Speculation: Are Sabres a worse team as of now, then last season?

[1972]

I’m excited to see how this team responds and if guys step up.

 

[Zman5778]

We could have all the things that might make us better next season and Ryan O'Reilly, but instead we have two dog**** hockey players.

But can we still have ROR AND the better locker room? I think if Botts answered "yes", we'd still have ROR.

 

[5 Minute Major]

People really need to find some "we're going to be better" arguments that weren't used by Oilers' fans verbatim after the Hall trade. Unfortunately, they don't exist.

Well, you’ve compared O’Reilly to Subban and Hall so far.

Who’s next? Karlsson? McDavid?

 

[goach]

Truly believe there will be a different culture !! Gotta be better _

 

[goach]

I’m excited to see how this team responds and if guys step up.

Different culture !! Think we'll be legitimate! Little bit away.

 

[cramdizzl]

Dahlin and Mitts could realistically make an impact like Marner and Nylander did when the leafs jumped from last place. That alone makes them better now.

 

[Goathead]

I think this question for the most part was going to be answered in how well the kids play next season. Will Eichel, Reino, and Risto improve? Will Mitts and Dahlin establish themselves? Will Olofsson, Guhle, Pilut etc make the team and be serviceable? Trading O’Reilly hurts but I think it all still depends on the youth

 

[toomuchsauce]

I think this question for the most part was going to be answered in how well the kids play next season. Will Eichel, Reino, and Risto improve? Will Mitts and Dahlin establish themselves? Will Olofsson, Guhle, Pilut etc make the team and be serviceable? Trading O’Reilly hurts but I think it all still depends on the youth

This is exactly right. They're going to be younger, and more skilled. The real question(s) now is (are): will they be more fun? Will they score more? Will they be competitive? Because last year they were not competitive and they did not score goals, and, save a random game here or there, they were not really "fun" at any point after opening night against Montreal.

 

[threeVo]

Dahlin alone makes this team better than last year. Berglund will surprise people as a competent player that can take the pressure of Mittelstadt in the middle until hes ready to take over. At that point hes fine as a 3C. Sobotka makes the bottom 6 better.

Keep in mind last year the bottom 6 was Nolan, Pouliot, and Josefson. We have easily upgraded from those 3 already this year. The team is deeper now at the expense of a 1 very good player. We werent winning with him and we surely arent getting worse without him.

 

[Zip15]

We added Dahlin...even for a team as awful as buffalo, he’s going to make it better.

That's correct. Ditto Mitts. Plus another development year for Sam and Jack. Plus not having 36 games from a goaltender with an .891 SV% in Chad Johnson - imagine those numbers if they didn't play harder for him than they did Lehner!

But it's not a playoff roster. And, as currently constituted, it's not close to one. We will be spending Year 4 of the Eichel-Dahlin ELC years outside the playoffs again.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

They might technically end up being better because of Dahlin and Mittelstadt...but will be completely unwatchable.

 

[Duddy]

We traded a bottle of penicilin for a case of snakeoil.

Maybe if we just rub it in right, all our diseases will be cured.

 

[Kyndig]

Think everyone is feeling down about the ROR trade but with the additions of Mitts, Dahlin, and other prospects while having potentially better goaltending I think we push for a playoff spot much like the Avs did. Sobotka and Berglund had more ES goals than ROR and I think Mitts will be a better PP guy than ROR was. Obviously we're losing a great defensive #1 or #2 center but collectively I think we're a better team on and off the ice than we were last season.

Teams that have won the 1st overall recently have a really good track record of making the playoffs the following year or year after.

 

[Derg12]

Depends on how much of an effect Lehner and ROR had on the collective conscience in that locker room. I've certainly never been in there to experience things myself, and if reporters want to throw around terms like "cancer" regarding the general attitude of guys like Lehner, Kane, ROR... then how are we supposed to react? Often times I just shrug off the commentary about the state of the locker room from guys like Hamilton, Harrington, Bucky, Sully... but, are they right or are they just editorializing?

