Ralph Krueger hired to coach the Sabres Part 2

OkimLom

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Its trendy because its warranted.

I don’t agree with everything Krueger does and wish he tried some things he hasn’t. But the big issues that hold this team back are lack of NHL centers (only have 2), not enough forward talent, goaltending struggles and too many NHL dmen which has led to trade requests.

All of those things are on the GM and only he can fix them.


I’ll go back again to the trade for Miller. It made absolutely no sense to target a 3rd paring RHD with the first move out of the box. It wasn’t remotely a need but the other guy Vegas dumped very much was (Haula). So we add the guy we don’t need leading to the log jam on defense thats causing the trade requests.

I think the lack of a move to move Ristolainen right after that deal put us in the bind. I think the reports of Ristolainen wanting out, put the brakes on that move, as it most likely lowered the potential return and Botterill just couldn’t lose another trade moving a big piece.

Then in Late November when Ristolainen was playing better and Botterill might’ve thought otherwise of moving Risto.
 

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January 8, 2020 - Ralph Krueger

Howard and Jeremy (8 a.m.)
01-08 Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger with Howard and Jeremy (11:52)

Howard Simon: Ralph, it's Howard and Jeremy. Good morning and belated Happy New Year.

Ralph Krueger: Good morning and Happy New Year to you both and to your listeners.

HS: There's some bookkeeping that we want to take care of right off the bat. Jake McCabe with an upper-body injury, but it sounded, right, from what you said, pretty optimistic? It's a pretty short-term issue and he could be back this weekend, is that right?

RK: Jake is day-to-day. We expect him back in practice when we return from St. Louis.

HS: You call up Lawrence Pilut; will he play tomorrow night?

RK: Lawrence Pilut's an interesting player for us and we haven't made that call yet. We're happy to have him back here in our midst. Coming off an injury from last season, he wasn't able to be a part of our training camp, but it was excellent that he spent time with us in Sweden. We got to know him well there; even though he didn't get to play, he was really a good kid to have around and for us to feel his strength and his future. Now we have him here again off the injury to McCabe, just to look, see, but we'll make that call tomorrow.

Jeremy White: Just to look for injury purposes or is it about time organizationally that you guys are starting to think, 'maybe he should be up here for a little longer,' you know? An AHL All-Star, leading the AHL in points among defensemen. I think a lot of people are wondering -- maybe Lawrence included -- when his time is. Is it still a numbers game or is this a time where maybe he will be up here for an extended period?

RK: This time of year we just go day-to-day. He's here now and he's a part of the group and has every opportunity to push himself into the lineup. Again, it'll depend on how quickly Jake gets back to speed and that we remain healthy in our D corps. For now, it's getting to know him even better. I can only say that he has an exciting future for sure. We like he way he moves and the way he thinks the game. He's definitely in the mix. Another player that increases the competition here, which we like. The internal competition is definitely healthy for all the defensemen.

HS: The reports that you might have been getting from Rochester about Lawrence Pilut, or whether you're more comfortable talking about what you saw from him in Sweden. What can you tell us more about your thoughts on Pilut?

RK: Well how it goes is that we are permanently in contact on multiple levels with Rochester. The reports on him are outstanding, that he's really taken another level since returning from the injury and that he's getting really comfortable in his game and he's fully back up to speed. So that's clear that we have permanent contact there on a daily basis on any potential candidates. And yes, Sweden left its mark, of course. He's an outstanding character and just brings a good spirit into the day-to-day. But of course. above all, he's a good hockey player. We look forward to that next level of Lawrence Pilut.

HS: With Michael Frolik, what's the latest on his paperwork? Will he be at practice today?

RK: Yes, so Michael's coming in today and got in, actually, last night, so we're pleased that that all was taken care of and we can start working with him.

HS: What do you envision as his role on your team?

