Roster Speculation '17-'18: Someone, Somewhere, In Summertime

[AustonsNostrils]

We talk more about the deficiencies on defense but our forward group is worse, our bottom forwards are considerably worse than our bottom defensemen.

Anyway, I want these forwards in the opening night roster next October - Eichel, O'Reilly, Reinhart, Baptiste, Rodrigues, Bailey - I'd love to be able to get rid of Okposo but I think it will be tough so he's somewhere - that's 7 - who are the other 5? There's CJ Smith, maybe Casey Mittelstadt, Scott Wilson, Victor Olofsson, Cliff Pu, Rasmus Asplund, Hudson Fasching, Sean Malone, Alex Nylander. Hopefully we have a good group of pro scouts and through trade and free agency we can add 1 or 2 that way.

Go away Pominville, Larsson, Josefson, and probably Zemgus. Nolan and Pouliot are definitely gone thank god. We need some grit/size/nastiness, must be a guy out there who fits a couple of those.

I've watched a few Amerks games recently, the points aren't there for Fasching but he actually plays pretty well, I think he'd be an upgrade on a 4th line.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

I think a lot of the problem leads back to the defence. The breakout pass and transition game is just terrible. Seeing this team with quick breakout passes from the defense leading to scoring chances rarely happens.

And we've alienated the team's best passing breakout w/ possession dman in Antipin. WTF is that? How can Botterill and Housley talk every day as they claim to and not realize Antipin belongs.

Nelson and Guhle have helped in the transition game. We will start next season most likely with those 2 in the lineup, Antipin likely gone.

 

[darcyRegier]

Having Guhle - Nelson - Antipin as a 3/4/5 is so much better than where we were at the start of the year... I don't understand how Antipin's been scratched for over 30 games. There must be some kind of internal organizational problem with Antipin. No other way to justify Beaulieu getting minutes over him at this point

 

[ZZamboni]

Having Guhle - Nelson - Antipin as a 3/4/5 is so much better than where we were at the start of the year... I don't understand how Antipin's been scratched for over 30 games. There must be some kind of internal organizational problem with Antipin. No other way to justify Beaulieu getting minutes over him at this point

Huh? Antipin has been scratched for over 30 games?

If that's what you're saying. If that's what you meant. You may want to revise that claim.

 

[darcyRegier]

Huh? Antipin has been scratched for over 30 games?

If that's what you're saying. If that's what you meant. You may want to revise that claim.

Sorry, *20 games. He's only played in 44/72 (28 missed games) so far and I'd say 5-10 of those were from illness. So yea not 30, but still in the range of 18-22 times scratched which is still ridiculous

 

[CatsforReinhart]

Antipin is a RFA and Botts will probably trade him and he will become a solid player on another team

 

[Snippit]

We talk more about the deficiencies on defense but our forward group is worse, our bottom forwards are considerably worse than our bottom defensemen.

Anyway, I want these forwards in the opening night roster next October - Eichel, O'Reilly, Reinhart, Baptiste, Rodrigues, Bailey - I'd love to be able to get rid of Okposo but I think it will be tough so he's somewhere - that's 7 - who are the other 5? There's CJ Smith, maybe Casey Mittelstadt, Scott Wilson, Victor Olofsson, Cliff Pu, Rasmus Asplund, Hudson Fasching, Sean Malone, Alex Nylander. Hopefully we have a good group of pro scouts and through trade and free agency we can add 1 or 2 that way.

Go away Pominville, Larsson, Josefson, and probably Zemgus. Nolan and Pouliot are definitely gone thank god. We need some grit/size/nastiness, must be a guy out there who fits a couple of those.

I've watched a few Amerks games recently, the points aren't there for Fasching but he actually plays pretty well, I think he'd be an upgrade on a 4th line.

Larsson is fine at 4C. He has more talent than anyone you could realistically get in that position.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

Will Cliff Pu go to Rochester if/when London's season is done? What about Asplund?

 

[Dreakon13]

I can't make heads or tails of Antipin. Any time Housley has been asked, the consensus just seems to be that he's benefiting from the scratches in some way. I still think it's a language barrier thing. Maybe it's easier to show/explain the NA game and what Housley wants him to do from up above, since there are no fellow Russians on the team to help him out on the ice.

Larsson is fine at 4C. He has more talent than anyone you could realistically get in that position.

Talent? Maybe, it's hard to tell with our bottom line these days since it seems like no matter who is down there, they're laying eggs. I'd take someone like Josefson (if he stayed healthy) down there at 4C over Larsson though. Larsson is sloooooooow. It's out of place in the kind of team we are/should be trying to build... and it's out of place in the modern NHL.

 

[Icicle]

Larsson is fine at 4C. He has more talent than anyone you could realistically get in that position.

nah, he's too slow. Who cares about talent when he's never in position to use it. Get me someone fast who can transition and doesn't give the other team's defenseman easy minutes to play against. 4th lines are often called 'grinder' lines for a reason - and a bunch of slow players who don't even hit don't live up to that name.

 

[Chainshot]

Will Cliff Pu go to Rochester if/when London's season is done? What about Asplund?

Pu is in Kingston.

