Taro T

Would love to see it. But can't see them going that route.

Losing Dahlin for ~10 games did not help the PP at all. He and Thompson are their best PP players and both missed significant time. (Pretty much have to expect that every year w/ Thompson IMHO. Hopefully Dahlin's back is fully healed so we don't have to expect that from him too.) Expect it would've been merely AS bad as the previous year without Dahlin missing so much time. Except for the GTing being such a ??? am actually not too upset with the roster. Would really like 1 more top 6 F to limit injury related drop offs and to be that much more difficult to play against when fully healthy, but with good coaching, the skaters could be good enough to make the dance. Hate the lack of moves assisting Ruff behind the bench.

Yeah, we do seem to be in Act 3 of the 1 GM play, right down to stocking up on RHD. Interesting that they didn't move Byram (am pleased with that, just didn't expect it) after Peterka asked out. Wonder how much the calculus changed in what they felt they needed back in a Byram trade after JJ went bye-bye. And wonder how the roster would've changed with him being the one going out the door instead of JJ. Heading into the off-season, thought Adams had said he wanted to address a RHD for Power and another top 6 F (and thought the preference was for 1 that could also play C). If that isn't just a case of misremembering, Adams only got 1/2 of the job done and on paper weakened the top 6 F. Realize everybody expects they're done (and the majority here might very well be right about that), but there is still more work to do, and won't believe this is the final roster until we reach October if another move isn't made.

Unless they're going to be pairing him with Samuelsson, which might be where they're going to use him, they don't NEED another offensive D-man. They need one that's defensively responsible. Don't mind Timmons and hope it works. But Bernard-Docker DID work with Power. Kesselring &/or Timmons MIGHT work with Power. They're going to have a small margin for error this season, this pair of moves seems to reduce that margin.

Pretty sure, though, that is his point. Having retained Bernard-Docker even at the risk of him ending up with a Timmons contract (or more likely what we'd've expected Timmons contract to be, not the one coming in at over $2MM/yr) knowing how well he and Power looked at the end of the year rather than bringing Bryson back would've resulted in a better defense at least on paper than what they have now with Bryson as the spare. Because they very likely could've come to an agreement with JBD prior to reaching arbitration.

Roslovic is still available. Rust &/or Rackell are supposedly still on the trade block from the Pens. Would probably need Pittsburgh to retain a smidge to have some flexibility as injuries pile up, but they could make any of those work.

That's a bit more than this kid expected, but not completely out of line. (Was expecting more like $1.5MM.) Leaves them just a bit over $5MM with a full 23 player roster. Now go get Roslovic or make another move.

Guys that were healthy scratches that are still here: Quinn, Samuelsson, Malenstyn. For frustrated guys from last year, you missed one, Aube-Kubel. Guy never garnered any trust from Ruff. (Not saying he should've had it; but he absolutely didn't.)

Personally, don't like Kulich with Thompson because he isn't ready for true 1st line usage IMHO, but expect he meshes better with Tommer than Norris will. Would have Norris with Tuch and Tommer with Juri and then figure out the LWs from there. And expect Benson would fit very well with those 2, especially if he managed to put on some more upper body strength (not that he was weak last year, but he is smallish and should be able to put on muscle pretty easily at his age). Then it becomes which of Doan, Quinn, or Zucker do you want working with Norris and Tuch. And expect that could very well vary on a game by game or even period by period basis. Kind of the way how Roy bounced from Drury and Grier to the RAV line depending upon health and circumstances. And, with that said, do expect you are correct that Norris is pencilled in with Tommer. Just personally would rather those 2 be on different lines.

And the response back should be, "why? YOU sure as #### never showed us any better."

They are men. But, except for Dahlin and Timmons they are still quite low on the "been around the block" scale which is really important for D-men. They are adults but there is a wisdom that comes with experience and there is a reason that D don't reach their peaks for a couple of years beyond them reaching their physical peaks. Expecting this D will still not be good enough. Mainly because the coaching, which could help bridge that "wisdom gap," is at absolute best adequate on a good day. Had they punted Wilford, would be much more intrigued by what this D can do. But still expect them to stand around leaving guys free to screen UPLyvi or tap in passes to the back door that get through them. Believe the D as constructed will could be good enough. Don't believe the tactics they will employ will let their talent prove out. Hoping that is too pessimistic, but haven't seen anything to believe it won't be.

Maybe. Personally, believe their drafting has been bad because until the last year or 2 they've ALWAYS tried to find that true diamond in the rough with their late round picks and even some of their bonus early picks (Rosen, the goalie @LGR4GM and @Brawndo despise, etc.). It's cool that they reach for those sort of players some of the time; but not EVERY time. (And again, they seem to have gotten out of that habit a bit in the last couple of years.) Yes, occassionally, you will find the Datsyuk or even the less impressive Olofsson swinging for the fences in the late rounds. But the team could use grinders too, and taking some (not entirely, but some) guys that look like they'll grade out to bottom 6 if all goes well but have the temprament and build for that game might result in them having more home grown fill out the roster guys than potentially just Kozak. Because sometimes those guys that look like bottom 6 end up middle 6. And the Sabres could use a lot more of them with mean.

Trust me, I would absolutely be able to stop watching.

Not the lovely Elizabeth?

Yep. And if that 1st bad decision doesn't happen, Ruff doesn't get mercy killed. Regier doesn't get canned midway through the next season. Change those two decisions, then Rolston never becomes the coach and likely Murray never becomes the GM. There would still be MANY bad decisions even without that initial decision to tank, but they wouldn't have been in position to make soooooo many of those other bad decisions. It definitively was the worst. And it wasn't even a part season tank which is what MOST tanking teams do when they decide to blow it all up. This was a MULTISEASON tank. That was THE cluster that induced all the other cascading clusters. And, yes, there wasn't a single cluster that was the full reason why they've gone 14 years without a playoff berth. But THAT is the big one. Change any other single one and they MIGHT'VE made the playoffs in the interim. Change that one and they WOULD HAVE made the playoffs in the interim. Simple blind squirrel / nut luck would've let it happen at least once.

Wow. Not guilty. Interesting.

5. The guy from Golden Earring too.

Though the rest of what you say may be true (and hopefully is), hope once again IS the strategy in Buffalo.

May he RIP. Not easy to chart with a flugelhorn, yet Chuck did it. This does not feel so good. 😞

You forget, the tank began with an EXTREMELY experienced GM. And he got canned shortly into the tank because he put an absolutely unwatchable product on the ice.

Close. The one WORST move of the drought was the decision that there would be "suffering." It ALL rolls down from there.

not positive. But guarantee we can find a spot for him. Maybe something like: Benson Kulich Thompson Doan Norris Tuch Zucker McLeod Roslovic Quinn Krebs Greenway Malenstyn Danforth (only carrying 7 D to start, waiting for the inevitable injury to Norris or Greenway)

IF true, wtf is he not a Sabre at this very moment?

It is, and the Sabres retained all the coaches that have a devil of a time figuring out how to use the ingredients they've been given. We'd better hope they do, because the coaches can't be expected to put them in position to do so. How much different this off-season would feel if Wilford, Appert, Ellis, and possibly Bales were gone.