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Not sure whether the Greenway conversation is more about what role people want him in, what players they want him to play with, or where he ranks on the ice time depth chart. For me, I am remembering a Lindy Ruff who consistently played Jochen Hecht with Briere and Mike Grier with Drury. I have listened to coach, players and GM talk about the need for structure. And I have watched how much better Greenway is at structure than most of the other forwards. I expect him to be playing a lot.

Like, kids are tweet bombing.

Does Adams have it in him to be as aggressive as the Panthers to re-shape and improve his club? I went and looked at the Panthers roster, only Barkov, Lundell, Ekblad and Knight are draft picks. The rest are mostly trades and free agents plus one critical waiver pickup in Forsling. Over the course of 15 months the Panthers acquired Montour and Reinhart from us plus Bennett and Tkachuk from Calgary to significantly help re-shape their team. You could argue that the Mitts trade was the first step in that direction. Possibly, the next few weeks will tell the tale. The trade market, with 30 teams now home should begin to heat up.

I’m not quite ready to commit to this conclusion yet. Tuch is legit. In this scenario, the player acquisition who pushes Greenway to line 4 is likely at least a legit solid veteran player with some offence. After that we have question marks. Skinner is an uncertainty. I love Quinn, Peterka, and Benson, but they will be 23, 22 and 19 to start next season. All have shown signs they can be top 6 wingers in the NHL. I think there is still risk in expecting them to be this next season.

Panthers aren't in Miami

But,... the guy we picked already won the Stanley Cup. I'm confident that if Buffalo had gotten to pick McDavid, there would have been complications with his clavicle surgery and he would still be out of the lineup to this day.

Cannot find a good cheesesteak in Florida.

It is also a sign of a strong top 9. Nothing wrong with 4th lines, the better teams roll them a lot. He could be 4th line and first PK and be effective.

In what way?

Let's talk about Brandsegg-Nygard Micahel Brandsegg-Nygard is a 6'1" 198lbs RW/LW, #28: A lot of you want a stout, hard to play against, physical, middle 6 guy with skill. Okay, here is Nygard, you're welcome. Easiest one of these I have written yet, moving on. Kidding. Nygard is a physical player with a very hard and accurate shot. He can score from range but also has the physical ability to work in close and hold off defenders to clean up trash around the net. His skating is powerful and pretty good which helps him get to where he wants, aka he is hard to knock off the puck or out of position. He also seems to relish contact, he just physically seems to push guys around and he plays in a men's league, the Swedish AHL equivalent. That said, he isn't going out of his way to make hits or be physical, he just plays that way. If he can hit you, he will. If he can throw a reverse hit, he will. If he can cut your hands and drive on you, he will. He is a straightforward middle 6 guy with a booming shot and the ability to shutdown plays and start or lead the breakout. No complaints. So why isn't our friend from Norway higher? Well, he's not overly creative in any sense of the word. He has some ability to manipulate defenders but it isn't his go to. He takes mostly what he can get either through being physically better (his skating helps here too) or by finding soft spots where he can help teammates. His ability to get in a shooting position or crash the net his great, but this isn't a guy like Tuch or ROR where he has some of those nifty handles that can help him solve problems in the offensive zone. He's a very safe player, by next year (2025) he can probably slot into your bottom 6 and he will do just fine. In an ideal world with his shot, you could pair him with Benson and have a very well rounded line where Benson can be the manipulator and Nygard can maintain possession, shoot, or be a give and go option. He could even get you 25g and 25a down the line. I think in the playoffs, his level of grit and his size would be real assets on the PK and closing out games. The issue? Do you want to spend an 11oa pick on a 50pt middle 6 guy who may only end up as a 15g,20a 3rd line winger? Or do you want to spend it on say Eiserman who might be a 40g scorer and a potential first line player in 5 years? Keep in mind Nygard is going to be 19 in October, so he is old for his class. The decision is what do you want to value as an org? The high floor but most likely lower ceiling, or the high ceiling or lower floor because at 11, all the guys fit those categories whether we talk Nygard, Eiserman, Dickinson, Yakemchuk, Helenius, Connolly, Sennecke etc... all I can say is I agree with everyone, Nygard is going to be an NHL player but how high he can play is my question. If he had more playmaking and stickhandling, I would feel better but he reminds me a bit of JJP in terms of the N/S game but with more physicality and less dangling ability. Hard to gauge but for Buffalo, considering their pool, I might lean into Nygard as a guy who down the road could play with Benson - Östlund - Nygard.