RK: Well there's the off-ice component that we're always interested in and that's the person that he is, the experience that he brings with for the phase of evolution that we're in right now. He's going to be a good voice in and around the room. He is a very experienced two-way player. He's been known for his penalty killing. He's experienced a Stanley Cup, which means you're not only a penalty killer, you're also able to make a play, which he's very clearly able to do. He can play up and down the lineup depending on the need of the group. But we're just going to take it a day at a time and let him, like all the other players, show us what he's capable of and then his role will grow and develop under that. But above all, you're going to see a stabilizing factor in the way he plays, but at the same time he can add to the offense. We're excited to have him in here. He's a good athlete and [will] definitely give us some help and some depth in our roster.

HS: In terms of what he specifically could add to the offense, Ralph, what is his game about? Is it a guy who brings in some forecheck? Is it finish? What are some of the aspects you think that Sabres fans will see from Frolik?

RK: Well you never know exactly how a player's going to play within the structure of a group, so some people it suits their abilities and some don't find their game; that's the reality of playing in different structures. We're really confident that he'll fit into ours, that he'll be somebody that can support a top line in so far as defending properly but also just making those plays: keep the puck moving and keep the speed of the puck alive as we want to do here in our game. We want to be a quick team defensively, but we want to explode and be powerful as a group of five offensively. Michael's the kind of guy that can really augment a group and help to facilitate that kind of connection between the players in both directions. We need this type of leadership right now. It's a great addition into our roster.

HS: You lose Jeff Skinner so you've got to try and figure out how to make up for that. Then you lose Victor Olofsson. So in terms of trying to make up for the loss of offense there, who do you turn to or how do you go about making up for two guys like that being out of the lineup for a few weeks?

RK: Well what's important with injuries, the way it works in our coaches room is their names are put aside. And it's not that we don't care about them, they're handed over to the medical department and we have an amazing staff here in rehab and our medical care is strong, so these players are well taken care of. We concentrate on the players that are on what we have on our board here: the left side of the roster, the ones that are healthy, the ones that are able to go. We will always get up in the morning here and put the best possible roster together. There's clearly a different mix now. It alters the way we execute on the power play. It alters the way the lines will work together. It's part of the long season of the National Hockey League, every team has to deal with that. You need to score a little more by committee. We need more depth scoring with Olofsson and Skinner out, those are some big numbers that disappear. But others need to step up and we challenge them to do that. They did a good job here, especially the last couple of games, and we got to continue to build on that.

HS: With the No. 1 power play, Ralph, what's the thought process or what do you take into account when you try and figure out with Olofsson out, do I want to put another forward out there? Would I rather just have two defensemen? If you go two defensemen, do I put [Rasmus] Ristolainen in front? How do you try and figure out what is the best thing, best course of action?

RK: Well we always have both of those options available to us, depending on when this power play falls during the game and how the opposition are killing. The two-D option with Ristolainen in front of the net is very attractive at the moment, but we can also go with four forwards who attack with [Rasmus] Dahlin up top. It's part of also mixing it up sometimes so the opposition isn't as well-prepared in neutralizing your weapons. With Victor out, we've lost a strong one in there, but [Marcus] Johansson has got strong shot off the back side, Conor Sheary's shown some strong power-play traits of late. We're going to be mixing and matching, keep trying to find the combination that works. Even within games we will make adjustments if we feel they'll help us. But it's usually a group of six or seven guys that'll be working on your main power play.

HS: We're wrapping up with Ralph Krueger here. So listen, your team had a little break before your game against St. Louis tomorrow night and we were just, in the last hour, talking with Paul Hamilton about, it's almost like maybe a little bit like coming off a bye. What do you expect? Do you look at it and go, 'Okay, the guys are going to be fresh, they got a nice break,' or is there a rust factor sometimes when you're off that long?

RK: I don't see a rust factor, but you're making a good point because we had such an intense period after Sweden with the 21 games in 39 days. After the Christmas break I thought we came out and played well against Boston, Boston and Tampa, but we just didn't get the points so everybody was disappointed with that. I'm pleased with the way the group stepped up here against Edmonton and Florida to get the wins and I believe that momentum is going to go with us to St. Louis. I would probably lean more to the freshness that you're speaking about; I don't see any rust. I think we needed these few days. And important will be the start. We need to get a good start tomorrow, get right back in where we left off against Florida, into the habits that make us strong. I'm optimistic we'll have a lot of energy for the game in St. Louis tomorrow. Playing the Stanley Cup champion at home is always a real fun challenge. So far, this group has looked those kinds of challenges in the eyes. So it's probably the perfect opponent to have coming at you off of the break. There's no time to slide into this one, we need to be good right off the hop.

