mjd1001

That is why I said Almost every topic, not every topic. Yes, Hall and talking about his aquisition was good, but in the past I could come here and find a half dozen or more topics that were fun to talk about and positive about the future. Things are much worse now in that regard until they start showing progress on the ice that lasts.

I'm going to agree with what many have said already...its pretty simple: -Better goaltending. Doesn't mean you NEED better goaltenders, they just have to play better. -A key change or two...Rieder is what the team has targeted. -Luck. Over the course of a season, some PP and PK success is luck. We have seen over the years a team be very good one year...bad the next year..and then good the following year with basically the same players and coaching staff. There is some randomness to it.

I guess its because the Sabres have been so bad for so long...but it seems like almost every topic that comes up now regarding the NHL and Sabres is just not fun at all. Almost everything is something to worry about the team making a mistake, or getting screwed....an arbitration hearing putting them in a bad spot.......not much is fun with the team or the sport following it anymore.

I think you may have exaggerated a few of the points slightly, but part of me agrees with what you are saying.

Hasek because I truly think he was the best player in the league in his prime, and he played for the Sabres. 2nd...Andreychuk...simply because I think he was vastly under-rated by Sabres fans.

Maybe its unfair to compare him to Eichel...but I think of all the games I watched where the Sabres were outplayed..and what I remember of Sam watching him directly is he was no better at moving the puck from the Sabres own zone through the neutral zone and seting up something in the O-zone. And I mean that by either carrying it or hitting a winger in a good position passing. Again, unfair to compare him to Eichel, but when the Sabres were being drastically outplayed by another (better) team, I rarely, if ever, saw Sam make a great exit pass or carry the puck through the zone to take the heat of the Sabres in their own zone or set up something in the offensive zone. I'm not saying he is awful...just average in this area...and if I'm going to give out a big contract I want someone who is above average in a few areas/situations.

Here is the problem. NOBODY really wants anyone that is already well paid. Reading a few message board from other teams..and the biggest topic on most of them is what players on those teams that are highly paid can be traded to someone else who wants them. Listen to 590 out of Toronto..and multiple times per day...the hosts and 'experts' talk about how the leafs need to unload salary and move players who are making money. More so this year than any I can remember..MORE teams want to move those $3-$5 million dollar players off their roster...there is little demand for them and a LOT of supply. I'm not saying to not even try....but the reality is, if someone is on your payroll now for more than $3 per year...it is likely you are stuck with them until their contract runs out...there will be very little moving of those mid-tier contracts. Maybe the Sabres and Adams have the right idea now...load up on 'usable' players making the league minimum....if those guys have any NHL talent....they might be the ones who have more trade value at the deadline to fill in other teams injury holes than your 'better' players making $4 million. A contending team might actually give you a better draft pick for a $700,00 per year depth guy (13th forward, 7th d-man) than they will for a better player making a ton more money.

There is no player in recent memory that I go back and forth as much as I do with Reinhart. One day I want him here for his career...the next day I think about it and hope he is gone for anything productive. I just can't ignore either argument...he produces points..and goals (maybe not an elite level, but certainly at a level that is hard to replace). On the other hand, he is useless on the PK (not used at all) and not all that great in transition...which makes him a slightly above average point producer and not much else. So what is that worth? I really have NO idea. What I do know is right now..that Skinner contract looks like you can make a case it is the worst contract in the league..and I can't take a chance of having another big dollar contract like that (or even close to it) for someone unless I know they are going to be a star and keep improving. Does the Skinner contract mean you have to let Reinhart leave? No, you don't make a bad decision on one player because of a bad one on another..it just means you have to be very careful with Big dollars going out in the next couple of years.

At this point, I'm fine with just sitting back until camp arrives. I'd LIKE to see Risto moved for any parts that might help, but now I'm ok with waiting. -Goalie....Hutton isn't your starter, he is your backup. hoping he has a 'bounce back' year, but hes still your backup. -I'm anxious to see what lines might be played with the current roster. -Not 'moves', but lets give some of the guys in Rochester a LEGIT chance to make the team. If something falls in your lap, but all means go for it...but I'm ok with letting things play out with what you have now....trades and moves are allowed after the season starts after all.

That is the key. Its not just Hall coming in and scoring a ton. If he scores 25 goals and gets close to 70 or more points....you don't need a lot more than that. What you do need is for someone who you had penciled in as a 2nd line player to not move to a 3rd line and make that line a bit more productive.

Okposo isn't worth his contract, but WHEN he is on the ice, he isn't a bad performer for the team. 5th on the team in points the last 2 years even with games missed....2nd to Oloffson in PP goals per minute of ice time...and with the shortened season last year..he was on a 14-15 goal, 30 point pace as primarily a 4th liner. I wish he wasn't getting paid what he is....but if you are going to be stuck with that contract anyway....playing him on the 3rd/4th line...with the ability to fill in on higher lines...and putting him on the 2nd PP unit....he's not bad in that role at all.

I guess the thought is he won't be a great 2C, but for at least the first half the season (maybe the entire season), he'll be a 'good enough' 2c, one that should not be the reason the entire 2nd line is useless.

agree

At the moment, Twitter seems to be exploding with Leafs fans who think they pulled on over on Pitt...I'm not so sure though. Kap is only 24 and is basically a 20 goal scorer...with 1rd round talent. Put him on a good line in Pitt and I think you can expect 20-25 goals in a full season. That 15th pick? Nothing to sneeze at, but the history of mid 1st round picks shows they likely won't play in the NHL for at least 2 seasons...and not contribute in a meaning full way for 4 years (if they do at all). Both Toronto and Pitt are in a 'win now' situation, I don't see how this doesn't help Pitt more than it does Toronto. (if it doesn't set up another trade for the Leafs maybe?)

