End of Year Grades

[Gabrielor]

I wrote this on March 6th, 2019, and aside from tweaking a few small grades slightly, nothing changed. Enjoy.

Eichel	A	Still needs work on showing intensity and care more consistently. Still, elite level player, beyond ppg, superstar #1 center. Did progress at ES.
Reinhart	A	Established line driver, and capable scoring threat.
Olofsson	A	Developed beautifully, looked more than ready when he got here, top 6 potential looks real.
Skinner	A-	True goal scorer. I think the Skinner-Eichel chemistry is overrated, but he's the first player Jack's played with that's in his prime, and an elite sniper.
Nylander	B-	Should've been here sooner. Loved the sample size. Needs someone who goes to the net on his line.
Rodrigues	C	Brought speed and creativity to the middle 6. Would love him on the third/fourth line of a deep team. Needs to produce more.
Sheary	C	Depth scorer who has okay. Brought speed. Falls a lot.
Mittelstadt	C+	Played a role he wasn't ready for. Tools to be a top line scoring threat, but still too young. Needs strength.
Pominville	C+	Scored when paired with our best player. His hockey IQ is still top-5 for forwards on this team, his athleticism just can't keep up. I'd take 26 year old pom.
Larsson	C	Admirable job suppressing shot attempts and pk'ing. Provides little else. Best when he's playing tenacious.
Smith	C-	Showed scoring touch, but wasn't given much to show his abilities. Lost man on a dead bottom 6.
Okposo	D+	Lacks the ability and skill to be a 6 million dollar player. Showed great battle at times, but all that's left is tight circle spins, and short-side right-side snipe on the PP. Trade if possible.
Girgensons	F	Good shot suppressor, and brings speed, but nothing else. Can't score, bad iq, waste of a spot.
Wilson	D	A standard 13th forward, but didn't look good at all this year.
Thompson	F	Big failure keeping him in Buffalo. Showed a 10 game glimpse of decency, but doesn't engage enough. Too individualistic in play, and makes dumb plays when trying to involve others. Wasn't a fan of him before the trade, tried to buy in, see hope in very small samples, but honestly, I'm trying to trade him this summer. He has a small chance to become an Alex Tuch, but I don't like the odds at all.
Berglund	F	Left us. While I'm happy the contract is gone, he was expected to fill part of a giant hole left in that trade, but was the 13th forward almost right away.
Elie	F	Never did one positive thing for the Sabres in a game, and got too many games to try to.
Sobotka	F	Total and complete failure of management and coaching. I don't need to go further.
ORegan	N/R	Sample too small, but liked the speed, attacking with and without the puck, and the decision making. Needed a longer look.
Dahlin	A+	A reason for ultimate hope. Everything I thought he would be. The ultimate ice-tilter. Needs to work on strength, shot, and holding the offensive blue line
Montour	A-	Small showing, but already the second best decision maker with the puck. Can really skate.
Pilut	B-	Great initial showing. Tailed off later, but he still plays a game that translates today. Should make a full-timer next year. Very excited.
Beaulieu	B-	Very effective in the role he played. Beaulieu-Nelson was probably our best pair-3. Didn't want to see him traded, but knew we had to when Montour came. A solid depth dman, who could be 6-7 on a good team, and maybe better.
Borgen	B-	Great small sample showing. Adds toughness we need
Nelson	C	In the role of pair 3, right side, he's was a solid choice. Had a lot of rough games after Beaulieu left. Like him as the 7th d.
Hunwick	D	I originally was slightly positive on him, after a small sample size, and once that sample got bigger, it became apparent that he's bad.
Bogosian	D	Played well for a while. Carried by Dahlin for a lot of it. Don't want him back.
McCabe	C	Another typical McCabe season. 12 games good. 40 games bad. 20 games hurt. Basically what's expected. Trade.
Ristolainen	D	Too many minutes. Has improved none of his weaknesses. He can continue the Ivan Drago workout routine, but lifting 1 ton tires won't fix his decision making and awareness.
Scandella	D-	Far cry from last year, which was servicable, but not world-beating. Terrible year.
Hutton	C-	Great first 2 months, then collapsed into a black hole. Came back for air too late.
Ullmark	C-	Great first 2.5 months, then collapsed into a black hole. Can't buy a key save right now. I've always been skeptical of exactly how good of a prospect he's been. @Zip15 was pretty consistent in showing very average AHL numbers on this guy, despite his All-Star appearances.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

So, where does that leave us?

