Broken Ankles

Sabres opening Day line up 2023 Skinner-Thompson-Tuch Peterka-Cozens-Olofsson Greenway-Mittelstadt-Benson Girgensons-Krebs-Okposo Dahlin-Samuelsson Power-Jokiharju Clifton-E. Johnson Could be as many as 6 new faces in the forward ranks. Maybe two on D. That’s meaningful turnover. Skinner and Mitts look better than their replacements, on paper. Maybe another move with Joki or another Defenseman.

Plus one on this take. The Bruins had three arbitration cases last year. Including Frederic and Swayman, both key contributors. And while Swayman maybe was irked Boston came in so low, he performed last season and will earn a long term extension this offseason, as he did not file.

The bold is like catnip for some. Your triple question marks begs a response. 😉

In addition to what GA said, Woll is signed for 2024/25 for a min salary. His $3.66M is an extension starting in 2025. So you could see that like an AAV of $2.9m over 4 years. The Swayman arbitration last summer is a good baseline. He asked for $4.5m, the Bruins offered $2m. They settled at $3.475M. I would expect UPL to be around there. And we should hope that UPL performs like Swayman did after arbitration.

But isn’t that mindset larger than just Adams and Terry? Maybe more so than other GMs and owners but I recall a few administrations touting the Buffalo born players - Kaleta, Kennedy, and Foligno. Buffalo IS a small town and is parochial. I think it’s possible this is a nice story AND could help add the grit that has been missing. This was a super low risk move with moderate reward. Maybe some marketing BS, but I think this was a Lindy decision as well. Adams had every chance to do this two years and did not pursue the player. I for one am thrilled that the ONLY Buffalo born player on this team is Gilbert. Not a Pat Kane fan whatsoever. Scoring and playoff experience notwithstanding this team needs an attitude change. I can’t wait to see Ruff bench one of his starting D men to play Gilbert when to the bells tolls. And he will answer.

Key word is maybe. Is it possible all their targets for the 4th line in UFA have already signed (like Joshua) or their agents have told Adams not interested? Not defending move at all, just asking if their options are extremely limited. If July 1st is fruitless, then we know the “Buffalo premium” has reached an all time high. Seeing the returns from the other trades is disheartening.

Exactly. A $7.5m AAV would put the Sabres blue line (only top 6 ) around $38.5M. Last year no team exceeded $34m for their top 7. Better spent elsewhere.

His trade value for Cernak is extremely low. But then again, he slots him on third pair with Clifton. Dude played most minutes with Hedman. He’s not a 5/6. If you are going to acquire a stay at home RD with size and strength, might be good to match him with one of your three offensively minded LD. Not a smaller version of himself, who also plays on the Right.

Is that paint job by Just for Men or Earl Scheib? Let it go!

Let me introduce you to a nice club in the OC.

210th game for Florida in the last two seasons. Only one cat has played them all. Sam Reinhart. The Iron Horse of hockey.

Doesn't this also exacerbate the TM trade for Robin Lehner, considering the pick, the depth of the draft, and the fact TM accepted a cap dump on top of the pick? The Sens paid a lower price, received a better goalie, in a weaker draft, and sent somewhat of a cap dump to Boston instead of accepting one back from them. Guess that's why Tim is still unemployed.

We’ve had our local baseball team never leave the stadium they play in, let alone relocate and go from the California Angels, to the Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles Angels (which is a joke). I know it’s not the same as others mentioned, but strange nonetheless.

Never not funny. Do you think Kevs GM/Exec pals text that to friends when busting balls on a UFA pickup?

While I’m no draft expert, Savoie is killing Junior. He is clearly the highest point per game player the WHL (regular season and playoffs). He is scoring over 2 PPG and about 24% higher than Catton, who is being discussed in top 8 this year. Rosen, probably not, based probably on strength of class. Is there any player drafted after Rose, outside Wyatt Johnson in ‘22 holding value? Hard to say unless you see them daily. None of them seem to be making enough hay to play in the NHL.

