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I think he’d look great in a Sharks jersey, the sound of the ocean gently rolling on to the beach would go a long way in soothing his mind.

I'm not worried about October vs October. I am comparing him now to his entire year last year. You don't want/need last October's McLeod, you need last Seasons Mcleod...and he simply is not playing as well now as he was for the year as a whole last year (he's also partially getting paid for his performance the entire year last year, not October. And again, its not just the mistakes he is making, his mistakes have come in closer games that have cost the Sabres goals. The goals allowed stats above you posted show that. What they do not show is that not only was he on the ice for those goals, his specific play, not his teammates, was directly responsible for many of the goals against. Trust me, I like him as a player. I was one of the leaders on this forum pounding the table to extend him as I thought he was one of the top 5 or 6 players on the team last year. I just am not seeing it this year (yet). I don't think he is a 'bad' or 'overrated' player. I'm just saying he needs to be better than he is now and he is one of the players that is noticably playing worse now than he did for most of last year.

Below is a snippet of McLeod for just October 2024 vs 2025 - 5v5. Eleven games vs. ten, but a higher XGF, and a higher XGF%. More Shots for and SF% is better. Actual Goals against is 2X (concerning?), but GF is ~60% more. My observation is they are driving play.

Sadly, Lyon's performance in the Boston game last night was not a whole lot different from a typical UPL performance. He made some saves, he let in some goals that most goalies would let in. When push came to shove, he was not able to make the biggest saves when needed. He was not a difference maker in the game. I fully agree that Lyon was a difference maker in some of the early games (including games they lost where he kept them in the game when the had no business being in it). That said, Lyon is an OK NHL goalie who had a hot run. I don't think he can be counted on to be the full-time starter for the rest of the season. I suppose that you could argue that what Lyon gives is equivalent to what UPL gives, at a much cheaper salary, and use that to justify trying to move on from UPL. Ellis is interesting, because he's only played 1 NHL game. Nobody really knows what he is or what he could become. He has proven talent at the AHL level and played well in his one NHL start. In the end, I think we're stuck with the 3-headed monster for a while. And while I realize that these guys are largely hung out to dry in the 3 on 3 OTs, wouldn't it be something if a Sabres goalie, ANY Sabres goalie, made a key game-saving save in an OT period? Somehow the opponents are able to get those saves when the Sabres get the breakaway or 3 on 1 in OT, but the Sabres are not. Maybe the Sabres shooters are just not very good....

I think the change in development path is thanks to having real life hockey adults in the room. The problem with a 23 year old Levi is that he sees the change in path as a demotion rather than a reset. And frankly that's understandable for a 23 year old. But honestly, were just bringing him along the way he should have been all along. The problem isn't today's situation. The problem was the situation he walked into. It's hard for a 23 year old to see that spending more time in the AHL is better for them then playing meaningful games in during a playoff push. But it really is a better spot for him. Whether he becomes an NHL starter is a different conversation. But you can't convince me that Adams sticks to this path for Levi without Ruff/Jarmo in the room.

Last year as the season went on he moved 'up' to a 2nd line role. Just before Cozens was traded, he was getting 2nd line minutes. After Cozens was traded, he was getting some nights first line minutes with 2nd line assignments. He also this year has been up and down in terms of 'responsibility' Shot answer, I did not factor in the exact competiton becasue that is really hard to do. Longer answer, there may some difference in the weighting of his competition/assignement, but it isn't a direct "one role this year vs a totally different role all of last year", and even if it was, the numbers are still way down. But above all, as I said in a previous post, I am noticing by watching the games mistakes he is making this year that he didn't make as often last year. Just my opinion.....sample size is really small yet.

That in no way shape or form was a penalty that should have been called

It makes so much more sense too. Was it Rickey that tried to sell of his hat to the highest bidder? They should just put the player’s face on the plaque and then a bunch of tiny logos below him.

Yes at many points in the game I thought they should be winning.

Are you factoring in that last year, he played 3rd line 5v5 verses this year playing a true second line? Which means his level of competition is much higher. And how does his offensive production compare to last year? I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the chemistry of McCleod with Tuch and Doan. I was an advocate of having Tuch moved to the first line after the injury to Norris but now I want to see our second line continue to flourish.

