Doohicksie

If Levi hits and Kulich works out you could say we fleeced the Panthers.

I believe Donny Meatballs said he wouldn't be announcing goalies ahead of time this year. It's basically a courtesy to other teams and he doesn't see the benefit to the Sabres in giving them that information.

Klingberg only played 65 games prior to the Stars giving him a similar contract. Yes I recognize the difference, that Klingberg is more offensive, but the Stars saw enough to recognize what they had. Same situation with the Sabres I believe.

Exciting finish. Habs go up with 2:30 to go, Laffs tie it less than a minute later, then the Habs go up for good with under 18 seconds left. I want to see both teams lose but if one has to win I wanted it to be Montreal. In regulation.

Why wouldn't they? The locals have been projecting ads on the ice for years.

I think analytics is at play here. They probably have some metrics that indicate that the investment in Tage, Muel and other emerging players is fairly low risk. Their projections indicate they're not throwing money away. I think in the case of the Sabres they should do more of this: They have a lot of young talent on the team; if they wait until the talent matures, they won't be able to sign all the players they want to. The salary cap will go up, so considered as a percentage of the cap, these contracts will look more attractive (i.e., be a smaller portion of the cap) as time goes on. It's good PR for the team to their players and to the league.

Some thoughts from The Hockey Guy about the contract. "It does send the message to the young players: If we believe in you, we're gonna make sure you're financially compensated."

My only concern is that maybe he is the guy to develop and mold this team but he may not be the guy that can take it over the top. But I also think it will be several years before that's even a concern as I expect an upward trajectory the next 3-4 years. If they've stalled out by then, maybe a new coach will be warranted. Until they plateau though, Granato is the man.

I know Muel only has 54 games or whatever, but he's always played like a seasoned vet. My initial view of Power is similar: Plays like someone with far more experience than he has so far. This tells me that they really messed up with Dahlin: the team was so messed up that he just didn't/couldn't shine.

The Sabres are gonna be in cap hell in 2029 when he and Tage want their paydays after back-to-back Cup championships.

I care. I'm spiteful that way.

Part of the core.

What I've observed so far is that teams have tried to rattle him but he calmly absorbs to the hit, retains possession, and moves the puck. Will other teams turn up the pressure? We'll see. He uses size and positioning to play the game at his own pace, and forces opponents to play at that pace too.

One more sleep until the Sabres start their season 😍

https://ottawasun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/ottawa-senators/garrioch-one-on-one-with-senators-coach-d-j-smith-on-the-eve-of-the-season

Heh. VGK hems L.A. into their zone for an entire shift. With full control, they change lines and out comes Eichel. He receives a pass and immediately the Kings relieve him of the puck 😄

Okay.

I stand molested.

First North American goal of the season was a shortie by Zebanejad.

He's drawn comparisons to Cale Makar who had an outstanding rookie year.

https://omny.fm/shows/howard-and-jeremy/don-granato-with-howard-and-jeremy

I think the only reason Bjork is on the roster was the injury to Okie. If he'd been healthy they may have kept and extra D (Pilut) instead.