HS: Last thing I want to ask you about is the Eichel line, with Olofsson out. What kind of player -- you tried [Rasmus] Asplund the other day so it's kind of a two-part question -- what kind of player do you think is the right fit with [Jack] Eichel and [Sam] Reinhart? And then what did you think of Asplund when you had him out there the other game?

RK: There's always a lot of pressure on a young player going into a spot like that, but we thought he did a really good job. There's always a need to be able to play together with Sam and Jack without the puck and we're excited about the way Asplund is coming along defensively. Offensively, he's able to add and augment anybody he plays with, so we were pleased with his first game there. We're actually, just after this call, going to cement the lines that we're going to into practice with today and Aspy's got a -- he is somebody that we are really pleased with and just trying to move him along slowly that he doesn't feel too much pressure in that role, but he looked to handle it quite well. I think he's got a good shot at it for tomorrow.
 
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Icicle

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shattered are any dreams of Frolik changing Reinhart's spot

Lots of words about Frolik's expected leadership role
 

Chainshot

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shattered are any dreams of Frolik changing Reinhart's spot

Lots of words about Frolik's expected leadership role

Eh, it's more that they decided to concentrate what little offensive talent they have on one line. When Skinner and Olofsson return, we can posit a shift so Frolik can be the fetch-it guy for Eichel and Olofsson and Reinhart can work in with Skinner and... hopefully Larsson (who then gets the muck work as F3).
 

Icicle

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Eh, it's more that they decided to concentrate what little offensive talent they have on one line. When Skinner and Olofsson return, we can posit a shift so Frolik can be the fetch-it guy for Eichel and Olofsson and Reinhart can work in with Skinner and... hopefully Larsson (who then gets the muck work as F3).
That all sounds dandy to me, but isn't what I gathered from the interview
 

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That all sounds dandy to me, but isn't what I gathered from the interview


Really?

He can play up and down the lineup depending on the need of the group. But we're just going to take it a day at a time and let him, like all the other players, show us what he's capable of and then his role will grow and develop under that. But above all, you're going to see a stabilizing factor in the way he plays, but at the same time he can add to the offense. We're excited to have him in here. He's a good athlete and [will] definitely give us some help and some depth in our roster.

And especially this:

We're really confident that he'll fit into ours, that he'll be somebody that can support a top line in so far as defending properly but also just making those plays: keep the puck moving and keep the speed of the puck alive as we want to do here in our game. We want to be a quick team defensively, but we want to explode and be powerful as a group of five offensively. Michael's the kind of guy that can really augment a group and help to facilitate that kind of connection between the players in both directions. We need this type of leadership right now. It's a great addition into our roster.

I hear him talking about it at least as a possibility. We'll see but it doesn't sound like it's off the books. It's just they don't have a Hecht role line for him right now as they envision it - that falls to Asplund at the moment. In regards to playing him with Johansson and Sheary, it seems like that will be a similar role - cover for Sheary's weak d-zone play and allow Johansson to lug the biscuit in transition.
 

Icicle

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Really?



And especially this:



I hear him talking about it at least as a possibility. We'll see but it doesn't sound like it's off the books. It's just they don't have a Hecht role line for him right now as they envision it - that falls to Asplund at the moment. In regards to playing him with Johansson and Sheary, it seems like that will be a similar role - cover for Sheary's weak d-zone play and allow Johansson to lug the biscuit in transition.
RK: There's always a lot of pressure on a young player going into a spot like that, but we thought he did a really good job. There's always a need to be able to play together with Sam and Jack without the puck and we're excited about the way Asplund is coming along defensively. Offensively, he's able to add and augment anybody he plays with, so we were pleased with his first game there. We're actually, just after this call, going to cement the lines that we're going to into practice with today and Aspy's got a -- he is somebody that we are really pleased with and just trying to move him along slowly that he doesn't feel too much pressure in that role, but he looked to handle it quite well. I think he's got a good shot at it for tomorrow.
If Frolik gets on the first line, it's not to supplant Reinhart
 

