should make a calculated gamble on the team. As a gambler you should know that it is all about the timing. As of right now your gambling clock is askew.

Do you gamble for the purpose of losing money? You should have just gone to a fast food joint and bought yourself lunch. At least you would have gotten some fatty caloric value out of your money.

Paul Hamilton was on a 9 min segment on WGR talking about the Sabres. He talked about the return of Skinner. He mentioned how Lazar has played well enough to replace Asplund and get him sent back down to Rochester. He was also candid enough to acknowledge that the Sabres' chances to make the playoffs were improbable. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/01-27-paul-hamilton-with-howard-and-jeremy

I was hoping that Krueger would put Skinner on the Jack line even if it was only until the return of Olofsson in order to get him going. However, the coach has a philosophy of balancing out the lines with one player on the line able to play a more defensive game. I'm not a Vesey basher but it seems to me that having him on the first line doesn't enhance that line very much. This offseason the priority is to add to the second line and make it a more credible and contributing line. We now have a good first line, a more than solid defensive corps and a respectable checking line. With the added cap space from the departure of some of players on the last year contracts the GM should be able to bring in a needed piece or two. What would be helpful to the cause is the development of Mittelstadt. My feelings about him is that he has to earn a spot with the big club.

This link is by Heather Engel from NHL.com. It appears that Skinner will play against Ottawa on a line with Johansson and Frolik. Some reports indicate that Olofsson is on a week to week schedule to return. @BillsFan4 stated that he was going to be at the game. We should soon learn whether he is a jinx or a lucky charm for this forsaken team. The Sabres have won 3 out of the last 4 games. https://www.nhl.com/news/buffalo-sabres-jeff-skinner-update/c-314320428

In hindsight if the Bills would have taken Singletary in the second round instead of the third would people be complaining that he was taken too high because the value wasn't there? Based on his production I doubt there would be any arguments that he wouldn't have been worth taking with a higher pick. I'm not arguing to take Edwards-Helaire in the second round (more receptive to moving up in the third) but based on his effectiveness both as a runner and receiver I wouldn't be criticizing taking him with a higher pick. Needless to say he is one of my favorite players in this draft class.

Najee Harris has decided to remain in school. https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2020/01/why-alabama-star-najee-harris-decided-to-pass-on-entering-nfl-draft.html

As you noted he is probably going to be the MVP in the league. He may be a one read passer now but that doesn't mean that he won't become more proficient in making more progressive reads as he gains experience. The team that he quarterbacked was one of the best teams in the regular season. He's only in his second season so one can't say for sure whether he will have sustained success in the pro ranks. What I do know about him is in college and in his very limited pro years he has been exceptionally successful not only as an individual player but in leading his teams. Although his style is different from most qbs because he is so athletic that shouldn't be held against him because the most meaningful statistic is his teams' record. He may not be a conventional player but he is a young and winning qb who I expect to get even better.

So what if he doesn't develop into an accomplished pocket passer. What if he is an effective one read passer and one of the best mobile and dual threat qbs in the game? In your evaluation of qbs you have a conventional paradigm and then you judge players based on that standard. What if there are a variety of offensive paradigms that prove to be successful? There are different styles of runners, and there are different styles of receivers who in their own unique ways are elite players. You can also use the same reasoning for DTs. Aaron Donald's style of play is certainly different from many other interior defensive linemen. To an extent all qbs are system qbs in that teams design their offenses to accentuate the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of their qbs. Winning is the goal. How you do it and how aesthetic you are as a qb is a secondary issue compared to how it translates into winning.

Whether he runs a sub 4.5 or not doesn't bother me. He is a tough, instinctive runner who has produced at the highest collegiate level. He reminds me of Singletary whose knock as a prospect was that he didn't have blazing speed. Both of these players are instinctive who make their OL look good because they quickly find the gap and hit it. And another trait that I like about Edward-Healaire, that also applies to Singletary, is that they fall forward. Both for the most part are north/south runners who know when to take it wide. If he was available on the third round I would be ecstatic if the Bills snatched him. Edwards-Healaire is simply a baller who fits the McDermott mold.

The medical staff and the team came up with a cautious strategy to handle him before he was cleared to play. They stuck to their plan. They were prudent. I heard one account that when he was rehabbing and wasn't very mobile he worked on his shooting because he could do it while being stationary. He took a bad situation and used it to add to his game. Maybe in the long run that injury will end up working to his advantage because it gave him the time and opportunity to round out his game.

Sorry for your loss. Where is your father going to be buried? If it is in Florida I would go down there. If your father is going to be shipped back north for a memorial service and burial is the advocate going to make the arrangements through a funeral home or through the nursing home? I can't recommend that you go down there or not based on the incomplete information but I would recommend that you maintain communication with the nursing home and the advocate whether you go down there or not. When my mother passed away she was in a nursing home in California where my brother and sister lived. The memorial service was going to be held in Buffalo. If I recall correctly ??? I believe the funeral home in Buffalo made the arrangements for the shipping and permits. If there are other siblings or relatives involved with the arrangements I recommend that you stay in close contact and communicate over what your father's wishes were. Again, sorry for your loss.

The attached link is a 16 min segment with Marty Biron on WGR. He talked about where Jack rates in the league with the top players and the use of Reinhart on another line. He makes the good point that if Reinhart is moved off of the Jack line that it is imperative to get more production from him on the PP to compensate for him being off the top line. The most interesting part of the interview dealt with Risto and how he is used with the Sabres and his trade value. Marty takes a two prong approach to the Risto issue. The first prong is how best to use him on the Sabres, and the second prong is what is his value on the market. It seems that Marty leans more toward dealing him if you can get good value back. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/01-23-marty-biron-with-howard-and-jeremy