Taro T

Yeah, DEFINITELY didn't want to disrupt that PP that's clicking on almost 1 cylinder. Imagine how bad it would've been had they disrupted it.

Personally, take him at his word that he tried to make moves but was rebuffed. We KNOW he made a trade for Murray. It was widely reported that he made a legit offer for Chychrun and it could very well have been better than the offer the Otters made but the Yotes had a bee in their bonnet for getting "their guys" poached at the draft. Believe the reports that he was in on Pesce are also legit. But, this is a bottom line business, and his inability to get a big deal done since the Eichel deal was consumated but having tried is NOT a selling point in his favor. He needs to adapt from the failed attempts and succeed next time.

Already posted about 5 above your post.

Yea!!!! 2023 is finally gone. Have a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year all. Back when the Hasek Sabres were making long playoff runs, there were a couple of times that the flipping of the calendar literally flipped a switch on their fortunes (once good and once bad). Here's to hoping. 🍻

Absolutely. Just take care of business and they're the 2 seed and nothing else matters. Was merely pointing out that should they screw the pooch, there are actually 3 other games that matter, not just 2 like multiple sites were claiming.

They'd lose UPL if they waived him. Can't see them being willing to do that at this point.

Seeing online that the Bills clinch a playoff spot next week with either a win (which gets them the 2 seed), a Steelers loss, or a Jags loss; either of the latter 2 guaranteeing at worst the 7 seed. But, if Indy and Houston tie, then the Bills would be the 7 in a worst case even if all 3 of those other games don't go their way. A Bills tie would also clinch them the 6 seed. (None of those other four 9-7 teams could get to 10-1/2 wins.)

US didn't start their #1 either. Pretty sure Slovakia wouldn't have seen as many chances either if the kid from Michigan State were between the pipes. Wonder if both coaches agreed ahead of time to roll with the backups in that preliminary round matchup knowing that they both would likely be 1 and 2 coming out of the bracket? And agree that Savoie is a very possible trade piece when real trades actually start happening.

There were penalties to be called. Greenway getting his skates taken out from under him in front of the BJs' net the most glaring. But the refs do not do the Sabres a favor by calling penalties. The Sabres PP is beyond attrocious and consistantly gives the opponent momentum. The one PP the Sabres got could've given the BJs the W last night. Watching the broadcast after getting home from the game, they said the Sabres were something like 2 for their last 34 PPs covering like 14 games. That is astoundingly bad and should cause somebody (or somebodies) to lose their job. But it hasn't and until the off-season (at the earliest) it likely won't. It actually BENEFITS the Sabres to have a call against their opponent remain uncalled. Which is a horrible indictment of the quality of the PP.

No flippin' way Botterill expected Berglund to walk away and Sobotka to be such an absolute analytics black hole. They did NOT get Johansson in that trade nor would his inclusion have made this trade good. And again, Ryan O'Reilly was a Selke caliber FO winning C that could also score at a reasonable rate that was locked up for 4 more years. Only getting (effectively) a prospect (pretty much viewed universally as the Blues 3rd best prospect, not even 1 of their top 2) and a late 1st (expected to be a mid-late 1st when the trade was made) for THAT was ineptitude on a major scale. But, they only got a prospect and a mid-round 1st pick for the kid that you bought a shirt of; well, yes, he was only 1 year away from becoming a UFA and not under team control for another 4 years, had never been seriously considered for any league awards, and was viewed as a 1RW rather than a 1B center. Reinhart brought in a good return. ROR brought in relatively jack squat.

Eh, he's usually either hot or cold against the Cheats. This one he was stone cold. Of course, his receivers dropping 3 of the 1st 8 balls he threw didn't help matters any. Win in Miami, a place where he normally plays extremely well and the Bills would host their 1st 2 potential playoff games and should the Ravens get upset in the divisional round, they'd be hosting a 3rd playoff game as well should they get that far. Welcome to the NFL's wet dream of parity (or, based on the reffing we normally see around the league from week to week, parody).

