NAF

Looking at the lineup I don’t think the performance is any worse/better than expected

Gotta give the other teams a chance. Savoie is 5-0 in a Sabres uniform. Tuch said it postgame.

I think Adams has made it clear he likes to take swings on boom or bust guys -- Rosen, Kisakov, Östlund, maybe even Quinn. I guess part of the thinking is that if only one these guys becomes something special it's worth the busts. I think it's not an unreasonable strategy. Rarely do teams with few stars make it far in the NHL.

I'd be surprised if Rosen really did much in the AHL next season. IMO he will have a tough first year but will do better in his second year, much like Quinn.

How did Rosen look last night? I didn't get a chance to watch. Looks like he scored, but other than that?

I think this is largely dependent on a few factors. - Linemates: I feel like if Mittelstadt is given Krebs and Quinn on the third line they will get out muscled and stuck in their own zone. I'd hate to split up Skinner - Thompson - Tuch but I think Casey could really benefit from playing with Tuch. - Position: Will he be at wing or center? Frankly I'm not sure if he can handle center at the NHL level. I think having him at left wing centered by Cozens would make for an interesting combo. Incorporating the Tuch idea from above I think a well balanced top 6 would be: Skinner - Thompson - Quinn Mitts - Cozens - Tuch An alternative idea I also considered was the following for the top 9: Skinner - Thompson - Quinn Peterka - Mitts - Tuch Krebs - Cozens - Hinnostroza I like this second one because it gives Casey support - he doesn't have to carry the line at center. It also allows Krebs, Cozens and Hinnostroza to continue the chemistry they built from last year. My concern with this top 9 is having Quinn on the top line. He'll likely struggle given the level of competition. In addition, the line already has two finishers. - Injuries: Lastly as others have mentioned he needs to stay healthy. It sounds like he's been working pretty hard in the gym this summer which lends itself well to staying healthy. Only time will tell. If he ends up getting hurt again it warrants a discussion as to how he fits into this team's future -- I don't want Adams to give a big contract to a player that gets hurt every year. Regardless, I think this is a crucial year for Casey. He needs to solidify himself as at the very least, a 40-45 point player.

I believe Quinn will have a solid 18 goal 15 assist rookie year. Has anyone found a good Quinn highlight package from last season? I can't seem to find one anywhere on youtube.

I’ve only really been a fan since 2015ish, so here goes: - Several Eichel OT winners, notably one against Nashville and one against Carolina - The 10 game win streak, especially that Skinner OT win vs San Jose - When Botterill and everyone else was fired - Eichel trade - Tuch getting by Eichel to bury that empty netter

Was Power even eligible to return after playing in the NHL?

I think Bryson - Lyubushkin would be a decent pairing next year. It'd allow Bryson to jump into the play while Lyubushkin could stay back. The alternative would be Bryson - Jokiharju (as Power would be with Lyubushkin and Dahlin with Samuelsson) which sounds not so good. Power - Jokiharju and Bryson - Lyubushkin would be my preference.

I think what really stood out this year was the depth. When Mittelstadt and Dahlin were in this tournament they showed flashes of brilliance, but nobody else really did much. Today I saw great moments from many different players.

Frankly, after the Lyubushkin and Comrie signings I would consider this a successful off season if the Sabres were to use cap space and take on a bad contract for picks/prospects (in addition to the signing of RFAs and other smaller UFAs). I would absolutely take JVR off of Philly's hands for a protected first.

Impressive. Chad DeDominics tweeted Shesterkin was the only other goaltender last year with similar GSAA numbers. The real question is if Comrie can play that well for 35-40 games instead of 19.

He played with Rielly in Toronto, maybe will play with Power in Buffalo? From the few games we saw with Power, he likes to jump up into the play, much like Rielly.

