Up next in 10
Host Matthew Zator welcomes Buffalo Sabres writer Jacob Strozyk to The Hockey Writers Roundtable to preview the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season.
0:00 Intro
1:21 Forwards - Big Storylines/Burning Questions
8:11 Sabres' Defense
11:31 Goaltending - Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen & Devon Levi
14:43 How do the Sabres stack up in the Atlantic Division?
18:27 Expectations For New (Old) Head Coach Lindy Ruff
Quick Fire
21:58 Biggest Storyline/Question Mark Going Into 2024-25
23:09 Breakout Stars
24:07 One Player That Needs to Bounce Back
24:44 Potential X-Factors
25:35 Rookie/Prospect That Could Surprise & Make the Team
26:44 Prospects to Watch
28:57 Who will lead the team in scoring (forwards & defense)?
30:21 Is Rasmus Dahlin the Next Captain of the Sabres?
31:52 Bold Prediction/Hot Take
Follow Jacob's work - https://thehockeywriters.com/author/jstrozyk/
And the rest of the Sabres writers at THW as they preview the season in written form - https://thehockeywriters.com/tag/sabres-season-preview/
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0:00
Hello, everybody and welcome into another season preview show here at the Hockey Writers
0:05
YouTube channel. I'm your host Matthew Zatouraz and as we continue going through the teams heading into
0:11
the season. We are now into September, training camp's just around the corner
0:15
And we are up to the Buffalo Sabres. And Jacob Strosix here, who covers the Sabres and he's been on multiple shows
0:23
How's it going, Jacob? It's going good. I'm excited and finally ready to get back to some hockey
0:29
It's. been a long off season waiting for stuff to happen. So let's let's get to it
0:35
Yeah, let's go. I mean, yeah, it's been a long off season
0:39
Lots to, like there was a month where nothing happened. Then we had a flurry of activity, but involved only two teams, really
0:47
And then the Oilers and the Oilers, the Oilers were very busy
0:54
And they also involved the Sabres, which we'll talk about. And, you know, the Sabres, of course, didn't make the
0:59
playoffs we don't have to harp on that haven't made the playoffs in a long time and uh lots of lots
1:05
of changes i mean i mean there was a few changes in the off season uh biggest one was them
1:11
firing their coach and hiring lindy ruff back uh with the team and his second go around and it
1:18
will see how he does we'll talk about him later on too um but let's let's just jump right in to the
1:23
to the forward group that's going into this season which i'm i mean generally didn't see a lot of
1:29
big changes, but they did acquire Ryan McLeod from the Evanton Oilers for Matt Savoy
1:35
which I've said it was a surprise. I did not see Matt Savoy getting traded and for a return that I don't think was good enough
1:43
McLeod's a good player, but yeah. So we'll start with, so we'll start there
1:49
What do you think about the acquisition of Ryan McLeod and just Savoy getting traded in general
1:55
Yeah, I was definitely very, very vocal about it. as much as I was essentially allowed to be to a point
2:03
Otherwise, I might not be employed here at this point because I was just going to lose my mind over it
2:10
Most of because I held personally Savoy to such a high esteem, especially in the prospect pool
2:17
somebody who's just a big fan of the prospect pool in general. And I don't feel like the return was enough for somebody of his caliber and how he really fit into the Sabre system
2:28
and how I thought he was going to grow into the saber system. So while I know a lot of people were like, use the prospects, use the assets, make a trade
2:37
Kevin Adams, do something. I don't think this was an excuse to do something with such a great player with such a great asset
2:45
and for just another piece that they could have gotten for something else
2:52
I don't feel like you needed to trade Matt Savoy for Ryan McLeod
2:56
You have draft picks that you could have gotten. the same value out of
3:00
You could have done so much more with so much else to get the same type of return
3:06
So I have no problem getting the cloud. I'm absolutely ecstatic that he's on the team
3:11
I think he's a great addition to the team for what they're trying to do with him. But I don't like the subtraction of Savoy from the prospect pool
3:18
considering what he was going to bring to the team in the near future
3:23
I thought he was going to be a part of the team this season
3:27
So I really thought that he was going to be in where McLeod is going to be slated this season
3:34
So it's a lateral move in that sense to me, but it's a downward move in the sense of potential
3:42
So I don't love it as a future move, but I'm I've settled into it as a now move