Apparently he's OK.

They're seriously tight against the cap. Would be surprised if they wanted to grab Comrie. Guessing that Woll is ready to come off IR, so TO made that move.

They're still $11MM under the cap. Having those guys on the roster in Buffalo or Ra-cha-cha didn't prevent them from signing anybody they might've wanted to sign. Heck, they start worrying about the cap floor if they don't have those guys.

No. The deal stunk for 4 ####ing years. It isn't magically a good deal because a prospect and a pick are finally useful literally a full presidential term after the trade was made. The Sabres had NEGATIVE value from the return for the 1st 2 years of the deal and zero value the next year. It took until the 4th season to get any sort of return from that trade and 2 additional years to get any value from the other piece. And O'Reilly is STILL a positive contributor at ~0.8PPG plus all the intangibles he brings. You shouldn't have to give up an O'Reilly in his prime and under contract for 4 more years to get a prospect and a late 1st rounder. You are completely ignoring time in your evaluation of that trade.

No it wasn't. You don't get to discount the 4 or 5 years of absolute dreck that we were subjected to when evaluating the deal. Look at what has happened to this team and the fanbase in the years that it took to get those 2 playing like actual NHLers. By your logic, if the team trades Dahlin for 5 1st rounders starting 7 years from now, and Thompson for another 4 1st rounders starting those same 7 years from now, and Quinn for 4 1st rounders 8 years from now, and so on and so forth; well 12 years from now when the Sabres finally make the playoffs, you'll be able to say what GREAT deals those were. You don't get those wasted years back and you should've been able to get a prospect and a pick for much less than a Conn Smythe and Selke winner if those were 2 guys Botterill really wanted his successor to be able build with.

The line WAS buzzing and they DO have chemistry. But Cozens is still doing exactly what he's been doing all season. Getting to the puck in high danger spots and then letting his hands turn to stone when he has the puck there. If he WASN'T getting those opportunities it would be much worse and expecting it's just in his head which means he'll have a lightbulb moment and he'll start looking like last year's Cozens, but right now Dylan is the exact same player he was 6 games ago and that simply isn't good enough. UPL played really well. There's no way to fault him on the 1st goal. The 2nd one, yes, he overshot where he wanted to be and would say he'd like that one back, but it still took a tremendous shot from a very good player off a nice pass to beat him. Would be really nice to see both him AND Levi being able to get W's during the same stretch of games. Them only having one or the other getting W's is a big part of why they're sitting down where they are. Realize that's not strictly on the goalie alone, but they really need them both to be on their games. We haven't seen them both playing near their peaks at the same time yet this season.

If not now, when? If not you, who? Just go ####ing win this one.

Weber got poached too.

Will sound cold, but better him get injured there than Benson. And hoping the injury is neither long term nor severe.

No. Though Jost was still on the roster until he cleared waivers (or until he'd've been claimed should that have happened) he still gets paid his NHL salary but doesn't count towards the 23 active players. He's in a kind of limbo and though he IS on the roster, he isn't. (Too late on a Friday to bother relooking at the details of exactily how the transaction transpires; but once he was placed on waivers, they were good to use his roster spot.) The Johnson transaction seems to have been strictly to get Thompson back onto the active roster list. The big question remaining is was Girgensons removed from the IR list or not. If he was, then the move was absolutely necessary to reactivate Thompson. If he wasn't, then it appears the move was merely procedural and not by the letter of the CBA necessary.

Should've sent Jost down sooner. Who knew everyone was clammoring for him? 😉

Except when they do (Fitzgerald last year being one).

Believe that is correct. Looks like Girgensons was already activated and they're at 14-6-3 right now with Johnson down. They'd been bringing so many guys back and sending so many down, had thought Z was still on IR and not counting against the 23 but they're at 23 with him included and Johnson not a Sabre. So, yes, 1 move would be necessary, not 2. Danke. 🍺

We shall see. Not too many thought 91 last year, but that was rather prescient.