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Not true, Tavares, his head coach also has 200+ points but Smith passed him and has 4 fewer playoff games

Punch, don't forget the mystery man who accompanied LaLa to Ot-wa Ot-wa Ot-wa (RIP Art; I'm assuming he's gone toes up) to interview Murray: Battista! Coffee... ask for it by name.

As you noted, the offer sheet route is an unlikely route to upgrade our roster as it is for almost every team. The more realistic route is to make deals, such as the Zucker and McCleod additions, that do actually improve one’s roster. KA did make some good B deals this past offseason, but not sufficiently so.

Murray was hired by LaFontaine and Murray was supposed to report to LaFontaine, but that is not what happened and that is what led to his abrupt resignation. Both were very bad choices IMO. Botterill was pushed by the Pittsburgh connection that Terry trusted, and Botterill is a bright guy. He was chosen over Bill Zito, who is now a Cup winner in Florida. Just because you interview a few people and you apparently pick the wrong guy doesn't mean that you completely change your processes and the very next time you go out and hire an inexperienced person for the most important job in the organization simply because you know him and like him. But that is what happened. As several here are alluding, there is an element of luck at play, and I agree there is no magic formula, but you still need sound logic and discipline in how decisions are made. So the logical move after Botterill was fired is to ask yourself what were the key factors that led me to pick this person over the other? Was my criteria wrong, or was the weighting used on my criteria wrong? What should change? You have to be brutally honest with yourself. But at that time Terry was not interested in finding the best GM. He was interested in preservation of the family wealth. PSE was scaled back, One Buffalo ended, the Bills were spared, the Sabres were not. So when Botterill left he simply hired the guy he knew, and liked, and was comfortable with. In this case Terry must have known it would be hard to find an outside "hockey guy" that would agree with EEE, or with trading Eichel (using the injury as a fulcrum) and driving another full scale rebuild. You say the Sabres haven't sucked for a long time due to any one thing. I say they have. They have sucked for a long time due to poor decisions made by the owners. Terry, Kim, and back to Terry. That is the constant that everybody sees. That is were the buck stops - and in the Sabres case the bucks have stopped for a long time. So the pandemic is over and 5 years of losing is the aftermath. Terry is now at a fork in the road - make a change now, or wait one more year since Adams and Ruff are on contract. He knows them and he likes them and he has very few reliable connections in the league. Ruff really deserves better than one year. Adams does not, but it is easy to see where this is going. I am bracing myself for another year of Adams and Ruff. Best case is that they do add a legit Senior Advisor.

There have been four signed offer sheets in the last 12 years. The Sabres have never successfully offer-sheeted a player (have they ever tried?). Last year's two signed sheets were quite narrow in their set of circumstances. For the Sabres to successfully offer-sheet a coveted player this off-season, would require them to move out equivalent value contract(s) for picks/prospects/nothing. Adams has shown no aptitude for the kind of roster maneuvering that would be required to do this. I don't think you need to worry about our 2026 1st being used in an offer-sheet this summer.

Trade value!

This is just not true.

I put a tiny rink in the backyard when my son was 2. No way he was ready to skate then, but he did like playing hockey in his boots then. Same story for my daughter. I suppose I could have pushed them, but as you said, it's got to be fun for them. When they were 3 they started skating lessons ran by the local figure skating club and by then they had the dexterity to actually enjoy it. I still remember they put toys on the ice that the kids could skate to as motivators. My son would always chase the hockey stick and puck. He'd get to take a shot before they'd move it to another location.

It's interesting how the Leafs have changed this year. They have gone from trying to be the Oilers to trying to be the Panthers. They are D first and trying to play close games then waiting for you to give them a power play or a breakaway. The trouble is they are not as experienced in that style as Florida is. They also probably need some different players to do it a little better. They still have a chance to get by Florida. It might be one of those 1 bounce games.

Not that long ago Bennett was pretty much considered a complete bust.

