Taro T

It does. Thanks.

Presuming they don't cut down on the shots against. (Expecting that to be a poor assumption as IMHO they will likely play a tighter defensive game in zone (though do believe they will give up a bit of a higher percentage of high danger chances relative to total shots allowed).) Personally, should they stay reasonably healthy again next year and get NHL caliber goaltending (not even GOOD NHL goaltending), which with the team being so young overall is reasonable to expect, am expecting them to have comparable GF totals next year relative to this year and lower the GA by at least 30 and likely 40. (Yes, expect this team to drop the GA by nearly 0.5 GPG next year.)

Not nitpicking, genuinely curious, you say the grades (and those of the Fs as well) are adjusted for roles AND expectations. It doesn't really seem like expectations factored in except for 2 or 3 grades. And the roles don't seem to have factored in at all. Power was a #3 D-man playing #1 minutes (as were 2 other D-men) while IIRC maintaining very good stat metrics. How that only rates a B is curious if role is getting factored in. Again, not meaning to nitpick, just understand better. You have very well reasoned takes in most all your posts and personally agree with many of the grades you handed out.

Have only seen a handful of Rags games this year, but friends that are Rag fans are really high on Miller. Pretty much consider him their 2nd best D-man. Would be all over getting him for a single draft pick.

Can they modify the bench to keep a spittoon there? If yes, absolutely. If no, still yes. ;)

Bickering Bills was '89. Only Jerry Whatshisname at the Snooze was trying to keep that going during the Superbowl run.

Early prognostication on whether the referendum passes?

Started this season. The Loafs have the lamest one: Milk.

Not many, but the list includes the '05-'06 Canes squad. And the GM's experiences with that team seem to have greatly shaped his views towards team building and trying to sustain success long term. That team was unable to sustain the success long term. Everything the GM has said and done indicates that he expects the best way to be the one team in any given year that hoists Lord Stanley's Chalice is to be one of the handful of teams every year that has an opportunity to catch lightning in a bottle and you need a lot of luck to go with the skill and plan to be that 1 team that does actually win so he likely isn't EVER going to go ALL IN on any 1 given season. (The exception possibly being when Dahlin is getting too long in the tooth to be a top player for more than just 1 or 2 more years.)

Would love to see Krebs become a Gilmour. But holy cow is that a huge ask of the kid. He does seem to have the body type and the temperament. But Gilmour was a special player and was scoring as just a rookie and a sophomore the way we'd probably be very happy with Krebs if he could get to that consistently. (Not even going anywhere near the PGP+ player Dougie was in his heyday.)

The question would've been better had it asked what of those sorts of moves JW was hinting at was Adams in on and why was/wasn't the triggered pulled on more of them. (Pretty sure we already have the answer to those questions. But putting it out there like that would've resulted in a more interesting answer IMHO. (And again, haven't had a chance to listen to today's press conferences; but am basing this on the responses here and the other times that Adams has spoken on these subjects.))

Not sure how you can expect that to be the answer. He traded for Murray (who isn't that great of an upgrade but would've been a "significant veteran brought in via trade"), he made what certainly appears to have been a legitimate offer for Chychrun that was rejected for what seemingly was an identical or lesser offer. Yes, he needs to start actually landing some of these guys. But really expect he will. Also, and though these guys probably don't count as "significant veterans," he did bring in Jost, Greenway, and Stillman (and Lyubushkin and Clague too) that did push some of the "building from within" guys out the door. Fitzgerald and Asplund are out the door. Bryson, Olofsson, and UPL barely saw the ice the last couple of weeks of the season and now there is a consensus here on the board that at least 1 of the 3 will be traded, possibly all 3, and that only UPL MIGHT factor into the future. (And that's only if he can take his game to another level. Which is not a given.) The process seems to be to keep increasing the talent level here with self-motivated, skilled players that want to be a part of something special here in Buffalo. The vast majority of the players that are currently in house are also ones that it seems could readily be given the label "leader." Bring in enough of those types and you almost have to become successful because everyone will be pulling their weight and attempting to carry the next guy's as well.

We're also coming up on the 1st time any GM has gotten a 4th shot at the draft since that fateful pronouncement was made. Expect that if Regier was kept in place, the team would've been quite competitive by now, but that's not a given as Darcy's worst stretch as a GM pre-suffering was when he was given an open wallet to spend as he saw fit. Darcy was always at his best when he was told to win but with more constraints than the other GM's he was competing with. (Maybe that was strictly a correlation thing and not a causation one, but expect it's the latter. Wonder if that made him think longer and harder about getting the right additions into the lineup.) Expect that Murray would've figured out how to get the team into the playoffs, but doubt that they'd've been serious contenders. Hard to believe he'd've ever started seeing the players as people that sometimes fit better with certain linemates and can be made more than they were/are by themselves but that the wrong fits can also make the sum whole less than it should be. Have no faith that Botterill ever would've figured it out based upon his 2 coaching choices and his seeming perpetual penchant to spend to the cap with little or nothing to show for it. How much different would the team be today had he told the Pegulas 'sure, let's sack the entire front office?' Scary thought.

Had hoped they'd try that for more than just part of 1 game down the stretch. It didn't work at all the little bit it was tried, but really expect a lot of that was neither Mittelstadt nor Quinn knowing what the other was going to do. They looked extremely out of sync when it was tried.