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If Frolik gets on the first line, it's not to supplant Reinhart

Right, like was in my earlier post, putting them together isn't really an option until they have more of the offensive forwards back, healthy. In the meantime, it's Eichel with Reinhart. Perhaps if Asplund falters, they take a look at it, but Krueger is going to concentrate the tiny bit of scoring he does have for the moment.
 

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January 15, 2020 - Ralph Krueger

Howard & Jeremy (8 a.m.)

01-14 Sabres general manager Jason Botterill with Schopp and the Bulldog (16:56)

Howard Simon: Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger is standing by to talk a little bit more about last night's win over the Vegas Knights. Ralph, it's Howard and Jeremy. How are you, sir?

Ralph Krueger: Good morning, Buffalo. Good morning, Howard and Jeremy. I'm fine. Always better after a good result.

HS: Well us, too. Hard-hitting question to start things off: Do you have a nickname?

RK: I do not, no. My wife actually finds it nice that people just say, "Coach." That's who I am here in Buffalo. I do not have a nickname, no.

HS: For future reference, if the team's not playing well and the fans are booing, you can just think they're saying "Kreugs," so just use that if it makes you feel any better.

RK: When I was a player, people would say "Kreugs." It's definitely a good blend and the fans have been fantastic here in rough games, like the finish against Vancouver, or yesterday, where we had a bit of a dip in the second period, the crowd has been unbelievable. I have a feeling they really feel what's happening in our room and in our process, and it's been a lot of fun so far.

HS: Last night -- we've brought up, specifically with you before, certain plays by Eichel and the "wow factor." I know how I reacted watching the game at home and you could hear the fans react in the building. As a coach, and you're watching on the bench, he makes that dash up ice and scores; what are you thinking? What's your reaction over there?

RK: Well I used the word last night in the media conference, "genius." It is what Jack has in him and it's so exciting to be coaching that and be a part of it. But what people don't see is the hard work that he puts in away from those events. He's going 100 percent all the time, whether it's in the gym, or his nutrition, or off the ice or working with his teammates. That's why those things happen. It's not luck, or by chance; Jack Eichel works for everything that he gets. When he does show those moments, it's a beautiful thing to be a part of as a coach. Last night, we needed brilliance. Vegas is one of the top teams in the league and to see Jack take the game under his control and to decide it with an event like that is why he is so special.

Jeremy White: Ralph, we've seen really good play out of Jack Eichel before. This is definitely a next level. Yesterday, Jason Botterill, the GM, gave you credit as one of the reasons he has kind of taken a step forward. Would you also -- not saying would you take credit yourself, but -- what is it, do you think, maybe you've done to help him reach that next level?

RK: Well I think if you look at Jack and I, we've come together -- both of us -- at a good time in our careers. I've come to Buffalo in a time when I felt that I had the experience to deal with the situation and I could put all of my life lessons into play, and I'm enjoying that. And Jack, also, has been coached by many different people through his life, whether it's his family or his hockey coaches. Everyone's been chipping in and everybody can take credit or responsibility for what's happening. But, above all, Jack has the most responsibility in that process. I've stepped into the club at a good time, where we're still in a development `phase; we're still in a place of growing and learning. And Jack is the same. We aren't near our potential yet, which is something that should excite us all.

HS: If you give a -- yeah, I guess it's kind of a "State of the Sabres" -- but you've won four of six after the stretch of losses that ended with the 4-1 lead against Tampa. And there are some rough moments in the stretch, too -- your St. Louis game, whatever. But as you look at your team right now, you're trying to hang in there in the wild card race as you get ready to go into this extended break. How, generally, do you feel your team is playing right now coming off that losing streak?

