Write it down: Mike Harrington had a reasonable thought today
November 24, 2025
Write it down: Mike Harrington had a reasonable thought today
15 comments
Not to mention Norris and Kulich
There is such thing as a valid excuse Mike
The difference is obvious. They looked functional at worst when they were healthy.
Mike Harrington still having a job in 2025 when journalists keep getting let go astounds me…
Additionally all those guy where out at one time and other where playing hurt.
When a team like the Sabres have that many roster players out it makes it tough to have enough guys step in and fill those roles from the minors.
Luckily the Sabres this year have improved in that area.
Heartbreaking: The second-worst Sabres reporter just made a great point
A lot of teams have tons of injuries to key players and rise up during those occasions. Also feels like Buffalo has a lot of guys with predictable levels of injury prone guys and that’s on the GM.
“I hate the injury/absence excuse” like a team shouldn’t be substantially worse without its best players in the lineup
The problem isn’t that guys get injured… it’s that organizationally we don’t have an answer for Dahlin or Benson in particular going out for an extended period. Dahlin I kinda expect, you don’t really have a backup “one of the best D in the world” waiting to step in… but Benson was a rookie two seasons ago. How this team crumbles without him is inexcusable, from a team building perspective and in regards to other players mentally and physically stepping up.
Our team is actually pretty well built when we aren’t screwed with injuries.
What it boils down to regarding offense is this: You have to have players that are good on the walls, play in the corners, are gritty/pests, and with get on the puck like a dog on a bone/ruthless on the forecheck. The only player he missed was Doan (although the win-loss take wouldn’t work with him). I think you can also make the case (although it won’t be appreciated here), but Malenstyn, Dunne, and Krebs are a great 4th line.
The NHL is not rocket science. Talent is what wins in this league. And you have to surround talent with talent. The teams with the most talent excel, the teams that don’t have as much miss the playoffs.
When you remove good, talented players out of your lineup and have to replace them with less talented players, you’re probably going to suffer. Just as the Leafs. While the Sabres don’t have a ton of high end superstar talent at forward, they do have a bunch of guys that could be top 6 fwds for most teams. In fact, when fully healthy and Norris and Kulich are back, the Sabres will have top 6 talent playing on the 3rd and even 4th line.
I mean, the lineup fully healthy theoretically could look like this:
Tuch Thompson Doan
Zucker McCloud Quinn
Benson Norris Ostlund
Krebs/Kozak Kulich Malenstyn
Maybe they move McCloud down and Norris up, but why mess with those top two lines right now, they are playing great? This gives the Sabres 3 bonafied lines that can put the puck in the net and a 4th line that could be dangerous if anchored by a future top 6 C in Kulich.
But Greenway, Dunne, Geerston, those are the dudes that have been playing for this team in the absens of top 6 forwards being injured. Yeah, those guys are not going to help you win as many games if you have to insert multiple of them into the lineup.
“I hate the injury/absence excuse.”
WTF is that supposed to mean? What kind of idiot thinks you’re supposed to do just as well with your starters and your development roster? That’s magical thinking.
If your best players aren’t playing, that’s not an “excuse,” that’s a different team playing the games.
I’ve been wondering – glad he ran the numbers.
We absolutely win when Benson’s in. We absolutely lose when Dahlin’s out.
15 comments
Not to mention Norris and Kulich
There is such thing as a valid excuse Mike
The difference is obvious. They looked functional at worst when they were healthy.
Mike Harrington still having a job in 2025 when journalists keep getting let go astounds me…
Additionally all those guy where out at one time and other where playing hurt.
When a team like the Sabres have that many roster players out it makes it tough to have enough guys step in and fill those roles from the minors.
Luckily the Sabres this year have improved in that area.
Heartbreaking: The second-worst Sabres reporter just made a great point
https://preview.redd.it/8z589hl1183g1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f766d3ff7893daece62153eadc86a9613754e59
A lot of teams have tons of injuries to key players and rise up during those occasions. Also feels like Buffalo has a lot of guys with predictable levels of injury prone guys and that’s on the GM.
“I hate the injury/absence excuse” like a team shouldn’t be substantially worse without its best players in the lineup
The problem isn’t that guys get injured… it’s that organizationally we don’t have an answer for Dahlin or Benson in particular going out for an extended period. Dahlin I kinda expect, you don’t really have a backup “one of the best D in the world” waiting to step in… but Benson was a rookie two seasons ago. How this team crumbles without him is inexcusable, from a team building perspective and in regards to other players mentally and physically stepping up.
Our team is actually pretty well built when we aren’t screwed with injuries.
What it boils down to regarding offense is this: You have to have players that are good on the walls, play in the corners, are gritty/pests, and with get on the puck like a dog on a bone/ruthless on the forecheck. The only player he missed was Doan (although the win-loss take wouldn’t work with him). I think you can also make the case (although it won’t be appreciated here), but Malenstyn, Dunne, and Krebs are a great 4th line.
The NHL is not rocket science. Talent is what wins in this league. And you have to surround talent with talent. The teams with the most talent excel, the teams that don’t have as much miss the playoffs.
When you remove good, talented players out of your lineup and have to replace them with less talented players, you’re probably going to suffer. Just as the Leafs. While the Sabres don’t have a ton of high end superstar talent at forward, they do have a bunch of guys that could be top 6 fwds for most teams. In fact, when fully healthy and Norris and Kulich are back, the Sabres will have top 6 talent playing on the 3rd and even 4th line.
I mean, the lineup fully healthy theoretically could look like this:
Tuch Thompson Doan
Zucker McCloud Quinn
Benson Norris Ostlund
Krebs/Kozak Kulich Malenstyn
Maybe they move McCloud down and Norris up, but why mess with those top two lines right now, they are playing great? This gives the Sabres 3 bonafied lines that can put the puck in the net and a 4th line that could be dangerous if anchored by a future top 6 C in Kulich.
But Greenway, Dunne, Geerston, those are the dudes that have been playing for this team in the absens of top 6 forwards being injured. Yeah, those guys are not going to help you win as many games if you have to insert multiple of them into the lineup.
“I hate the injury/absence excuse.”
WTF is that supposed to mean? What kind of idiot thinks you’re supposed to do just as well with your starters and your development roster? That’s magical thinking.
If your best players aren’t playing, that’s not an “excuse,” that’s a different team playing the games.
I’ve been wondering – glad he ran the numbers.
We absolutely win when Benson’s in. We absolutely lose when Dahlin’s out.