GDT: Preseason Game 6: Sabres at Blue Jackets, 7 PM

[mviewer1]

Krebs roster spot is secure because of how he was acquired. I don’t believe he truly earned it on merit. And frankly, this needs to be a big year for him.

Krebs roster spot is secure because of how he was acquired. I don’t believe he truly earned it on merit. And frankly, this needs to be a big year for him.

 

[VaporTrail]

How did Samuelsson look away from Dahlin ?

 

[Chainshot]

How did Samuelsson look away from Dahlin ?

He and RJohnson seemed like the calmest pair.

 

[MOGlLNY]

Ryan Johnson has been so. good. He is easily better than Bryson Stillman and Clague. But I think letting him log huge minutes in Rochester even for 50% of the season may be the move.

I don't think he'll be down there long.

 

[Fjordy]

Not good

UPL #3

Need again pair Samuelsson - Dahlin

 

[debaser66]

We'll see. The Wild coaching situation aside, Benson has made a good case for himself and I think he should be on the opening night roster

he should be on the roster, but I dont see the problem with his junior team, they just get a new coach.

 

[K8fool]

21-22 -> UPL played 9gms (like Levi just did) and had a .917sv%. He also played 33gms in AHL with .900sv%

22-23 - Last year in NHL he played well for two months, won rookie of the month and helped get us back into the playoffs race. Then he struggled badly and was bad for the next two months.

Its a mixed bag showing some promise.

he was 17 and 11? , you are correct about the mixed bag, half great. Ill always wonder about birons upl assessment , truth or motivation? we'll when we have 3 goalies to start what KA values .

Not good

UPL #3

Need again pair Samuelsson - Dahlin

I really think with real hitting and blocked shots , our goalies will be very sheltered in comparison to last year without sacrificing offense or excitement.

 

[Fjordy]

I really think with real hitting and blocked shots , our goalies will be very sheltered in comparison to last year without sacrificing offense or excitement.

I'm not sure if that's the only issue. UPL is a very inconsistent goalie, you can even see this from his games in the AHL and last season in the NHL. He can play a few games well, but then he has three games in a row poorly with a percentage below 88, so the whole season. It's hard to rely on a guy like that. So far he is #3 for me after Levi and Comrie.

 

[PlushMinus]

Hey Sabres fans - Caps fan coming in peace.

Was looking at Capfriendly depth chart and saw some interesting stuff.

Greenway on 2nd line? How has his preseason been and is that where you expect him to play? I had him as a bottom 6 forward based on his career dropoff

Clifton 1RD - has he been really good and do you expect him to be paired with Dahlin?

Zach Benson - 1RW - is he ready for a roster spot or do you think he might get the rookie minimum and then be sent down?

Thanks - any info greatly appreciated (I try to follow all the teams from a roster / stats point of view but obvs don't have time to watch all the teams play - hence the questions).

 

[lecherous]

I don't think the capfriendly depth chart is very accurate. Greenway is bottom 6, I would really assume Clifton is either 2nd or 3rd pair D, and Zach Benson is a potential savior who is looking absolutely dynamic. If he gets sent back there's gonna be an angry mob outside the arena.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Hey Sabres fans - Caps fan coming in peace.

Was looking at Capfriendly depth chart and saw some interesting stuff.

Greenway on 2nd line? How has his preseason been and is that where you expect him to play? I had him as a bottom 6 forward based on his career dropoff

Clifton 1RD - has he been really good and do you expect him to be paired with Dahlin?

Zach Benson - 1RW - is he ready for a roster spot or do you think he might get the rookie minimum and then be sent down?

Thanks - any info greatly appreciated (I try to follow all the teams from a roster / stats point of view but obvs don't have time to watch all the teams play - hence the questions).

For now I wouldn't make any assumptions about Greenway. Granato seems to want to shuffle FW lines up and possibly form three scoring lines that all have a bit of a weak link on them. I don't think the shuffling will be done for a few weeks into the season and there's no way to know how it shakes out.

