Broken Ankles

I agree with almost all of this….except Mitts. I thought his advanced metrics were deceiving, and he didn’t drive play at all, like Cozens did. Thought he gave up the puck too often (5 times), and had only one quality SOG. Others were weak. His lack of speed is concerning. His contributions on the PP were lacking. Also agree with mentions upthread and you about Tuch back with Tage.

Good call. Thought the same thing.

Tomlin clearly should be fired for starting a rookie QB against a vaunted Bills defense. No way to build confidence in your QB.

Tuch was in the room for what 3/4 of a year? If Z is doing all the things that are right, then it follows the longest tenured Sabre has a letter. It’s possible Mule has greater leadership skills than Rasmus. Evidenced by his being named Captain of his team as a sophomore in college. But Rasmus maintains the ‘A’ based on experience. Not just on skill. Tuch is a good candidate next year if Z is not re-signed.

Memo to Mike

Maybe KA thought it better to build confidence in another goalie within the organization. Comrie is also the UFA/new guy. Message could have been ‘show me something’. The bar of expectations was extremely low based on the pairings. Do you think he cleared it?

Vincenzo!

Mediocre Wording 👀

Kumerow still with ankle sprain and McKenzie in concussion protocol. Could see T. Austin off practice squad and Shakir getting significant snaps.

They can be proud of the fact they beat a top 4 team in the AFC, on the road, when trailing by 17 in the first half. Ugly, and undeserved, but a comeback victory nonetheless. That is something you can build on. The Bills were on the receiving end of two huge calls by the officials to help them secure a victory. A phantom Roughing the passer penalty in the 4th and a no-call on PI to end first half. Amazing how these type calls go to good teams. They are appropriately 3-1.

What are you defining as lower tier? https://theathletic.com/2746567/2021/09/30/the-2021-nhl-broadcast-rankings-the-best-and-worst-markets-to-watch-the-games/ “Martin Biron got consistent top marks for his work in both the booth and the studio, with several people pointing out he should be the cornerstone of the future broadcasts. The bottom line: A broadcast that is caught in between embracing the past and moving into the future has become divisive and has kept it in the lower tier of NHL broadcasts.” I generally agree with their rank. Razor brings the broadcast down, and Marty is the cornerstone. For reference I listen to the Sabres broadcast about half the time (depending on who they play) and watch another 3 games per week with various teams.

It’s the preseason, is anyone ready? And they are rookies. What is your expectation for each? I’ll take flashes over obscurity, which is what the bottom six has offered in recent memory.

Caggiula with the preseason game of his life. Used to love the Drake, now I hate the Drake.

The over on this game is 53.5, the highest on the board and yet it seems low. Vegas oddsmakers know too much but I can’t help think the Bills don’t score less than 31, and with a depleted secondary I can see the fins land 24. A high scoring affair in theory. Go Bills!

That will never not be funny. Even KA himself has to look back at that clip and cringe. Unrelated, I was surprised they shared the conversation with Adam’s and UPL. Not so much that a conversation was had, but rather it was included. Shouldn’t UPL a look at this an immediate threat but at the same time, a much lesser threat than what could have occurred. KA told him “the most important thing we need next year is for you to play games”. I guess. How about win games? How about win games, and in spectacular fashion.

Tonight couldn’t be much better. And we got the better broadcast crew to boot. Levy and Riddick aren’t exactly Nance and Romo, but Joe Buck is just the worst. And Troy is average at best. Not sure how or why ESPN paid them what they did this off-season.

Prayers Dane!

All great points. I went back three years to see the roster from the 2019 prospects challenge. The forward comparison isn’t even close. https://sabresdigitalpressbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2019-sabres-prospects-challenge-roster.pdf

Cozens named breakout player of the year for the Sabres in the Sirius XMs preview of the Sabres by both host Boomer Gordon and your favorite play by play announcer, guest Dan Dunleavy. Not a bad listen. It’s in the on demand section. Cozens dedication and commitment should pay dividends this season. I’m thinking 15/25/40 and continued solid defensive play. Hoping for more goals. Motivated by Tage’s extension he will be the primary focus for next offseason. It’s there for the taking. Yes, Mule is due as well and I see him as core too, but games played and draft position makes him an easier bridge decision.

Reminds me of the Pulp Fiction scene with Vincent and Mia talking about Tony Rocky Horror. Mia : He fell out of a window. Vincent : Hmm, hmm. Well, that is one way to say it. Another way to say it would be that he was thrown out. Another way would be that he was thrown out by Putin. And yet even another way to say it was that he was thrown out of the window by Putin because of his comments about the 🇺🇦.

As noted above, often injured. Has never put up 30. Hoping for the best but planning for others to surpass, and Sabres to pivot.

If you think that then bet on the 2023 win totals. The Vegas line for OTT, NJ and Detroit are significantly better than Buffalo. So they believe the hype. Bet the over for the Sabres and under for NJ or Detroit. The Devils were predicted to have 89 pts. last year and finished with 63. This year they increased it to 91. Seems like a lock for the under. Sabres on the other hand we’re predicted to have 67 and exceeded that number. Stands to reason they exceed this years target of 77.5. Anaheim Ducks 80.5 Arizona Coyotes 65.5 Boston Bruins 93.5 Buffalo Sabres 77.5 Calgary Flames 99.5 Carolina Hurricanes 102.5 Chicago Blackhawks 66.5 Colorado Avalanche 111.5 Columbus Blue Jackets 79.5 Dallas Stars 94.5 Detroit Red Wings 84.5 Edmonton Oilers 103.5 Florida Panthers 106.5 Los Angeles Kings 95.5 Minnesota Wild 100.5 Montreal Canadiens 71.5 Nashville Predators 96.5 New Jersey Devils 91.5 New York Islanders 94.5 New York Rangers 99.5 Ottawa Senators 86.5 Philadelphia Flyers 78.5 Pittsburgh Penguins 102.5 San Jose Sharks 76.5 Seattle Kraken 82.5 St. Louis Blues 95.5 Tampa Bay Lightning 103.5 Toronto Maple Leafs 106.5 Vancouver Canucks 92.5 Vegas Golden Knights 98.5 Washington Capitals 95.5 Winnipeg Jets 87.5

Why do you think that? The Isles have over $11m in cap space, with two RFA’s to sign. Dobson you could bridge as he isn’t arbitration eligible, and Romanov is 10.2c. What is the expected Kadri AAV? I think if they move anyone it would be a $3-4M contract, not one of their core.