mjd1001

Agreed he should have been higher up, but even in those years he did produce as a 4th liner. I remember many games where the Sabres lost a couple years ago where after the game Paul Hamilton (and others) would say the Larsson, Girgs, Okposo 4th line was the best line on the ice and I agreed with them. In 2018-2019-2020 seasons (where he was primarily a 4th liner) he was still the 5th best scoring forward on this team as mostly a 4th liner and that was WIITH missing games due to injury also. 4th on the team in goals those years, close to being 3rd in goals per game. Even in those years, on primarily a 4th line he was giving you 15 goals per 82 games on only about 13 minutes of ice time per game. So basically, when you stuck him on a 4th line...he still was producing goals in terms of production per 60 (per amount of ice time) at a pretty good rate. So as you said, he should have been higher up in the line rotation/ice time....unless that was done intentionally to limit his ice time due to his injuries/injury history at that time.

As others have said, it depends on a lot of things, mostly what moves are made in the offseason. -The Sabres are looking like a 60-65 point team this year. Thats really bad. Only the 2 tank year teams were worse. They actually are on a slightly worse pace for points this year than they were the year they finished last and drafted Dhalin. But I feel a little better about this team than any of those. Not a lot, but a little, and I'm slightly more entertained watching them. -Next year, I expect UPL to be the main goaltended, with a decent backup. So overall I think the Goaltending situation will be slightly to moderately better than this year. -I expect all the young guys to be slightly better. Do I think they will all take a leap in stats like Tage did this year? No, but I think they will all be at least slightly overall better players. -I expect the bottom six to be slightly to moderately better. Either some young guys in Roch move to the big club and take those spots (less NHL experience but more talent that what is there now) or I expect some signings of not-great-but-slightly-better than what they have now guys. probably a blend of both. I do not expect the playoffs. A large part of that, and a reason this team might be 'good' next year but even then struggle to get a point total in the 80's is the division. This division is going to be bad for a while. Tampa and Florida are/will still be elite teams. Toronto in the regular season is bordering on elite. (basically, 3 of the top 6 teams in the league this year are in our division). Boston I REALLY do think is sliding now but they are still above average. Detroit and Ottawa have a lot of young talent and may be a year or two ahead of the Sabres on their rise up. Montreal will not be as bad last year as they are this year. You have a lot of division games against what will probably be the best division in hockey next year. I'm still hoping for 80 points next year out of this team...that in another division could/might challenge for 90 points.

I'm thinking, at least for this year, Okposo might actually be WORTH his contract (or more.) For years most of us have said it was a bad contract, and a year or two ago many of us said it was the 2nd worst contract on the team (behind only Skinner) and were desperate for the Sabres to get out of it. I always liked the guy but I had times I wished he would have retired due to injuries. The way he played the end of last year (taking out his injuries) and how he is playing this year, I don't want to say he is a BARGAIN, but I think he is worth what he is getting paid. -Hes on a 23 goal, 50+ point pace over 82 games this year. Earth shattering? No. But he is doing that without getting top line minutes or getting top line line-mates to help him produce. If he was on the top line, I think you could add a few goals and points to that total. Hes also only getting 2nd unit PP time and not even on the pp at all (he is tied for 10th on the team in average ice time on the PP among forwards). Bottom line is he is getting pretty good production for 2nd/3rd line duty/linemates/ice time on a below average team. -Despite him being only 10th among forwards in PP ice time, he is 2nd on the team in PP goals (only 1 behind tage) and 2nd in PP points. -He does play on the PP, he does kill penalties on a regular basis. He scraps to stick up for his teammates. He is 3rd on the team in scoring. His goals come both on the PP and even strength. He can play anywhere effectively from the 4th line to filling in on the first line. -Everything we hear from him directly, we hear from his teammates, from the coaches, say he is one of the best locker room guys around and a huge leader on this team. $6 million a year isn't chump change, and with his injuries in the past he didn't always bring much to this team in the past. But right now, I'm happy the Sabres are paying him $6 million for what he is bringing to this team for what it is.

