nfreeman

On Sportnet they compared him to Mitch Marner.

But isn’t he too young for the AHL? I.e. isn’t he permitted to play only in he NHL or juniors/college/overseas?

Griersie!

The Habs bringing out that big bruiser to deliver their selection in French only was an interesting and certainly intentional choice.

His nickname's gotta be Letterkenny, innit?

I agree with most of this, but Miller played 3 full years in Rochester, during which he had a few cups of coffee in Buffalo. He wasn’t really a backup in Buffalo. After his 3rd year as the starter in Rochester (which was the year of the lockout in the NHL), he won the competition with Marty and Noronen for the #1 slot with the Sabres. Don’t do this, please. Well, if he goes with Anderson and UPL and it works, I guess he gets credit, but it’s kinda like drawing to an inside straight — probably not a smart play.

The Sabres will sign or trade for a surprisingly big name this summer — probably not Kane, PLD or MAF but someone of that caliber.

Good to see ya sir! I voted 6x6, but after being reminded that he just turned 27, I’m having a bit of buyer’s remorse. Would be happy with 5x5 though. He’s a good, homegrown player who improves every year, can play either wing, can score it and pass it, has good speed, seems to be a good team guy and is pretty much a lock for 25 goals and 50 pts if he stays healthy, with clear possibilities of 30-30-60. That’s a valuable piece. I’ll also note that the Sabres are nowhere near loaded enough on offense to move on from a guy with that kind of production.

And about freaking time our needs were met. In all seriousness: thank God.

Thanks @john wawrow

Kinda curious to see whether Torts can raise Risto's game. I can see them getting along well.

I think this is one of those areas where NYC is different from almost everywhere else, but I haven't noticed much difference in Uber/Lyft since pre-pandemic, other than: - a bit more expensive - no more shared rides

2 things: - I think the WGR morning guys are thoroughly mediocre. - Nevertheless, it is true that TT has delivered a single good season, and it's not unreasonable to reserve judgment until he repeats it. If he does so this year, which I think is reasonably likely? Then, yes, he is absolutely the kind of guy, which contenders do need, that comes out of nowhere and becomes a star. Am I very psyched to see whether TT can bring it again, this time with a healthy Tuch, VO and Krebs for a full season, plus Quinn and JJP up front and a blossoming Dahlin, plus Power, on D, all of whom are going to create offense, and a real NHL goalie giving everyone more confidence? Hayell-yes. Do I think he will? Probably, but I'm not putting it in the bank just yet. The Sabres haven't yet earned the benefit of the doubt.

You guys are of course right that if the Sabres are the beneficiaries of the Taylor Hall approach, then yes, we could get Kane for a song. I just have a hard time believing that Kane would do so -- both that the Sabres would be his only acceptable destination, and that he would do that to the Blackhawks. (BTW, I was telling my son the other day about Dominik pulling a similar move when the Sabres traded him to Detroit, which led to me looking up Slava Kozlov's stats -- I hadn't realized that after pouting his way out of Buffalo after 39 games, he had a long and very productive 2nd half of his career with Atlanta. What a debacle for the Sabres.) Good point on the difference between Johnson and Portillo, although it's quite possible that one or both of them could give assurances to Chicago that he would sign with them.

OK, but the price the Hawks will demand for Kane is where the rubber meets the road. Do you not think it will be higher than what I mentioned (#28, Portillo/Johnson and a #2)?

Good stuff here gents. Thanks. Still -- it wouldn't be the first time that an NHL franchise has refused to turn the page at what seemed like the logical time to do so. I'll also say that the picture painted by these 2 posts isn't that of a team that would give up Kane for a price I'd be willing to pay (#28, Portillo/Johnson and a #2 -- and only if Kane signs an extension as part of the deal).

Here's a question: have the Blackhawks indicated that they are planning on a full rebuild? If not, it seems reasonably likely that, rather than trading Kane and Toews this summer, they might try to bring in a few guys over the summer via trade/FA and see if that gets them back into the playoffs -- and if it doesn't work, they can trade those 2 guys, and anyone else that makes sense, at the deadline.

He was joking you hoser.

Good analysis. My one comment though is that is he repeats or improves on his production from last season he might be more of a $9MM guy than a $7.5MM guy.

Much of this is fair, and I've been bemoaning KO's play pretty much every year other than this past season, but calling him a 4th-liner isn't accurate. He was 4th in ice time among Sabres forwards this year. I don't think they'll give him more than a 1-year extension -- so if they give him the C this summer, that means he'll wear it for 2 seasons. I think he has enough gas left in the tank for at least 1 of those seasons. If he's as respected in the locker room as many here think, he'll probably be a pretty good captain for those 2 seasons, after which we'll probably see Tuch, Cozens or Dahlin get it.

NTA, but IMHO a bit insensitive. "I just really want to know what's going on" isn't a good enough reason, again IMHO. It's a complex situation, and I'd also like to know how she's doing, and I agree that the $850MM in public money gives the public a bit more of an interest in the situation than would otherwise be the case. But I think it's still way too soon for the public to have a right to know that would outweigh the family's right to privacy. If it drags on for months, or if it looks like the stadium deal might be in jeopardy? Then it's fair to revisit the question.

I agree with most of this but not the bolded. She is clearly undergoing a pretty serious medical situation. That situation will resolve itself one way or another (hopefully with a positive outcome!) soon enough, and at that point there will almost certainly be some kind of announcement. It may take a few more weeks. In the meantime, I don't see how the public's interest is in any way harmed or jeopardized by our not knowing, right now, exactly what her condition is. Yes, she's the 50% owner of our sports teams, and perhaps (not definitely) the 100% owner someday. She doesn't have the launch codes or the deciding vote on an important piece of legislation -- or really anything that someone else can't handle at the moment. Her family is highly likely in the middle of a difficult, stressful, desperate and emotional time. A bunch of articles exploring exactly how dire the situation is would ratchet up the tension on them -- and for what? Just because we want to know? I can't agree with you on this one.

Interesting. If he's named captain -- and Graham sure seems confident that he will be -- then it seems pretty likely that he'll get an extension as well. I think I want to see how this year goes before I'd be happy with more than a 1-year extension for him.

Well, I love the fact that we've reached the point in the summer where we're arguing over how to fit Kane into our lineup, but here goes: Skinner-TT-Kane (yeah baby! yeah!) VO-Cozens-Tuch Mitts-Krebs-Quinn Zemgus-Asplund-KO 1st guy subbing in: JJP Then, after this year, at least 1 of Zemgus and KO will be gone, making room for JJP and whomever else is pushing. It's also fairly likely that one or more of Quinn, Mitts, Krebs and JJP turns out not to be ready for prime time, gets hurt, etc. Does that not work?

I'm willing to pay some combination of #28, #41, Johnson and Portillo, but only if a reasonable extension is part of the deal. I'm not trading VO in this deal. He's a good player, he's just entering his prime, the Sabres still control his rights and the NHL is becoming more of a scoring league. And, most importantly, if Kane really is going to wield his leverage and force his way to Buffalo (!), we don't need to give up VO in the deal.