Happy September as we are on the precipice of training camp, and the first preseason games. It is a great time of year, especially when the Bills get two wins under their belt. Expectations are high for both clubs, and this is the time of year when the focus on our two professional franchises comes alive. It has been a long summer. Time to ignite the flame.
Sometimes we get bad breaks. Milano, Bernard, RJ, to name a few. Stuff with our families, mayonnaise mistakenly put on a sandwich that you ordered, loved ones going through tough stuff, a fumble on the goal line, a free ride when you have already paid, snowstorms in October, a terrible loss, etc. Perhaps I just needed a Brad break, but I am ready to go and excited for the season to start. With all of the questions that are out there regarding our opening day lineup, I do have extreme optimism with the opportunity that is before us. When times are low and criticism is justified, I am the first one to get frustrated and call out our management because I am confused about the direction. This is because, at times, I think they are struggling with their plan as well. For once however, I believe they have the coach who will be allowed to take control, and that they have more options than they have ever had. Something has to snap, a levy will burst somewhere, too many signings and prospects knocking on the door.
In my opinion, McLeod and Malenstyn are locks for opening night because of the investments that were made. Greenway, Kubel, and Lafferty will have to fight off some challenges. While nobody has any idea of the status of Krebs, and whether the Sabres will keep three goaltenders, Kulich looks like he might be ready for a legitimate shot. With a strong first game, and a new attitude, the possibility of his upside being beyond our new fourth line acquisitions is legitimate. At twenty years old, the transition needs to happen soon, and Buffalo has a hard decision to make. They should have given him some playing time last year and humbled their arrogance. I have no idea what was going on there.
I would like to clarify something that was somewhat of an epiphany for me listening to interviews. Sometimes we get muddled in the skill set of a player, their draft slot, and their expectation level. Something that was lost on me in regards to foreign kids coming to the elite tier of the game was the language barrier. In conjunction with adjusting to our country and culture, comprehension with coaches and teammates can be a legitimate job in its own right. It is blatantly obvious that Jiri is just starting to fully understand the language, but still needs things to be clarified. This is an aspect of development that is ignored at times. Listening to him now, and the apparent work he put in during the offseason, I just might think he is ready. You can’t excel if you don’t get a chance to play in the show.
Now, going in a slightly different direction, the Sabres are always criticized for not giving their draft picks opportunities. I am one of those combative people who preached this, but the reality is that they have. For one reason or another, things have not worked out, but Quinn, Peterka, Cozens, Benson, Dahlin, Power, and Samuelsson have taken the ride. We have just not gotten the most out of everyone as a unit, and it has to come down to coaching. Hopefully Lindy is locked and loaded to put the pressure on. I can’t wait to see how camp unfolds and the intensity level that is brought out in Prague. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the competition amongst themselves and see if it gets amped up. I am excited to give my insight, bring it on.
In regards to the right here right now. For those of you who are too young to understand, the Sabres back in the day would come out of the tunnel and get ready for the game to Van Hagars “Right Now”. Regardless of the legendary David Lee Roth, this song got everyone pumped up and just made sense. I truly hope the game experience is not going to be ignored by the organization and their new jumbotron. I beg them not to cheat on us in the moment. You have to give the fans something that resonates and motivates through all generations, not just something that is a new and popular trend. You have to give the team the tools at home to implement their will as well. This season is imperative for the franchise moving forward. There is no tomorrow, it means everything. They have to cross the swords and come out swinging.
I hope to see the Ruff of old in the next few months. We have been waiting for a leader since he left.
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