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Well, that's incorrect. Dislike of the Leafs predates Pegula. A lot of it has to do with Leafs' fans, and some of it has to do with the NHL Official Review in Toronto, and the partisan rooting by ex-players and sense of entitlement.

His playmaking would be such a goldilocks fit

I literally quoted a post dude Not only does he say it he claims it’s how we ALL feel deep down

Matthews is not a bad player dragging the team down, but I think he is their biggest issue. You simply cannot have one of the highest paid guys (Is he THE highest paid right now) in the league that doesn't do much in the playoffs. A guy who scored at close to (or over) a 50 goal rate/pace for most of his career, scores at barely a 30 goal rate in the playoffs, and just doesn't seem to have any 'extra gear' in the playoffs like other superstars do, or if he has it he doesn't care enough to use it. Great player, but not so in the playoffs. For what he is getting paid, he needs to be more than a regular season wonder-kid.

No one here, impo, thinks that. I'd take the Leafs last 14yrs over Buffalo's

Tavares would not even be buffalo's best forward, let alone best player. Marner might be but also, it's a different team makeup. You never know how ppl will react but I don't think Marner at all, he's not coming here and Pegula won't call anyways.

You mean 9 years ago when we earned Okposo the big Sabres UFA contract against a Panthers team that was years from becoming what we know them as now? And who then disappeared in the second round against Tampa? He’s not the chosen one. He’s a 3C now.

I guess I was on acid when I saw him in person at Barclays Center win a playoff series almost singlehandedly against... (Irony alert) The Panthers.

True. But none of the ex-Sabres were brought in at UFA max plus prices to be the savior. Even Eichel who was definitely a missing piece, was just a guy. Marner or Tavares would be hailed as this team’s best and maybe highest paid player (Marner, Tavares would be cheaper than TNT). But they’re not that. They aren’t the key guy, either of them.

You could sign Marner for 12 and trade Norris for defense help and the Sabres are probably better overall. Won't happen, just saying.

All the Ex Sabres were losers, until they suddenly went elsewhere and weren't.

No ex-Leafs. They’re losers. And the point totals in the regular season are irrelevant has-been stats because their core four was great — in the regular season. Big deal. Marner is a complimentary piece on a winning roster. He’s not deserving of 10+ and being the centerpiece.

I don’t want Tavares. He's not a playoff winner. The Sabres need someone who is a winner to be the other Zucker on the squad. Preferably at RHD. Sheevyn is here forever until he stops listening. It’s the worst part of the whole situation.

Relax guys; it’s not that bad. Look, we could be the leafs!

They are defacto punting another season away because Terry doesn't want to pay Kevyn the last year of his contract to make him go away.

I dunno. We Packers fans are pretty bad.

It’s because you are missing the point: it’s less about celebrating another team’s failures as it is the leafs failures being positioned to suggest the sabres “actually aren’t that bad”. You get that that’s the play, right? See

If anything my hangup with Marner would just be his cap hit all else being equal. You’d be trading Peterka, Byram and a bit more just to get Marner + 2 league minimum guys. Im not trading Power for futures to fit him in either as we become no better than the Leafs, until this past season, with having little on defense and most of our money up front.

The forwards also play defense. But the D-corps is too young. If they wait until Dahlin is in his 2nd to last year of his contract, then Power will finally be entering his prime. But therein lies the problem. That’s the plan. That’s it: lock them up long term and eventually Power will be good enough to warrant the long term deal because you’ll have 2 ice-tilting D-men skating 50 minutes every regular season game and more in playoffs. There is no rush to get to the playoffs before then. There is no goalie plan to be in the playoffs in the next two seasons. It’s just wait and see. That’s the plan. And if that fails because Ottawa becomes a juggernaut… or if Levi isn’t Miller or better… then GMKA and Darth Pegulas the Wise have no other workaround except to blow it up again because Dahlin and TNT will request out.

I disagree. We have seen considerable turnover at forward the last 3 years to get to a better group. They aren't nearly as soft and they are much much better defensively. Gone are Skinner, Cozens, Mitts, VO, KO, Girgensons, Jost, Eakin, Hinostroza, Bjork, and Asplund and honestly we are better for it. Guys like Greenway, Benson, Kulich, Zucker and Norris (when healthy), play with much more grit, guille and defense than the guys listed above. Until we fix the D and G, we honestly won't know how the forwards will stand up in the playoffs. That said Tuch was solid in his playoff games with LV.

This isn't really accurate any longer. Zucker, Norris, Tuch, McLeod, Benson, Greenway, Kulich, Kozak and Malenstyn are all solid to excellent defensively. TNT and Krebs are improved. JJP is a work in progress, but is no longer a consistent liability. The forwards' d awareness really isn't an issue any longer. Now add that they were 10th in goals (only 2 goals behind the Leafs), 4th in 5 on 5 goals with 185 and 4th with 191 in all EV situations, the offense isn't the issue with this team, except the awful PP which is solvable with better coaching (IMHO). This past season with had 6 forwards score 20 plus (TNT had 44 and Tuch 36). We had 2 more score 15 (Quinn& Kulich) and 2 more score 10 (Krebs and Benson). We have plenty of capable scoring forwards. Benson and Kulich should continue to improve their scoring given their ages. The issue with this team is the 287 GA (4th worst in the NHL) - Bad goaltending and incompetent defensemen. Over the last 4 years the Sabres have allowed 287 (25th), 297 (26th), 243 (12th), 287 (29th). Our 114 GA over the last 4 years is 7th worst in the NHL over that period while our 1031 GF is 13th best. I repeat, the issues with this team are poor defensemen and goaltending. When Anderson and Reimer are the 2 best goalies over the last 4 years it's easy to ID that problem. Now add the revolving door of crap D besides Dahlin and that problem is also easy to identify.

I am not sure that the Sabres forwards can hold off collapse until the post season starts. If one is inclined to point and laugh at the Leafs forwars for collapsing in the middle playoff rounds, how can you not look cross eyed at a Sabres forward group that couldn’t see this through the regular season? The forward group is skilled enough. It severely lacks guile, grit, and role players. This forward group is the most talented, least overall effective I can think of. It needs an enema just as the D and G do.

Considering his TOI, I hardly ever hear Marner's name in the playoffs.