Buffalo Sabres 2019-2020 Training Camp Thread

[joshjull]

Do we keep 8 dmen again this season?

I ask because I think Nelson is battling Gilmour for the 7th spot if we don’t. Thats assuming Montour back. When Bogo returns who knows what happens.

 

[Buffaloed]

wouldn't it be great if the spots that Vlad, Nelson, and KO are taking up are just placeholders for the injured? We can't get that lucky, can we?

Teams are only permitted one "get lucky". The Sabres used theirs on Berglund.

 

[Dingo44]

I still dont understand some cuts. I feel Fitzgerald was better than Nelson and seeing Nelson top pairing in practice makes me wonder how they can do a fake competition for spots two years in a row.

Fitz can be sent down without having to clear waivers. He also just turned pro last spring. Some seasoning in the AHL wouldn't hurt him, and as others have mentioned, having Nelson sit in the press box and Fitz play a bunch in Rochester makes sense than Fitz just being a spare here.

I still see Nelson packaged in a deal. He has value as a RHD with some speed and he's not too old on a relatively cheap contract, and he's played in the NHL for a few years.

 

[Sabre the Win]

I feel like there's a legit competition between Borgen/Joki.

That may be true but one guy was brought in by Botts and the other he adopted by taking the team. However I can never disprove that there was no competition if Joki makes it over Borgen unless Borgen completely outshines him. Both have been heads and shoulders over Nelson tho.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

That may be true but one guy was brought in by Botts and the other he adopted by taking the team. However I can never disprove that there was no competition if Joki makes it over Borgen unless Borgen completely outshines him. Both have been heads and shoulders over Nelson tho.

im fine with either making it but hard not to notice that they bring very different things to the table, and that we already have a lot of what Joki brings, and very little of what Borgen brings, so he might not necessarily need to outshine Joki at all — role matters too.

 

[CrazyPsycho]

I still dont understand some cuts. I feel Fitzgerald was better than Nelson and seeing Nelson top pairing in practice makes me wonder how they can do a fake competition for spots two years in a row.

Fitz is also injured

 

[Buffaloed]

I still dont understand some cuts. I feel Fitzgerald was better than Nelson and seeing Nelson top pairing in practice makes me wonder how they can do a fake competition for spots two years in a row.

Nelson would be claimed off waivers by the Ducks or Jets. You have to get something for him. I'm not sure Fitzgerald is clearly better. He's never played in the regular season. If he can't handle the NHL you have to send him back down or limit his playing time and try to develop him in the NHL. You don't want to come out of this empty handed. I'd err on the side of patience. I recall a time when the Sabres thought Nelson was NHL ready.

 

[Sabre the Win]

im fine with either making it but hard not to notice that they bring very different things to the table, and that we already have a lot of what Joki brings, and very little of what Borgen brings, so he might not necessarily need to outshine Joki at all — role matters too.

They both could make the team if we moved some out. I want to see more of our young blood rather than filling the roster with middle tier talent to create depth that end up holding our prospects back. I get some need time to develop but I feel like someone like CJ Smith deserves this year to see what he can do over someone like Lazar which we already know what we are getting with him. I feel like the signings of Lazar and Vesey were competition killers among others.

Nelson would be claimed off waivers by the Ducks or Jets. You have to get something for him. I'm not sure Fitzgerald is clearly better. He's never played in the regular season. If he can't handle the NHL you have to send him back down or limit his playing time and try to develop him in the NHL. You don't want to come out of this empty handed. I'd err on the side of patience. I recall a time when the Sabres thought Nelson was NHL ready.

If we can package him with Risto to get more, I am all for it.

 

[Reddawg]

Glad to see CJ cleared, I was nervous someone would scoop him up.

 

[Moskau]

Jokiharju making the team over Borgen should piss people off more than Thompson/Mittelstadt over Nylander etc. last season did. Jokiharju has moved the puck well but his defensive deficiencies have been on full display and it's too much of what we already have on the team. Will Borgen might be the most calming defensive presence we have on the roster at the moment and that should scare some people. I'm all for having a bunch of offensive minded defensemen but you can't have 6 defensemen that are below average defensively on an NHL team.

 

[Jim Bob]

Do we keep 8 dmen again this season?

I ask because I think Nelson is battling Gilmour for the 7th spot if we don’t. Thats assuming Montour back. When Bogo returns who knows what happens.

https://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/prospect-dylan-cozens-still-with-sabres-but-for-how-long/

Krueger said he doesn’t know the makeup of his roster for the Sabres’ Oct. 3 opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins yet. He said the natural tendency is to keep 14 forwards, eight defenseman and two goalies.

It seems like they will keep eight D if Ralph gets his way...

 

[Fezzy126]

https://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/prospect-dylan-cozens-still-with-sabres-but-for-how-long/



It seems like they will keep eight D if Ralph gets his way...

If he gets his way they'll have to change the rules for maximum roster size...

