DarthEbriate

Kiefer Sherwood has the first goal of the 2022-23 NHL season.

He could've tweaked something and thus the Malone recall? Or he's a proven veteran and they know what they've got. For the lineup, that's a good preseason road lineup. Time for folks to make their final push for the 13th F, the 7th D, or the top spots in Rochester.

Norris and Robertson both left money on the table. Norris especially. He's locked in for 8 years and now he also gets DeBrincat (and temporarily Giroux) in addition to his regular mates of Tkachuk and Batherson (if say, Batherson gets hurt [Dell] and misses time). If he had a bridge he'd be collecting $9M+ [edit: from 10 down to 9, but that's minimum, Batherson drives a lot of that top line with his speed and playmaking] in a few seasons when the cap is above 90.

If Robertson wants a big payday when the cap rises, then he should still be getting $8.25Mx4 on this short term deal to get to UFA (which this deal doesn't do; he's still RFA for 1 more season at the end). Plus, an agent can be replaced -- there's no guarantee this agent gets to negotiate the next really big deal, the agent is leaving money on the table, too. If I'm the agent, for below $8M, it's a 2-year bridge. Then, Robertson gets Pavelski's salary added next season and we can talk $10+ with the cap rising in 2 years after my client puts up another ppg season and leaves Seguin and Benn in the dust.

I blame movies.

I don't like this deal for Robertson. Yes, it kept Dallas under the cap and that's polite of him. But he has outperformed all of Stutzle, Norris, Kyrou, and Thomas the last two seasons. To get paid less than any of them is garbage. If Dallas was unwilling to give him $8M, then... get that agent sending out inquiries on offer sheets to force Dallas' hand. An $8.3M offer sheet is still only a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

It's not the correct answer, but Houser has 3 contracts for 6 NHL gp.

Is Malone successfully through waivers yet?

Oky-Lan Kposobi: Your trade-father was seduced by the Dark Side of the Concept: the Cap. He ceased to be Jackikin Eichwalker and became VGK. When that happened, the good man who was your trade-father was destroyed. So what I told you was true... from a certain point of view. Tuch Icewalker: A certain point of view! Oky-Lan: Tuch, you're going to find that many of the fandoms we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. Tuch: <contemplating> Oky-Lan: When we first knew him, Jackikin was already a great scorer. But I was amazed at how strongly the Concept was with him. Gionn and I took it upon ourselves to train him as a Sabre. We thought that we could teach him just as well as our own prior captains... We were wrong. Tuch: He's still a good player. Oky-Lan: Yes, but he's more Golden now than man. Twisted by the Cap.

I'm listening to a security hologram radio stream of the Sabres... killing younglings.

If HCDG is going to rock a GAO line and start them against opponents' top lines and roll them out after goals against like he did with Okposo's line last season, then that's not a 4th line in terms of time on ice even strength.

If Comrie and Forsberg are more or less equal (the backup with decent numbers in limit starts looking to be their team's new starter)... can Buffalo's backups (Anderson/UPL) outperform the Sens' 2/3 goalies (just claimed Magnus Hellberg off waivers) for the 5ish games that he might play? Note: Ottawa does not have a single back-to-back scheduled until December 17-18, by which time Talbot is back. Is Forsberg gassed by then from carrying the entire load?

Tuch's arrival changed the complexion of the team, but it still took the return to health of all the goalies and VO to get the wins. Tuch will have a fantastic season. The question is: in March he was on Thompson's wing, but by the end of last season, VO's shot was back and he was on the 1st line. I go with the latter. VO will break 70 points (I think he barely outscores Thompson to lead the team). Tuch anchors a 2nd line and is in the upper 50s. Because we cannot ever forget the past, don't kill it even if we don't have to: Tuch plays more games than Eichel this season, but Eichel scores a few points more than Tuch.

To be fair, the forwards are also not NHL caliber tonight.

Re: The bug. It's the red eyes that let you know it's angry. (Just like the Buffalo logo.)

Columbus scores on the partial break... a bunch of odd-man rushes for them tonight.

Overall, that's an AHL PP vs a NHL PK. At the end, VO left a bit of a weak pass to Laaksonen, but then Laaksonen didn't possess it cleanly. Almost another shorthanded break for Columbus.

No one knows that Olofsson was hurt last year.

What's this, bussing? The Sabres charter plane is the same plane week-in and -out and it's falling apart? Like in Major League?

If he ever develops a shot, he'll turn into a fair player. I know it won't happen with this GM/coach and timeline because the team is all about youth still this year. But I can envision letting Krebs be the #1C in Rochester to start this season so he can work on completing his game with big minutes (PP1, PK), shot, full-time center, etc.

Ok -- I saw 2 but no more. Ah. So I saw 2 2s.

Nice shot, nice pass by... Quinn? There's no replay.

Oh hey! Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre! What was the name of that waiter? Jean-Luc!

Take Victor off the forward lines, and the Blue Jackets might find an AHL-only lineup weakness... and exploit it.