Eichel, Reinhart, Dahlin are for real.
Skinner, Montour, Pilut are nice complimentary pieces.
Mittelstadt is a great prospect.
The Swedes from Rochester look great.

The rest of the roster ranges from unexciting, but passable (Bogo,McCabe,Larsson), to failure (Risto,Scandella,Girgs,Thompson, goalies), to disaster (Sobotka,Berglund,Elie)

It isn’t nearly enough to be a playoff team, especially in this division, and there’s a lot of work ahead.

Click to read more...

 

[member 311261]

Terrible analysis. I don't agree with much. I put my own comments in (see in quiqu).

I wrote this on March 6th, 2019, and aside from tweaking a few small grades slightly, nothing changed. Enjoy.

Eichel A-	A	Still needs work on showing intensity and care more consistently. Still, elite level player, beyond ppg, superstar #1 center. Did progress at ES.
Reinhart B+	A	Established line driver, and capable scoring threat.
Olofsson sample size too small	A	Developed beautifully, looked more than ready when he got here, top 6 potential looks real.
Skinner agreed	A-	True goal scorer. I think the Skinner-Eichel chemistry is overrated, but he's the first player Jack's played with that's in his prime, and an elite sniper.
Nylander sample size too small	B-	Should've been here sooner. Loved the sample size. Needs someone who goes to the net on his line.
Rodrigues B outplayed his role. One of a few with scoring potential but played with weak linemates	C	Brought speed and creativity to the middle 6. Would love him on the third/fourth line of a deep team. Needs to produce more.
Sheary D+	C	Depth scorer who has okay. Brought speed. Falls a lot.
Mittelstadt D should have been in roch. Has a peashooter shot. No elite tools other than hands.	C+	Played a role he wasn't ready for. Tools to be a top line scoring threat, but still too young. Needs strength.
Pominville C worked well on top line. Not elsewhere.	C+	Scored when paired with our best player. His hockey IQ is still top-5 for forwards on this team, his athleticism just can't keep up. I'd take 26 year old pom.
Larsson C-	C	Admirable job suppressing shot attempts and pk'ing. Provides little else. Best when he's playing tenacious.
Smith sample size too small	C-	Showed scoring touch, but wasn't given much to show his abilities. Lost man on a dead bottom 6.
Okposo agreed	D+	Lacks the ability and skill to be a 6 million dollar player. Showed great battle at times, but all that's left is tight circle spins, and short-side right-side snipe on the PP. Trade if possible.
Girgensons C- same player as Larsson	F	Good shot suppressor, and brings speed, but nothing else. Can't score, bad iq, waste of a spot.
Wilson sample size too small	D	A standard 13th forward, but didn't look good at all this year.
Thompson agreed	F	Big failure keeping him in Buffalo. Showed a 10 game glimpse of decency, but doesn't engage enough. Too individualistic in play, and makes dumb plays when trying to involve others. Wasn't a fan of him before the trade, tried to buy in, see hope in very small samples, but honestly, I'm trying to trade him this summer. He has a small chance to become an Alex Tuch, but I don't like the odds at all.
Berglund who cares	F	Left us. While I'm happy the contract is gone, he was expected to fill part of a giant hole left in that trade, but was the 13th forward almost right away.
Elie who cares	F	Never did one positive thing for the Sabres in a game, and got too many games to try to.
Sobotka F-	F	Total and complete failure of management and coaching. I don't need to go further.
ORegan sample size too small	N/R	Sample too small, but liked the speed, attacking with and without the puck, and the decision making. Needed a longer look.
Dahlin A defensive play does not warrant A+	A+	A reason for ultimate hope. Everything I thought he would be. The ultimate ice-tilter. Needs to work on strength, shot, and holding the offensive blue line
Montour agreed	A-	Small showing, but already the second best decision maker with the puck. Can really skate.
Pilut	B-	Great initial showing. Tailed off later, but he still plays a game that translates today. Should make a full-timer next year. Very excited.
Beaulieu who cares	B-	Very effective in the role he played. Beaulieu-Nelson was probably our best pair-3. Didn't want to see him traded, but knew we had to when Montour came. A solid depth dman, who could be 6-7 on a good team, and maybe better.
Borgen sample size too small	B-	Great small sample showing. Adds toughness we need
Nelson C-	C	In the role of pair 3, right side, he's was a solid choice. Had a lot of rough games after Beaulieu left. Like him as the 7th d.
Hunwick C	D	I originally was slightly positive on him, after a small sample size, and once that sample got bigger, it became apparent that he's bad.
Bogosian C+	D	Played well for a while. Carried by Dahlin for a lot of it. Don't want him back.
McCabe B one of our best all around D men io a good contact. A 4-5 D man in any team	C	Another typical McCabe season. 12 games good. 40 games bad. 20 games hurt. Basically what's expected. Trade.
Ristolainen B- took all the tough minutes and had decent production	D	Too many minutes. Has improved none of his weaknesses. He can continue the Ivan Drago workout routine, but lifting 1 ton tires won't fix his decision making and awareness.
Scandella C- mostly bad but could fill role as 6th D	D-	Far cry from last year, which was servicable, but not world-beating. Terrible year.
Hutton agreed	C-	Great first 2 months, then collapsed into a black hole. Came back for air too late.
Ullmark agreed	C-	Great first 2.5 months, then collapsed into a black hole. Can't buy a key save right now. I've always been skeptical of exactly how good of a prospect he's been. @Zip15 was pretty consistent in showing very average AHL numbers on this guy, despite his All-Star appearances.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

