I really feel clueless as what to expect of this team

[Buffalo Rick]

I cannot remember in recent history going into a season with more uncertainty.  They are sending me emails to buy mini packs (tickets) and I do not have a clue how this team will perform?  On paper they really do not look bad.  They have a pretty good roster.  If Miller plays well and makes a run for the Olympic position, we should at least be in the race for a seed.  This Miller/Vanek thing is hanging over them.  I wish Regier would talk to them about extending their contracts.  We need them both.  We are not going to find another Miller.  Or a guy like Vanek that is a true scorer.  Steve Ott and Hodgeson are other key guys up front and our defensive lineup is pretty good.  We got the best D man in the draft, the Fin.  We have Myers and Erhoff and Tallinder is back to be a good smart stay home guy on penalty kills especially.  If they keep the puck out of the net they can win more games than anyone here believes.

[hf101]

Word on the internet is Vanek has interest to play in Minny next season thus I'd be surprised to see that Buffalo will be able to re-sign him.  Pomminville is expected to sign a new contract.  Heatley will not be back, thus this rumor makes total sense as they will have the $$ to sign Vanek. 

 

Vanek will get to play again with Pomminvile in front of home crowds.  Vanek's wife is also from MN.....aka, Parise, Suter......I fully expect that Vanek will be with the Wild next season.

[fishbulb]

Buffalo's season will be so bad, they'll be relocated to Quebec City next fall.

 

[radoran]

Buffalo's season will be so bad, they'll be relocated to Quebec City next fall.

 

 

This is a City that still has the Bills.

 

The Sabres aren't going anywhere.

[jammer2]

 I think the Sabre's division is to tough. To many games against very nasty teams. They will have to play lights out outside of their division, and I just don't see that happening. Any chance the Sabres had went south when the Wings came to the East.

[jammer2]

@Hockey Junkie  Recent history suggest the Sabres are a horrible team. Vegas gives them the bottom 3 spots in the entire league. These are experts that are paid to judge rosters and access odds accordingly. Not trying to be a prick here, but make the playoffs and then come talk to me, until they do that, this is all hot steam. Toronto, Ottawa, Boston, Montreal, and Detroit are substantially better squads. I will admit the Sabres always play the Leafs tough, in many ways they have that teams number for some reason.

 

 I'll make you a bet, if the Sabres make the playoffs I will subject myself to an ungodly amount of blue and yellow paint, video tape it and send the video in, you have my word on that.

 

 If the Sabres miss the playoffs, you must change your screen name to "Buffalo loser" for an entire year.

 

 Deal?

[radoran]

Vegas odds are good in many ways, but they also have other concerns - like attracting bets. In order to get people to put money on the Sabres the odds are going to have to be pretty large.

 

I think the combination of a first year coach (first year bringing in his "system" from camp on), a GM who is "rebuilding" in his 14th year and a young group of players is, as HJ notes, difficult to project.

 

If the youth steps up large and grabs the opportunity, they may make some noise. 

 

Another problem they face, however, is that only the top 3 are guaranteed from each division and the other two come from the rest. It would be possible for five Metropolitan Division teams, for example, to make the playoffs. For the Sabres to crack the Top Three in the Atlantic is a tougher sell than Top Five.

[blocker]

Lots of good young players who are 2-3 years away.   If Buffalo doesn't trade them for a "quick fix", they'll be OK down the road. 

 

PS.......Just thought I'd mention that my boy Z got two goals last night, one short-handed.  My son and grandson went up to Montreal for the game.  

[jammer2]

@blocker  Wish I could have helped you out, so you could have seen it. Gonna be fun to watch Z grow as a player, and know the special tie he has to your family, the whole thing is just very cool.

[blocker]

I do not know if Miller played?

 

Nope.  Hackett and some other kid.

[flyercanuck]

@blocker

 

 Some of the guys on the FAN 590 were talking Zemgus Girgensons up yesterday. One said it's his favorite name in sports. Must have been cool for your son and grandson to see him score not once, but twice!

[jammer2]

  McKeens goalie guru has Hackett at a solid ranking of 12. Lot's of really good goalies underneath him. Hackett is just to good to be denied all year. I say he leads the AHL in goalie stats, as long as the farm team is respectable.

 

http://thegoalieguild.com/wp-content/uploads/releases/top25aug2013.pdf

 

 

 Really nice to see Anton Khudobulin of the Canes now get some serious props. I've been talking about this kid for a year now, he just signed to back up Ward for the vet minimum. As much as I like Emery, Anton was *the* move for the Flyers. He's 26 with NHL experience and has a wonderful skilll set.

[blocker]

the Russians are leading the way

 

Ummm---My boy Z is Latvian.  He wouldn't care to called a "Russian".

[radoran]

I am talking about the Sabres.  Gregorenko and the other Ruskie.  They scored in the first two games.  Foligno got two last night. 

 

So is blocker. The "other Ruskie" is Latvian. And a personal friend of blocker's.

[flyercanuck]

I am talking about the Sabres.  Gregorenko and the other Ruskie.  They scored in the first two games.  Foligno got two last night. 

 

 

 Typical Mexican...doesn't know the difference between a Latvian and a Russian. 

[radoran]

 Typical Mexican...doesn't know the difference between a Latvian and a Russian. 

 

Lies, damn lies and statistics.

