msw2112

How much does his wife weigh? My guess is that the bride of a multi-million dollar professional athlete isn't running two bills or anywhere close to it. Lifting a petite woman once as part of a wedding celebration does not equate to the rigors of playing in the National Hockey League. Just my two cents. I know very little about the player of the situation other than seeing this post.

Glass half empty says that they've lost more scoring than they've acquired and defensively are about the same, and as such are likely to finish about where they did last season and out of the playoffs. Glass half full says that if Lindy can have the team ready to play every night (not falling behind by 2+ goals early in the 1st period on a regular basis sort of thing), improve the power play, and they can get a full season of the goaltending that they got after January 1 last year, they're a playoff team. I have no idea how it's going to turn out. I'm not nearly as excited as I was going into last season when I thought the team was going to continue its upward trajectory and take the next step. I'm not full of doom and gloom either. I guess I'm just in "wait and see" mode.

Even if Levi outplays Reimer, he might still get sent to Rochester. Assuming UPL is the starter and primary goalie, the team may prefer to have Levi in Rochester playing games and gaining professional experience on a regular basis (and developing) versus sitting on the bench in Buffalo. He may also yo-yo up and down - play games in Rochester, then get called up for a start, then go back to Rochester after the start. I believe the team handled it a bit like this in the latter part of last season.

I've only been to Rome and Florence and it was quite a while ago. That said, I (and my traveling companion) hated Rome, but loved Florence. It seemed like we were constantly hassled in Rome by people trying to take advantage of tourists. We were treated rudely at restaurants and got into a shouting match with a cab driver who tried to overcharge us. We also had people following us/hounding us at the Coliseum and other tourist areas. Beware! Another negative or Rome is that the subway line is sort of a giant X, so if you're not going somewhere along the lines, it can be quite a walk from the subway. After our bad taxi experience, we simply decided to walk rather than use that as an option. We got a ton of exercise, but also lost a lot of time. Uber and Lyft were not available in those days, so perhaps that's the answer today (as someone mentions above). I would recommend no more than 2 days Rome - see the major attractions, as these are all-time must see places, then get out of dodge. In contrast, we had no such problems in Florence. We were treated well everywhere we went and did not encounter much in the way of people targeting us as tourists and hassling us. We had a great time there and would highly recommend. As someone else stated above, everyone forms their own impressions and has their own experiences when traveling. My wife was on a business trip in Europe last year, which routed through Rome, so she went a day early to see the city. She loved it and can't wait to go back. Perhaps she was well-equipped based on my advice before she went. I have seen the major tourist attractions there, can check it off my list, and have no desire to go back.

The only three things I can think of that would explain these results: 1. People often prefer to root for the underdog, or the team that has not won anything in a while. So if you asked a casual NHL fan which team they'd prefer to win in a matchup, they might pick the Sabres. 2. Despite low attendance due to a poor team for the last several years, the Sabres (like the Bills) have a large and dispersed fanbase. Maybe the survey happened to catch a lot of Sabres fans. 3. While more so 2 seasons ago than last, the Sabres were playing a high-flying, fast-paced, offensive game with lots of scoring. Many fans like that style of hockey, as it can be very entertaining versus a dump and chase/grind it out style.

The guy scored better than .5 points per game while being an enforcer in juniors, so not terrible. He might have a successful minor league career and could be called up for certain games where there are "issues" with an opponent.

I find no issue with this ranking or the write-up, but the Sabres do have a fair amount of talent and new, proven coach, so they could surprise. I was genuinely excited for last season and thought the team would take the next step, and was obviously disappointed. For this upcoming season, I'm neither excited nor disappointed with what they've done in the offseason. Most of their moves were logical and along the lines of what was expected, plus they may not be done. I'm taking a wait and see approach.

Olofsson will do well in Vegas and outplay the contract. He's a better hockey player than he gets credit for on this board. He'll be properly utilized and will score lots of power play goals and even score some at even strength. He has one of the best shots in the league. His defensive play will also improve, because that's what the coach and his teammates will demand, just like it did for Eichel. Regardless of his strengths and weaknesses as a player, it was time for a fresh start for both sides. Note that I wrote an almost identical post in the Girgensons thread.

I would not be at all surprised to see him do very well in Tampa. It was probably time to move on for both sides. He's a good hockey player and better than he gets credit for on this board, but the guy needs a fresh start. I think he will outplay that contract and be a bargain for Tampa.

There's no way they're walking away from UPL, even if he goes to arbitration and wins. They could potentially walk away from Joki, but I don't think he'll cost that much and he's a good enough player that I believe they will want to retain him, so I don't see that happening either.