3:51
Let's put it that way. Yeah, I mean, future, I mean, Savoy is so much potential
3:57
And the thing is we'll see how he does in Edmonton. I mean, he's now their top prospect, obviously
4:03
But, you know, in Buffalo, there's so many guys. And it's guys like Zach Benson, I mean, he's maybe gone, not maybe, he has gone ahead of him
4:14
And yeah, I didn't like the move either. I was really surprised that that's all they got for him
4:19
If they were trading in Savoy, you'd think they'd get more than Orion McLeod
4:23
I mean, like I said, McLeod's a good, but he's not a guy that's going to ever. be at top six regular
4:30
I mean, he's going to be a third line guy, really good penalty killer. He has a lot of speed
4:35
I mean, he's going to add to the team, like you said, but it just doesn't, I don't know
4:40
it doesn't jive with me either. So we'll see how it all goes as the future goes
4:45
All right. In terms of the other forwards, what do you think about the group in general
4:50
I mean, they added Sam Lafferty to, again, a bottom six guy who was really good in Vancouver
4:55
had a stretch where he was scoring and then all of a sudden just dropped off really the face of
5:01
the earth where he wasn't scoring very much but still a good bottom six guy
5:06
Other than that really didn't add a lot more to the team but they do have, oh well, never mind
5:11
They did add Jason Zucker as well. I forgot about him. So they do add a guy that could potentially score 20, 25 goals
5:20
What do you think about the group in general, the other additions that the Sabres made? I mean, yeah, the whole handful of additions, so you add Lafferty, you add Zucker, you add Albaqaubel, and you add Beck Malinston
5:35
So the whole point of it is you add physicality, you add speed, and in Zucker, you add a little extra goal scoring, and you add some veteran experience to kind of throw into the mix on top of your youth group there
5:49
and I don't think there's any problem. So they revamped the bottom six that was clearly not physical enough
5:56
and clearly not fast enough last season. So I have no problems with what they did in signing and bringing in those guys whatsoever
6:06
I don't have any issue with the Zucker signing. I know some people might whine a little bit about the cap hit for it
6:12
but it's a one-year deal. So they have the cap space for it
6:17
I don't see any issue with it whatsoever, especially since they bought out Skinner. They had plenty of space to do it
6:23
So why not use the space to make a guy like that come here and want to be around these kids
6:30
and show them the right way to play the game and to be motivated to score some goals
6:35
and some big situations? I like Zucker as a player. I think he's really good
6:40
So I don't have any issues with any of the signings and with any of the acquisitions
6:44
It's really the subtractions that have been thing that have kind of peeved me
6:49
off throughout the off season. So I don't love the skinner buyout
6:53
as another thing. I think it was kind of a waste of
6:56
a waste of time and a waste of cap usage even. You're crippling, you're not crippling
7:05
but you're misusing the space in the future and you didn't even end up using that space
7:12
productively in the time that it's going to be useful. So I don't love buying him out
7:17
even if you were to just bear him in your lineup, you could have saved money buying him out next year, even, or trying to
7:25
make a trade throughout the season if he would have agreed to it because it was no trade otherwise
7:30
So there's other ways that could have been done. I don't love the Savoy's subtraction
7:35
So, you know, it was tough as far as subtractions go. The additions I love
7:43
So there's there's not too much going on otherwise. The rest of the forward group is pretty status quo
7:49
The top six is basically the same. All the young guns are the same. It's pretty much the same return of group beyond that
7:56
So there's not really much to add. It is they have to be better
8:01
They have to return that that offense that they did a couple seasons ago
8:05
where they were a high-powered group. And I'm sure we'll talk about that later on
8:10
All right, defense. This had no changes. I mean, not really. Not really. I mean, nothing really substantial
8:19
You're looking at Bowen Byer. I'm going to have a full season with the team who was really good
8:23
after he was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche. So he's going to end up playing right away, right off the bat
8:31
Does this group do you think it a good enough group to make the playoffs Do you see any question marks in the defense Yeah I have faith in the defensive group The only real ad was Dennis Gilbert who I really feel like was just for the sake of the Toronto Maple Leafs