The CBA calls for the home team to clear 65% of HRR for each game. A blurb below about the Rangers. I’ll defer to analytics on frequency of making the playoffs each year and games played but if you use 8/13 and an average of 5 games per year that equates to a ballpark guess of ~ $100M. If you assume more games played (like 7) and a slightly higher take per game ($3.5M) it would be ~$196M. “The NHL is the most gate-driven of the four biggest U.S. sports league by far, as it lacks the large TV deals the others possess. Its playoff revenue model is like the NBA’s, making a Cup run extremely lucrative. Teams crank up ticket prices every round, while the league keeps 35% of the gate—the NHL allowed teams to keep 100% of ticket revenue during the playoffs for the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season. The New York Rangers lost in the Eastern Conference Finals last year but hosted 10 home games and generated $50 million in revenue, including concessions and merchandise. Gross playoff ticket revenues topped $200 million last season in the NHL. For small-market NHL teams, a good playoff run can often be the difference between posting an operating profit versus a loss for the season.” https://www.sportico.com/business/commerce/2023/nba-nhl-playoffs-windfall-unlike-nfl-1234719709/

Lately you be Always better for the reader when there is passion on both sides. Enjoying this thread. *the Gene Wilder bio on Netflix was entertaining.

Quintessential Kevyn in Full Frowning Face. A human emoji. The irony is that has become a look all too familiar after Sabre games. Do something.

Agree the NMC is problematic. Let’s assume the retention is $3m with a small sweetener. The benefit of the receiving team is also a low actual salary in year 2025 & 2026. I believe he is due only $7m in 25 and $5m in ‘26. Which would translate to $4m & $2M respectively with retention. Accepting a $6m cap hit while paying $2m in salary seems plausible.

100% this. If he wasn’t the face of Sabres futility, sure, bring him back for less. I advocated last year for his return to see a Kyle Williams like moment. It did not happen. Good luck.

His online name is ‘Tommy Dangles’. It’s what he does, it’s… who he is. It’s his essence of being. Do you tell Pete Rose not to hustle? Do you tell the Babe to not swat dingers? Do you tell Charles not to rebound?

Attached is a list from Wiki. Red font is Color commentators whom I would consider listening to Ray over. I've tried on multiple occasions sitting through, and whether it's the Sabres or another team, they didn’t provide the insight or enlightenment I seek. Green is significantly better, and there is absolutely no question which broadcast I'm listening to if I have an option. Note that Brick should have an asterisk, as he has an annoying Boston accent, but is well prepared for each game and better at his job than Ray. Just hate everything thing about Boston. Those with black font are slightly better or equal, but may have a better PBP partner that tips the scales. More Green than Red, and certainly more Green and Black than Red. Team.docx

Definitely bottom half. I’d say only a handful of teams I don’t listen too when given the option. As an out of market viewer, given the options of both, I usually select the opponents broadcast. Although I have been known to switch back to listen to Marty in between periods, then forget to go back. Ray is also a contributor to my low rating.

Same could be said for moving JJP or Benson lower. The difference ATOI (Even strength) between 1st and 3 lines is 2 minutes per game. If healthy, Quinn scores at a higher rate. If the objective is to maximize the value of Tage and Tuch, I’m adding a finisher who plays better defense than Skinner. Nice problem to have deciding amongst these three, while not even considering the forward who is a perennial 25-30 goal guy.

This take + 1. There are a few examples of some immature players that with proper coaching, a strong locker room and a self realization that the gravy train can end soon that they finally remove head from ass and perform. The raw talent is there. The information at spotrac has the Bills in for $25k signing bonus (dead cap) and a cap figure of $1,085,000 on this kid. That is as low risk as it gets. With the loss of 5 captains, we all wonder about the locker room. But I gotta believe if you’re willing to part ways with an all pro prima donna, then organizationally (GM down to position coaches) they will have a zero tolerance with Claypool. I just booked airfare to see my parents in early August and looking forward to seeing training camp at SJF college. (Not calling either SJF or Canisius Universities just yet). You know, being stubborn and wrong.