I think this is a pretty good pick. Listening to his interview it is apparent how intelligent he is -- I'd take IQ over size or strength any day. I will also add that I think he is a boom or bust prospect, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Our current prospect pool and roster has very few players with true NHL star potential. Rarely do you see an NHL team compete for Stanley Cups without a star player. I'm fine taking a risk on a potentially fantastic player if it means we're most likely getting a bust.

I would be interested in Dach for the right price. What would it take? a second and a third? Two seconds? I could be convinced to give up Florida's pick this year but I'd still be on the fence for that.

Overall I've been pretty happy with Adams. I've cut the few moves I haven't really liked. I thought the Reinhart situation was largely mishandled. Reports were that he was willing to sign a longer deal, IIRC. I thought Adams also got poor value on the trade. A first rounder that logically would end up in the late first round and a goaltender. I'm glad Levi looks promising, but the uncertainty of goalie prospects makes the value of the trade worse. Reinhart was the second best player on the team -- a consistent 65 point player ought to get more than a late first and a decent goaltender prospect Losing Ullmark has put this team in a poor position from a goaltending standpoint. How many goalies did the Sabres use last season? 6? 8? Adams should have locked up Ullmark for 2-3 years. Dahlin also should have been given a longer deal. 8 yrs x 8 million would have been a bargain down the road. Now the team will end up giving him 5 x 10 million when the bridge deal is up.

My greatest fear is that in 20 years the NHL becomes the NBA with this kind of BS. I really hope they stop the Stutzles and Shesterkins of the league before other players catch on.

I mean they aren't supposed to be good... they're cap dumps for a reason. The goal would be more to eat the contracts for the picks and prospects with the added benefit of having them provide veteran leadership to an incredibly young team. Even if Granato decides to consistently healthy scratch these guys in favor of the Ruotsolainens of the organization, their presence is still valuable.

Unfortunately most of them have NTC/NMCs. 1. Lucic, contingent on him waiving NTC. CGY will need cap space if they want to keep Tkachuk and Gaudreau. 2. Monahan? I don't even really know what the deal is with him anymore 3. Nick Foligno if he waives. 4. Brady Skjei? I've heard Carolina has been unhappy with his advanced metrics. 5. Colton Sissons if Nashville wants to re-sign Forsberg. 6. Cizikas, Bailey -- any old dude from the Isles.

Adams needs to take advantage of this -- eat bad contracts for picks and prospects. Ideally these bad contracts are veterans who can also lead the young guys.

Can anyone else not stand the Rangers? The Sabres don't even really have a rivalry with them but they're near the top of my most disliked teams/fanbases for a few reasons. 1. The whole "untouchable" prospect thing when Eichel was being traded. Just super homerish and annoying. 2. As someone from NYC it seems like the percentage of their fanbase that is fairweather/not die hard is large compared to other teams in the league. This wouldn't be a big deal except for the fact that these "fans" are often loud and annoying. 3. The team's rise to success isn't as a result of homegrown talent or taking their lumps at the bottom of the standings like the Sabres have done. Panarin, a player that signed with them because of the advantageous position they have in a big market and great city, is their best player -- this is some NBA garbage. They also won 2 draft lotteries even though they definitely shouldn't have (yes, I know Kakko and Lafreniere suck, but still). 4. They progressed through the first round essentially due to a (up for debate) dirty hit on Crosby. They rely too heavily on Shesterkin, but luckily don't seem to be getting punished for it. I really hope they lose tonight, even if it means Carolina wins.

Kassian looks like he can't read

Anyone have a free stream link for this they wouldn't mind sharing?

What are the odds Dallas blows it up after losing this series to Calgary? I think they keep their core for another year max if they lose this series. They're in an awkward spot where they're just good enough to get into the playoffs, but not good enough to do anything once reaching the post season. Benn and Seguin have really fallen off over the past few years. I'd love for the Sabres to be one of the teams the picks the bones of their team when they inevitably fall apart. I will say that I am a huge fan of Hintz and Robertson, but no chance those two are getting traded.