NHL technically doesn't do that. Players go in for their careers and not as a member of a particular team. Which is unlike how MLB does it and how the NFL seems to do it.

I would trade Power for Barzal. I think we have enough top prosect on defense to move Power in an effort to fix the top 6 and try to start winning again. They can put other trappings around it to even things up and maybe the Sabres get another piece. I think Barzal immediately becomes the 1C and he would help Tage immensely. If Josh Norris ever comes back, then Barzal and Norris would be the 1 and 2, McLeod the 3, KoShack the 4. Kulich and Krebs are wingers that can also play center. Now its looking a bit more sturdy. Kesselring picks up some of the minutes that Power was getting.

There is a good reason why this team lacks an identity: it was constructed by KA. He’s a superficial thinker in a deep thinking job not knowing the difference between collecting talent vs constructing a complementary roster. Terry Pegula is the owner and KA is his hand picked GM. What did you expect?

Is he going in as a member of any team?

I don't disagree with any of this, I was just focusing on his drafting. I'm pretty firmly on record in saying his biggest failure is not doing enough to supplement the homegrown talent they do have. And with that being the case, he NEEDS to be killing it with his drafting which he emphatically is not. Also, like you said, the "search" for a coach was a charade and he settled on a lazy/uninspired hire in Lindy then saddled him with detritus from within the organization as assistants. Hard to change a culture when you just stick with the garbage that hasn't worked. His entire tenure is a failure and his ass should be in the jackpot. No excuses, if this team is not in the playoffs this coming spring, after a 6 year reign, he has to be gone. If he's not, what the hell are we even doing?

Sure. The Sabres keep "winning trades" yet they continue to drop in the standings. Look at the last 3 games. Is this the identity they are forming or will some players emerge to turn this around?

Nobody is watching anyway, so maybe it doesn't matter? I mean an NFL week 3 pre-season game likely gets higher ratings than the Stanley Cup Finals.

This is just how Dahlin has always played hockey though. He's extremely talented, but occasionally makes boneheaded decisions that he can't cover up with his skill.

John, I thought this was a spotty, careless, and often lazy effort for the most part. The Sabres put 10 shots on goal before Boston registered one shot, but Boston had 2 goals on their first 3 shots. Why? Boston went to the high danger areas and the Sabres did not. Lyon had more stress and was under pressure even when Boston only had a registered a few official shots. This is yet another game were the opponents 4th line scores on the Sabres by out working them. Kastelic did whatever he wanted to do out there. Boston got a few calls their way, and the Sabres could not respond and came up small again. The big players are not carrying the team. Big mistakes by Dahlin, and Tage was playing a solo game at times - this is not leadership by example. Lyon let in 3 goals on 19 shots in regulation and failed big time on the goal in OT - he needed to play the man with the puck, let the defender worry about the pass. Some unknown dude ripped him and he left a lot to shoot at. My fear is that Lyon will burn out soon. The decision to play Lyon was curious to me. If Ellis can go he should have had this road game and maybe the team responds with more urgency and a more disciplined game in front of him? But I am probably asking too much from this group. Win Rate - we have three losses in a row, albeit with 3 points out of the last possible 6 points That pace will get us to low 80's at best. Like last year, this team looks like an odd collection of players, not like a team with any kind of identity.

There is no way the promise was "You play like dog crap, put up bad numbers for early 1980's goalies, play worse every opportunity you are given and don't worry, you will still have a spot here, accountability be damned!"

What's the interest rate they are charging? Did the Amerks fight for a better rate due to the Fed's lowering interest rates again?

I would not call UPL a 'big deal'. He didn't even get #1 goalie money. Essentially he got high end backup money. It's why i don't understand why people think that contract is "untradable".

I think his fiancee going through that major health scare is still lingering for him. I wouldn't be right in the head if the tables were turned. I trust he'll get back to his normal level of play as the season progresses

My biggest problem with McLeod right now is his terrible face off percentage. The team in general is not going well in that department but he has been really bad. In general though it's not the goals against killing this team, it's not converting on the good chances we generate. Against most teams you are going to need 4 goals a night to win a game in todays NHL. We have only scored 4 or more in 3 out of 11. If the conversion rate goes up, (it should) I think we we be fine.

The Sabres are a hyperreal franchise.