LTS

I was probably not clear. Dahlin might have been asking for trade restrictions and the Sabres were negotiating against providing them, thus Dahlin seeking more money in compensation for agreeing to an open movement contract.

I wonder about two things in particular to the higher amount. First, I've seen no mention of any trade restrictions on this contract. I wonder if the Sabres wanted that and Dahlin countered with more money to accommodate. Second, with many players signing short term UFA deals earlier this summer, I wonder if Dahlin's camp approached the Sabres and said, you can pay us a bit more now or wait for someone to set the new baseline in the next few years. All in all, the biggest benefit (other than being signed) is if it's true that he can be moved at will.

I know what I said, and the word was not predetermined. Nothing I said at all indicates he won't be able to compete or that the team knows for sure. My comments are that they need to be sure. Nothing more. They aren't even my opinion but commentary on how management makes decisions on rosters. This has been going on for as long as players have been trying out for teams. It's not even a Granato or Adams thing. You seem to be relating the all of the potential outcomes of a preseason with the word predetermined. Roster flexibility and the ability of a player to perform at an NHL level throughout a season are concerns for every player in this situation, it has nothing to do with Benson or anyone. There's nothing predetermined. You have players compete in preseason so you can gauge the likelihood of their ability to compete at the NHL level for a full season. That seems rather obvious.

That said, before the Peter Gabriel concert I received an email each from KBC and TicketMaster telling me of the policy. That did not happen last year so I suspect they heard some complaints. The newest joy is them taking the plastic caps from the bottles if you buy something to drink (water, etc.). I guess it's to allow the bottle to empty a bit should you want to throw it? No idea.

Just run the damn thing from below the goal line and those one-timers will open up even more. It should also reduce short-handed opportunities against as the defense is forced to play lower in the zone. I still wait for the day some NHL team uses this and shows success.. and they will show success.

Who said predetermined? You are making a counterpoint to a point that was not made. If the original point does not exist, then your counterpoint is, by virtue, also non-existent.. therefore your comment is pointless. Just having some fun, but seriously. I didn't say predetermined, so you should re-read what I posted and make a counterpoint to that. True, but that does speak to the contract/roster flexibility. I don't just mean at this point in time but for as long as those assets are in the system. Starting a contract without getting the full potential is, at a business level, wasteful. All things can be worked around, naturally. With younger players the tendency is to keep things flexible, especially when a team has a talented roster. And again, I will say it. I like Benson, a lot. I would like nothing more for him to be on this team and to provide the Sabres with roster flexibility to ice a top 9 that are all scoring threats. I don't know where Benson ends up this season, but his play so far indicates his trajectory is top line eventually.

It's never about just the talent of the players that can be in the lineup. This is one aspect that has to be taken into account. Until a team is a near absolute lock to challenge for the Cup (not just make the playoffs) a good GM isn't planning to win this year at the expense of any future years. Burning contracts reduces roster flexibility. And roster flexibility is the real key to all of this. If the situation was like the AHL then it would be a no brainer. But it's not and that will more than likely lead the team to send both Benson and Savoie back to Wenatchee. Simply put, if either of them are kept past 9 games then there is no other spot for them. If they struggle, the team is handcuffed on what they can do. No ability to trade for someone and send the struggling player to the AHL. The team has to be damn sure the player can contribute and contribute for a full 82 game + playoff season. Benson looks good now, but what does he look like in February after the grind of the NHL? I just don't see a team with the stated goal of making the playoffs limiting its ability to move proven NHL roster pieces around. And I think Benson is fantastic, I think if he could be sent down to the AHL then I would put him on this roster until Quinn returns or he begins to struggle. I love how he sees the ice and anticipates the play. But.. the business wins in the end.

Love Pizza PLant. Go there almost every time before a game. Great beer selection and love PODs. Johnny Ryan uses pure cane sugar versus HFCS... I don't drink any of the stuff any more but I avoid HFCS at all opportunities. See above!

It's admirable, but once "American" cars began being primarily built outside of the United States I began looking for cars that were mostly built within the United States. I'd rather see the money go to support the team on the floor versus the team in the office.

