Palm Trees And Taxes

Agree, but this happens when you have Jeff Skinner dead cap money, plus almost 14M tied up in Mattias, Zucker and Greenway combined.

Will be 7X8 with the cap explosion pending

Its so bad that it makes it a masterpiece

Petteson dream is over. Marner? Only on NHL 2025 on PS5. Adams sealed it on Saturday, expect more of the same and a small signing

Interesting thought on Marchand and that type of player. and Benson IMO was too young to start in Buffalo, here are Marchand's first two years, more productive and notice one difference:

Do you all think its more related to where Benson is playing? 14 minutes a night, not a lot of top 6 time. Do we all envision Benson as an absolute Top 6 guy? Is he part of a package to get that true Top 6 winger? I do agree though about the lack of progression in points, was hoping for more but he is still very young

Just looking at the Eastern Conference: Tier 1 Almost Virtual Locks: 1. Florida: Loaded roster and low tax. Enough said. 2. Tampa Bay: Loaded roster and low tax. Enough said. 3. Toronto: Marner leaving? Even if, excellent roster and enough to make playoffs. 4. Washington: Thought their demise was coming but made incredible moves this past year. 5. Carolina: IMO still a bit of a paper tiger, they remind me of the Buffalo Bills defense in the biggest playoff games: Media and analytic darlings and will win a LOT of games, but fail in the biggest moments (lets hope Beane fixes this next week!) Tier 2: Most Likely Locks 6 New Jersey: Hughes back, still excellent Top 6, Luke Hughes takes next step. 7. Ottawa: Tkachuk/Stuetzle and Jake Sanderson will take another step. Should be a 90+ point team again. Tier 3: Moderate/Low Locks: 8. Montreal: This team can get SCARY with a goalie upgrade in the near future. The Red Wings have now missed the playoffs what 9 years in a row (this blows my mind!) And they have a lot of cap space and will be aggressive. Columbus is ready to bust out. Adam Fantilli is on the verge of stardom. NY Rangers: Vet team, still have Igor, can they bounce back? Where is there a spot for Buffalo? This will be very tough. Can it be done? Sure. Likely? No

If you need to bring in hot dog size to a conversation, maybe its time to get the ruler out for yourself instead

Better hear a lot about unacceptable results tomorrow. I want NO pats on the back for 'well besides the 13 game winless streak we were solid' NO. NONE of that. I want strong, stern comments focused on WINNING and doing WHATEVER it takes to make the playoffs in 2026.

I only do in situations like tonight, last game and zero to gain from it. Overall I do agree with what you are saying.

Hate to be like this but give me a regulation loss this could mean a few spots in the draft. Absolutely zero to gain tonight

As much as I hate Mike Harrington, I feel like he is the one guy that may have the guts to ask those tough questions. This franchise is at a dangerous tipping point not only because of the 14 years no playoffs, but overall survival IMO. No time to dance around these questions.

I am all for the Sabres to win out, make this pick #11 overall and force whomever the GM is to say 'yes its time to deal this pick in a package' to make the 2025-2026 Sabres much better and end this playoff drought

If Pegula is dead set on keeping KA and there are some good qualities about him make him President Of Hockey Operations and hire me a GM with experience and savvy to work with a roster chock full of young talent, workable contracts, and assets to make moves. RFA Decisions: 1. Peterka: Not a fan of always giving out 7-8 year deals but for Peterka I would love to do this for him. Give me 8 years 7.5M AAV if possible 2. Byrum: This ties into Owen Power: You do not see a lot of teams put so much $ into 3 defenseman like the Sabres may do here. Byrum, Power and Dahlin are excellent but IMO we have too much of this on this roster. I would look to move Byrum OR Power as a chip to get a Big Top 6 forward and look to get a more experienced defenseman with grit and more defensive prowess to balance it all out. IF i needed to sign Byrum, bridge him for 3 years, keep the AAV down and deal with him in 2 years for his UFA negotiations. 3. McLeod: Easy choice here, he can fill in at 1C and 2C when needed and still be effective and be an excellent 3C. Elite speed. Give me 6 years for McLeod. The 'Solution Is Within This Room' infamous quote from Terry applies to McLeod. Must keep. 4. Quinn: Everytime I'm ready to cut bait, I see his hands and his elite shot and and think 'patience is still needed' given his injury. I like the young man, but do the Sabres have too much of these players already? I wouldn't go more then 2 seasons for JQ, to keep his trade value OK as well (don't want to overextend) and if JQ does not meet his potential, you aren't saddled with his contract too long. Ideally part of a deal to bring in a elite Top 6 if possible. 5. Kozak: Keep him, even for a year or so, between Rochester and Buffalo. Showed some flashes when given a shot. 6. Bernard-Docker: Still scratching my head why they kept Bryson envisioned that slot for JBD here. I still say keep for a year. Moves I would look into making: 1. Trade for G Thatcher Demko: Demko has had his injury woes we know but only 1 year left at 5M AAV I think a deal can be swung, especially given that the Canucks gave Lakinen a 3 year, 4.5M extension starting next year. Pair Demko with UPL, let Levi season even more in Rochester, and you can cut bait with Demko OR deal UPL and have Levi/Demko going forward if you decide to extend Demko. 2. Mitch Marner? Now I know this is likely a pipe-dream, but imagine the shock waves Buffalo can send not only up the QEW to Toronto but throughout the league if the Sabres made a huge splash for Marner? Players like Marner do not go to UFA very often (last player I remember was Panarian) and we all see how much the Rangers gave him. I want to see the Sabres take a legit run at Mitch. Show us you care about winning. 3. Trade Mattias Samuelsson at ALL costs: Even if you need to attach a young asset or picks to make it happen, do it. Clear the 4+ million off the cap and spend it wisely somewhere else. Samuelsson is a poster boy IMO of what is wrong in Buffalo. We need a defenseman here with more physicality and grit.

Fair point but Im ok with paying more AAV for less years.