I'll be rooting for the Oil but expect the Cats to win the series. I'd like to see McDavid and Draisatl get their name on the Cup and the folks in Edmonton just appreciate it so much more than folks in Miami.

The Oilers were a pre-season cup favourite. Only the Panthers have won more playoff rounds in the last 3 playoffs (7-6) than the Oilers. They have two of the top five players in the world, an elite offensive d-man and a deep bench of players in their prime. I don’t get the Cinderella-Team narrative that is popping up here and there.

I get the sentiment because he scored goals but McDavid did nothing to prevent the puck from getting shot on his own net and keeping the puck from entering it. If McDavid had a majority of puck possession time and kept the Stars from mounting shots then I would give him credit. Certainly he scored enough, but the team was out shot which should give some love to the goalie as well.

Cha CHING! Lance chalks up enough scratch for another Iced Blonde Vanilla Latte! https://buffalonews.com/sports/professional/nhl/sabres/henri-jokiharju-contract-negotiation-buffalo-sabres-defensemen-nhl/article_b8b4df50-2330-11ef-b68f-bb1efdba8381.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Quinn does line up most often on his strong side, but it always seemed he was at his most effective when he'd slide over to his off-hand side (especially when playing with Peterka, the chemistry of those 2 seemed to skyrocket when they'd swap spots during play) so wouldn't be overly concerned about which side he played on especially if he's playing on a line with Kane. Would expect Benson playing with Skinner would result in a fair amount of him freelancing to his strong side as well as Skinner tends to head towards the right post when he does go low in the zone. Besides, both are smart enough players that they should be able to handle the point inside their own zone on the wrong boards. Skinner definitely can't do that; and not sure how Peterka would handle it.

Individual games can take on a life of their own. The Oilers have outshot their opponents in 13 of 18 games in the playoffs. They aren’t a “score a couple PP goals and hang on” team.

Seattle just seems like a good trading partner. They have several pieces that seem to fit what Buffalo should be looking at: Gourde, Tanev, Larsson, Borgen. Tanev, Larsson and Borgen are all on expiring contracts. Dahlin-Larsson would be a nice balanced top pairing.

Further on Claypool: TIL he's Canadian! The proof is here:

