The Stanley Cup Playoffs 2023: Second Round GDT.

[JoeSchmoe]

21 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

Yep always look like champions in sept 

biggest mistake they made was paying Marner and Matthews before they won anything    Or maybe it was brining in PJ boy, knowing it reduced their window of opportunity from 8 years to 3 or 4?

 

After they paid PJ boy, they had to pay the rest of them. 

[Scottysabres]

5 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

So, as others have said......

Eichel vs Reinhart (and Montour) for the Cup is looking more and more probable every day.

Not for nothin' but I'd put our Sabres up against both Reinharts and Eichels current teams and take the odds our Sabres kick the bicycle made for 2 out of both 👍 

[Weave]

2 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

Not for nothin' but I'd put our Sabres up against both Reinharts and Eichels current teams and take the odds our Sabres kick the bicycle made for 2 out of both 👍 

[Scottysabres]

5 minutes ago, Weave said:

I have faith, at least, that's what I've told myself these past 52 years.

So don't be my buzz kill 😜 

[Wyldnwoody44]

9 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

Not for nothin' but I'd put our Sabres up against both Reinharts and Eichels current teams and take the odds our Sabres kick the bicycle made for 2 out of both 👍 

The best of the west and the team that beat us to basically get in, then bested Toronto and Boston.... 

Um, no way

[Scottysabres]

2 minutes ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

The best of the west and the team that beat us to basically get in, then bested Toronto and Boston.... 

Um, no way

 

They beat us to the dance, if we played that season scenario 10 times they might beat us to the dance 9. But, not this coming season, this coming season we stay with then, we knock them out of the playoffs, because we can. We were born to watch our Sabres run to the cup in the 23/24 season, I'm sick and tired of hearing about how much better Reinharts and Eichels teams are, SCREW'EM, next season, is our time!!!!

Edited May 13, 2023 by Scottysabres

[Kristian]

5 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

. Leafs got shafted 😂

Complete loser mentality.  Matthews , Marner and Tavares did absolutely nothing all series BUT the refs shafted them 🤷‍♂️

Matthews - Zero goals in the five biggest games of his life.

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

No, the Leafs single biggest problem is that Matthews (and their other stars) just don't play as well in the playoffs as other stars around the league do. Its a large enough sample size to come to that conclusion.

Over their careers, guys like McKinnon, Draisaitl, Kucherov, McDavid.....equal their regular season production or in many cases EXCEED it once the playoffs arrive.  Matthews, Marner, and Tavares not only have their production drop in the playoffs, but it drops by a noticable amount, and this is now for their entire playoff careers.

WHY that happens may be a differnet question, but, for the most part, their stars don't always show up once the playoffs start and that is pretty common with this team, year after year.

Oh, I find the Risto idea hilarious but it's always working around the edges. Problem with that team is simple. Too much money on 4 guys who don't elevate their game in the playoffs. Some of them even struggle in the playoffs. It's a flawed strategy that I hope we do not copy. 

The recipe for winning now in this league seems simple. Good goaltending combined with speed AND a tenacious forecheck. Worked for Florida but also Carolina. Seattle is building this way too. Hopefully we follow this same idea. It's not complicated, but it is a team concept, not a star concept. 

[klos1963]

4 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

Yep always look like champions in sept 

biggest mistake they made was paying Marner and Matthews before they won anything    Or maybe it was brining in PJ boy, knowing it reduced their window of opportunity from 8 years to 3 or 4?

 

What are your thoughts on all the long term deals the sabres have and will be paying out , and we haven't even made the playoffs since I can't remember when.

[LabattBlue]

15 minutes ago, klos1963 said:

What are your thoughts on all the long term deals the sabres have and will be paying out , and we haven't even made the playoffs since I can't remember when.

Excellent point!

[steveoath]

Panthers having some fun with their new tshirt. 😂😂😂

 

 

[dudacek]

41 minutes ago, klos1963 said:

What are your thoughts on all the long term deals the sabres have and will be paying out , and we haven't even made the playoffs since I can't remember when.

Are you comparing the $49 million they gave Matthews Marner Tavares Nylander Reilly (59% of today’s cap)

to the ~$40 million the Sabres gave (will give) Tuch Thompson Cozens Samuelsson Power Dahlin? (~40% of the cap in a few years)?

Seems like the Sabres have a wider base and a wider margin for error.

[Crusader1969]

1 hour ago, klos1963 said:

What are your thoughts on all the long term deals the sabres have and will be paying out , and we haven't even made the playoffs since I can't remember when.

I would say there is a big difference between $11 million and $7million

10 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Are you comparing the $49 million they gave Matthews Marner Tavares Nylander Reilly (59% of today’s cap)

to the ~$40 million the Sabres gave (will give) Tuch Thompson Cozens Samuelsson Power Dahlin? (~40% of the cap in a few years)?

Seems like the Sabres have a wider base and a wider margin for error.

He’s trying to do some serious math gymnastics 

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, klos1963 said:

What are your thoughts on all the long term deals the sabres have and will be paying out , and we haven't even made the playoffs since I can't remember when.

 

40 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Are you comparing the $49 million they gave Matthews Marner Tavares Nylander Reilly (59% of today’s cap)

to the ~$40 million the Sabres gave (will give) Tuch Thompson Cozens Samuelsson Power Dahlin? (~40% of the cap in a few years)?