Skill wise... I think we're the same. Hutton / Ullmark are likely to result in more games won by shootout alone. Lost Kane, but we get MStud up full time and Sam picked his game up tremendously in the second half of last season. Defensively - far better. Dahlin, Guhle should help bring Risto's game around just by not having to lean on him so much. Losing ROR is a huge net loss but we've made up ground in other areas.

We've got picks for next year - trading capital if you want to call it that. Deep depth at defense now and a better goalie situation. I think we'll be fine.

 

[jBuds]

We are definitely different.

But way, way, way worse on paper.

Now we get to see what Phil is made of. We’ve attempted to clean up some of the jagged edges of our “culture”....combining that with the notion of it being tough to finish any worse...there’s room to be better.

Does Sheary play like the expendible castoff he was deemed to be? Or does he play with a chip on his shoulder a la a VGK 18 player...

What do we get from sobotka and Berglund?

Hutton?

Mittelstadt?

Dahlin?

Is it even a huge leap to say “yeah, we will be better than the insufferable, passionless brand we sat thru last year”....????

 

[jBuds]

And I 1000% subscribe to the premise that there is a LOT going on backstage.

With the rep he carries on the ice, it is absolutely noteworthy that he has been dealt not once but twice due to some form of off ice discontent.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Doesn't look great on paper, but hockey isn't played on paper. Who had LVK as a playoff team last year, much less finalists?

 

[VaporTrail]

lottery team...who's the top prospect in the '19 draft ? time to start thinking about the following year

 

[JThorne]

Bunch of middling players every team has(but us until now) for top end talent. THIS IS exactly the trade hf posters suggest. And it somehow happened. I'm sick.

 

[enthusiast]

can't believe the team downgraded from an alky but here we are

 

[UnleashRasmus]

If we can get rid of a few of these contracts and restructure it.. We're better. As of right now, we're worse.

 

[darcyRegier]

Sheary - Eichel - Erod
Mitts - Reinhart - xx
Berglund - Sobotka - Okposo
Girgs - Larsson - Pominville

Thinking Scandella, Risto, Dahlin, Bogo, McCabe, Guhle on the back end. It's better than last year but still pretty bad. Botts has more work to do for sure ... Thompson/Bailey/Baptiste/Smith/Nylander all fighting for one top 6/9 spot as of right now(depending on how Okposo looks in training camp). Maybe one other guys gets Pominville's spot on the 4th line.

I don't think we'll be 31st, but top 20 is wishful thinking...

 

[Kyndig]

We are definitely different.

But way, way, way worse on paper.

Now we get to see what Phil is made of. We’ve attempted to clean up some of the jagged edges of our “culture”....combining that with the notion of it being tough to finish any worse...there’s room to be better.

Does Sheary play like the expendible castoff he was deemed to be? Or does he play with a chip on his shoulder a la a VGK 18 player...

What do we get from sobotka and Berglund? Players that produce goals at ES. Sobtka had 11 and Berglund 14 this year(in 57 GP) to ROR's 9. Mitts should be able to produce in the ROR range at ES and PP given his skills.

Hutton? A reliable goaltender that the team can trust and rally around unlike Lehner.

Mittelstadt? Looks like an offensive star in the making but we shall see.

Dahlin? A generational defensemen by many accounts which is far better than what we've seen for years on the back end.

Is it even a huge leap to say “yeah, we will be better than the insufferable, passionless brand we sat thru last year”....????

Me trying to be positive about this. I obviously wanted a better prospect than Thompson but I guess we will have to wait to see how the rest of summer and next season plays out.

 

[Hasek]

To put some more salt on the wound.... imagine the return Regier would have gotten.

 

[HaNotsri]

We are way worse. We could’ve added Riley Nash+Grabner instead of Berglund+Sobotka. Then we would’ve been faster.

Our young players improving could lead to a better season but this is worse than the Hall/Larsson trade. At least Chia targeted a need.