DarthEbriate

I don't know much about The Schmaltz, but I think if he [is] a bona fide 2W, and not a Vesey, Frolik, Rodrigues, Sheary, or Sobotka "he could play up-and-down the lineup" guy, then this would be an improvement.

Plus Toronto set the market with Marleau a year ago --- it's got to be at least a first to take on that contract. And Vegas expects to finish high in the standings.... maybe two lottery-protected 1sts and conditional as only one if MAF is selected by Seattle in expansion.

All the better as I think that would expedite the timeline. (As opposed to some 4th round pick who has to get through the AHL or NCAA for 3-4 seasons).

A player selected by the Sabres in this draft wins a Conn Smythe trophy while wearing a Sabres sweater.

All that season (and most of his career) Skinner was able to tap in rebounds because he was that guy who was around the net with the quick hands who was seemingly always in the right place. Part of being in the right place is having teammates who can cause rebounds and make goalies flop. Eichel and Reino (and in these highlights Pominville) are guys who make those rebounds happen. The question is... can Staal also create those rebound chances? (History probably shows yes, but also I'd like to see Skinner with Eichel again for the entertainment value. Then, get Staal two top-6 wingers and attack. (I think ideally Olofsson is a 3W PP specialist, but I do believe this upcoming season he's still in our top 6.)

Soon we will learn to appreciate him.

The all-important if-I-still-played-EA-NHL-series-games and wanted to draft the coolest names to hear on calls... "Loof passes to Loof. To Loof. To Loof. Loof scores!" Rodion Amirov, Raivis Ansons, Jeremie Biakabutuka, Noah Boyko, Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm, Kyle Crnkovic, Eemil Erholtz, Gunnarwolf Fontaine, Mans Forfsjall, Petr Hasek, Marat Khusnutdinov, Ignat Kokhanin, Leo Loof, Linus Loof, Vittorio Mancini, Zion Nybeck, Jaromir Pytlik, Rhett Rhinehart, Ronan Seeley, Hugo Styf, Austen Swankler, Luke Tuch, Eemil Viro, Sander Vold Engebraten, Zayde Wisdom, Connor Zary

Every single time. Also ---- the requisite "Execute order... Six."

I really don't know how. Their players seem made to sign below market value and on NTCs. It's their lot in life. But Sergachev had better get a $6M/year offer and Cirelli should be offer sheeted by half the league.

This thread is still going, eh? That's as bad as someone quoting a forty year-old movie franchise for nostalgia and ease-of-recognition to garner... *waves hand* This is not the thread we're looking for. You can go about your business. Move along.

Is that a one-time voice or an ever-present Tyson voice operating as your internal monologue? 🍺

What?

The deal is so small it's evading our turbolazars. (But don't worry, I've noted it.) 9:38 AM - GM Kheevyn dons menacing black robes. Cackles in amusement. 9:40 AM - GM Kheevyn brushes teeth. Spits angrily. Gets a bit of toothpaste foam on cuff of robe. Embraces anger. 9:43 AM - GM Kheevyn doffs black robes. Dons clean black robes. Cackles and gets ready to work the phones.

I believe that eventually will be 2021-22. I don't envision Staal re-signing with us unless he's totally rejuvenated and reborn in his transition from 1C in MIN to the 2C here. And that would mean another big season (which, could we then afford if he's worth a 2-yr $5M/yr deal on the UFA market as his swan song). Granted, that's best-case scenario for our team. But the eventually is either by this season's trade deadline (hopefully not) or at the conclusion of this upcoming season.

Contortion is fun! Again, I don't say we line Lazar up with Staal on paper to start, just that lines have a habit of looking quizzical at times. Rather, if we end up with 3 lines we can roll, or even 4 lines, I don't care who plays where or how many minutes they play if we win. I mean, if Eichel ends up benched and Lazar centers the top line, I'm good if we win the Cup.

I'm still in agreement that Lazar pencils in as a bottom 6. For the sake of argument, let's say Lazar becomes Sobotka this year, with just a bit more offense and also health. He drives the net, he works the boards. And now instead of MoJo, it's the Skinner-and-Staal show. Skinner was on fire to start last season, until Sobotka got hurt. If Skinner-Staal-Lazar gets Skinner to his expected 30 goals and Staal to 60 points (And Eichel's line does what they do), that's the 2nd line. If we win, anybody can play with anybody. And if it allows a third line to feature some more scoring threat while on the ice in favorable scenarios, all the better.

We can also claim last year's team had these first rounders skating: Eichel, Reino, Frolik, Girgs, Lazar, Okposo, Skinner, Dahlin, Joker, and Risto.

When constructing the roster, yes, he's a bottom 6 forward. But once we get into the season, whatever works, works. If Lazar is that perfect complement to a Staal-Cozens combo or Staal-Skinner combo, so be it. We've seen a line fail as often as we've seen a line gel. Girgs was stapled to Eichel a couple seasons back with no real benefit to either. But in the past we've seen Crosby and Sheary be great together (particularly that one playoff run) to the extent that PIT traded back for Sheary, despite him being a 4th liner for PIT before JBot brought him here. And Bure put up 60 with Gino Odjick as his opposite winger. So while Bure might have scored more, it certainly didn't slow him down. Lines need the flexibility to find what clicks. Heck, if Eichel scores 82 points this year with Lazar on his wing AND we make the playoffs, I won't complain that Lazar's out of place. Until he misses a gaping empty-net tap-in to clinch a series we end up losing, and then I lament Reino's placement with Skinner-Cozens. 'Til then, though, gotta let things shake out.

