nfreeman

Well, NYC isn't exactly NASCAR country, and vaccine rates here are below the national average, so you might want to check your facts before assuming it's all just dumb rednecks who aren't getting vaccinated.

And if it in the future emerges that he was deeply depressed and close to jumping off a bridge when he left the Sabres (which it sure sounds like was the case), and that the current accusations are nothing more than a shakedown and/or act of vengeance by some gold-digger/PO'd ex-GF of his? There's a reason it's best to wait until the facts are in before smearing someone.

How so? Please be specific and provide links.

via Google Translate:

And coaches!

It's a great story, and it's great that this misbegotten season was at least able to deliver to this young man what has to be one of the best weeks of his life. He'll never forget it.

My wife and I have been watching "Mare of Easttown" on HBO. Excellent crime drama set in a blue-collar small town in PA. So far I'll give it a solid A-minus.

My wife and I just had our 2nd moderna shots at a walk-up site that required zero waiting and then an A-plus NYC lunch to celebrate. The sun came out as we sat down and it’s turning into a nice day. My daughter is getting her 2nd Pfizer shot next week and we are going to try to attend a Nets playoff game after her 2 weeks are up. Life! Hallelujah.

So I missed the game and the GDT last night, but I found it pretty amazing that the Athletic reported today that Houser was born with 2 club feet. He had multiple operations as a child and they must’ve been pretty effective, although he still couldn’t skate well enough to play any position other than goalie. Good for him.

That’s fine, but don’t say there were news reports that he would’ve taken $7MM if there were no such reports.

This is what it comes down to (and usually comes down to), IMHO. He's a good player, but not a great player, and how much will his 2nd contract cost?

This is just a repetition of your prior assertion. What is that assertion based on? Just your gut feel? Any source? Anything?

What is this based on?

Yes -- certainly there is a real chance that they'd prefer Borgen (or Asplund or Bjork or TT) for this reason (or others). I think though that if they have the cap space, they'd rather have an experienced, rugged D-man who can skate and shoot and plays hard and can be plugged into their top-4 with no questions asked. Also, they might view Risto being in his contract year as a positive motivator as well as an opportunity for them to get to know each other.

I think the Kraken would take Risto ahead of Miller, Borgen, Asplund or TT, unless they thought that they could get a star-level player in FA and accordingly didn’t want Risto’s cap hit.

@Brawndo — I have no doubt that you have a real source, notwithstanding a fairly obnoxious post to the contrary upthread, but I would note that it was very much in JB’s interests to spread that version of events internally, knowing that it would get out. Unless your source (or @Marvin, Sabres Fan’s) was in the room when TP issued those instructions, there’s no way of really knowing.

What do we know about that site?

These are the kind of gems that no one misses when you are on leave. Do better or keep quiet.

He's a good, solid player, but not a major difference-maker IMHO. He doesn't get to the QB or create turnovers much.

Boys, please. We all have our semi-irrational likes and dislikes. For example, Derek Roy is one of my all-time least favorite Sabres. It occurred to me last night that Mitts could develop into a similar player -- skilled, productive and a very nice piece to center a 3rd scoring line as Roy did with Max and Vanek. You don't want to count on him as one of your top 2 centers, or count on him in the playoffs, but to be able to ice a high-scoring line like that, as a 3rd line, against lesser defenders is a real advantage. FWIW, I agree with @Thorny that I'd like to see Skinner reunited with a healthy Eichel next year and wouldn't be a-tall surprised if doing so helped Skinner find his mojo again. But I also agree with @dudacek that Skinner's poor production over the last couple of seasons is primarily Skinner's fault.

He seems very much like a McD character guy.

This would be great, but I don't think anyone has ever voluntarily moved from Southern California to WNY.

I too am quite taken with R2 (heh). He has multiple skills, good hockey sense and a stout frame. Skinner is a conundrum. He seems to be creating chances and usually in the right place but seems to have lost 80% of his finishing ability -- and we're now at 2 (abbreviated and weird) seasons worth of that unfortunate and expensive state of affairs. The jury's very much out on Bjork and TT. I'd like to see a no-BS top-6 winger brought in this summer.

I watched the entire game and was entertained throughout. The Sabres played hard and made quite a few nice plays. They were beaten by a better team. One thing I've noticed, which jibes with what I've heard from Granato in interviews, is that the players are trying many more risky plays to keep possession or create chances than they did previously. The approach has produced many more scoring chances for the Sabres, but also more chances the other way -- e.g. Boston's 1st goal resulted from a turnover in the neutral zone when Dahlin attempted a nifty move, and their 3rd goal came on a similar play when Reino turned it over in the neutral zone and Kreijci dusted both Dahlin and Joki. It's more enjoyable to watch, and the players seem to enjoy it more, but I'm not sure it can deliver a winning record.

Good to see ya! Don't be a stranger.