ska-T Palmtown

As I am part of a company that is currently spending hundreds of millions of dollars developing a commercial product to "chase" customers (fans), what you have said rings totally false. It is literally how businesses operate. Companies with a product need to develop, test, and market that product. Usually, you operate in the red for quite some time knowing that once you get a good product to market, you eventually make up for those losses. It is not free to build an oil/gas well. It is not free to build a car factory ... etc The margins, due to a high floor of costs and relatively low ceiling of potential income, are smaller in hockey than in the other major sports or many consumer markets, but I would think that every team making the playoffs this year is making some sort of profit. Total Field of Dreams scenario: If Terry builds a winning team, fans (and their wallets) will come. You still don't understand budgeting 101 and that's OK. Not going to belabor it any further. <-- I can't figure out how to add this little gem as a quote via the edit function. Have you literally never followed ANY company? Amazon lost hundreds of millions of dollars a year as it grew. Major companies world wide regularly report a net loss for quarters or even full years. I don't even care about your point any more, the "I took one night class on budgets at a community college" attitude is hilarious. If you scale things down, it would be like you or me spending $2 more in 2024 than we made, while our other assets (savings, retirement accounts, house) grew by $1000 or more.

We could still hope they defecate in their respective beds and Pitt sneaks in? I know Sidney is not popular around these here parts - but GD he is a good player. If you are able to look at it objectively ... Potentially a top 10 player, all time.

most things Our Little Zach does, he does very well!

Hey - one Kucherov apple away from witnessing history?

He made a vague attempt at a stick lift ... close enough.

Greenway just TOTALLY thought the ref was a Sabres player - lol

i click on the tile on espn+ and nothing happens 😭

Benson: 10g - 20a - 30 pts 69 games (possible) at 18 Quinn: 14g - 23a - 37 pts 75 games at 21 (last year) JJ: 12g - 20a - 32 pts in 77 games at 21 (last year) Congrats on a good first season, ZB!

I was sorta struggling with your point, thinking to myself "but a coach is a tangible thing", but then realizing that is again thinking ONE thing (tangible or intangible) vs making many adjustments of various sizes. What frustrates me with the whole situation is that I am a part of the team, right? Every single thing every poster on SS has said could be 100% true, 100% false, or any degree in between, because it is all speculation. Pegula is absent, Pegula meddles. Country club, no accountability, etc etc. And it sorta dawned on me that this whole thing is like one giant mathematical permutation of 1^(super high number) of possibilities... all we know is that where the team (organization) is at right now is broken. Maybe Donnie is a great coach, but the team is a toxic clique of spoiled brats? But they support him! Of course they would say that ... you can't publicly say you don't support the coach ... look at Jack - he still carries a stigma (at least in Buffalo circles) as a coach killer. It is sad that a fresh expansion team had better roster construction than the sabres did. Not gonna lie, I lost the thread. Thorny, I respect the hell outta your hockey opinions, even agree most of the time! This was more about a brain dump, than it was an actual reply to your post ... your post just got the wheels spinning - which is why I respect your postings.

I do tend to over generalize, that's on me. As with many things, it is probably the vocal minority that is driving opinion. I definitely don't lump people, such as yourself, who point out ways you hope he improves or things you wish he did better with the "power sucks, trade him now" crowd.

I guess I get that people want every first overall pick to be McDavid ... or even Dahlin, but I really don't get the hate toward Power. He is good. He likely will be very good soon (assuming one does not think he is already) ... The Fox comparison numbers are great, @dudacek - and he is 26, while Mr. Number One Flow and person of @inkman's dreams is still just 22! I love Dahlin, but his 2nd year in the league and his age 21/22 season are not that much better than Power's.

I live in Chicago proper - the city actually has a Trap n Release program for feral cats. Does wonders to control critter population - even rats! There are three in our neighborhood, one original female and two truly feral males. We have managed to trap and neuter one of the males (there are a handful of vets that do it for free!) ... but my complaint is that the second male is very inconsistent in his schedule and VERY smart. We are hoping to get him this spring before he makes another round or 7 of kittens with any unfixed females that might be slinking about. GET YOUR PETS SPAYED OR NEUTERED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in idiotic 'Canes fanboi - so I would not mind if we got him in round 2. Not the next Ed Reed, but he played pretty well in college. 🤷‍♀️

It's about time the actual hockey players show up in this skill thread, lol!

