JohnC

I have defended Risto witnessing better and smarter play by him this season under Krueger. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't be open to a deal that would bring us back a second-line forward (center or winger) who could score. Would I trade him for Winnipeg's LW Ehlers? Yes. But the real question is whether Winnipeg would make the deal? The only two defenders I would not deal are of course Dahlin and the other is the emerging Jokiharju. In my opinion the real value that the GM has is even more than players on his roster is cap space after the season. That should put him in a position to make a deal or two with teams that are cap stressed and are forced to move some talent. I'm hoping that the GM can do what the Bills did after clearing out some players after first being willing to painfully absorb some contracts in the prior year. I disagree with your take. If you want to maximize the talents of 53 and 68 you need to surround them with a stronger supporting cast. Good players on a good team are more productive than good players are on a bad team. The same dynamic applies to every team sport.

The attached link is WGR's commentary on Hutton's game. I thought it was a fair representation of his performance. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/the-sabres-dont-play-well-in-front-of-hutton The bottom line is because of this team's scoring impotency other than Jack this team has little margin of error. When the opposition is roaming free they often capitalize on their chances. When the Sabres have their chances they usually miss the net or are reluctant to shoot. When you subtract two of your primary goal scorers from an already thin scoring roster I don't see where the help will come from. The surplus on the defensive unit is not going to bring back much in a deal other than those marginal type deals such as the Frolik deal unless you trade your ace players such as Dahlin and Joki. I'm open to trading Risto but not unless the return is equal in value. If there is a deal including him I see it happening in the offseason. Krueger is going to have a challenge in keeping this thin team from tuning out and going through the motions. I just don't see any substantive deals being made until the offseason. The reality is stark but it must be faced. If Botts isn't aggressive this offseason in adding to the roster then his job will be in jeopardy, and deservedly so.

Maybe others have stated it but I haven't. I have said for more than a year that this team's central issue is a talent deficit. And I have repeatedly stated that it was going to take time to meaningfully address it. The harsh reality is that there was no quick fix no matter how much people wanted it to be. We have a half dozen or more players who are on the last year of their contracts. That is why next year the organization will be in a better position to substantially alter the roster.

Two of the better goal scorers on a team with few scorers are sidelined. What do you expect? What you and your despairing associates don't understand is that the composition of this lackluster team will not be the same composition next year. If you can't handle that reality that is your problem.

In general our views don't diverge too much. But let me add another point about Risto and how he ranks in the unit. As far as I'm concerned I don't really care if one considers Risto to be a first, second or even a third pairing defenseman. It's not difficult to come to the assessment that Dahlin is going to be a special player. But even when he gets fully developed he is not going to be an elite defensive player compared to his offensive and puck moving ability. The point that I want to stress is that Risto has attributes associated with his physicality that Dahlin and most of the other defensemen don't have, and will never have. It's should not be surprising that in the end of the game when we are holding a tight lead and the other team is making a push Krueger is more likely to put Risto on the ice than Dahlin. We both agree that the Sabres don't currently have a second-line caliber center. So if you can't get one this year or next year you can still upgrade the second line with a more attainable quality winger on that line. With that winger upgrade you are still improving the line and its scoring potential. Or another way of looking at the problem is if you can't fix the issue directly you still can improve the problem indirectly.

I agree with you that with the exception of Dahlin Risto would give you the biggest return if dealt. But let's remember that it was widely reported that the GM was willing to deal him last offseason yet no deal was consummated. There are two possible reasons for him not being dealt, both of which are related from a Sabre perspective. One is that other teams weren't offering as much as the GM desired, and the other is Risto's value is considered very high within the organization. As I previously stated this team has a collection of good skating and passing defensemen. Risto has both of those attributed in addition to the fact that he adds an ingredient of toughness that the others don't provide. Why fix a deficit at the second center line only to create a deficit on a blue line for a multi-faceted defensemen who may be more difficult to replace? We have players in the pipeline who can play center. I believe that ultimately that Cozens will in time (probably two years) be a second line center. As it stands we don't have a replacement with the well rounded attributes that Risto has. Because of Risto's play I have altered my view of dealing him. My preference is to keep him and let the development process play out for the other prospects. It's my opinion that Joki is going to be a gem of a player. Next year I wouldn't be surprised if he is one of our first or second pairing defensemen. The GM is putting together a high end blue line unit. Let's build around that asset and steadily address our other weaknesses.