I know before the playoffs Leone stated that he was going to roll 4 lines. I would assume in an effort to wear Laval down. It would also seem that Kulich would be affected by playing less 5 on 5 time. I can't find time on ice numbers so just a guess about Kulich. Nice to see Rosen have a really good game when it matters.

Maybe it’s about expectations, and I’m glad to see his are high. Ive never seen Kulich as a “take over a game guy” at any level, in terms of “give me the puck and I’ll beat guys”. But I am seeing I guy right now who is reading the game very well, competing hard, and to me he does look dangerous. I thought Ryan Johnson was excellent last night and has been quietly good all playoffs. His game is Bill Hajt: blunt the rush, collect the dump-in, move puck to safety. He doesn’t create offence or hurt people, but at this level he kills plays. I thought he was overwhelmed as an NHL rookie. His feet are NHL, but his brain wasn’t. His processor has improved and he might be ready.

A couple years ago we moved to a place in way northern NY called Canton (home of Jordan Greenway). My kid was 4 when we got here and everyone said he was already behind his peers with hockey. Parents were putting their kids on the ice at 2. It’s not always the kids that want this. It’s the parents.

Uh, Bennett won a Cup with Florida last season.

I thought Johnson has been very good, especially last night. The thing Laval was doing, two things actually, they were all over the Amerks giving them little room to operate, and two once they established control in the Amerks end, it was hard for Rochester to get it back. So players would get trapped in the ice, wear out and eventually give up a goal to Laval. But by the late send I period Rochester started to figure things out, or Laval got tired playing such a high intensity pace. Amerks had more scoring chances and finally started cashing those in late.

Was at the game last night. Amerks controlled play and deserved to win. Even though they were down at one point (3-2), it didn't feel out of reach. They got production from their big guns and that will have to continue if they are going to win the series. Agree on rosen looking great. During each intermission, the jumbotron cut to the team in the tunnel. Every time they did, rosen was the one going around the room and giving fist bumps. Disregard his points and he still played a great game. Lots of chances Östlund looked to be primarily playing wing. Not sure how comfortable he is there. Probably got moved over when kulich came down. Was a chippy game. Stuff going on after every whistle. This team can play that sort of game though. They rose to the occasion

Suck for Bennett. He could have won a ring with the Panthers if the Sabres had drafted him.

I rarely here anything about Ryan Johnson's play. For a defenseman, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. For those who follow the Amerks, I would appreciate your views on him, and the progress he has made. If the Sabres reworked their blueline where he was brought up to the big league, could he be effective?

The only way I care about the 2026 1st round pick is if they have a shot at 1OA and McKenna. But ... that means they sucked balls again in 25-26 ... so that means I probably no longer care? Vicious cycle.

Sorry to quote you twice, but I just read the game story. Jiri agrees with me 😂 ”When the NHL regular season ended, Jiri Kulich was sent back to the Rochester Americans to experience intense playoff pressure, to prove he can perform in the spotlight when it matters most. Five games into what the Amerks hope will be a long Calder Cup playoff run, Kulich isn’t so sure he is living up to expectations. At least not his own. “To be honest, I’m still not good enough,” Kulich said. “I have to do more.” The Amerks will tell you he’s doing plenty.“ https://pickinsplinters.com/2025/05/16/kulich-rousek-rosen-come-up-big-as-amerks-rebound-to-tie-series/

Slacker. Should have starting working out in the womb.

What players do you see graduating from Laval? Since you know they're bigger which will forever in this board mean "tougher".

The stat line in there, but ROC is going to need him to take over a game. Three of his four points this series are secondary assists. He hasn’t looked dangerous with the puck on his stick. He’s capable of driving play at this level and they need him to.

This would be poetic fun. Best of all if Marchand scores the game winner to haunt them forever.

You don't have to get like that but if you enjoy it carry on. When I see the kind of players the Sabres need graduating from Rochester into the NHL I will know we have the right mix and type. As is we get a lot of the same.