mjd1001

This probably was mentioned before, but I must have missed it. I read the Sabres are going to be playing in Munich, Germany in a preseason game on Sept 27th. But the Day before on Sep 26 they are scheduled to play at Ottawa, and the day after on Sept 28th scheduled another preseason game at Columbus. Any idea how this is working? Split squad? Where is the main coaching staff going to be? Who are the players that are traveling to Europe and are they returning for the remainder of the preseason here, or just staying in Europe until the season opener? Also, I'm pretty sure this MUST have been brought up, but December 15...nice of the leagues to have the Sabres playing the Leafs at the Same time the Bills are playing in Detroit on a Sunday afternoon.

I don't think so. I mean, its POSSIBLE. Zach Hyman scored over 50..so its possible. But, Hyman is a very good/fast skater. Skinner is not. Hyman gets all of his goals in front of the net, Skinner used to but not so much anymore. The thing is, to get that time with McDavid and/or Draisatl, he would have to take time away from Hyman. I'm not sure Edmonton is going to want to give 32/33 year old newcomer Jeff Skinner the ice time and opportunities that nearly 40 goal scorer 2 years ago and 54 goal scorer last year Zach Hyman had. Finally, look at the numbers. Jeff Skinner for his career shots 11%. Last year he shot 11.4%. For his career in Buffalo he shot 11.2%. He has never had a season at 15%, and only 3 times in his career he was above 14%. Also, once forwards get over 30, the thing that causes their goal totals to go down is usually the shooting percentage doesn't get better with age, it gets worse. So, lets say Skinner plays the entire year. He takes away Hyman's ice time and spot with the top forwards. He gets plenty of PP time. And, playing with those better players, even at 32/33 years of age he bumps his shooting percentage up to 14%. If, IF all those thing happen, to get over 50 goals, he would need to take 360+ shots. I just don't see ALL of those things happening. Is it possible...MAYBE, but I don't see it.

Tim Connolly. He took a decent (but not huge) step up in 05-06. But I remember the playoffs right before he got hurt, he looked, for that small window, like he was playing as a top-10 player in the league. Then he got hurt. Never close to that again.

E-scooters, e-skateboards. Well, not them but the people who RIDE them. How about a little common courtesy when riding them, along with some common sense. There are 2 different people near me, one has an electric powered skateboard of some kind and another has something that looks like a skateboard but has one big rubber wheel in the middle, but rides kinda like a skateboard. These aren't kids (they are both probably in the 28-35 year old range) and they are reckless. They ride on the street, and these things go really fast (20-25mph) and they weave in and out of the street, pop out of side streets at full speed without stopping, even pass cars waiting to make a left turn. The E-scooters that kids and teenagers use aren't much better. Walk on the sidewalk and they come up behind you going pretty fast (maybe 10 mph or more) and just blow by you before you even know they are there. I don't mind the products per-se, but if the people who use them are driving them like idiots...then ban them.

Well, maybe not the 'norm'. But I see Thompson as a guy that generates 250-300 shots on goal per year. The 2 years previous to last he shot 15-16%. Last year playing with a hand/wrist injury, that went down below 11. If he is fully healthy, I see him taking 'near' 300 shots, and his shooting percentage back to the 15-16% range. The wildcard, as you mentioned, is how he is used under Lindy. He could adapt to the system and it might favor him even more...or it might be something where he is asked to do things a bit differently than he likes, and he could be worse. We don't know yet.

I think Thompson makes it, simply because I'm 95% sure he is going to have a big time bounce-back year. I think, if not injured, a 40-50+ goal Thompson is the norm. a 60 point Thompson is the anomoly.

You may be correct in this and it may be harder than I think, but of all places I would thank Anaheim wouldn't have much of a problem. Find a guy who was overpaid, but received money up front (lots of them do now), so you don't have to pay much out of pocket but there is a cap hit. Toward the end of his career, still useful but not worth the money. Willing to spend a year or two at the end of his contract playing hockey for a team without super-high expectations and in southern California. I would think (without looking I can't verify) but I think there would be a lot of contracts out there that teams near the cap would WANT to unload.

