Taro T

Saw them on the Smash tour at a little outdoor place over on/just off Aero Dr. Really good show.

Except he was a ROOKIE. Hellllllooooo Devin Levi. That's the durn fly in the ointment. He got by with a rookie playing by far his best hockey and a friggin' journeyman. That coupled with only 1 injury the entire playoff run and that happening when a 1st liner was ready to come back from a regular season injury and take his place with no bumps in performance.

The only screw up, and it's a minor one, was in waiting until Friday to sign him. And that would've been on Levi's timeline, not theirs. So even that's hard to fault them too much over. Presuming they actually had the paperwork ready to file and filed it promptly after the ink was dry on the paper.

You may be correct but he still might finally realize that he needs to actually bring in a legit goalie until Levi is ready for the full workload. Really hoping for that. Because have been saying for a long time as well that Adams' experiences in Carolina have significantly shaped his views and that team won it all with a rookie playing the best hockey of his career and a journeyman spelling him when necessary. He definitely doesn't value GT the way some of us here do. But even with that, he has to see how much further this team could be with a legit honest to goodness NHL caliber netminder. And if bringing in another goalie gives him an excess of riches there because 1 or 3 of the guys in house figured it out, well right after buying a lottery ticket for that night's powerball, he can worry about that good problem to have and use that to fix another hole or extend out the team's window. Not going to worry abot it as it in all likelihood isn't happening. But he can and should bring in that extra goalie that is actually established.

Dont believe anybody expected him to win the Calder. But there were a few (yours truly included) that believe(d) he could be a finalist. The team play and his recently may have doomed that possibility.

Lost power last night for about 1-1/2 hours. Which, courtesy of all the back up power supplies/surge protectors chirping the whole time, didn't get a good night's sleep and apparently shut off the alarm after the wife got up. Fortunately didn't have any morning meetings, but will be playing catch up well into the evening tonight.

He definitely gets next season. And that year the goal has to be playoffs. And winning can no longer be subservient to "development." It really is hard to evaluate Granato because the goal wasn't the one that it normally is with professional sports teams. And both the coach and GM were on record as saying they weren't going to "sacrifice the future for short term gains." So, with them both being consistent (to be generous) or stubborn (to be less generous) it's hard to evaluate how they'd've done with winning now being a top line goal. And there are indications that he can be a good coach when winning is THE goal. The way how they've actually played defensively sound hockey on occassion shows that they can actually do it. And there are indications that he's in way over his head. Their inability to play defensively sound on more than just a 1-2 game stretch here or there. His saying that lineup decisions would be based on trying to win the games these last couple of weeks but them not winning. (Which might simply be doomed regardless of the lineups with the injuries and the goaltending quality dropping precipitously over that same time period.) Leaving Comrie in the net to become the only goalie in Sabres history to give up 10 goals in a single game. Am still hopeful he can step up next year. Making a change to his assistants would be an indication that he will. The special teams are attrocious. (And don't care that the PP is ranked highly. They rode a 5-6 week hot streak to that ranking and have been hot garbage before and since.) Sometimes you have to make the tough choices when you're the HC. That would be one of them that shouldn't actually be a tough choice.

Believe it was more kissing Portillo's bippy to convince him that things weren't too crowded to work both him and Levi into the mix. Levi has clearly been annointed ever since Reinhart became a Swamp Cat. Not making a significant push for a Saros at the deadline could very well have had a component of "we can't scare Devin off too" to it along with the "any good goalie will be crazy expensive at this time of the season." He should be in the AHL right now and probably next year too. Only way that happens realistically is if Levi forces his way into the starter's role next year. And, though fully believe that Adams doesn't value goalies enough, really expect him to actually finally bite the bullet and get a good vet to team up with one of the 2 younger guys this year. He has to see how with even average goaltending this season the team was going to be in the dance. The skaters will be better next year just by so many of them being a year closer to their primes. (Really doubt Okposo comes back, leaving only Girgensons in the we're at the age where play slides off part of his career.) But goaltending could sabotage next year just like it did this year.

Blame the CBA for that. Players have to get a day off every so often.

