plenzmd1 Posted September 28, 2019 Posted September 28, 2019 On 9/26/2019 at 7:45 PM, JohnC said: This is a Paul Hamilton WGR link regarding Gilmour. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-gilmour-making-good-impression soory John, been driving all day..thank you for this 1
BillsFan4 Posted September 28, 2019 Author Posted September 28, 2019 https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/ralph-krueger-92719/t-277437090/c-69167303 I don’t know how to embed video links from the Sabres site. It’s a great interview with Ralph Krueger from yesterday. Lots of stuff I agree with. Hopefully we will see some of it put into action (especially what he says about “the players will dictate who plays and how much”).
JohnC Posted September 28, 2019 Posted September 28, 2019 56 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/ralph-krueger-92719/t-277437090/c-69167303 I don’t know how to embed video links from the Sabres site. It’s a great interview with Ralph Krueger from yesterday. Lots of stuff I agree with. Hopefully we will see some of it put into action (especially what he says about “the players will dictate who plays and how much”). I wasn't able to bring up the link but I have heard Krueger speak on a number of occasions. I have not been as harsh a critic of Housley as most critics because I felt that he was working with a dearth of talent. However, it is clearly evident that Krueger not only has a much more commanding presence but also so much more depth to him. If you consider both Montour and Olafsson as new players because they were late season additions this roster is going to have at least half a dozen new players. In addition, the younger players will have more experience to build on. So this roster is going through a major reshaping. Is this a playoff team? I believe that they are a fringe playoff team that should be able to vie for a playoff spot up to the end of the season. I was asked last year how far away was this team from being a serious team. I still believe that we are at least another year away from being a good team. That is not to say that we won't be a competitive team even against the very good teams. As I have said before amid the snickering backbenchers the trajectory is up. 1
EmotionallyUnstable Posted September 29, 2019 Posted September 29, 2019 Can we start a new thread for reg season and have a separate thread for @JohnC ? Just kidding man, I’m relatively new to hockey and like reading your knowledgeable perspective. That being said, this beast is getting large. Is it possible to break the Sabres season into weeks or at least months, as to make it readable if we fall behind?
JohnC Posted September 29, 2019 Posted September 29, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, EmotionallyUnstable said: Can we start a new thread for reg season and have a separate thread for @JohnC ? Just kidding man, I’m relatively new to hockey and like reading your knowledgeable perspective. That being said, this beast is getting large. Is it possible to break the Sabres season into weeks or at least months, as to make it readable if we fall behind? @BillsFan4 is the person who is the accomplished one who at the proper interval reworks the thread. I'm just the slug who is in the back seat watching the others who are the main drivers. Edited September 29, 2019 by JohnC 1
Locomark Posted September 29, 2019 Posted September 29, 2019 I just don’t know if Olafsson, Vesey, and Johansson will be enough to get our anemic offense scoring more. We still need another 25 goal scorer and a better #1 goaltender. We probably end up 10th and about 6 points out of the playoffs IMO unless we trade Risto in the first few months for scoring.
4merper4mer Posted September 29, 2019 Posted September 29, 2019 1 hour ago, Locomark said: I just don’t know if Olafsson, Vesey, and Johansson will be enough to get our anemic offense scoring more. We still need another 25 goal scorer and a better #1 goaltender. We probably end up 10th and about 6 points out of the playoffs IMO unless we trade Risto in the first few months for scoring. Haven't you heard that the trajectory is up? For the record I do agree that it is up. Mathematically it has to be since we have been the worst team over the last 5 years. Similarly St. Louis has a downward trajectory after winning the cup because there is nowhere to go but down. This GM is far better than the last but still somewhere between bad and horrible. You are right about the second line and goaltending. The goalies are better than what Murray trotted out there but they still aren't good enough. They've treated the improvement of the second line as if it were as difficult as solving world hunger. 1
BillsFan4 Posted September 29, 2019 Author Posted September 29, 2019 Rantanen signed in Colorado too. So now all of the RFA’s are signed. We will see if a Ristolainen trade happens now. Though Winnipeg could decide to wait a bit to see if Byfuglien comes back before making a move. Or go with a cheaper trade option than Risto. Or buffalo could even even decide to hang onto Ristolainen until they get a bit healthier on the blue line.