RK: Well we've really managed the changes in lineup quite well, which is directly connected, of course, to injuries. We've continued to show that we have depth. We're pleased with the effort. We're pleased with what the players are all about right now, and that's buying into a concept that we need to get more consistent with. That's all that's happening right now, is we're slipping out of being the team we want to be, and then we get back into being the team we want to be. It's normal. The habits we are trying to develop here are hard to consistently execute, and they take a lot of dedication and commitment to making them something that we can bring on a nightly basis. If you look at the top clubs in the league -- if you look at Washington, if you look at Boston, or now Tampa Bay -- they're doing things on a very consistent level day in and day out and they didn't just start doing those overnight either; they had to work on those. Some players for years and years, and then the team as a group. So that's where we're at right now, guys. Jeremy and Howard, I would say we're continuing to develop, we're continuing to grow and we're just looking for that consistency. But I believe our fan base can feel the game we want to play: We want to play on our toes, we want to be aggressive, we want to play attractive hockey here in Buffalo. But we want to do it day in and day out. We're not doing it yet; we understand that. But everybody needs to know we're working hard to get that consistency. It's going to come over time because of the attitude we have in the room right now.

HS: So following up what you just said, in the last hour we were talking to Paul [Hamilton] about, "their home record is very good." Your struggles have come on the road. In light of what you were just talking about, that consistency in your game, do you tend to see those drop-offs, more likely, on road games than home games for any reason?

RK: You know what, guys, I don't feel the same way as the statistics are showing. I don't feel a change in preparation or focus or intensity. I think what happens on the road is the opposition raise their game. We need to be able to deal with all the distractions that happen when you're not in your home building and you don't get that push. But as far as the general prep is concerned, we don't make major adjustments in our game on the road; we want to be consistent in whatever building we're playing against. Whoever we're playing, we want our game to be pushed down their throats. I just think that everybody needs to get more confidence on the road. We probably have more confidence in our home building, which is natural. That would be, for me, the final piece. As coaches, we don't feel a big drop-off. I thought our first period in Detroit the other day was one of our better ones of the season, for example. We've had some excellent games on the road. Even against the top teams, like Boston and Tampa, we've showed up, we've started well. We just couldn't be consistent through the game with that. So it's, again, finishing those games on the road when we get the good feeling and believing in ourselves in other buildings as much as we do in the KeyBank Center.

HS: Your power play was key last night; had a couple goals. It's been much better the last five games: six power play goals in that stretch. What, specifically, are you seeing that's led to the improvement in that?

RK: More movement. It's less predictability. And, quite simply, the hunger to get shots to the net is increased. Rasmus Ristolainen going net-front creates a new stress on the net presence and pressure on the opposition, and it's freed up Jack and our playmaking ability quite a bit. So it's a combination of factors. The guys have been working hard at it. I just finished using the word "confidence" on the road and power play is all about that. You get the mojo -- you get that feeling -- and it starts to click, which it has been lately. Now we need to keep that going. We had this kind of a stretch early in the season. We dropped off. It's our offensive motor. It'll decide how we do offensively. It'll decide how effective we are in our 5-on-5 game because some of our key offensive players can get their confidence there. You're right on; it's been hot off late and we need to keep it there.

HS: I want to ask you about your goalies in a second but -- two injury updates, because I just want to see if there's anything new on either guy or a timeframe. What about Jeff Skinner? Let's go there first.

RK: I can put them in a package, guys. You know, Jeff Skinner and Victor Olofsson. To see them in suits after the games instead of hockey equipment is tough, but the guys have been working hard to fill those spots. I think that the same thing is going off-ice right now. Our rehab team is so positive and optimistic that we've got them on track, which means in the weeks following the break coming up here we're expecting their return. But I really cannot tell you right now on either of those injuries will it be right after the break, will it be a few weeks after the break? We just have to let these processes, whether it's upper or lower body on these guys, run their course. We're optimistic we're going to have them back as we fight in this difficult division and this difficult race that we're in. We like where they're at right now; that's all I can tell you. Both of them are developing in the right way on the right timelines in their respective injuries.

HS: Wasn't Skinner's timeline shorter than Olofsson's, Ralph?

