Player Discussion John-Jason (JJ) Peterka, RW (34th overall, 2020) -- Signed to ELC

[truthbluth]

Following up on that point I just thought of:

Quinn-Krebs-Okposo
and then, more importantly:

Peterka-Girgensons-Cozens
and oh my god I want that to be a line so badly.

 

[Matt Ress]

I'd like to throw in the speculation that Mitts has improved his 2 way game. Tough to really pin point in the short, injury riddled stints from last year but it would be a welcome addition to the lineup.

 

[RhinoFan]

Following up on that point I just thought of:

Quinn-Krebs-Okposo
and then, more importantly:

Peterka-Girgensons-Cozens
and oh my god I want that to be a line so badly.

Think Girgs isn't just an anchor on that line? Cozo and Petey can fly, I just wonder if Girgs can keep up tbh.

 

[Jacob582]

I've posted this before, but I want:

Quinn - Cozens - Peterka
or
Quinn - Mittlestadt - Peterka

Quinn and Peterka played on the same line in Rochester. Both excellent players. I think they will be fine on the same line in the NHL.

 

[truthbluth]

Think Girgs isn't just an anchor on that line? Cozo and Petey can fly, I just wonder if Girgs can keep up tbh.

They don’t need him to keep up. They need him to do things, retrieve the puck in the d zone, cycle the puck behind the net in the o zone. The cycle will be fantastic and both Cozens and Peterka can both shoot the puck coming off the half wall. Or drop it to the point. I think it’s a good mix.

 

[Fjordy]

I’m just basing my assumptions on the data we have. He shelters young players pretty extensively. I think scattering those guys through the lineup and then deploying everybody pretty much the same makes sense, but that’s not what Granato has done before.

To put a finer point on it, Asplund, Tuch, Girgensons and Okposo are the only forwards on the team with positive defensive impacts, and they are extremely positive, and those impacts do not appear to be at all contingent on who they are playing with. Lining them up together would be wasteful imo.

But we already saw last season when Girgensons, Tuch, Okposo and Asplund played on different lanes.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Four fairly well balanced lines with a defensively responsible player on each. There's too many rookie or 2nd yr players to stack a traditional checking line, without being left with a young and inexperienced line that will get caved in.

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Asplund - Mittelstadt - Olofsson
Quinn - Cozens - Okposo
Krebs/Girgensons - Girgensons/Krebs - Peterka

 

[Jim Bob]

JJ Peterka’s Unique Skillsets Foster Great Potential

Peterka’s first season in North America was impressive. What happens next?

www.diebytheblade.com

 

[Satanphonehome]

It's not beating out Bjork, it's whether he's going to get consistent quality ice time. They're not going to want Quinn and him splitting time in the press box so realistically there's room for one to start with the other on quick recall when injuries hit.

As for best seasons, Pominville had back to back 30+g 30+a seasons and still got sent down for season 3

Same scenario as CMac and Gerbe, and Pominville played 57 games for the Sabres that year and never got sent down again.

Peterka has proven all has to prove in the AHL. Players are always hurt. Granato uses all 4 lines. JJ is either good enough to compete with Asplund, Girgenson, Hinostroza, Bjork, Krebs and Quinn for ice time, or he is not.

By saying Peterka is not going to make the team, I think the team is saying one of three things:
* He's not as good as his AHL performance suggests, or
* The Sabres have one of the deepest collections of forwards in the league, or
* The team is deliberately choosing not to ice its best lineup.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

Same scenario as CMac and Gerbe, and Pominville played 57 games for the Sabres that year and never got sent down again.

Peterka has proven all has to prove in the AHL. Players are always hurt. Granato uses all 4 lines. JJ is either good enough to compete with Asplund, Girgenson, Hinostroza, Bjork, Krebs and Quinn for ice time, or he is not.

By saying Peterka is not going to make the team, I think the team is saying one of three things:
* He's not as good as his AHL performance suggests, or
* The Sabres have one of the deepest collections of forwards in the league, or
* The team is deliberately choosing not to ice its best lineup.

Not necessarily, they could also be saying that his skillset is better utilized on a higher line but he's not beating Tuch, Olofsson or Okposo for that RW slot so he's better served in Rochester.