Agreed, not about closing threads, but juvenile behavior like this should be played out between 2 people in private messages. Maybe a 7 day ban from posting but allowing them to go at it in PM's would cool things down, and allow threads to stay open for the rest of us.

I think between E-bikes and the BMW drivers, you are missing people who drive full size trucks and SUV's. I was with you with BMW (and Audi) drivers, speeding, cutting you off, weaving in and out on the highways. But now I see that behavior more in people driving 5000lb+ trucks and suvs instead.

We have a neighbor, who I assume doesn't read this forum. But if they did..maybe it would help.... This neighbor frequently has work done to their yard. They hire professional landscapers to come over, have a lawn service cut their grass. Well, this neighbor is retired and in his 70's. Whenever those people come over to do work, he goes outside and asks them/tells them to not park in front of his house, but to park in front of one of the neighbors houses in stead. I have seen it over and over. He walks outside, says something to them, they move their truck/truck-trailer. 1/2 of the time, it end up in front of our house where it sometimes sits for 4-8 hours. On at least on occassion, blocking the mailbox where we didn't get mail delivered that day. When they have visitors/friends/relatives over, somehow those people always end up parking in front of our house also. I know you can park wherever you want on the street, but it annoys me at times. I told my wife that I should just park our car in front of their house all the time, but she wants me to not start any trouble in the neighborhood.

I think it is much more likely, than not, that Thompson give you 50+ goals this year. Again, if he is healthy, I expect that. The goal for the Defense has to be to have one player on the ice at all times that is elite (or soon to be elite). Dahlin. Power. A combo of Samuelsson/Byram. I think the design of this team (intended) is as those players get older better, they control the puck form the back end. They get the puck in the D-zone and make breakout passes/carries to get it out, making the Sabres (eventually) the best in the league at doing that at all times. Tuch is where I am curious. I think he's the best forchecker on the team and should be good for 25 goals. But what is his future here? On one hand when his deal is up he'll still be very good and he's the 'great guy that wants to be here, which Adams likes. On the other hand, he is a forward that is good, but not a star. When his next contract would be starting, he will be a 'good' player, with an injury history, that is 30 years old. Not exacly the kind of guy you want to give a multi-year deal to.

I don't see an obvious hole that they can still make a move to fill. Let me rephrase...I do now see what THEY think is an obvious hole they want to fill. If an opportunity came along to get better, I'm sure they would package something to do that. But at this point, I think they are 'content' to take what they have into camp.

Honestly, I found the opening ceremony slightly more interested than the events themselves. For me its a matter of taste...I'm not a Summer Olympic person. When anything is overhyped (and yes, the Olympics can be WAY overhyped), it kinda pushes me a way. I think that is the biggest reason I am not a huge NFL fan now where in the past I was. But more importantly, I'm just not really into any of the sports. Winter Olympics is another story, I can watch almost anything there and have fun (Bobsledding/luge, Hockey, all the types of downhill skiing and ski jumping, even figure skating). But the summer games, not so much.

I get what you are saying, but I'm not saying if he is just a PPG player. I meant what I really wrote...top 10 in the NHL in scoring, and his overall game is so good he is taking over (dominating) games. Even then I'm not even saying you give him a permanent spot on the Sabres. If, IF he was playing that well over 1/2 of a season down there, then you bring him up, see how he does fit into the NHL, and worst case scenario he goes back down and now has more of an idea how close/far away he is from a permanent NHL player. I agree with the concept that just about every prospect (unless your name is McDavid or Matthews) could benefit from time in the AHL, and many/most should have more than a season down there. My point was in the slight chance he really dominates, give him a look up here to see how he fits in (if he earns it), but that doesn't mean giving him a sport, nor does it mean 'showing flashes only' in the AHL.

