Kruppstahl

At this point, I'm preparing for the Sabres to not have Sam or Jack. And yes, it will get a lot worse when they are gone. I just don't think either one wants to be here now.

This is the latest chapter in the sorry saga of the Buffalo Sabres--the worst franchise in the NHL. As I keep saying, it is going to be difficult to win much of anything with current ownership. I hope for continued success with the Bills and Pegula slowly giving in to the knowledge that owning 2 major league sports teams is just too much for one person or couple. This all sounds like Jack wants out of here, and he figures he can use the neck injury as the vehicle for getting out of Dodge. I'd be stunned if this ends well for your average Sabres hockey fan.

Not clinched yet, but close! https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/sports/sabres/sabres-could-officially-clinch-last-place-in-nhl-standings-on-thursday

Take care of our own business: LOSE. Lock up the best odds for picking NO. 1. Somehow you know we won't pick first anyway, but why not try our best?

He's done a great job these last 2 games facing a freaking barrage of enemy fire! I loved that Mittelstadt missed his penalty shot last night, so the game didn't end with his shot...and it would go to end with a save from Houser. The script these last 2 games couldn't have been written much better for Houser.

Actually the Bruin double team on Dahlin in the 3rd period was really interesting to see and instrumental in the kid's development. He showed some backbone after being worked over by Marchand for the entirety of his 2 game series. Dahlin definitely has a mean streak in him and I would argue it is obvious he is a competitor, by nature, making him somewhat unusual on this roster. If you can find it on a highlight video, watch the entire incident... I want to say it was like with 8 minutes left in 3rd period. Easily the most interesting aspect of this entire game, other than the UPL's injury, which looked like it might be bad.

He's been demonstrably hot garbage for at least 5 years, and this is arguably his best season to date! Just wondering why this sentiment comes about now. I think he would have been gone 2 or 3 years ago if he had anything close to the trade value Sabres fans think he has. PS: On a spineless team that loves to avoid contact, he is one of the very few who actually enjoys mucking it up and he is easily the biggest, strongest dude on the team. Loves to hit people. I will miss him in that regard, but he's gotta go. Also, some of the current batch of young kids on the team are showing signs of being competitors, which is great to see. Cozens is #1 on that list.

This is an interesting development in that I am generally happy to be moving on from NBC and their approach to hockey, which I rather dislike. However, TNT and TBS are NOTORIOUS for their crappy broadcasting engineering quality for MLB playoff games. That first round of the playoffs always seems to end up on "TNT" and the broadcasting quality is atrocious. Hopefully they will raise their game for hockey, but I wouldn't count on it. I think ESPN will be the much better place to watch hockey. They did a nice job covering the sport before turning it over to NBC. Lastly, I have no idea how these TV networks find the value in these deals! No one watches NHL hockey! Like no one. How are they getting their money back? The "Growth of the game" does not benefit you, the fan of hockey.

Only "sports fans" make big deals out of every last thing that they think they see on the ice/field. This is a job for these guys, period, especially in the modern era when it's ONLY about the money. Does Reinhart absolutely hate Buffalo and want out? Maybe! Maybe not! Who knows! I assure you we'll survive one way or the other.

The guy with a greater talent base is Eichel. The better hockey player is Drury, at least when he was in his prime. His positives outweigh how fast he can skate or how long his reach is and stuff like that. He was a total gamer and proved that over and over on a consistent level. Eichel has struggled from the beginning with consistency; from period to period and game to game. He really rose to a new level last year with all that, and looked set to blossom. Then he crapped the bed this year consistently, presumably with a bad neck. He still has not proven much. Dude hasn't played a playoff game for God's sake, let alone dominated one and emerged as the MVP in the game. Drury did that routinely.

I would have Reinhart as Solid #2. #3 is more wide open right now. Would definitely not put Dahlin up there, not with his development being as it has been since he came into the league. I don't think anyone is considering him a future Norris candidate, for example. Get that "next Bobby Orr" stuff out of your head, along with the thought that Eichel is a generational talent. He's maybe the 10th best center in the league on his best night, which is damned good and you could do a lot of winning with such a player. Generational ? No.

