LabattBlue

...unless Botts never cared for Skinner that much, but was pushed by Madame President and Mr Dig-A-Well to get him signed no matter what the cost.

I don’t know if it was here or somewhere else where I read that Dahlin never played defense before he was ~15. If that is true, how could he have been predicted to be the best defenseman drafted since Potvin? Based on only playing the position for 3 years or so? I know I’m being critical of him, but my expectations drop lower every time I watch him. From thinking he will be a perennial Norris candidate and down the road HoF’er, to really good all-star, to good top pairing damn, to... I don’t have a clue where his career is going...kind of like him skating from a dead stop...moving, but not going anywhere fast.

Only those inside the locker room know the answer for sure. We can do nothing more than speculate as to why the franchise is so screwed up. Maybe the media should ask Jack your question?

If he is signed to a new deal by the Sabres, I may turn in my fan card. ...but then again he would fit right in as another player on the wrong side of 30(or soon to be) with a big contract.

Outstanding! 👍

When does the current CBA end?

I blame the current state of "boring" hockey on the coaches. Too much defensive minded/structured/puck possession hockey. Perfect case in point is the 3 on 3 strategy of a team who will actually have possession of the puck in the offensive zone, and skate back into their own zone in order to make a line change. IMO this should be an instant delay of game penalty. This is nothing like what 3 on 3 was like when first implemented. Combine that with fighting pretty much eliminated from hockey, and IMO hard body checking is also on the decline. Sorry, but physical play was always a big part of hockey, and Bettman and Co are to blame for it being phased out. Add in 190 pound goalies with enough equipment to make them look like 300 pounders.

Winter sucks(in WNY). So glad February is almost over.

Unfortunately that point is off in the future. Kim and Kevyn are going to do NOTHING other than move a couple players at the deadline. No coach will be fired right now, and no big in-season moves. Best we can hope for is if the season goes off the rails in a big way, they have no choice but to make major off-season changes.

As long as you are careful with the incline and not much taller than 6’, a treadmill works well. I have a new one in my basement, and have ~3” clearance from the floor joists. That being said, if you decide to buy one, first verify distance from floor to top of walking/running deck. Mine is 8”.

Hall has shown me very little to make me want to say "sign him up long term". If the season goes south, trade him at the deadline(along with Staal and Montour). If he doesn't waive his NMC, then say goodbye when the season ends.

1 - They are not as talented as you believe 2 - IMO there are issues with the "system", "culture", and "togetherness"...all leading to less than desired results on the ice. I am just speculating and have mentioned this before, but I get the feeling that these guys really don't care for each other.

I would almost guarantee that Borgen ends up in Seattle. I know its a small sample size, but I would protect Borgen over Joker. You think Seattle wants any of the crap we are going to expose amongst the forward ranks?

I always liked what I saw from Hagel at the rookie camps and was really surprised when Botts did not offer him an entry level contract. 😞

Whatever Ralph Tony Robbins Krueger is selling, the team isn’t buying.

You’re being way too kind to Dahlin. I don’t remember hearing anything prior to the draft that his skating sucked.

Dahlin once again showing his straight line skating speed is terrible. Holy cow, Pageau was 5-10 ft behind Dahlin and easily skated by him. Where is that power skating chick that used to work with the Sabres? 😂

No can do...no border crossings for non-essential traffic...and the Sabres are most definitely non-essential. 😂

Having no fans is about the best thing that has happened to the Sabres this year. There would be a mutiny going on each and every game.

How is it possible that Tage’s offensive game is worse than it was two seasons ago. He sucks. Move on.

Who cares. Go ahead and haunt me. Can the nightmare be any worse than the last decade?

Harsh yes...and well deserved. 😂

I wouldn’t shed a tear if Eichel or his buddy Reinhart were traded.

Why I can’t stand dum dum dunleavy...on the Isles PP, this was his call “...here comes Barzal with his 9 game point streak...”. First of all, how is this relevant to the PbP? Second, who the f*** cares about some trivial fact about an opposing player? It just reeks of “look how smart I am”. He does this same thing over and over again while play is going on. It will suck when he becomes the full time PbP guy. 😡

Which means he will be benched in favor of Irwin, or any of the other blue line slugs.