The one player I don't see being moved or exposed is Risto. For the most part our defense is stocked with good skating defensemen who are more finesse type players than bangers. Risto is one of the few in that unit alongside McCabe who regularly hits the opposition. It seems to me that Krueger relies on Risto at the end of the game when a more defensive posture is required. I'm not saying Risto is our best defenseman because Dahlin is or will be. But he brings an element of physicality that the rest of the unit lacks. In addition, this big and intermittently dumb player can skate and under Krueger is playing a simpler and smarter game. It is this big man's skating ability that allows him to fit in with the rest of the unit and defensive scheme.

Without a doubt the cap is tight this year. The obvious strategy was to be willing to stress the cap this year so next year and beyond the GM will be in a favorable position to keep players and add players . This approach is the same as what McDermott/Beane took when they took over so that in the third year and beyond there was more flexibility to add to the football roster. I know you don't want to hear it but what Botts is doing is positioning this franchise to mostly advance this team in the not too distant future rather than about this year. Because of your impatience you are too fixated with the present roster. I'm not. I simply have a wider perspective than you. That's okay. I'm more than happy to be riding a different bus.

Elliottte Friedman was on WGR's Instigator Show. This is a 25 minute segment. The majority of the discussion dealt with potential league wise trades. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/01-09-sportsnets-elliotte-friedman-with-the-instigators

There are at least a half a dozen contracts that will expire next year that will give the GM cap flexibility to bring on talent.

I hope you don't take this in a mean-spirited way but I would not allow myself to work under you as my boss. I would move on and find someone who is more philosophically compatible to me and less mercurial. Again, I say this with no harshness but with the recognition that our trains are riding on different tracks. This GM took over with the intention of remaking the roster and restructuring the contracts that his predecessors mishandled. And that is exactly what he has done and continues to do. You, as are some of your snickering brethren, are unfairly conflating the failed regimes of the past with his tenure. Botts took on a challenge of bolstering the talent level of this floundering franchise. That was never going to be a quick endeavor regardless how impatient you are. When Pegula hired Botts he knew what the plan was. You don't accept the plan while I do.

Paul Hamilton was on WGR talking about the Sabres. The most interesting comments were about the changing configuration on the PP. This is a 15 min segment. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/01-09-paul-hamilton-with-howard-and-jeremy

Dahlin, Pilut, Joki and to a degree Risto and McCabe make up a young defensive corps that can grow together. Without question the Sabres are not a complete team. But over the past few years the GM has built a solid unit with traits that emphasize speed and passing. The Sabres certainly have a credible first line with Jack. We have a checking and PK unit with the Girgs-Larsson-Okposo line. The major deficit on this team is adding some scoring forwards to the lineup to add secondary scoring. Although some people don't see it because of an accumulated frustration there is progress.

WGR's Paul Hamilton wrote a column about Frolik who got his visa paper work approved and is ready to play. He will be on a line with Johansson and Sheary. Where he should be able to make a quick contribution is on our PK which has been lacking. And because he requested a trade from Calgary where he wasn't being given much playing time he should be motivated. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/frolik-practices-for-the-first-time-with-the-sabres WGR's Paul Hamilton noted that Pilut will be replacing McCabe in the St. Louis game because he dealing with an injury. The interesting question is will Pilut remain with the Sabres even when McCabe returns after the St. Louis game? I wouldn't be too surprised if very soon another defenseman is moved resulting in Pilut staying with the big club. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/pilut-hopes-to-improve-his-consistency

I agree with your post. Children act on impulses; GMs should not. My main criticism of the Lehner deal was not that he acquired him but what he paid for him. That draft pick in a rich draft year could possibly have been an entrenched second line player on our current roster. If you look at what Botts has accomplished in the past few years and consider the possibility that he could have started the rebuild process a couple years sooner this franchise would be in a much better situation. There are plenty of critics of our current GM. I'm not one of them. I think he has done a good job and put this franchise in a good situation in the very near future.

