SHAAAUGHT!!!

Does TT really have good hands? I like his shot and his skating is better than I was expecting, but his hands have not been good. Several times he's lost the puck while trying to deke and has made some bad turnovers. At this point I'm still chalking it up to nerves, but if he doesn't settle things down he might end up in Rochester before New Year's.

Welcome to the internet. Everyone has an opinion and 95% of them are crap. ?

The only people on notice are those insinuating RJ should be pushed out. I don't care if he is calling games from his living room, makes up half the players names and mispronounces the other half. Hearing Rick's play-by-play was literally the best part of most Sabre's games last season.

No options between "best goalie in the league" and "provide play that is neither great, nor terrible..."??? I'd like to think he will land somewhere in between these two.

Smart guy. As someone who is fluent in trash talking, I can tell you this tactic buys you an "out" later on down the road. Let's say a quarterback blows him up during a game. Now Ramsey can say "man, I say a lot of stupid stuff. I can't even skate and I said I could play in the NHL within 6 months."

And this could be the year we finally see his potential. No more skating with Girgs and Pommers. He'll have his BFF on the right side, and a natural goal scorer on a contract year on his left.

Depends what type of deal he's looking for. If he is ok with a front loaded 3-4 year deal, I think it happens. Botterill's moves since the trade deadline have not only made the team better on the ice, but he has given himself a lot of cap flexibility in the out years. I don't think he is looking to give up that flexibilty on a longer-term Skinner contract. It also may depend on what Sams contract is going to look like.

I think Reinhart starts next to Jack too, unless Middlestadt looks terrible in pre-season action and they have to move Sam to 2C. I find this an unlikely scenario. I'm most curious about how E-Rod and T2 perform in camp. They both can play their off-wing, which helps us on the left side, but they bring two different skill sets. For me this is the biggest competition to watch because I expect the winner will play on Middlestadt's left side on the 2nd line.

I think you are supposed to pick a password that people won't guess...

Per Bob McKenzie 3 years AAV $6.25M

That is what I call check and mate. LOL

Well this might change the trade landscape a bit. It's very weird story to say the least, especially since Hoffman "150%" denies it, but it seems Karlsson and his wife don't believe him. Someone is going to have to be moved before camp opens. Mike Hoffman's Fiancee Accused of Online Harassment of Erik Karlsson's Wife http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2780899-mike-hoffmans-fiancee-accused-of-online-harassment-of-erik-karlssons-wife?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

Someone should let Big G know that maybe his taxes are so high because the local government has to spend time and resources dealing with all the half-witted well-to-dos coming to them to fix basic home ownership problems. You couldn't pay me enough to deal with this crap.

That question lends itself to more questions. Who's available in FA? Is there a possibility they have Lehner or Johnson back? Yikes...

Hamilton did pretty well too, but Dunleavy tries to bring more flair to the role and I like that. At the end of the day, at least we know it isn't going to be Kevin Sylvester. :D

lol, yeah I did. These European d-men are used to a lot more room in the offensive zone so I see them pinching quite a bit. Those opportunities don't present themselves as much on NA ice surfaces, and when they do the player wont have as much time as they are used to.

RJ is a god among men, and Dunleavy has the misfortune of following up one of the greats. He's better than anyone else that has filled in for Rick and he will find his rhythm. At this point DD is still better than 50% of the other play-by-play guys in the league. I'm still lamenting the loss of Jim Lorentz. Nobody broke down plays like him during the course of a game (Roby did have his moments during intermissions). Harry Neale was a shell of him former self while doing games for the Sabres and Rob Ray sounds like he has marbles in his mouth whenever he speaks. Razor gets a pass though because he gave his body to the team and his life to the area, and I do appreciate his sense of humor and his willingness to share his opinion on and experiences with players and coaches. It will be a cold, sad day in Buffalo when RJ fully retires and we never hear him yell SHAAAAAAAAAAUGHT!!! again during a game...

I'm glad this is done. I think he is comparable to, and an upgrade from, Antipin. From the footage I've seen his shot looks harder and more accurate than Antipin, but only time will tell how he handles a larger playing surface...

The numbers make sense to me. On the PP you start in your zone, and if they clear the zone the winger usually sits high near the opponents blue line, so a lack of speed doesn't hurt guys like Sam and O'Reilly when the Sabres have the man advantage. That said I thought Sam was doing all the little things right, and let me be specific instead of just making a general cliche. 1) He won a lot of puck battles behind the net with his poke check and his combo poke-and-spin off move 2) He was in front of the net to pickup up the garbage, get deflections, and screen the goalie 3) His passing was much better in the 2H of the season. I think a lot of his improvement came when the entire team finally became comfortable and implemented Housley's system in Jan/Feb. The defense was quickly moving the puck to the forwards and did a great job of opening up the neutral zone. I wouldn't be surprised to see Sam start off strong next season.