RK: If you're going to go out and bet, guys, then I would probably bet on that. [Laughs]

HS: [Laughs] Alright, I'll go find a few bucks.

HS: The other thing I wanted to ask you about were your goalies. You were talking about confidence of the team a moment ago and, obviously, Carter Hutton must be dealing with a confidence issue right now. He's had some struggles -- I know it isn't all him -- but he's gone through a long stretch without winning a game. What can you do, what do you do about Carter Hutton right now, because it's not been good when he's been starting the last, what, 10, 11 games?

RK: We just continue to work hard with him. Those results are not only the responsibility of Carter; they're the responsibility of us as a group. Having played -- if you just look at the last game against Vancouver, we left our game. He gave us a chance, actually, in the first two periods to stay in that one. He just needs to continue to work the way he is. Mike Bales is doing an outstanding job with our goalies. There's nothing else to say; it's hard work, it's belief in your fundamentals. Keep focusing on those and when the next ball comes his way, the team also understanding the situation he's in and helping him to get his confidence back and his belief. It'll come. He contributes to this group in an amazing way every day, every practice. There's nobody cheering louder for Linus [Ullmark] when Linus is in the net and we need to do the same for Carter to get back his feeling that he had earlier in the season. We know it's in him. The practices and the off-ice work is important to get you back on track.

HS: And, finally then, with Linus, you've had to lean heavily on him in the last month or so. I think he's started all but two of the games. Do you worry at all about workload, fatigue? What can you track? What do you look at to make sure that Linus is holding up okay with the heaviest workload of his professional career at this point?

RK: I think you can look at Linus and you can look at our top-minute guys and say the same thing: What are we doing between games, how are we working to maintain our energy? That's, again, where our off-ice staff is doing such a good job, whether it's in the gym or in our rehab rooms and the physio, all of that -- the nutrition that we have. We are all about quality and not quantity as far as practice and ice is concerned. So Linus is in that category of high-minutes guys and thus far it's all of that other work that's being done that's helping them to stay on track and to be able to find the energy that the NHL asks for in this grueling pace that we're on. It's what Linus has become; he's taken another level this year. The top goalies in the league do play the minutes he does. The top goalies are able to play the games he does. He's on course and on path to be one of the top goalies in the league if not there already. Again, it's what he did in the summer. It's what he's doing in his mind. All of these things come together and we feel confident that he can handle the load. And again, Mike Bales, at the lead of that responsibility, has been doing an excellent job with Linus.

HS: What have you got planned for the dads on this trip, Ralph. Anything special as a group?

RK: You know, I hate to be a party pooper, but I as a head coach just keep them focused on the difficult tasks we have in Dallas and Nashville. I really think the fathers are an important part of this process and I look forward to meeting them all. We're going to have some meals together, they're going to be a part of our processes, they're going to see how we get guys ready for the games in Dallas and Nashville. I'm sure the guys are going to get some energy and be excited to have them all there. Probably the most important, with the mothers together, the most important two people in their lives to get them where they are here today, so we're proud to have them aboard. We're proud to have them on the trip. But again, I'm going to need to make sure that we understand -- all of us together -- how focused we need to be for the game. So it's a combination of having fun but also letting them see the hard work that the guys need to do to be successful and to stay competitive in the National Hockey League.

HS: Well good luck in Dallas and Nashville, Ralph, and as always, thanks for giving us your time.

RK: Thank you and thank you, Buffalo, for the support, speaking for the team. We continue to fight on together here to have everyone proud of the Sabres.
 

Sabretooth

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HS: Your power play was key last night; had a couple goals. It's been much better the last five games: six power play goals in that stretch. What, specifically, are you seeing that's led to the improvement in that?

RK: More movement. It's less predictability.
Not surprising this aligns with olofsson's injury and not being able to just stand around waiting to feed Jack and Victor one-timers. Hopefully this is a lesson learned that sticks when VO comes back
 
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Kyndig

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The only players moving at all are Reinhart and Eichel as they switch places. They don't expect Reinhart to shoot and it's been working. Add in Risto being a bigger body in front of the net than Reinhart. Johansson has been awful on that 1st unit, if hes not turning the puck over hes sending passes knee high to Dahlin on the blue line and he quite frankly isn't even a scoring threat.

