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You may have independently had those ideas. The media has, in concert with your thoughts, pushed their narrative. Honestly, I can’t remember when or where the swap Byram for offense ideology started. It could have been in this forum by you. Hope you feel more respected now. 🤷‍♂️

Like, i like how your reading of this “overly negative.” It’s measured. Highlighted the McLeod bit because that’s just one topic I’m frequently positive about frankly I’m slightly disappointed in myself I’m taking the time to detail this - you are absolutely right: I care about what others think way too much. But I care about my rep here even through it’s pretty damn clear from Inky’s post that no one is really reads my takes or gives them the time of day. Not that anyone should - absolutely do not get me wrong - but it’s the same with the sabres, like I always say: if I am sticking around for them, now, at this point, there’s really no one to blame for it but myself, you basically do have to be a glutton for punishment. If I’m posting as much as I do and it’s going out the window, it’s on me for keeping at it.

The results of the team have been historically bad - unless you feel my reaction has been more extreme than historically negative, I’d deem my general stance as “reflective” before negative or positive having said that, I agree with your bolded bit after making that substitution “the you don’t like when anything positive is posted” is just (I’m hoping intentional) hyperbole - for such a rats ass team i post positive stuff all the time, myself - never mind taking issue in others

I think we just saw that in Kesselring (again, a 5/6D by Utah depth chart, top-4 by injuries last season) for Peterka. So, it was... easy? From a certain point of view.

Not $832,500 annually, though.

Hoping that is strictly Marty's opinion and not what he's hearing from the team on how they plan to play out the rest of the off-season. It would be friggin' criminal to build in ANOTHER excuse for why they can't take the next step back into relevancy in this league. Rust would not have been my 1st choice for the extra F heading into this off-season. But at this point in time, with the money they have left and what it will likely take to get him, he, with a little retention by the Pens, is pretty much their best option to ice the best possible roster they can.

More teams, even great teams, play down to their opponent than we realize. How else do you explain so many Sabres victories since the tank began? It's natural in an 82-game season to not be able to generate the same intensity each and every night. Teams come out flat in a simple 16-game (17) NFL season, let alone soon to by 84 NHL games.

He's locked in to his deal unitl the end of the '29-'30 season. He is not eligible to get another contract signed, to follow the one end ending in '29-'30 but not to modify it in ANY WAY, until July 1, 2029. So, NO, the team WILL NOT offer him a new deal this Spring if he has another fantastic year. NOR will he demand one. And, yes, a little over $7MM IS going to be enough through June of 2030 because that is the deal he signed. There is NO LEEWAY WHATSOVER IN THAT CONTRACT. And the CBA just got reupped into September of 2030 at a minimum, so his union head isn't going to be changing the parameters of his contract either.

He gets paid to play for Seattle

The Sabres were up by 2 and going to the powerplay as a result of the major penalty. So the plans to retaliate were made. Then, the Sabres gave up a shorthanded goal during the major, so they were only up by 1. Gilbert can't play protecting a mere 1-goal lead or risk going on the PK. FWIW, the Sabres did hang on to win 4-3. (Nevermind that the season was already over barring some 8-game winning streak.) Scott saying that Lindy would have wanted blood after the Tage hit hasn't been watching Ruff behind the bench the last few years. Young Ruff is in the past.

We’ve been told (over and over) that having a surplus of top 4 defensemen is a great problem because you can easily flip them for a top 6 forward….

IMHO, it is simply (to an overwhelming degree) an issue of maturity. They come ready to play (under Ruff, not so much under Granato) and they score 1st way more often that a below 0.500 team should. But when the other team starts punching back and getting into the flow, they can't get ramp their own intensity back up. When they play a weaker team, they can't convince themselves that they have to work hard to win. And they don't know how to structure their play to let them force the other team to play a game better than what they have to beat them. Under Granato, they rarely were ready to play, but when the other team took their foot off the gas, the offensive 1st (or only) nature of the Sabres game allowed them to come back more often than a below 0.500 team should. Having NHL caliber coaching could do wonders for this team. Right now, if it weren't for the fact that none of the assistants have a clue about the X's and O's of the game, would say that this team really could use a Nolan as the HC. Maybe Peca would be the ideal guy for this team. He knows the X's and O's of the game very well and he was a fierce competitor and leader. Checks the "former Sabre" box too. Not sure that Kekalainen is the right GM to get him the players he'd need but wouldn't be opposed to seeing him in that role. Say Peca, because there's no f'n way a Gallant will be brought in.

