If they don't make the playoffs this year when the hell will they ever? There are too many talented players on this team to expect less than a solid playoff spot.
If it is another year of looking in from the outside, they did this rebuild wrong.
That seems reasonable.Yes we do IMO. In no particular order:
Pittsburgh
Columbus
Rangers
Washington
Philadelphia
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Buffalo
Wholly agree, although I'd add TB as a VERY HIGH probability. IMO, of the eleven remaining teams (without regard for star-player injury impact to any particular team), grouping them in 3 buckets, listed alphabetically and not ranked:IMHO, there are two locks for the playoffs in the EC:
Pittsburgh
Washington
After that? It's literally a big grouping of teams with both NJ and Detroit rounding out the bottom of each division.
That's 12 teams for 6 spots.
Buffalo is in that 12 team group.
I agree with this assessment, but give less weight to the impact of goaltending, unless Housley's system is so open / attacking that the number of odd-man rushes against doubles or trebles.Re: other teams, very complex answer. Lots of variables for each team.
For the Sabres, here's what needs to happen for playoffs to be a thing:
1.) Housley's system unleashes a bunch of players due to the possession it generates.
2.) The potential of the defense is realized, even if only partially. In particular, Ristolainen becomes a #1D and isn't worn out due to usage. Bogosian becomes a viable top 4 D. Antipin proves to be an NHL puck mover. Beaulieu progresses.
3.) Player usage and combinations improve. ROR and Ristolainen aren't ground into pulp by February. Housley picks a structure for line combinations and goes with it toward player strengths.
4.) Lehner and CJ need to be an NHL starter/back-up duo, and not a train-wreck which torpedoes games.
5.) Some of the Rochester players need to advance and make an impact for the Sabres.
We're going to win the division, so yes.
I'm hopeful but my practical side says "not this year".
TB and Toronto are the only locks in our division, IMO. I think the Lightning go over 100 pts assuming Stamkos plays 70+ games. Toronto won't be as healthy as last season, but their young core should still have them in the upper-90's or just over 100. After that, it's a relative crapshoot. It's tough to see Montreal missing if Price starts 65 games. Boucher will have the Sens trapping and clawing their way to wins and loser points. Boston still has Bergeron, and we've been waiting for them to fall out for two years, but they haven't. We are on Florida's level. I expect we'll be better than Detroit.
All told, I don't think we make it. I find myself with too many "if this can happen" items. When that's the case, it's usually a problem.
I know this is bait, but that's baffling to me. Lehner, for all his faults, was so low on the list of problems last year. The mental gymnastics one must have to go through to put the entire season solely on his shoulders...Depends entirely on goaltending. No if Lehner is the starter this year.
I know this is bait, but that's baffling to me. Lehner, for all his faults, was so low on the list of problems last year. The mental gymnastics one must have to go through to put the entire season solely on his shoulders...
I mean, in fairness, he's technically not wrong. If Lehner has a horrendous season, our playoff chances go down with him... but priorities. We know pretty well what we have in Lehner, and barring any unprecedented changes in his play it's not a goaltender that will cost us a season. Our rookie head coach and ragtag team of underachieving skaters are the real question marks here.TiM MURRAYyyyyyyy
They make the playoffs, stop being so buffalo about everything.
I know this is bait, but that's baffling to me. Lehner, for all his faults, was so low on the list of problems last year. The mental gymnastics one must have to go through to put the entire season solely on his shoulders...
EDIT: Unless you're the type of person that says "if the goalie stops every shot every game it doesn't matter how well the rest of the team plays" so everything is the goalies fault. But that falls into the school of Bylsma-defending where "players should succeed no matter how little hope he instills in his players to win or how poorly thought out the game plan is, because hard work" so everything is the players fault.
While low on the priority list, I agree Lehner needed to be better last year. And that it could end up being on him this year when all's said and done. Who knows.The theory is that the skaters should be better and should get us close to playoffs but then at that point it hinges on goaltending and I can almost guarantee SV% will go down with more offensive system and higher danger shots on average. The question then becomes whether Lehner can maintain good enough play to secure this playoff spot. Goaltending can make a massive difference when you are a bubble team, if he steal 3 more games than he "should" thats the difference between potentially finishing 3rd and finishing 5th in the division.
While low on the priority list, I agree Lehner needed to be better last year. And that it could end up being on him this year when all's said and done. Who knows.
But to say at this point of the offseason that it's definitively on him just feels misguided. There are much bigger questions going into this season than if Lehner bottoms out. There's no precedent that he will be anything less than an average NHL goaltender... and if the rest of the team actually plays hockey and not whatever they were doing last year, that's all we should need to at least sniff the playoffs.
EDIT: Unless people have an axe to grind... which is pretty well documented at this point.
I know this is bait, but that's baffling to me. Lehner, for all his faults, was so low on the list of problems last year. The mental gymnastics one must have to go through to put the entire season solely on his shoulders...
EDIT: Unless you're the type of person that says "if the goalie stops every shot every game it doesn't matter how well the rest of the team plays" so everything is the goalies fault. But that falls into the school of Bylsma-defending where "players should succeed no matter how little hope the coach instills in his players to win or how poorly thought out the game plan is, because hard work" so everything is the players fault.
If some people see an opportunity to hijack a thread into another Lehner bashing session, they will.