So, where does that leave us?

Eichel, Reinhart, Dahlin are for real.
Skinner, Montour, Pilut are nice complimentary pieces.
Mittelstadt is a great prospect.
The Swedes from Rochester look great.

The rest of the roster ranges from unexciting, but passable (Bogo,McCabe,Larsson), to failure (Risto,Scandella,Girgs,Thompson, goalies), to disaster (Sobotka,Berglund,Elie)

It isn’t nearly enough to be a playoff team, especially in this division, and there’s a lot of work ahead.

 

[Beerz]

A lot wrong with this

 

[dortt]

Eichel: A- : Needs to up his game a bit to be among the elite, but he's close
Skinner: B+
Reinhart: B+
Sheary: C
EROD: C
Pominville: C
Okposo: C-
Mittlestadt: D+
Girgs: D
Larsson: D
Thompson: F: Not NHL ready
Sobotka: F: Not an NHL level player

Dahlin: B- (very good for an 18 year old rookie. Mainly needs to clean up in his own zone and he will be in the B+/A- range)
Risto: C (B on offense, D on defense)
Bogosian: C-
McCabe: C-
Pilut: C- (misused by our genius coach)
Scandella: D
Nelson: D
Hunwick: D-
Montour: Incomplete

Hutton: D
Ullmark: D-

Housley: F: Not an NHL level coach

Biggest problem, aside from Phail Housley, too much C and D level talent. Need to get more of that B level talent. That, and getting Reinhart and Dahlin to improve to an A level player would go a long way for the team

 

[MackAttack26]

Relative to Expectations

Jeff Skinner (A) - Hard not to give a guy who scored 40 goals a great grade. Hopefully we can re-sign hin at a reasonable rate but I'm not optimistic.

Rasmus Dahlin (A-) - 44 points as an 18 year old D. Just wow. Plenty of hiccups along the way but a great 1st season for out future franchise D.

Jack Eichel (B+) - Saw some times with pure dominant Eichel and definitely took some strides but still can't help but feel with league scoring up he can be an 100 point player for us.