Agreed. There are very few players that are so good they can't learn from time in the AHL. A new country. The language. The rink size. The different style of NA game. If he is 'good enough' to be a mid-level forward in the NHL, he can be even better than that in a year after a season in the AHL. If you put him in the AHL and he dominates at 18, is in the top 10 in the league in scoring and takes over games...then you bring him up if you want. If not, then he can still stay down there and learn.

When you ride a bicycle around you get to see this so much better. When you 'drive' by someone you actually have the time to see what they are doing. I LOVE it when you see people not just 'glancing' at their phone...or looking at it while holding up close to eye level (where your vision might catch something out of the windshield)....but rather when they must have the phone on or near their lap, and you see a car driving by you on a residential street going 30+ mph while looking almost directly down.

Yeah, It really, REALLY looks like the Capfriendly replacement that is about 90% the same format.

Maybe this was brought up somewhere else, but check out capwages.com To me, its the closest thing to capfriendly. Capwages seems to be as easy for me to adjust to.

If he is healthy and "ON" in terms of mindset, I think he can net 50 in a year. The problem is, there is probably less than a 5% chance that both of those things happen, and then add to it his defensive (perceived or real) liabilities.

I have no idea how people can live in places where it is like this (or worse) for 3-5 months every year. Yeah, I lived in Florida for a few years in my 20's, I guess you get used to it, but I never totally did. Everyone is different, but I'll take the cold and wind chills for 3 months over this. I can't wait till October.

I never saw a reason he wouldn't have about the same kind of year he has had the last few. What does a QB need to have a good year? -he's had some time now with his offensive coordinator, so that transition isn't a huge one. Same head coach. -About the same quality offensive line as in the past -About the same quality RB as in the past. -TE should be the same, hopefully SLIGHTLY better as Kincade isn't a rookie not knowing much coming in. -So WR? How different will this current group be from Gabe Davis and an 'seemingly' aging/declining (or at least dis-interested) Diggs? I could make a case for the current group being the same, I could make a case the current group is slightly better, I can make a case the current group is slightly worse. What I cannot do is make a case the current group is a LOT worse. With all that said, barring injury(ies), I expect a typical Josh Allen year, basically a top 5 QB in the league.

Not really. If they made a move, it would be interesting/intriguing, I wouldn't be upset, but I'm not going out of my way to pound the table for him. I think it would be more entertaining that it would actually make the team better.

Plus does that really drive ratings? I guess they have data saying it must or they wouldn't do it....unless they just give free reign to their hosts to talk about what they want and they go with it? I would think getting guests to talk about the teams is somewhat unique (giving their opinions). Having 'insiders' talk about 'rumors'.....sometimes you can't get those specifics by searching online so to me that has value. But, talking about spreads, about fantasy football, who got the most points last year and who is 'projected' to this year...it seems like that is just a waste of time because all of that can easily be found by looking it on you a computer or phone in 10 seconds or less (at least it is a lot easier to find that than to find other types of talk about the team.)

If Benson was 1-2 years older and 'more ready', would some not want to make a deal for Zegras giving up a lot (possibly Benson)? If that is the case, Benson isn't ready but will be in 1-2 years, then might it not be better to improve the team in other areas, and not give up too much for Zegras when Benson is that close to being what you need him to be?

Yeah. And I realize for me, its a large part of something just with 'me. I grew up as a little kid in the 80's and into the 90's watching both teams but caring a LOT more about the Bills. Never missed a game, had season tickets with my father and then with a friend. But something happened in the past 10 years where I just don't care as much about the Bills as I used to. My guess is when saturation of coverage gets to be SO much (we know not only locally but nationally how much coverage the NFL gets), it kinda turns me off maybe? I'm still not sure. Maybe if the NHL got that much coverage and the Sabres got that much it would do the same for me? All I know is that I still TRY to listen to WGR in the mornings, but there is only so much talk about the 3rd or 4th Safety on the roster who who is going to be the 6th WR that I can take. Oh, and then hearing "Joe from North Tonawanda" who has been "a season ticket holder for 45 years" call in once a week saying that "defense and running wins championships and the need to run the ball 35 times a game"...I just can't take it anymore.