Clifton has wanted to practice and stay out of pre-season games. Granato has also said he expects D-pairs to change up some, so I don't know if certain pairs will form any time soon. Personally, I don't think Clifton is a great top-4 option but his attitude seems like it should be a positive. Not sure how that translates into being better defensively as a team...we'll see.

Benson has looked pretty good, while other contenders for a 12/13th FW spot have not...aside from Biro. Not sure if he's "ready" or he's just the best option. Regular season physicality should be a good test for Benson, maybe he gets 9 games to find out if he can handle it.

 

[Bendium]

I am all for icing the best possible line up or do you want to be out of the playoffs by 1 point again because they tinkered around to see what they have?
if he wont be able to handle it for some reason come regular season you can still send him down after the 9 games or earlier.

I hope that no on the Sabres thinks this way. Competition is had for a reason. He’s winning the competition. Sends a terrible message to send back a better player to put off paying him and handing an opportunity to someone who didn’t earn it.

I completely understand your viewpoints here, but I think there is more to be considered than point totals in the preseason.

I think it also can send a terrible message to have prospects working their way up thru the organization, doing everything their coaches ask, learning and committing to playing the game details the way the Sabres want it done, trusting the organization to guide them and give them the opportunity to make it to the NHL, and then see that opportunity go to the next young drafted shiny thing in preseason.

I believe in building a complete team and managing your assets to maximize their value. Biro and Rousek do not fill the same role on the team as Benson. They are going to be bottom six players if they stick. Here's the thing, we need those guys as well as top line players. I would argue we have a sooner need for proper bottom six players in the near future.

Lastly, I can't see how we would say that Biro and Rousek haven't earned and opportunity over the last couple years, and that Benson in a couple weeks has.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I think more than ever, the Sabres forward lines can’t be assigned numbers.

And the defensive pairing are going to change depending on third period situations for sure

 

[Bendium]

Always need at least 5 to win a UPL game.

If they’re afraid of losing this replacement level goalie on waivers after years of no development…I don’t know what to tell them. I’m more worried he will take AHL starts from Cooley and hurt that team’s season.

I hope some of those dinner conversations with Adams involved discussion of an alternate career path

Agreed.

My wife watched both preseason games UPL played and remarked, "Looks the same as last year." Wasn't a compliment.

A bit later in the contest after the third goal she remarked, "Looks like Ukka Pekka "Look-its-in!" still lets em in." Made me laugh pretty hard.

Seriously though. I see no improvement. His biggest flaw seems to be a lack of focus and concentration at times. Not sure thats fixable. I am ready to move on from him.

 

[Mattilaus]

I completely understand your viewpoints here, but I think there is more to be considered than point totals in the preseason.

I think it also can send a terrible message to have prospects working their way up thru the organization, doing everything their coaches ask, learning and committing to playing the game details the way the Sabres want it done, trusting the organization to guide them and give them the opportunity to make it to the NHL, and then see that opportunity go to the next young drafted shiny thing in preseason.

I believe in building a complete team and managing your assets to maximize their value. Biro and Rousek do not fill the same role on the team as Benson. They are going to be bottom six players if they stick. Here's the thing, we need those guys as well as top line players. I would argue we have a sooner need for proper bottom six players in the near future.

Lastly, I can't see how we would say that Biro and Rousek haven't earned and opportunity over the last couple years, and that Benson in a couple weeks has.

This is professional sport and these are professional athletes. It's not dodgeball in the 3rd grade where the teacher picks the teams to make sure billy doesn't get picked last again. If Benson is better he gets the roster spot first, that's all there is too it.

On the flip side, how would you feel if you were Benson? You busted your ass, you are clearly better than anyone else, and you get sent back to the WHL anyways in favour of a worse player. Where is your motivation to try and shine in pre-season and camp if it doesn't matter because the coaching staff will pick based on seniority regardless?

