nfreeman

And McCabe and Nelson. 4 of those 5 were thought by many to be marginal NHL players at best and probably not long for the league. Now 2 of those 4 are rock-solid top-4 guys, the other 2 are legit 3rd pairing guys with skill and the 5th — Risto — is living up to his potential and becoming a star. And that doesn’t even include the gift we got in the lottery. Howie is coaching them up. Yes to all of this, but wasn’t Bergy a healthy scratch? Separately: what a great “This day in Sabres history” — Schoeny with 3 fights vs the Bruins, including 1 against Orr and 1 in the Zamboni tunnel! Great footage too.

Hmmmm. Not sure whether that kind of de-commitment is against the rules.

Totally agree on this. I was able to fix the icemaker in my freezer this way -- and I'm a little handy around the house but not that handy.

Nicely done sir. Separately: didn't someone vow in the Kings GDT to eat poop if the Sabres came back to win that one?

I agree that they wouldn't take KO. But I would make that trade if I were JB. There's a very good possibility that zero good NHL players emerge out of Guhle, Nylander and the 2 first-rounders.

One aspect of Howie's coaching that I've noticed (and appreciated) this season is that he's putting Jack in captain-type situations -- i.e. giving him the chance to grow into the role and demonstrate leadership to his team. Extra shifts when there is an O-zone faceoff, shifts late in the game when the Sabres are protecting a 1-goal lead, leading off in OT and in the shootout, even PK shifts -- Howie is very clearly showing his team that Jack is the man to be looked to in all situations. And Eichel has responded very well to the workload and the responsibility. He's turning into a legit great player.

If they want to make the playoffs, this is the kind of game that they need to win.

@Randall Flagg — FFS, take it down a notch. Thorny is right about your tone. Again — we are never going to get the “evidence” you are demanding for the locker room cancer theory. We also aren’t ever going scientifically test the theory where we hold all other critical variables (and you are certainly right that goaltending is one of them) constant. That doesn’t mean people aren’t allowed to believe the theory. You’re right that we shouldn’t be throwing it around like it’s a settled fact, but I don’t think anyone is doing that. In conclusion, ROR is a locker room cancer.

Welcome LawnWrangler!

Well, I defended Reino upthread but I don't see how any serious observer wouldn't much rather have Drury.

Tarasenko is a RW, age 26, with 4 more years on his contract after this year at a $7.5MM cap hit. In his last 4 seasons, he has 37, 40, 39 and 33 goals. Proposal: KO, Nylander, Guhle, McCabe and the 2 worst first-rounders the Sabres have in the next 2 years for Tarasenko. Does JB say no? Does Armstrong? (I think Armstrong says no.)

But Panarin! Please?

Excellent post GA. I would just add, under the "Good" section, that Dahlin looks like he's going to be a superstar pretty soon and that Risto is playing the best hockey of his career and is pretty close to a star.

Valid question. I suppose it comes down to the following: - I'm pretty close to being willing to do just about anything to be rid of KO's contract, as I think he's almost certainly done as a top-6 forward and can see him entering Moulson territory by next season. - Carter had 22 pts in 27 games last year and 32-34-66 in 82 games the prior year. He also has 2 rings. - The Sabres' middle 6 is dying for a #2 center and I can see a change of scenery to a playoff team (!) rejuvenating Carter and him thriving in that role -- or at least filling it better than the alternatives on the Sabres' roster. - It just seems like no worse than a push with Okposo in terms of on-ice production, and with a reasonable shot at significantly improved production, and at $800K less per year against the cap. - I don't think there have been any locker room issues with Carter since he left Philly.

I would trade KO plus a decent sweetener for Jeff Carter in a heartbeat. But they have to take KO. And I would trade quite a bit for Tarasenko, but there is NFW that STL trades him.

FWIW, I've been a frequent critic of Reino's over the years and I think he's playing the best hockey of his career. I still think he has limitations, he's not as good as Draisaitl, he's not as good as what most would probably want from a #2 overall pick and he hasn't shown yet that he can be a consistent 5-on-5 player -- but IMHO he's still a good player on a good contract who has played very well on a high-end #1 line this season.

My game notes: - Dahlin is becoming a force of nature. - The Sabres could easily have lost that game, and could easily fall out of the playoff picture. They need 2ndary scoring and they need to get the PP going to avoid that outcome. - Peterson looked pretty good. He could certainly end up being better than Ullmark -- although Linus looked pretty good too. - Bogo's Carrubba Collision was great. You don't often see huge hip checks behind the net like that. - Reino made a great pass in the 1st period to Jack across the ice on a 3-on-2 for a 1-timer that almost cashed. - Risto is also coming into his own. He's more confident and more physically assertive in pretty much all situations. I really liked him standing up for Pilut when Phaneuf cheap-shotted him (and I also liked Pilut's retaliatory shove on Phaneuf). - I'm very close to concluding that Pilut is better than Beaulieu and Nelson and therefore can't be sent down. - The Sabres are getting absolutely zero from Mitts, KO, Sobotka, Pommer and TT. The entire middle 6, other than Sheary IMHO, is a vast wasteland of suckitude. - Gotta give Dunleavy credit for "Jeff Skinner, overtime winner!"

As for the question of who goes down: I think it will mostly depend on how Hunwick looks. If he looks like a solid top-6 NHL defenseman, then Pilut will probably go down. If he looks worse than that, I think they will send Hunwick down and be perfectly fine if someone takes him and his contract in waivers.

Once he's healthy, Hunwick has to be ahead of Tennyson in the rotation, innit?

I've said this before, but I'd trade KO, Guhle and Nylander for Kane in a heartbeat, and I'd probably throw in a late 1st if needed. But there is no deal if they don't take back KO.

My 2 cents: - I greatly prefer using a headset for phone calls, as I like having my hands free and I dislike having to hold a phone up to my head. I also prefer the headset to the speakerphone, as I think most people prefer not to have calls with someone who has them on speaker. - I wear something similar to the one in Pi's photo at work. - If I'm outside walking around by myself, I'm usually listening to something on earbuds. If I have to take or make a phone call, I will usually do so via the earbuds. This means that when this happens, I'm one of those weirdos walking around apparently talking to themselves but actually having a phone call. Now, I will usually try to stay away from other people during the call, but certainly sometimes I will pass by other people. - I think walking around in public and having a speakerphone call is insane.

This is pretty obnoxious.

I really like "Elf."

Good stuff here sir.

Have you done this for Sabres jerseys? If so, can you tell the difference between the "real" colors, lettering, font, etc. and the namechanger.com ones? Thanks.