DarthEbriate

Was I devastated that Return wasn't as good as Star Wars or Empire? No, no I wasn't. The end wasn't everything. It was about the Ewoks we met along the way. Plus, Paploo rode a speeder and the music was lovely.

Soucy is available. Borgen was available. Fabbro was on waivers (I think the Sabres were a point or 2 better than Columbus at the time so he was claimed before reaching them, but I'd have to go back and confirm that) and has been skating with Werenski ever since. They're out there.

It's not Power. Power likely won't ever earn his salary as long as Dahlin is PP1. The only way Power could come close to earning his salary is if his PP2 unit was scoring at an elite level (and the PP1 was as well). Contrast the Sabres' 27th-ranked PP (16.67%) with Winnipeg's (33%) and Vegas' (28%) absurdly good PPs. That's where the Sabres need to be to justify paying two D as top-pair PP1 pointmen. Consider this season's contrast: WPG Morrissey age 29, 1 PPG, 17 PPA. 2:43 PP ATOI. $6.25M. 3 more years under contract. And 5th and 7th in Norris voting the past two seasons. WPG Pionk age 29, 4 PPG, 7 PPA. 1:23 PP ATOI. $5.875M. UFA this summer. WPG 3rd D is DeMelo with no PP time and 13 points. $4.9M. WPG spends only about $16M on its top 3 D. VGK Theodore age 29, 2 PPG, 17 PPA. 2:48 PP ATOI. $7.425 for 5 seasons beginning this summer. Currently, $5.2M. VGK Hanifin/Pietrangelo age 28/35, 1 PPG 1 PPA. 0:58/0:54 PP ATOI. $7.35M and $8.8M -- but only one is on the PP2 at a time. Theodore is PP1 and the other guys get the scraps. Hanifin and Pietrangelo don't have the production, but they're also established vets who are decent in all zones. Combined top 3 is about $23.5M. Contrast that with the Sabres. BUF Dahlin age 24, 3 PPG, 11 PPA. 3:14 PP ATOI. $11M BUF Power age 22, 1 PPG, 1 PPA. 1:49 PP ATOI $8.35 BUF Byram age 23, 0 PPG, 2 PPA. 1:17 PP ATOI $ RFA. The Sabres are at $23M this season, and their production on the PP is only equivalent to what Theodore provides. Power scores at 5-on-5, but he's still a minus -10 player this season overall (which is his first minus season overall; but he's not getting demonstrably better defensively). Next season, if Byram gets top-pair money, then they need more on the PP for any and all three D, but especially the PP2 D-man. Dahlin's number are slightly deflated by missing 8 games.

And it should be noted: McLeod PP ATOI: 0:06 (0 G, 0 A) Cozens PP ATOI: 2:24 (2 G, 2 A) --> 6th highest ATOI on team The 7th PP ATOI is Tuch with 0-5-5 PP pts. Everyone above Cozens (TNT, Zucker, Dahlin, JJP, Quinn) has at least 9 PP points. From Quinn at 2-7-9 up to Zucker 9-6-15. Cozens is a statistical dead spot on the PP -- but it was a nice shot on the PP goal vs Nashville. Quinn only gets 2:31 ATOI, so 7 more seconds.

Power couldn’t work Forsberg off the puck at all. Forsberg could’ve had a five minute game-ending shift on power there.

The Predators played the puck. At that point, offside should no longer be applicable. But yeah, that’s no goal.

Checking in, Benson! All Bens report in.

It jumps to 35 for an undefeated streak including ties.

Metsa... I’d offer him an ELC once Joker is moved as a RHD tweener for that 7/8 role next season. (This is under my operating assumption that Bryson and Joker are both gone.) But he is free to sign with any NHL franchise at any time. With Bryson gone and Muel ever-IR, Novikov is going to be on the roster next season. I make sure he’s up for a week this year to see the speed, now that the playoffs are safely beyond reach.

If the Sabres set a new NHL record for consecutive wins in a season (18) as part of this streak, they'd be on pace for 94 (Obi-Wan voice: "Ninety-four") points. The two current EC wild cards are on pace for 92 and 93 points, respectively.

Because of his boss' faith in him and the EEE approach to ownership, GM Sheevyn could stand five feet from an active lava flow, wearing naught but a robe with its hood up, and not feel the heat.

mmmm. Salisbury buffalo... bison.

TNT, Cozens, and Luukkonen practiced on Friday so it's possible they all play (and Rosen sent back to AHL). Sabres 4-0 looking for five; Nashville 0-6 looking for seven. Which cuisine will reign supreme?

I didn't mean to infer a direction connection. It was just more of the same: electing not to build around your team's 1W who had improved each season, was likely going to lead the team in scoring and PPG the following year, and was just entering his prime. Instead, the choice was to build around a defensive defenseman who had yet to play 60 NHL games.