 

[Jim Bob]

This is professional sport and these are professional athletes. It's not dodgeball in the 3rd grade where the teacher picks the teams to make sure billy doesn't get picked last again. If Benson is better he gets the roster spot first, that's all there is too it.

On the flip side, how would you feel if you were Benson? You busted your ass, you are clearly better than anyone else, and you get sent back to the WHL anyways in favour of a worse player. Where is your motivation to try and shine in pre-season and camp if it doesn't matter because the coaching staff will pick based on seniority regardless?

It is not that simple when you factor in the ELC slide.

I doubt that Benson pouts if he doesn't stick around. I think that adds a chip to his shoulder.

 

[joshjull]

This is professional sport and these are professional athletes. It's not dodgeball in the 3rd grade where the teacher picks the teams to make sure billy doesn't get picked last again. If Benson is better he gets the roster spot first, that's all there is too it.

On the flip side, how would you feel if you were Benson? You busted your ass, you are clearly better than anyone else, and you get sent back to the WHL anyways in favour of a worse player. Where is your motivation to try and shine in pre-season and camp if it doesn't matter because the coaching staff will pick based on seniority regardless?

I agree with one caveat, decisions on players like Benson have to factor in the big picture with his ELC. He can outplay players and still get sent back because the team doesn’t want to start his ELC yet.

 

[Mattilaus]

I agree with one caveat, decisions on players like Benson have to factor in the big picture with his ELC. He can outplay players and still get sent back because the team doesn’t want to start his ELC yet.

It is not that simple when you factor in the ELC slide.

I doubt that Benson pouts if he doesn't stick around. I think that adds a chip to his shoulder.

I agree mostly. I was more referring to him getting his 9 games over Biro or Rousek at this point. However, if he contributes more to wins than losses than the other players, I would prefer we eat the bullet, start his ELC, and make the playoffs this year.

Whether that happens remains to be seen. I just don't think we should be making roster decisions on "who has been here the longest"

 

[Zman5778]

I think more than ever, the Sabres forward lines can’t be assigned numbers.

And the defensive pairing are going to change depending on third period situations for sure

It wouldn't shock me at all if we start a game with pairings similar to what we've practiced with and trotted out in preseason:

Dahlin-Clifton
Power-Joker
Sammy-EJ

And then adjust based on game situations. IE -- if we need a goal, we see a ton of Dahlin/Power.....if we need to hold a lead, see lots of Dahlin/Sammy/EJ/Clifton.

Same at forward, though I think that'll be more of a "ride the hot hand" combined with situation. Granato has shown that he'll shorten his bench and play the guys who give us the best chance to win given the game circumstance.

I'm betting that if we need to hold a lead, Okposo-Girgs-Greenway might be a thing we see.

 

[Jim Bob]

I agree mostly. I was more referring to him getting his 9 games over Biro or Rousek at this point. However, if he contributes more to wins than losses than the other players, I would prefer we eat the bullet, start his ELC, and make the playoffs this year.

Whether that happens remains to be seen. I just don't think we should be making roster decisions on "who has been here the longest"

The tough thing with Biro is that he would need to clear waivers. Rousek can go back to Rochester without waivers at this point.

And all I am saying is that roster decisions are never just about "who looked the best in the preseason."

 

[ValJamesDuex]

To be fair to the Sabres, I also don't feel like going to Ohio

 

[MOGlLNY]

GMs arent living and dying about burning a year anymore. Friedman talked about this recently, less time to prove themselves before the big club can offer them a long term contract that hopefully ends up being a steal sooner rather than later.

 

[Bendium]

This is professional sport and these are professional athletes. It's not dodgeball in the 3rd grade where the teacher picks the teams to make sure billy doesn't get picked last again. If Benson is better he gets the roster spot first, that's all there is too it.

On the flip side, how would you feel if you were Benson? You busted your ass, you are clearly better than anyone else, and you get sent back to the WHL anyways in favour of a worse player. Where is your motivation to try and shine in pre-season and camp if it doesn't matter because the coaching staff will pick based on seniority regardless?

