Taro T

Kind of. Apparently after playing in Europe for a few years, he came back stateside and worked out a deal to sign an AHL deal with the Amerks. He played the next year for Binghamton.

By ice time, absolutely. By role, depends on how they're being defined. is your 2C your 2nd most used and 2nd most important C? If so, no 2 ways about it, with a healthy Norris, McLeod has to be the 2C. Are you defining it as the 2nd offensive C, with the 3C being the checking C? If so, like Kulich there. Definitely like him being pencilled in there better than being pencilled in as the 1C. (Don't care how good his analytics looked next to Thompson; when the top teams were driving the net, he couldn't stop / slow them down. It isn't fair to him to force him into that role again this year unless he's REALLY ready for a true breakout year.) Don't like Kulich pencilled in as the checking C either. 2C or if we're surprised and Adams has a top 6C up his sleeve (yeah, right) even at 2LW is where hopefullly he'll be slotted in to start the year.

But none of that really matters as long as the players are effective in the roles they are placed in. That so many of these players will now be in their 2nd year with Ruff theoretically will help both him to slot them where they belong and for them to understand what is expected of them. Have no faith in this coaching staff beyond Ruff, and his willingness to roll it all back a 2nd time reduces the faith in him too. Realizing goal scoring wasn't this team's issue last year (though it was on the PP and it was an issue 2 years ago) but would really feel a lot better about this lineup if they could even land a Rust to give them 3 true top 6W's with anywhere from 1-3 additional guys that COULD be legit (or at worst reasonable) top 6W's should all stay healthy. Whether McLeod is called the 2C or the 3C, he does lock down the lock down C role. Primary goal scorer is locked down. One top 6 PF is locked down. Would say at least 1, if not 2, of the 4th liners are locked down. How well the other EIGHT slots get covered really will make or break this year (almost as importantly as has the 1G been locked down) and IMHO moreso than how well the D has been revamped because you're still going to have Dahlin on the ice 24 minutes / night which will cover a lot of issues that might remain back there.

And we should feel fine with McLeod written in as the defensive 2-way C centering the "checking" line. But expect that line will be a legit 2 way line if the coaches are even remotely creative.

And IF Norris can stay healthy AND Kulich doesn't have any of the sophomore slump, the Sabres could actually have a good C spine. But they REALLY need to stay healthy AND they can't regress (even a smidge) and that includes Krebs there. One more item Adams MIGHT have in OK condition, but soooooo many things have to break his way for us to be able to say it is.

Yeah, but Dahlin had a mean streak as a junior. Back when he was the same size (or bigger) than the players he was up against he had a bit of nasty in his own end. Now that he's the same size (or larger than some) as those he plays against he has a bit of nasty in his own end. Power's never been that guy. He's much more in the European Lidstrom or Tallinder mold.

It WASN'T the same offer the Sabres made. It was better than the Sabres offer and then Adams attempted to match that offer. So, at the end of the day they both made the same offer; but the order in which the player gets them is significant IMHO. And the Sabres should've offered 1 more year than Boston in either case. Maybe then Ullmark's wanting change at that stage of his life is overrided. Maybe it isn't. But if the Sabres make the best offer, and he still leaves, then can absolve Adams for messing that negotiation up. But Adams didn't, he MATCHED the best offer.

If he didn't get his head out of his bippy this summer, absolutely. But would rather have him on a line getting 3rd line usage than one of the top 2 lines in either case.

Actually, expect the NIL to affect the USHL more than the ECHL. But we shall see. Could really see it doing a number on the USHL as it would no longer be as attractive an option to kids that want to play college hockey but need a little more seasoning. If they can just go to the CHL (especially if it expands into a few more US based cities) could see that really effecting the level of play in that league.

Personally, expect the Sabres to try to set McLeod up with a good 2 way game and have that 3rd line be the defacto 2nd line. (Similar to how Drury's line was used back in the day.) With the 2nd line being younger and more offensively focused. (Like the RAV line was used.) Of course, expected that exact same thing last year and it never materialized. So, who knows. Especially, if when the Byram saga is written and they land a Rust (or similar) to add to the top line. Rust - Norris - Thompson Benson - McLeod - Tuch Quinn - Kulich - Zucker Doan - Krebs - Greenway

Wadr, not a chance. Even with baseball becoming a much bigger NCAA thing than it was 20-30 years ago, college ball isn't anywhere near replacing the minor leagues. Hockey's been on a similar model to how baseball is organized since forever. Can't see NCAA replacing minors either. Just don't see it happening.

Again, we're in Act 2 of a 3 act 1 GM play. 😉

Don't believe Lidstrom is a coach. He'd be a great mentor though should he be willing to do that. The guy that would be the ideal coach would be Mike Ramsey. But he's not leaving his beloved Minnesota. Wonder if they could convince him to be an advisor and just come to town for TC and conversations every so often via Zoom or the like.

Well, that's a big part of why IMHO Wilford needs to go. He needs a coach that will force him to start to do that. Could've sworn that Power has said that a big part of his lack of aggression comes from being much bigger than the other kids when he was in youth hockey and getting called for penalties any time he'd do anything more than just look ath them. He needs the coach that will force him to actually engage and also needs to hear about it everytime he holds the puck for 4 seconds just standing there when the right pass was available 2 seconds in. Pretty sure he's a bright guy, so he should be able to figure it out. But both of those he needs to be coached to trust himself to make that play and know that if he takes a penalty, it'll be forgiven (most of the time) and if he trusts himself to put the puck into a tighter area that will allow a teammate to really create chaos that an oops on that pass will get forgiven way more than going to a safe outlet 2 seconds later with that opportunity gone will.

