mjd1001

I just don't understand why we are using nicknames for players that are made up...when that player already has one....and the first time or two I saw it used on this forum I didn't even know who they were talking about.

"6k" two times in your response? Now you are just intentionally trying to work it in. I do agree that he likely will get at least $2.8-$3m per year, unless his play really really suffers for the rest of the season.

UPL was drafted in the 2nd round in 2017....so..I thought I'd look up what other goalies were drafted in the year or two before him (that might be on their 2nd contract now), how successful they have been and what they got paid at a similar point in their career: -Connor Ingram (3rd rounder, 2016). Waiver pickup. 3 yr, $5.85m contract. (1.95 per year) 7 career wins upon signing -Philp Gustavsson (2nd rounder, 2016). 3 yr, $11.25m contract. (3.75 per year) 32 wins upon signing -Carter Hart (2nd round, 2016). 3 yr, $11.9m contract. (3.97 per year) 49 career wins upon signing -MacKenzie Blackwood (2nd round, 2015). 3 yr, $8.4m contact (2.8 per year) 24 career wins upon signing -Ilya Samsonov (late 1st round, 2015). 1yr, $3.5m contact. (3.5 per year) 79 career wins upon signing All had some NHL experience before signing those deals. Various degrees of success...overall stats in many cases slightly better than UPL, but UPL may be playing better now (if he keeps it up) than some of them did. Add inflation/the cap rising since those deals were signed, I think the price for UPL is going to be in the $2.5-$3m per year (possibly more depending on length) if you want him for 2-3 years. Is he worth it? maybe, but if he keeps playing solid for the rest of the year, that just IS the going price for goalies of his age/draft status/experience. No way you are getting him for $2m per year...$1.75m per year...as some are suggesting. That is just not the going rate. UPL has 31 career wins now, likely to be in the 40's by the end of this year when you have to think of re-signing him.

I'm hoping he will be fine. But, what is 'fine' Is it close to 50 goals like last year? Close to 40 goals like the year before? 45 goals per year which would be averaging his last 2 years? If last year was a career year do we totally throw it out and look at the previous year? If we do, he is still WAY off that pace. And if that is what he is fine....but.....the team being where it is now is in large part because of his dropoff in scoring. Compared to last year, this team is allowing LESS goals, it is the scoring that the issue is. Tage and Cozens combined account for about 70% of what is missing from last year. So, what Thompson should we expect and what is 'fine' for him? And as he goes, so does this team.

Back to what we thought they would be...except Cozens off of 'his' line and swapped with Mitts. Wonder for the reason instead of trying to put him with his linemates from last year to get him going long term.

I'm not all that upset today about the Bills game because, as I have stated many times, I'm not sure why but I'm not connected to the Bills/NFL as I used to be, especially in the last few years. However, seeing this is a forum I have a few opinions. -They don't have the best coach, they don't have the best WR's. Bass had a bad year. A lot of issues, but NO team has the best of everything. You just can't. Luck had a lot to do with them losing. For me, that is primarily injury luck. It was just too much of a lift to keep playing with the defensive devasted they way they are, and they still held the game close. -WR is an issue but not un-fixable. Diggs is done as a game changing WR. I wish the Bills could get out of his deal but they can't. Now, could he have a bounce-back year and put up 100 catches next year? maybe, but it would be more because he is still 'decent-to-good' and Allen decides to just feed him the ball rather than he is great anymore. -Von Miller. Wow, do I wish they could get out of his deal. I'm just hoping he will have an offseason and maybe come back a bit better next year, but I think the days of him being worth what you are paying him are LONG, LONG gone. -Tre White. When will he be back? When/if he comes back how good will he be? Can you move on from him if you must for cap reasons? From what I heard, those 3 guys combine for almost $70 million in cap hit next year, and not much you can do about it. Miller you can't even cut. Digg and White...there might be some longer term savings (short term hit) if you cut them post June 1. I'd consider it with those 2. With that said, I hope the Bills don't do a bunch of restructures to push the cap problems farther to the future. You probably have to run Diggs and Miller back out there as they are not movable, but take next year to take that half-step back, evaluate, load up on some younger guys. Basically, don't go 'all in', try to set yourself up for the next few years after. It won't be a wasted year, this team Still has Allen, likely the entire OL, Kincade, Shakir, Cook, hopefully a higher draft pick WR....the offense will still be fine. As far as the Defense goes? Some players not returning there, but honestly, even if you don't bring back the vets and cut some dollars there, is the 'healthy, scaled back Defense' you start the year with next year going to be worse than what you ended up playing with at the end of the year? Make some tough choices to get rid of higher priced pieces where you must, but even with that you can still be 'good enough' to contend for the playoffs. Roll the dice with the young guys next year and set things up for time after that.