[blocker]

Typical Mexican...doesn't know the difference between a Latvian and a Russian

 

Funny, because all of them are in Africa.   

[yave1964]

I do not see the logic here?  If you think the Wings are what they used to be, no way.  And there are 8 spots.  Why do we have any worse of a shot because of Detroit?  Who says we cannot knock Ottawa or Toronto out?  I am sure you believe your team will knock one of them out?  And has your team really upgraded drastically?  They are taking a kick at the can just like we are. In hockey, every season is different. You know this.  It may just bring the Wings down to Earth a bit having to play in a tougher conference.  Now I said tougher.  Not necessarily more talented.

you have one forward who can make detroits top six and for some reason want to trade him. you have an aging goalie and a talented but thin blue line. the Wings And jackets are in the East now. The wings have beaten the East like a drum, consistently a better record against the east then the west.

I love the draft your club has had for two years. the Sabre organization is in transition. the only scenario I see that the Sabres make the playoffs involve a complicated series of plane crashes involving half a dozen other teams. Place your bet, I will match it.

[ruxpin]

Like Rad and HJ said, I think Buffalo is a difficult squad to gauge.

 

If I were to bet, however, I would bet against them making the playoffs this year.  I think they could sneak in if quite a few things fall right for them (no, @yave1964 , I'm not talking about planes falling).  But there are still way too many good teams above them.

 

I can certainly see Buffalo winning a season series against Toronto as they do play them tough (as noted), but I can't see a way they finish above Toronto in the standings (much as I would LOVE to see that!)

 

Teams that should finish ahead (in no particular order):

 

Ottawa

Montreal

Boston

Detroit

Toronto

Pittsburgh

NY Rangers

 

Now we're down to at least 4 possibilities for the last playoff spot (again in no order)

Columbus

Philadelphia

Washington

Buffalo

 

You could throw the Islanders into that mix, too.   All this to say that Buffalo COULD sneak in, but I don't think it's likely.

 

But I do like the way they've drafted and they should be much better if not by next year then the year after that...if they remain patient.  I'm not sure what kind of rope Reiger still has, though, so I'm not sure how patient he can remain.

 

I still like Miller, but I just suspect the team isn't quite strong enough and he may be in for another difficult year.

[Polaris922]

I agree with those comments above.  I don't see Buffalo making the playoffs this year unless somebody really steps up and surprises us all.  Sorry bud it sucks to feel that way going into a season, but that's just how I see it.  

[yave1964]

How can you guys just assume Monreal and Toronto will be that good?  I say they will not be.  I say the Sabres and Flyers will knock them out.  Montreal will regress.  We will beat them.  I have no fear of them or Toronto

I do not believe Montreal will even make the playoffs either. You have only a handful of NHL caliber forwards, a few kids who can play but are a year or two away and an aging overrated goaltender.

By the way:

WHY ARE THE SABRES LIKE A CELL PHONE SET TO VIBRATE?

NO RINGS!!!

Sorry, very rude of me, just couldn't resist

[Polaris922]

Montreal won their division last year topping the Bruins, who went on to the Cup Final.  I think the Habs outplayed their roster myself, but not by so much as to make a regression out of the playoffs predictable.  Washington, Detroit, Ottawa, the Rangers, Penguins, Flyers, the Leafs, and in my opinion the Islanders and Blue Jackets will be ahead of your Sabres at the season's end.  I don't even like answering these kinds of posts... feels like stepping on someone when they're down.  

[yave1964]

Montreal won their division last year topping the Bruins, who went on to the Cup Final.  I think the Habs outplayed their roster myself, but not by so much as to make a regression out of the playoffs predictable.  Washington, Detroit, Ottawa, the Rangers, Penguins, Flyers, the Leafs, and in my opinion the Islanders and Blue Jackets will be ahead of your Sabres at the season's end.  I don't even like answering these kinds of posts... feels like stepping on someone when they're down.

I agree with you Polaris, no fun picking on a true fan of a team that is down. I am a lifelong Cincinnati Bengal fan and let me tell you, by the end of the nineties none of my friends (many Steeler fans) could even come up with a good put down anymore. They just shook their head and gave me a pass.

[radoran]

I agree with you Polaris, no fun picking on a true fan of a team that is down. I am a lifelong Cincinnati Bengal fan and let me tell you, by the end of the nineties none of my friends (many Steeler fans) could even come up with a good put down anymore. They just shook their head and gave me a pass.

 

Buffalo is very much like Philadelphia in it's reluctance to admit it is time for a change (and in many other ways...).

 

Pegula should have cleaned house when he came in, but his fanboy proclivities kept him "loyal" to Ruff and Reigier for reasons which are strange and mysterious to me.

 

They went "all in" with players like Ville Leino and Ehrhoff and brought back Roy (for reasons which are strange and mysterious to me) with the idea that they could add them to the "veteran core" of Miller/Vanek/Pominville/Regher - and it blew up in their faces.

 

I think the Sabres have a solid defensive core, a young and talented forward group - but simply have to have at least a season with a new head coach to put all the pieces together.

 

They certainly could catch lightning in a bottle and make a serious run, but a LOT has to go right for them for that to happen. And, quite frankly, some things have to go wrong for other teams.

 

I thought they had a real chance to make some noise last year, and in the end they made the decision to blow it up.

 

They should have blown out Reigier at the same time.