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00:00Joining us now on the West Her Hotline is Paul Hamilton.
00:04And, Paul, really all I want to know is,
00:06do you think the Sabres are going to win tonight?
00:10Sorry.
00:11Well, they have the better roster like Pittsburgh did last night.
00:16That's the thing about preseason, though.
00:19It's bad enough as it is, but almost every game you see,
00:24the home team basically has the regulars
00:27and the visiting team has the AHL team.
00:31How much was that the case for Pitt?
00:33I never looked at the box, but I watched the first period
00:36and got to the intermission and I just was gone
00:38to the Monday Night Football pregame show
00:40and I stayed there all night.
00:42I know I heard Letang's name, and I know Russ made a couple plays,
00:46but there was no Carlson, Crosby, Malkin.
00:49The big guys weren't there.
00:51Yeah, none of them were.
00:52Letang qualifies as one of them, but whatever.
00:54You know what I'm saying.
00:54It would surprise me if those guys maybe get one preseason game.
00:57Right.
00:57They can only get two.
00:59Right.
01:00So, like in the Sabres case, I think the lineup we see tonight,
01:05which is basically the same lineup you're going to see,
01:08unless there's injury next Thursday in Columbus,
01:12will probably play the other home game too.
01:14I doubt that they're going to send them on the road,
01:16so I would think they'll play tonight and then they'll play Saturday.
01:19Right.
01:20And in between, what do they have?
01:22Thursday on the road.
01:24Okay.
01:24And who's that again?
01:25Is that Columbus on the road?
01:27I forgot who the –
01:29You know what?
01:30It's not that important.
01:31Yeah, that's why I don't know it because I don't care.
01:33I don't mean – I'm sorry.
01:35I shouldn't have pressed you on it.
01:36I don't know.
01:37It's like I look at those games as I'm going to watch them
01:40and there are things I'm going to look at
01:42and I couldn't care less who the opponent is,
01:44so that's honestly why I don't know.
01:45So what did last night do for you, if anything?
01:48Because there wasn't a lot that really got my attention.
01:50I mean, Richard scored a nice goal.
01:52I mean, he's got a nice shot, so he's someone maybe that can carve out
01:58important minutes for himself in Rochester this year,
02:00but he's, to me, miles away from being someone who plays on the Sabres at this point.
02:05He hasn't even played in Rochester yet, right?
02:07This is going to be his first year there?
02:08Yeah.
02:09Yeah, now his first year there.
02:10And he never scored a lot of goals at UConn, actually.
02:12It surprised me with the performances that I used to see on a yearly basis
02:17at the July three-on-three tournament where he, for three straight years,
02:22absolutely dominated and scored like four or five goals every time.
02:26And then, you know, in the Prospects Challenge, I thought he was good,
02:30you know, in their showcase, I guess they called it, this year.
02:35But, you know, then I go back and look and I always look it up.
02:38I go, boy, but he didn't score goals at UConn like I thought he should have
02:40with that shot he's got.
02:42But certainly, that wasn't even a slap shot.
02:45He got at the top of the circles and just ripped it by the goaltender
02:49with a wrist shot.
02:50So, we'll see how he fares playing in the AHL.
02:54You know, it's not a guy that I even think is an injury replacement this year.
02:59I think, you know, he'd be a couple of years away.
03:01You know, it would need great development.
03:02But, and Kulik, Lindy Ruff's assessment today, he wasn't there,
03:08but he's watched the game.
03:09And I agree 100%.
03:11He looked rusty.
03:12There are times I liked him.
03:14There are times, you know, he got a good one-timer on a power play,
03:18you know, from the circle.
03:19And, you know, but he hasn't played in a year.
03:22So, that doesn't surprise me at all.
03:23He's got to get himself back into it and everything.
03:26So, you know, having a game like he had, I don't think,
03:30is a negative at all.
03:31And that's why Lindy Ruff said today, I wasn't sure he'd go back-to-back with him.
03:35I know.
03:36I mentioned it to you yesterday.
03:37I thought, like, well, they want to get him reps.
03:40Like, here's, go show us you can play back-to-backs.
03:42So, I'm not super surprised.
03:45Yeah.
03:45He's going to actually play him in all four games, it looks like.
03:48That's what he said.
03:49He goes, he likely will play him in all four games.
03:52So, you know, keep going with him and getting him more ice time.
03:56And, you know, he was at center and the wing yesterday.
04:00Sherry got his teeth knocked out, so that kind of screwed up Kulik's line with Rashard.
04:06So, you know, but that's all right.
