Around the NHL: 2024-2025 Season

[Weave]

12 minutes ago, SwampD said:

That is really funny.

I love Brad Marchand. I wish he was a Sabre.

He would lose his love for the game.

[PerreaultForever]

7 hours ago, SwampD said:

That is really funny.

I love Brad Marchand. I wish he was a Sabre.

We certainly would have been better off with some sort of hard working fully accountable veteran leader on this squad that's for sure. 

I loved his line about the 4 Nations saying "it'll be nice not to be booed in Montreal". 

[PerreaultForever]

Watching Ottawa and Detroit, neither of them has more talent than the Sabres or is really any better BUT I did notice more effort and urgency from both of them. Can't say I see that level from the Sabres very often but I think it's a key issue. 

[LGR4GM]

7 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Watching Ottawa and Detroit, neither of them has more talent than the Sabres or is really any better BUT I did notice more effort and urgency from both of them. Can't say I see that level from the Sabres very often but I think it's a key issue. 

Detroit must be better!?!? You said and I quote: "you mocked the Yzerplan. You were wrong, but of course you will never admit it." just last year, so there is no way that they are just the same as Buffalo with more effort? That can't be possible, you said I was wrong and the Yzerplan was better! How can they not be better then? I don't understand! OMG I am so confused.

 

[LGR4GM]

Detroit continues to have a big glaring issue. Yzerman drafts high floor, low ceiling players and he also adds the same types in UFA. It would be like if you replaced Josh Allen with Baker Mayfield, sure the Bills would make the playoffs because the rest of the team is decent but you will never win a Superbowl because you just don't have that extra gear, there is not an upper level to achieve.

I think Detroit is similar to Buffalo and both teams could learn from one another. Buffalo swings for talent a lot in the first round, but where I agree with Perrault is that Buffalo does not prioritize motor/drive/grit enough in their picks. I think since the Benson pick that may have changed as Wahlberg, Ziemer, Strbak, and McCarthy are all guys that give honest efforts every shift. I also think Buffalo could have been more aggressive in UFA because they need a couple more high floor low ceiling players. 

My main point is I don't view Detroit is a successful rebuild to this point. They haven't made the playoffs and unless the coach bump never fades they are going to finish probably just above Buffalo this year. 

[LGR4GM]

‪Greg Wyshynski‬ ‪@wyshynski.bsky.social‬

The Seattle Kraken have placed forward Daniel Sprong on waivers. 2 pts in 10 games (5 pts in 19 games overall), having been acquired from Vancouver earlier this season. Hasn't played since Dec. 28.

[LTS]

15 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

‪Greg Wyshynski‬ ‪@wyshynski.bsky.social‬

The Seattle Kraken have placed forward Daniel Sprong on waivers. 2 pts in 10 games (5 pts in 19 games overall), having been acquired from Vancouver earlier this season. Hasn't played since Dec. 28.

Sprong has never quite made it on any team he's been on.  I don't know that I know enough about him... but the Sabres have an opening on the roster with Kulich out and could bring him in. (can they release him again in a few weeks? I think so).

It might be worth a shot.

[Brawndo]

Both Tampa Bay and the Florida Panthers will host outdoor games next season, with the Panthers hosting the Rangers on Jan 2 for the Winter Classic. Tampa will host Boston in February 

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

Sprong has never quite made it on any team he's been on.  I don't know that I know enough about him... but the Sabres have an opening on the roster with Kulich out and could bring him in. (can they release him again in a few weeks? I think so).

It might be worth a shot.

The last two seasons, he scored 21 and 18 goals and did it in 12:00 ATOI with some powerplay time. He'd be motivated to put the puck on net at least. He is a winger though, which doesn't replace Kulich.

He is only a transition piece: he's already played for 6 different teams and worn 7 different numbers! But maybe he gets hot and you can trade him for a 4-5th closer to the deadline as that coveted "depth scoring". 

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Detroit must be better!?!? You said and I quote: "you mocked the Yzerplan. You were wrong, but of course you will never admit it." just last year, so there is no way that they are just the same as Buffalo with more effort? That can't be possible, you said I was wrong and the Yzerplan was better! How can they not be better then? I don't understand! OMG I am so confused.

 

I love it when people take things out of context and try to make a point from over a year ago because they don't have a life. You should run for public office, you're a natural in this day and age. 

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

where I agree with Perrault is that Buffalo does not prioritize motor/drive/grit enough in their picks.

@LGR4GM agreed with something I said????

 

[LTS]

5 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

The last two seasons, he scored 21 and 18 goals and did it in 12:00 ATOI with some powerplay time. He'd be motivated to put the puck on net at least. He is a winger though, which doesn't replace Kulich.

He is only a transition piece: he's already played for 6 different teams and worn 7 different numbers! But maybe he gets hot and you can trade him for a 4-5th closer to the deadline as that coveted "depth scoring". 

That's not so bad on the goal scoring.  Sure he could be a transition piece, but then again, this team has been in transition for 13 years.  They don't need to replace Kulich specifically as they can adjust run McLeod, Krebs, Cozens, and then move Thompson to C when he's ready.  They have flexibility there... and hell we're still not sure Cozens is a center.... well some people aren't. 🙂

[SabreFinn]

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/kings-trevor-lewis-may-be-the-last-of-his-kind-to-hit-1000-nhl-games

Just liked this story of an unusual player.

[JustOneParade]

18 hours ago, Brawndo said:

Both Tampa Bay and the Florida Panthers will host outdoor games next season, with the Panthers hosting the Rangers on Jan 2 for the Winter Classic. Tampa will host Boston in February 

What can possibly go wrong with that plan?

