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The arena didn't let me bring my Tim Hortons coffee into the last game. I get that usually outside food isn't allowed but for many years, bottled water and Tim's coffees/drinks were allowed because they were Mayne a partner or something. So as usual, we got downtown early, stopped for coffee at the one next to the old 716 restaurant and then proceeded to the arena. Got my Italian sausage from the vendor outside and stood for a few and ate it. Then walked into the arena with my Tim's coffee still hot and delicious. Was stopped before the new security and had to stand outside to finish it. Not sure if partnership ended or if it's a new money grab, but it was frustrating as foe years now I've had no issues and it was accepted.

I don't disagree with you, but we can't reverse the trades. They've happened. So the best we can hope for is some kind of positive outcome down the road. There's no question that a roster with all those top players (and a good coach) would be much better than what's on the ice today, but again, the horse is out of the barn. The ship has sailed. Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart are not going to come walking through that door. (I'm out of cliches...) All we can do is hope that things are better for the current team than they've been in the recent past and that the younger players acquired in past deals will ultimately develop and help the team, or be flipped for assets that can help the current team. A six or seven game stretch is not enough of a sample size to give a definitive answer, but if the team plays the way they have the last 2 weeks for the remainder of the season, they have a good chance of making the playoffs as one of the lower seeds. They're not a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, but can be competitive. It's not necessarily better than what could have been, but it may be a step in the right direction given what we've seen in the last few years. And they still have the 2nd youngest roster in the league, so there's a lot of growth opportunities with the guys they currently have (or, with assets acquired by flipping them for more experienced players).

A delicacy among Saskatchewanians

He wears the fictional belt of “best fighter” in the league. So yeah, he’d be a great Geertsen replacement.

It DOES matter because Levi has had full control to change that HIMSELF and has repeatedly puked all over himself when given the opportunity. Not only has he sucked but he has gotten WORSE every chance he has been given. An .878 and 4.12 last year? Is that a joke? That wouldn't even cut it in the era of Grant Fuhr when good goalies were routinely at .900 or lower. He wants to be mad? Fine. Be mad at your damn self and hold yourself accountable for sucking Saskatchewan Moose C0ck when given the chance to allow them to do something they have been dying to do from Day 1.

This is how it's done.

It doesn't really matter when it was said (if true). It's still the same disgruntlement over position ranking within the system.

The players that departed (Eichel, ROR and Reinhart) have their names on The Cup. And those deals have been made more than a few years ago. The Sabres have not been in the playoffs in a generation. I don't care how you calculate the individual deals. Those deals became major subtractions while our so called additions still have not fully materialized yet. Just ask yourself: if we still had Eichel, ROR and Reinhart would the Sabres be a better team than they are now. You can make your own calculation but mine is that we would definitely better without the deals. My attention is on the present and not a couple of more years down the road. Who knows, by then Tage and Dahlin might be demanding to be traded because they are so frustrated about the present.

3:36

I agree with most of this post, but I don't think that Levi was the centerpiece on the Reinhart deal. The centerpiece return was a 1st round draft pick, which has turned into Kulich. Levi was a piece of the deal, but more of a throw in because Florida had a glut of goalies, with Bob, Spencer Knight, and I think even Lyon at that point (not sure about the timing on Lyon). They may have had even another young goalie in the system at the time. I'm sure that Levi was important to the Sabres at the time, but I don't think he was the centerpiece. Right now, with Reinhart's success, this looks like a bad deal for the Sabres, but maybe in a few years if Kulich develops into a top flight forward and Levi into a starting goaltender, and Reinhart slows down due to age, it will look better for the Sabres, similar to the O'Reilly trade. In the early years of that trade, O'Reilly was leading the Blues to the Stanley Cup, while Thompson was struggling to establish himself as an NHL player. The other guys the Sabres got from St. Louis were beyond busts. Now, with Thompson being one of the top goal scorers in the league, the trade had aged much better for Buffalo, as O'Reilly is an older player on the downside of his career. It will be a couple or more years before we'll know.

Yeah, 162 games... Nope. But playoffs, yep

I am being told I'm hearing the story is true. Devon and his lady friend were seated near a whining baby at a Ground Round in Pembroke.

This is why it's more important to get Ellis game time than it is to get UPL game time. UPL is a known quantity--to us and to the league. Ellis is not. If the Sabres are going to manage the asset that is Colten Ellis--whether it be to get exposure for a trade or to see whether he makes UPL expendable--it is imperative that he gets the backup starts. I don't want to see UPL in net again unless it's an absolute necessity until at least December.

Except you have to read the tweet which said “prior to returning to Rochester.” And Ellis wasn’t here then so this is all for naught.

If Levi feels that Ellis and UPL are ahead of him in the positional rankings, then, if true, his desire to move on is understandable.

I’ll take a 3-2 victory and walk away with a grin on my face. You are expecting too much with your required score. As an Sabre fan you are not in a position to be greedy. 😇

Somewhat different situations? I think comparing first line NHL players to a goalie who has shown he doesn’t belong in the NHL yet is not a meaningful exercise. Unless you’re trying to make a point regarding organizational mismanagement of players? Even then, Levi is still a prospect compared to who you’ve mentioned. And, the Sabres are trying to fix their previous fast-tracking of Levi to the NHL by stapling him in Rochester as long as they possibly can. So I guess I’m missing it…

All of the playoffs for me. Otherwise, I love going to the ballpark, but I'm not going to watch a nine-inning game on TV in July.

Levi’s calculation is the same as it is for most prospects and even established players i.e. where is the best place for him to play. If he believes that he is stuck in a log jam for his position, so if the report of his disgruntlement is true, then seeking a better option is understandable. The Jack, Reinhart, ROR etc. were somewhat in different situations. They wanted to be untethered to a dysfunctional organization where they believed (accurately) that they would have little success here. The record shows that their assessments were correct. Sad to say but true.

Honestly, the guy was always injured his entire development, so it wouldn't shock me if this lingers.

The plan was to have UPL & Levi battle for the Buffalo crease in 26-27 and Lyon would be injury insurance and waived after camp. By then, the career backup would be almost 34 and the contract offset for AHL money would keep him cheap if Lyon didn’t get claimed. And if he did, so what… I still think that’s the plan. Ellis only figures into the plan if one of UPL or Lyon gets hurt this season and he plays great. Sucks for him, but he is injury insurance only. I think the Sabres are doing him a solid by waiting 30 days to waive him (maybe selfishly to make sure UPL doesn’t get re-injured) to give him a chance to get claimed and stay in the NHL elsewhere.

If UPL starts, I will have to seriously question Ruff's judgment

Is it stealing a win if you are the better team? I’d argue the opposite.