nfreeman

Who reported this? The only person I've seen say this was our own estimable @Brawndo.

As I've said repeatedly, about a million goalies changed teams in the summers of 2020 and 2021, and 95% of them were better than the losers currently manning the position for the Sabres. It's KA's job to identify and bring in at least one of them. More specifically, I wouldn't have lowballed Ullmark with a 1- or 2-year offer (per Vogl's report) and then been left emptyhanded when he bailed.

So he turns 28 in a few weeks, has not played a-tall this year (anyone know why?), started 14 games last year, and 19-20 games per year the 4 seasons before that. He's making $850K this year, after which he's a UFA. Looks like another member of the JAG Corps. But I'm glad KA at least took a shot at improving a dreadful goalie situation that he is 100% responsible for creating.

They do that at the Barclays Center in Brookly, but it's on a seat-by-seat basis, not entire sections, and waiter service isn't included for most seats -- you just go to the concession stand and they scan your ticket to confirm that you are entitled to "free" food and drink.

Florida lost in the first round last year and did not make the playoffs the prior year (or the 3 years before that one, for that matter). They have made the playoffs 3 times since 2000, and have not won a round in the playoffs since 1996 -- which was the ONE time in franchise history that they advanced. I shudder to think what attendance would look like here with results like that. Frankly it might be zero, as the team might have moved. In any case, if the Sabres have finally hired the right guys and started to build a team the right way, as the Panthers appear to have done (except of course for a coach who looked the other way at the worst possible time), we may be on our way out of the desert.

Well, Mr. Grumpy, the Panthers have been mediocre-to-terrible for pretty much their entire existence, so I don't think it's unreasonable for the fans to take a bit of convincing that the team is worth coming out for. If they have a couple of seasons with good playoff results, I'd expect them to develop into a team with good attendance.

Maybe Power is the Prince who was Promised. Blind squirrel, etc. I sure hope so.

I'm going to throw some cold water on the expectations for Mitts. He was a major disappointment and looked well on his way to being a washout for his first 2.6 or so NHL seasons, and then showed signs of life in garbage time last year when DG took over. He has good puck skills, and I don't necessarily think he's going to be as useless as he was under Howie and RK, but I also think it's ill-advised to expect him to parachute in and play like a good #1 or #2 NHL center. YMMV, of course.

Holy waste of time and pixels batman!

Well, anyone can write anything -- just because someone published this doesn't mean that credible hockey people were thinking this way. Where was this published?

What's the basis for this assertion? Ullmark signed a 4-year deal, not 5, with Boston, and Vogl reported that the Sabres offered him only a 1- or 2-year deal (although I believe @Brawndo has said here that his sources told him the Sabres offered 3 years). It's more like a split arrangement. Ullmark has started 8 out of 18 games, and the starts were affected by an injury that Ullmark had a couple of weeks ago.

It seems like there's a bit of unjustified schadenfreude going on here with Ullmark. He's 5-3 with a .914 SV%. He's had 4 good games, 2 lousy ones (vs Toronto and Edmonton, currently #1 and #5 overall in the NHL), and 2 average ones (one of which was vs Florida, currently #4 in the NHL, and the other vs SJ). Don't kid yourself. KA crapped the bed by lowballing Ullmark and not having or executing a backup plan for a real NHL goalie. The Sabres would be much better with him than they are now.

As someone who’s been delighted with TT’s play this season, I was pretty disappointed with his line last night. Until the GTG they generated zero offense and were frequently hemmed in the D zone by Detroit’s first or 2nd line.

Last time they played Detroit was when they blew the 3-0 lead in the last few min and then lost in OT, innit? Not tonight baby. TNT gonna blow up everywhere.

Gentlemen. Let’s return peacefully to the planet earth here. You’re getting a 3rd-rounder, maybe, and you need to decide whether you want to throw away another season or roll the dice with Murray. @Marvin, Sabres Fan is right that Dallas may also be an option, but maybe not either and we just can’t go on with these guys who should be working at Chuck E Cheese tending goal for us. Murray is a short term commitment who will cost only cap space, is still young and was really good a few years ago. I want him in net for the Sabres by Tuesday.

But KA already locked TT up on a cheapo 3-year deal! Separately: fun game. I’m pretty sure Joe Dirt’s goal song is “B-b-b-baby you ain’t seen nothing yet.” I’ll say it: TT is a legit NHL goal-scorer.

Matt Murray has 2 more years after this one at a $6.25MM per year cap hit. This year his SV% is .890, last year it was .893 and the year before that it was .899. I would still take him and release Dell, but some strategizing is in order. No one is going to claIm him from waivers, so they might be able to get something from Ottawa as a sweetener.

Broadly I agree with this but I’m also willing to pay something for a real NHL goalie. Probably not a #1, and probably not for any other position besides goalie, but I need a real goalie.

Well, it of course will all come down to what they get and what the price is. I'm inclined to give KA the benefit of the doubt on this or at least wait until a deal happens before assuming they overpaid.

Unfortunately it’s official — torn ACL and out for the season. Get well soon Tre.

Any NHL goalie with a pulse interests me a great deal.

My roast turkey, with stuffing in the bird and homemade gravy, was pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I’m even feeling good about the Bills. Bounce back night for JA and the D.

Why?

Happy thanksgiving all. Let’s hope the Sabres give us something to be thankful for soon!

I’ve learned recently that a vpn will fool the ESPN app. So do we think Eichel’s wing was a positive place for Dahlin’s and Mitts’ development? Or was it kinda dank and stagnant under there? I wonder if Cozens gets a shot at them.