dudacek

At an estimated cap of $88 million next year, capfriendly says Dahlin is at 13.17% TNT is 8.6, Skinner 10.8 and Mule 5.1% for this year.

I have no issues locking my 2 best players up for $20 million, regardless of position, especially if they are each playing 25 minutes a game. Having my 2 best centres locked up long-term for $14 million makes it even easier. For whatever it’s worth, Adams repeated this morning what he has said previously: Power wants to sign in Buffalo long-term, conversations are ongoing and intense and it’s about finding a number that works for both sides. Ive been saying for months, something around the Aaron Ekblad contract is what it will take get it done. In today’s dollars, that’s 8 years at a little over $8.5 million.

Interesting comments from Adams on the goaltending in his presser this morning. He essentially said they’ve been “having conversations” about it right up until yesterday, and the “situation around the league” was a major factor in keeping 3 goalies. Not clear if those conversations were internal or external, but he certainly implied that Comrie and UPL have value and he was not going to give either away for nothing. Sounded to me like he is waiting for a shoe to drop: team(s) (Tampa?) in need of a goalie making a move to acquire one. Maybe that goalie is one of ours, maybe it’s someone else’s but it reduces the risk of one of ours not clearing waivers? Maybe one of our goalies cracks, or pouts, or (god forbid) plays well enough to remove the logjam. But it sounds like even though the 3-headed monster is not something that will be around indefinitely, it will be in place until a reason materializes for it not to be.

Just came to do the same. 🍺 Im thinking a few kids are going to get marginalized here because the competition for ice time will be tough. That is one deep AHL team. Murray Biro Rousek Rosen Kulich Weissbach Mersch Richards Jobst Kisakov Kozak Neuchev Cedarqvist Fiddler-Shultz Nadeau Warren Slaggert Giroux Clague Johnson Stillman Metsa Cecconi Davies Novikov Prow Jandric Savoie Tokarski Cooley Houser

I’m with Webster on this, free agents who sign AHL contracts are the property of no NHL team and those contracts typically allow the player to void that contract to sign an NHL deal. If Metsa is on a typical AHL deal, he can sign with the Sens tomorrow at no compensation. That’s the risk you take by not offering him an NHL contract.

I thought he had a good game at both ends of the rink. One of the few Sabre consistently on the right side of the puck. Won battles and moved the puck well. Moved his feet better than he has. We look so talented offensively and so clueless defending. It’s remarkable actually This

With the opening night roster mostly on display tonight, I’m curious if we are going to get a preview of how the PP is going to lineup. The Sabres had a good power play statistically last year, but that was mostly the creation of a monster first half that relied heavily on Tage Thompson’s bomb from the left wall. The unit wavered in the spring and didn’t seem to adjust well when teams took Tage away. The base seemed to consistently be Tage, Tuch and Skinner low, and Dahlin as the QB. Cozens seemed to take most of the right wall duty away from Olofsson, at least as the season went on. Power always ran PP2, with Mitts, Olofsson, Cozens, Quinn, Peterka and Okposo getting the majority of looks in support. How would you tweak the PP this year and what do you think Donnie will do?

He just turned 24 in June. Its like Dahlin, being only 23, they’ve both been around so long you forget how young they were when they started.

Devon Levi is a star, the Sabres make the playoffs with ease and make a run to the final 4.

“170-pound teenagers can’t survive the grind of pro hockey. An 82-game season will grind them down and destroy their confidence. Some 230-pound goon will take a run at him and shatter his body and his psyche beyond repair.” Every single reason why Benson shouldn’t be in the NHL this year could have also been applied to Isak Rosen and Jiri Kulich playing in the AHL last year. Maybe the Sabres have learned a thing or two about this situation?