8:50
really for added insurance against bullies. Yeah. I really feel like that was just for bring him in for if he's got to play 20 games
9:01
if somebody's going to push any of the players around, throw him and Clifton together
9:05
so that they can run around and smash some faces in if need be
9:09
and let him go ham. And I really feel like that's what that signing is
9:14
And I'm absolutely here for it. Let them run around and do what they got to do
9:18
But otherwise, the defensive core is exactly the same. And they're absolutely good enough
9:24
They have another year under their belt. They just need to do better. I think Lindy Ruff can make this group even better
9:31
Rebecca because he knows how to run a defensive system well. He knows how to make a defense more physical
9:37
which is something that they definitely lacked. And by physical, I don't necessarily mean that they need to throw more hits
9:44
It would be great if they did because they didn't last season at all. But being more physical in the regard that it's tougher to play against
9:54
They wear people down along the walls. They wear people down in front of the net. and they're being on the offense, the opposing offense a lot more
10:03
Because last season, they were just letting everybody walk past them, walk by them
10:08
There was just so much leeway in their defensive zone, and there was no pressure to do whatsoever to really fight against
10:17
So I think having Lindy Rough as the coach will make this group better
10:22
Time will tell. We will see how it actually plays out when things actually start happening on the ice
10:28
But as a whole, experience will play out. We'll see how it ends up going
10:33
But this group has what it takes. So long as they stay healthy, Samuelson's health is a big one because he hasn't played a full healthy season
10:43
Byr himself is another one. He needs to play a full healthy season. Dahlene will be fine
10:49
Clifton will be fine. Power will be fine. It's just those handful of, you know, outliers of health
10:57
I think Yokihariu will also be fine, and Bryson should get cycled in here and there
11:01
And that's essentially your top six, top seven. Ryan Johnson should probably get cycled in there too somewhere
11:08
Yeah, you just hope that those two guys can stay healthy all season. And that's a tall ask because they haven't in the past
11:16
So, I mean, it'll be interesting to see if they can actually play because they're two key guys in the lineup when they are there
11:24
And it would be great for the Sabers if they were to play. a full or close to a full 82
11:30
All right, let's move to the goaltending tandem, which looks like Ukapeka Lukanin, the starter
11:36
who has, he burst out last season as the starter after Devon Levi got sent down
11:43
And now Devon Levi looks to be the full-time backup with the team this year
11:47
So what do you think about the tandem? Question is, do you play a 1A1B
11:53
or is it Lukin as the starter? And Levi just gets thrown in at times there
11:59
No, I think you run starter backup. And I think that Lukinen has earned the right to be the starter
12:07
He definitely showed that he has the capacity for it. He has the chops for it, for sure
12:13
He battles hard. And he has the ability to play the consecutive games
12:19
And he really proved that last year. And he has the stamina to really hold on and play into those games
12:27
So I think he earned the right to have a full season at it
12:31
So I think give him that shot. I think Levi is still developing well
12:37
I love that he earned his starter spot in Rochester and really ran away with it well
12:43
And now he's earned his way back up into the NHL. So giving him games when he's playing well, I think if at any point
12:52
Lukinen goes cold, you can give Levi that stretch of three games and let him get
12:57
that heat. Give Lukan in that time to rest and recuperate himself if he needs to and then let him
13:03
streak again. You have that ability to let Devin Levi take the reins a little bit because he can
13:09
get hot and he can take on that load. So let him play the backup role. Let him really learn it
13:15
Let him really embrace it. So eventually you can maybe dip into a 1A, 1B and kind of split
13:22
the games and really, you know, balance that tandem out and turn it into a swayman
13:29
Allmark from a couple of years ago scenario and really get this, really get the modern
13:35
NHL tandem thing going. But for this season, you can run a starter backup situation and play Lukanin for about
13:43
60, 65 games and get away with it for sure. Because eventually you probably even call up James Reimer for, you know, five