Can’t due anything about it. CBA dictates it is what it is for the duration of the contract.

Marty Biron saying hold the cap space to go get a goalie in November if ours fails (or any other holes get exposed. I say, don’t wait. You’ve got the space right now to sign Timmons and add Rust. Rust is exactly what they need: a veteran high-motor, high-character winner who just might push those qualities to critical mass. All while being capable of replacing the offence you’ve lost in Peterka. It makes them deeper, faster and harder to play against. Finish playing out the hand you’ve dealt. Make it happen.

Saw them at Red Rocks last month. Great show. Agree that Kevin Hearn carries more of the load and is very capable of doing so.

I’m wondering if Tage has another good season, will the team offer him a new deal, or will he demand one. A little over $7 million isn’t going to be enough through 2029-30.

1 can only hope.

No honorable mention that I didn't say "definitely improved"? Haha I am a bit surprised at your frustration though, TBH. SS is dominated with negative opinion and it almost always spills into the ridiculous. I.E, making things up, etc. Then when it just a smidge, tilts the other way ..... Oh boy. Obviously you love the Sabres or you'd actually be a bit nuts to be here as much as you are - but man, you don't like when anything positive is posted. Not that you're hateful about it but it's important to you that others agree with your negativity.

It certainly seems to implicate leadership in general.

There’s a real theme in there about respecting opponents, which might be an outgrowth of all the high-pick pedigree on the roster?

Egos might be bruised

He is not. There is bad blood between Steven and the band. But keyboardist Kevin Hearn sings all of Steven's parts and sounds enough like him to make it all work. Here's the setlist from the show I saw. Barenaked Ladies Concert Setlist at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook, Gilford on July 12, 2025 | setlist.fm https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/barenaked-ladies/2025/bank-of-new-hampshire-pavilion-at-meadowbrook-gilford-nh-335a0079.html

Frankly I’m not surprised by the skill point, the last couple years we’ve had off the chart levels of talent but it’s typically squandered in numerous ways. Part of me feels some players just don’t desire to buy in regardless of the coaching. Peterka possibly being one of those guys in possibly seeing their way as better than the overall strategy. And with the current situation we have I can’t blame them for letting those doubts creep up but they need to lock down. Clifton also brought up a commonly noticed attribute of the team in how it will play great against solid to great teams then turn around and play piss poor against lower end teams. The worrisome part is Clifton seemed perplexed by the issue in his own right. He put genuine effort into giving the most accurate answer he could and corrected himself about preparation. It boils down to the same issue that lingered with a Cozens interview early on last year where he referred to the team almost taking weaker teams for granted. Almost making me imagine the roster as a whole has a strange tendency to see themselves as far better than their record entails. Or, possibly some players see weaker teams as possible cash cows for easy offensive production and thus don’t play the 200ft game they are supposed to.

@Thorny has done a good job pointing out the lack of playmaking/passing talent on the roster and how that has handcuffed the power play. I am of the opinion the three of the 5 best talents in that area on the team are Dahlin, Power and Byram (with Tage and Tuch). Power was 9th and Byram 12th in PP TOI/GP Dahlin led the team in both ice time and PP 1st assists, with 10. Numbers 2 Thompson, 3 Peterka and 5 Tuch in ice time had 5, 2 and 4 1st PP assists respectively. Zucker was 4th in ice time and 2nd in PP 1st assists with 8. You’ve got all that cap money and draft capital invested on the blue line, why not give it a chance to make plays? Like you say, the guys you’ve been using aren’t making it happen. What do they have to lose?

YouTube video to get an explanation