Doubt you will ever get either to make that statement. Because when they make that statement, they start making moves that will hurt tomorrow's chances of getting to the ultimate goal. Adams has been pretty consistent in that sentiment. Do expect that he expects the team to solidly be in the playoffs next year barring something catastrophic. But that's where missing the playoffs by 2 points hurts so much. The fanbase would be very forgiving should the team have a serious run of injuries like what Columbus had this year (could've sworn they said 47 different players dressed for them this season which is absolutely shocking) had the team snuck in this year and a miss was year 1 in the losing skein. But it would be year 13 were it to come to pass. (Doubt it does, but until they're actually in the playoffs, they're still on the outside looking in.)

Yup. And they seem to be more beholden to it than the guys that brought "process-driven" to town. They trust that their process will work but they flat out won't say that the goal is to win the Stanley Cup - too much luck involved. The goal is to be a legit contender every year. It seems from this vantage point, that Adams puts a smidge too much emphasis on his "being true to himself and being truthful" to the point that if he says the goal is WINNING the Stanley Cup that in a year that they don't do that (and lets face it, they won't far more often than they do) that they'll necessarily have to make changes they don't really want to make to try to find that elusive result. His goal is to be a contender every year because he can control whether the team is a legit contender but he can't control for that final step actually being taken. Probably reading too much into his comments (and to be fair, haven't heard today's comments yet; just the reactions to the comments) and am stating this concept too succinctly. There's a nuance to it that doesn't really translate in a non-GA length post. ;) It gets back to the answer about playoffs being a goal next year a few weeks back. He said that yes, it is, but that they won't mortgage the future to make it happen if they are in the same exact place next year they were this year. The moves they'll make will be designed to help today AND tomorrow.

Harder. Used to never be able to watch the round after the Sabres were eliminated. Just too painful thinking what might have been. The last few years, could watch pretty much the whole tournament. Am following what's happening, but just don't have the heart to watch just yet.

That would be durn near the perfect off-season IMHO. (Though personally would rather have Girgensons back rather than Okposo as IMHO he has more in the tank. REALLY expect Okposo to have a Pominville part 2 type season if he comes back but would be starting from a much lower floor than Jason had to fall from.)

Considering if they trade away Mittelstadt they now have made the F grouping weaker and the number of GOOD 4D options about to hit FA, would much rather see that Samuelsson V2 brought in via FA or a package including Olofsson, the 2023 1st, and possibly a non-A list prospect. A 28 goal scorer who seems like he could get to 30 with some PP1 usage and the 13th overall pick both have legitimate value. Tack on a Weisbach (or if absolutely necessary Rousek) and that should bring something useful back even though there isn't room on the Sabres as currently constructed for either Olofsson or Weisbach (and Rousek would be a spare too at this point). Capitalism at it's finest. Do what you do well (draft and develop F's) and use your surplus to get what you need but don't do well (draft G's and D). And, through next year, the Sabres also have a surplus at cap space. (Still disappointed they didn't weaponize it while they had far too much of it; but that water has already moved under the bridge and drifted out to sea.) Really hope they can get the D they need via FA (or the 2 of them that would be good to have) so that that package of Olofsson, the 2023 1st, and a non-A list prospect could get converted into other futures to keep this window that certainly seems to be opening open for a very long time.

To the 1st sentence, that is yours truly's expectation as well. A goalie (Varlamov?) gets brought in, one of UPL or Comrie gets traded (most likely UPL as he likely has more trade value) and the other is loaned to Ra-cha-cha and hopefully clears waivers. Agree that not bringing Savoie in would be a solution, but not ideal if he is in fact ready for the NHL. And would flat out hate the 3rd sentence coming to fruition.

Which is fine. But it doesn't address how the Sabres would keep the 3HGM a thing especially if Okposo comes back. There are people that expect the 3HGM to be back with the old head lopped off for a very young one (yours truly and you are not among that contingent); would like to know how they see that playing out.

Any relation to Euell Shootyereyeout?

Question for those that think the Sabres will bring back the 3 headed goalie monster AND Kyle Okposo (at least for 16 games and presumably the whole season). Presumably Savoie will be on the roster to start the season and IMHO there isn't a spot for Olofsson (his spot likely goes to Savoie). 1st off, for those that expect Kyle and 3 G's, do you agree that is most likely what happens with Savoie? Still also expect the Sabres to go after a Graves or an Orlov or Hannifan, so the Sabres should have the top 4 D set, at least on paper with solid 3rd pairing guys behing them; 1 of which Granato often played 20+ minutes per game this past season. Should the Sabres land another power forward like a Tom Wilson or a true 4C; it would seem that with 3 goalies, and Okposo that something will have to give. Either Girgensons doesn't get a new contract (but personally expect he will get an offer) or they have to do something truly off the board to have room for Okposo and the 3HGM. Would the Sabres be crazy enough to try to run with only 5 D (4 of which would get close to 25 minutes/game and the other 20) and dress 13 F's? They'd pretty much need either Lybushkin or Stillman to start the year on IR as whichever one wasn't the spare 6th D would almost definitely get claimed off waivers. Not expecting them to be that crazy. But really don't see how they make the 3HGM and bringing Okposo back work without doing something wild like that. Thoughts?

Took a peak at the bracket just now and it's a good thing. Had filled out the bracket for the NHL's league, not the Sabrespace one. Oops. Got that fixed.

FTFY. Can't go getting all bloaty on a weeknight. ;)