Mike Harrington of the BN gives his capsulation of the season. He points out that the schedule favors us because we have already played the better teams in our division (and mostly lost) with plenty of remaining games against teams we have done well against. He points out that the team's 5 on 5 play is solid while its PK and PP units have failed us. https://buffalonews.com/2020/01/06/buffalo-sabres-nhl-buffalo-bills-nfl-jack-eichel-josh-allen-news-opinion-2020/

My biggest knock on Murray was that as a GM he didn't have a vision on how to build a franchise. He made day to day transactional deals without adequately considering the longer term implications. He was too much of a tactician in a job that called for strategic decisions. He was more of a checker player than a chess player. He was the Sabres version of the Bills' Buddy Nix. He was simply out of his element.

If Murray was still our GM he would have traded Luukkonen for some immediate help at the expense of the future. Our current GM is building up the organization so that success can be more durable. Player development may be a less glamorous and a slower process to the path of success than making a lot of splashy deals by shedding assets but in the end those expedient moves get you nowhere meaningful. Murray's Lehner deal still irks me. He traded a first round pick for a goalie that Ottawa wasn't going to keep. That first round pick in a rich draft year could have now been an entrenched second line forward. An accumulation of bad decisions has damaged this franchise. It's just so stupid!

A spectacular goal by McDavid!

Evander Kane is a talented player. However, this skilled and tough player has not always acted maturely within the locker room and off the ice. I don't believe that he is a bad guy but especially when he was younger this spirited fellow didn't know how to wisely handle himself off the ice. There are traps for individuals who because of their public and high profile line of work come under more scrutiny than other people. It's just the nature of the beast that can't be altered. It's not surprising that when you get older you become more mature and worldly. I think he has grown up a lot. However, his off ice spirit and exhuberance still isn't fully tamed. https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/sharks-evander-kane-sued-by-las-vegas-casino-over-unpaid-500000-gambling-debt/

If you are listening to the radio whether RJ is giving the score or not you will not know what is actually happening on the ice. I don't want to be mean-spirited but sometimes making a change in the booth is a good thing. Very often when there is too much reverence for the past it is to the detriment of the present. As you are noting there is a different skill set between TV and radio. These two different mediums don't really overlap.

In a couple of years he is going to be our #2 center. The more near term issue is whether to move him up to the big club next year or have him play full time in Rochester to enhance his development. Ultimately his play will determine how he is handled. If Mittestadt can develop into the player he was projected to be then the roster will be even more enhanced. My position on Mitts is to keep him in Rochester until he is fully ready.

The attached link is a Mike Harrington Buffalo News column and the situation this team is in after a couple of critical long term injuries. The general point is that everyone has to step up and play not beyond but up to their roles. I felt that this Florida game demonstrated that point. What has been sabotaging this team is the play of the PK unit. Hopefully, it has regained its form. The exemplary play of the PK in this game was a big factor in this win. https://buffalonews.com/2020/01/04/just-like-the-90s-sabres-have-to-play-beyond-their-talent-level/ The attached link are post game comments by Krueger on WGR: https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/1-4-ralph-krueger-postgame

I agree with you about Lorentz. He is smooth and his commentary tracks the game better than RJ does. That makes a difference when listening on the radio. When you stand back and watch this team you still witness the limitations of the roster compared to the better teams in the league. But what is starkly evident to me is that this team is collectively playing better. Krueger is installing a system and the players are playing within the system. When the talent is upgraded (and it is steadily being added to) this is going to be a good team in the not too distant future. The approach that should be followed is the Boston Bruin model with its three and four line tight checking model. In order to do that you have to have the right coach and players to measure up to that tough prescription. We have the right coach and the roster is steadily being reshaped. I really believe that next year with the cap flexibility and the continued development of the young players it will be a bump up year.

Some brief thoughts about this game: My first star goes to Ullmark. When you have good goaltending you will usually have a chance to win. My second star would go to Johansson. He's a nifty passer and has great instincts. I wish he and Dahlin would shoot more. My third star would go to the team for its collective effort in stifling a more talented offensive team. The Sabres played a tight checking game and gave the Panthers little room to maneuver. As was noted by BillsFan4 I thought Sheary played well. As he did in this game he needs to convert when he has the glorious opportunities. I don't understand the complaints about the excess in having capable defensemen. I thought both Bogo and Miller, players who have been subjected to the booth on multiple occasions, played solidly. The Okposo, Larsson and Gergs line is important to the team. This line epitomizes the notion that offensive stats don't reflect the line's importance. The Sabres home record is 13-5-3 and the away record is 6-12-4.