I don't even know if i believe what I am about to type - but for discussion's sake ... any chance we know the total goals for and against while Krebs and Cozens played? ie - if they (and their linemates) did not score much, but also did not find themselves on the ice for too many of the other teams' goals - it might not be as bad as first blush? That said - your point about "key" offensive players disappearing when it matters is not lost. (Also, for fun, read that last sentence as though they are players who offend, vs generate offense, lol)

I assumed he meant this year? But, ya know ... ***** and such is the saying.

I, for one, like the Country Club atmosphere around here and don't want to do anything to jeopardize the free cucumber water in the lobby!

Luckily for me, math also has imaginary numbers, just like our playoff "hopes" 🙂

Here's what I will offer ... in a vacuum, your post might not be so bad. But the abstract truth, from where I sit, is that the team is not good enough. For whatever reason, it just isn't. This has probably happened to far better teams in the annals of sports history, but here we are. On paper - we have strong goal tending, but it is unproven and this was really the first time UPL played this well. Maybe he is finally fully recovered from his hip surgeries, etc etc, but it could also be a one and done. On paper - wow, our D! <pause for dick jokes> FIVE first round draft choices! TWO first overall! On paper - ohhh that sweet sweet forward corps! Some big guys, some small skilled players, some determined role players! Hell yeah! Multiple former 40-goal scorers, slick passers, and some guys who know their way around the full 200' length of the ice. Oh, and the kids! Obviously we don't have any McDavids or Bedards, but krikey the skill sets on these youths is pretty impressive! Some of them were over a point-per-game in the A <pause for butt jokes> before coming up to The Show. Our coach?! Man, Tage and Rasmus have really found their game under him. Saved their careers. What did all of this get us? DeLuca 500, if we are lucky. OK - that was a bit sarcastic ... and I like the players (as the people I imagine they are), but it is like making a cake and thinking the taste is just off (last season), thinking "hmmm - lemme make that again, I must have used a pinch where I need a bit more", nope still not good (this season), and then making it ONE MORE TIME just to be really really sure the recipe is off. Our recipe is off, time to try something else. I think there are enough good things about the team that a few well-placed moves could have great results, but we can't simply run it back and hope it fixes itself 😞

You know what ... I just got done leaving you a really complimentary reply in another thread and now I regret it! 😉 Your logic and kill joy has no place in a Sabres game day thread where their season is hanging on literally ... by a thread (like a really thin one that is pretty much frayed all the way thru). We are Sabres fans, so clearly logic does not apply and killing joy seems to be the only thing this team is good at on a consistent basis 😞

Your point makes sense to me - no real NHL value. They have perceived potential value which will value greatly and likely be highest amongst the home town fan base. Also, I totally agree about willing to do pretty much anything to improve the team. JFC ... 13 yrs is all but a few decimal places away. I long for the day when a 'top prospect' needs to sit in Rochester for 3 or 4 years because there is simply no room for him on the roster. Sure, we get glimpses of what is to come when he gets called up for a brief injury fill in ... but boy will he be awesome once we have a spot for him. While also acknowledging that is not entirely how the NHL functions anymore, with superstar contracts and salary caps you need some entry level contract 'kids' who overperform if you are going to make any real noise. Anyway - love the discussion, some really great points!

We have 79 points with a cap of +8 = 87 pts Detroit is 84 +10 Pitt is 84 + 8 If Sabres lose (max drops to 85) and either Detroit or Pitt hits 86, it is over. If Sabres win out and tie with Pitt, Det, Wash, Philly, NJ with 87 points, NJ is the only team that would have more RWs - we have the tie-breaker at 87 points against 4 of the other 5 teams. All that to say ... math has not eliminated us yet - but it is NOT on our side.

I am surprised none of the "still playing at a high level" folks have chimed in. I grew up slapping a tennis ball around in my driveway in some hand-me-down old school roller skates, so how I learned is very irrelevant (but follows the baseball analogy closely). I asked a couple of guys this morning at rat (shinny) who had played some college puck - they emphasized the exact opposite of a lot of the thinking I am seeing here - dominant hand on top allows for better stick handling and puck control. While stick handling, your bottom hand is supposed to be fairly open and loose, all the rotation of the stick (and thus the blade) comes from you top hand. Naturally, if you want to emphasize stick handling and puck control in your development programs, you would encourage the kids to play dominant hand at the top of the stick. Since the world is roughly 90% righties and he NHL is only 70% lefties, there is obviously a fair amount of players who did not follow the 'current wisdom'. 🤷‍♀️

Yeah, all fair points. I also don't begrudge any Sabres fans that are out of patience. I mean, this is bordering on ludicrous at this point!