13:52
five, six games because somebody, injuries happen, sickness happens. Everything, you know, eventually comes around
14:00
So, you know, he's not going to play every single one. Yeah
14:04
I agree. I think I think Leukin definitely deserves that, especially how we played last season and
14:09
then got that good extension, too. So, I mean, I think he's a guy that could definitely take the ball and run with it
14:16
And Levi is shown to be a capable NHL goaltender. It just, it all depend
14:21
I think on the, like you said, the deep. defense playing a good style in front of them because that'll help them out quite a bit too
14:29
if there's a good structure not allowing as many chances. So yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how they kind of balance those two goaltenders
14:36
But they are, that's a good solid tandem if both can can rise to the occasion there
14:42
All right. Now into this division, the Atlantic division is a really tough one
14:46
They've got, it's got so many good teams and so many teams that have a lot of question
14:50
marks and if they are going to break out like the Ottawa senators, the Sabres are in that category
14:54
Are they going to do it this year? We've got the powerhouses at the top
14:58
Where do you see the Sabers getting put in this right now? I mean, with how they look, without the rest of the division looks
15:07
See, I'd argue that the Atlantic is the toughest division to play in right now
15:11
You know, that thing, that fluctuates from season to season, generally what division that is
15:18
But right now, it's definitely the Atlantic with just how, how. heavy hitting it is because you have the juggernaut teams at the top
15:24
And then you have these rising teams like the Sabres, like the centers, like the Red Wings
15:29
And at this point, you can even argue the Canadians. Yeah. Because beyond their goaltending, you know, they have so many good young people just rising up
15:40
And even adding line A on top of that, they're pushing it
15:44
So there's a lot of great teams going in the Atlantic. and Buffalo is just striving to get something
15:52
They're at just, they're grasping, trying to get something here. So the question is, can they overtake somebody
15:59
Yeah. And I'm not quite sure if they have everything that it takes to overtake the juggernauts
16:08
but I do feel like they have what it takes to stay on top of the other rising teams
16:15
I do feel like they are still better than the senators. I do feel like they are still slightly better than the Red Wings
16:23
I feel like they're closer. Neck and neck, I feel like that can go either way
16:29
The Red Wings could definitely overtake them, you know, depending on the scenario and the situation
16:37
Really depending on if Dylan Larkin decides that he's got or not
16:43
Which he can. I've seen him do it. It terrifies me what Dylan Larkin can do when he sets his mind to it
16:50
So I think they're on top of that grouping, so it sits them kind of in that middle grouping
16:57
So it's can they overtake maybe Tampa Bay if they slip a little bit
17:03
Can they overtake maybe Boston if they aren't up to snuff? I think that might be a scenario if their goaltending doesn pan out out as well since they lost Allmark Can Swamen be the full starter
17:21
Is Corpusallo going to be enough? Can their defense make up for all of that
17:25
Is their coaching still good enough? I think it is. But it's a question of can they
17:31
So I'm not sure if Buffalo is good enough to eclipse that
17:36
But it's such a huge, huge maybe. they have the capacity for it
17:43
It's just going to take a whole lot for them to do it
17:48
And it's going to take them probably 45, maybe 48 wins if they're going to do it
17:54
And that's tough with so many tough teams in their own division
17:59
So they're going to have to steal some wins from Toronto. They're going to have to steal some wins from Florida
18:03
They're going to have to steal some wins from Tampa if they're going to get those to get to get to those numbers
18:09
and also hope that maybe the other division doesn't have as many good teams in there too
18:15
Well, there's that too. You can always just try and stomp on the metro as much as you can
18:19
Yeah, get in the wild card because I think that's probably where you're going to have to fight. All right
18:25
Before I move to the quick fire, I got to talk about Lindy Ruff a bit here
18:28
I mean, he does return to the team that he coached quite a long time ago
18:32
and it was the last time the Sabers made the playoffs. He was the coach
18:36
and that just seems like such a long, long time ago. I looked back like, yeah, that was the last time they made the playoffs
18:43