Sam Reinhart (B+) - 65 point season is a nice jump for Sam. Feel he can be more consistent in terms of his D-zone play specifically.

Johan Larsson (B+) - Really impressed me the first half; not so much in the 2nd. Overall a solid season and huge improvement over past seasons that gives me hope he can be a decent 4C option again next year.

Zemgus Girgensons (B) - See Larsson but not quite as bad past seasons and not quite as good this one. Would be fine if he wasn't brought back though.

Evan Rodrigues (B) - Pretty much all you can hope for in a bottom-6 player. Speed, smarts and some offensive touch. You know what to expect and that is a nice player to keep.

Jason Pominville (B) - 30+ points is a good last hurrah for a great guy like him. Loved the times he was producing with Eichel and Skinner, invisible the rest of the time basically but that was to be expected.

Jake McCabe (B) - Great start and the rest was just meh. I don't count on him being anymore than a bottom-pair piece but he isn't a total disaster.

Zach Bogosian (B) - Lots of dumb typical Bogo plays, stayed relatively healthy and wasn't a total disaster.

Conor Sheary (C+) - About what I expected with worse finishing ability. Maybe it was some bad puck luck and he can bounce back and pot 20 next year.

Carter Hutton (C+) - Solid start and finish for the most part. Needed that consistency all season but can't blame him too much for the season falling apart.

Rasmus Ristolainen (C) - I think I have finally given up on him being what I wanted him to be. Ready to move on from and replace with someone who can play D.

Kyle Okposo (C) - Did not expect much, did not get much. Have no clue how we are going to deal with this contract moving forward.

Linus Ullmark (C) - Great start but that 2nd half really killed my hopes he can be our goalie of the now/future.

Casey Mittelstadt (C-) - Obviously we all hoped for a better start. But just wasn't in a position to succeed and hopefully he can make big strides for next year.

Vladimir Sobotka (F) - Not that my expectations were high...but there is a standard. I expected a fringe NHLer but saw a near Leino-level disaster.

Tage Thompson (F) - I mostly blame Botts for this. Just plain and simple needs to develop in the AHL.

Marco Scandella (Z) - All I can say is "What the f*** happened...?"

Others (smallish sample): Olofsson (A), Montour (A-), Pilut (A-), Nylander (B+), Smith (B), Wilson (B), Hunwick (B), Elie (F)

 

[Matt Ress]

I think Rhino is a really good winger, but not a driver.

Mitts is clearly talented. He needs to learn how to create space for himself to use those skills more

Risto/Bogo we need that sandpaper but you want want more rounded players to bring it. Bogo can be scary though.

We need to bring Skinner back, Mitts needs to take a big step, goaltending needs to be better, team defense needs to be better. I think we have a good group of d men that underachieved severely. Our defensive game plan sucks

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

For the first time in 13 years (05-06) the Sabres possess 2 dmen who hit 40+ points.

In fact, the 87 combined points the Rasmi gave us is the most since 1995-96 when Garry Galley and Zhitnik combined for 90 points ( but Z didn't hit 40+ that year). The last season where the Sabres had 2 dmen with 40+ points that combined for more then 87 was all the way back in 89-90 with Coach Phil and Doug Bodger.

I had created a thread a few years back listing all the recent cup winners and their offensive production from the blue line and was stating how virtually all cup winners received top production from the blue line. Now that we have 2 40+ point D people are upset with Risto and want to move him? No, just reduce his ice time a solid 3 minutes a game and watch him flourish. Like it is already predictable if we move Risto to Tampa. We would see him score 50+ points and look fantastic when he doesn't have to carry the entire blue line.

Having 3 35+ point dmen now with The Rasmi and Montour is something we need to keep. The Sabres literally go 13 years in between 2 40+ point dmen and Risto is the player most want moved at all costs. He is not a true #1 and shouldn't play 24-26 minutes a night but he is still a legit #2 who should get 21 a night.



