Mango

Not to take away from the JJP injury but that was an embarrassing showing from Tuch. At least somebody tried to show up. But he was clearly terrified.

I know that’s happened, and it might here but for different reasons. I think we have a collection of good players who had the wrong onboarding into the league, which makes them collectively a bad unit. But once they go on and are forced to just fall in line as an individual with stronger on ice leadership they’ll be fine.

Just cut the org of the low level USA Hockey guys.

He just isn’t showing to be a 1C this game (or last year). I’m not sure Tuch should be counted on as your 1RW. But we don’t have anybody else.

That was about as bad a PP as we’ve ever seen. Crazy with 5 guys in the blue line they get out skated when they dump it in. Sheesh.

I think RJ deserved more than a quote. It almost hurts a little more to have a quote but not an image. Especially such a generic one. He has been the one AMAZING constant for this franchise from the French Connection on. A real missed opportunity to “permanently” memorialize him on the side of the building with so many other infamous Sabres.

These kind of go together. I could make 15 centers is take over Tage based on his body of work. But I also think he has the potential to move into that group. He just hasn’t done it enough. (I know, injuries)

I think it’s a little easier than that. Started tomorrow, would Tage Thompson definitively be the first line center on over half the teams in the league?

You don’t ever recall Cozens being moved all around the lines last year, giving hime Tage, Tuch, Quinn, and Peterka, despite the fact that he’s clearly been the 3rd best center on the team. HE Double hockey sticks, we traded the best center on the team to clear the deck for Cozens to center the second line.

Cozens doesn’t need two wingers. He needs to be moved to the wing and we need to stop revolving our lines around “getting Cozens going”. He gets a lot of favorable treatment for a kid who has been our 3rd best center the last year and a half.

They look slick on their own regardless. He should double down and get a leather looking paint job on his helmet.

On a lighter note, I absolutely love Levi’s new gear!

It seems fairly clear to me that if the US team for 2026 were selected today Tage would not be on it. If it were selected a year or so ago I give him a maybe. If he had a better timeline of better play I would upgrade it to likely. That said, my spicy take last season was that the top line was better with Tage at the wing and Casey at C. I think there is a path for him outside of center. I think he will need to have a strong 24/25 and start to 25/26 in order to make the roster. So if we get 1.5 more years of 22/23 Tage he likely makes it fairly easily. Anything short is a soft maybe to probably not. It isn't just the Olympics, a lot of this Sabres roster is riding on the production, improvement, and consistency of a select few guys.

More than anything the question is "Who is Tage Thompson?" and the answer to that question will answer the Olympic question in 2 years. If he is consistently the same guy as the 22-23 season and develops his 200 foot game, then sure he will likely make it. But if he is super streaky and doesn't play both ways then I don't see it. The Buffalo Sabres desperately need Tage to become the former and not the latter.

I don't think Diggs has anything to do with Skinner. The Bills print money. The Sabres lose money...a lot of it.

I think it is a little chicken and the egg and difficult to separate the two. I believe that Adams vision for this team also saves Terry money. I don't think Kevyn Adams believes that resources are a deterrent to his vision.

It’s because we’ve been historically bad. There is no threat. It’s why people liked the Bills or Detroits rise from ineptitude.

It’s totally unrealistic to treat both teams, GM’s, and goalies in a vaccuum. Take these two employees: 1. Rick: Presidents club. Rarely makes any mistakes. Awesome leader and teammate. Bungles one or two quotes per year. But certainly makes up for it by constantly having his brand ranked top 5 2. Joe: None of the customers want to work with him. He’s a nice guy but showed up randomly as a Named Accounts AE after just working in accounts receivable earlier in his career. Most forgot he even existed until he came. He constantly misquotes major opportunities every month that costs the company money. You’re out here trying to convince people that the misquoted between these two people are identical. They’re not. At all.

Comparing the situation and roster construction in Boston is disingenuous. Sending one player to arbitration isn’t a fireable or offense. Missing the playoffs 4 years in a row largely because of mismanaging the roster construction and the goalie position in particular is.

If UPL actually sees arbitration don’t count on a happy goalie. The numbers around 2nd contracts after arbitration are pretty low. Adams needs to figure out the UPL situation. If they step foot in a hearing they should send Adams packing immediately.

This seems weird to me. Quinn isn’t a new acquisition. He’s not an AHL’er, hell, he doesn’t even fill the same role as Casey Mittlestadt. This team still needs another center to replace Mitts. We don’t have one. I still don’t get the Byram trade. We needed more 200 foot forwards in the top 6, not less. Ryan Johnson could play the Byram roll as he comes of age. If BB plays up to potential we can’t even pay him the $10M he’d cost long term with Power/Dahlin on contract. I hope I eat my hat this year on this. But I would reverse the trade right now if given the opportunity.

It’s likely the beginning of some marketing ploy to soften criticisms. instead of paying to watch an entertaining and successful product they’re likely trying to make people in the arena part of the team. People are quicker to go “that team stinks” than they are to say “we/I stink”. It is stupid. Sell the team Terry!

“Nobody wants to come here” isn’t a defense it’s a criticism. This is a problem he inherited when he was hired, and if anything I’d argue that specific problem is at the very least at the same level, if not worse. It is very much part of his job description to fix the “nobody wants to come here”. After offseason 5 it’s still bad enough that Adams himself uses it as an excuse.

At the risk of being pedantic I don’t consider JJP, Quinn, or Power prospects. They have multiple NHL seasons and either have major extensions or are waiting on a major extension.

This is the dangerous part of the cycle for Adam’s. He’s been around long enough that the “nobody wants to come/be here” is not an inherited problem. When mediocre players start taking way less money to leave during your 5th off-season you’ve gotten too close to entering the death spiral that’s plagued this franchise the last 13 years. (When it comes to Girgs, I think he’s a “fine” bottom 6 player. Like Eichel, and ROR, and Reinhardt, and Mitts, and Skinner we are so starved for a real hockey team that we judge some of these guys against a role they aren’t cut out to play. All of these guys are fine hockey players when asked to ply within their skill set and value. In properly constructed and coached NHL org they’re good enough players.)