The season will probably start soon . Does anyone know who is healthy or injured? Will Armia or Grigorenko be part of the team?
What's the likely opening line-up?

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armia is expected to come over the pond next season. grigs is a major ???? id leave him in the Q and let him develop. girgs is being brought along SLOWLY in rochester. you wont see him up anytime soon.

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The Sabres already stated Grigorenko will be staying in the QMJHL this season no matter what happened in regards to the lockout.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

No they didn't. It was a rumor in the Quebec media but it was never confirmed. Bob McKenzie said today Grigorenko will be at Sabres training camp when it opens. I'm sure they'll atleast give him the 9 game freebie look.

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Impossible Is Nothing.

I don't get why Armia isn't ready to at least try to make the team.

Does anyone know if Gerbe, Ennis and Myers are healthy again?

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Correct me if I am wrong but I believe Armia is subject to one mandatory year in the military in his native country. Thus the pun "armia one". Plus a year off to let the head settle down after a couple knocks to the dome will be good for the fella

That's correct about Armia. He's going to be in camp next year competing for a spot. Odds are he ends up in Rochester for a little while, but that may depend on what the Sabres do with their amnesty buyouts.

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Girgensons for captain. Team Keep Nick DesLauriers forever.

@TJLuckman550

Scratch that...reports are out this morning that the Remparts are shipping him to Sabres training camp. Looks like he'll get a look this year.

http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/sports ... sabres.php

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Espn story has one former and one current Sabres player who needs to rebound this season. Ville Leino and Derek Roy. But you all could have guessed what players were named without me telling you.

He did pretty well during the world juniors. Thing is, if he actually DOES make the team, we will have, what, 3 young centers? Ennis, Grigorenko, and Hodgson.

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

I assume they'd move Ennis back over to the wing, if that were the case. There's no way Ennis, Grigorenko, nor Hodgson would be 3rd line centers, and Ennis has plenty of wing experience. At the very least, Ennis makes the most sense to move over to wing, even though he's naturally a center.

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Girgensons for captain. Team Keep Nick DesLauriers forever.

@TJLuckman550

This is assuming they keep Grigs down for at least the beginning of this year. I, personally, would let the kid have some time to develop.
So, I'd toss Ennis first line- Pommers, Ennis, Vanman
2-Stafford, Hodge, Leino
3-Foligno,Ott, Gerbe
4-McCormick, Ellis, Kaleta

The defense is a toss up. I would really love to package out some established talent to make some room for the youngsters. Brennan and McNabb could make this squad.

I really want to see the Foligno, Stafford, and Ennis line again. At least try to see if it still has that magic.

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

It will have that magic but Leino needs to be around playmakers and people with size if we want to get anything comparable to what he produced during his tenure with the Flyers. Ennis and Stafford can provide size and playmaking ability.

Foligno will fit in wherever we put him. I like him and Gerbe together with a solidified vet like Otter.

I'd rather stick Leino elsewhere. He didn't do anything when he was given the opportunity on good lines with good players last season and I doubt he will this year. You gotta remember Leino was playing with an awesome offensive line with Briere and Giroux before he left. The best thing to do now is just to buy Leino out. To win games we gotta go with whatever works and Stafford, Ennis and Foligno together were waaaaay to good last year to split up.

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"If you want to know what I've been doing lately, I've been driving around from Tim Horton's to Tim Horton's, rolling up the rim. Haven't won anything yet. Thanks." - Lindy Ruff

Let me get this right. You would like to take what worked for Leino in the past, and is the very reason we are paying him as much as we are, and place him on something that did not work last year. Now in not saying move Leino up right away. Let the line run it's course and if it runs out of steam get Leino around playmakers comparable to what he had in Philly. It worked once before, right? The guy shows flashes of absolute brilliance and until he gets a full season acclimated to his teammates and system I am not willing to eat his contract and say tough shit. His on ice vision is superb and his knack for coming up with pucks in the corners and creating opportunities out of nothing is amongst the best on our team. Toss him on the wing with players who can score and he will put up serious points. I still have faith in the guy. If it doesn't work out after this year and he goes Boyes on us then I will eat my words. I don't think this guy is a Boyes though.

I'm keeping the Pommers, Hodge, Van line together and the Foligno, Ennis, Stafford line together to start the season.

Gerbe won't start the season as he is injured or recovering from surgery I saw. So that gives us the Kaleta, Ott, Leino line as a third line. And Ellis, McCormick, and Scott as the fourth line until Gerbe is healthy again.

Vanek, Hodgson, Pominville
Foligno, Ennis, Stafford
Kaleta, Ott, Leino
Ellis, McCormick, Scott

Ehrhoff, Myers
Leopold, Weber
Regehr, Sekera
Sulzer

Miller
Enroth

Basically first two lines are interchangeable, and Possible switch Sekera and Leopold if needed.

And Armia is listed as a right wing on NHL.com. I also don't see Grigorenko making the team just yet. I'd leave him in the Q so he can continue to tear it up there. And obvisouly Girgs is staying in the A, might get a call-up if lucky this year.

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Interesting...from Bill Harrington on twitter
Hecht has interest in returning to the team...and Pominville thinks that's a good idea.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Zee German? The two of them were playing on the same line together in Europe this off season right?

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Pommers is the cap. Let him make captainly decisions. I, also, have always liked Jochen. Short season could bode well for the old timer. Keeps his legs fresh and does not die out part way through the year. He is a strong veteran presence and plays wellin Lindys system. Get his ass in there