nfreeman

It seems like there's a bit of unjustified schadenfreude going on here with Ullmark. He's 5-3 with a .914 SV%. He's had 4 good games, 2 lousy ones (vs Toronto and Edmonton, currently #1 and #5 overall in the NHL), and 2 average ones (one of which was vs Florida, currently #4 in the NHL, and the other vs SJ). Don't kid yourself. KA crapped the bed by lowballing Ullmark and not having or executing a backup plan for a real NHL goalie. The Sabres would be much better with him than they are now.

As someone who’s been delighted with TT’s play this season, I was pretty disappointed with his line last night. Until the GTG they generated zero offense and were frequently hemmed in the D zone by Detroit’s first or 2nd line.

Last time they played Detroit was when they blew the 3-0 lead in the last few min and then lost in OT, innit? Not tonight baby. TNT gonna blow up everywhere.

Gentlemen. Let’s return peacefully to the planet earth here. You’re getting a 3rd-rounder, maybe, and you need to decide whether you want to throw away another season or roll the dice with Murray. @Marvin, Sabres Fan is right that Dallas may also be an option, but maybe not either and we just can’t go on with these guys who should be working at Chuck E Cheese tending goal for us. Murray is a short term commitment who will cost only cap space, is still young and was really good a few years ago. I want him in net for the Sabres by Tuesday.

But KA already locked TT up on a cheapo 3-year deal! Separately: fun game. I’m pretty sure Joe Dirt’s goal song is “B-b-b-baby you ain’t seen nothing yet.” I’ll say it: TT is a legit NHL goal-scorer.

Matt Murray has 2 more years after this one at a $6.25MM per year cap hit. This year his SV% is .890, last year it was .893 and the year before that it was .899. I would still take him and release Dell, but some strategizing is in order. No one is going to claIm him from waivers, so they might be able to get something from Ottawa as a sweetener.

Broadly I agree with this but I’m also willing to pay something for a real NHL goalie. Probably not a #1, and probably not for any other position besides goalie, but I need a real goalie.

Well, it of course will all come down to what they get and what the price is. I'm inclined to give KA the benefit of the doubt on this or at least wait until a deal happens before assuming they overpaid.

Unfortunately it’s official — torn ACL and out for the season. Get well soon Tre.

Any NHL goalie with a pulse interests me a great deal.

My roast turkey, with stuffing in the bird and homemade gravy, was pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I’m even feeling good about the Bills. Bounce back night for JA and the D.

Why?

Happy thanksgiving all. Let’s hope the Sabres give us something to be thankful for soon!

I’ve learned recently that a vpn will fool the ESPN app. So do we think Eichel’s wing was a positive place for Dahlin’s and Mitts’ development? Or was it kinda dank and stagnant under there? I wonder if Cozens gets a shot at them.

Well, as I said, I loved Briere and Bergeron has had a terrific career. I was responding to a poster who queried whether a true superstar -- not a true #1 C -- was required to win a cup.

I, too, liked Joker's game last night.

No argument that I'm old, but still. This isn't a teenage girl we're talking about, or a B side from a marginal Rush single -- this was a 32-ish woman, and it was Purple Haze. I'm entitled to expect her to be familiar with Stairway to Heaven, Sympathy for the Devil, Baba O'Riley and Purple Haze. Otherwise how can I trust her with anesthesia or sharp instruments?

I was at the dentist recently and as the nitrous was about to be applied, I said to the hygienist, "Excuse me while I kiss the sky" -- and got a blank stare. I said "please tell me you get that," and she said she didn't. Not as big a bummer as the dentistry itself, but still.

OK Mr. Grumpy. When I watch TT on the half-wall, I see him handling it very well, with the 2nd-best puck skills on the unit after Dahlin. The D can't just rush him and take it away, which isn't true of anyone else on the unit besides those 2. His shot is a major threat that bends the defense towards him and creates opportunities on the other side of the ice for guys like VO and (hopefully) Skinner. He's a key part of a surprisingly decent PP (#10 in the NHL in PPG). Briere is one of my all-time favorite Sabres, but if we're listing things we "need" to do, we should remember that he played 48 games in 2006. I don't think most hockey observers would've called him a "superstar" or a top-10 player that year. Maybe 2007 though. Similarly, Bergeron has been a terrific player, but again -- most hockey observers wouldn't call him a top-10 player or a superstar.

Good question. I think the 2006 Sabres could’ve won the Cup, and that team didn’t have a top-10 player. You could say the same of STL in 2019 (Tarasenko had 68 pts that year and I don’t think Pietrangelo or ROR is a superstar) and perhaps Boston in 2011, although I think Marchand is a top 10 player.

And this is my biggest concern -- that the stink of losing pervades the new generation just like it suffused Eichel, Risto and Reino and they give up on it getting better here and start wanting out too. It's at least as likely to happen as a major turnaround and it's a huge failure by KA IMHO. I'm not expecting it, but this would be great. And it would be nice for KA to show the fans that he cares about them by doing something like this (at the right price of course).

Assuming the Sabres don't end up with a "generational" stud C in the 2022 draft, I can see the Sabres having a bunch of pretty good #2/#3 Cs -- Tager, Krebs, Cozens and Mitts -- with an ongoing competition for usage and ice time. For the record, TT's emergence IMHO has been really something and a major accomplishment by DG. His line consistently creates chances and he creates offense by carrying the puck up ice, finding soft spots and firing both a huge slapper and a dangerous wrister. He has a very good sense for the offensive game overall. He's also pretty decent on the backcheck and has acquitted himself pretty well in Eichel's old spot on the left half-wall on the PP, including the 2-man game with Dahlin.

Boy, someone woke up on the wrong side of the yoga mat today.

@jsb slinging that sweet, smooth hopium. It'll ease your pain for a little while anyway.

Well, here’s an observation that has zero basis in reality.