nfreeman

Weave -- totally fair.

Disrespectful because it implies that he has a boozing problem? Or disrespectful to the liquor because Sobotka hasn't shown he's cool enough to have "Vodka" as a nickname? (Asking for a friend.)

I listened a little while ago to Skinner’s presser, which I think you mentioned elsewhere. I completely agree that he evinced zero interest in a long-term deal. Between that presser and JBott’s comments, it sounds like it has not been discussed at all. I could see it getting there, but it sounds quite likely that there will not be an extension in place by the deadline. This would mean the Sabres will have a difficult decision to make, since they will be clinging to a 3-point lead for the wildcard.

Botteril sounded last night, to me anyway, like they are pretty far apart on the contract.

I agree on goaltending and would just add that the team seems to be relying on 2 rookies (Casey and Dahlin) to contribute quite a bit. Any or all of those 3 could fail to meet expectations, with significant negative consequences for the team. Having said that, they could certainly look terrible top to bottom again and if so then Howie could and should be accountable IMHO.

Welcome and great username/avatar! Good stuff. I'd also add that both have high-end speed. And a Kessel-in-Pittsburgh outcome would be awesome.

Good poll question. Kane is 1 year older (he just turned 27 yesterday) and certainly plays a more physical game. Skinner is a bit faster and more skilled, although not by much in either category. Work ethic/locker room affect is probably a factor that JBott considered. The Canes' color guy was on WGR this AM and said that Skinner is a very hard worker -- first on the ice and last off at practice -- pretty different from Kane. I don't think we can answer the question until we see how Skinner meshes with Eichel or Casey, and how much it costs to keep him.

Whoa there. I can see Zemgus, Pommer and Larsson all being waived and would expect each to clear waivers. I think Bailey and Baptiste would both likely get picked up by someone if waived -- so probably less likely to happen (but certainly still possible). And, if TT does start with Jack, and Berglund and Sobotka are on the 3rd line, that would make it 6 new forwards out of the top 9 (along with Casey, Sheary and Skinner). No one is going to take either of those 2 unless the Sabres include major sweeteners (much sweeter than Bailey, Baptiste and McCabe) and/or take back bad contracts.

I've been thinking about where Pu falls in the Sabres' forward prospect rankings. I think it's fair to put him in a different category from Casey, who is pretty much a lock to be in the NHL this year, and perhaps from Thompson, who has 41 NHL games under his belt. If we just consider forward prospects that have had little to no NHL time, we have: Asplund Nylander Davidsson Pu Olofsson Ogilvie Malone CJ Smith YMMV, of course, but I could see Carolina preferring to take a Pu over anyone else in that grouping. He sure did in the presser last night. I liked in particular his comment to the effect that goal totals fluctuate, but Skinner consistently creates a lot of chances at ES. Dude. I like Buffalo. I don't think it's crazy or for that matter remarkable to say that it's unusual for a young pro athlete in his 20s to prefer Buffalo over LA. I certainly meant no offense.

Yet another example of why giving a NTC to a non-elite guy is a huge mistake.

Now THAT is my preferred top 6. The contract year thing is really a nice factor. As is the downside protection of being able to trade him at the deadline for a reasonable return if needed, as noted upthrea Got it a link on the Kings item? Not too many guys say no to LA but yes to Buffalo. Maybe it’s a Dahlin butterfly effect. Great post. Holy mackerel I am psyched for this season And while JBott may or may not have been truthful with his statement about contract talks, I don’t think they would’ve given up a good prospect and 3 picks if they weren’t going to try to sign him.

I like it, although they dropped a Pu for someone who is likely a 1-year rental (Skinner is a UFA after this year).

Welcome Broken Ankles!

We have a very sweet, kind-hearted, upbeat young woman working in my office who is great for atmosphere but whose work is lousy and hasn't gotten any better despite repeated exhortations and support. I think we're going to need to let her go. I feel awful about it and I'm dreading having to do it.

Both of these are pretty obnoxious.

I don’t think JBott is planning on Bogo staying healthy. I think it’s likely that JBott and Howie have decided that they’d rather shift one of their other depth defenseman to his off hand if and when Bogo gets hurt than bring in someone from outside the organization. E.g. they think someone like Guhle, McCabe or Pilut can win the opportunity to move over and into the top 6.

Good man.

My son got his driver's license today (passed his road test on his 2nd try -- like his old man!). This means that I no longer have to drive him to his summer job, which has a 6:00 AM starting time. Halle-freakin'-lujah!

I'll note that it's pretty easy to get sucked into a youtube binge of "Game of Thrones" scenes.

Out of camp: Bailey Baptiste Zemgus Pommer Vodka TT Down the stretch: Baptiste Vodka TT Nylander CJ Smith DOR

IMHO, 3 out of duda's 4 scenarios argue in favor of giving him a 2-year deal. - both "settle into 50-point" scenarios mean that he's plateaued already and isn't going to get any better than the decent but not great player we've seen so far. That is not a guy I'm remotely interested in giving a long-term deal. - I'm also fine with a bridge deal where he he turns into a 65-point guy, even though his next contract will be more expensive, because I don't think he'll turn into that player unless he has the motivation of being told that his team doesn't think he's worth a fat contract yet but it's there for him in 2 years. Separately, my gyro sandwich has collapsed into a greasy mess, notwithstanding its deliciousness.

#1 RW ain’t “KO’s spot.” KO was dropped to the 4th line on more than 1 occasion last season. Again, KO might return to form, but that’s just a hope at this point.

I’m not concerned, but as I mentioned a week or so ago, I think the fact that there’s no deal yet likely means that they are pretty far apart — and I hope that means that JBott isn’t interested in giving Reino a long-term deal yet.

I certainly didn’t watch him enough to develop any kind of informed opinion. But I’ve seen plenty of KO, and JBott did trade for Berglund.

Well, Berglund had 17 goals in 57 games last year, while KO had 15 in 76 and looked terrible most of the season. I'm far from married to Berglund, and I'd love to see KO reassert himself as one of the top 2 RWs, but I don't see how anyone could be confident that it will happen.