Lindy Ruff was the head coach. And Craig Rive was the captain, which is like, oh my gosh
18:50
So is Ruff the right coach right now for this Sabres team
18:55
Was he the right decision? And what do you expect from him in his return to Buffalo
19:02
I think he can be the right coach. I'm still in the boat of I don't know if he 100% is the right coach for this scenario, but I think he can be the right coach
19:14
He has the right style and accountability is something that this team really lacked last season
19:20
And I feel like that's something that he 100% brings to the table with every single team that he coaches
19:27
Even if it's not long term, because especially in the later years of his coaching, he kind of fizzles out after a couple of
19:34
of years and his message seems to kind of get lost. So so long as that message is there for the first couple of years and he breaks through
19:43
to them and gets them to be accountable to each other, that's really all that matters
19:48
So if the message is drilled home, right, and if he's really, you know, bringing home
19:56
everything that needs to be, you know, here and really gets them to the culture that they
20:03
were building up to this point before Granado kind of lost that last season
20:09
I think that's what's really important. So he can be the right coach for sure
20:16
It's still such a remains-to-be-seen thing because when he was the coach before
20:24
there was that fiery passion that was Lindy Ruff. Everybody that is a Sabres fan can remember the Sabres
20:33
senator's brawl from 0607 and him screaming at Brian Murray from the glass and cursing up a storm
20:40
and you know screaming his head off in every other playoff game you can imagine and everybody
20:47
remembers that that's not the type of person he is anymore that's not the type of coach he is
20:52
anymore can i still imagine him standing up on a bench and screaming at somebody yeah but he's not
20:57
going to be doing that every single game so there's still a different the n-hiel is different now
21:03
coaching styles are different. The game has played different. I'm not sure if the old style of
21:10
coaching will still work on these new age players, but I think there's some part of it that
21:16
will work. So it's a matter of how much it translates. So I'm skeptical, but I think there's
21:22
about a 60, 40 shot of it at this point. Yeah, it'll all depend on like a lot of factors
21:29
too, all the other, all the players that are buying to a system too, which is a big thing. And
21:33
he has shown that he's been successful in the past not that long ago either i mean he was
21:40
with the stars and they were a really good team when he was coaching there so i i don't know i
21:45
think he could be the right right coach for this team too we'll just have to wait and see
21:48
all right quick fire and these all are just quick questions a sentence or two explanations
21:55
all we need here so uh let's start with our biggest storyline or question mark going into this season
22:02
Well, I mean, I don't feel like the simplest answer is can they finally make the playoffs
22:09
It's been 13 years. We're all tired of saying it. We're all tired of asking it
22:18
It's just can they do it? I think there's a chance. Like you said, if they can maybe slip into that wild card spot, it's going to take some
22:27
some toughness and some. some speed and some prowess, but there's a chance
22:33
There's always that small chance. They're in the mix a lot last season and the season before
22:41
So, I mean, it's just they went through stretches of just bad hockey and then that just
22:46
threw them off and that that can happen this season. So we'll see
22:52
It'd be great for them to make the playoffs and break this curse, which is going on way too
22:57
long for sure. They need the stars to play like stars. and it's that simple. Yeah, cliche answer, but that's very true
23:04
Best players need to be your best players, and that's all it goes. All right, speaking of best players, let's talk about some potential breakout stars this season
23:12
Who do you have here? Two that I would say are Zach Benson, because he had such a great stretch at the end of last season
23:23
so I think he has a good breakout this year. And then Jack Quinn is another big one
23:29
Yeah, those two. Definitely Jack Quinn because he was hurt a lot
23:35
Well, all season, right? Or he came back. Not all season. He played for like 30, 40 games
23:44
But he was injured for most of it. But he had a, when he was playing, he had a big impact
23:53
Yeah. So, I mean, now he's going to have to start the season with it, which is great
23:59
good training camp right away. And that's sometimes a big thing not having that at the beginning of the season