Diggs had some good games, but overall, start to end of year, he just seemed like he was way off from previous years. Not sure if it is age or something else, but most of the time he just doesn't look like anything really special...certainly not in the converstaion for a top 10 WR in the league in my opinion.

He's a free agent at the end of the year (restricted). We have a Mitts next contract thread, but at least for the last few weeks UPL has probably been more important to this team than Mitts. Does anyone want to lock him up long term? Short term deal (if he will take it) to 'bridge' until Levi is ready to take over? What does UPL want or Demand? Since the Calendar turned to 2024, he is 4w-2L, a .955 save percentage, 2 shutouts, and about a 1.18 gaa (small sample size but it is a few weeks)

Goaltending is a bit better this year. Defensemen, while not 'good' are slightly better than last year. Forwards are just as bad as they ever have been in their own zone,I still have yet to see improvment there. As far as scoring, most of the drop in scoring this year is due to missed games and just dropoff in performance from Tage and Cozens this year compared to last year. Based on their goals per game, this year if they would be at last years level, you would have 45 goals between them. This year you have 22. That is a 23 goal shortfall. You are currently 32 goals behind last years pace. The dropoff in goals per game nets you 72% of the teams total shortfall just between those 2 guys.

I agree for the most part. On one hand, I could see some value of looking deeper into the numbers...generating a metric that shows you more than what the naked eye will show you, or would basic stats can show you so I get that. At the same time, a lot of people who like these stats, Totally disregard other stats like... Pure goal scoring or plus-minus. I know plus minus is flawed individually, but when you use it in conjunction with other available stats it still can be a tool. I like some of the fancy stats... But I agree with you that there are some people who use them as 100% of the basis for their argument... And when somebody throws out a bunch of the fancy stats and uses that and says that proves their point... It usually just gets an eye roll from me.

Me too. It's not like they can't call him back up in a day or two or a week or two depending on the amount of game time he gets down there.

Move makes sense. You're keeping both of your potential backups with some in-game work. I posted here because I refuse to post about UPL in a thread where the title has "6k" in it. The only thing worse than that nickname is having a member of this forum be the one who's pushing for it because he came up with it himself.

I think some of us are arguing this topic by did the trade acheive the intended result? Some are arguing was it good at the moment? and some by was it good in the long term. My point of saying the ROR trade wasn't bad at all is because i judge a trade over the long term, and in my mind, this team was not winning anything improtant with him here (they proved they could be really really bad with him on the roster) and now the team is better for having Tage on it than not. If you want to say the trade was bad at the time because you gave up the best player at the time....or that it didn't do what you intended it to do...fine. There is an argument for that. But when I came to read this topic, I look at it from where we are now. Again, if the trade wasn't made you would not likely have won much anyway (my opinion based on a few years of results with him here), and by now Tage is certainly the better player at the moment.

Up here in northern Niagara county (Lewiston/Youngstown area) the roads were dry for the most part and you could see the grass. Last night and this morning, we are getting our first measurable snowfall of the year, probably have 3-4 total inches on the picnic table still out in the backyard. I think if the Stadium would have been build in Niagara County, these issues wouldn't be here. Not that I want the Stadium near where i live...logistically I prefer it is miles and miles away (I don't go to many/any games anymore), but there is a lot of open, cheap land right off the highway Between Grand Island and the Canadian border. But, its going to be in Orchard Park...it is what it is.

Zach Hyman. -31 year old. Former 5th round draft pick. Didn't even break into the NHL until 4-5 years after being drafted. (4 years in college and 1 year in the minors...even in college 3 of his 4 years he was single digits in goals) -Averaged 14 goals per year with Toronto his first 6 years before being traded to Edmonton. -Signed a long term, $5.5m per year deal that Toronto thought was too high to match This year: -27 goals through just 40 games. -on pace for a 55 goal, 90 point season Having 2 former 1st overall picks as linemates sure does help!

Can't argue with that. Next 4 games, if they can get 6 of the next 8 points....You will have my interest back at the all star break.

Dahlin is going to have close to 25 minutes of ice time. No way you should be playing him that much with a 3-0 lead.