04:08You know, he needs practice on the wing because I don't think he's a very good winger.
04:12And it looks like maybe that's where he's going to wind up when the season starts
04:15because he's back on the left wing with Carrick and Malenstein in this game.
04:20Will Lindy move it around as the game goes on?
04:23I don't know.
04:24He talked about it.
04:25And one other interesting thing, Bulldog, that Lindy Ruff said today, you know how I haven't been fond at all
04:32of the two right-handed shots as the third-pair defenseman?
04:35And I've watched Timmons play the left.
04:37It's not really great, you know, but it's not going to happen really.
04:44Lindy Ruff said he doubts that they will play together all that often.
04:48He said, with the guys, and we try to get our upper guys extra minutes, he said,
04:54so you probably are going to see a lefty with them playing right defense anyway,
04:59and you won't see – even though they're down as the third pair,
05:02you won't see Timmons and Crevier play together all that often.
05:06They'll be out there with Darlene, or they'll be out there with Samuelson,
05:10or they'll be out with Power.
05:11It seems like that is how he will get Darlene more ice time
05:16and get him up where he wants him to be.
05:17So – and then I thought to myself, yeah, I should have thought of that
05:21because remember last year when Metz was playing with maybe Timmons?
05:26Yeah.
05:26And they never – they didn't take one shift together.
05:29Right.
05:29It was always – it was always with one of the other guys.
05:32So I actually should have thought of that.
05:35But that's the way Lindy Ruff is thinking of handling it.
05:38What a time that was.
05:39Like, oh, Metz is their sixth guy.
05:41Look, they're using him with Darlene.
05:42They love him.
05:43And then, no.
05:44It turned out.
05:45But, yeah, no, right.
05:46So maybe the big three really are – rather than having two top pairs like they had last year,
05:52it's a big three, and they're rotating the other three guys in with them and maybe –
05:58No, I think right now – what can I remember his name?
06:04From Anaheim.
06:05Help me.
06:05Zellweger.
06:08I get mind-blocked on you when you get old.
06:11Yeah, I think he'll still play with Power.
06:13I think you'll get the pairs that way.
06:16I got you.
06:16It's more Timmons-Crevier that will rotate in with the other guys.
06:19Yeah, and maybe Zellweger will get a shot with one of those two also.
06:22Like, they may use all four of them in a situation with those other two guys.
06:28Paul Hamilton on the Western Hotline with me here on WGR.
06:32The Sabres open the home portion of their preseason.
06:36It's brief.
06:36Only two home games tonight and Saturday night.
06:40But they host Columbus tonight off of a 4-1 loss in Pittsburgh last night.
06:45What do you think, Lindy, is – there's a lot that could be going on with Kulik.
06:50Most of it likely just pertains to him not having played competitive hockey for 10 months.
06:56Right?
06:56I mean, that's –
06:57Absolutely.
06:58So, I want to take with a grain of salt all the – you know, he's dug in and insists
07:03on playing Thompson at center,
07:05and you're talking about Kulik playing on a line with Carrick and Malenstein, and like, you know.
07:11Like, this is not – I'd rather you play Danforth in that spot if you're going to put Kulik there.
07:16It doesn't make any sense.
07:18Yeah, that's what I told you yesterday.
07:19I would rather put Kulik in the press box than have him play on that line.
07:24Right.
07:25I would flip McLeod and Kulik because McLeod's playing left wing with Norris, which has me scratching my head a
07:31little bit.
07:32So, I think I would rather do it that way, put McLeod down there like they did in the playoffs
07:38with Malenstein and Carrick,
07:40and then put Kulik out there on the Norris line with Quinn.
07:43I think that would make more sense.
07:45I imagine that if he demonstrates that the rust is being shaken off, you know, if tonight's better than last
07:52night,
07:52and if he plays all four of these games, I don't know if he's going to get to the finish
07:56line by the time the regular season begins.
07:58But, boy, I feel like, Paul, there was so much talk about him in the offseason that I feel like
08:05was the organization letting everyone know,
08:07like, we think he's fantastic.
08:09And, like, you know, some of that is grain of salt.
08:12We're just building our guy up.
08:13But I also think there's some honesty in that.
08:17I'm expecting him to have a much bigger role than where he is right now, ultimately.
08:21Yeah, and, you know, coaches, make him earn it.
08:25Yeah, it's not his fault he got a blood clot, but still, he was out there.
08:29He wasn't there for most of the season.
08:31So, make him earn his spot.
08:33I can see that.
08:34He's a young player.
