nfreeman

Not even SabreSpace posters? There are a few in this thread who seem quite sure about things.

Remember when a bunch of people here were sure Florida’s covid books were cooked but for some reason trusted NY’s numbers? NY has now revised its death count upward by 28%. https://nypost.com/2021/08/25/state-health-department-reports-nys-true-covid-death-toll/

Well, if Vogl was right in reporting that they only offered Linus a 1-year or 2-year deal, they didn't try very hard. Either way, pretty much everyone agreed that given Ullmark's injury history, the Sabres needed not only Ullmark but a 2nd credible NHL goalie if they wanted to give a young and developing team the backstopping in net that it will surely need as they try to emerge from the basement. That didn't happen either. Bottom line is that about a million goalies moved around this summer, which is what happens every summer, and again the Sabres sat out the game of musical chairs and instead signed a couple of fringe guys whom no one expects to be any good. They have chosen, at this point anyway, to go into the season with non-credible NHL goaltending. That is a choice a GM makes when he wants his team to lose. And a GM that makes that choice is a GM that is tanking. It may not be as complete a tank as GMTM's tank, but it's still a tank. I sincerely hope KA pulls a rabbit out of his hat and brings in a real goalie between now and the start of the season, but I'm not optimistic. As for your other post about the Reino and other trades -- not sure whether that was directed at me, but I haven't said anything about those trades in the context of whether they are tanking. FWIW, I don't view those trades as part of a tank. What does this mean? Absolutely. This is one of the key reasons why tanking is a stupid and shortsighted strategy.

This. Their goaltending as currently constituted indicates to me that they are trying to lose. That's a tank, and it's not acceptable.

I think if these are the goalies KA rolls out, then KA is tanking.

I’ve been unhappy to very unhappy with every dell computer I’ve owned, by the way.

Geez. Please excuse me for raising a question about a situation that is very different from Power's situation -- i.e. Johnson only needs to play 1 season more than his current plan to become a UFA, whereas Power would need to play 3 more seasons. But I do need some exercise, so thanks for the reminder.

So a couple of people have mentioned, upthread and in the Owen Power thread, that Johnson is a flight risk. He's played 2 years at the U of Minnesota and is presumably returning for his junior year, which starts in a few weeks. I think if he plays 4 years there, he can leave the Sabres and become a UFA -- maybe as early as the end of his senior college hockey season (so he could join an NHL team for the end of that season) -- but I'm not sure about that. The Sabres drafted him with the last pick in the 1st round in 2019. He had 14 pts in 27 games and was honorable mention all-Big-10 as a sophomore. He played on the gold-medal-winning (take that, GWN!) US World Junior team earlier this year. He's 6'1", 175 lbs, and just turned 20 a few weeks ago. He grew up in Southern California and presumably has not harbored a lifelong dream to play for the Sabres. He's probably not a future top-pair guy, but he sure seems reasonably likely to become a decent NHL defenseman, and thus a pretty decent asset that it would be a shame to lose for nothing. Discuss.

From the Athletic: https://theathletic.com/2762836/2021/08/11/evander-kanes-relationship-with-sharks-teammates-and-the-organization-may-be-irreparable/ And some stuff that seems pretty analogous to his time here: Quite a role model GMTM brought in for a young Eichel and Reino.

I know we're just sports fans shooting the breeze here, so no harm in discussing hypotheticals, but I do feel like "would you trade Trubisky if someone offered a first for him?" is equivalent to "would you trade Trubisky if aliens came to earth and offered a super titanium terminator liquid metal for him?"

We’ll never know, but I’d guess the arbitration spite originated from TG/LQ and DR was just executing on their wishes. Either way Kennedy got bad advice as others have noted.

FFS. 0.69 ppg in Rochester, while having a certain appeal, is not “nearly a point per game.” That claim is #hammymath. I’m glad his coaches didn’t say publicly that he’s a washout. Most coaches who are charged with developing young players wouldn’t say that publicly about a recent #8 overall pick. More importantly, everyone with functioning eyesight who watched him play in Buffalo or Rochester prior to DG taking over saw someone who was utterly useless on the ice. He put up some numbers in a small garbage time sample size last season. That’s it.

This is just not even close to accurate.

No one is offering a #1 for Trubisky.

@GASabresIUFAN — it would be great if you’re right about Mitts, but you are taking the victory lap insanely early here. Mitts looked better last year in the last 30 games of another lost season than the useless blob he had been previously throughout his career and he put up some points in garbage time. That all that happened.

Good.

Ya think?

Please keep all commentary regarding political figures in the politics club. Thanks.

Dude -- exulting in anyone contracting a potential deadly illness is a pretty bad look.

No -- I'm in a pretty evenly divided congressional district that went blue in the last election. But my point was that WNY is blue just like NYC is -- Erie County voted blue in the last election by 57% to 42%, which is a pretty wide margin. I'd be curious to know when the last time Erie County didn't vote blue. Also, FWIW, plenty of those bumper stickers and flags exist in NYC too. I guess I have generally thought of WNY as being primarily Erie County, since it's a pretty large county that is only about 25% located in the city of Buffalo. You're certainly right that the rural counties west of Syracuse (if that's how you think of WNY) are much redder than Erie County.

Well, I’ve spent about 90% of the last 19 months in a town of 3000 people in upstate NY. What is the political divide you are referring to? Certainly there are many differences between WNY and NYC but I guess I don’t see how politics is one of them.

I’m not aware of a political divide between NYC and WNY. Both areas are quite blue and have been so for a while.

Is anyone who doesn’t live in WNY getting the bills game? I am getting the other game on NFL network here.

As I've said previously, I'd predict that he'll struggle initially in the playoffs, but by his 2nd playoff season he'll find his stride and play pretty well.

The pre-injury Tarasenko was an elite first-line RW who was also one of the most exciting players in the NHL. But he's played 24 games and 10 games in the last 2 seasons, has a possibly permanently damaged shoulder. He's got 2 years left on his contract at $9.5MM per year. It won't happen, but Thomas, who is a pretty solid young center, and a healed Tarasenko with something to prove and showing the way to the young Russians coming up in the system, plus picks would be a great return for Eichel.