nfreeman

I like Larsson's hustle and edge but I think he has hands of stone -- i.e. I don't think he can pass it or shoot it -- and thus does not belong on a line with scorers. 4th-line C and PKer is my preference for him. I think we're seeing a promotion to #3 C out of desperation.

What about the souls of the fans of the opponents?

BTW: Sabres lineup posts have been moved to "the new lineup thread". Now back to regularly scheduled programming.

Reino dropped from the PP and moved to wing? Yikes. Also, Beaulieu still on the PP. Live dangerously.

Since this one was a preseason prediction thread and the other one is opening night and newer (at least based on the title), I'm going to lock this one so lineup discussion can be consolidated in the other one.

The original Blade Runner was outstanding.

No. Being anti-tank doesn't mean you keep your aging/overrated top guys at all costs. You can trade to get younger, rebuild, etc. But there is a world of difference between doing that and doing what the Sabres did. The Sabres embraced losing for 2 years because they (and many here) thought it would be a simple matter of snagging Eichel and then flipping the switch back to winning. It doesn't work like that, unless you end up with someone transformative like Crosby or McD -- i.e. a true once-in-20-years guy. Most of the time the team ends up stinking for a long time. And this is what we're all scared to think: What if Matthews is better than Eichel, Marner is better than Reino, Nylander is better than Nylander, Risto is OK but not a #1 and ROR and KO are just overpaid losers? Excellent question.

Well, their goalies that year were Bernier and Reimer, both of whom were/are legit NHL goalies, albeit ones who didn't reach the heights some projected for them. They traded Kessel before that season, but the rest of their moves (Dion, Polak, Winnik, Reimer, etc.) were made at the deadline. My recollection is that there was a lot of speculation that year about whether the Leafs were tanking and whether they should tank, but that it was nowhere near as blatant as what the Sabres did.

Toronto didn't set out to race for the bottom of the standings 2 years in a row like the Sabres did. They stunk for years, accumulated some good players, then found themselves in position to tank at the deadline in 2016, at which point they traded a bunch of guys. They ended up with 69 points -- a full 15 more than the Sabres had during the Eichel tank year.

Well, I think the point was to build a winning hockey team, based on the misbegotten theory that the best way to do so was to bottom out in order to draft a (hopefully) great player. The longer the Sabres go without developing into a winning hockey team, the more clear it should be to everyone that it was a terrible plan.

3 good ones here. Everyone needs to keep his/her pants on. *stage whisper* This is why tanking is a bad plan.

I don't see how that fact supports the tank.

Boy, when Buffalo sports collapse, they fall like a ton of bricks. Does anyone still support the tank?

Thanks. OK dudacek -- your boy is getting his chance at C, now with real wingers. You are accountable for the results. I agree that ROR will get more minutes than Reino, but I think KO and Zemgus will get more minutes than Pouliot and Griffith.

Do we have confirmation of the lines? Is it: Kane-Eichel-Pommer Griffith-Reino-KO Zemgus-ROR-Pouliot Or other?

It's not quite panic time yet. KO is a good scoring winger and Pommer looks like he can still be one as well. Zemgus has shown offensive ability in the past, and Griffith has been a good AHL-level scorer. Once ROR, Reino and KO show up -- and I think they will -- the scoring winger issue will be much less urgent.

Well, if Kane were a 28-45-73 guy we’d be talking about $7.5MM per year or more for him. Maybe he’s not the ideal linemate for Jack, but they’ve been pretty productive so far. And the rest of the offense is pretty constipated. I wouldn’t be in a rush to break up the only productive line.

My 2 cents: - Reino had 2 offensive zone TOs that led directly to NYI goals. And he produced zero offense to compensate (other than a sweet pass on the PP in the 1st). - My biggest disappointment tonight though was Risto. After a huge opening night he was invisible tonight. No offense, quite a few lousy passes, a big failure to hold the zone on the last PP and no physical presence in the D zone. That was not the effort of a franchise defenseman. - Lehner was meh. - for a while Kaner looked like the only Sabre that gave a crap. - I think ROR is too good and conscientious a player not to bounce back from this poor start — but if we could get Tavares, with an extension, for ROR and next year’s #1, I would do that in a heartbeat. - the Islanders are a really fast team. - Beaulieu’s TO for the shorty was one of the biggest gaffes I can remember seeing in an NHL game. - They played fast and entertaining again. They need better PP execution and ROR, KO and Reino to start producing and they will be fine.

Good hockey history here boys.

Ric Seiling? Who was a solid 3rd-liner for quite a few years but who unfortunately was drafted in the 1st round ahead of Mike Bossy? Good news about Ullmark and Bailey in any case. That does sound appealing. He needs to earn it though. 2 good ones here boys. Me too.

I agree that Kane isn't much of a passer. But he's a good finisher, his speed creates room for Eichel and his physicality does the same. His attitude and fistic prowess also deters big hits and cheap shots on the franchise. This too. Jack with 32-54-86 and Kaner with 31-23-54 would be a very good outcome. Not one trick. The goals, the sending bodies flying in front of the net and the Eichel protection are 3 very good tricks. This is pretty much where I am. Give it 15-20 games in Howie's system.

Gorges, as diminished as he is, still represents depth if he's the #8 guy. Below him are Fedun and Nelson, each of whom could play #6 NHL minutes if needed. No there aren't a bunch of Karlssons in waiting but IMHO there is more than adequate depth on D.

Getzlaf was the best forward on that team, but that team won because Pronger and Niedermayer were dominant and the best defensive pair in a generation.

I snagged the 2nd GDT of the year! WC must be busy with an STD instead. I should be attending this one, but am away for the long weekend. The Islanders lost their season opener tonight 5-0 in Columbus. They limp home late night for their home opener less than 24 hours later vs the new-look Sabres. The Islanders put up 94 points last season but missed the playoffs. So the Sabres need to bank points and not fiddle them away as they did last night. Speaking of which, will the Sabres come out determined, or will we see fragile little children feeling sorry for themselves for the loss vs the Habs? Tavares is a UFA after this year. Eichel and/or Kane are due. Go Sabres.

He identified himself as such? If so someone should post it.