The reason Skinner hasn't worked as the bumper is also probably due to a lack of movement. One of the strongest parts of Skinner's game is his ability to make players lose track of where he is on the ice, if he's stationary that isn't going to happen. I'd still like to see him on the 2nd unit though because I prefer Risto in front of the net and the setup they have now has been working, just swap Olofsson with Johansson once they both return.
 

Bendium

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I like Krueger alot, but even though he is very experienced as a leader, he is still young as a head coach. He had a plan at the beginning of the year, and he stuck to it, including keeping lines together for 20 plus games. However, as injuries hit and the team started to slump, his lack of head coaching experience has shown a bit I think. He has been mixing and matching and rotating people a bit to much, especially on defense. By the time you hit the second half of the season that needs to be done with. I agree with Miller that it is way past time to end the defensive rotation and set the pairs so they can get to the next level together. I would send Pilut back to Rochester, choose your top two pairings, figure out which of your third pair which will be RD/RD can play on the left side for now, and sit Bogo. Then nothing changes on the defense until you trade out one of your excess RD.
 

Artemis Clyde Frog

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I like Krueger alot, but even though he is very experienced as a leader, he is still young as a head coach. He had a plan at the beginning of the year, and he stuck to it, including keeping lines together for 20 plus games. However, as injuries hit and the team started to slump, his lack of head coaching experience has shown a bit I think. He has been mixing and matching and rotating people a bit to much, especially on defense. By the time you hit the second half of the season that needs to be done with. I agree with Miller that it is way past time to end the defensive rotation and set the pairs so they can get to the next level together. I would send Pilut back to Rochester, choose your top two pairings, figure out which of your third pair which will be RD/RD can play on the left side for now, and sit Bogo. Then nothing changes on the defense until you trade out one of your excess RD.

You had me until the Pilut part :D I think he's been good enough and the team lacks lefties in the back. Otherwise you make good points imo!
 

Bendium

Registered User
Oct 18, 2019
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You had me until the Pilut part :D I think he's been good enough and the team lacks lefties in the back. Otherwise you make good points imo!
I don't disagree that Pilut is good enough to hold down the third pairing LD. However, there is a numbers game and asset management problem that needs to be dealt with, and keeping Pilut up means sitting Miller, which is bad asset management. Pilut can get more minutes and help Rochester keep the ship afloat until we get a RD traded out. It just seems the best option all around at the moment.
 

WeDislikeEich

Registered User
Jun 22, 2015
5,863
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As I said in the game day thread, I am quite happy with Krueger so far.

I don’t agree with all of his lineup choices and lone combinations, but name me a single coach in Sabres history where we all agreed with every line combination and lineup choice a coach made. It’s by far the most common complaint about a coach with basically every fan base. And us fans don’t get to see even 1/2 of what goes into these roster decisions. We’re not in meetings or at practices. We have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. We don’t know what influence the GM or asst. coaches have on roster decisions. All we see is what happens during the games, so when we criticize roster decisions we are doing it with incomplete information.
I’ve just learned to live with the fact that I’ll never agree with every lineup decision a coach makes.


I love the style of hockey Krueger wants the Sabres playing. You can see what he means when he says he wants them to “play connected” with the way they always have someone rotating in to pressure the puck carrier.
the style Krueger is pushing is similar to what many of the better NHL teams play and I think it will eventually lead to success.

IMO Krueger is doing a good job, especially with the talent level he has to work with. I certainly have no interest in making a coaching change again, that’s for sure. I want to see Krueger get a legit chance, with a more talented team. I don’t see any other coach having much more success with this current group of players.
 
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Chainshot

Give 'em Enough Rope
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Feb 28, 2002
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Looks like the honeymoon is over.

Roster optimization has been a thing all season. We keep seeing some sort of outlier almost every night, from Sobotka on the 2nd line to McCabe-Risto in heavy shutdown use for a time to working Bogosian in when he is clearly not even their 7th best defenseman. It's become more apparent now as they struggle to stay close to the playoff race, that yielding points because of it grows as a concern.
 

