DarthEbriate

I blame Russell Wilson. But, they could instead send Benson down to marinate in the W.

Huh. The game is on ESPN... but not streaming on ESPN+/Hulu. Well, here goes another game I won't see.

But that might lead him to actually believe that Tuch Icewalker and Princess Levi (as the trade-spawn of Jackikin Eichwalker and Reino Samidala) are going to lead the Sabres Rebellion to victory over the Stanley Cup... but that's just a weird and oddly coincidental movie-team wish fulfillment of my imagination. That's not how The Concept Of works. It's not going to happen just because it's written in the script. They've still got to play the games.

There's an app for that. Before you can mock the 1-3-1, you must score to take the lead against it.

Aww hell. It’s sideways. Whatever. Screw Vegas. (Though the U2 show was visually fun and the acoustics were amazing.)

Worst place to watch a hockey game ever. And will be on a plane by the end of it But a smoky thing might appease me for a bit. Cheers, ‘Spacers!

I really thought Skinner was going to go Genie in a Bottle.

What? Being reasonable? On a sports talk show? 😇

Just watch how much money they extend Hronek (traded a 1st for IIRC) and Petterson this season/offseason. They sing the same song and dance. Which is vastly better than locking up Beagle, Myers, Loui Eriksson, and acquiring OEL (and buying him out). They might be learning a bit.

It is a period of historic futility. Sabres skaters, striking from a lakeside rink, have had their first winning season in the League in a decade. Last season, Jackikin Eichwalker and Reino Samidala battled for the ultimate prize, the STANLEY STAR, a shiny chalice with names and rings to be remembered forever after. Embattled with the League's sinister teams, Sabre Levi leads the home opener assault, the hope of the rejuvenated skaters that can restore the playoffs to the franchise.…

Seider should get more than either. He's already Detroit's #1 by a wide margin and gets their PP1 minutes, they can't afford to let him be unhappy or go get an RFA offer sheet. They also don't have a Chabot/Chychrun or Dahlin who would be the #1. Edvinsson will get the Power deal in a couple of years if he plays to potential. Knowing the cap is going up, Seider's agent should be looking to get Werenski/McAvoy level minimum $9M. Also... "Unlimited... DOLLARS!" This is a good signing and will look better year after year.

I care. This team is on the cusp of the playoffs. The #7-9 guys at the start of last season (Fitz, Pilut, Clague) combined to play 73 games. Your #7 is going to suit up 40 games minimum even with overall good health. Metsa is on an AHL contract and could be signed by another team at any time. Novikov is at least a season or two away. Johnson may very well be stepping into the lineup this season, but I don't want to be relying on a rookie defensive D who's Pysyk-like if Samuelsson or Power misses significant time.

In the spirit of the long-running "everything GMKA has done" thread that I can't seem to find... here's everything GM Sheevyn has done with regards to goaltending since his Order 66 overthrow of the Sabres leadership and naming himself Emperor General Manager. Didn't draft a goalie; Kept post- eye trauma Hutton on the roster; Traded away Johanson for a 6th rather than just waiving him [good move] Didn't extend or trade Ullmark before UFA Signed Toker (1 of 3) Didn't draft a goalie [Wallstedt was available, Cossa too though he was consensus #2 and a reach by Detroit] Traded a #2 overall pick for a 7th round goalie in Levi [when Levi pans out, yes, kudos all around, but it didn't make the Sabres roster any better at the time] Signed Houser to a NHL contract [statistically, the Sabres' best goalie the last 5 seasons] Signed a 40 year-old goalie out of retirement who was instantly the best (signed) goalie in the system Signed Dell Signed Bishop for LTIR only rather than just get a starting goalie Re-signed a 41 year-old goalie who was still the best (signed) goalie in the system Drafted a goalie (the #1 ranked European goalie no less; but who was nowhere near as highly rated as Wallstedt or Cossa; who has not impressed in any capacity since being drafted. I mean... his last name has Leino in it. It's in the name! What the hell were you thinking?) Signed AHL veteran Comrie Signed Toker again RFA'ed UPL (no brainer) Traded Portillo for a 3rd (excellent deal! considering he wasn't signing in Buffalo) Signed Levi to 3-yr ELC (no brainer) Drafted Ratzlaff (which is promising, as he could be Canada's goalie at the WJC this year) Signed Cooley and Toker (for the third time); And Houser signed an AHL deal That's a lot of moves. And it could easily be argued that the only move that wasn't a no brainer (sign Levi to his ELC) that immediately made the Sabres better was signing a 40 year-old Anderson out of retirement.

GM Sheevyn's overconfidence (in his ability to roster goalies) is his weakness. If you're convinced Luukkonen has 1B potential, then waive the career-AHLer with a 20-game sample size of good metrics. If you're worried about Comrie getting claimed and being Tampa's missing piece in net while Vasilevskiy is out, then you're delusional. (Tampa didn't claim Shepherd, they didn't do a trade with Seattle for Driedger -- his salary was too high to outright claim, etc.) If the Sabres had Hasek, Miller, and Levi it'd be one thing. But it's Levi and two tweeners. If Comrie is better than Luukonen, then waive Luukkonen. You think he'll suddenly become an elite goalie on another franchise? Your fear is leading you to the Cap Side of the Concept of Ehrhoff. And dangnabbit now I'm agitated and need to do a full goalie recap.