Teddy Stiga 5'10" LW, #8: First, he plays on a line with James Hagens and James Hagens is probably in the conversation for the 1st overall pick in 2025. I mention that because Stiga has help and that includes fellow 2024 options Eiserman, Plante, Hutson, and Ziemer. That all said let's talk about Teddy because I noticed him throughout the year but finally sat down to look at him and I kinda fell a little bit in love. There is a play in the highlights below that blows my mind. It starts at 1:46 mark and Stiga breaks into the zone and drives the net with a defender in front of him. At first I thought he screwed up the shot and it just rebounded to Hagens but nope. Stiga corrals a pass in his skates, fakes a shot, then does this nice little slip pass back to Hagens. I have no idea how he knew Hagens was even there but it is a perfect pass. His shot in underrated IMPO as I think he releases really well. He has some of that Benson battle that I love where he just always seems to end up with the correct leverage to win puck battles. Watch some clips, you will see him win pucks and then drive inside, he does lack the elite layer of manipulation that Benson has and I think his overall handling skills are certainly less. Still, Stiga just seems to end up with pucks on his stick either from his excellent checking or simply because he's really smart. He knows what to do with those pucks as well, again refer to that earlier clip. Now Stiga needs to improve his skating, not because it is bad, he's got good edges and ok balance but if you watch him sprint, you will notice the lack of extension so he is shorting himself more speed. Also his handling is average as in he can handle but this isn't a guy like Sennecke who can just put it on a string and weave through you. Also, he is 5'10"... I think he'll measure 5'11" but either way that means he doesn't have the most weight to throw around so parts of his game may be harder to translate. All that said, I think the brain he has with the rest of his skills, even if not elite, point to a middle 6 player who connects on whatever line you want him. At 43, I think he is more than worth it. He has enough skills that his high end hockey sense will make up for any other short commings especially with his motor. Jett Luchanko 5'11" C, #7: Where Stiga plays with a future top 2 draft pick, Luchanko plays with... umm overager Braeden Bowman? Not a lot of talent left on Guelph after a certain Bruins prospect didn't come back. Good news is that if you watched the U18s, Luchanko was there and did pretty good even as he was used more as a checking line type as opposed to an offensive catalyst. His game is built on his skating, which is quite good. He has good speed, nice edges, decent balance. He is also willing to engage physically and use his body to gain position and then make a play. Making plays is his game as he tends to pass more than shoot and you will see lots of nifty little touch passes or dekes and passes to help him do this. He has a decent shot but nothing special there IMPO and even with his excellent passing, I don't feel he has some spidey-sense level to his reads. He will probably get drafted higher than Stiga and with an August 21 bday, he is only about 3 weeks shy of being 2025 eligible so we should consider that. Still, I question his abilities to a degree. He can facilitate plays for sure but I never really feel he is dictating them in the offensive zone. If you catch some glimpses of his defensive work, that is really good and you can see him cut plays off or win battles and start transitions usually with a nice pass. Overall I find him to be fine but he never really brings that something extra and considering he is a 2nd round option, that isn't overly surprising. Buffalo could do worse in the 2nd and if you believe his young age gives him more runway, take him and let him simmer. In 3-5 years you may get a really good skating middle 6 forward.

Traveling and staying in a hotel for more than 2 nights. One is no problem, two is ok. I have 3 more nights to go for a total of 5. Blah. I miss my bed, my yard, my guitars, my golf clubs, and my man cave …

I'm sorry. Me too (my job, not yours). But for me it's one of those "the toughest job you'll ever love" deals. IOW the sausage making is unpleasant, but I feel good walking out the door (duh). Can you do any mental gymnastics like that? Or do you truly hate the job and find nothing redeeming about it? In the end are you doing something important for the world?

Yes we are over spending on defense with nothing to show for it. Don’t forget this group allowed the 7th most HDC last season. If (when?) KA re-signs Joki and Bryson we will be making the over spend worse. This group is a miss-mash of parts that don’t quite fit together into a cohesive group. They currently have two legit top 4 D in Dahlin and Power. The rest are 3rd pairing players. Mule is slated for the top 4 and maybe if he could stay healthy he’d fit there. Maybe! We certainly could use an effective physical stay at home D there. Clifton is a bottom pair player. Joki, despite top 4 pt, grades out as a 5 and his skill set doesn’t really work with Dahlin or Power. Bryam is a ball of occasionally effective raw talent. It’s why Col traded him. 4 good games followed by 12 bad ones does not a top 4 D make. The best thing KA can do for this group is move on from Joki. Avoid another longterm deal. Find a vet stay at home D to bridge until Johnson or Novikov are ready to earn the job.

The internet is having an absolute field day with this observation from Matt Parino (whom I generally find to be a good Bills beat reporter): "Claypool has been the Bills’ most consistent receiver during OTAs and is setting the stage for what should be a run at the 53-man roster. He made the most explosive play of the day, catching a deep bomb from backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky during 11-on-11. Once he gets past his defender, it’s hard for the safeties to catch up and rookie Cole Bishop learned that lesson on the play, which would have gone for a touchdown in a game." https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2024/06/buffalo-bills-otas-week-3-observations-von-miller-flashing-keon-coleman-gets-physical.html

I think what you are referring to as the headline was actually just his tweet. Also, I don’t think his tweet is all that misleading, if at all. We will almost certainly be spending in the top 5-7 when it comes to money spent on D.

Hate my job