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We establish a new low way too often

He may never be?

He's going to want the money and will stay. Without question.

He has not been good enough and has flipped between average and downright bad. You can almost always find a mistake that led to the chance that led to a goal. But a goalie can also make a save. Too often, UPL has not made the save that gives the team a chance That said, there is a pall that has set over the team that goes well beyond an underachieving goalie. It is reminiscent of how the team played prior to Krueger getting fired. I recall Granato telling the team when he took over, that being on a last place NHL team is not the worst thing that will happen in your life. Then he backed that up by setting a new path for how to play. The Sabres have needed that for some time now. There were moments this year where a change in coaching might have given new life and made a difference. Pegula and Adams are intent on punting this season though.

So where is Levi at? How is he not ready for the NHL?

Why not simply waive UPL? If some team by some miracle claims him, you’ve cleared a bad contract off the books. If he refuses to report to Rochester and decides to return to Finland, you’ve cleared a bad contract off your books (I assume that’s how it works). Am I missing something here?

He's on a 2 game goal streak and has 10pts in 29games this season.

Have we talked about Tynan Lawrence enough yet? Dude is healthy and make the USHL look like his own personal beer league. Lawrence has an August bday so he is very young for the class, in fact he is almost exactly 10 months younger than Stenberg. Lawrence right now is running at a 1.86ppg pace in the USHL which puts him in 1st by .19 and the 3rd place guy only has 1.35ppg. He's literally running that league after 7 games. (5th in the USHL in ppg is the Sabres Ryan Rucinski). He is a center, he has playmaking, is a natural checker, his skating his very very good. Really the only issue I have right now is that he needs a higher level of competition imo. That all said he has all the pro habits needed and I think when he goes to college next year (Boston Univ) he will integrate really well. He is currently listed as 6' 185lbs but again with an Aug bday, he might be 6'1" 190lbs at the combine.

I like to think that someday this scenario will result in a team losing an OT game by two scores (nine points).

If we had decent goaltending, we'd have 3-4 more wins right now... Maybe more if you look at all the OTL's. It's still on Adams though and his ineptitude to address this in 6 years.

Wow. Really interesting question Shrader. Would the Eagles be deemed to have given up their one possession on the original fumble? I don't know the answer. But had that happened I'm sure there would have been a group meeting of officials on the field that might have lasted 10 minutes while everyone in the stadium is waiting around to hear if the game was over.

UPL has separated himself alright. But not in the way you thought.

This team is done

I am on the draft Stenberg train. I think McKenna will produce more offense in the NHL and has a higher ceiling but Stenberg is bigger Benson or more talented Doan. He is also NHL ready to a degree, he is almost a ppg player in the SHL which at 18 (he's old for his class and if he was in a lower league I would be less high on him) is the best in SHL history going all the back into the 80s I think. Only Sedin was close to his ppg rate. Maybe my mind will change, we still have WJC and the entire 2nd half of the season. McKenna can absolutely change my mind with his toolbox but I can't convince my brain to draft any more high ceiling offensive minded wingers with limited 2way ability. yes, sorry. I will edit it.

...Matthew Savoie revenge game?

The 13 game winless streak last year started on 11/27. Year before that it was a 5-9-2 stretch from 11/30 to the end of the year. Already looks like this year's downward spiral started on 12/3 with the Philadelphia loss. Nothing short of the GM getting fired AND some pieces need to be moved will move the needle. Because at this point, the owner can't motivate properly and they're largely blocked out Ruff.

You don’t mean Kesselring, you mean Mrtka.

I kind of like this one-game non-paper AHL transaction rule. But I also know there will be a rash of injuries in Buffalo right before the AHL playoff roster deadline and suddenly Rosen and/or Östlund will have to magically be in two places at once --- and the Amerks will go into the playoffs without on their best offensive threats.

Keep (either because I like them, think it is better than a trade, or their contract makes them hard to trade) Norris, McLeod, Benson, Zucker, Doan, Kulich, Kozak, Östlund (I think Thompson will ask out) Dahlin, Kesselring, Samuelsson, and Power (I would trade him but we need bodies) Lyon and 1 of Ellis or UPL That means Tuch, Thompson, Greenway, Quinn, Krebs, Byram, Timmins, Bryson, and either Ellis or UPL are all traded or not signed. You gotta add enough defenders to keep Mrtka in Rochester next year. He's gonna be really good but he isn't ready yet.

Same, I got this way with the Bills at one point in their drought.

It doesn’t matter who we bring up. Until the mngt and coaching staff are cleaned out this culture will not begin to change. Most of these players won’t be Sabres anymore by the time those changes occur, if they occur. The best a player drafted by the Sabres can hope for right now is to ride out the rights time or flat out demand to be moved. These players careers are stuck in purgatory while they wear a Sabres uniform as of now.

Goalies don't seem to go as early in drafts so maybe there was some hope they'd slip. Or maybe they were trying to negotiate a trade of reinhart for a 1st that would have potentially netted a goalie. Or they were doing nothing, which is also very possible and likely. His tendency to ditch the post early to try to anticipate the cross-crease look.

I just feel so sad and defeated as a fan.

Lyon or Ellis? It doesn’t really matter who plays behind this team. Feeling the team is at a new low right now.