I'm very confident they will be better next year than they are this year. That doesn't mean they will make the playoffs, but I'm hoping for at least a 10 point improvement next year, maybe more, compared to this year. UPL starting with the team next year will help, and/or another goaltender being brought in to start of backup UPL. All the young guys (Mitts, Cozens, Dhalin, Joker, hopefully Quinn, Krebs, Asplund) should be at least slightly better. The nature of the NHL says their stats may or may not be better, but all those guys have raw talent and they will be better with more experience. Basically, there are more young guys on this team that matter that are maturing than they are important guys on the wrong side of 30. The bottom 6? It shouldn't be worse than it is now, and hopefully it will be slightly better with Roch guys graduating to the big club (bringing more talent if not more experience) or signing guys that may not be big name free agents but at least are more than minimum salary guys. With the young talent coming up or continuing to mature, there is no way this team will not be better next year unless they TRY t be bad again (not happening) or they are hit with a massive wave of injuries we have never seen before.

No, not at all. Many of them may totally disagree with what is going on, (as many may not) so why suspend them just for their nationality? What do you want them to do to not get suspended? Many of them may fear for some kind of reprisal against their family back home if they speak out (it happens there). its also a slippery slope. I'm am NOT saying I agree with a lot of the opinions of people politically, but are we supposed to start suspending people by nationality just because someone else of their same nationality does something wrong?

I don't have any names off the top of my head, but I'm looking for some things at the trade deadline. Guys other teams want to get rid of...not because they are BAD but because they are overpaid. There are always guys out there like that. A team close to the cap has a guy under contract for 1 or maybe 2 more years at $4 million...when he is really playing at a $2.5 million dollar level. The team WANTS to clear up space and get rid of that player. The Sabres are in a position where they could get that $2.5 million dollar buy for virtually no assets because they have the cap room to take on the contract. There were rumblings earlier that the Blue Jackets were not happy paying Nyquist...maybe someone like him to can fill in on your 3rd or 4th line and be better than what you have now for a year or two?

For some reason I thought it was a home game. Since it is in St. Louis, I think that will make things toughter. 4-3 or 5-4 loss is likely to me, but it will still be a step forward and more enjoyable to see them score 3 or 4 goals.

I want to see some goals tonight. A 4-3 Sabres win will pick things up on the team, plus give us some goals to be happy about.

I haven't been to a game in years now in person in Buffalo (well, I was at one a few years ago but I got there late)....when the Sabres hit the ice as a team from the locker room just before the game...do they play "Sabre Dance" like they used to still? Or has that gone away?

This might be silly but it always stuck with me..and I can't for the life of me remember where they do it (or started it).... There is an announcement made with 1 minute left...over the PA the announcer says "there is one minute left in the 1st period" or second period..or whatever. Well the fans in that arena, a few hundred of them (enough to hear) with 1:05 left yell really loud "how much time is left in the period), to which the 'there is one minute left in the period' announcement seems a reply. Silly I know but that is something I always remember.

Again, I love how when people dont' agree with something they start acting like angry teenagers and responding with animated gifs. I never ever said anything about hockey being a team sport or not, did I? What you are missing is the fact I said that ROR is very Good, but NOT good enough to have a significant impact on making the team even close to a playoff team. I am guessing you are all throwing gifs back at me because you have nothing, NOTHING at all to respond to the above line? I'll await your animated gifs as confirmation of that.

Your last line, that is real mature. lol

Not at all, not when the team didn't even sniff the playoffs his 3 years here, when he was in the statistical prime of his career, and when the team got considerably better the year he left. Not saying he was bad, but no, he for sure did not make a difference on his Sabres teams in terms of getting him to the playoffs. Sorry for all those ROR fans that it doesn't fit your narrative, but its true. He simply was not a difference maker on the Sabres teams he was on. A cute little gif doesn't make your point for you, sorry.