JohnC Posted September 30, 2019 Posted September 30, 2019 2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said: Rantanen signed in Colorado too. So now all of the RFA’s are signed. We will see if a Ristolainen trade happens now. Though Winnipeg could decide to wait a bit to see if Byfuglien comes back before making a move. Or go with a cheaper trade option than Risto. Or buffalo could even even decide to hang onto Ristolainen until they get a bit healthier on the blue line. What put Winnipeg in a good position to sign both Laine (shorter term) and Kyle Connor is Byfuglien taking time off to consider his future. He has been in this league for 15 years and has been subjected to a lot of physical battering and mental exhaustion from playing this bruising game. While he sits out and is on a suspended list he is not getting paid so the money that should have been directed to him goes back into the team pot that allowed the organization to pay their free premier agent players. What is Risto's value on the market? Maybe it isn't as much as many of us thinks it is. Although he is a physically imposing player it shouldn't be forgotten that he was one of the worst plus/minus players in the league last year. To put it mildly he is not much of a thinking player on the ice. What this team wants to do to rejuvenate his game is to lessen his minutes and simplify his game. That puts him in the category of being more of a second pairing caliber defenseman than a first pairing defenseman. To state the obvious, the better and smarter he plays the more value he has. Hopefully, he will be more receptive to Krueger's coaching than he was to Housley's coaching. No question that Risto is a current asset for this team. The hope is that he will up his game and be a bigger asset for this team or as a trade asset to bring back a better return. He simply needs to be better. 1
BillsFan4 Posted September 30, 2019 Author Posted September 30, 2019 https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/ralph-krueger-92919/t-277443402/c-69223403 another interview with Krueger. Worth listening to until the end (IMO). Maybe I’m just being a homer Sabres fan, but this interview (along with everything I’ve seen from Krueger) jut give me some actual confidence that he has a real plan and knows how to execute it.
JohnC Posted September 30, 2019 Posted September 30, 2019 13 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/ralph-krueger-92919/t-277443402/c-69223403 another interview with Krueger. Worth listening to until the end (IMO). Maybe I’m just being a homer Sabres fan, but this interview (along with everything I’ve seen from Krueger) jut give me some actual confidence that he has a real plan and knows how to execute it. I can't bring up the links. I'm not sure why??? I used to be able to do it. Maybe a setting is off? Have you deliberately sabotaged me? What I will be watching during the season is whether the team as a unit and players individually get better as the season advances. When Botterill was asked what was one of the main reasons why Housley was fired he said that the players were not getting better and they were repeatedly making the same mistakes. I don't see Krueger tolerating that continuous type of bad play. There are a couple of players that I will be closely following early in the season: Mitts and Risto. From Mitts I'm looking for steady improvement. I'm not expecting a great leap forward. And from Risto if he can be steady and smart then I will be more than satisfied with him. My belief/prediction is that the Sabres should be 10 to 14 points better than last year because of better coaching, added talent and internal development.
BillsFan4 Posted September 30, 2019 Author Posted September 30, 2019 (edited) Good read if you have an athletic subscription. Quote The Sabres have missed the playoffs for eight straight years. A passionate fan base is low on patience. And while those fans have every right to be skeptical considering the organization’s results over the past decade, I have this bit of advice to offer: Underestimate Krueger at your peril. Quote “......The conversations I had when I met Jason the first time, at the same time I was having conversations (with other teams) on that other level (executive job), and the comparison of the conversation right then with a rink on the table, it just pulled me like a magnet. “I came back after that weekend and said to my wife, `We really got to look at this, we really got to look at this.’’’ Surely, an executive position with another NHL team would make more sense. While there would be pressure to be sure, the amount of runway that Krueger would have to play with would be considerably longer. But coaching? You only have to look at Krueger’s only season behind an NHL bench to see just how short the leash can be. The Oilers fired him after the 2012-13 season, a ridiculous decision that still haunts Edmonton all these years later. But it illustrates a point, you’re better off as an executive than a coach, at least when it comes to job security. But that’s not what his heart was telling him. ”I had to make a decision, turning 60 in August, was I going to do it one more time? Scare myself a little bit, and take on something difficult; or go into what was becoming now a comfortable president/chairman role,” Krueger said. “The kitchen doesn’t get nearly as hot there short-term. It gets hot in the long term. This is like dealing with fires now … It’s just been all so natural since then. It’s crazy. … but that’s how it all happened. It was organic. I definitely did not expect this to evolve again. But now that I’m here, I cannot imagine my life without this again one more time.’’ I love that he willingly chose the bigger challenge (coaching the Sabres)! Babcock did the same thing in Toronto. He chose to take on a full rebuild because of the potential reward at the end. Edited September 30, 2019 by BillsFan4
JohnC Posted September 30, 2019 Posted September 30, 2019 20 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: Good read if you have an athletic subscription. I love that he willingly chose the bigger challenge (coaching the Sabres)! Babcock did the same thing in Toronto. He chose to take on a full rebuild because of the potential reward at the end. Let me first state that I was not able to access the Atlantic article before making my comments. Maybe by reading the article I would be better informed and better able to comment. However, I have a different take on Krueger taking this job than you. (I may be mixing up your thoughts on Babcock with your thoughts on Krueger?) There is no argument from me that Krueger is taking on a big challenge in Buffalo. He is taking on a challenging job in a market where the fan base is frustrated and tired of being stuck for years in the muck of mediocrity. Where I slightly disagree with your view is that he is not joining an operation that is at the beginning of a major rebuild. Maybe two years ago or even last year that would be a reasonable characterization, but not this year. He joined a team that already had a core with Eichel, Reinhart, Skinner and Dahlin. And there is a second tier core with Montour and even Risto who is currently on the roster. The three players that the GM added this offseason in Miller, Johansson and Vesey are not top tier players but they are solid players who were added to a thin roster. Olofsson can also be considered an addition to last year's roster because he was brought in at the end of the season. My belief is that this team is still incomplete and is maybe a year or two away from being a seriously competitive team. But that is far from categorizing this team as being in the early rebuilding stage. This team should be a competitive team that has enough talent to earn 86 to 88 points. This team is on the upswing and hopefully by next year or so it will be beyond the fringe playoff level. That's how I see it.