Right now from looking at last season you have:
Skinner Thompson Tuch
Asplund Mittlestadt Olofsson
Quinn Cozens Okposo
Girgensons Krebs Hino/Bjork/Peterka

He's better than Hino and Bjork but do they want to run with that much youth, especially since there really isn't a spot on the PP or PK for him so he'd only get 10ish min a game

 

[Puppa2Miller]

Four fairly well balanced lines with a defensively responsible player on each. There's too many rookie or 2nd yr players to stack a traditional checking line, without being left with a young and inexperienced line that will get caved in.

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch
Asplund - Mittelstadt - Olofsson
Quinn - Cozens - Okposo
Krebs/Girgensons - Girgensons/Krebs - Peterka

this. I am just more firmly in the Krebs has to start at wing this season camp. He looked out of place at center even in the AHL playoffs.

 

[RhinoFan]

They don’t need him to keep up. They need him to do things, retrieve the puck in the d zone, cycle the puck behind the net in the o zone. The cycle will be fantastic and both Cozens and Peterka can both shoot the puck coming off the half wall. Or drop it to the point. I think it’s a good mix.

That's fair. I love the idea of Petey and Cozo together, they're both so good in transition, that could be fun.

 

[Matt Ress]

Not necessarily, they could also be saying that his skillset is better utilized on a higher line but he's not beating Tuch, Olofsson or Okposo for that RW slot so he's better served in Rochester.

Right now from looking at last season you have:
Skinner Thompson Tuch
Asplund Mittlestadt Olofsson
Quinn Cozens Okposo
Girgensons Krebs Hino/Bjork/Peterka

He's better than Hino and Bjork but do they want to run with that much youth, especially since there really isn't a spot on the PP or PK for him so he'd only get 10ish min a game

Eh. They use a lot of guys on the PK. The starting move may be to rotate one of Krebs/Quinn/JJ in and out of ROC depending on who's cold. Then the inevitable injury bug will bite and/or they'll all eventually become obvious full timers. At least we don't have any projected rookies breaking into the league in 23-24 and these kids can settle in with each other for a while. Guess that's not even far fetched.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

Eh. They use a lot of guys on the PK. The starting move may be to rotate one of Krebs/Quinn/JJ in and out of ROC depending on who's cold. Then the inevitable injury bug will bite and/or they'll all eventually become obvious full timers. At least we don't have any projected rookies breaking into the league in 23-24 and these kids can settle in with each other for a while. Guess that's not even far fetched.

I wouldn't be too sure about 23-24. Savoie/Kulich/Ostlund could be knocking on the door and might at least earn 9 game tryouts. Rosen could be a wild card depending on how he does in Rochester this season. Hard to see any of the other Rochester forwards from this year earning a spot to start 2023, but stranger things have happened.

 

[Matt Ress]

I wouldn't be too sure about 23-24. Savoie/Kulich/Ostlund could be knocking on the door and might at least earn 9 game tryouts. Rosen could be a wild card depending on how he does in Rochester this season. Hard to see any of the other Rochester forwards from this year earning a spot to start 2023, but stranger things have happened.

It's pretty crazy to think about but we should have a decent crop of roster ELCs for another 5 or 6 years.

 

[Satanphonehome]

Not necessarily, they could also be saying that his skillset is better utilized on a higher line but he's not beating Tuch, Olofsson or Okposo for that RW slot so he's better served in Rochester.

Right now from looking at last season you have:
Skinner Thompson Tuch
Asplund Mittlestadt Olofsson
Quinn Cozens Okposo
Girgensons Krebs Hino/Bjork/Peterka

He's better than Hino and Bjork but do they want to run with that much youth, especially since there really isn't a spot on the PP or PK for him so he'd only get 10ish min a game

I don’t buy the line hierarchy or 10 minutes argument.

Eleven Sabres forwards averaged 14-plus minutes a game in Pominville’s rookie year, including Pominville. Gaustad was the 12th forward with more than 12.

Why not (minutes):

Skinner (15) Thompson (17) Peterka (13)
Quinn (13) Mittelstadt (15) Tuch (17)
Olofsson (14) Cozens (15) Krebs (13)
Asplund (14) Girgensons (14) Okposo (14)

or some reasonable facsimile as a base?

 

[Old Navy Goat]

I don’t buy the line hierarchy or 10 minutes argument.

Eleven Sabres forwards averaged 14-plus minutes a game in Pominville’s rookie year, including Pominville. Gaustad was the 12th forward with more than 12.