I like Ullmark, but I would like to see us improve our goaltending beyond his numbers with a real 1A goalie if we could. The tweet from Friedman makes it sound like the talks are stalling in some manner and that a deal may not get done. That could be good or bad, depending on what else Adams can get done this off-season.

Useful comment there, chief. If you're going to say nothing, why bother typing? For PASabrefan and those suggesting Montour was actually a good hockey player.....

Yep. Though they can be bundled with other currency to get things that do have worth. At least we have not retained any salary, at least according to Dreger. Can't believe we gave up a prospect and a first round draft pick for that guy! Thanks, Botterill.

That's hilarious. If you think he's a "very good" player, you and I aren't going to see eye to eye on much, which actually explains a lot of your posts quite a bit. So it's a 3rd rounder coming back. Sounds about right. Odds are it amounts to nothing, though it can always be bundled with other currency for something more than the pick would fetch on its own in a draft. Adios, Montour!

So Montour has a "Fresh Start!" and is "Super excited!" and ready to "finish off the year strong!" Yeah, F U buddy. ***** hockey player who will bounce around this league from team to team to team for a while, and retire as a multi-millionaire, despite not being worth a damned. There are hundreds of players just like him across the league. He's a case study of what is wrong with modern NHL economics/ labor practices.

He has a perpetual scowl on his face, with lowered eyebrows, as though he is confused, angry, or both. Like he just heard someone say something he can't believe, and he's reacting to it. That's just his natural, default, look. LOL

I could maybe see Miller moved as a depth D man on a team looking to make a deep playoff run. You can't pile up enough D-men heading into the playoffs, especially if you think your'e going to go deep.

Yeah, I see that now. Well good. If he's tweeting it, it will happen. Now to find out the return. Still a happy day to see Montour off this team though.

Wandering all over Twitter right now with the usual suspects, and Pagnotta is the only person reporting this that I can find. Doesn't mean it's not true, though.

Dramatic, or just not to your liking? Those are 2 different things. Yesterday, Matt Larkin was on (Hockey News) with Bulldog for a 20 minute segment. He suggested the Sabres have a great shot to set the record next year when we don't make the playoffs again...and that it might easily be 2-3 more years before we *do* make the playoffs. He's basing this on the entire state of the organization at this time. He then worked that into a discussion about who might want to jump off the sinking ship because of this, including Eichel, and so on. If Eichel goes at any point in the next year or 2, there will be a further setback. 5 years is totally possible. It's hard to say right now. It's certainly not the stuff of "drama" and exaggeration. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/podcasts/schopp-and-bulldog-20261/04-09-matt-larkin-the-hockey-news-365196880

Because it's how it works. I have a new fear that he is going to go right at the deadline, we are going to retain like 50% salary, and we are only going to get a 2nd or *even* a third for him, plus maybe an additional something of little value. I really thought he would be gone a long time by now! Surprised they have held him out of the lineup like this, to be honest. Last night during the Caps game, Criag Laughlin was quite vocal in his criticism of the Sabres for doing that. He said you have to play the player for the fans watching the game, basically, even with some small degree of risk that he might be injured.

I think anyone on this team who thinks he has a shot at "moving on" would be looking to do so. I suppose the exception would be guys who are happy with their level of income, and are not really competitors at heart. Not everyone in the league wants to charge through a brick wall to hoist the Cup, that is for sure.

I'm *still* not on the Mittelstadt bandwagon, but he wins me over a little bit more every game now. His goal was wicked! Goalie never moved. Seriously fast/skilled set of hands there. Much better than anything we saw from Hall this year, whose hands have looked like stone on many occasions. With better goaltending maybe we could have even won. Watched the Caps broadcast and Craig Laughlin went out of his way to emphasize how much better the team looked relative to earlier in the year.

That's 2 of us. I do know what BMX is. Used to have a killer Mongoose bike when I was a kid.