24:06
All right. Who needs to bounce back from last season? The easiest answer for me is Dylan Cousins
24:13
Last season, he wasn't himself. He was just, he was sluggish. He looked like he was just out of place at all times
24:21
And when he's playing like himself, like he knows he can and like he should be, he's a huge
24:27
difference maker. Dylan Cousins needs to go back to being himself. And I think Lindy Ruff is going to be a big part of turning him back into himself
24:38
So he's 100% the bounce back guy for me. All right. X factor this season
24:45
It can be a player. It can be a situation. Who or what could be an X factor this season
24:52
This is another easy one. It's, it's Uckelpeka Lukinen. It's got to be the goaltender
24:57
He was last season and he's going to be again this season
25:01
Whether or not the defense is good, it doesn't really matter. If he's on his game, he can steal games for you
25:07
And I really feel like he can do it again this season. And if he comes up big, it's going to be really fun to watch
25:14
And it's going to be really big for them in games where maybe they're just not up to snuff
25:19
If he can steal those games for them, it's going to be huge if they're trying to make a playoff push
25:26
For sure. Yeah, they need good goaltending. I mean, all playoff teams have good goaltending
25:32
So you're going to need that for sure. All right, let's talk about some prospects. There's a lot of these guys
25:37
I could potentially make the team, although there's not a lot of spots for these guys right now
25:43
Who could surprise, though, and make the roster? For me the answer would be the newest first round pick is casa helenius while some people might think it would be maybe yury kulik uh i i feel like helenius is the better answer just because i feel like
26:04
he's the more nchl ready of the two coolick is close uh but to me i feel like calanius being
26:12
more of a natural center gives him a little bit more of an edge and he's a little bit more of a two-way
26:17
player. If the sabers move on from Krebs as well, you can slot Heleneas in that same exact spot
26:23
He's going to do the exact same thing, if not slightly better. That would be a surprise
26:29
Right away, 24 draft pick coming right in. I mean, could get the nine games
26:35
Benson did it last year. Benson did. And everyone wasn't anticipating that
26:38
That's for sure. So, yeah, definitely be done. All right, outside of that, prospects, everyone should be watching
26:45
Like I say, there's a lot of these guys. in the safer system. But who should everyone be watching this season
26:52
Well, I did my list of top 10 prospects recently. So feel free to go check the whole list out if you guys want
27:01
But I'll do my, I'll do three quick ones. First one would be Noah Osland because he's coming to North America for his first full season
27:13
to play in Rochester. And he is going to be big. I think he's going to have a huge, huge rookie season here
27:21
Secondly, I would say Brody Zemer. He is a recent third round pick for the Sabres in the past draft
27:32
I think he's fun. I think he's really interesting to watch. And for his size, he's stocky
27:39
And he's probably one of the more interesting prospects the Sabres have had in recent years
27:44
So go watch him while he plays in college. if you have the opportunity to
27:50
And then my third one would be a former fifth round pick who is also coming up to
27:57
Rochester is Besebilad Komo. Bsevilad Komerov, tough to say his first name
28:04
off the first try sometimes. I always get it to roll off my tongue improperly
28:09
But he won QMJHL defenseman of the year last season, and he was doing fantastic
28:18
So I'm excited to see what he does in Rochester, and I think he's going to be somebody to watch
28:24
Three great guys. I love Noel Osslyn. He's one of my favorite prospects of the three Swedes
28:32
that they played on the line together. So I love Well, Claire Mackey and then Osslin and O'Grane
28:40
And it would have been great for all three to get drafted by the same team, but there's no way that would happen
28:44
all those things. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I don't think any team can be able to do that
28:49
But yeah, all exciting players to watch. So, Osslin, definitely. Okay, final couple questions here
28:56
Who's going to lead the team in scoring on forwards and defense this year
29:02
Uh, it feels like the cop-out answer. But very simply, it's Tage
29:07
It's Tage Thompson. I mean, the only real way otherwise is unless J.J
29:13
Paterka suddenly decides that he's the next Leon Drysidal. That's the only other way that there's somebody else that's going to be leading this team
29:21
