Pimlach

I went to the last one in the St Louis area. It was fun. We had a private party. This one is also close by, the totality zone is a 1.5 hour drive. I think I want to avoid the crowds this time but wifey wants to venture out and be in it. Ugh. There is nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the ...

I go to the Falls quite a bit, almost every summer, to both Canada and/or the US side. Last year was the first time in decades that, on the Canadian side, I went up the hill away from the Falls and into town. What a mess of commercialization that place is. We got out quick and went to Niagara on the Lake. Great town. Much nicer experience. Love walking there and shopping, I bought another hat.

Not everyplace has good wings, beef on weck, pizza - we are talking Sabres fans here.

I have not seen enough hockey from Byram to say that. He is one year older, had a slower break in to the NHL on a much better championship team and under much better circumstances. He had an impressive first week or two. Right now he looks like the others.

Benson is a very good player. He will get bigger and stronger. He is going to be a pain to play against - high hockey IQ, hard worker, fearless and determined. Get stronger and work on that shot in the off season. That should be his priority working with the development staff.

I like Girgs, always have, but I would look to improve his spot in the off season. If its not feasible, I sign him for one year again. No need to lock him up.

Not McKinnon. No way.

I am a big advocate for acquiring a vet, a stay at home physical defenseman to pair with Power. I wanted that last year, and I still want it. I don't see the cap room for highly paid Dahlin, highly paid Power, and maybe soon to be highly paid Byram, plus the TBD veteran top 4 guy, plus Muel. If Power is traded to keep Byram then so be it. I don't understand that Byram trade anyway, especially given the $$$ already invested in the defense. Power will end up being very good for a long time somewhere else then - just like countless others.

And according to Rivet and Peters, it was Pegula that push the signing of Skinner and agreed to the contract. But again, Terry has vast coaching experience coaching his son at the Mite and Squirt level in that highly competitive Olean House League. https://www.oleantimesherald.com/sports/columnists/remember-when-pegula-was-a-local-hockey-coach/article_b369f874-d847-11e5-b387-67e32cba2312.html

You have been drinking a lot and not watching as much lately. Byram is losing some of his Colorado shine. The Mathews goal last night was on Byram. Once he lost his stick he became a spectator. He could have used his body to block Mathews out, but he just watched. Byram will not get the C. Adams will be lucky to extend him.

Maybe. Or maybe 25 to 30 mins a night, every night, is really too much for a 23 year old defenseman? It was commented on by the HNIC crew just last night, they marveled at his play and his ice time, while saying it is not sustainable. We have Byram and Power, why not split the minutes a little bit more?

Of course they will become available, there is no competition for them. Given everything Adams has said and done we could be younger next year. Dahlin is overplayed. Tage and Cozens have struggled this year and that has to change next season is this team is going anywhere.

https://www.superyachtfan.com/yacht/top-five/ Here you go ...

Adams did such an exhaustive coaching search when Ralph was fired? He named Granato interim head coach. Then he interviewed _____ ? He interviewed, ahhh, uuhmm? He must have interviewed someone? Lets looks at the goaltending. He failed to retain Ulmark but he brought in - Tokarski, Dell, Anderson, Subban, Howser, and Levi (via the NCAA in a trade for Sam Reinhart). He did this with tons of cap space because he did not want to block Levi. Who is our #1 goalie? UPL, a guy he inherited. I wont say Adams is incompetent at this time, his drafts have been pretty good. I will say he underestimates the scope of his job, and he overestimates his prospects and the players that he acquires. He says he is not accountable for the drought, and neither are any of his players. Yet he is responsible for ~1/3 of it. Year 5 is coming for Kevvy. This will tell us a lot. It could turn out that Granato was more competent than Adams. Between the two, Granato has prepared for his position for much longer than Adams has. We will see what Adams does this off season to improve the team and to make the playoffs.

The new coach will get the same results because Pegula will go with Matt Ellis or Seth Appert or other coaches of that ilk. Or he will try to lure Peca, which will ultimately derail his promising career. He will never even talk to Gallant or Berube. Gallant and Berube will see through him immediately and probably shy away without a guarantee on roster construction.

Does he have pride? Probably so, but apparently not the kind that most of us here have. Should he be demanding answers and changes? No, because he got exactly what he paid for. He knows the answers. He hired unknown and unproven people to run this team. He came up with EEE and the decision to not spend money. He put the yacht and the family lifestyle ahead of this team. He is in no position to demand answers. The answer is him. He is the reason they are so bad for so long. With Kim out of the picture, Terry is the only common denominator. Terry thinks Adams is his savior. Adam’s thinks he is going to rebuild mostly by drafting and developing. At the rate in which Adams brings in outside veteran help, this is looking like a 8 to 10 year plan. Yes, when you draft 18 year olds you have a 4 to 6 year lag before they get a man’s body to play in a man’s sport. Kevin Weekes talked about the youth on this team yesterday. He said they need an infusion of veteran players to help them. He said Okposso left for other reasons (career over), but they still need more experienced players. Every hockey guy on every TV network says the same things. No goaltending, no structure, young and inexperienced, need more veteran presence and more physical grit. Other than UPL emerging, nothing changed in 2023-24.

The slow starts in the first period (-90 goal diff), the poor home record, the lack of a power play … all reasons to be concerned about Granato. The team failed to improve or even to equal last years effort Add, “ I’ll teach defense next year, you teach offense first because it takes mores skill”. I knew this was lunacy from the first time he said it. Fraud. Finally, Don’s sensitivity about getting booed and the “fire Donny “ chants. Donny and his captain taught the boys the wrong stuff on this one, further poisoning the culture. In Boston, the fans booed and their coach said “ the fans are right and they are smart”. In Buffalo, Donny warns us that “some of these guys just signed long term contracts”. I will never get past that. I will say it again. Nice guy, and he did his best, and helped some players get their careers going. He has no more to offer and this team will not advance with him and his staff at the helm.

This is his second full season, do not count the year he left the ncaa to play 9 games. We get it, you don’t like him. He is frustrating at times. But he is 21 and playing a position that takes time and patience. You obviously cannot tell the difference from top 4 and 5/6/7. So you don’t see his puck handling and passing skills? Seriously, the entire NHL Scouting community had him at the top tier of the draft and you see him as a 3rd pair. If he was a 3rd pair talent at 21 he would still be in Rochester. Trade him now, at the first year of his new contract, and you will get the absolute minimum in return, trading him now is devaluating him. Other GMs will line up and fleece the Sabres, it would be similar to the ROR trade.

Yup. Me too.

This is familiar information?

Pegula came in bragging and talking smack about winning Cups, spending money and drilling wells. The other owners probably don’t care for him. He really thinks he knows hockey because he coached his kid in the Olean Bantam House League.

probably so, but they gave Power an 8 year deal when he was 20, and they knew Dahlin was up too. What if he does not sign it, they suck again next season, and he wants out so he gets moved at the deadline?

Correct. Next year is his last year. Adam’s will likely try to extend him before the season, no? Why else would he trade Mitts for him?

Where is your “Is this the lowest point” thread? Tonight seems like another entry in that journal for consideration.