On the one hand, HCDG isn't going to talk poorly about one of his players before the season. He's going to pump everyone up. On the other robot hand, Bryson's been on the team for 3 years and there's a reason he doesn't have a Star Wars nickname/character tie-in.

The Pens are peaking too early.

1. Sabres win and point totals 47-29-6; 100 pts (unless Levi gets injured for an extended period) 2. Do the Sabres make the playoffs and if so how far do they go? Yes. 1st round, but the kids learn the playoff ropes and make it interesting after being down 3-1. 3. Team MVP Dahlin 4. Team ROY Levi 5. Most Improved player Joker 6. Team leader in goals, assists and points G Skinner 41, A Dahlin 60, P Mitts 84 7. NHL Award candidates (Norris, Vezina, Selke, Calder, Richard, MVP, etc.)? Any winners? Norris - Dahlin, Calder - Levi. No winners. 8. How many players score 10 or more goals? Who? Balanced lineup and almost everyone up front. 16. Benson, Cozens, Krebs, Mitts, Tage, Tuch, Z, Greenway, VO, Skinner, Okposo, JJP, Quinn, Rousek, Dahlin, Power 9. How many players score 20 or more goals? Who? 6. Cozens, Tage, Tuch, Skinner, JJP, VO, Mitts 10. Does anyone from Rochester get callup and stay with the Sabres (such as Pominville back in the day)? Rousek (and maybe Cooley) 11. Which Eastern playoffs team(s) miss the playoffs and who replaces them? Out: Boston (standard regression + all the top F losses = 94 points); NYI. In: Buffalo, Ottawa 12. Stanley Cup champions 2023-24? Carolina 13. Other predictions you'd like to share? This is where the fun begins. We have left the prequels behind and entered the original trilogy with the trade-children of Senator Reino Samidala and Jackikin Eichwalker (Princess Levi, Tuch Icewalker, (Krebs [probably Wedge] and others not yet with names) leading the Rebellion renaissance. Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen. TNT misses some time, but is hot on the G/P leaders' tails. Mitts get his 1st line sub minutes for 15-20 games. VO finishes with a positive +/- (barely)

I don't think it's in the final TOI numbers. The first half of last season, Quinn and JJP played a bunch the first two periods, then Granato sat them in the 3rd with the lead. It's partially why VO got a few empty netters early in the season, but saw his TOI go from OCT 15:16, NOV 14:16, DEC 12:57. Then, waiving Hino to the AHL and the 7s line getting hot for a bit bumped his minutes back up in January (10G 1A with Jost and Mitts feeding him but unable to finish themselves).

It's Clague's last chance to see if he makes the opening night roster or gets the waivers. That's the starting defense with Joker and Stillman (6 and 7, respectively) sitting. R Johnson gets half a season in Rochester.

Woohoo! Twins end 18 games and 19 years of playoff futility. Get out the hankies.

The Okposo/Foligno comp does not compute. Foligno's deal will start in his age 33 season and pays like a 2nd/3rd liner for 3rd line production and one abnormally high 42-point campaign. They're paying above market value for an extension vs. what he would have made as a UFA next offseason. Okposo signed his big deal to begin his age 28 season after 3 consecutive .81+ ppg seasons. He was getting a 1st line deal as a UFA that year. Okposo's new deal is 2.5 for 1 year, like a Cizikas or any other legit veteran 4th liner who can play extended minutes, even slot into a PP2 at need, and also wear a letter.

If Benson earns the spot (and thus far, I've got him making it for at minimum his 8 games) and burns his 1st year of ELC, I don't think it impacts the other 1st round prospects. Rosen as a winger is still a season or two away, which means he's fighting for an Okposo/Girgs spot, Kulich and Savoie are 1-2 seasons from making it but play center and would take the Jost/Mitts roles. (Mitts can't be re-signed if he has another 55+ point season because he'll be a $7M on the open market.) There are plenty of spots still in the future. I love Quinn, but he may be the 1st round forward most in jeopardy from Benson. Quinn has had issues staying fully healthy. If Benson proves durable, he's going to fill that slot. Now, if Benson continues his projection (min. top 6, possibly 1st line), do you buy out Skinner's final season to sign Benson long term? But that's an excellent problem to have in the future and the topic of a future thread.

I keep Benson as the 12/13 (not line or playing time, but rather depth and games dressed) while Savoie is out. Then, send Benson down with his orders for the year. Keep Savoie as the 12/13 until world juniors, then send him down until end of season. They are great talents with high ceilings, but this year I don’t want rookies who sit in the 3rd. Give me a Rousek who has 2 years in the Amerks system and is ready to make the jump.