darksabre

More or less. There are the kids in the A like Thompson and Mitts, and then Asplund, and Cozens. But I don't want to count them. And I'm ignoring that Lazar and Erod are RFAs because who gives a ***** about those guys. Frankly, I'd like them to get an extension done before this season is even over with.

Man, I look at the defense and think "this would be fine for next season". And then I look at the forwards and wonder what the hell that group could possibly look like. Olofsson-Eichel-Reinhart Skinner - ______ - _______ Johansson - ______ - _______ Okposo - ______ - _______ Dahlin - Miller Montour - Risto McCabe - Joker

Sure, I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised to see more D come in to facilitate other D going out to bring forwards in.

I have no idea.

Honestly, they don't have much now. It's probably why Risto ends up sticking around. Until someone like Borgen or Fitzgerald is ready to come up the only other guy they have is Pilut who is just okay. They don't have to pay Dahlin or Joker yet, just Montour, so it's kinda whatever.

Copp is exactly the kind of player Botterill should be trading for, though he doesn't solve our second line talent problems.

Bingo

I think if you're Boston you don't care. The window is closing on some of your core guys so you bring a guy like Kase in to try to win another one over the next two post-seasons and if you have to let him walk you're only out very little.

It's essentially the Bogo trade if Bogo had been a forward. The question ends up being how much Boston signs him for as an RFA in a few years. If they're smart they don't end up overpaying.

I'm not as high on Kase as some people are around here, and I'm not really even mad we didn't trade for him. But him going to Boston is just the worst possible outcome for us because you just know it's going to work for them.

gnomesayin

Man, eff us right up the pooper. Kase is exactly the kind of player the Bruins like and you just know he's going to have monster games against us.

Marty's dialing in on Skinner's work ethic is certainly something to note. I think goalies tend to be more in tune to this kind of thing because of the nature of their position. As a goalie you're responsible for yourself and yourself alone, and what the rest of the team does is not really your problem. For a long time the regular goalies didn't even practice with the team, and the head coaches never even worked with them. The goalie coach and the goalies were their own separate entity, and in many ways they still are. You just have to be ready to play your own individual best game when you get the nod, everything else be damned. So perhaps what Marty sees, and it's probably something he saw plenty of during his long career, is a skilled player pouting or deflecting blame. Skaters think a lot more about the team game, their linemates, their ice time, their opportunities. There are a lot of things you can blame for your poor production as a skater. Goalies don't really get that luxury, and maybe that's Marty's point. He thinks Skinner is taking advantage of the luxury that is afforded to skaters to shift blame. Remember when Miller called out his teammates and everyone lost their minds like he broke some unspoken rule? That divide between goalies and skaters is very real.

Another note about the Sens, but if Botterill thinks the FA market is going to be a good place to get players this summer, he better take note of Ottawa. They have a TON of cap space coming as well, and I would bet they'll be in on every FA we'll be targeting.

Then he can go sign with Pittsburgh for cheap.

Yup. That's what kills me. I might not look the best on paper, but I know that I'm trainable and I know how to put the time in to learn anything I'd need to learn. And then I'd hang around for a while! Companies around here are screaming for good employees to fill good paying positions, but they don't actually want to bring anyone in to grow into those positions. They want some other company to have done all the hard work for them or something.

They do not adjust for size. (I worked at one for a few months many years ago)

Yeah. Events have occurred in my life that make it so that I'd like to stay in Buffalo for the time being. If I haven't come up with anything new in a year or so I'm probably going to have to head elsewhere.

I feel that. I'm trying to figure out my next step too and it's not easy. I'm not really qualified for anything that I'm applying for, and the hunt is pretty haphazard because I'm not really even sure what I'm looking for. Definitely just crossing my fingers that something eventually comes together, or else I'm going to have to head out of the area (something I'm not particularly interested in doing). I should have just gone to business school and worked in finance like everyone else lol

Really, the team's strength should be its power play. And a line with Jack, Sam and Jeff should draw a lot of penalties. Why not just do that and then let Olofsson feast on the power play minutes?

Sick We'd probably have to retain salary. His cap hit suuuuuucks

Ain't nobody trading for Frolik now. He's somehow worse than he was before he got here.

Sure. But you're going to fight to maintain your edges while the rink is tilting. You ever watched Red Bull Crashed Ice? They make them climb back up the ramp some times and there are some very steep slopes on that course.

Hockey skates aren't skis though. You can get a really aggressive angle of attack relative to the ice while still maintaining grip. 50 degrees seems reasonable to me.

I'd be interested in some analysis too. He's playing about 2 minutes fewer per night this season than he ever did previously, yet putting up about the same amount of points and taking a LOT less minuses. It could be a product of reduced ice time and not playing against team's top players so often, but I'd need to see some info supporting that. Anecdotally, I've watched most of these games this year and I simply haven't found myself going "Risto you idiot" at the TV nearly as often as I have in the past.