Execute Order... Five.

Having Perry 10 years ago and making the playoffs vs. adding Prime-Perry to our current roster as RW1 are two very different thread conversations. Adding Prime-Perry now would be awesome. Of course, we said the same at the end of last season when JBot added Simmonds. Adding 4th-line Simmonds is… meh? But we needed the Prime-Simmonds of 5 years ago. We also added Prime-EvanderKane to baby Eichel's team to little/no effect. However, to your point, if Cozens is Prime-Perry in 1-2 seasons, and these new droids do work out, then I want to transmit my application to the Academy this year… -----activate dream sequence----- But --- more fun! Is idle overnight speculation! Let’s try adding Perry 10 years ago. Do recall, 10 years ago we had The Concept of Kassian to become that Prime-Perry. Exactly 10 years ago wouldn’t work because Anaheim needed him for the playoffs, so let’s go back to when we could’ve landed Perry. It’s the summer of 2013. Pominville has been traded for Larsson. Ron Rolston has gone from interim head coach to full-time. We’re blowing up our soft core and getting grittier. We had added John Scott (UFA) and Steve Ott (for Derek Roy) the previous year, but it wasn’t enough for newly extended Cody Hodgson as our 1C and young C corp. At the same time, Anaheim is looking to lock up either Bobby Ryan or Corey Perry long-term to match with their Getzlaf extension. [[ In real life, Bobby Ryan was traded to Ottawa for Jakob Silfverberg, D Noesen (recent 1st-round D), and a 2014 1st --- so here’s our opportunity for revision! --- instead, Anaheim trades with Buffalo for a young stud forward, a recent 1st-round D, and the 2014 1st. We don’t have a young stud winger like Silfverberg to replace Perry. But! We do have a much cheaper, solid winger AND a good Anaheim-style winger who will give them sandpaper. ]] Here’s my trade: In the summer of 2013, BUF trades F Drew Stafford, F Marcus Foligno, D Nikita Zadorov (for consistency), and a 2014 1st (no Reinhart or later 1st round pick; note: I'm not making this a lottery-protected pick and risk losing Eichel; but this does give us our RW in place of Samson) to Anaheim for RW Corey Perry. Perry immediately signs the same 8-year/$8.625M contract with us that he’d signed with Anaheim in real life. Revising a touch further, I’m giving everyone back their health for the start of the season (Foligno, Armia, and Tropp were injured to start). Here’s our opening night lineup for the 2013-14 season, subbing Perry for Stafford and adding a healthy Tropp back in for Kevin Porter (back to ROC). Armia gets more time in the minors, and Foligno and Zadorov are in Anaheim. Vanek – Hodgson – Perry Ott – Ennis – Leino Girgensons – Grigorenko – Flynn Tropp – McCormick – Kaleta (Larsson, Scott) Ehrhoff – Pysyk Weber – Ristolainen Tallinder – Myers (McBain) Miller (Enroth) C- Vanek (home); C- Ott (road); A- Ehrhoff. Head coach: Ron Rolston It's better than with Stafford, but is it all that much better? We still have no center depth (particularly with Hodgson's illness). Do we still suffer on by moving Vanek and Miller this 2013-14 season? Do we still Sabrepede in early November? TL;DR Insomnia is a cruel mistress/master.

Initiate scrolling text… What fictions do we have thus far? 2011 - Senators Amigula and T'Peg secretly begin construction of "The Well", a super-powerful device that's doomed to repeatedly be built, and therefore repeatedly be destroyed, by plucky rebels. 2011-13 Kheevyn serves as Assistant Coach Junior Senator. After destruction of a few iterations of The Well, Kheevyn begins gaining the trust of the Senators by embracing Clone (a.k.a. Video Scouting) and other technologies in an effort to make the franchise more Effective, Efficient, and Economical. 2020 - At the request of Amigula, accompanies the franchise on an road interplanetary trip. Requests a Vote of No Confidence for the current Supreme Chancellor General Manager. 2020 6/16 - Senators Amigula and T'Peg approve the No Confidence vote and name Kheevyn as GM as part of the EEE plan. Executes Order 1: The Great JBott Academy Purge. Video calls show him slaughtering Taylor, who coaches the Younglings. The Phantom Menace Coup is complete. 2020 7/31 – Order 2: Signs Brett Murray 2020 8/18 – Order 3: Names Sith Appert new coach of the Younglings. 2020 9/16 – Order 4: Trade Federation negotiations turn “aggressive” yielding C Eric Staal (Beware, 40 years from now we’re going to learn his future death was faked and he’s responsible for moving the franchise to Exegol.)

It was a nice touch. Hit along the boards. I didn't see a replay so I don't know if it was boarding or a penalty. Bogo skated over to address the hit, but play continued. Tampa's defensive coverage went out of sorts, Stars D walks into the slot and buries it.

Brees? Yes. Flacco? No. Who? Exactly.

In a few hours, we could be down to just 2. 🍺

And in the same vein, Peca, Barnes, Brown, and Holzinger-to-Gratton (oh! and Hasek and the rest of the '98-'01 squads) would also like a word with you. Threepio! What kind of talk is that? It's the offseason... where's the hope and hype?