I think Hagg could get you a 4th or 5th rounder possibly..Pysyk maybe a 3rd or 4th. The question is, would the Sabres take that? They might just think the little chance a 4th or 5th rounder has of turning into a regular NHL player 3-4 years from now might not be worth taking a guy of the roster that can help the young guys this year (even if only helping a little tiny bit)

We will never know anything that didn't happen, but the fact that when he was on this team he wasn't a difference maker in terms of the team even contending for the playoffs....well, I'll stick by my statement of him not making a difference in terms of them making the playoffs. Certainly not in the past...and I'd say Tage gives them a better shot in the upcoming years vs an aging OReilly.

Very few are doubting how good the Panthers are, but I have watched a few of their games and took a deep look at their roster....this team should be dominant for the next few years. I'm talking hard-to-lose-the-division, Tampa level dominance. Up front they have 6 guys who are playing at a 20-30 goal, 65+ point pace (in some cases a lot more than that, Barkhov is at a 50 goal pace, Bennet and Duclair at a 40+ goal pace) ALL of those guys are 25-28 years old....just entering the prime of their career. ALL of them are locked up on contract through at least this year and next year....With Reinhart, Bennet, Barkov, and Duclair locked up beyond that at only $24 million for all 4 of them per year. Cap hit will not be an issue for this team and they can keep ALL of their up front core without a problem and add to it each year. On the D-side of things: Ekblad, Weeger, Forsling, and Gudas are near the top of the league in terms of how quality of a top 4 core they are. All of them are locked up for at least 1-2 more years, with Ekblad for 3 more years after this year. Their ages? 26, 28, 25, and 31. They are pretty young also. Having Montour locked up for 2 more years at only $3.5 million as part of your third pair is pretty good too. I can't see how this team can screw things up. They are going to be tough to get by, and should pretty much take one of the top 3 spots in the division automatically for the next 2-3 years at least. Tampa, Boston, Toronto, a rising Detroit team and everyone else (including the Sabres, of course) are going to have to scrape and fight for one of the 2 remining playoff spots in the division.

I won't worry about it much by then if it does happen. I EXPECT the Sabres to be a much better team then (in 4-5 seaons), Guys like Mitts, Cozens, Dhalin, Quinn, Power, Peterka, all will be entering their prime then. Tage and Tuch will be at the end of it but hopefully still productive. Eichel at that point will be 30, and with him having numerous injuries in his career already, likely at the end of the prime of his career. Still a dangerous player? Yep, likely so. But if he signs a 5-7 year contract as a 30 year old for $10-$12 million per year (or more, pending the cap), I view that as something that will hurt the Bruins (Cap wise) more than it will help them. The Bruins up front look pretty weak a few years out, and their farm system has basically no blue-chippers.

Right now that trade is looking very very good for the Sabres. Why? They were one of the worst teams in the league with ROR here. when he left what changed? Not much. They were bad with him, they were bad without him. However, what they got in return...the piece they got in Tage, looks to be more valuable to this team now and going forward than ROR was. If ROR stayed with this team, they would still have been bad and he is now on the wrong side of 30 years old. He would not have made a difference in the Sabres making the playoffs the last couple of years, and going forward Tage looks like a LOT better player for when/if this team is good. The ultimate question I ask myself is...if I could, would I un-do the trade? The answer is a very big No.

I'll watch. I love Saturday afternoon games. Wish the Sabres would have a lot more of them. I can watch the Sabres during the afternoon....either just sit and watch the game or have it on while doing some light cleaning or cooking or catching up on emails or other stuff on the computer. Then it leaves the evening free.