The concensus seemed to be high 80's. Personally said 91-92 and until the past couple of games thought that was still very doable. C'mon Devin, they can still get there. ;)

The idiot in "in game set up" or whatever the #### it's called who keeps setting the garbage cans in the 300 level out at the end of the stanchions under the seating bowl. It makes it really difficult to walk around up there. They don't always do it, but when they do it yutzes things up something fierce.

Yep. All that cap space last year and this year all evaporated on the day the regular season ended. (Still 3 weeks away this year, but that cap space can't be recouped at this point.) Even if they only got 2 extra 7th round picks and 2 extra 6th round picks, maybe those can be used to move up a couple of spots to end up with a player they don't expect will make it past those next 2 or so teams. Find ways to make marginal improvements whereever you can, and eventually they result big improvements.

To the bolded, absolutely. It really does mess up how you play because you expect any shots to become goals against so you change what you're doing ever so slightly and you end up giving up worse opportunities against as you either try to take away every opportunity against or grip the stick too tightly realizing any bad pass is going to become a goal against.

It's not a plan. (At least not a good one.) But it should be evidence banging Adams over the head that he needs a better option at #1 next year if he didn't already see that.

How much bigger / better trained do you expect 20 year old Jack Quinn or JJ Peterka to be? 19 year old Owen Power? 21 year old Peyton Krebs? Insert name of other ridiculously young guy getting key minutes here. Guys like Dahlin, Mittelstadt, and Cozens have gained a lot of strength the past couple of years. These other kids will too.

Games 13-18 of "the streak" were his. He did get out of it. By having Ullmark finally return from injury. Helllllllooooooooo Devin Levi. (Pretty sure that's the plan to get out of this funk. Hope it works.)

That was quite the poop show. Agree with @PromoTheRobot that the team is gripping the sticks way too tight. But they have to figure a way to get their heads out of their bippies. No idea why Granato pulled the goalie when he did. If they get one to make it 6-4, absolutely pull UPL. But the odds of them giving up a goal rather than scoring one were way too great at that point to pull him there with it still 6-3. Hopefully the B&R works its magic on Friday. (Would probably have a better chance of working with Levi between the pipes too.)

Don't know if he's correct or not, but Biron on Sabres Live today said he'd heard the game jerseys would still be made in the same factory that Adidas has been making them. So, if they can get the same fabric rather than the junk they usually use, it might not be as horrible as it sounds at first.

At times he will be. But not expecting him to truly come into his own until that following season.

Realized that. And don't believe that was the driving factor in taking the Otter deal. As stated, expect it was more a case of not just getting the best offer he could get but also not losing a negotiation with somebody he needs to negotiate with in the future. (Both the Sabres and LA GM's would be among those he didn't want to cave on the ask.) And since the Otter offer was comparable (presumably) or even better than the best offer the Sabres and LA were making, he went with that deal rather tan let one of the other GM's get him to walk back his ask with them this time.

Doubt the Ottawa trade was a favor to Chychrun, but maybe. Expect it simply came down to Armstrong wanted either Savoie or Kulich (maybe both?) from the Sabres and when Adams wouldn't budge on that he went with an offer that was reasonably close to what he'd get from the Sabres minus Savoie or Kulich. Armstrong said he made his decision off of the top piece being offered. The Sabres 1 and the Otters 1 at the time of the trade were essentially equivalent. Armstrong didn't want to "cave" and accept Adams offer, so he took what was essentially the same offer from someone not named Kevyn.

Such a difference between the NHL and the AHL. Pilut is serviceable at the AHL level.

Josi might be out tonight. As good a night as any to start a turnaround.

Seinfeld is the biggest name that will no longer perform on campus. He's been quite outspoken about it. Pretty sure you could find several interviews with him with a quick search. (He can state his position far more eloquently and accurately than we could.)

Boo. Not a fan of Fanatics. Have a Thompson ASG replica on order from there (long story, don't ask) which was supposed to be delivered yesterday but now is set to show up next Wednesday. Hoping that the "authentics" that they end up making are of the quality that CCM, Reebok, and Adidas have been, but not particularly hopeful.