nfreeman

So that's 5 3-and-outs in the last 7 possessions. Yes Virginia, Josh has had a number of lousy games this year.

Very good point. I had forgotten about his UFA timing. You are correct that the Sabres are going to need to decide at the end of this season about him. If they don't agree on a long-term deal -- and I agree that VO probably won't agree to a long-term deal at, say, $3MM per year -- he's probably gone once he hits UFA in another year.

Diggs is so great.

If VO had stayed healthy this season and put up, say, 27 goals, while also showing the development in his overall offensive game that we've seen, I would agree with you on a $5MM per year deal. But the injury has robbed him of his money maker, and I can't see him getting a big contract unless and until he returns to form.

These violent delights have violent ends.

Well, you'll certainly get no argument from me as to Dahlin's offensive upside, which I think surpasses Power's, or his growth this year under DG. I just didn't think that Power was the kind of player who could put that much pressure on the opposing D (which is not as much as Dahlin can apply, but still potentially a high amount). That video made me think that the Sabres could have 2 guys with that kind of capability, which could be transformational.

Wow. That was a great video. Serious Nick Lidstrom-type Jedi offensive zone manipulation. I didn’t know Power had that kind of game. Now I’m pretty psyched.

I thought it was noteworthy because it was the first time I’ve seen VO or anyone from the Sabres admit explicitly that the injury has affected his shot.

Speaking of VO and his injury, here’s the Athletic from Friday:

I think most of the guys in the NFL are probably decent to good guys, but I also think the NFL has a much higher percentage of sociopaths than any other sports league.

Well, I agree about the overall environment, and I think KA does as well. I also agree with KA that the whole "guys who want to be here" factor is really important to developing that environment. I'd also argue against reading too much into ERod's good 33 games. I always thought he had decent skills and hockey IQ, but he's 28 and this is by far the most productive he's ever been. Plenty of guys have shown flashes on Pittsburgh or in similarly advantaged situations only to fall way off the next year.

I've always been a traditionalist on the dome/outdoor stadium issue, but I'm coming around to the idea of a dome -- although it seems unlikely that the new stadium will be a dome. Bottom line is that as discussed upthread, tickets, parking, concessions, etc are going to be really GD expensive at the new stadium. At those prices, they are going to have a hard time selling tickets to the December and late November games if the stadium isn't a dome. My vote continues to be to stick with the Ralph, but if there has to be a new stadium, I think I'd go with a dome.

This.

I think those prices will indeed come close to doubling. There will also be PSLs for season tickets and club seats. Perhaps most importantly, there will be many more club seats and luxury box seats. Those will represent more than a 100% increase when compared with the non-club/box seats they replace.

I'm afraid you're stuck with this one, sir.

I think the plan is to increase by close to 100%, not 10%.

Without checking the #s, I'm guessing this is a pretty small sample size. Does he not appear diminished to you? Exactly. That slapper was an elite NHL skill. The rest of his game has steadily improved, and if the slapper returns I think he's a top-6 NHL player, but without it, I'm not sure he's much more than JAG.

Anyone got any deets on his background? The tweets from Evolving Wild upthread make it sound like he's been around for a while, but "data engineer" sounds like a junior position.

I sure hope this proves out but I don't think it's accurate at this point in time.

Bring us the Mule!

Is Zemgus in danger of being healthy-scratched? I'd be surprised if Hayden or Asplund were in the lineup in his stead, but those practice lines don't look good for Zemgus.

Gotcha. I think the answer is yes -- I think Krebs will continue to get PP time, likely ahead of VO, who seems to cough it up every time he gets it. At ES, while Cozens will probably retake the #2C spot with KO, Krebs will take over #3C, with wingers like Vinnie and Zemgus,pushing Eakin down to #4C (and btw I think Eakin has been playing pretty well lately). So maybe: Skinner-TT-Tuch Murray-Cozens-KO VO-Krebs-Vinnie Zemgus-Eakin-Asplund

I'm not sure "top 6 minutes" is the correct barometer here. The Sabres have 9 forwards (including Krebs) averaging between 15:23 (Zemgus) and 17:32 (TT) per game. Krebs is one of them at 16:11 per game. Vinnie only averages 14:06 per game. When Cozens returns, he'll probably be ahead of Krebs in the rotation, but I think Krebs will continue to get more ice time than Vinnie and Asplund. I also can see Krebs surpassing VO, who, as you've pointed out, seems substantially less effective since returning from injury. His one-time slapper is gone -- I think he's physically unable to shoot it.

I think Krebs looked ready and pretty good in the last 2 games. I don't expect him to be sent down.

He sure seems like he has a screw loose.