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I've seen a lot of articles/talk about who needs to step up this year to turn things around and I've noticed Powers has been absent from most of those lists. If he can't get it together in the defensive zone we're going to have problems. I've been patient with him since he came into the league at such a young age, but now's the time for him to take a leap.

Are waivers not in reverse standing order?

Lidstrom was an elite defensive and offensive player almost from moment he came into league. Would love Power to play the positionally genius way Nick did. He does not, and appears lost at times.

I understand not being interested in the promo videos. I will say these hokey videos help my wife become more interested and invested in the players & the team. She didn’t grow up a hockey fan.

When did the Inkification of Liger occur? I don't think of Lidström as "mean" - by way of example. I'll settle for Power being heavy and physical in his own end. I don't think there's much, if any, "mean" to tap into with him.

That the people you post and seem to trust lie to you and its easily proven every time.

I think it's about 50/50 that every single one of @dudacek's hopes comes true. For example, to quantify a few: Norris outscores Cozens' 2024-25 and is also a + player. Quinn stays healthy and hits 69 points. Older & Stronger Power-Kesselring eliminate more rebound goals than Power-Jokiharju were able to. The team save percentage leaps from 31st in the league to... 22nd. I think at least 7 of the hopes happen. My worryum is that even if all the hopium hits, there's a distinct possibility that the team misses the playoffs because the division rivals finally have to play their starter against the Sabres, or in the case of the Panthers: they have to show up for 20 minutes instead of 5 over the course of the game. This season's Sabres should see a step in the right direction (just in time to name Appert the next HC and solidify Sheevyn as GM for the next few years).

You're unwittingly prodding me to share a story from my own life that illustrates this principle in (what I think is) striking fashion. I'll refrain, if you do the same.

So some super hero origin story? Superbowl's bigger.

And like most yachts-owning billionaires, it will be listed and used as a private charter for rent, thus allowing a generous business tax write off. Much like billionaires do with land by growing a small crop or having a few barn animals allows them to write their properties off as “ranches” to, again, enjoy a nice business tax write off. East Aurora’s own Jeremy Jacobs enjoys being a “rancher” and all the tax benefits that provides.

It appears I've made 14k posts... and in fewer years than since the Sabres last made the playoffs. They're a really bad habit.

I don't watch Sabres promo videos, so I'm just going to make up an angle that this clearly means he isn't serious about hockey because he wasn't on the ice 24/7 during the summer and that he was busy eating cotton candy and operating the Scrambler instead of hitting the gym and working on his burst.

Power reaching a new level and getting 40+ points again, that would be great. If he was above even in his own end and then good to elite offensively in the offensive zone, he'd turn the tables because Buffalo could spend 50 minutes a night with 2 defense pairs that are nightmares. He better work hard and mean.

A lot has to go right for the Sabres to make the playoffs. If a majority of these hopium infused ideas come true, there is a chance. Healthy seasons for Dahlin are TNT are key, extended periods of time without them can sink the season. Benson will improve, the percentage of this jump could make a big difference. This guy should get an “A” on his sweater in a few more years. More heart than Power and Mule combined. I will keep harping on Power getting 10% more grit, baby steps, but strength and confidence can increase. 10% is not a big number but would be noticeable on someone starting at 0%. Quinn can be a 55-65 point player, it’s up to him to play like it. Lindy needs to up his game, demand more from his staff and push the right buttons on the players. I hope Appert has studied advanced PP theories all summer like his future depends on it. Kesselring and Doan will have more impact than many expect. I think Doan is a 3rd liner, but a good one. Kesselring will help Power find a bit of grit and back him up when other players test him. I agree that goaltending can’t be worse. Goalies are weird and mostly up and down so UPL should be better. If not, Levi should be given his games after another good start in Rochester to pump his tires.

Nah. Much bigger. I mean like those instances when you leave the house to go somewhere in your car, but then are just slightly delayed because your wife wants to make sure she locked the back door, and you thereby avoid a likely fatal t-bone accident caused by a speeding car thief who's about to run a red light 1/2 mile from your home. Dumb luck.

Montreal has a good team forming. Have they vaulted past Buffalo? We'll see.

I think this is going to be a very interesting year in the Eastern Division of the NHL. There seems to be a lot of parity in the teams. It could be a year where 3 points in the standings might be the difference between 2nd and out of the playoffs. This is a good thing/ bad thing for the Sabres. The bad thing is they are facing tough teams almost every night when playing in the East. The good thing is that these teams are going to beat on each other so it's not likely anyone is going to run off and hide a top the standings. The current betting lines have the Sabres near the bottom only ahead of Boston and Pittsburgh. There is enough talent on the Sabres to be much better. In the 2021-2022 season no team in the East finished with 90-99 points. Either you had 100 or more, (in the playoffs) or you were out with less than 90. Last year 5 teams were in the 90's and it looks to be even tighter this year. I think the Sabres can get in with what they have. They are getting little older a little tougher and would seem to have some AHL depth to plug holes as long as the injuries don't get out of hand. A lot will depend on how good the competition has become.

You mean like how the entire identity of the Buffalo sports fan would have changed with a probably microscopic difference in how one football was kicked?

I can get immobilized with cosmic anxiety when I stop to really consider how good fortune, luck play massive, determining roles in our lives themselves as we trod around on this big blue ball that's spinning through our solar system.

If this guy does not show he has an ounce of piss and vinegar in him this year, he is dead to me.

Unless he suddenly learns that he needs to be mean in his zone and not just lean on guys but impose himself, he could be Hercules and it wouldn't change much.

It’s valued at around $100 million and has an estimated annual running cost of roughly $7 million.

Says he’s spent a lot of time in the weight room, and with the new strength coach. Feels confident in his body and focused on being better defensively. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-owen-power-injury-rehab-partner-michael-kesselring-conor-timmins-brian-galivan-2025-26-season

Oh, I agree. I was not so much commenting on your post itself, it just made me think of how much the personalities of individual fans colour their acknowledgement of this.

I'm predicting that the Sabres will be competing for a playoff spot all season long. Will they finally qualify? Yes, if the goaltending is consistently respectable. That's the big question. Two years ago, UPL demonstrated that he was at a stage where it seemed that he was going to be a legitimate NHL starter. However, last year, he fell off the clift. Needless to say, he's a fragile player for a position that requires tough-mindedness. Handling failure is a big aspect of that position. Last year, the word resiliency was not part of his vocabulary. In @dudacek's excellent listing of his expectations for most of the players, a good summarization of the group is that the driving force for improvement will be internal improvement of our young players. The players I am very intrigued about who were on the roster last year are Quinn, Benson and Power. I'm hoping they have a leap year. And the new players that I will be following are Doan and Kesserling.