All Activity

Why not Blue Cross Arena in Rochester? Actually they might be able to play at KBC even during construction. They pulled it off in Cleveland with the Cavaliers when Quickin Loan Arena was being updated.

I, and most others agree, that he is not a lock down defenseman. He's a third pairing caliber of player who can also be a good PK player.

What does a 6’5” dman with no offensive talent supposed to bring to the table? Because it’s not lock down D. It’s barely serviceable.

I have some doubts about economic growth in general over the next few years.

Cool. Did not realize that. Then he should be Ra-cha-cha bound. Sorry @DarthEbriate. 🍺

It just seems to me that regardless what his style of play is he appears to be the type of player who will always be plagued with injuries. I want to be wrong on this issue. But the record indicates otherwise.

This is good analysis except there have been whispers of the cap rate of increase not slowing till it hits $150M which obviously changes the numbers dramatically

The other reason to rip that A off was when TNT is laying on the ice after a cheap shot and this big Mule looks around with a dumbfounded look on his face instead of grabbing someone and asking for answers. More donkey than Mule.

Adams miscalculating on anything is not only not a surprise but should be expected. The silent owner with the big boat made a peculiar GM hire. The resulting performance by the GM shouldn't be a surprise. I agree with you that Samuelsson is a third pairing caliber of player. And assuming that he is healthy (big assumption) that is where he will be playing.

Mrtka is actually eligible to go to Rochester. That's because he was loaned to Seattle by his Czech team. The CHL rules don't apply to him in this case. Why wouldn't Mrtka get top minutes in Rochester?

Figured they were down 2-1, gave up the empty netter and then scored very late in garbage time. So, other than the not scoring in true garbage time, nailed it. 🙄

The history of injuries probably makes even more tame, scared of getting hurt again.

This is not true. He was on loan from Europe when drafted and, thus, not bound by the NHL - CHL agreement.

I was being sarcastic. I’ll believe that they will use extra money in an attempt to win when they actually do it. Until then, it’s all lip service. Remember when we needed all that money to sign JJP,… and then let him walk.

You make an excellent presentation on the relativity of the cap now and in the near future as it relates to Tuch's contract. However, in my view, the bigger issue is the implications of not getting a deal done for this particular faltering franchise compared to other more normal franchises that are in a better position to absorb a loss of such a player. The Sabres are a franchise that has less credibility than most other franchises with the fans, its own players and around the league. Not getting a deal done, even when the player has a lot of leverage, would be devastating. The organization needs to get a deal done sooner rather than later because having this issue linger throughout the season will cause more distractions when it needs more focus on the season on hand.

Sending him back to Seattle does him little good and yes, Ra-cha-cha would be better for his development. But, until the NHL & CHL rework their transfer agreement then 18 yo's like Mrtka & 19 yo's too will have 2 options - stay in the NHL or play in the CHL. The AHL isn't an option, though with the most recent MOU to the CBA, the league and players agreed that it's in both their best interests to have the NHL try to get it modified for 19 yo's at least. EDIT: The general concept holds, but Mrtka apparently isn't caught up by the NHL-CHL agreement.

Adam’s thought he had a big, rugged,, top 4 and he paid him as such. Based on Muel’s performance the past couple of seasons I have no reason to think he will ever be anything more than a 5/6 defender. He is overpaid for that role, blame that on Adams. His inability to stay in the line up is another negative.

Oops. 3-1 game. My bad.

We disagree on what was expected from Samuelsson associated with his style of play. On the other hand, I agree with you that even if he altered his game to being more physical, it certainly doesn't appear that he could handle the rigors of that style of play. I haven't given up on Samuelsson. But it does seem that he is in the category of a pro athlete whose career is always going to be plagued/marred with injuries. It's a shame.

I understand the basic argument you make, but its not quite that big of a difference. The cap this year is about $95.5 million. In 2027-28 the projection is 113.5. Now, keep in mind that a reason for the big jump is going to be Television/streaming contract based in the next 2-3 years. Its likely the cap will still go up after that, but the rate of increase will slow. So a $10m deal in a cap world of $113.5 is 8.81% of the cap. In todays cap, that is about $8.4m per year. So, Again, I agree with your basic premise that some people might not be looking at an accelerated cap that closely, but the difference is a $10m deal is about $8.4m in todays cap, not $6m or less. Now, he is worth it to the Sabres now, but its might be interesting to look at the 'midway' point of a potential new contract. lets say he signs an 8 year extention. After year 4, going into year 5, he will be 34 years old (turning 35). With 4 years left on that potential 8 year extension at that point, what kind of player will Tuch be with still half the contract left at that age? And you have to think of next season with Skinner's buyount number going up by $2m to $6.4m for next year. If no other changes are made to the roster (trades), the team already has about $80m of cap space accounted for in 2026-27, and that is without contracts for Tuch, Krebs, Benson, Doan, and Kesserling. If next years cap DOES go up to $104m as projected, you have $24m to fit in new deals for Tuch, Kesserling, Doan, Benson and Krebs (or a Krebs replacement) before you make ANY other changes or additions.

I disagree on Samuelsson. He was expected to play a more physical game. Unfortunately he can’t hold up and is injury prone.

I don’t think his game was ever predicated on being hard-nosed and rugged, either. Imo, his game was predicated on making smart decisions with the puck and being able to clear the crease and win battles in the corners when necessary. If clearing the crease and winning puck battles in the corners means “hard-nosed” then we can agree on that. In my mind, hard-nosed simply means being hard to play against. As in Benson is far more hard-nosed than Muel.

We have a different perception on Samuelsson's style of play. I never considered his game predicated on a hard-nosed and rugged style of play. However, while acknowledging how I perceive how these two players play, that is not to say that they shouldn't put more effort on the physical side of the game.

Hope not. Let’s not tempt Adams. Save the 9 games for next year.

Greenway and Muel make about $8.3 million between them. Replace them with let’s say Dunne and Johnson and you have significant money freed up for a Tuch extension or something else.