ska-T Palmtown

Maybe Adams was like "how aboot 4x$4M?" ... i can see not dignifying that with a response, lol.

I also don't think trading for Byram solves Dallas's cap problems. He wants too much. The have like $5.73 or something. (notice the there is no "M" after that number, like five bucks ... seriously)

He has essentially played full seasons in 2 out of his 3 years in the NHL. Seems like the injury season should be looked at as the outlier, no?

I feel like I was mostly in some sort of broad agreement with your post. I was mostly using your post as a way into the convo, tbh. That said, while we may differ on our exact feelings of the JJ trade (and admittedly, I focuses almost entirely of the effects of that one trade in the second half of my ramblings), we both feel you can't judge the trade without the context of what happens around it, ie Terry simply pocketing the $5.5M or GM Howdy Doody actually doing something useful with it. In the end for me, if the Sabres make the playoffs this year, the JJ trade is water under the bridge.

I think there is some value in saying if, If, IFFFFF, the Sabres uses that $5.5M savings to get Robertson or Marner, etc - then we could look back on the series of moves having been an overall success - and that would be more meaningful, at least to me. By itself, still not happy with this trade. I liked JJ's game. There, I said it. It seems like some people (not necessarily you, JohnnySea) seem to think that strong 2-way forwards grow on trees. I am not even sure that brand of hockey is coached at the younger levels anymore. Even looking at the list of F's that get Selke votes, many of them are "meh" overall, but the crowd is thin. In one of the other threads, it came up that the Sabres were 3-29 when scoring 2 or fewer goals. Solve the goalie, become an acceptably mediocre team that comfortably eeks into the playoffs. Can some of that come from better D? Sure, I guess. But without JJ, they may play MORE games scoring 2 or fewer goals, thus necessitating a proportionally stronger performance from the D and G. Classic Looney Tunes where Daffy is trying to plug the holes in the dam, but runs out of fingers (? you, the kind disney ducks have)

I am fascinated by the Sabres going 33-17 when scoring 3 or more. I know few teams average 3 a game, but the Sabres did it FIFTY times. 50 games, 218 goals ... so for 61% of the season they averaged just over 4 goals per game. The other 32 ... 3-29 ... WTF? 47 goals ... or a paltry 1.5 (if you round up) ... 🤮 Scoring 2 or fewer 32 times and having your goalie bail you out (checks notes ...) THRICE!?!?! We can rag on the defense all we want - but ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we need look no further than between the pipes. Nothing further your honor. edit: tagging @stenbaro since they did the original work - I don't want to take credit!

45 points puts you at around 150th in the league in scoring. 91 of those players are listed by ESPN as "C" or "D" (yes i know there is discrepancy between where they are listed and where they play) ... that means ~ 60 wings scored 45 or more points last year. Given that 2 wings per team play on the TOP line ... one could make an argument that 45 points as a wing is borderline TOP line production. Not sure where the arbitrary nature of "45 points is not top 6 production" comes from. But stats don't back it up. I think there was a long discussion on McLeod in this same context. In today's watered down NHL, not every top line player is putting in 90 points ... Edit: Dang, @dudacek typed less and beat me to it! and I was totally debating the point 🙂

While I don't agree that "all" of Sabrespace would still be negative after a playoff berth and a quick exit - you do have to admit it is not too hard to imagine all the "blow it up, we are terrible" threads after said first round exit. What I also so is the (fairly substantial) "Hey, we could end the drought this year" crowd morphing into the "OK, we made the playoffs, here is why I think we could build on it" crowd. After FOURTEEN freaking years, there is actually a shocking amount of optimism around this playoff-desert team, lol.

TF? It would be pretty easy to argue a lot could change (I won't definitively say it will, since I am not a mystic soothsayer with the ability to see and/or predict the future) ... for one; the "they never make the playoffs" stink could come off - leading to coming off a NMC list or two? Attract a slightly higher tier FA? I won't be so bold as to predict a Bills-like turnaround since the Sabres don't have a JA17 just yet (nor do i think "franchise-altering QB" translates to the NHL unless we land another Hasek?) Players have hope for once in their miserable careers that staying in Buffalo is not a death-sentence? Instead of wilting like delicate flowers in a heat wave the following spring, they gut it out and make the playoffs again? This time with some added confidence and experience? The city and fanbase can let loose with a small sigh of relief that maybe, just maybe, they aren't actually cursed? I know we are all down on what is going on ... but to imply nothing would change if they made the playoffs? A bit hyperbolic, no?

had not really meant to steer the thread - jAcK QuInN iS AlWaYs HuRt is just one of my trigger points 🙂 That said - similar to @LGR4GM's comment above, I think he has the potential to be a 30g scorer (he has the SHOT, that is for sure) - given he has had more apples than goals I guess 30-35a as well?

To be fair (although it is football), the Bills had a 17-year drought and the Sabres are currently tied with the J-E-T-S at 14 for the longest active streak. I honestly don't see the Jests ending theirs this year, so here's to hoping the Sabres can!

Rossi - 0.55 pts/game in 185 games Quinn - 0.54 pts/game in 178 games Granted Rossi's point totals were 1 (in 19 games!), 40, then 60 and Mr. Quinn has gone 37, 19, 39 ... but as of today - no real overall difference. We'll see what '25-26 brings, i guess 🙂

Sports hernia - same thing Ras (probably) had to start the 24-25 season. It does weaken my point a bit ... I guess if he gets injured this year, I will hang my head in shame and embark on a whirlwind apology tour 🙂 If he doesn't? Man, ain't nobody ever heard as much "I-told-you-so"ing as I am gonna do!!!

Jack Quinn's "inability to stay healthy" is a myth. He had ONE SEASON where he had two bad luck injuries, otherwise: And he was benched for at least 2 of the 8 he missed in 24-25. Pleez stahp! Also note (for others who like this narrative, too) - the injuries did not diminish his play. Since coming back from the Achilles injury - 58 pts in 101 games, roughly 0.57 pts/game and it was 0.49 before. If someone wants to say the injuries set his development back, sure. I think he even said he wished he had been stronger to start last season. Quinn is at least as good as he was his rookie season ...

The only way I care about the 2026 1st round pick is if they have a shot at 1OA and McKenna. But ... that means they sucked balls again in 25-26 ... so that means I probably no longer care? Vicious cycle.