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Sabres preview- Are they a playoff team?


yave1964

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22-23 RECORD 42-33-7 91 points missed the playoffs by a single point  continuing the leagues longest missed playoff streak. minus four goal differential

 

ADDITIONS Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson, a couple of veteran stay at home guys were brought in to hopefully righten up the defense. Thats it. End of list.

 

SUBTRACTIONS Jack Quinn will begin the year on IR and miss most of the season. Craig Anderson retired. End of list.

 

This team has a talented bunch of young forwards led by Tage Thompson, Cozens and Mittelstadt. Two number one picks in Power and Dahlin lead the blueline. They also have 22 first rounder Savoie and 23 first rounder Benson who fell to them at 13. Both are outstanding forward prospects but wont be on the roster for a few years. The talent here is simply scary and their time is going to come.

 

  So the question, do they make the playoffs?

 

  My answer is no. I feel the teams who they are fighting with, Ottawa and Detroit both significantly improved while buffalo essentially stood still, and Boston took a step back but is still better.. Skinner has hot/cold years and scored 35 last year, he will slip. Tuch and Thompson had surprising career years and will likely slip as well. The defense was a clown show, bringing in Clifton and the five hundred year old Johnson does not change that. I like Levi, like really like him, I have him rated as one of the top five goalie prospects in the league but my opinion is Buffalo takes a small step back due to career year players finding their level and Levi going through growing pains. They had holes that needed filled and did nothing about them.

 

7th place 90 points, the best 7th place team in Hockey but the missing the playoff streak will continue. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/9/2023 at 6:35 PM, yave1964 said:

22-23 RECORD 42-33-7 91 points missed the playoffs by a single point  continuing the leagues longest missed playoff streak. minus four goal differential

 

ADDITIONS Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson, a couple of veteran stay at home guys were brought in to hopefully righten up the defense. Thats it. End of list.

 

SUBTRACTIONS Jack Quinn will begin the year on IR and miss most of the season. Craig Anderson retired. End of list.

 

This team has a talented bunch of young forwards led by Tage Thompson, Cozens and Mittelstadt. Two number one picks in Power and Dahlin lead the blueline. They also have 22 first rounder Savoie and 23 first rounder Benson who fell to them at 13. Both are outstanding forward prospects but wont be on the roster for a few years. The talent here is simply scary and their time is going to come.

 

  So the question, do they make the playoffs?

 

  My answer is no. I feel the teams who they are fighting with, Ottawa and Detroit both significantly improved while buffalo essentially stood still, and Boston took a step back but is still better.. Skinner has hot/cold years and scored 35 last year, he will slip. Tuch and Thompson had surprising career years and will likely slip as well. The defense was a clown show, bringing in Clifton and the five hundred year old Johnson does not change that. I like Levi, like really like him, I have him rated as one of the top five goalie prospects in the league but my opinion is Buffalo takes a small step back due to career year players finding their level and Levi going through growing pains. They had holes that needed filled and did nothing about them.

 

7th place 90 points, the best 7th place team in Hockey but the missing the playoff streak will continue. 

When you break it down as you do, it's hard to argue individual points.  I think they get in as one of the two wild cards and it's solely on the idea that what much of what you say is true, they'll have much better goaltending next year.

 

That, and the fact I'm not at all bullish on Ottawa.

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2 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

Somewhere Mo seiders agent is grinning wide.

 

It's why a lot of guys chose only 2 year deals...cap is suppose to go up next year to between 87-88 million.

 

Time to get paid!!!

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