He gains about 15 pounds of muscle he would be one bada$$ in this league

Make the Sabres a team to be feared to play against again
- Stripes77

I think he is a guarantee to be on the team full time in 2015.. and next year would be our first call up or mid season call up...

Barkov has some sort of Russian connection
- MCGUIZZY

His dad is from there played for spartek russian married his mother they moved to finland

I just have such high hopes that this guy is going to be such a f'n bad@ss on this team..... I hope that he is our future captain and will just punch your Richard off if you talk poop to him...
- JVince11

Yes but watching the Rochester games in the first half of the season he is far from it. He doesn't suck, but he hasn't found his groove yet. About all he had down at that point was open ice hitting.

Man he needs to wrap that poop around because it looks god awful right now imo.
- sambarugh

i think one of his parents is russian and one is finnish

could be wrong though
- Sabres2012CUP

I think thats exactly it actually. Russian Dad Finnish Mom

It's so exciting thinking about the future of this team. We already have several prospects in place plus we have asset's to acquire more prospects unlike other teams that went through the rebuilding phase. We are a lot closer to being a good team again than many think. If we get rid of miller which I hope not that could be are only hold up finding an elite goalie to replace him with. So unless we start building on our defense to help a young goalie I don't see the logic in trading miller unless he demands one.

Yes but watching the Rochester games in the first half of the season he is far from it. He doesn't suck, but he hasn't found his groove yet. About all he had down at that point was open ice hitting.
- Buffalo--Sabres

Thats what happens when you are 19 years old and start playing against men. The last month or so he has been playing more and more minutes he is getting better. Give him one more year in the AHL and he should be on track. His concussion slowed him down a bit

Yes but watching the Rochester games in the first half of the season he is far from it. He doesn't suck, but he hasn't found his groove yet. About all he had down at that point was open ice hitting.
- Buffalo--Sabres

and in those same games Le Duc and McNabb looked pretty bad as well

Thats what happens when you are 19 years old and start playing against men. The last month or so he has been playing more and more minutes he is getting better. Give him one more year in the AHL and he should be on track. His concussion slowed him down a bit
- Stripes77

Yea from what I heard, he was really starting to take off then got hit with the concussion

Yes but watching the Rochester games in the first half of the season he is far from it. He doesn't suck, but he hasn't found his groove yet. About all he had down at that point was open ice hitting.
- Buffalo--Sabres

If he has the open ice hitting down.. that is half the battle to me.. he was never going to be a 25+ goal scorer or 55+ point scorer in the NHL IMO.

we are starting to really look like an Oilers thread now...

all of the talk of future and potential.... faith in a BS GM to bring us to the promise land...

we are starting to really look like an Oilers thread now...

all of the talk of future and potential.... faith in a BS GM to bring us to the promise land...


- JVince11

I like the potential part...just not the part where we compare to an Oilers thread..

It's so exciting thinking about the future of this team. We already have several prospects in place plus we have asset's to acquire more prospects unlike other teams that went through the rebuilding phase. We are a lot closer to being a good team again than many think. If we get rid of miller which I hope not that could be are only hold up finding an elite goalie to replace him with. So unless we start building on our defense to help a young goalie I don't see the logic in trading miller unless he demands one.
- Carubba-Kaleta

I hear ya but if he isnt going to resign and go through the rebuilding process you need to move him so you can get something of value for him (a prospect a roster player and a pick)

The word elite goalie gets thrown around here a lot. I dont think there is an elite goalie playing in this league anymore (besides Broduer) Yes Rinne and Lundquist are really really good but the only true Elite goalies I have seen play (and remember them) are Roy, Broduer and Hasek. Those are the guys that would repeately steal you games and playoff series.

we are starting to really look like an Oilers thread now...

all of the talk of future and potential.... faith in a BS GM to bring us to the promise land...