Forwards
Eichel A
Skinner B+
Reinhart B+
Sheary C+
Mittelstadt D+
Sobotka F
Girgensons D+
Larsson D+
Thompson D-
Pominville C-
Okposo D
ERod C-
Berglund F

Incomplete:
Wilson
Nylander (passing)
Olofsson (Very promising debut/stint)
Smith
Elie (Terrible)

Defensemen
Dahlin A+ (He put up a season at his age that is literally generational. What he did at 18 as a D is the equivalent of a D+1 18 year old rookie forward putting up a ppg. Dahlins rookie season = McDavids)
Montour B+
Ristolainen C+
McCabe C-
Bogosian D+
Nelson C
Pilut C
Scandella F
Hunwick D-

Goaltending
Hutton C-
Ullmark D+

Coaching
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Management
C

Botts made 2 great trades (Montour and Skinner), 1 quality trade (Sheary) and 1 bad trade (RoR) though until draft day rolls around the RoR trade can still be somewhat tolerable (If we draft a Boeser/Colin White caliber prospect in the late 20s and get a full time NHLer with the STL 2nd in 2021 the trade can still work out)

This team f***ing blew it

When you have a ppg+ center, 40 goal winger, 65 point winger, 2 40+ point dmen and the best offense in nearly a decade for this team you should not finish 5th f***ing last. Coaching all year and goaltending after Thanksgiving doomed this team.

 

[Icicle]

I thought goaltending was improved this year. There were some bad games, but that’s not why we lost those games. If there were any doubts, Lehners comments should’ve made it clear Allen has to go though.

Team got figured out mid season and never adjusted. Blame that on the coaches. We have a young captain, and goofball assistants happy to just be there who have little talent throughout the roster. This is where the coaches have to fill the void and inspire. They can be good at the Xs and Os all day, but if they can’t inspire they can’t do anything.

Not to forget though, Bogosian needs out of that locker room. He screams comic relief of complacency. It’s bad that the young guys, especially Eichel and Reinhart look up to him as much as they do. And that’s bad mojo. Okposo had his brain scrambled and is a little bit the same way, but he’s made no complaints playing 4th line and can probably stay because of his anchor contract.

Our power play sucked all season again. No movement and took 3/4 of a season to even get zone entries right. These players are capable of #1 as they’ve shown in the past. Again, coaching problem.

PK was really good when injuries weren’t forcing guys like Nelson to do it. Lone bright spot.

Whole season seemed like a development year to me anyway the way Botterill managed the roster. Wish it didn’t have to be, but if Mittelstadt, Oloffson, Nylander, and Pilut turn out for the best it being handled this way so be it. Thompson is a project. Not quite sure what’s going to break it for him. All tools but can’t put it together.

Look forward to a promising Amerks team and an off season of conditioning that will likely result in a much improved Dahlin, Mittelstadt, and hopefully Pilut.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Eichel A: Finally broke the point per game barrier. Continues to make incremental improvements on the defensive side. Injury sucked because before that Eich was playing like a Hart contender.
Skinner A: 40 goals.
Reinhart A-: New offensive high for Reino. Biggest thing with him is that, when he was away from Eichel, he single-handedly manage to make the Sabres look like we had 2 lines that could score.
Rodrigues B-: Solidified himself as a quality utility forward this year
Sheary C: Played more or less as expected. Would've been nice if he could've finished a bit more.
Mittelstadt C-: Looked like a lost puppy most nights before the All-Star break, but he started coming into his own a bit more after that, even showed some flashes of wow. Future is bright for him.
Pominville D: Was invisible most of the season (when not being carried by Eich), but that's pretty expected. A decent last year for him.
Larsson B: Fantastic 4C and PKer. (Shame we didn't have a 2 or 3C though.)
Girgensons B-: See above.
Okposo D: Makes for an OK bottom 6 grinder still, but he needs to be more with that contract.
Sobotka F-:

Thompson F: Should have been developing in the AHL most of the season. I have no idea why the Sabres let him fail in the NHL as long as they did.
Berglund: D for his play, A+ for getting us out of that contract.
Elie F: Terrible player.
Wilson D: OK enough 13th forward.
Nylander I/B: Not enough games to draw any conclusions from, but I feel encouraged by what we saw from him. Played smart in all 3 zones.
Olofsson: I/A-: Again, not enough games to draw conclusions from, but Goalofsson looks LEGIT. 2G, 2A, and 2 pipes in 6 games. And not a one-dimensional player either.
Smith: I/C+: Same thing with the games played. Wish Housley had given him more opportunities in his call-ups.

