Taro T

Watch for it. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. As flaws in his game go, it's a great one to have, as it is something that will be completely out of his game in 2 years if not even next year. The ones that get fixed simply by growing into a full grown adult when you're 19 or 20 are the easy ones as time fixes them. Not knowing where to be when the other team is cycling or not knowing when to pinch and when not to are way tougher to fix as they require understanding the game at another level. Power doesn't have either of those issues.

No, with Power it isn't simply a case of making sure his shot isn't into a F's shinpads resulting in an odd man rush going the other way. He NEVER shoots unless he's almost in the blue paint or he literally has no other options. He should have at least 3 more shot attempts every game. They lose a lot of opportunities for rebounds because he simply won't shoot. Am at the point where it is really frustrating watching him out there when there is a cycle going because if the puck goes to him even when the shot is the right choice it isn't getting taken.

Am hoping that SO goal gave him the confidence that he can score on NHL goaltending (and a pretty durn good one too). He's got the same disease a lot of the young guys have (nofaithintheirshotitis). He'll shoot more next year and a lot more the year after once he actually feels strong out there, but rignt now he acts like he has a peashooter and refuses to fire unless it is the only option available to him. 30 goal scorer Cozens still suffers from this malady a touch but he definitely had the lightbulb switch on back sometime around early November and now will shoot when in a moderate danger area unless he thinks there's somebody open in a high danger spot.

Would offer him a 2 year deal at pretty much his current deal with the understanding that he needs to beat somebody out to be more than Hinostroza (13th F) and will have to fight off Rousek at a minimum to maintain that status. IMHO He brings more to the table than Hinostroza does (realize that's arguable, but his age definitely fits in better with what they're doing than Vinnie does) and him getting ~$2MM/ year to be the 13th F doesn't cause cap issues until that deal would be ending. He's a good fit in any of the bottom 6 slots and can play PK in a pinch. Pretty sure his offer is going to come at the end of one of those "hard conversations" that Adams talks aout having to have with some of the guys. If he wants to be a part of this, he has to realize it's as a spare part unless he can elevate some portion of his game.

It's not that he's a 4th year player, it's that only contracts signed by 18 & 19 year olds can slide. (Definitely true for NA prospects; pretty sure that's the case for Euros as well, but not positive.) So, as soon as he signs during this season, this is his 1st ELC year because he is 20+ at the time of signing.

Not surprising, because he started saying that about 4 weeks ago.

This is (obviously) the toughest of the remaining 3 games. Don't know if they can pull it off, but they definitely have a chance and they will fight to the end especially if Levi "chooses" to play tonight. Am expecting we see them continue to play physical like they have the past 2 games. It's amazing how when you have a goalie you trust, you're more willing to throw a hard check and possibly get out of position than when you have a goalie that you don't trust. Get the W and make Thursday's game the new "biggest game of the last decade."

Not positive, but believe they have hth lower in the tiebreaks for 2 reasons. 1. To mildly incentivize teams to win in regulation. and 2. To not have to worry about having to drop 1 of the games between the 2 teams when so many of the teams in conference play an odd number of games. (And personally believe 2 is a bigger reason than 1 for that order of the tie breakers.)

Personally, want to see Varlamov (or equivalent) brought in next year with an expectation he'll get between 35 and 55 games. One of Comrie or UPL getting traded and the other guy pencilled in as the backup with Levi told that if he keeps doing his thing, he'll be bumped up before camp is over. Try to get the guy that they kept through waivers into Ra-cha-cha when camp breaks (because, let's face it, Levi is way better than that other guy). And then let the fun begin. Whoever is going better between Varlamov and Levi gets the extra starts. Expecting by January it'll be Levi's net, but am fine with however it plays out.

You said the Sabres would have the tiebreak over them at 93. That isn't correct. The Sabres can't get the tiebreak over the Aisles. They need to be ahead of them. So, the Aisles need to stay at 91 or at most 92 or the Sabres can't be ahead of them.

An hour ago, they probably hadn't updated the standings to include their OTL so they would've been at 91.

Again, you're likely selling them short.

The Aisles end on Wednesday. But even if they win their game, as you say should the Sabres win tomorrow they can't be eliminated until they get to game 81 because the Cats can't knock them out until Thursday at the earliest.

Not only did he have Olofsson, but back when they were 2 parts of the team's second line (and that was the 2nd line until the Kid Line really got going and they swapped deployments just before Jost got waiver claimed), he was typically also teamed up with Asplund or Hinostroza (all 3 of which can't get into the lineup today), and they were the 2nd line which meant they also got the 3rd D pairing quite a bit. Talk about being put into a pretty much no win situation.

It could. But would rather see a regulation loss. Because if somehow the Pens manage to choke these last 2, then an Aisles regulation loss gives the Sabres the ability to get in with only 92 points. A point for the Aisles, with the Swamp Cats already being at 92 means the Sabres absolutely have to win all remaining 3 to have any chance.

Not necessarily with the Pens. They can tie the Pens in RW and ROW and would have the 3rd tie breaker W's over them. It is unlikely that happens as the Pens now need to be winning at least 1 in a SO, but it is possible. They cannot get the tiebreaker over either of the other two.

93. No. Sabres can't get the tiebreak over the Otters nor the Swamp Cats. It's unlikely they get the tiebreak now over the Pens either, but it is still an outside possibility.

You're underselling them.

No. He flat out refused to play for them. He backed up 1 only because the Sabres didn't have anyone else healthy to go.

Well, at an absolute minimum they get 80 meaningful games this year. Would like to see more like 98, but will take it.

Personally, would prefer they have a cap for the dressed lineup for the playoffs. If that were the regular season cap, it would still give teams leeway to exceed the regular season cap as only 20 players would be counting against the cap and not the normal 23. But this would reduce the benefit a team gets by keeping a $10MM player on the shelf until the playoffs as squeezing him back into the lineup will put a dent into the quality of the lower lines & pairing and also could leave a sieve as the backup.

If the Sabres don't sign Johnson, the compensation pick the Sabres get will be the 31st pick of the 2nd round in 2024. Aka the 63rd overall pick. Yes, the player picked there might become a stud, but it's more likely that if he makes the NHL he'll be 3rd pairing or bottom 6. Why wait 4 or so years for that, when they can have a 3rd pairing guy in Johnson either next year or the year after. Adams says he'll be an NHLer and wants to sign him. But it's up to Johnson. Hoping this delay is just that, merely a delay, like signing Levi was delayed a few days. Until we hear otherwise, will assume the delay is him deciding whether it makes more sense to sit in the pressbox in Buffalo buring an ELC year or playing in the playoffs in Ra-cha-cha and not getting to a non-ELC contract a year earlier. Neither path gets him to RFA/UFA status any sooner at this point. (Presuming he signs this spring; he could be a one time UFA this summer if he bails on the Sabres altogether.)

It'd be crazier for him to NOT be the starter.

Hopefully whether they win or lose matters through Friday and we see this lineup the next 4 games. With Thompson at less than 100% this gives them the best chance of winning.

Meaningful games in the final week of the season, to be more specific.