08:36And it's like, we're not going to hand it to you.
08:38You know, you're going to have to earn it back, type of a, even though it's not your fault,
08:42you know, we're still going to make you earn it back.
08:44And you just know.
08:45I know how coaches roll.
08:46So, that might be part of it, too.
08:48Especially this coach.
08:49I mean, you've been around this guy for most of your professional hockey life, it feels
08:52like, with how long Lindy's been here as the head coach in two different stints.
08:56Do you recall, Paul, this is tricky, because I'm going to ask you about a couple of years
09:01ago now, how you, believe me, if you were asking me, I'd be like, dude, what?
09:07Zach, Zach, Zach, help me.
09:08How do you feel like Kulik handled the 200-foot game being the center when he was with Thompson?
09:16And maybe it was Benson, I don't remember who exactly.
09:18But I know Kulik had a stretch there, kind of that breakthrough at the end of the season
09:23before last, where he was playing top center minutes.
09:26Is he up to playing?
09:28Because the thing I worry, I think we talked about this yesterday, Thompson defensively,
09:34I just, I don't think it's a lack of want to, necessarily.
09:38I think he just gets, I think he gets lost.
09:40I think he just, he just doesn't have the mind for it, or whatever.
09:46He just gets lost in the wash too much, I think.
09:49So, is Kulik, how, okay, go ahead, please, counter that if you want.
09:53But how often Kulik is that?
09:54Yeah, I think I disagree with that.
09:56If you want to be a good defensive player, you can.
09:59I just, I really think, it's not like Thompson's dumb or anything like that.
10:05I mean, any player that wants to be a good two-way player and a good defensive player can do
10:10it.
10:11That defense, you can't teach a natural goal, goal scores are natural goal scores.
10:18You can't teach Kozak to be a 50-goal score.
10:22You just can't.
10:23He could work on it for 24 hours a day, and he's not going to be a 50-goal score.
10:27But you can teach McDavid how to play at both ends of the ice, or Thompson, or insert name.
10:39I just think it's the want to do it and the willingness to do it.
10:45And, you know, I just, so, yeah, I would disagree with that point.
10:50How is Kulik at that part of the game, if you remember?
10:52Again, this is the hard part.
10:53I actually do, because I've actually had a conversation with Lindy Ruff about this, which made me kind of remember,
11:00he, you can credit Seth Appert in Rochester for this.
11:06He wasn't very good at it when he got here.
11:08You know, when he played in his home country, junior defense was a foreign language to him.
11:14So he didn't have any background in how to play in the defensive zone, and Appert insisted upon it and
11:20was tough on him, to the point where he actually wrote him a letter in his own language.
11:26You know, he learned how, you know, he had somebody translate a letter that he wrote into his own language
11:33so Kulik would understand where he's coming from and why he's treated him the way he is.
11:38And Kulik took it to heart and really worked hard to improve his defensive play and did.
11:45And Lindy Ruff said that was one of the things that he thought made Kulik in those last X amount
11:51of games that he played with Thompson and a better player was his defensive play.
11:57He said, he goes, I didn't have to really say too much to him.
12:00He goes, now and then, but I didn't have to say too much to him.
12:03He said he got back, he was in the zone where he was supposed to be, you know, he wasn't
12:09like twirling around trying to figure out where he was supposed to be or still in the neutral zone loafing
12:14back or anything like that.
12:16And he said he really liked the way that he was taking to the defensive game.
12:21Well, this is the biggest piece to me because Thompson at the top of the lineup, number one center, I
12:28just, I know it's going to, I'm going to get goals.
12:31I'm going to get offense, but man, I just really worry about him in that, in that spot.
12:36I used to say that way back when Mike Bossy played, I go, if, if you got somebody like Mike
12:41Bossy and he never, he never crosses the red line, I'm fine with it because he's going to score 60
12:47goals.
12:48You know, I'm good.
12:48And, and, and I think I can, with Thompson, I live with his defensive play and whether he has the
12:56willingness to do it or not, just because of the goal scoring that he provides for you.
13:02So, you know, but if, if it's a guy who, you know, is just hovering around 15 to 20 goals,
13:10I can't live with it.
13:10I, I, I, I gotta have you, like J.J. Paterka, I cannot live with J.J. Paterka's defense at
13:17all.
13:17And he could be maybe a 30, a 35 goal scorer, and I still can't live with it because he
13:23loafs, he doesn't, he doesn't hustle, he doesn't grab his guy in the defensive zone.
13:28Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't.
13:30He waves at guys on the way by.
13:32I can't, I can't deal with that.
