nfreeman

I hate the idea of sending down Asplund to make room for KO, but it's coming.

Negative. They are 13-15, i.e. 2 games below DeLuca .500. If they get to 3 games above DeLuca .500 and can stay there (or better) into February, we'll see quite a bit more buy-in.

I would do that in a heartbeat.

Kane might've gotten Gudas with the butt-end though.

In the "you reap what you sow" category:

It's also a pretty expensive night out for millennials carrying heavy student debt. There aren't any $6 seats in the oranges anymore (and IMHO there should be -- I'd encourage the Sabres to sell all unsold upper-deck seats on game day for $10 to anyone with a student ID ).

Well, this was a horrible exchange that the 2 of you treated the rest of us to. You both can do much better than this.

I too would be on board with getting Hall as a rental in order to make the playoffs. The question is the price. If there's no extension as part of the deal, and no real possibility of him staying, then I would have a hard time giving up a good asset. I can't see giving up Mitts or a #1 for him. Maybe a #2, but that won't be enough for NJ. I suppose it depends what the organization thinks about guys like Borgen and Samuelsson at this point.

So I finally sat down and watched the entire segment. I think it's pretty clear that the situation was as described in alternative (a) in your post. I completely agree with the bolded. It was a crappy situation all the way around. This. JFC. This continues to be just an awful take. What if he'd had cancer or other debilitating illness? Would you have invited him to "suck it" in that situation? He had severe depression and was probably pretty close to jumping off a bridge. Did he need to go through with it to convince you? Or would he have been "a quitter" then too? I agree that the Sabres didn't screw him over, and that the Sabres got screwed by what happened -- although I sure would like to know whether JB did his due diligence on this. If JB knew that Bergy's NTC was invalidated due to the screwup and didn't bother to speak with Bergy about joining the Sabres -- that's a big mistake by JB, especially if, as @Brawndo has posted, JB mis-handled the trade process and was blindsided by TP's refusal to pay the bonus. I do think though that Bergy didn't intentionally screw the Sabres -- I think he was drowning and needed to go home. This is reasonable, but I think a fully-engaged Bergy would've been a good player and a real asset to the team. I guess we'll never know. This is also reasonable, especially if, as his agent claimed to SportsNet, that the agent asked him for the list multiple times before the deadline. However, the agent is still guilty of malpractice IMHO. If Bergy didn't respond to his requests for the list, the agent should've just re-submitted the prior year's list -- not blown it off entirely. Yes -- I don't agree with @PASabreFan here at all. He doesn't owe anyone a full-color description of how depressed he was. A media outlet in another country asked for an interview, and he granted it, probably because the NHL did him a lot of good in his life. He seemed to answer their questions pretty candidly and he probably gave his father, coach, teammates, etc. the go-ahead to do the same. He certainly didn't hide the fact that he was severely depressed and everyone was worried about him. This, and a few related items about how exactly the trade happened, are the big unanswered questions here.

I think Sheary has good speed and a pretty good hockey IQ, but lousy hands and not much strength on the puck. If he's not a winger on an elite center's line, he's not going to sniff 20 goals again. I also don't expect him to get another NHL contract for more than 2 years or more than $2MM per year. Vesey's feet aren't as quick as Sheary's, but his overall speed is pretty good, as is his hockey IQ, and his hands and his strength on the puck are much better than Sheary's. If the Sabres keep one of the 2 of them next year, I'd vote for Vesey.

There were plenty statements at the time indicating, without needing to read very far between the lines, that he was in a very bad place mentally and his loved ones were pretty concerned about him. I think his decision to walk away from a huge percentage of his lifetime earnings says a lot about his level of desperation and unhappiness. I agree that Lehner's openness about his condition was admirable, but I don't hold it against Berglund (or anyone else) for not wanting to be that public about his own struggle.

The rule is that in order to overturn the call on the ice, the video must be clear and indisputable, right? If so, then not overturning the call was the correct outcome, even though it most likely was in. in any case, that call was not the reason for the loss.

Take it easy please.

That was a great hockey game. Hutton did make some nice saves but both goals he allowed were lousy plays by him. It’s becoming increasingly clear that he’s not a #1. I wanted Jack and Skinner to start OT. Skinner didn’t get the first or 2nd shift, and by the end of the 2nd it was too late. I am starting to think the ST problems indicate a coaching issue. The effort and overall level of play lately are nevertheless pretty encouraging. Go Sabres.

Certainly there is no way the Sabres should do this unless an extension is part of the deal. But IF Hall would sign an extension, would NJ take Risto, Mitts and an unprotected 2020 #1? And would JB offer it?

Skinner, and it's not a close call IMHO.

OK, here we go. Have the Sabres turned a corner and emerged from their death spiral? Sweeping the Leafs in a home and home would be pretty sweet and would very nicely cap a great Buffalo sports weekend. Some notes: - Despite the win yesterday, the Sabres are an atrocious 1-for-their-last-35 on the PP. - Sam Reinhart has one goal in nine games for the Sabres; Jeff Skinner scored a goal Friday, his second in the past eight games; Conor Sheary is without a goal in his past 18 games and Casey Mittelstadt scored Friday after going 16 games without a goal. - Before yesterday, the Sabres had lost 5 in a row to Toronto. - Jack Eichel, who was awesome yesterday, enters today's game on an eight-game point streak that began on Nov. 16. As of the conclusion of last night's game, his 15 points (8+7) during the streak led the NHL during that timeframe. - Victor Olofsson has recorded points in 10 of his last 11 games (4+6). He enters today's game on a career-best, six-game point streak (3+3). - Jimmy Vesey enters today's game with points in each of Buffalo's last four games, totaling five points (3+2) during that span. Goalies are Hutton and Anderson. Here we go. I think there is a pretty good chance that the Sabres have righted the ship and, while not an upper-echelon team, will remain around the bubble for the rest of the season. Go Sabres.

I’ve noticed this about Matthews this season — and the Leafs generally seemed sloppier on D and in the neutral zone today — but not so much vs the Sabres in the past. YMMV though.

I thought the first period was pretty even. Certainly there was ample cause to be discouraged after the Mojo-Ullmark combo clown show gave Toronto the 2-0 lead very early in the 2nd though. I did not think the Leafs got bad goaltending. Each of the Sabres’ goals was a high-skill play IMHO. I agree with the concern about Hutton though.

Well, the battered fan syndrome reactions are pretty understandable IMHO. Me, I’m just exulting in a very exciting win with quite a few high-skill plays, and the first time that I can remember Jack decisively outplaying Matthews (who nevertheless scared the poop out of me every time he had the puck in our zone). In addition to Eichel, who was awesome, I thought Olofsson, Skinner, Vesey, Larsson and Bogo all played well. Not Reino, who was a step behind the play all night. If the Sabres can win tomorrow night it could be a turning point. in the meantime it’s a Thanksgiving miracle of a Buffalo sports weekend.

They changed it from a 1-in-4 chance at winning the top pick to a 1-in-5 chance. Either way, if the plan relied on getting McDavid, the numbers made it a stupid plan.

The Sabres will get there.

Happy Thanksgiving friends. It's been a great day, with family, mild Southern weather, a bit of exercise to start the day, a delicious bird with homemade stuffing, and a terrific performance by the Bills. The Sabres? That's a subject for another day. I might get me some leftovers pretty soon.

Allen is having a great game. Very strong showing to hold the Cowboys on 4th down and then march all the way down the field from the 6-yard line to kick what will hopefully be the game sealer.