Digger

Listened to it today on replay. Not much mentioned about the changes made to the show other than wishing Peters and Rivet the best and saying that change is inevitable in life. The show was okay but different for sure. Duff sets up the scenarios and questions followed by Marty talking non stop with Duff saying (hmm or right). They really will need to get some guests onto the show like Friedman or Dreger to help break up the show. Maybe they will be better after an actual game (the day after analysis).

There's a lot of that going around with regards to Eichel, no substance to the post other than guessing as to what may be reasonable.

No real expectations. Most likely in and out of the lineup on the 4th line. Since Granato did not play him much at the end of the season he may not be a fit. It will be interesting to see how he does in camp and preseason.

Yes I thought that might be the case. Sportsnet let go some of their talent a while ago. Nick Kypreos started his own podcast, Bob McCown with John Shannon. Heck even Don Cherry started his own telling stories with his son and daughter helping with the flow.. There are not many independent Sabres shows available. The Hockey Writers has Sabres Scoop. Melody Martin, Roam Hockey and a few others cover the Sabres but not too much compared to other teams. I wonder if they own the name "The Instigators"? Doesn't fit with Marty and Duff.

No idea, but if you watch the video clip he's a pretty big teammate in the goal celebration. I just thought it was noticeable for how much bigger he was than Kisakov.

Nice goal. It's hard not to notice Nikonov celebrating the goal with him (big boy) beside Kisakov.

and because Marty talks so quickly he'll be able to jam two hours of content into one. 😏

Peters seemed to talk that he was as surprised as we were with the time slot change so I doubt that there was much discussion. I do remember Peters saying that their 11am show was ranked pretty well (which surprised me because it's focused entirely on the Sabres and the team has not done well lately). I think Peters and Rivet were pretty good at being supportive for the Sabres moves. Rivet was actually a bit too much supportive. But all in all they were great ambassadors for the Sabres.

So guessing that it will no longer be called "The Instigators". I'm disappointed because I felt that Peters and Rivet came a long way in this show.

Most people in general can find something nice to say about another especially when it's on record (radio interview or in print). I took my views on Gionta's comments from an Instigators episode (sorry I'm not going to go and find it). They were talking about who should be the next team captain. Gionta did not come out and speak highly of Eichel as a captain and Gionta and Rivet have both been captains in their history so I took the lack of endorsement as a message. But that's just me. None of us really knows because we are not on the team or teammates with him.

Personally I would love to know what other NHL team doctors think about the surgery option. Of course no doctor can make a truly informed decision without assessing his records and seeing him, but I do wonder if many other team doctors would support the Sabres medical opinion.

Yes I agree. Gionta did not say anything specifically bad about Eichel but he did not say anything positive either other than that he was and is a talented player. I think that Gionta not being able to say anything towards Eichel's character or leadership speaks volumes.

I really don't know enough about him yet. It would be nice to have him be a reliable 4th liner but he has not demonstrated that so far in his career. Arizona last season wasn't exactly a great team. Maybe Coach Granato can help him find his way utilizing his strengths. From what I have read and seen so far I would think that he spends some time in Rochester with the potential to get some time with injuries (or if the young team is getting physically outmatched..........which might be the case).

No he only controls the teams that the Sabres can deal with with a NMC. He couldn't force the trade last off season with every team in the league and he has no more power to force a trade next year. Adams will deal him when he gets what he thinks is a fair offer.

I agree that he will be moved once he shows that he's healthy enough to play again and assuming they can get a fair deal in place. I understand the fear of the NMC kicking in but the reality is that he's still under contract for 4 more years after this one. If Adams did not have his hand forced this off season I wouldn't worry about next off season. It would be a concern in the final year of his contract where he could control his destiny in a trade destination but while he is under contract the Sabres still control where he plays. He has no more power next off season of forcing a trade than he did this off season. It's a hypothetical situation anyway.

Sure no argument on his stats. Ullmark played well for the Sabres and will most likely play well for the Bruins. Hopefully he is able to stay healthy this season for the Bruins and really establish himself as a number 1 goalie. My point was that it will hurt Sabres fans when he plays well against us. Other than that we have to move on. He would not resign with us so "it is what it is" (move on).

...................playing the Sabres.

Yes I agree it will help his cause if he can be professional. I think he needs some help in his interview skills since he doesn't really come across very positive (not just talking about his locker clean out one). Maybe his agent will help him with that or at least help his awareness of how he comes across.

Nice to see the guys support each other with some rough stuff.

Jokiharju still has upside. I expect that he will become a dependable top 4 D. This is an important year for his development. He has an opportunity for lots of ice time and responsibility in all areas. I hope that he has a great year.

I thought Murray was good but I think that he still needs to work on being harder to move when in front of the net. Last night I felt he got his chances from his reach and going to the net. He would do well to go and train with Ristolainen's training regime to build up more strength still. I was hoping to see a bit more from Samuelsson. No real complaints other than he seemed to back off a few times and play cautiously. I do think he needs to play better to make the Sabres out of camp. Yes I thought Laaksonen had moments where he looked great and then not so much at times like on the penalty kill. He has the skills that are hard to improve at this stage though with skating and offensive instincts. Another season in Rochester should help him improve his defensive game. It's the first game so I'm sure all will improve.

Go to YouTube, Devils have it live.

Laaksonen too.

the video feed is better (for me) on the Devils channel. Unfortunately it's slightly out of sync with the Sabres feed.

How come Bryson isn't playing? He's only 23. Is there an age limit?