Why not (minutes):

Skinner (15) Thompson (17) Peterka (13)
Quinn (13) Mittelstadt (15) Tuch (17)
Olofsson (14) Cozens (15) Krebs (13)
Asplund (14) Girgensons (14) Okposo (14)

or some reasonable facsimile as a base?

You figure around 13min as an es baseline if rolling lines evenly, which Granato doesn't do. Then around 8min of specialty teams split up with.
So seeing that Thompson's line along with Mitts and Cozens will get elevated ES minutes, Girgs gets short shifted.

 

[Satanphonehome]

You figure around 13min as an es baseline if rolling lines evenly, which Granato doesn't do. Then around 8min of specialty teams split up with.
So seeing that Thompson's line along with Mitts and Cozens will get elevated ES minutes, Girgs gets short shifted.

So what you’re essentially saying is Peterka can’t average 13 minutes a game with pretty good players because Granato can only use the players the way you say he will?

Guess I can’t argue with that.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

So what you’re essentially saying is Peterka can’t average 13 minutes a game with pretty good players because Granato can only use the players the way you say he will?

Guess I can’t argue with that.

Look at how the lines were used last year. He's not a PKer, he's not going to take a right halfwall spot on the power play so no time there. This means he's looking at Hino / Bjork timing which was sub 10 minutes most games. Low minutes and games in the pressbox won't be detrimental to Hino or Bjork so Peterka is better off in the AHL until injuries hit

 

[Jacob582]

Look at how the lines were used last year. He's not a PKer, he's not going to take a right halfwall spot on the power play so no time there. This means he's looking at Hino / Bjork timing which was sub 10 minutes most games. Low minutes and games in the pressbox won't be detrimental to Hino or Bjork so Peterka is better off in the AHL until injuries hit

He did PK in the AHL last year. I'd bet he'll get some time there in the NHL next season.

 

[jmelm]

I wouldn't be too sure about 23-24. Savoie/Kulich/Ostlund could be knocking on the door and might at least earn 9 game tryouts. Rosen could be a wild card depending on how he does in Rochester this season. Hard to see any of the other Rochester forwards from this year earning a spot to start 2023, but stranger things have happened.

I think there's virtually zero chance that Rosen, Kulich and especially Ostlund (who's a long term project due to size & physical development) see NHL time in '23-24.

We don't even know where Kulich is going to play this year, and I think he would have to play in the AHL this year and have a Peterka-like season for him to put himself in that kind of position. Ostlund is going back to SWE for at least 1 (if not 2) years before coming over and needing AHL time. And Rosen has missed so much development time, in addition to needing to develop physically, that he's a guy I could see needing at least 2 full years (if not all 3) in the AHL before making the jump.

Savoie is the only guy I see as having an outside shot because we won't have the option of sending him to the AHL. He would have to be really exceptional for that to happen and I think he spends 2 years in the WHL.

I'm not saying this to be pessimistic of course. Rather, it's just about the optimal development path for these young players and not rushing them. I think this is part of why Olofsson was given a 2 year term and we could see some guys being extended or signed on 1 year deals for '23-24 to allow us not to rush prospects. Great teams tend to keep their prospects down until they're over-ripe, unless they're exceptional, which Quinn & Peterka are.

 

[Ace]

Savoie spending two more years in the WHL is the most pessimistic take ive ever heard. He put up 90 points last year…leaving him there for two more is a terrible idea. That would be his FIFTH SEASON at that level. They let him play a third of a season in 19-20. He went to the USHL and was over a PPG the next year when he was worried WHL would shut down. He put up 90 points last year. He will not be returning to Winnipeg to put up 150 points in two years and spending 2020-2024 dominating the same level of play over and over. He’s near exceptional status in that league. He won’t play in it more than this next season.

 

[Fjordy]

Savoie will spend one more season in WHL, and a year later he will be in the NHL.

 

[Satanphonehome]

Look at how the lines were used last year. He's not a PKer, he's not going to take a right halfwall spot on the power play so no time there. This means he's looking at Hino / Bjork timing which was sub 10 minutes most games. Low minutes and games in the pressbox won't be detrimental to Hino or Bjork so Peterka is better off in the AHL until injuries hit

Hinostroza had just under 14 minutes a game last year. Bjork, just over 12.

 

[Chainshot]

If we're talking EVTOI/game, Hinostroza was 13:17 and Bjork was 11:24.