[DarthEbriate]

Monahan put on IR by the Jackets. He's been very good this season -- 1 point per game and a +17 on their top line.

[DarthEbriate]

19 hours ago, LTS said:

That's not so bad on the goal scoring.  Sure he could be a transition piece, but then again, this team has been in transition for 13 years.  They don't need to replace Kulich specifically as they can adjust run McLeod, Krebs, Cozens, and then move Thompson to C when he's ready.  They have flexibility there... and hell we're still not sure Cozens is a center.... well some people aren't. 🙂

FWIW, Sprong cleared waivers and will report to Coachella Valley.

[LTS]

58 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

FWIW, Sprong cleared waivers and will report to Coachella Valley.

[mjd1001]

Here is a good one....

Toronto losing with 2 minutes left to Carolina.

Austin Matthews with a goal, but he is a minus 6 tonight (-6).  Stuff like that doesn't happen all that much.

Also he only has just over 15 minutes of ice time tonight. since he came back from Injury, he's been over 20 minutes per game the last few games.

Edited January 10 by mjd1001

[French Collection]

9 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Here is a good one....

Toronto losing with 2 minutes left to Carolina.

Austin Matthews with a goal, but he is a minus 6 tonight (-6).  Stuff like that doesn't happen all that much.

Also he only has just over 15 minutes of ice time tonight. since he came back from Injury, he's been over 20 minutes per game the last few games.

Good for him. Their media has pushed him as a Selke candidate since it is often a consolation prize for guys who won’t win a Hart.

[mjd1001]

Montreal and Columbus are pretty hot right now.

Going to be hard for the Sabres to catch anyone, let alone those 2. Montreal has 16 points in the last 10 games, Columbus 15 points in the last 10.

[Porous Five Hole]

3 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Montreal and Columbus are pretty hot right now.

Going to be hard for the Sabres to catch anyone, let alone those 2. Montreal has 16 points in the last 10 games, Columbus 15 points in the last 10.

 

GIFs are going away soon, so I couldn’t help myself 

[thewookie1]

***** Detroit is taking their hot streak turn, 6 Ws in a row.

[Weave]

8 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Montreal and Columbus are pretty hot right now.

Going to be hard for the Sabres to catch anyone, let alone those 2. Montreal has 16 points in the last 10 games, Columbus 15 points in the last 10.

 

5 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

***** Detroit is taking their hot streak turn, 6 Ws in a row.

This is why number of teams to leap frog is at least as important as points back.

[Archie Lee]

8 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Montreal and Columbus are pretty hot right now.

Going to be hard for the Sabres to catch anyone, let alone those 2. Montreal has 16 points in the last 10 games, Columbus 15 points in the last 10.

By points %, Montreal and Columbus are tied for WC1 and WC2.  They are on pace for 85.936 points each.  Those two things are incredible to consider.  1.) Half way through the season it is Montreal and Columbus who have, for now, emerged as the leaders in the WC race.  Incredible.  2.) The pace for either WC spot is 86 points.  Incredible.  Both might also be referred to as embarrassing and shameful. 

The Sabres are almost certainly not making it.  We are dead last. There is no indication we are prepared to do anything to make ourselves better, aside from continuing to horde draft picks, acquire more prospects, waste millions of $ in cap space, and generally continue on the dithering path of extreme patience driven by misguided frugality and the fear of making a mistake.  But I digress.

So...this comment is more about the race for the WC spots among all of the bottom 10 teams in the East, than it is about the Sabres specifically: If I was a GM, coach, or player, on one of the 8 Eastern teams currently below a WC position, I would find Montreal and Columbus being in WC 1 and WC2, and the 86 point pace that they are on, to be comforting. Neither Montreal or Columbus seems positioned to sustain their current hot streaks. Neither is likely to make a big splashy trade for a player who pushes them to greater heights this season. It is possible that both of them, or two other teams in the WC race, stay or get hot for a longer period and that the race is over by the trade deadline, but none of the teams in the race seem built to sustain, say, a .675, winning % over 25-30 games. 

85-87 points just might do it this year.  

[mjd1001]

35 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

By points %, Montreal and Columbus are tied for WC1 and WC2.  They are on pace for 85.936 points each.  Those two things are incredible to consider.  1.) Half way through the season it is Montreal and Columbus who have, for now, emerged as the leaders in the WC race.  Incredible.  2.) The pace for either WC spot is 86 points.  Incredible.  Both might also be referred to as embarrassing and shameful. 

I'm just surprised Montreal SEEMS to have turned things around so quickly. Most 'experts', media, even myself thought there rebuild was 1-2 years behind Ottawa and Buffalo (and Detroit, but I never really liked Detroit's rebuild myself).

About a month into the season the Canadians were 4-11. They had just lost 6 in a row by a combined score of 29-12. 

The team they played next that was a turning point in their season so far? Buffalo. They beat the Sabres, put up 7 goals, only allowed 18 shots...and from that night they have gone 16-9-1 (playing at a 100+ point pace for over 2 months now)

If you dig a bit deeper, the Sabres really are the "get yourself right against" team, at least for Montreal.

Even in the last 2 months where they were playing better, they hit another mini-slump.  In early December, they had lost 3 of 4, allowing 19 goals in 4 games.  Next up? Buffalo. That is the game they blew out the Sabres, 6-1, and since that night Montreal has been 11-2.

Edited January 11 by mjd1001