Marvin

Lest we forget, it was only lousy goaltending and the NHL deciding that enforcing the rules was a rude suggestion that prevented the Sabres from winning a Cup in our 5th year. Prospective owners probably saw the failure of Atlanta plus the continuing problems in Columbus and told the league that the expansion rules had to be favourable or there was NFW that they would pay the expansion fees. For the Sabres in the dozen years of dross, the problems began at the start. Not only was The Tank a bad idea in and of itself, but the teams that Murray put together to tank for McEichel for 2 seasons were worse than all but the worst expansion teams. Recall that Las Vegas and Seattle had at worst the #8F and #4D from every team in their system plus some quality back-up goalkeepers, with nary a lack-of-character player like Bogosian and Kane. Meanwhile, the Sabres' Tank teams were littered with 4th line forwards, 3rd pair defensemen, a slew of AHL-calibre players, and the worst goaltending that XGMTM could trade for. This rebuild is what we should have done in 2013-4. But that does not guarantee McEichel. Management's obsession with getting McEichel resulted in execrable team building.

I have been having questions about Bales too. If we are keeping him, I would like evidence that he is doing well with the players he has had the last couple of years.

Any injury updates?

He still wanted out of Buffalo before the COVID season. I do not blame him - friends of mine from around the country had heard less than flattering things about our front office going back to Ron Rolston. The noise got louder as the years passed.

Let us expand the question, then: is there a team with a surfeit of young defencemen and/or defencive prospects for whom we should consider trading one of our top forward prospects and/or young forwards? If so, what team is it, what player(s) should be targeted, and what do you think is the equivalent price from Buffalo? There have to be players where GMKA at least pauses and thinks that trading Savoie for that player is a good idea.

Something out-of-the-box: are there young RHD or prospects who might be available in a hockey trade for a Sabres' high-end or top prospect?

Agreed. Would CBJ go for it?

You called me and others wolho would not make that particular trade "brainwashed." That is as ad hominem as it gets. I want to get Hellebuyck, Saros, or any of the solid to excellent goaltenders on rebuilding teams with 1-3 years remaining on their contracts. I absolutely positively do not want to go into next season with The Three Headed Monster in goal. But I am also planning for a few years down the road. If we trade 21 year old Levi for 30 year old Hellebucyk, what do we do when Hellebucyk wants a 6-8 year contract after next season (my guess: 6x$8M with a full NMC). His performance is likely to start falling, perhaps sharply, about 2 years into this contract, so if I traded for him and signed him, I will be needing a new goalkeeper by 2026, whence the Sabres will again need to get another goaltender. Levi is likely to be better than Comrie and UPL by then (if not already), so I want him here to be ready and I find other pieces to trade for a goaltender. That does not even count the non-zero probability that the goalie we acquire is worse in Buffalo for some reason like Miller was in St. Louis. Aside: for the top goalkeepers, it is likely that other GMs will insist on Levi as part of their package. For me, that is a complete non-starter. I am looking for the one who costs me less than UPL, Rosen, and Rousek. (And that is a painfully high price.) Someone like Arizona might take that for Vemejlka. IMHO, trading Levi for another goaltender puts the Sabres into an unacceptable position in about 3 years. That is too short a time for my blood.

Sure feels that way.

Good. I like longer series. They are more fun to me.

Funny how much better the former Sabres look on teams which don't have half the line-up getting caved in nearly every shift.

Fiddlesticks. I used to know this one.

As I think about it, this is more important than I made it. I remember when the Sabres went all-in with Gerry Desjardins. He put up the worst goalkeeping performance ever in the Stanley Cup Finals and got hurt in the eye a couple of years later. The Sabres were hamstrung from 1974-9 because of inferior goalkeeping -- just having a better back-up could have had the Sabres getting a 1st round bye ahead of Boston and not have to play one of the other top 5 (Boston, Buffalo, Montreal, Islanders, and Philadelphia) in the Quarter-Finals. As I look at the UFA goalkeepers and probable prices for available goalkeepers under contract, I think the Sabres must add to Levi rather than substitute for him.

Mittlestadt is the kind of luxury good teams have: a 3rd liner who can play 1C or 2C if need be for an extended period. I think he stays a while, but will be gone once the next wave comes up.

Certainly not Santa Claus.

Wow, is that a close match.

I don't want that! Call me a loser, drat it! I want the Sabres never to win anything because I am a miserable, self-pitying incel and want others to wallow in misery with me! This is the worst take I have ever seen from you, bar none. People are giving reasons for other ideas and all you can see is everyone being brainwashed. It is as bad as the people who tell me that I want to destroy America because I don't blindly support Trump/Biden. Addendum: the passive-aggressive ad hominem attacks have got old.

No. That shuts our window for a Cup to about 2-3 years because of Hellebuyck's age and his eventual contact putting us into cap hell for 5 years after that. That compounds the offence of not getting goaltending to make Levi happy by making it impossible to improve when Power and the current rookies start hitting their prime.

Bill Shatner's rug.

And their #4 was Butch Bouchard's son Pierre, who was a solid player too.

There are out west.

The Hockey Guy said that Vemejlka has 1 year left on his contract. Addendum: his video is a run down of all of the goaltending tandems and top prospects around the league. There definitely are options out there for us.

Oh, that one is different. It is just less hilariously bad.

Some reputable Flyers fan allegedly with connections inside the organisation.

Just saw a thing from a Flyers guy who heard that the ask for Hart is Owen Power.