Seems like the Sabres have a wider base and a wider margin for error.

You're missing a big one there. Skinner at 9.  Skinner, Tuch, Thompson, Cozens, Samuelsson alone are over 32M through 2026, when Tuch is up for a new contract.  Add in Dahlin at 12M and you're already over 44M.  Power isn't in that calculation yet, Levi will be coming due, and then there's the decision about Tuch.  The Sabres very easily could be at 60M or more for 8 players very shortly.  There's no Mittlestadt (currently 2.5 and will get a raise), Olofsson, Krebs, Quinn, or even Jokiharju or Lybushkin in there, either.  Even role-players like Jost (2), Greenway (3) and Okposo (6) cost something, and those roles will need to be filled.

It's a large part of the reason why I want the Sabres to trade for a young defenseman rather than blow bucks on one in UFA.  The time is now, it isn't in 2028.

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Eleven

[French Collection]

[Thorner]

3 hours ago, Eleven said:

 

You're missing a big one there. Skinner at 9.  Skinner, Tuch, Thompson, Cozens, Samuelsson alone are over 32M through 2026, when Tuch is up for a new contract.  Add in Dahlin at 12M and you're already over 44M.  Power isn't in that calculation yet, Levi will be coming due, and then there's the decision about Tuch.  The Sabres very easily could be at 60M or more for 8 players very shortly.  There's no Mittlestadt (currently 2.5 and will get a raise), Olofsson, Krebs, Quinn, or even Jokiharju or Lybushkin in there, either.  Even role-players like Jost (2), Greenway (3) and Okposo (6) cost something, and those roles will need to be filled.

It's a large part of the reason why I want the Sabres to trade for a young defenseman rather than blow bucks on one in UFA.  The time is now, it isn't in 2028.

 

I’m worried we’re going to get the Hockey News kiss of death this offseason. We do look loaded for a run. But if the hockey news gets ya, take the date as a Summer solstice. 

It‘s when we’ll be brightest, but also when, from there on out, the daylight upon our window begins to fade.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Thorny

[SDS]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

I’m worried we’re going to get the Hockey News kiss of death this offseason. We do look loaded for a run. But if the hockey news gets ya, take the date as a Summer solstice. 

It‘s when we’ll be brightest, but also when, from there on out, the daylight of upon our window begins to fade.

The Nostradamus edition.

[Eleven]

59 minutes ago, SDS said:

The Nostradamus addition.

We really need to move away from speaking into devices that don't know the difference between addition and edition.

[SDS]

15 minutes ago, Eleven said:

We really need to move away from speaking into devices that don't know the difference between addition and edition.

Yeah. I’m not going to do that.

[Thorner]

1 hour ago, SDS said:

The Nostradamus edition.

Volume 2 

https://thehockeynews.com/.amp/news/why-the-buffalo-sabres-will-be-stanley-cup-champions-in-2020
 

that he doubled down in 2019 is hilarious 

https://thehockeynews.com/.amp/news/the-sabres-will-maybe-possibly-probably-not-win-the-stanley-cup-in-2020-just-like-we-predicted

Edited May 14, 2023 by Thorny

[klos1963]

4 hours ago, dudacek said:

Are you comparing the $49 million they gave Matthews Marner Tavares Nylander Reilly (59% of today’s cap)

to the ~$40 million the Sabres gave (will give) Tuch Thompson Cozens Samuelsson Power Dahlin? (~40% of the cap in a few years)?

Seems like the Sabres have a wider base and a wider margin for error.

I'm comparing the concept of paying players big money before they have one anything. Actually, I'm not comparing anything. I'm asking the poster a question.

[klos1963]

3 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

I would say there is a big difference between $11 million and $7million

He’s trying to do some serious math gymnastics 

There is a $4 million dollar difference. Skinner gets $9 million, not 7. Dahlin will get closer to 11 than 7.

Still handing out big money , long term contracts to players that haven't won anything yet. You're ok with the Sabres doing what you criticize the Leafs for doing.

[SDS]

We’re getting off track here. Back to this year‘s playoffs please.

[Eleven]

How is tomorrow's game a 10pm ET start?  Why does the NHL sabotage itself like this?  Like even if you live in Barrow, Mother's Day brunch is over by what, 4ET?  The league has the two biggest stars of the 2015 draft playing against one another, the US "darling" team (I hate to say it but it is) against supposedly the best player in hockey, and they start the game right before half of North America's bedtime?  So, so foolish.

[Crusader1969]

22 minutes ago, klos1963 said:

I'm comparing the concept of paying players big money before they have one anything. Actually, I'm not comparing anything. I'm asking the poster a question.

When Marner signed his contract in 2019, He became the 3rd highest player in the league   Was this a good contract to give out? Was he anywhere near that level then? How about now ?

 They made Mathew’s the 2nd highest paid player in the league in 2019 and then signed Tavares who was slow at 28, knowing the back half of the contract would be an anchor 

Both Matthews and Marner were coming off their ELCs   
 Dahlin coming off his bridge  big difference 

they also will have paid 3 guys over $11million  

Sabres have yet to pay anyone that amount