Benson has been fantastic, but saying he has been the best, or earned it over everyone else is a very specific viewpoint that disregaurds other valuable aspects.

Granato in one of his pressers this year talked about the importance in the future of players they call up or add to the roster, showing they understand situational hockey, and can be trusted to do the right things in the right situation. Like knowing the period and score, and knowing when to take a risk and when not to. Basically, shows maturity in decision making withing the Sabres system. I highly doubt that the Sabres are evaluating how Benson plays within their system right now. They likely told him not to worry about it, and go play his game with confidence.

Let me give you a different perspective on some different values players like Biro and Rousek bring.

1. They are 24 and 25. They have fully matured into their men's bodies.
2. They have been playing full seasons against men in the AHL and shown they can handle the schedule and physicality while succeeding.
3. They are physically ready to handle an 82 game season.
4. They are professionals, having learned how live the pro life both on and off the ice.
5. They have been playing in all situations and have the experience to understand situational hockey in the Sabres system.

Biro and Rousek will be evaluated less on their point production this preseason, and more on how well they perform in each situation. Are they where they are supposed to be, offensively and defensively. Are they covering the right man, getting in the right lane, making the proper reads, getting in position to help the defense break out, etc. Can they be trusted to play Sabres hockey. Noone is expecting this from Benson yet, so he can just freewheel, which is fun to watch, but not necessarily the right measuring stick for a team looking to make a push this year.

 

[Zman5778]

Benson has been fantastic, but saying he has been the best, or earned it over everyone else is a very specific viewpoint that disregaurds other valuable aspects.

Granato in one of his pressers this year talked about the importance in the future of players they call up or add to the roster, showing they understand situational hockey, and can be trusted to do the right things in the right situation. Like knowing the period and score, and knowing when to take a risk and when not to. Basically, shows maturity in decision making withing the Sabres system. I highly doubt that the Sabres are evaluating how Benson plays within their system right now. They likely told him not to worry about it, and go play his game with confidence.

Let me give you a different perspective on some different values players like Biro and Rousek bring.

1. They are 24 and 25. They have fully matured into their men's bodies.
2. They have been playing full seasons against men in the AHL and shown they can handle the schedule and physicality while succeeding.
3. They are physically ready to handle an 82 game season.
4. They are professionals, having learned how live the pro life both on and off the ice.
5. They have been playing in all situations and have the experience to understand situational hockey in the Sabres system.

Biro and Rousek will be evaluated less on their point production this preseason, and more on how well they perform in each situation. Are they where they are supposed to be, offensively and defensively. Are they covering the right man, getting in the right lane, making the proper reads, getting in position to help the defense break out, etc. Can they be trusted to play Sabres hockey. Noone is expecting this from Benson yet, so he can just freewheel, which is fun to watch, but not necessarily the right measuring stick for a team looking to make a push this year.

I think one also needs to take into consideration what they're looking for in that final forward spot. Do they want someone to come in and more or less replace Quinn in the top 6? If that's the case, it's really hard to argue against Benson getting 9 games.

But if they're more willing to slide guys around (IE, Mitts into more of a scoring role and Krebs away from 21/28)......then I think Benson going down and keeping Biro/Rousek is much more realistic.

 

[Fjordy]

It wouldn't shock me at all if we start a game with pairings similar to what we've practiced with and trotted out in preseason:

Dahlin-Clifton
Power-Joker
Sammy-EJ

And then adjust based on game situations. IE -- if we need a goal, we see a ton of Dahlin/Power.....if we need to hold a lead, see lots of Dahlin/Sammy/EJ/Clifton.

Same at forward, though I think that'll be more of a "ride the hot hand" combined with situation. Granato has shown that he'll shorten his bench and play the guys who give us the best chance to win given the game circumstance.

I'm betting that if we need to hold a lead, Okposo-Girgs-Greenway might be a thing we see.

Not sure about Clifton and his place in the top pair. I liked the Samuelsson - Dahlin pairing, I wouldn’t change it, we need stability in defense.