Digger

I see him having regular minutes and sharing a center spot with Asplund. The line combo that I would like to see with him is Asplund, Ruotsalainen, Olofsson to see if they could develop some chemistry and perhaps a few 5 on 5 goals.

I saw a report that Chicago is trying Lukas Reichel at center too. As you know he was a linemate for JJ Peterka at the WJC for Germany. So yes other teams try the same with players that they think can switch.

Yes, me too. I think I bottomed out just before the draft (with the trade of Ristolainen and Reinhart) and I've started to be more positive since. We drafted some nice prospects that we can follow this year and we are expecting a more "normal" year of hockey for them to develop. I have always found the Sabres training camps and preseason an exciting time as a fan. We have some younger players with upside with new hockey deals. I'm hoping that they trained hard in the off-season and that Granato can have success in getting them to play well (or respectable 😏). Let's see how they do. Every team in the league is all potential on day 1 of the new NHL season.

Yes I have been wondering the same thing. If other teams are cautious like the Sabres then getting that surgery won't help the trade price.

That is interesting point about Granato being on Krueger's staff. Krueger said that he valued his assistants very much and used them to bounce ideas off of. Consensus? It does seem a bit strange that Granato and Krueger's coaching is so different. Perhaps they debated issues or maybe Krueger was all talk and just did his own thing. It's not a big deal at this point but I do wonder about Krueger's discussions with his Assistants (especially when it all went sour with the losses). And yes I agree with your point on GM Adams hire of Granato.

Just add a poll to it (should you close it down or keep it open until ?). Polls seem to be pretty popular lately. Vote on it. 😏

Rasmus seemed sincere to me in the interview I watched. He's always been a bit shy and a bit guarded in his comments (I think because English is his second language and he's choosing his words). He is happy with having Granato back and now he needs to let his play on the ice speak for him. He did sound more mature to me in his latest interview.

What are your thoughts on Skinner? To me he's the puzzle piece in this lineup that is hard to fit. I think he needs some skill guys that will really dig out pucks against the boards and behind the net. He's a great skater and can score (at least he used to be able to score 😏). I like the idea of Skinner with Cozens and maybe Bjork (on the right side). Why do you think he would be a match with Ruotsalainen and Hinostroza?

According to Elliot Friedman there are some teams that would agree to Jack's desired surgery which is good. Now we just a team to step up for a good trade. Even though Eichel is injured and won't play right away there's still room for a trade in my opinion. Buffalo really wants a top end center prospect and subtracting that prospect from a top NHL team wanting to win won't really affect their lineup. The top prospects that we have talked about have not played regular minutes yet in the NHL. It's the potential salary dumps coming back that hurts the other teams making the trade. Get the top prospects, retain some salary, and put a condition on the draft picks (based on Eichel's recovery - if that's still allowed in the CBA). Get er done boys.

Yes I liked some of the combos. I wanted to see Asplund with Ruotsalainen and Skinner with Cozens. Hoping to see some chemistry with those pairs. I also wonder if Olofsson might be a fit with Asplund and Ruotsalainen. I think he may do better away from Skinner. I think Skinner might need another guy on the line digging behind the net or against the boards for loose pucks.

I agree that he's most likely a 3rd line player. He has the occasional flash where he works really hard and you notice him making a difference. With his reach he should be a harder player to play against. He may still take a step this season but we will see.

For the new contracts signed this off season I think Asplund will be the best value. Hopefully Mittelstadt and Jokiharju and Dahlin take positive steps forward this season too.

Adams press conference. He stated that they would not name a captain right away. I think that they will name Okposo if they need to name one this year. If they just go with Assistants this season then maybe one of the younger players like Cozens will get it. Not really a big deal to me.

Well this certainly made all the headlines about the Sabres this morning. Eichel stripped of his captaincy. I don't think that it was as callous as the news reports are making it out to be but it does make for a great headline. Personally I think it would have been smarter to just say Eichel failed his physical and will continue his treatments away from the team.

Really how? At the next GM meeting Bettman will tell all the other GM's to stop trying to low ball Kevin Adams and the Sabres and trade fairly and nicely for Jack Eichel. That always worked back in school when the teacher said to play nice with Billy..............until the teacher walked away. 😃

Boldy looked great playing with Rossi in the prospect game I watched too.

Bottom 6 with good leadership skills. He is a good speaker in interviews. He will be an Assistant or possible Captain until one of the younger players emerge. He will be a good player for us this season although will remain over paid for the remainder of his contract (obviously).

With Quinn at Center, could it not also just be that they wanted a good option to play Peterka and Quinn together on the same line in the AHL? At the prospects challenge they said Peterka prefers to play RW, Quinn too. Quinn does have some creativity and defensive awareness to play center. If it works out great, if not maybe Peterka tries LW for a bit or they end up playing on separate lines.

Is he in Buffalo now or still in Sweden and still coming over?

I would think Vancouver won't like this deal for their efforts to sign Hughes. They should have went first. I'm okay with the deal because I think Dahlin still needs to show us how good he can be still consistently. He's had positives and negatives so far in his career and definitely lots of potential.

There hasn't been enough facts to be able to say if you're wrong or right. Time will tell. The analogy for Eichel is having a beautiful classic car and then covering it up and storing it in the barn. Eventually you forget that it's there but then someone will come along finds it and buys it at a great deal, restores it, and then brags about how they got such a great deal. Today our value for Jack is all in potential for the restoration and sale price. I hope it works out.

Yes good points. People seem to either like the show or hate it. I remember when it first went on the air and I thought it really sucked off the start. In my opinion the show really improved and on most days I enjoyed listening to the talk (even in the off season when there is very little NHL content to discuss). I think Peters especially was proud of how the show improved and then having the show cut to 1 hour without much consultation with him and most likely a pay cut with the new contract decided to walk away. It's pride. Remember when Coach Nolan was offered a 1 year contract after winning but under a new GM. Same thing, it's pride instead of realizing that there are limited jobs available to him in the NHL. In my opinion he should have swallowed his pride and took the job.

I read that GM Adams will be speaking Thursday morning along with Coach Granato. Better than nothing I guess with no player interviews (media access) on Wednesday.

it's about time. I wonder how long this deal has been on the table. hopefully the other RFA's get signed now.

I like the weather. Not so much the rain but the cooler weather, frost in the morning and then the sun warming everything up. Once the frost comes the insects die off and it's great for hiking. The fall leaves change color and it always amazes me how breathtaking everything looks (hard to capture with pictures.......you have to experience it). I also like it after the cottagers close down their cottages for the season (usually by the 2nd week of October) and then the hiking trails are free of all the tourists. Much nicer than summer for hiking, quiet.