13:35He's going to have a great year in Boston, Paul.
13:36We got to get a bet on the board.
13:38Go for it.
13:40Score your 35 goals and I'll sit here and say the same exact thing.
13:44Well, yeah, that's my biggest, Thompson in that role.
13:48Like, I also, I mean, I, I, I don't want it to sound like I want this player away from
13:53this team.
13:53I mean, they need him, they need his goals, they need his offense.
13:56He, you know, he, he checks a lot of boxes, but that's a big one that I feel like I
14:01need.
14:01I want to hide him on the wing is really what I want to do.
14:04Um, because I feel like the defensive matchup is just, it's a losing proposition, you know,
14:10against most teams top line.
14:12I just feel like I'm going to be in pretty tough there.
14:13Paul Hamilton on the Western hotline with me for just a few more minutes.
14:17Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets tonight.
14:20Pre-game rolls at six here with Zach and Derek.
14:23And, uh, Paul will be alongside and carry you through the evening here, uh, as well, uh, with Rob and
14:29Dan and the play-by-play.
14:31The game is going to be streaming at sabres.com.
14:33I think the other, the next two last night was MSG, the Penguins feed, but whatever, it was there.
14:38Um, and same thing Thursday and Saturday, those games will be on MSG.
14:42Uh, but, uh, tonight is only on the, uh, on the website.
14:47Um, how the rest of it here, I, you know, you, you, you mentioned Norris and with McLeod on a
14:53wing and like, I don't know what, what is going on there.
14:56Um, I feel like Norris, I feel like I probably said the same thing last year, Paul.
15:01He is such a volatile piece of this lineup to me.
15:05I feel like if he plays 78 games, I'm going to get 80 points out of him, I think.
15:12But can I expect that?
15:15I mean, his history is just so hard to handle.
15:18I was hoping they'd find a way to replace him in the lineup.
15:21It would have been hard with the contract and everything.
15:24No, you know, no doubt about it, but they didn't.
15:27And so now I'm sort of left at like, boy, this is a very good player.
15:31But, man, the health is such a scare.
15:34Yeah, but I didn't always see the very good player last year.
15:38But, but then again, you don't know if he was playing hurt.
15:41Because a lot of the time he is playing hurt.
15:43Because he wants to get back.
15:45And he wants to be there for his teammates.
15:47So that's the thing.
15:48I always think to myself, somewhat what I was expecting.
15:52We're not getting, they're not getting the production or whatever.
15:54But if I was a betting man, I'd say he probably was playing hurt in a lot of the season.
16:00Because he had a couple of different injuries.
16:03So, you know, even in the playoffs, I was like, you know, it just, you know, he was supposed to
16:11be a guy, good on faceoffs.
16:13Didn't happen.
16:15You know, help the power play.
16:17Didn't happen.
16:20And now he's on the second power play.
16:22It's like, that's not why you got this guy.
16:25To be on your number two power play.
16:27You got this guy to help your power play.
16:29You got this guy to win your faceoffs.
16:33So, you know, you hope he goes into the season healthy this year.
16:37So we can see the real player, you know, at full swing here.
16:42And see if maybe he could do those things.
16:45But I'm not sure I would start him on the second power play, which is where you'll see him tonight.
16:49Did he get bumped to there?
16:50Because I know I heard a clip from Appert talking about Benson and Doan.
16:55And this big, deep dive, 60-page analytical journal that they published.
17:00And thankfully, pared down to like five pages for the players.
17:04Smart.
17:04Smart.
17:06But Doan and Benson, I heard Appert say, like, below the hash marks, like, winning battles,
17:13they thought that's a key from their studies that, like, we need that sort of player,
17:19that sort of play on our power play.
17:21And that's certainly more their strong suit than Norris'.
17:24And they felt that's what they got when they were 36% in the seven games against Montreal.
17:30Those two are out there doing exactly what you're talking about.
17:34Playing, you know, below the hash marks, crashing the net, getting those types of goals.
17:39That's not the Norris way.
17:40The Norris way is getting, this is the Thompson way.
17:42Get in the circle and let her rip.
17:45That isn't necessarily the way power plays are going to be successful these days.
17:50According to their analytic data and everything, it's getting below the hash marks.
17:54It's getting pucks to the net.
17:56It's winning those battles.
17:57A lot of that stuff they don't do.
18:01It amazes me how they improve their battles so much.
18:04You know, they always would win battles except on the power play.
18:08Two sabers and one opponent.
18:10The one opponent would win the battle and ice the puck.