$5M was an overpay, but it's only for 1 year, so it has no long-term salary cap implications. The guy is a solid veteran player who has played a long time in the league, scored some goals, plays a solid 2-way game and has playoff experience. He's exactly what the team needed. If the team makes the playoffs this season, it will be easier to sign guys in the future to more reasonable contracts. For those of us who were born and raised in Buffalo, and those who have lived there/live there now, we know what a great place it is. Many Sabres players agree and make it there permanent home after their Sabres career ends. That said, to convince someone unfamiliar with the area to choose to come to the city, and to play for a team with the longest playoff drought in professional sports history, the team is going to have to overpay. The Bills suffered that problem for years. Then, they put a competent coaching staff and front office in place, drafted a great QB, started winning games and making the playoffs every year, and now they have no problem signing guys. If the Sabres can turn it around, the same will happen.

My biggest concerns about this projected roster are: 1) Krebs at 3C. Not saying he won't develop and get there, but to slot him in there at this point is a concern 2) Savoie at wing on the the third line. Savoie did not look ready last season and was passed up by Benson. I think that Savoie will develop into a top 6 winger, but I'm not sure that he's ready yet. He's still a small guy that needs to grow up physically and develop a NHL game. Rochester would be a better place for his development. I'd rather see Kulich or Rosen in the lineup than Savoie. Savoie has the higher celiing, but each of those guys has a couple of years of professional hockey under their belt. 3) The overall lack of grit. Malenstryn is a nice add (even if a 2nd was an overpay - but the success rate of NHL draft picks is low, so fine), but you need a little bit of grit in the top 6 and top 9. Not sure there's quite enough there. All this said, with Granato, the team was competitive, performing at near .500 level with what they had. They were 1 point behind the Panthers, who made the playoffs and finals two years ago (and won the Cup this year). Last year, they started slow and dropped off a little bit in the final standings, but they were not fighting for last place like in the past. If Ruff is truly a better coach than Granato, the team should be a 7th-8th seed type of team without any changes. Given Ruff's presence, a few more lineup changes that are going to happen (FA and/or trades), the natural maturity of UPL and Levi in net, plus the additional seasoning and maturity of some core players like JJP, Quinn, Power, Krebs, Byrum, Benson, etc. this should be a playoff team. Just because the team failed to meet expectations last season and have not been in the playoffs for 13 years doesn't mean that the team was terrible. It was a young team that was more or less in the middle of the pack. Some nights, they were terrific and others they were no-shows. They crapped the bed in 2 key games against Detroit that probably was the difference in making the playoffs or not. I attribute most of that to coaching (and prior to that, I was a Granato supporter). A lot of folks here allow the collective frustration that has built up over many years cloud the fact that the team is more in the middle (with upward potential) than at the bottom (with downward potential).

Bryson played pretty well when he came back later in the season. He's an adequate fill-in 3rd paring/7th defenseman. He's small, but moves the puck pretty well. If he ends up back with the team on a lower salary, I won't complain, but as stated above, if he leaves Buffalo, I think he'll have a NHL career somewhere else. No question that the role could be adequately filled by another guy like Clague, Stillman, or someone else out there, but Bryson is fine, in the right role. The last forward/defenseman on a roster isn't going to be an All-Star or a top 6/top pairing guy.

Outside of a few of the big names, I don't know ANY of the prospects in the draft, so I appreciate the information from fellow Sabrespace members. I know a lot of NFL and some NBA prospects from watching NCAA football and basketball. I do watch the Frozen Four so some NHL prospects are there, but not Canadian Juniors, Russians, and other Euros. So thanks to anyone with information on the Sabres' draft picks. Even if they're infused with the poster's opinion, I don't mind. I don't have my own opinion on these kids, so any input is welcomed.

Adams' job is to manage player acquisitions and stock the roster while Ruff's job is to coach the team and play the players on the roster that give the team the best chance to win. That said, neither man works in a vacuum. I'm sure they are in close contact and discuss all player moves. That's the case in most professional sports organizations. My guess is that with Adams' relative inexperience and Ruff's vast experience, that Adams may rely on Ruff a bit more than some GMs do with their head coaches, but regardless of the degree of collaboration, the GM and coach working together to build and manage a roster is how things work. In Bill Parcells' parlance, Adams buys the groceries and Ruff cooks the food, but Ruff helps Adams make the grocery list.

Maybe Adams has been shopping the pick to acquire additional assets to include in a trade that's already in the works and he needed an extra 2nd. Or maybe his trade isn't in place yet, but he's been shopping the pick to acquire additional assets and this was the best deal he could get. Maybe SJ said the deal was off unless he pulled the trigger now. In my personal opinion, if trading for veteran player, 11 is more valuable than 14, so I don't love this trade, but in the scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal. 14 isn't that different than 11 and an extra 2nd is a decent asset.

That's probably true. He was pretty solid in Buffalo on some bad teams, when healthy, but not Vezina material. No question that the Boston system was a huge boon to his career. Same for Swayman and probably Rask too. None of these guys are bad goalies - they are all fine/good NHL goalies, but no question that the other players and system in Boston helped them all rise to the top of the league statistically.