If true, that stinks for Samuelsson. The only breaks the kid can buy are his own bones. Also if true, LTIR!, weaponize that cap space to... hahahahhahahahaa Also also if if true true, the Sabres have 2 home games out of the break where they can control matchups. Those would be my Novikov test flight to give him a taste of the game and speed. Then, send him back down to continue getting top minutes and bring up Johnson to be the D-zone specialist that is his game in ROC.

If he'd continued to play like he did in his first year, and they won 70% of all games he dressed in, and he'd stay healthy, it would've been the best deal in the world once the cap gets over $100M. Alas, LT to Muel and bridge-to-UFA for Reinhart was some poor decidery from up top. Also, let's get a new D coach, because Muel's game was strong and steady when he arrived from Rochester.

More important in the extreme short-term, can this team carry its strong finish to the pre-4-Nations break over to the end of February after the break? Great to finally win 4 games in a row, but of note in the it's not who you play, it's when you play them: BOS - missing H. Lindholm, McAvoy, and Carlo NSH - missing Saaros and with a EBUG dressed, and currently on a 5-game losing streak NJD - missing Hischier, Markstrom, and 5-10 in their previous 15 games before Buffalo CLB - missing Monahan, Marchenko, Chinakov, Werenski, Fabbro, Gudbranson, and Jenner

Did Godot get traded about 3/4 through the play?

Preface this with: CBJ currently has $17.8M in cap space -- with a temporary cap floor exemption because of Gaudreau's death. 4/4/23 - Yegor Chinakov signs 1-yr extension 5/4/23 - Voronkov signs 2-yr ELC 6/5/23 - Christiansen signs 1-yr ELC 6/9/23 - Acquire Damon Severson from NJD (8-yr, $50M) for 2023 3rd 6/21/23 - Mathieu Olivier signs 2-year, $2.2M 6/23/23 - Carson Meyer signs 1-year, 2-way 6/29/23 - Acquire 2023 7th round pick (#224) from VGK for a 2024 7th round pick 7/1/23 - Fantilli signs 3-year ELC 10/11/23 - Justin Danforth signs 1-year, $1.1M 12/6/23 - Acquire 2025 7th round pick from BUF for Eric Robinson 2/22/24 - Acquire Alexander Nylander and a 2026 6th round pick from PIT for Emil Bemstrom 3/8/24 - Acquire Malcolm Subban from STL for future considerations 3/8/24 - Acquire 2027 3rd round pick and Jakub Zboril from BOS for Andrew Peeke 3/8/24 - Acquire 2026 4th round pick from NYR for Jack Roslovic 6/21/24 - Yegor Chinakhov signs 2-year, $4.2M 6/28/24 - Acquire 2025 4th round pick from STL for Alexandre Texier 6/29/24 - Acquire 2024 2nd round pick (#60) from CAR for a 2024 3rd round pick (#69) and 2024 5th round pick (#133) 7/1/24 - Sean Monahan signs 5-year, $27.5M 7/1/24 - Owen Sillinger signs 1-year, 2-way contract 7/1/24 - Cole Clayton signs 1-year ELC 7/2/24 - Jack Johnson signs 1-year, $775k 7/12/24 - Jet Greaves signs 2-year, $1.625M 7/27/24 - Kent Johnson signs 3-year, $5.4M 7/28/24 - Kirill Marchenko signs 3-year, $3.85M 8/19/24 - Acquire Jordan Harris from MTL for Patrik Laine and 2026 2nd round pick 11/10/24 - Claim Dante Fabbro off waivers 11/30/24 - Acquire Daemon Hunt, a 2025 1st round pick, 2026 3rd round pick, 2026 4th round pick, and 2027 2nd round pick from MIN for David Jiricek and a 2025 5th round pick 12/11/24 - Luca Marrelli signs 3-year ELC 1/13/25 - Zach Aston-Reese signs 1-year, $775k 1/17/25 - Jake Christiansen signs 2-year, $1.95M AHL recalls: Denton Mateychuk and Luca Del Bel Belluz

Been in and out of the room --- Is McLeod getting shifts with JJP/Kulich or is he just double-shifting with the bottom because this roster construction is so ineffective?

Nice last-minute goal. If you're the Jackets, you can't like that.

Good delay by Gilbert.

Malenstyn has thrown a hit. Cozens has been physical if ineffective at it. But beyond the staged fight, this team would still let Hasek get run and not respond.

Huh. Good shot, but dang it.

Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre didn't like the staged fight, either. Why does Gilbert have to answer the bell for his cowardly teammates the next game against Olivier? What good does it do? Now, go start another, real fight. Go run someone. They're holding your 8th playoff spot and they're vulnerable!