in scoring otherwise. Yeah. Which it's not out of the question because Paterka plays like an absolute madman sometimes
29:28
So I wouldn't put it past him if he wants to suddenly start challenging Tage for the
29:33
scoring title on the team. But in general, it's, Tage is your best player
29:38
He's probably going to lead the team in scoring for your forwards
29:42
as far as defensemen go, it's Dahlene. It's easily going to be Dahlene
29:50
Dark Horse, I would say, would be Byrum if he suddenly decides to lip up to his potential
29:56
Because he is a goal scorer defenseman more than anything else. If Ruff has him learning how to properly, you know, playmake, I think he can up his assist
30:07
total on top of that. And I think he could challenge Dahlene for
30:11
for points if they're not playing on the same line. Yeah, those are good ones
30:18
Before we get to our bold prediction, is Dahlene the next captain
30:23
or do you have someone else in mind? He's the safe pick
30:28
and I feel like a lot of people are front-running him. But, you know, there's a handful of Dark Horse picks, in my opinion
30:38
Don't discount somebody like Dylan Cuss. cousins. Don't discount somebody like Alex Tuck. And I would say also don't discount somebody like
30:49
Tage Thompson either from those discussions. The easy pick is Dahlene because he's kind of been
30:55
groomed for the role. But at the same time, from how the other guys project themselves in the
31:04
room on the ice and how they kind of take charge of the bench and how they are with their teammates
31:10
These are things that you really see when you're up close and personal
31:14
I go to games a lot and these are, you know, things that just you kind of notice when
31:19
you're, you know, really upfront and on the, not on the ice, but like at the games themselves
31:24
So it's something you can't really discount. So while Dahlene is the safe pick, I wouldn't put it past them to, you know, maybe pin the sea
31:33
on one of those other guys too. Yeah, lots of good candidates there
31:37
So, I mean, I don't know if have to be wrong with any of those. those picks really as captain
31:43
So we'll see if they name a captain this season, that is. I mean, I think they will
31:47
Yeah. All right. Finish off. Our preview here, a bold prediction or a hot take for this season
31:55
I feel like this one's both. And I've been pretty consistent saying it
32:00
I threw it in one of my pieces from a little while ago, but I'm going to stand by it
32:05
And that's Jack Quinn is going to score 40 goals this season. now I have a lot of logic and reasons behind it he was he had like a 16.9% shooting percentage
32:19
while he was playing last season and I don't think he's going to maintain that but if he's
32:25
anywhere close to it I feel just so many great things about what he has the capacity to do
32:36
for this season and if If you follow his career from his junior career, from slightly before his junior career, even, up to his NHL career, he has an average year, and then he has a breakout year
32:53
And this injury from last season stopped that breakout. So all if we've done is delay the breakout
33:01
All we've done is delay that, you know, explosion, that is the 40 goals that I was expecting to happen
33:09
anyway. So he was on pace for it. So I'm ready for it this season. And I'm anticipating it
33:16
And I'm essentially expecting it to happen. I'm not saying he's going to throw up 80 points
33:21
But, you know, 40 goals and maybe like 25 assists, I think is a realistic expectation for somebody like him
33:27
He's a decent playmaker, but he's a goal scorer first. And if you've ever seen him shoot the puck
33:32
you can, you know, cry about it. There you go. Yeah. That's a
33:39
a bold prediction, but it's definitely something that could happen. So we'll have to wait
33:43
And hopefully the rest of the team follows suit and can score some goals this season
33:48
and defend as well. So thanks, Jacob, for coming on the show and talking Sabres
33:53
Lots of great stuff. It's going to be exciting to watch. They got a lot of exciting players, a lot of exciting young players throughout their lineup
34:02
So if anything, they're going to be fun to watch. And we'll just have to hope that they can break through and make the play out
34:09
for the first time in a long time. So make sure checking out everything at the hoggerers.com for coverage on the savers
34:15
Jacob writes that we got a whole bunch of other writers there. So make sure checking that out
34:19
Substack as well. You get all the articles in your inbox. So yeah, as we go through the season
34:27
But until our next preview, we'll see you next to
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