Obviously the reference was to Lindy. The reference in question is in a sentence that reads: "Maybe Lindy can work with the guy to overcome his deficiencies. He'll likely have more influence than a Krueger or Granato did, as he's a proven winner in the league." The sentence about being a proven winner discussed his influence relative to that of Krueger or Granato, the previous two coaches, so it was clearly a reference to Ruff, the current coach. Also, Skinner has never made the playoffs, whereas Ruff made it plenty of times as a player and a coach, has won a number of playoff series as a coach, and is 5th all-time in the NHL in coaching wins. So, Ruff is the proven winner, not Skinner. As to the rumors, the buyout of Skinner was talked about long before Ruff became coach. He's got a huge contract and struggles defensively and struggles with structure. He was benched by one coach (Kreuger) and moved from the first line to the third line by the next one (Granato). I don't know whether a final decision has been made, but Adams did say that "everything is on the table," so clearly a buyout is one of the avenues they are considering. I assume they're looking at trade options first, and if those fail, then the buyout comes into play. If the Sabres retain salary, I could see a team having interested in a guy with Skinner's offensive skills and production. My understanding is that the buyout window is a fairly small one that starts 48 hours after the finals end and only runs through June 30, so we'll all soon find out.

I understand the animosity towards Skinner, but he does have some plusses as a player: He's a very productive goal scorer (which every team needs) He's a scrappy guy who gets under opponents' skin (which the Sabres need in abundance) There's no indication that he's not a team player or a negative presence in the locker room Chances are that he's on the way out as he's not helpful in the defensive zone and doesn't appear to play well in a structure, but the guy is not a terrible hockey player. He's clearly overpaid, but if he is bought out, there's a financial loss, plus, there will be significant cost to replace his offensive production. Maybe Lindy can work with the guy to overcome his deficiencies. He'll likely have more influence than a Krueger or Granato did, as he's a proven winner in the league. I'll leave that up to Lindy (and Adams) to decide.

I'd definitely like to see Edmonton force a Game 7. The NBA finals were a dud and there's not a lot of drama and excitement to mid-season baseball, so a game 7 would be the best sports viewing (for me) until the fall. Assuming a Game 7 happens, I'm torn as to who to root for. It would be amazing to see the Oilers complete the rare comeback from down 3-0 and maybe see Connor McDavid cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats. On the other hand, Edmonton has 5 Cups, so it's sometimes nice to see a team that doesn't have a championship get one. Also, they're never going to have a problem promoting hockey in Western Canada, but it's good for the game to promote it in areas where it's less popular, so Florida winning a Cup would really be a plus for hockey in that part of the country. It's already very popular in Tampa, and they have 3 Cups to go with that.

Yes. From what I can tell, the original Pink Flamingo in Allentown ("old Pink") was the one that was in the fire. At some point in the late 80's/early 90's a newer, larger Pink Flamingo location opened in a big warehouse type of space off of Main Street ("new Pink"). I have no idea if the new Pink is still open. I don't live in Buffalo and haven't for some time, and when I'm in town, I'm not typically visiting those types of bars. If I'm in a bar, it's usually a bar and grill where I can watch a game or have lunch/dinner with my family and/or friends I am visiting. In any event, as I said upthread, the old Pink was a Buffalo institution and it's sad to see it go.

I was never a regular, but I definitely went there from time to time in my late high school/early college years. It was a Buffalo institution. Sad to see it go this way.

The traded some very talented players, several of them who have had/are having great success elsewhere (O'Reilly, Kane, Eichel, Reinhart, Montour, etc.) That said, Buffalo was a mess and these trades needed to be made in order to rebuild. Time had run out in Buffalo for these players and it was better to start over with a clean slate than to continue on with a group that wasn't working, despite several coaches and GMs. It's unfortunate, as that's quite a collection of outgoing talent, but it had to be done. Time will tell whether new core will be successful, but Granato got them to the middle of the pack (which is better than they were back with all of those guys) and Ruff may be able to get them over the hump. The current group is young and talented and there's a lot of talent in the pipeline. They now have an experienced NHL coach who has done well with several teams over the years. All is not lost. I'm looking forward to next season.

When he first started calling games, I could not stand Dunleavy. He seemed to be at about ECHL level. He's improved and has grown on me a little bit. I'd say he's now tolerable and average. I might prefer someone else, but I don't think that's going to happen, so I can live with Dunleavy. My opinion has nothing to do with following RJ. RJ was an all-time great and a true unicorn and it would not be fair to Dunleavy to compare him. To his credit, Dunleavy comes across as genuine and a good guy. I'd guess that most of the fanbase sees it like I do: good guy, OK broadcaster, probably not "popular."

Crazy to think that PIerre Turgeon is in the NHL Hall of Fame!