r/sabres

We all know about Brandon Hagel. Drafted in the 6th round in 2016 and put up OK numbers in the WHL in his D+1 and D+2 years but that came with a noticeable decline from D+1 to D+2 going from 71 points to 59 points. For comparison, Cozens posted 84 in his D-1 season and 85 in his D+1 season, Quinn posted 89 in his D-1 season and Benson posted 98 points in his D-1 season.

The Sabres did not treat Hagel well (asked him to train in Buffalo but then didn't extend an ELC) and he still holds a grudge but he also was injured twice in his two development years with the Sabres and to be fair put up pretty weak numbers in the WHL after being drafted. The Sabres were also close to the 50 contract limit at the time after giving ELCs to players like Andrew Oglevie, Victor Olofsson, Lawrence Pilut and Rasmus Asplund. Still, this is often viewed as the biggest mistake for then-GM Jason Botterill and his front office. Even with the injuries, the evaluation of Hagel should have been different and he could have been treated better.

In his D+3 season after leaving the Buffalo system, he posted 102 points in the WHL, then in his D+4 season he posted 31 points in the AHL and got a single game in the NHL with Chicago. Then in his D+5 season he broke out to post 37 points for Chicago.

So who is the next mistake, because it's going to happen? Some options:

• Anton Wahlberg is entering his D+4 season after posting 37 points in the AHL and will start the season with San Diego in the AHL after being traded. Since he has been traded, it's already one step towards a mistake.
• Prokhor Poltapov is entering his D+6 season in the KHL and is signed to May 31, 2027. His 40 points in the KHL in his D+5 year is good but not great. The Sabres still consider him a part of the prospect pool but he could be trade bait for a GM that has has a scout that sees more.
• One of Gavin McCarthy/Maxim Strbak (entering D+4) or Adam Kleber/Brodie Ziemer (entering D+3). I'm grouping all 4 of these guys together due to the clear logjam in front of them on the blue line for the Sabres. Strbak and McCarthy are going to play in Rochester and Kleber and Ziemer are set to play in the NCAA. Seems really easy to have one of these 4 get added to a trade for a NHLer and they develop into a top-4 monster down the road.

RotoWire's Coach Pressure Index is out and Craig debuts at #3 in the league, right behind Hiller and Babcock. Their point is basically that an org willing to fire a Cup-winning coach isn't going to give a first-timer a long runway, especially coming off a Final loss.

Fair assessment for a rookie HC in this market, or too harsh this early?

Hey all, I’m looking to buy a jersey from somewhere with similar pricing as dhgate. I can’t use dhgate as my card keeps getting declined, so I’m hoping someone here has used a different shop/website. Thanks!

Hey yall!! Since we are so deep in the offseason (and I’m bored out of my mind), I’ve been trying to collect player nicknames from all teams!! I’m having literally no luck with Buffalo tho so any and all contributions to my list would be appreciated!!

Forwards
Zach Benson (6)
Sam Carrick (10)
Justin Danforth (15)
Josh Doan (91)
Riley Fiddler-Schultz (45)
Konsta Helenius (94)
Tyson Kozak (48)
Peyton Krebs (19)
Jiri Kulich (20)
Beck Malenstyn (29)
Ryan McLeod (71) — Clouder
Josh Norris (9)
Noah Ostlund (86)
Jack Quinn (22)
Conor Sheary (43) — Shearsy 
Tage Thompson (72) — Tommy, Tommy Dangles
Jason Zucker (17) — Zuck

Defensemen
Louis Crevier (n/a)
Rasmus Dahlin (26)
Dennis Gilbert (8)
Ryan Johnson (33)
Vsevolod Komarov (76)
Zach Metsa (73)
Radim Mrtka (57)
Owen Power (25)
Mattias Samuelsson (23) — Jerry(?)
Conor Timmins (21) — Timmy
Olen Zellweger (n/a) — Zelly 

Goalies
Colten Ellis (92) — Colten Chaos
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) — UPL
Alex Lyon (34)
Matt Villalta (n/a)

Not sure where to post this, so I’d take a chance here.

Ive found a bargain fanatics Sabres breakaway which I’m looking to buy. Whats the consensus regarding size? Are they baggier then normal, should I go a size up or down etc.