Ristolainen B-: 4th straight 40+ point season. Still being relied on for way too much by Housley. He's not a #1D, and I wish the team would stop playing him like one.
Dahlin A+: What an impressive rookie campaign. I can't wait to watch this kid's career unfold.
Montour A-: Not a ton of games as a Sabre, but I really like what I see. Very mobile and a very good puck-mover.
McCabe C: Looked like a top 4 defenseman some nights...Others, not so much.
Bogosian C+: He played in most of the games this year, so exceeded expectations.
Nelson C: Seems like a fine 6/7.
Scandella F: Brutal year for him.
Hunwick D: You could do worse for a depth defenseman, I guess.

Hutton C-: Started out strong, but he and Ullmark both got worse as the season went on. I think part of the season getting away from the team was due to that stretch of awful goaltending.
Ullmark C-: See above.

 

[Aladyyn]

Some of you guys must have had very low expectations of Eichel and Reinhart. I don't think either gets more than a C+ from me.

 

[Gabrielor]

Terrible analysis. I don't agree with much. I put my own comments in (see in quiqu).

Pretty confusing, since you 'didn't agree with much', but surprisingly agreed with a bunch, or didn't care, and really only changed my grades values by 1/2 a point in most places.

A lot wrong with this

Also pretty confusing, , since most people doing this exercise are showing similiar grades to me...

 

[krt88nc]

Relative to Expectations

Jeff Skinner (A) - Hard not to give a guy who scored 40 goals a great grade. Hopefully we can re-sign hin at a reasonable rate but I'm not optimistic.

Johan Larsson (B+) - Really impressed me the first half; not so much in the 2nd. Overall a solid season and huge improvement over past seasons that gives me hope he can be a decent 4C option again next year.

Zemgus Girgensons (B) - See Larsson but not quite as bad past seasons and not quite as good this one. Would be fine if he wasn't brought back though.

OK I kept three and deleted the rest.

A for Skinner - what about the 25+ games he completely disappeared. Some goals from Mid February to early April would have been somewhat helpful. Yes 40 goal season gets you s good grade but try a B.

Frogs and Larson getting aB’s! Are you kidding me? These two are useless offensively and average defensively. And the second 1/2 of the season is sort of important. D’s at best for these two! It’s time to move on.

 

[krt88nc]

Some of you guys must have had very low expectations of Eichel and Reinhart. I don't think either gets more than a C+ from me.

Explain?

 

[MackAttack26]

OK I kept three and deleted the rest.

A for Skinner - what about the 25+ games he completely disappeared. Some goals from Mid February to early April would have been somewhat helpful. Yes 40 goal season gets you s good grade but try a B.

Frogs and Larson getting aB’s! Are you kidding me? These two are useless offensively and average defensively. And the second 1/2 of the season is sort of important. D’s at best for these two! It’s time to move on.

Skinner had a crazy unsustainably high shooting percentage early on. Then it finished crazy unsustainably low. You take the good swings with the bad ones and it gives you a sustainable shooting percentage as a 40 goal scorer. His play did not change much, it was mostly luck driven. I don't know about you, but I did not expect 40 from him this year and that is pretty darn good.

The key to Larsson and Girgs like the rest of these grades: Relative to Expectations. To me, a "B" is meeting expectations. If you told me Larsson and Girgs would be unproductive, but strong defensively depth pieces, this would not surprise me one bit.

 

[Aladyyn]

Explain?