BillsFan4 Posted September 30, 2019 Author Posted September 30, 2019 53 minutes ago, JohnC said: Let me first state that I was not able to access the Atlantic article before making my comments. Maybe by reading the article I would be better informed and better able to comment. However, I have a different take on Krueger taking this job than you. (I may be mixing up your thoughts on Babcock with your thoughts on Krueger?) There is no argument from me that Krueger is taking on a big challenge in Buffalo. He is taking on a challenging job in a market where the fan base is frustrated and tired of being stuck for years in the muck of mediocrity. Where I slightly disagree with your view is that he is not joining an operation that is at the beginning of a major rebuild. Maybe two years ago or even last year that would be a reasonable characterization, but not this year. He joined a team that already had a core with Eichel, Reinhart, Skinner and Dahlin. And there is a second tier core with Montour and even Risto who is currently on the roster. The three players that the GM added this offseason in Miller, Johansson and Vesey are not top tier players but they are solid players who were added to a thin roster. Olofsson can also be considered an addition to last year's roster because he was brought in at the end of the season. My belief is that this team is still incomplete and is maybe a year or two away from being a seriously competitive team. But that is far from categorizing this team as being in the early rebuilding stage. This team should be a competitive team that has enough talent to earn 86 to 88 points. This team is on the upswing and hopefully by next year or so it will be beyond the fringe playoff level. That's how I see it. I didn’t mean that he was joining a full rebuild like Babcock did. As you said we have a good foundation in place. Any team with Eichel, Dahlin, Reinhart, Skinner etc. all in their early to mid 20’s can’t be considered in need of a “full rebuild”. I just meant that both coaches purposely chose very challenging situations over easier gigs that were (or seem to have been) available to both. They decided to seek out and/or accept a challenge instead. And Make no mistake, the Buffalo coaching job is a challenge. 1
ChevyVanMiller Posted September 30, 2019 Posted September 30, 2019 Tage, Pilut and Asplund to start the season in Rochester. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-make-seven-roster-moves 1
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted September 30, 2019 Posted September 30, 2019 On 9/28/2019 at 6:25 PM, BillsFan4 said: (especially what he says about “the players will dictate who plays and how much”). “But I don’t want to play goal!” <<< >>>. “Shut up, Goldberg! You’re playing goal! Karp and Averman are forwards! We decided!” 1
BillsFan4 Posted September 30, 2019 Author Posted September 30, 2019 2 hours ago, ChevyVanMiller said: Tage, Pilut and Asplund to start the season in Rochester. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-make-seven-roster-moves Pilut is injured and will need game action once healthy. No surprise there. Slightly surprised about Thompson, but not really. Wilson, Elie, Lazar and Nelson on waivers. Casey Nelson surprises me a bit. Hope they can get him to Rochester but I won’t lose sleep if they don’t. Not sure that I agree with Jokiharju earning the spot over Nelson, if that’s what it came down to. Joker had some good moments but he struggled a lot in his own zone. I thought Nelson was the better overall player, but maybe they’re trying to sneak him through waivers now and (eventually) use an injury call up (so he doesn’t have to pass through waivers) or something? 3
JohnC Posted September 30, 2019 Posted September 30, 2019 2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said: Pilut is injured and will need game action once healthy. No surprise there. Slightly surprised about Thompson, but not really. Wilson, Elie, Lazar and Nelson on waivers. Casey Nelson surprises me a bit. Hope they can get him to Rochester but I won’t lose sleep if they don’t. Not sure that I agree with Jokiharju earning the spot over Nelson, if that’s what it came down to. Joker had some good moments but he struggled a lot in his own zone. I thought Nelson was the better overall player, but maybe they’re trying to sneak him through waivers now and (eventually) use an injury call up (so he doesn’t have to pass through waivers) or something? If the GM took the risk of losing Jokiharju by sending him to Rochester and another team claimed him Botts would certainly look foolish after trading Nylander for him and then ending up with anything. Sending Nelson down, even if he outplayed Joki, is understandable because Joki has more upside as a player. Nelson is a solid and steady stay at home defenseman. He is a good depth blue liner who when called up will be ready to fill in.
Alaska Darin Posted September 30, 2019 Posted September 30, 2019 7 hours ago, JohnC said: Let me first state that I was not able to access the Atlantic article before making my comments. There are not many things on the internet worth paying for...the Athletic is absolutely one of them. It is BY FAR the best sports website on the internet. It's everything all the others wish they could be and none of the things they actually are. 1
4merper4mer Posted October 1, 2019 Posted October 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Alaska Darin said: There are not many things on the internet worth paying for...the Athletic is absolutely one of them. It is BY FAR the best sports website on the internet. It's everything all the others wish they could be and none of the things they actually are. How many sports do they cover well? I'm assuming top 4 but what about boxing, horse racing, college football and baseball?
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