Toronto might be in trouble. They are currently in a playoff spot. However, they have gotten 59.5% of available points while playing the 2nd easiest schedule in the league. Also, with no injuries at all to their top 5 'core' players. To miss the playoffs the danger point total is 95 for the season. If they get 56.5% or less of the available points (not much worse than they have been) they are in trouble. Oh, and for the rest of the season, they have the HARDEST schedule in the league. They are good enough to be comfortable in the playoffs by years end.....HOWEVER.....Buffalo's top 4 scoring forwards (Thompson, Tuch, Skinner, and Cozens) have all missed games (25 and still on the rise), Torontos big 4 (Matthews, Marner, Tavares, and Nylander) have missed a total of ONE game between them. If/when injury luck turns on them, its going to be an issue.

I like to run the numbers like this every week or so, but it takes me a while, thanks for doing the updated work. In simple terms, they need to play like a top 3-5 team in the NHL from now until the season ends to have a good shot at the wild card.

Tomlin is, I think, 37-30 without Big Ben at QB, just over 4 full seasons of games, and either with him, or without him, he still has never had a losing record. Its not as many games as BB, but when you are talking 4 full seasons of games, AND the last season or 2 of Big Ben he was a shadow of himself, worn down and beat up, that says something to me positive about him I can't see at all in BB.

Is that post from a reliable source? Maybe it is, don't know who it is though... But, can't really blame him if its true. -4th worst team in the league. 11 (ELEVEN!) points behind the Sabres with the same number of games played. -Stutzle, their 'superstar in waiting' is pulling a Cozens, going from 40 goals last year at age 21, to barely being on pace for 15 this year. -Tkachuk is playing well, but his production is down from last year when may were hoping for it to go up a bit. -Managment changes all over. Front office and coaching is a mess -No matter who they put in net, they don't look good As hopeless as we think the Sabres are, Ottawa is that even more. If he wants out, I can't blame him too much.

Many of us who don't think he's all that great do not 'begrudge' him for having Brady. Its what he has done without Brady that is telling. If you have a sample size of what he does with a HOF QB and a large Sample Size without a HOF QB, then you have something to go on to compare. Just because others may think any coach with a HOF QB is a 'great coach', I don't, thats the lazy argument. Show me what you do without a great QB...and I'll show you/tell you if you are a good/great coach or not. Tomlin has faults, but he has gotten a variety of teams to the playoffs without great QB play. BB? Not as much...

Which is why I think he's not a good coach, let alone the best every. Sure he has been 'gm' also, but even if were just a 'coach', that 'coach' has a large part in decisions about players, and he has tried many, many times and had many opportunities to pick and develop another QB, most (all?) have failed. And as others have said, sure Tampa had a good roster, but Brady is 1 for 2 in Superbowls with another team with another coach...add to that a look at Peyton Manning...several coaches that were fired or middling without him that had an unreal record with him. And Finally, Tomlin. There is a guy who has had more than 1 or 2 seasons with bad QB's and has had winning records. Take the HOF QB away from BB, and he's just...bad. As a head coach he can still design a good defense, so maybe that makes him 'less than bad' but in my mind he's certainly not good. I look at it 2 ways...If they edited the comments out, then Political correctness is continuing to accelerate at an alarming rate. But the other side is....the 'other side' of that argument has no problem pointing it out and making a point of it either. I am starting to find the people in these 'culture wars' who make a big deal about something to be even more tiresome than the thing they are making a big deal out of, on both sides of it. There seems to be a need to always make a huge deal out of 'Look at that! Look at what THEY did!" Great, someone did something and now you are so offended you have to let everyone know about it. Wonderful. Just please keep moving along and don't let me know until someone is showing up at my front door looking to commit a crime...and don't tell me that It's coming...don't try to scare me into thinking it will happen. Let me know when it does, until then, take your thin skin someplace else.

That sounds good and I agree with it...and despite losing interest in watching them this year....when your entire first line misses major games AND your 3rd/4th best player (Cozens) does his best Ville Leino impression on the ice...well, you at least have SOME reason why they can/will do better. The ONLY thing that holds me back from buying into it is, Adams has said, and Granato has said MULTIPLE TIMES that development time is basically done, that this year is about winning. I'm patient, I like MOST of the guys on this team. I enjoy the journey (the team building phase) almost as much as I do the immediate wins. So I'm not in a rush to make wholesale changes and I like seeing the improvement in the roster, even if there are ups and downs. But again, the organization had key members come out and say that year was about winning...so....??