Yes, and no. By bridging him and Reinhart (ostensibly because ownership was worried about cashflow in the heart of the pandemic) the Sabres created the situation where they both decided they needed a change of scenery (and Montour did and McCabe did and ...). BUT had those 2 been given real contracts at the time, really doubt that they and Eichel all want out that next year. Totally get WHY ownership would be hesitant to make the LT offer at that time. Their wealth was tied up in non-liquid assets. But had they done so, well rebuild #2 might've actually worked. Botterill's love of 3rd liners for 3rd rounders wouldn't really have done much, but a team built around Eichel, Reinhart, Dahlin, and Ullmark would have a great core to be building around.

Would agree with thtis IF he hadn't gotten injured right at the end of the season. Not sure that he'll have the full development this year that we are expecting/hoping. Hopefully that's just erring on the side of caution / not getting our hopes up; but expect we might not see the improvement from him from the get go like we would've had he been able to train properly the entire summer.

But, it worked for the Swamp Cats. Having Alex as the backup HAS to be a plan.

Yep. Billionaire owners and ran one of the lowest team salaries in the league every year but the 1st year Adams was the GM (and apparently this year too; but will wait until all the dust settles to say that for sure) and never ONCE took on a bad salary for a prospect or a pick nor acted as the intermediary in a 3 way trade to take on salary for a prospect or a pick. And every single time that cap space that they hoarded every year evaporated the day the regular season ended. Wouldn't it have been nice to have 2 more 2nd round picks, 1 more 3rd and another Savoie that could've been moved for players to help today? But courtesy of buying out Skinner in a season they didn't have to and in a season they didn't bother replacing his salary, they're running with $4MM less cap space than they could've and next year they run with $6MM less cap space. Soooooo frustrating. They may get lucky one of these years; maybe even this one. But planning on getting lucky when you aren't Leonardo DiCaprio probably isn't the best plan.

No, do not address goaltending in the abstract. Address goaltending in the NOW. And btw, by not addressing it once in 5 years, he STILL isn't addressing it NOW. The set of years that covers the last 5 also includes now. He has not done addressed goaltending in the now one single solitary time. Not with anything more than a HOPE that it MIGHT work. Well, he brought it Comrie - a career backup. Well, he brought in Anderson - a 40 year old. Well, he brought in Reimer - at this point, a career backup. Well, he brought in Lyon - a career backup who's high point is a platooned starter. Notice a trend here, perhaps? He literally brought the guy that played way above his typical level and kept the Sabres out of the playoffs in '23 to keep them out of the playoffs again in '26. He has set the Sabres to have a strong possibility of having good goaltending somewhere 3-5 years from now. IF he's really lucky, they'll have good goaltending next season. But if they miss the playoffs again this year and next waiting for that 3 year down the road goaltending savior to show up; guess what, they lose Dahlin and Tuch and Thompson. They'd be in a better spot than they were in '15 or in '18, or in '21 when they retooled as they've got a legit farm club this time and those players would likely bring something back in return; but you're looking at a playoffless drought at that time that ends up dwarfing the Bills playoffless drought. Would love to see Levi dominate this year. Having watched him some down the stretch, am not expecting that yet. So, realistically, we're looking at UPL and Lyon as the tandem. That looks like a top 24 pairing. Yes, they could catch lightning in a bottle and be a top 12 tandem; and then the Sabres have a shot at the playoffs. But for crying out loud, how about JUST ONE ####ING TIME in FIVE ####ing YEARS start the year with a tandem that is EXPECTED to be TOP 12. JUST ONE ####ING TIME. At some point, don't you get tired of them being below average for almost an entire decade and a half? Like Morissey asked:

3 years left. No remote salary cap issues this year or next. Likely none in year 3 either as the cap will be significantly higher by then. They can only retain a little over $2.5MM anyhow as the salary is just a smidge over $5MM. Where the Pens currently are, don't see why they wouldn't want an extra pick or prospect for the If the Sabres were to land him under that scenario, it would essentially cover the Skinner cap hit 3 years from now and a little over 1/2 of it this year and a little over 1/3 of it next year.

Wouldn't be surprised. Would expect the Pens would have to retain salary, and they probably would want to as they've got a full 23 man roster signed with over $15MM in cap space left.

Now, now, be fair to Mr. Adams, whatever could he POSSIBLY have done differently? We KNOW there were no other options available because he didn't do anything differently. We, and he, are left with raising our arms and shouting at the sky because there were LITERALLY no other options available to him.

He's had 5 YEARS to address the need. What is the excuse the OTHER 4 years? Yes, it is easy to come up with hypotheticals. It's even easier to just shrug and say "well, there's absolutely nothing he could have done."

Hated, and still hate to this day, losing Ullmark.

So, YOU'RE the one that made Zucker take that penalty that blew everything up at the end? Sheesh, like the soup Nazi says: No Sabres for YOU!!!! 😉