:doh: Worst.FanClub.Ever. Good luck attracting a coach that wants to work for a club that will fire you when you struggle to win games with only 5 above average NHL caliber players on the roster. And my 5 players are Eichel, Risto, Scandella, O'Reilly, Okposo. Yes the team has a lot of potential, and I think we've seen it during some games against very good teams, but we started the season with one proven LW on the roster and he was traded at the deadline. This season was over before it started. Housley is first year coach on a very weak team. The Sabres have been moving the puck out of their zone with purpose since December, something that Blysma or Nolan never accomplished. Am I the only one that remember how Blysma would have the wingers just standing at the red and blue lines to tip a puck in so they could go chase it? Not only was it terrible and boring hockey, that doesn't help with player development either. I'm not ready to pull the plug on Housley yet, and nobody else should be either. The players are starting to play the system, and the system is showing promise. Really I think the system is showing more promise that most of the players on this team at this point...

I don't see how keeping Kane playing out another losing season would improve our negotiating position before July 1st. Let Kane play playoffs, let's see if he can stay healthy, and then let's see what happens July 1st. In your scenario if Jbot doesn't sign him at the end of two months, he basically gave up a 1st rounder, a prospect, and a 4th rounder for the right to negotiate with a player that has already lived in your city and played on your team for 3 years. Regarding poker with the big boys, I think it would have shown timidness to not make a move here. I also think that even when you lose a negotiation, you can use that as leverage in another situation ("hey man, I got killed last year, if you don't give me XYZ I can't make that deal").

Can someone please explain to me why Jbot should have walked away from this deal if this was the best one he could get? I'm curious because I really can't think of a good reason.

I chalk it up to him being a proud man that doesn't like losing, especially when he is counted on to be a difference maker. And it also might just be a veteran trying to keep the younger and fringe players motivated and competing during yet another losing season. Yeah, I was shocked that he was back to start the season, and I was equally surprised he wasn't as fast or quick. I figured he'd be focusing on his feet while rehabbing his arm, but it just might have been too hard to train effectively before camp started and he had to be in game shape.

I don't get all the Larsson haters here. This guy is a solid bottom sixer that doesn't cost a lot of money and is just hitting his prime years. He was having a career year (on pace for 15 goals) playing with Gionta and Foligno against the other teams 1st lines when his arm exploded (dislocated wrist and elbow) and required surgery. 15 goals for a 3rd line two-way forward/grinder is gold. That's more than Foligno or Gaustad ever got us. Injury clip here. https://youtu.be/InHiXfbKsWo?t=19s That injury was vicious - I thought his career was over and he wouldn't be the same guy. Because before that hit he was fearless, fast, and solid in both zones. It took him a while this season but he is almost back to where he was. Even in that Florida game he is carrying that puck from behind the net to the front of it with 2:30 left in the 3rd period for a solid scoring chance. And then when one of his teammates is getting slashed and high-sticked, he goes over and blast the guy in the face with a cross check. That is someone playing for more than just himself. Again, more than Gaustad ever gave us. Yes, this year he seems a bit slower, and his defensive play has been hit-or-miss, but this guy is putting it back together and could be our Dixon Ward, Matt Barnaby, Vaclav Varada type player. If you watch the lines he takes without the puck you can tell the guy is coachable and knows his stuff. I don't think Johan has hit his ceiling yet, and I think he is the kind of player that we need, because this team doesn't have a lot grit, and its going to get even softer when we lose Kane and Gorges. Plus it's fun to say Johan in the terminator voice.

"It is the responsibility of each poster not to post in an offensive or obnoxious manner. The real question is the definition of "offensive." I wasn't as put off by the post in question as Radar was, but I could be in the minority on that. If enough people find it offensive -- it's offensive and it's the fault of the poster." Oh boy here we go... Easy solution maybe we should consider: as long as the poster isn't personally attacking someone, if you don't like it, comment that you don't like it (if you want) and move on. I find it more offensive that someone considers majority rules to gauge right and wrong because, in general, people get really stupid and easy to manipulate when fired up about something. I've played in a few Xbox online hockey leagues and the personal attack rule allows people to goof on each other playfully, without taking it "over the line." Regarding this specific comment, sure it was childish and immature and maybe would have been funny if I was in middle school (or highly intoxicated), but I've seen worse comments about Cody Hodgson and Ville Leino on this board. There's my two cents that no one asked for. :P Anyhow... can the Sabs make some trades already??!!!