Sometimes players become whipping boys because they struggle (Bryson, UPL). Other times it just feels like the mob needs someone to pile on. I think the latter’s the case with Joki. Everyone talks about the defence falling apart last fall when Samuelsson went out. No one talks about #10 also being missing for that stretch. Everyone talks about Samuelsson Dahlin being such a good pair last year. No one talks about Jokiharju Dahlin being an even better pair analytically. Everyone talks about injuries hampering Dahlin’s play after the all-star game last year. No one talks about Jokiharju playing through 2 serious injuries last season. The guys not a star, but he’s a real NHL defenceman, not the Jamie McBain-like press box fodder some of you make him out to be: Sekera, Kalinin, Shannon - good Sabres teams have always had room for guys his level. The article has a subtext that suggests the room is well aware of what the keyboard warriors are saying about Henri. I hope he’s healthy and able to piss in their Cheerios this year.

I guess it should be considered a miracle if a pro hockey team looks beyond tired, myopic hockey tropes like “18-year-olds can’t play” when making lineup decisions. Because there are reasons why Benson slipped to 13, and they aren’t about “doing better”.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with this statement, but it's trumped by two things IMO: 1) his competition 2) his play Jack Quinn's spot is open and Benson has been head-and-shoulders better than the other guys competing for it, consistently, in every way: offensively, defensively, in a first line role, in a 3rd line role, along the wall, in open ice, in the first game and in the 6th. Not one player on the bubble could look at himself in the mirror and say "I was better than that guy." not Kulich, not Rousek, not Biro. They know it, and the veterans know it. It hasn't been close. Anyone who says it has, hasn't been watching. If he can't keep it up when the bullets start flying for real, then send him down and give another guy his shot. But if it's about winning, then performance has to mean something. Earning it has to mean something, Benson's performance has earned it.

I’m not concerned about losing Bryson, and I doubt they are either, but I don’t think they’re as anxious to dump him as the fans are. However, I do think they’d prefer to carry 8 D, and they’re not anxious to to give away either backup. That scenario was not about saving Bryson, more about “don’t bet on the goalie situation being resolved on roster cutdown day, here’s a way it could drag out.”

You thinking Johnson has already made Bryson redundant in their minds?

10D (you forgot Bryson) 5 more cuts coming out of Comrie, UPL, Benson, Rousek, Biro, Clague, Johnson, Stillman and Bryson. If they can’t trade Comrie or UPL before cutdown day, I’m fully expecting Johnson, Clague, Rousek and Biro to be sent down, and a defenceman put on IR so they can keep both and Bryson.

Hope the vets got the kinks out tonight because most of them looked pretty bad. But as for the players on the bubble, I think we’ve got our answers. UPL played like UPL. Nothing he did should have changed any minds. Johnson looked not perfect, but skilled and confident, like he has. He’ll get sent down because he needs to play, but he’ll be back, and when he does, there’s a pretty good chance he’s going to stay. Biro did less than he has in previous showings. He’ll be in Buffalo at some point this year, but it won’t be next Thursday. I thought Rousek worked hard and played smart, even if he flubbed that great Benson set-up. It was the kind of game I’d hope he’d give us if he made the team. But he’s not going to. Because the Rousek/Krebs/Benson line only one that looked engaged and in sync. And its driver was Benson. Looks like his linemates don’t matter. Kid is a dog, plus he’s got brains and skill. He makes a difference and he has every game he’s played. That has to matter for something. They’d be nuts not to keep him up to start the season.

Still nothing working for Tuch tonight. At least Power has picked it up.

Sure don’t deserve to be tied, but here we are. UPL with that point blank save to keep it from going 4-1 gave us a chance to climb back in. (Just saying it because no one else will. 😜)

Mitts line doing things since JJ got moved up.

Lukas, this is how you do it.

Doesn’t look like Elvis ever entered the building on that one.

Clifton not distinguishing himself so far and Power looking soft and slow to make plays

Z looked like like Rick Martin there.

I liked the aggressiveness on the PK. Scored on their only chance, which happened largely because of UPL’s rebound control.