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Agreed. Back to more cliches, you have to learn to walk before you learn to run. Given all the missteps of the recent past, the Sabres have to learn how to walk before they learn to run. Being competitive and consistent, and getting into the playoffs (even as an 8 seed and losing in the 1st round), is to me, learning to walk, and the step this team needs to take. If the younger players develop and/or are flipped for quality veterans, maybe then the team can rise to the next level of being a serious contender down the road. THIS current roster, THIS season, is not going to rise to that level. Sure, there are rare teams that make a huge leap in one season and make a magical run to the finals, but that's an unrealistic expectation for this team.

Any signs of improvement will be ratcheted back when the coach's pet Justin Danforth gets back. I don't care how hard he fought to get in the league, he doesn't deserve a lineup spot. He's a whopping -22% relative expected goals In 34 minutes of ice time and 54 shifts of 5 on 5 ice time, his line has 0 high danger shot attempts. Zero.

All right, Gen Z. You're gonna be old someday, sonny.

He is young still...goalies typically take a while to develop, so he should realize that and stop trying to rush the process and just focus on improving and being ready when he gets called up and given a chance. He posted an .872 and 4.12. Sorry, I gave him too much credit in the initial post. It was an .872 not an .878. Those are the results, I don't care about any mental ***** about why or how or whatever else on where they came from. He simply wasn't good enough when he was given the chance. Period. Your job as a pro is to be ready when your number gets called and to do your job, and he failed repeatedly to do that. That being said, he is still very young and most goalies typically aren't ready until 25 or 26, so he very well could be exceptional within the next 2 or 3 years as he is only 23.

Barzal healthy scratch tonight (missed a meeting). Would love to see him in buffalo.

Springfield MA, I believe.

And let's not forget the caliber of player we traded to get him. Anger should be directed at the people involved in the miscalculation of the deal and not the particular player we got back.

Unless another team besides the Sabres put a claim in on him, if St. Louis wants him back in the 1st 30 days and the Sabres waive him then he's Peoria (or wherever the Blues farm club is nowadays) bound. Should the Sabres keep him around a bit longer, then anybody making a claim would have to keep him in the NHL. But, no point at all in waiving him until they know what they have in him. Maybe they lucked into something.

So if Buffalo waives Ellis within 30 days, he reverts back to the Blues and can be sent outright to the AHL. If after 30 days, it is NHL waivers for all teams.

I agree with you on the issue of having lower expectations compared to many other fans. Willing to accept this lower standard is a requirement in order to stay engaged with this franchise. That in itself is a sad commentary about where we are and what we can realistically hope for. Another way of saying it is dumbing down the standard because of the belief that a higher standard is unattainable. In most sports, especially in a sport with a cap system, there is usually an up and down cycle. We should be able to reach the middle cycle but considering the caliber of staff running the operation, the upper cycle is not likely attainable unless there is a dramatic change within. I'm not trying to be a downer but am simply acknowledging where we are at and how far we can go.

He played better than UPL the 1st few games of last year, having 2 very good games out of 3 to UPL's 1 good game out of 4; but Ruff still decided to run with UPL after UPL finally had A good game against one of the worst teams in the league. (And UPL's 1 good game didn't happen until after Levi had a disasterous start against the BJs.) He'd also played very well at the end of the previous season in the handful of games he'd gotten as Granato was on his way out the door. Levi was bad when he finally got back in but wasn't horrible, but by then Ruff had already long before made up his mind on who his starter was and when they managed to regrab Reimer, the Amerks net was his; but he'd played well those 1st couple of games when he believed he had an opportunity to win the job after having beaten Reimer out of the top 2 role and having outplayed UPL as well. UPL played well for a few games after being handed the starter's net, as he'd done in the past (you LIKE UPL, you really, really LIKE UPL) after getting handed the starter's net. But after losing a game to Minny that he'd personally played great in (as did the rest of the team), the wheels fell off for both UPL and the Sabres. Also, would agree that Adams has wanted to give the crease to Levi; but Ruff never had any plans to give the net to Levi. At his B&G I's that 1st summer he was in town, he was talking UPL up hugely with little mention of Levi. And UPL was the presumptive starter as camp opened both last year and this year. Had UPL not been broken heading into camp, he would've been the starter and Lyon the backup as was the original plan.

I think within these 30 days, he would go back to STL only if he has a NHL roster spot. STL doesn’t have a goalie problem. So, he would probably be waived again and claimed by a different team.

Why didn’t you ask them? As long as you don’t take a dickish tone I bet they probably would have answered you.

Eh, I don't put much stock into what Andrew Peters says. He's motivated financially to post non-sense like this to get clicks and viewers (listeners?).

I dont know that I all together disagree.. I think where I am at is this kid gets here plays immediately and is pretty much relegated for years... he was a primary piece of a trade that sent a 50 goal scoring 2 time cup winning top 3 forward away in a trade cause he wouldnt or couldnt pay him... so to me if it is witchcraft, development, needs more time, misused, supporting cast... whatever the case or cases may be (and I think to your point it was a cavalcade of issues... this boils down to a disappointment... especially now that he wants out... and very potentially becomes another nice player the Sabres had that the sent away... time will tell.... so to me a very bad trade and an even worse situation... and Adams doesnt to me deserve the benefit of the doubt....

If I'm not on the highway, I'm pulling over 100% of the time and letting the tailgater through. I won't tolerate someone driving 2 feet from my bumper. I was a serial tailgater in my younger days like @Weave. It's dangerous and unnecessary. I will admit I'll speed up and ensure the driver that just passed me is aware I'm right behind them without getting too close. This usually causes some concern on their part as I look like a criminal (if the shoe fits).

Coffee with Italian Sauage is certainly a choice.

Agree. There are several encouraging signs, but they are not "there" yet. In a way, it's a positive that they're getting a couple of "loser" points that they didn't get last season, but they are called "loser" points for a reason, as in the end, they're losing the 2nd point by losing the game in OT or shootout (in both of this year's games so far, OT). In my opinion, they need to win at least half of the OT/shootout games to get over the hump. If they continue to play pretty well, but fail to win some of these types of games, they will fall short of the playoffs again.

I would, more chance of Quinn becoming something than Chinakov. Or maybe you want to blame Adams for trading for another oft Injured player.

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 Only rivaled by Albertan Honey Pot Breast Meat

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.