Sabres '20?- '21 season - Kreuger's Replacement?

[GG1]

8 hours ago, NCBillsFan said:

 

 

Looks like rumors were correct.  Season set to start in mid-January

 

 

 

[Taro T]

On 12/4/2020 at 6:04 PM, GG1 said:

 

Looks like rumors were correct.  Season set to start in mid-January

 

 

 

 

Cool.  On that timetable, Adams should be giving fans a new goalie for Christmas.

 

Bring it on!

[Taro T]

LeBrun in the Athletic & a few others are saying the NHL will play a 56 game season starting January 13.  Haven't seen any details, but it also is sounding like the non-playoff teams won't be getting their extra 1 of training camp they were promised.  (They were actually promised 2 extra weeks, but that was back when it looked like a Decembrr 1 start date for a full season was possible.  And, again, looks like they won't even get a single extra week of camp.)  

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, ComradeKayAdams said:

Hey guys, so is this the most likely opening night lineup at the moment?

 

G1: Ullmark

G2: Hutton

 

D1: Dahlin - Jokiharju

D2: McCabe - Ristolainen

D3: Miller - Montour

 

F1: Hall - Eichel - Reinhart

F2: Skinner - Staal - Olofsson

F3: Girgensons - Eakin - Okposo

F4: Mittelstadt - Cozens - Thompson

 

An upgrade from Hutton and Miller would be nice, but I also wouldn’t be terribly upset starting the season with what we have right now. I TRUST K. ADAMS.

 

Barring a trade (or series of trades) that converts the surplus of RHD into either a goalie upgrade or a better LHD than Irwin, that's not too far off.

 

Expect Olofsson and Reinhart will be flipped (doesn't make as much sense to me to have 3 playmakers on the top line with 2 shooters on the 2nd; when both lines can have 2 playmakers that can score and a finisher.

 

There are a ton of options for the bottom 6 including the Kid Line you put together.  My guess though is that Lazar will center the checking line (he's absolutely lights out on faceoffs & plays the PK so Krueger will probably find a way to get him out there) leaving Eakins centering Thompson playing his off wing & Cozens.  Reider would be the 13th F with Lazar in the lineup & Mittelstadt would be the 1st offensive call up (assuming the AHL plays).  If Reider is in the lineup, then he's probably playing his off wing either on a checking line C'd by Girgensons or giving a veteran presence to Cozens & Tage.

 

As for the D, your lineup is as good as any and Montour spent way too much time on his off-hand last year, so he could do it again.  But I'd expect they'd run 3 lefties & 3 righties with Miller reprising last year's role as the 1st scratch.  Montour and Dahlin worked well together the few times that combo was used, that'd be a 1A pairing.  McCabe is significantly better than Irwin and Ristolainen will get too much ice time again, so that's 1B leaving Jokiharju & Irwin the 3rd pair.  The 8th D will be 3ither Bryson or Borgen and 1 could be in the top 6 by the mid point of the season.  (Irwin really is a 7th D-man, so his role is easily bumpable.)  Fitzgerald & Davidson could also see time should the injury bug hit hard again.

 

Ullmark's the starter & Hutton the backup for now, but don't be surprised if 1 of Arizona's 3 guys ends up pushing at least Hutton down the depth chart.  There also were tons of rumors about some sort of deal with Calgary since the trade deadline & through the extended summer, so something might happen on that front, though that doesn't seem as likely.

 

Even in a killer division, that roster should push for the playoffs.  1-2 more moves & somebody else has their work cut out for them trying to push them out of the playoffs.

Edited December 9, 2020 by Taro T

[Hitbyaparkedcar]

4 hours ago, ComradeKayAdams said:

Hey guys, so is this the most likely opening night lineup at the moment?

 

G1: Ullmark

G2: Hutton

 

D1: Dahlin - Jokiharju

D2: McCabe - Ristolainen

D3: Miller - Montour

 

F1: Hall - Eichel - Reinhart

F2: Skinner - Staal - Olofsson

F3: Girgensons - Eakin - Okposo

F4: Mittelstadt - Cozens - Thompson

 

An upgrade from Hutton and Miller would be nice, but I also wouldn’t be terribly upset starting the season with what we have right now. I TRUST K. ADAMS.

I trust him also, until he gives a reason not to. I try to apply that to most people.

[NCBillsFan]

 

[snafu]

5 hours ago, NCBillsFan said:

 

 

That puts us in a pretty damn good division. I like it a lot, though. 

8 games each against my 3 local teams means I get to see a lot.

All the better once they let fans in the stands.

 

 

 

 

[shrader]

I’d flip Nashville and St Louis just so we could have most of the Norris back together. 

[GG1]

21 hours ago, NCBillsFan said:

 

 

Clinging to the view that Buffalo is on the East Coast 🙂

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, GG1 said:

 

Clinging to the view that Buffalo is on the East Coast 🙂

 

Just like Pittsburgh.  😉

 

Kinda thought we had an outside shot at being the eighth Canadian team.  😛

Edited December 10, 2020 by Taro T

[Alaska Darin]

Boy, the East and the West are both loaded.  Vegas, St Louis, Dallas, and Colorado in the same division?  Whoa.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Alaska Darin said:

Boy, the East and the West are both loaded.  Vegas, St Louis, Dallas, and Colorado in the same division?  Whoa.

