IKnowPhysics

Good enough.

This. 100%. If he didn't want to be a Sabre, he would have held out for a deal that took him right to UFA and didn't give the Sabres another chance at RFA. Good deal for both parties.

Thank you for sharing that. That type of ***** has never been part of the game or sportsmanlike at all. Slurs against race/sex/gender/orientation/religion isn't gamesmanship, it's being an unsportsmanlike ***** or worse. We don't want that in the game or in life. Some of us work to actively take that out of the game, by setting the example, teaching, enforcing codes of conduct, even banning players. Several times I've played against players that have used slurs on the ice, gotten themselves into penalties and/or fights, and after the game were sportsmanlike enough to come to our locker room or our captain and explain, "Hey, I didn't mean to say that. I was angry in the moment, but I know that's not ok. That's not who I am." And go on to apologize to the player and the team. It can be a teachable moment. But there are many players all over the world that face discrimination or worse everyday and never get that apology. Your coaches were right to curb it, but they can't be everywhere all the time. We hope that coaches and captains create a culture of inclusion, but it can be an uphill battle against the influences of players, friends, parents, siblings, or even the community. Some people like to pretend the problem doesn't exist, but as you know from your life experiences, it exists, it needs to be acknowledged, and it takes effort to keep it out of the game. Know you're not alone in carrying the torch, and know that if you do, others will follow.

Salary cap hit about 300 bucks. No movement clause.

Money's not everything. I'd opt for 46 years old over 69 years old.

Doc Emerick is well-educated, well-versed, has outstanding broadcast skills, is undeniably objective, and is very likeable. Do I like hearing him? No. But it's not his fault. I'm spoiled by Rick. I'd rather listen to Rick. I cherish Rick and the time he has left with us. The fact I am forced to listen to Doc and not allowed to listen to Rick is an artifact of the business that is hockey media: it's a byproduct of begrudgingly necessary media exclusivity deals in professional sports. I understand it, but my logic and reason don't prevent me from being annoyed by this. Not Doc's fault. I'm also a much bigger fan of the radio-style play-by-play call (wherein the action is described between whistles and color commentary is reserved for stoppages in play) than the modern television-style conversational call (wherein background and stories and tales or yore are interjected directly into the play call and are not reserved for stoppages). The radio-style that I love is the polar opposite of the style of team Doc/Eddie/Pierre. Not Doc's fault. Even more subjectively, Doc's voice is not a good voice. Its nasal tone grates. Not Doc's fault. I believe Doc got as far as he did because he was a good regional broadcaster that graduated into being the sincere best of an extremely mediocre -and at times straight bad- national broadcast bunch that never received enough attention or investment into quality. Not Doc's fault. He's had a long, successful , award-winning career in broadcasting, which is itself something to be admired.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-steven-fogarty-free-agent-nhl/c-319475170 https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/114771/steven-fogarty

Interesting phrasing. Why imagine yourself as Terry telling KA to do anything when you could just imagine yourself as KA and offersheet Dunn yourself?

That would ***** the Canadian teams pretty good and benefit the US TV deal. The NHL is loosely grouped by time zone so that fan attendance at 7pm games corresponds to prime time television for both home and away fans. Going to an all-Canada division would brutalize the Canadian TV ratings. But maybe the NHL has already done the market research and has determined that grouping the Canadian teams together as outcasts on SportsNet/TSN will maximize the profits of a US television deal. edit: Rereading this as COVID-related, which would be necessitated by closed borders. Still max weirdness.

6-3 PP Skinner-Hall-Staal-Reinhart Eichel-Dahlin

It's there. It will be exploited. It won't be exploited equitably among all teams. I'm not saying there's any way to stop it. But journalistic integrity can help to both slow it and keep it equitable.

Let me correct this. It sounds stupid, but this ***** works in politics and other industries, and it's already being used in professional sports, and it won't surprise me when it's tried in the NHL.

Absolutely agree. Specifically, it's economically good for the media businesses reporting the information as content, as their revenue is aided by views/clicks/etc. That's how TSN makes their money and that's why EPSN reports more than the final scores. The league and teams might benefit as the league media contracts swell, but it's a secondary or tertiary effect. Does Taylor Hall sign with the Buffalo Sabres if there's a persisting rumor Jack EIchel will be traded? Maybe or maybe not, but it sure doesn't help the Sabres' case to land Taylor Hall. The front office confirmed they used playing with Jack Eichel as a major selling point for Hall; Hall confirms he looks forward to playing ona team with elite players like Jack Eichel. I can't find it now, but there was at least speculation, if not a source-confirmation, somewhere that the Sabres front office was quietly pissed that Jack Eichel trade rumors were spun up bigly at a national level just a couple of weeks before free agency- the feeling was that this hampered their ability to sell the team to UFAs that wanted to win. It sounds stupid, but this ***** works in politics and other industries and it won't surprise me when it's tried in professional sports.