Asplund and Olofsson are both in the SHL playoffs.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

Pu is in Kingston.

Asplund and Olofsson are both in the SHL playoffs.

doh i forgot Pu got traded. but the question is if these guys' seasons end before the Amerks' does will they join the Amerks? All three of those guys could have their teams out of the playoffs before the Calder Cup playoffs begin.

 

[Chainshot]

doh i forgot Pu got traded. but the question is if these guys' seasons end before the Amerks' does will they join the Amerks? All three of those guys could have their teams out of the playoffs before the Calder Cup playoffs begin.

Pu certainly since he’s signed. The other two need contracts.

 

[kirby11]

Larsson is fine at 4C. He has more talent than anyone you could realistically get in that position.

Give me someone with more speed and ability to forecheck--though Larry would probably look better with another NHL level 4th liner instead of Nolan.

 

[Fezzy126]

Larsson is fine at 4C. He has more talent than anyone you could realistically get in that position.

I'm pretty much done with Larrson, his line has had the ice tilted against them in almost every game this year. For some reason his offense has also severely regressed, and his hands and instincts weren't that good to begin with. Maybe a change of scenery helps him?

As for the "He has more talent than anyone you could realistically get in that position.", I would suggest you take a closer look around the league. Our 4th line is far below what other teams are rolling out, and the center position is just a part of it. Some examples:

Columbus - Calvert/Dubinsky/Letestu
Toronto - Leivo/Plekanec/Kapanen
Nashville - Hartnell/Fisher/Salomaki
Winnipeg - Tanev/Lowry/Armia
Minnesota - Foligno/Eriksson Ek/Winnik

Others have pointed this out around here, but for years we have tried to "hide" players on the 4th line (i.e. Moulson, Des, Nolan, etc.) It would be nice if we could build a functional line. To be honest, It would be nice if BRB was actually our 4th line line and we had a functional 3rd line...

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

I read the ESPN article about the Jets going with youth and letting it ride. I wonder if the Sabres could do somethiing similar?

Replace Pouliot, Pominville, Nolan with Mittelstadt, Olofsson. Replace Beaulieu with McCabe.

Girgensons - Eichel - Okposo
Olofsson - O'Reilly - Reinhart
Rodrigues - Mittelstadt - Baptiste
Wilson - Larsson - Bailey

Scandella - Ristolainen
Guhle - Nelson
McCabe - Antipin

Lots of speed in that line-up.

That’s what should have happened this year.

All of the kids have been rotation quality while the stopgap vets have failed, leading to depreciation across the roster.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

agreed

 

[joshjull]

That’s what should have happened this year.

All of the kids have been rotation quality while the stopgap vets have failed, leading to depreciation across the roster.

The priority with youth is their development. Other than Erod, the young guys belonged on the farm to start the season.

Yes the placeholders were underwhelming and that’s on Botts. So were some core players for half of the season. Our struggles this year have many causes. Doing the smart thing with the youth is not something I’m going to blame.

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

The priority with youth is their development. Other than Erod, the young guys belonged on the farm to start the season.

Yes the placeholders were underwhelming and that’s on Botts. So were some core players for half of the season. Our struggles this year have many causes. Doing the smart thing with the youth is not something I’m going to blame.

Using that approach with Guhle is fine, but Baptiste and Bailey were tailor made for a scoring fourth line and pretty pointlessly overripened.

 

[MayDayMayDay]

I can see Larry becoming the equivalent of our Dave Bolland.

 

[brian_griffin]

There's a middle ground. If keeping the youth/speed in ROCH was a priority (like jj, I grant that it was) then Botts should have been more active on the waiver claims to get speedier, even if he was wedded to Pouliot and Pomms from a public-relations-treatment-of-veterans standpoint.

Irrational allegiance to Nolan & Griffith?
Too risk averse?
Not acknowledging lack of team speed?

===========
Switching topics: I know +/- is a low-meaning stat, but it is freaking remarkable that Marco Scandella is only a -1 after 72 games of this season. He's like the tungsten ingot at the bottom of the '17-18 Sabres tire fire that just won't melt from all the heat & flames around him.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I can see Larry becoming the equivalent of our Dave Bolland.

That was probably the idea all along. Unfortunately, he's on the Sabres.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I know +/- is a low-meaning stat, but it is freaking remarkable that Marco Scandella is only a -1 after 72 games of this season. He's like the tungsten ingot at the bottom of the '17-18 Sabres tire fire that just won't melt from all the heat & flames around him.

It's amazing. He should get team MVP for somehow making it out of the season with that number.

 

[Fezzy126]

Using that approach with Guhle is fine, but Baptiste and Bailey were tailor made for a scoring fourth line and pretty pointlessly overripened.

I would normally agree with this but their struggles in Roch at the beginning of the year were concerning.

 

[Aladyyn]

Switching topics: I know +/- is a low-meaning stat, but it is freaking remarkable that Marco Scandella is only a -1 after 72 games of this season. He's like the tungsten ingot at the bottom of the '17-18 Sabres tire fire that just won't melt from all the heat & flames around him.

What's crazy is that a guy like that was legit like the 4th best defenseman on a good team. Our blueline is still so far away...