 

[Tatanka]

that's 24 players for a 23 man roster.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Jokiharju making the team over Borgen should piss people off more than Thompson/Mittelstadt over Nylander etc. last season did. Jokiharju has moved the puck well but his defensive deficiencies have been on full display and it's too much of what we already have on the team. Will Borgen might be the most calming defensive presence we have on the roster at the moment and that should scare some people. I'm all for having a bunch of offensive minded defensemen but you can't have 6 defensemen that are below average defensively on an NHL team.

I agree and yet it's the exact opposite for forwards, people are happy with having 6 to 8 grit style players that are below average offensively littered throughout the bottom and mid 6.

that's 24 players for a 23 man roster.

Rules be damned! We are Buffalo!

 

[Paxon]

I still dont understand some cuts. I feel Fitzgerald was better than Nelson and seeing Nelson top pairing in practice makes me wonder how they can do a fake competition for spots two years in a row.

Fitzgerald is a pro rookie. Nelson is a finished product. Why have Fitzgerald up as the 7th defenseman?

 

[Sabre the Win]

Fitzgerald is a pro rookie. Nelson is a finished product. Why have Fitzgerald up as the 7th defenseman?

I'll raise you, why have Nelson at all?

 

[Dingo44]

I'll raise you, why have Nelson at all?

Why not have him as the seventh D until we can move him in a trade?

 

[Abraham de Lacy]

Here is what Reinhart has to say about VO:

Reinhart spoke glowingly about Olofsson's ability on Monday.

"In my eyes, he's been ready for a long time," he said. "It's been great to see the way he's come in and kind of carry on what he brought at the end of last year, because we all know in this locker room the type of guy and the type of player he is.

"You can't say enough about the guy as a player as well. Every opportunity I get when I'm on the ice with him, I'm well-aware. I think we've done a good job of kind of reading off each other and kind of learning each other's abilities."

Seems like VO is to Reinhart what Skinner is to Eichel from this.

 

[Gabrielor]

Alright, thus far:

Who's surpassed expectations?

Who's met expectations?

Who's failed expectations?

 

[sabremike]

Botts didn't sign Okposo.

There's a reason that Okposo contract gets put into the worst five in the league. It's virtually buyout proof, unless we wanted to be carrying a $3 million cap hit for EIGHT years. No one will trade for him. He's reportedly beloved in the locker room so they have to do good by him. And he keeps working hard so who knows.

I'd love him gone too but I don't see him going anywhere for the next two years at least. I don't even think a cap floor team would take him at 50%.

Once again with feeling: HE WAS LITERALLY AN ALL STAR BEFORE SUFFERING A HEAD INJURY THAT ALMOST KILLED HIM AND CAUSED SEVERE MENTAL TRAUMA ON TOP OF IT. The contract ended up being real bad but can we please stop pretending that Murray should've seen him suffering a near fatal injury that wrecked his career coming?

 

[Zman5778]

Alright, thus far:

Who's surpassed expectations?

Who's met expectations?

Who's failed expectations?

*shrug* I don't often have expectations for preseason/training camp. Cozens has been a nice surprise, seeing how he's looked. Don't think I have any glaring disappointments.

 

[Buffaloed]

that's 24 players for a 23 man roster.

We're looking at a 26-28 man roster. The Sabres have submitted analytics to the NHL that for roster purposes they should be able to use player equivalents. For example, Sobotka = 0.25 player equivalents, Okposo = 0.35, Scandella = .40 so the three of them would add up to 1 player. This is the kind of progressive thinking that Ralph Krueger brings to the table.

 

[BuzzKillington90]

Once again with feeling: HE WAS LITERALLY AN ALL STAR BEFORE SUFFERING A HEAD INJURY THAT ALMOST KILLED HIM AND CAUSED SEVERE MENTAL TRAUMA ON TOP OF IT. The contract ended up being real bad but can we please stop pretending that Murray should've seen him suffering a near fatal injury that wrecked his career coming?

Stop making posts I agree with...it’s ruining my impression of you as illogical lol

 

[tsujimoto74]

We're looking at a 26-28 man roster. The Sabres have submitted analytics to the NHL that for roster purposes they should be able to use player equivalents. For example, Sobotka = 0.25 player equivalents, Okposo = 0.35, Scandella = .40 so the three of them would add up to 1 player. This is the kind of progressive thinking that Ralph Krueger brings to the table.

Seems high.

 

[OkimLom]

Alright, thus far:

Who's surpassed expectations?

Who's met expectations?

Who's failed expectations?

I wouldn’t call it expectations, but I can provide answers of the stock of player; who has improved upon their stock, who has kept their stock even, and who’s stock has diminished.

In no particular order; So far. If there’s anybody I missed let me know

Who improved their stock for me: Thompson, Redmond, Borgen, Lazar, Fitzgerald, Gilmour, Stephens

Whose stock has kept even for me: Eichel, Reinhart, Olofsson, Miller, Dahlin, Ristolainen, Vesey, Cozens, Joker, Skinner, Ullmark, Okposo, McCabe, Bryson, MaJo, Hammond

Whose stock diminished for me: Erod, Scandella, Larsson, Hutton, Smith, Malone, Mittelstadt, Nelson, Ruotsalainen, Girgensons, Olgevie