18:12And I could never understand that.
18:14It's like, why do you guys battle so hard?
18:17Five on five and when you're killing a penalty, but not when you're on the power play.
18:21I don't get that.
18:22I still don't get it.
18:23You know, but guys like Doan and Benson do.
18:26And they feel that's why the power play really, and they point it to facts.
18:31And that's what Apert said.
18:32He goes, that's the thing with players.
18:35He goes, I can take this and tell them.
18:38These are facts.
18:39This isn't my opinion.
18:41This isn't Lindy's opinion.
18:43This isn't Rasmus Dahlin's opinion.
18:45Here are facts from power plays.
18:49Analytic facts that tells you what works on power plays and what doesn't work on power plays.
18:56And he goes, to be able to do that with a player, he goes, is very useful for them to
19:03say, okay, yeah, cool.
19:05Because a lot of the players now understand analytics because, you know, that's kind of, I wouldn't say grown up
19:12with, but maybe grown up with the last 10 years.
19:15Sure.
19:15You know?
19:16Yeah.
19:16And they understand them.
19:18So now you're speaking their language to them.
19:20100%.
19:20When Owen was in New Mexico in 20 and 21, they got reports every game where you had the puck,
19:29where you didn't have the puck.
19:30I mean, Owens was different because he was a goalie, obviously.
19:32But, like, in-depth, I mean, pages of stuff for each guy.
19:36So, like, yeah, they're definitely used to seeing the data.
19:39What they do with it, you know, they might have thrown it out the bus windows, for all I know.
19:43But they understand it.
19:44Littered the road from Amarillo, Texas, back to Albuquerque.
19:47I don't know.
19:47But, like, they got it.
19:49So, like, if that's happening in the NAHL, I'm sure it's happening in any high-level junior hockey operation.
19:56But they also understand what they're looking at, too.
19:58Right, right.
19:59You know, it's not just, you know, okay, yeah, thanks, what is this?
20:03You know.
20:03Right, right.
20:05All right.
20:05Paul Hamilton on the Western Hotline.
20:08Sabres and Blue Jackets tonight at 7.
20:11Pre-game will get rolling at 6.
20:15Carrick's, Carrick, Carrick, you know, obviously the injury to Zucker opens up a spot.
20:20I felt like Carrick.
20:22I put my lines together all summer when I'm, you know, fooling around, killing time.
20:28Carrick was always in my lineup, even with a full compliment at everybody.
20:32I don't know how I would have done it.
20:33I guess I assumed all year somebody would get traded.
20:36Nobody did.
20:36And so you've got, like, this, you know, this current situation, which, again, is alleviated by Zucker opening up a
20:42spot.
20:43But to me, man, Carrick is a perfect fourth-line center.
20:47He's cheap and does a bunch of dirty work.
20:50And actually, Wach came in and scored goals.
20:52Right.
20:53They weren't expecting.
20:54That's not why they traded for him.
20:56But he did that, you know, as a Sabre in a few games that he played.
21:01Yeah, right now, you know, of course, you will have Zucker on IR, and I have the extras as Dan
21:06Forth and Kozak.
21:08Right.
21:08And if there are no more injuries before next Thursday rolls around, then one of them has to be waived
21:17and go down.
21:18And then when Zucker comes back, then the other has to be waived and go down.
21:21Unless, and I don't see them doing this, there are two guys that can go down without waivers.
21:28And neither one of them are leaving.
21:31Ausland or Hellenus.
21:33Unless, even to relieve a roster crunch, I would absolutely be shocked if one of those two went down.
21:41I think, I think, I agree.
21:44I think that with so much being wrapped up in some way, the collective of the young guys filling the
21:51void left by the departure of Tuck,
21:53then to me, there's no question.
21:56Like, yeah, you can't conveniently send one of those guys, you know, unless.
22:00Unless they start struggling.
22:01Right, unless you're 15 games into the year and there's just nothing happening, then, you know, that's a whole different
22:05thing.
22:05But, which, you know, could happen, who knows.
22:09Sure.
22:09All right.
22:10Paul, thanks a lot for this.
22:11Appreciate it as always, and we'll hear from you in a few hours.
22:14No problem.
22:14Take care.
22:15There you go.
22:15That is our Paul Hamilton on the West Her Hotline.
22:18His appearance is here on WGR, brought to you by Raylax Honda.
22:22Raylax, we got this.
22:25So, yeah, again, Sabres tonight have Columbus in town, and it's Detroit that they visit on Thursday,
22:34and then they're home again to the Penguins on Saturday.
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