Eichel sucked for like half a season and Reinhart wasn't as good as last year.

 

[Chainshot]

Breaking it down by position...

Goalie -

Carter Hutton: C-, He was inconsistent consistently. When he was on, great. But when he was off... ooof.

Linus Ullmark: D, There was a point when I thought he was ready to take over the #1 duties, but the wheels fell off in a way that was frightening. His early season successes were an interesting look at the future if he can smooth out his overall play, but man... this was hard to watch.

Andrew Allen needs to go.

Overall Goalie Grade: D+

 

[N.Y. Orangeman]

Great thread. I'd only add that I am most disappointed in Sheary, who I hope is move for peanuts if need be.

 

[5 Minute Major]

Some of you guys must have had very low expectations of Eichel and Reinhart. I don't think either gets more than a C+ from me.

I agree with that. Both are capable of being better than they showed.

I believe the only A should go to Skinner. We brought him in to score goals and he hit a career high.

 

[Chainshot]

Defense -

Rasmus Dahlin: A, loved watching him play and there is so much to say about his game. He moves so well, moves the puck so well, and finds teammates with tape-to-tape passing. The scoring as an 18-year old was really impressive, hinting at the sort of generational And he flashes a little bit of mean, too, which I'm sure will grow as he grows into his body.

Lawrence Pilut: B, another guy who I loved to see play. That he could make Ristolainen's defensive boat anchoring a net even CF% was amazing. Didn't like how he was handled in the least and it seems to have hurt his game. Plenty of things to build on - his feet, hands and brain are all top notch.

Brandon Montour: B, love his mobility and engagement, his shot and puck movement. His positioning can wander, especially in the Sabres system, but the guy is a player. Very pleased with his arrival and game.

Nathan Beaulieu: B-, he bounced back from last season in a manner that should have begat more ice time than it did. Him asking to be moved was another unravelling of the team. He got a raw deal this year.

Casey Nelson: C+, A nice fill-in and 3rd pairing player who's numbers are better than I would have expected.

Jack McCabe: C-, The tools are there, but the consistency continues to be a problem. Injured again, inconsistent again, but still tantalizing enough to have us pencilling him into 2nd pairings. I personally would like him to move on as part of a deal to shift the roster. I wasn't thrilled with his season and thus the minus.

Rasmus Ristolainen: D+, Dude got run into the ground yet again without anyone pulling back on the reins to his ToI and quality of competition and d-zone usage. That's again on the coach. Pilut made him break even for the first time in his career yet didn't get put back with him... coach. I fear he's going to get run off for minimal return, but he has never been cast in a role that he can do vs. being cast in roles we know he can't do.

Zack Bogosian: D, While Risto is the easier target, Bogosian for his salary is my bigger pet peeve on the ice. He's overpaid for what he delivers, is constantly broken, and even in easier deployments, doesn't provide the sort of production to use that one would expect. He was the vet to Dahlin for a huge chunk of the season, and the kid carried him. Great person off the ice, just please, don't make us suffer through another year of him on it.

Marco Scandella: F, What the hell happened? The blueline poster child for both coaching nepotism and veteran incompetence. He was a disaster.

Matt Hunwick: F, Another player who needed to be carried and shouldn't be on the roster going forward. Veterans who play simply because they are veterans do not help morale when accountability is being spoken but not delivered. Just like Scandella, he was a disaster.

------

Will Borgen: Incomplete, but man... this kid knows how to clear the crease, how to mark and engage with his man, and how to move the puck crisply. I can not wait for him to be up full time.