- JVince11

You see the oilers this past 2 weeks though? Sadly we are not even close to the same level as their prospects. It will be interesting to see how majority of the fanbase acts if we really start to bottom out, the sarbres have never really done that in their 40+ years.

we are starting to really look like an Oilers thread now...

all of the talk of future and potential.... faith in a BS GM to bring us to the promise land...


- JVince11

Haha I used that one a few hundred (last week) blogs ago

You see the oilers this past 2 weeks though? Sadly we are not even close to the same level as their prospects. It will be interesting to see how majority of the fanbase acts if we really start to bottom out, the sarbres have never really done that in their 40+ years.
- Mentalorgasm5

Listen.. I really like that Jerrod Smithson as a 4C.. he wins a TON of faceoffs.. is a big bodied guy... is a 2nd team PK kind of guy... and is cheap...

but they traded a 4th rd pick for 11 games with him....

Tambotits shoulda been fired on the spot

You see the oilers this past 2 weeks though? Sadly we are not even close to the same level as their prospects. It will be interesting to see how majority of the fanbase acts if we really start to bottom out, the sarbres have never really done that in their 40+ years.
- Mentalorgasm5

We wont sit at the bottom long IMO. We have too much money. Next year will likely be a no-playoff development season though.

You see the oilers this past 2 weeks though? Sadly we are not even close to the same level as their prospects. It will be interesting to see how majority of the fanbase acts if we really start to bottom out, the sarbres have never really done that in their 40+ years.
- Mentalorgasm5

Plus that Taylor Hall seems legit!! 7th in the league in scoring!!!
(you know who this is directed at) cough cough

We wont sit at the bottom long IMO. We have too much money. Next year will likely be a no-playoff development season though.
- Buffalo--Sabres

I dont think we will be as bad as long as the oilers, just because they have nothing at all in their system after their cup run. But with our cap space, who are we gonna get? No one lets anyone hit the open market anymore.

We wont sit at the bottom long IMO. We have too much money. Next year will likely be a no-playoff development season though.
- Buffalo--Sabres

I wouldnt rule out the playoffs next year. We still have free agency and the draft. Could be a nice surprise next season

Haha I used that one a few hundred (last week) blogs ago
- Stripes77

You see the oilers this past 2 weeks though? Sadly we are not even close to the same level as their prospects. It will be interesting to see how majority of the fanbase acts if we really start to bottom out, the sarbres have never really done that in their 40+ years.
- Mentalorgasm5

We never will with the players we have in place. The difference between us and Edmonton is they have a die hard fan base that's able to sustain five years of losing. Everyone knows that if that happened in buffalo we would lose half the fan base. We suck this year and every home game it's nothing but boos.

We wont sit at the bottom long IMO. We have too much money. Next year will likely be a no-playoff development season though.
- Buffalo--Sabres

I could see Pegula walk in with his fat ass cigar in his mouth...

Buy Clarkson off the UFA market.. trade Miller for a top line winger... Trade Vanek for a top 10 draft pick... Buyout Leino... Trade Stafford and Sekera... Sign O'Bryne.

Take Drouin and Zadorov...

L. Eriksson - Hodgson - Clarkson
Armia - Grigorenko - Drouin
Ott - Larsson - Foligno
Tropp - Porter - Kaleta

Myers - McNabb
Ehroff - Zadorov
Pysyk - O'Bryne
McNabb

Bernier
Hackett

BRING IT ON!

I dont think we will be as bad as long as the oilers, just because they have nothing at all in their system after their cup run. But with our cap space, who are we gonna get? No one lets anyone hit the open market anymore.
- Mentalorgasm5

Aquire via the trade market. We have picks, players we can still move

We never will with the players we have in place. The difference between us and Edmonton is they have a die hard fan base that's able to sustain five years of losing. Everyone knows that if that happened in buffalo we would lose half the fan base. We suck this year and every home game it's nothing but boos.
- Carubba-Kaleta

I actually posted pretty much the same thing earlier not sure if its on this one or not due to Garths frequent blogs. Which is why I dont see us in a full out lose to rebuild mode next year.