Icicle

Think big
Oct 16, 2005
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Anyone who wasn’t aware Krueger is stubborn to a fault wasn’t listening to him or any of his reviews. Though I find it interesting he believes that forward lines should persevere through rough times together while he has this 7D rotation going on. Which is fine up until you get Bogo plus Risto out there on a shift together and ruins an entire games momentum. I think it may have to do with the defenders on this team simply not liking each other so much. Ristolainen has been open about not being able to stand being paired with Scandella because neither of them could make a breakout pass. I’m sure Dahlin’s chaos is hard for some of the lesser skilled defenders to catch on to. God forbid anyone is paired with Bogo- his partners have to expect him to try to show off his repressed offensive talent and play conservatively, even though every other defender on this team would be better off with the puck.

Still wish he would switch the Eichel-Reinhart marriage with Skinner though.

Bogosian needs to sit. Rodrigues has deserved every minute on the bench, I don’t understand why Bogo does the same. I know Miller hasn’t looked that great, but at least he doesn’t magnify our other defender’s weaknesses when he’s out there not playing so well.

He shortens the bench towards the end of games, wins at home with favorable match ups (something our last few coaches couldn’t do), and has the players bought into him. The team lacks talent up front and it’s not all his fault either.

But cmon dude, bench Bogo and play 6D if you have to, and move Reinhart ffs
 

Kyndig

Registered User
Jan 3, 2012
5,147
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3 game win streak and one loss with this roster..OFF WITH HIS HEAD! :laugh: Can't blame fans given we have the longest active playoff drought and it might only get longer. If RK can keep up the pace since the new year started we will have around 93 points. Maybe once Olofsson/Skinner comes back we can string together some wins. Botterill isn't helping matters that's for sure.
 
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sabrebuild

Registered User
Apr 21, 2014
10,517
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Fine with him for now. Hard to say who is directing the x and o's, and there have plenty of decisions I haven't been impressed with.

But I don't think there is any doubt that Krueger is a leader who knows how to communicate with his players, as best we can tell.

Again, plenty to criticize, including certain mentions of only playing people who want to be here, but his press statements generally come off well, like he understands how this works, he gets the substance of what is happening. I think players like that.

Forget about quirks, the amount of times that bylsma, housley or botts heard a question and then start rambling like a robot who just got short circuited was/is endless and can be an indication of how they come across internally.

I know people have referenced this quite a bit, and I have no reason to believe he would be a good gm as an analyser of talent, but I think he would crush it as a President of operations. Just facilitating between others seems like a strong suit.
 

OkimLom

Registered User
May 3, 2010
15,123
6,581
Anyone who wasn’t aware Krueger is stubborn to a fault wasn’t listening to him or any of his reviews. Though I find it interesting he believes that forward lines should persevere through rough times together while he has this 7D rotation going on. Which is fine up until you get Bogo plus Risto out there on a shift together and ruins an entire games momentum. I think it may have to do with the defenders on this team simply not liking each other so much. Ristolainen has been open about not being able to stand being paired with Scandella because neither of them could make a breakout pass. I’m sure Dahlin’s chaos is hard for some of the lesser skilled defenders to catch on to. God forbid anyone is paired with Bogo- his partners have to expect him to try to show off his repressed offensive talent and play conservatively, even though every other defender on this team would be better off with the puck.

Still wish he would switch the Eichel-Reinhart marriage with Skinner though.

Bogosian needs to sit. Rodrigues has deserved every minute on the bench, I don’t understand why Bogo does the same. I know Miller hasn’t looked that great, but at least he doesn’t magnify our other defender’s weaknesses when he’s out there not playing so well.

He shortens the bench towards the end of games, wins at home with favorable match ups (something our last few coaches couldn’t do), and has the players bought into him. The team lacks talent up front and it’s not all his fault either.

But cmon dude, bench Bogo and play 6D if you have to, and move Reinhart ffs

So, essentially, he's a decent head coach, except for the decisions he makes that hurts, or doesn't get the most out of the team.
 

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