Every hit? Good thing the Sabres are not playing at home given their stingy statisticians!

I'll give you my opinion about the lines in the GDT on 10/12/23. Might as well speculate on the Powerball numbers at this point. 🙂

Yeah, I bought a PC instead because they get better deals. but, I never buy cutting edge anyway.. it's far too expensive. I have been toying with building a racing rig, full seat frame and everything. But.. common sense keeps winning out. 🙂

Liquid cooling has been around awhile. It replaces the thermal fan you would normally use and that creates a much quieter setup. Sure it's great for heat dissipation as well, but the silence (and often the LED bling) are the primary reasons people choose it. I didn't build a PC the last time I upgraded because of the cost of video cards. I've been considering an upgrade but, just don't need it these days.

They'll need to rely on upping the STH count, and the team is not good enough for that, not yet. That's when your almost die hard fans justify buying in for the season. That's when they can feel confident that a Tuesday night game in January will sell on the resale market except... Factor in an crap economy, an ever increasing cost of attending a game, a lower tier arena experience, and I think people are content to sit at home and watch the game.

Tage is big, but I am sure splitting him in half will half serious impacts to his game. 🙂 Let's just leave it to hockey here. Hockey is a sport that routinely sees kids at a very young age going off and living away from their families for an extended period of time. Our friend's daughter has been at prep school since 14 playing hockey. These kids are going to play hockey for a good part of the day and then get an education. They are being banged up and are playing against bigger individuals. If Zach Benson were in college his year, he'd be playing against 22 year olds who are bigger and stronger. Overall, I'm can't recall if a team can have Benson play a few games, then send him down, and bring him back again to play a few more. If that's possible then I suspect that if they feel Benson can contribute immediately they'll send him back to Wenatchee while they work a trade that opens up a roster spot and then recall him. Having him sitting in the press box while working a trade is a clear indication the Sabres think he's ready and it could impact value. I won't prognosticate more. I need to see him in an NHL game against a full NHL squad.

I'll take phrases inkman likes to hear for $500 Alex. No watching the game for me tonight... oh well. I'm saving my money for as long as I can before I make a decision on how I will watch the Sabres this season.

Not sure. I expected it to be blacked out.. but I'm not complaining!

I'm in Rochester and watching on ESPN+. I don't like Edwards, but I've never heard him sound like this. He sounds like he is suffering a medical condition. I'm not even trying to be sparky. I'm actually concerned for him.

It was a great show.

So you only get 2 games with the Sabres commentators unless you choose to only listen to the game and the game against Boston you have to suffer the biggest jackwad in hockey announcing... Only 1 MSG produced game and we wonder why MSG sucks so bad at broadcasting hockey.

I'd put him on the team.. just for that photo.

Going to see Peter Gabriel tonight in Buffalo. Wanted to head in early but had meetings. All meetings have now been canceled (not of my own doing). Yep. This is my kind of Friday.

Well... great. This is going to get confusing. 🙂 Glad you came back.

My expectations for the team are to make the playoffs or it's a failed season. Now, if they don't am I going to get up on a soapbox and complain about how much they suck and infer I will not longer be a fan? Not a chance. In the end it's still hockey and just a sport. However, as a fan, I have expectations. They will be met or not be met. Bottom line, any sports is merely entertainment and while it can add value to my life when things go well I don't let it take value from my life if they don't. I might not get as much value but in no way am I letting a sports team make my life miserable. I have enough other things going on in life attempting to do so... things that have far more immediate impact that a W/L record.

I think this just speaks to an issue that many forums face. The balance of new topics versus combined conversations. As was mentioned up the thread. The new topic projecting each players 2023-24 output works in much the same way. There are a variety of topics that tend to proliferate out into new threads. Overall, I don't think it's much of an issue but I still maintain a function to "Ignore topic" would be fantastic to have. This makes it easier to flag those conversations you are not interested in. Even cooler could be the ability to ignore topic with <flag>, so that you could just say I don't want to see threads flagged "prospects" for example. A lot of administrative overhead.. and certainly takes governance.. until then I think it's just BAU.