 

[allsilverdreams]

Eichel B
Skinner B
ReinhartB -
Sheary C-
Mittelstadt C-
Sobotka F
Girgensons C-
Larsson C -
Thompson F+
Pominville C-
Okposo C-
ERod C-
Berglund F

Incomplete:
Wilson C-
Nylander C
Olofsson C
Smith D
Elie F-

Dahlin B
montor B
Risto C-
BOGO C -
All other D scored at a D or Below
Golies C -

 

[Jame]

Relative to expectations

Eichel : 100 point / lead by example (B)

Skinner : 30+ goal scorer / ES scorer (A+)

Reinhart : 20/40/60 / Improve linemates (A)

Mittelstadt : elite rookie / 2nd line production (D+)

Erod : Depth scorer / utility forward (B)

Pominville : Depth scorer / Leader (C+)

Sheary : 20 goal / 2nd line / PP (C-)

Okposo : 20 goal / 2nd line / PP (D+)

Sobotka : Shutdown bottom 6 (F)

Larsson : Shutdown center / PK (A)

Girgensons : 4th line speed/grit 6 (D+)

Thompson :rookie goal scorer / PP (F)

Wilson : depth forward / utility (F)

Elie : 4th line speed / toughness (F)

Berglund : Top 6 (F)

Olofsson : Goal scoring depth (A)

Nylander : Rookie Appearance (B)

Smith : Utility Depth (C)

Dahlin : Generational Talent (A+)

Risto : Top pair / PP / PK (D+)

Montour : Offense Driver (B+)

Bogo : 2nd-3rd pair (B-)

Scandella : Pairing Anchor (F)

Pilut: Offensive Driver (B)

McCabe 2nd-3rd pair (D)

Beaulieu : Depth D (C+)

Nelson : Depth D (C-)

Borgen : Rookie appearance (B)

Hunwick : Depth D (D-)

Hutton : strong starter (C-)

Ullmark : rookie backup (C)

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

Eichel, Reinhart, Skinner, Dahlin get A’s. The team is now the holder of the longest active non-playoff streak but it wasn’t their fault. Skinner’s weak second half wasn’t from lack of trying and more the worst puck luck you’ll come across.

McCabe bounces back from last season. Poms somehow managed to be serviceable despite carrying Father Time on his back all year, consummate pro. Rodriguez continues to be a player I expect nothing from who shows something. Not enough something to get him an A, but there’s something there and if he survives through a roster improvement then I think he’s a long term sabre.

Everyone else is a C or worse. The big problem. Most of the bottom 9 is here, most of the D Corp is here. The goalies are here. Too much is here for it to just be we have endless shitty players. There are some. But guys like girgensons and Lenny, sheary, okposo, risto have great ability paired with a great flaw or 2 that this roster has no room to cover up for and this coach has no ability to cover up. The young guys, pilut Ullmark and Mitts struggled, pilut and Linus and some big ups at points but neither got to seasons end looking better than seasons beginning. Mitts utter failure gets my nod as most disappointing and player most responsible for this shit show.

Management and coaching get saddled with the season. I’m not sure where they finally ended up but it was neither bottom 3 nor respectable. Have your parents sign this and return it. Traded a great 1b center and expected a kid to fill the hole. Needed depth and had a chip get traded that could have provided depth, got shit instead. Only plus for the gm is that I didn’t think November was worth committing on and he didn’t either. Plus comes with a negative, it was your friggin roster that you knew was inadequate. Housley cant get um to play his system, he can’t matchup players to maximize strength minimize weakness, dahlin was the only young player that didn’t get dragged into the muck by his usage and lack of development. His line combos were baffling, his usage was questionable.

Who I’m blaming: it’s arguable ROR needed to be traded but he was so no point arguing it. However, he returned neither effective depth nor a replacement leaving the Sabres chasing depth and a 2c all season long. Great work botts. And then his replacement, potential rookie of the year candidate for some, future star to others Casey Mittlestedt went out and had the most underwhelming rookie campaign you could have asked for. Botts was out to lunch on this entire situation and he threw a promising rookie under the bus that drove him there.

 

[Club]

Some of you guys must have had very low expectations of Eichel and Reinhart. I don't think either gets more than a C+ from me.

LMAO

 

[Chainshot]

At the movies, will finish positional players later.

 

[Jame]

Some of you guys must have had very low expectations of Eichel and Reinhart. I don't think either gets more than a C+ from me.

Sam took he’s even strength game to another level.... and his biggest booster is disappointed in his season?