I agree with you that good goaltending is the easiest/quickest way to get better fast, as getting a good goaltender involves only one player. However, as a fan I am more interested in seeing this team score more goals overall than I am in seeing them allow less. As of me writing this, the Sabres are 7th from the bottom in goals per game allowed, and 8th from the bottom in goals per game scored. In terms of pure goal numbers, they are 69 goals allowed behind the best team in the league allowing goals.....and 71 goals behind the best scoring team in the league. So, they need to improve equally in both areas. While again, getting a good goalie would be quicker, I'd rather see them lean more toward the offensive side than the D-side of things. Either way to be a truly top team....through 50 games they need to 'flip' about 70 goals from where they are now..a combination of what is scored vs what is allowed. Top playoff teams should be about +30 or better in goals for vs allowed...the Sabres currently are -38. Break it down further, the Sabres currently are at .900 for team save percentage. League average is about .905. To break into the top 10 (I'd consider that good) you need .910 Top 5 is .913-.914. Lets say the Sabres got one of the top goalies in the league, and his save percentage was well above .910..so that when you include games played by the backup, you would get the Sabres to .910 as a team. If everything else was the same, and the Sabres had a team save percentage of .910 (which would make them top 10 in the league) instead of what it is now...they would have allowed 17 less goals than they have so far. Break that down however you want (there are tons of ways to do it) but according to league averages, that would likely make them a 50 point team right now instead of a 40 point team. (5 more wins). But still 8 points out of a playoff spot in the east. They need a better goaltender than can play 60+ games and be a top 10 guy. But that won't matter or change anything until they can at least slightly reduce quality shot attempts against that goalie....and to be able to score a LOT more goals also.

I actually think he has a good point. Your point is the one that is cherry-picking things. 102 potential NHL players you mention doesn't matter, when the ice time he had was not with most of those 102 players...his ice time was mostly with the 11 players he did mention compared to the 'potential' ones you bring up.

Of course, you can take those multiple picks and make them better. It might not always work but maybe take a pick that is in the late 20's in the first round, package that with a 2nd..and move up to the late teens or early 20s. Then take that pick and package it with another mid-first rounder, and move up to the 10th-15th pick. You have a find a team willing to move, but if you are pretty full of prospects and another team is picking there and wants more quality prospects, then go for it. If you are going to trade anyone, you get the best thing you can for him, even if that is a pick. Doesn't mean you have to use that pick in the draft. If it has value, it can be moved for a player in the offseason that might not be available now..or moved with other picks to turn them into a better pick.

Keep him.

I don't use the 'on pace' thing to predict where a player will end up, but it is a good snapshot of their production on a 'per game' basis in terms we all know. I think the bigger thing with anyone on the Sabres team (Tage, Skinner, etc) is that we are using that 'on pace' thing and comparing it to other years, without looking at just how much scoring is up in the NHL this year. 36 goal pace is not what it used to be even a couple years ago..... That 36 goal pace has Skinner ties for 41st-43rd in the league right now. Yep, 40 players are 'on pace' for more than a 36 goal per 82 season. You want to crack the top 20? Better be on a 44 goal pace. Want to break into the top 10? 48 goal pace. I'm happy with Skinner turning things around, and producing the way he is...it is a heck of a lot better for the Sabres than what he was doing for the last 1.5 seasons before this one. Just there still is room to 'pick up the scoring pace', certainly to come close to justifying his cap hit.

You hit it on the head there. Whether it is a new owner, a minority ownership group...anything like that, a quick buck can be made if you are patient enough to see this team moved. Look, the only way the team stays here is if the owner is local or a huge fan of the franchise (city and team name). As you said...this team might double in value (or more) the minute they are moved to a different city. In all honesty, if I'm one of the dozens and dozens of potential sports teams owners out there that wants to make a quick buck (or couple hundred million of them), there may be NO franchise better in any of the major sports leagues to want to target to buy, and move, than the Sabres. Also remember that if the Bills get a new stadium, there is very little chance of the Sabres getting a new building anytime soon. Re-locate this team and there is a good chance a new city will BUILD you a brand new Arena. What would be better for revenues as a new owner? The Sabres playing in a Market the size and value of Buffalo, with dwindling fan support (currently) in a 25-30 year old building that wasn't even the best when it opened and with no new building in site? Or the same team with a fan base that sells out every game because the franchise is new to them, with potentially a brand new building, and in a market size/value that is double (or more) what Buffalo is? The Sabres are probably the #1 choice for the ability to buy low....move, and either sell high OR take in much higher revenues. That is the reality of it. I would be very, VERY afraid, as a Sabres fan, of ANYONE owning this team besides the Pegula's or someone with huge city-of-buffalo ties.