Journalistic integrity is a vital weapon to defend against information warfare. Just as it is between states and between competing corporations, information warfare will soon be waged in the professional sports industry, if it isn't already. The power of viral rumors and misinformation will be leveraged by teams' social media and their fanbases against opponents to weaken their competitiveness. "Jack Eichel gave the Buffalo Sabres an ultimatum." "Kevyn Adams is taking calls regarding trading Jack Eichel." "Taylor Hall only signed with Buffalo to get an even bigger contract next UFA period." Facts only need to be twisted or spun slightly to create a stir and a PR situation that burns wild. It took three-plus definitive statements by the GM and one by the player's agent to put the Jack Eichel fire down to a smolder (but not completely extinguished).

Narrator: This was not it.

If we didn't have a flat cap, we could likely get Kahun back or splurge on a D/G (with a trade). Even the basic case would be sick: Hall-Eichel-Olofsson Skinner-Staal-Reinhart Girgensens-Eakins-Kahun Cozens-Lazar-Thompson Rieder That's a matchup problem for most teams. But in the what-if with looser caps, the league-wide quest for Hall might have been more difficult.

I'm down; that'd put us about a mil below cap. The less these three sign for, the more shoulder room we have for D and G and trades and playoff rentals.

Agreed. A one-act play: Jeff Skinner: Who does this bitch-assed 1st overall bust, draft-lottery winning, merely $8M/1year chump think he is walking into this lineup like he owns the place? I got 40 more career goals than this punk ass. I'll pirouette on his kicked-in face. Taylor Hall: I'mma drive my yacht that says 'Ralph' on the back over your nine assist-havin' ass, license or no license, like Olofsson ran over your roster spot on Jack's hip, beeaatch. I LIKE BOATS.

Aye, it is. But winning would surely alleviate bad feeling about line assignments, which is what we'll get from an improved roster: a better chance to win. If he was going to be mad, I would have though he'd be mad about not playing with Jack this past year. He signed a guaranteed eight year contract. Do you think he had an expectation that he would be able to choose his linemates for eight years? He knows he has a role to play and there are high expectations (nine million expectations) of his performance. He's competitive. He wants to win. I think he'd be looking forward to an improved team, improved linemates (from this past year especially), and likely easier quality of competition. And hell, with his competitive spirit, he may even make it his business to try to usurp Hall on the top line.

Play with Jack and lose. Play with Staal and win. Hmm.

VGK would probably need to eat salary for us to take him if Reinhart and Olofsson are signed to expected deals and/or go to arbitration... unless we send them Hutton and Miller/Montour.

But I'm sure he ain't mad about Staal, and eventually Cozens. Better than an in--over-his-head Mittelstadt or a non-ideal Johansson.

Our top six would create a nightmare for opposing matchups to our second line, which is exactly what you want from your depth scoring. Hall-Eichel-Olofsson Skinner-Staal-Reinhart Who do you put your best defenders up against? It's gotta be the HEO Show. That leaves SSR against the 2nd pair, which is likely favorable to us.

EAT, MY CHILD SUCKLE ON THE TEET THAT IS REPOSTED TSN TWEETS

It's potentially a savvy move by both parties: KA and RK get to tryout an elite talent to see if there's a good fit and production worthy of a Jeff Skinner+ contract in price and term. They also get some time to finagle the Sabres cap situation and the upcoming RFAs (Dahlin). If things work out, they make a hefty, but worthwhile, contract extension offer. TH gets to tryout the Sabres org. He takes some injury risk on a one year, but in a weird, flat salary cap year with lots of uncertainty, he buys one year of slightly reduced contract ($8M instead of $9M+) in order to play next to Jack and put his stats off the rails. If successful, he goes UFA in a better economic climate and better stats and gets a monster deal in price and term, easily gaining back his slightly reduced price. If the Sabres fall flat, he wields his NMC to chose which playoff team to go to. Bonus: he gets to play for a coach he says he likes.