 

Yeah.  The only 2 clear winners in the realignment derby are Marsha as they should cruise to that division's top seed and TO because they now avoid Marsha & Bahstan (& Buffalo).

 

Edit: since when is the abbreviation for T-ampa B-ay now edited?  Were people really trying to avoid catching flack for talking about Bellycheat's estranged significant other by using that one's initials?  Interesting.

Edited December 11, 2020 by Taro T

[shrader]

9 hours ago, Taro T said:

 

Yeah.  The only 2 clear winners in the realignment derby are Marsha as they should cruise to that division's top seed and TO because they now avoid Marsha & Bahstan (& Buffalo).

 

Edit: since when is the abbreviation for T-ampa B-ay now edited?  Were people really trying to avoid catching flack for talking about Bellycheat's estranged significant other by using that one's initials?  Interesting.

I was trying to figuring out which team you were talking about before I read the edit. I’m a big fan of random filters, but that one will cause trouble with hockey talk. But hey, Marsha does play for Marsha now. 

[plenzmd1]

the All Canadian division playing only in the US...yep, that's the NHL!!!!

 

Wonder if that changes plans at all?

[Taro T]

5 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

the All Canadian division playing only in the US...yep, that's the NHL!!!!

 

Wonder if that changes plans at all?

 

Expect that would come down to whether they think at some point later in the season they expect the Canadian teams could resume play in Canada but with the 2 week isolation regs for those coming over the border.  Settling up a bubble or a couple of bubbles could let the Canadian teams resume while waiting for rejoining Canadian society.

 

But if US based teams would have to quarantine for 7-14 days should they enter Canada, they'd need to have that Canadian division to make things work.

 

If they expect that things would be more open if they actually get allowed back into Canada then the normal divisions would still work.

 

My guess is they'll still use the funky divisions as it gives them the most scheduling flexibility as the season progresses.  Which is unfortunate, because it PROBABLY would be easier to make the playoffs in their normal division rather than the Division of DeathTM division they seem to have been placed in.

[shrader]

I can’t picture the players ever signing off on the Canadian teams playing in the US. That’s seven teams worth of player who would never get to go home.
 

I haven’t read up on the details but could they potentially make it work with a bubble city up there like they had for the playoffs? I don’t know if compressed scheduling would allow for some time off to return home for a quarantine period. 

[GG1]

I thought the whole point of the Canadian division was for them to play in Canada?

[Taro T]

It was made official yesterday that the regular season will be 56 games starting Jan 13 and ending IIRC May 8.

 

All games will be intradivision only w/ the Sabres playing 8 times against each of the Bruins, Phlyers, Pens, Caps, & the NYCish 3.  4 teams in each division make the playoffs.  Stanley Cup to be awarded before the Olympics start in July.  

 

The NHLPA has bought off on the plan.  Sabres & 6 others that missed the expanded playoffs can open camp Dec 31.  Everybody can open Jan 3.  Teams will be playing in their own barns w/ no fans to start the year.  They're still figuring out how to work the Canadian teams' games as a couple of provinces still haven't bought off on the plan.  It seems the worse case fall back will be playing in a bubble city.

 

There will be a small taxi squad of players that will be treated like they were in the AHL but will be staying w/ the parent club.  All teams need 3 goalies between the team & taxi squad.  Not sure what other rules there are for the taxi squad.  Expecting it'll be ~6 players in total, but haven't heard that definitively.

[shrader]

It’ll be interesting to see how they handle that taxi squad IF the AHL starts up. You don’t necessarily have you best players on that squad because you may want them playing games in the AHL, particularly if it’s a first year pro. Then there’s the 3rd goalie, are you using an AHL journeyman there?

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, shrader said:

It’ll be interesting to see how they handle that taxi squad IF the AHL starts up. You don’t necessarily have you best players on that squad because you may want them playing games in the AHL, particularly if it’s a first year pro. Then there’s the 3rd goalie, are you using an AHL journeyman there?

 

Kinda expecting Tokarski to be the 3 unless Adams manages to snag another goalie bumping Hutton into that slot.

 

And Hutton might be the absolutely perfect taxi goalie.  He plays really well with a backup's schedule but has broken under the workload a 1 faces.  Being the taxi goalie, he won't break in a real game (& it's unlikely he breaks in practice) so he'd be ready to step up should Ullmark or other guy break.  W/ a 56 game season, it'd be almost impossible for him to have to play 30+ and likely he'd only be needed 20 or fewer times.

 

According to PuckPedia (formerly NHL Numbers) AZ is ~$2.5MM over the cap w/ 23 players.  They still may have to punt one of their $4MM+ guys to get under the cap.  Maybe Buffalo can work a package that gives them our expected AHL guy Tokarski as part of the package leaving Hill their 2nd and Tokarski their taxi goalie?  Win-win.  

 

And that move would likely push the Sabres into the playoffs even in the Division of DeathTM.