Great. So he got removed by this, fine...but for years they let his general abrasive attitude, his seeming lack of understanding of 'modern' hockey, his overall being a bad commentator/bad at his job....they let that go for years.

I agree. Building through the draft usually works better than trading draft picks for 'ready now' guys. A small part of the problem the sabres have is that Tim Murray was intent on 'speeding up' the rebuild. The bigger problem they have is they haven't drafted well. You say the rangers were luck to have 2 top 2 picks in 2 years? Remember the Sabres had 3 top 2 picks in 4 years....with 1 of them considered a 'generationa' player in Dahlin..and another that was taken 2nd considered a play that in most years would have been #1 overall. The solution to bad drafting in the past is to draft better in the present and in the future...it is not to give up on drafting. Most people know this, but look at just who the Sabres drafted in the first 2 round over the past decade that are average at best or maybe total busts....Pysyk, Armia, Grigorenko, Girgensons, McCabe, Risto, Zadarov, Compher, Hurley, Bailey, Lemieux, Cornell, Karabacek, Guhle, Nylander, Asplund, Middelstadt, Davidson, Samuelson.......and who do they have that is good? Eichel, Reinhart, Dahlin? When you are drafting in the top 10 of the first round quite a bit, you need more 'hits' than just the guys you draft #1 or #2 overall. The drafting in the past IS the Sabres problem...and there is no fixing what has happened in the past. You need to hit on some future picks..not trade future picks to mid-level roster players.

I'm a lot older than you apparently...I have faint memories of Sabres games around 1980....as a kid I became a big fan in the middle 1980s....so I was introduced to Royal Blue for a long time before the red and black. BUT, I really like the red and black. I'd be all for bringing that back for at least a 3rd jersey.

On the surface I see where you are coming from. When I have been bored I'd thought of a formula or 2 of how I think it would be fair...."lottery weighted based on record from last season and 1/2 weighting the previous season, with a slight bump in odds for every year in a row a team misses the playoffs...etc" But, 90% of the problem would just be fixed by getting rid of the lottery totally. If you want to do SOMETHING to penalize teams for tanking...hit them in the pocketbook. The team that finishes last and gets the first overall pick gets a little less revenue sharing..something like that. Just give the worst team in the league the first pick. Things aren't like they were in the past....where a team could get Jagr and Lemiuex together for years and years and years and surround them with pretty good players all the time...the salary cap takes care of part of that now.

I hope Minnesota. I really don't want to see Edm, Tor, or Pitt get it....but I don't think if he goes to any of those teams, it makes them a 'dynasty in the making'...so while I don't want them to win, I'm not overly concerned. Toronto is going to have cap issues for a long time. Pittburgh, their window is 1, maybe 2 years before it closes...and that window isn't really top cup contender now even, they are 2nd tier. Edmonton? Probably the most dangerous of the 3, but not the worst place for him to go. Florida is where I'd be worried the most. When you look at that team, the cap room they have, the team that can make the biggest jump with a player like him in 2-3 year from now...I think it is Florida. Plus, he'd be on that team in the Sabres division. My heart tells me no to Pitt, Tor, or Edm....but my head doesn't want him in Florida.

I'd rather see the Leafs beat the Jackets in a long, back and forth 5 game angst filled series...only to have their head handed to them in the next series. Just as enjoyable for me...but it ensure no chance they get that top pick.

I can't read the whole article..not a subscriber. I was never really big fan of the new Arena. I was a little kid when they played at the Aud and had fond memories of those games. Sure, I know it was smelly and dirty...but the thing I liked the most about it was how small the inside was...how much closer to the ice most of the seats were. So you have a new building..like many other places. It just seems to me that many of the other Arenas built at the same time as ours in Buffalo have undergone a much great renovations leaving ours behind..and the brand new ones of course are so much nicer. I WANT a nice Arena, I want the Bells-and-Whistles. If I was a true die-hard fan, I would only want to watch the game at home..seeing all the replays and having multiple camera angles give me a better view than most seats in the Arena..all the while at my pc or large tablet getting any up to the second info I can analyze. But these days I'm more of a casual fan...so the 'night out' experience in the Arena is almost as important to me as the game...and the 'night out' experience in our Arena has fallen quite a bit behind most other places.

I'd really have to think about this...but Kurri, Neely, and Ovechkin were the first 3 names I thought of. If I had to come up with 2 more.... Peter Bondra Pavel Bure

I want Dahlin to be good enough next year to be getting 24 minutes per game of ice time. Don't waste any of that on the Penalty kill though. #1 PP unit..and about 19-20 mins per game even strength.

I think that has a lot to do with it. I won't bet on it..but if he doesn't have another job by this time next year, it wouldn't surprise me to see him back covering the Sabres whenever they do play.

I know this isn't about this years draft...but can anyone imagine what next years might look like? If Covid goes on much longer..and restrictions stick...you might be looking at a 2021 draft where the kids (players) haven't played at all for 1.5 years, or at least haven't played much...and even they they do play...will there be as much scouting of those few games as in the past? It might make the first round a little trickier...but I can't imagine how totally random the later rounds of the draft might be.