nfreeman

I think Nelson will probably not be back next year, simply because he's a UFA and is showing some capability (although he looked kinda shaky last night IMHO). With defensemen generally in short supply, I wouldn't be surprised if someone offered him more than the Sabres are willing to offer. I can also see Guhle at least starting the year in Rochester next year. He too did not look ready for prime time. Antipin and Beaulieu, OTOH, looked like a reasonable 3rd pair. That was the best I've seen Beaulieu look -- and it reminded me that Soupy didn't look like he could make it in the NHL until he was 25 (which is what Beaulieu is now). Beaulieu has size, very good speed and is under contract next year. Realistically he's most likely going to be on the Sabres. They need McCabe to rebound next year and they need another good defenseman for the top 4. I kinda expect JBott to make another Scandella-type acquisition. They'll probably end up drafting #3 or #4, will probably draft a defenseman, who will probably go back to juniors. So for next year, that leaves us looking at: Scandy-Risto McCabe-XXX Antipin-Beaulieu ...with Guhle as the 1st call-up.

I don't think either of them will be back.

Well, if he's been making $3.5MM per year, I agree that a deal at less than $3.5MM isn't realistic. I'm pretty fuzzy on what types of bonuses are permitted at this point in his career under the CBA, but I will amend my proposal to something like $3.5MM per year base with another $1MM to $1.5MM in incentive bonuses. I still want a 1- or 2-year deal though. If he crushes it then I'm willing to pay more on a long-term contract than it would've cost to get him to sign one now. (And part of the reason I feel that way is that I think incentivizing him with a short-term deal now is more likely to make him develop into the kind of player who will earn a long-term deal and be worth it.)

IMHO CJ looked like a much smarter goalie last night than Lehner.

Excellent thread. I agree that Reino has really turned it around, and is not just putting up numbers but is also playing with much more tenacity and effectiveness. I would not be at all surprised if he gets a 3-year deal in the $4MM/year range. However, I have no desire to give him anything more than a $2MM x 2 years "prove it" contract, and would prefer a 1-year deal. Here are my reasons: - We shouldn't ignore that not showing up until 40+ games are gone, and the season is effectively over, means that he had a bad season, even if he has a strong 2nd half. - That kind of season shouldn't be rewarded. It's not good for the Sabres from a risk perspective, and it's not good for a young player from a development perspective. - Every parent knows that kids need to learn delayed gratification -- i.e. earning something over an extended period makes the kid appreciate both the reward and the value of hard work. Reino strikes me as a kid who still has mental and emotional maturing to do -- e.g. his recent comments about him not doing anything differently indicate that he hasn't really internalized and accepted responsibility for his poor 1st half. - Before I give him a fat contract, I'd like to be much more comfortable that this isn't another Stafford-in-a-contract-year situation.

Well, congrats on agreeing with your own post.

Maybe we’ll get lucky.

Totally agree. It's much easier said than done. But that's why JBott is getting paid who knows how much (but certainly in the 7 figures) for a job that millions of people would love to have. He needs to find a couple of guys with credibility, skill and leadership. I'm just imagining Ryan Kesler and Shea Weber beating the crap out of Risto and Reino in the parking lot after they blow off Howie's instructions during a home loss...

Totally agree with the bolded, but the TV goes in the man-cave. Also: it goes on the wall. You can get a good mounting bracket for $30 on Amazon, and it's a very easy DIY project. This info is usually in the RE listings. Also, since property taxes vary from town to town, I would contact the town government office. There is usually a town treasurer or tax assessor you can speak with on questions like this.

Awesome. The TV is going on the wall to the left of the fireplace, I trust?

I agree with most of this, except that IMHO goaltending is the biggest need and that I don’t think he’s quite gotten to “really stepped up his game” status yet.

I'm not advocating that they dump him. I'm simply saying that, notwithstanding respectable assist production, he had a crappy pre-xmas part of the season, which is when the season was lost. I want more than that from the guy who was supposed to be the next Drury. I suspect he'd say the same thing.

I agree that 8 pts in 12 or 13 games doesn't by itself establish corpsehood. I was just responding to MOM's 14 pts in 15 games assertion. In any case, I think corpsehood was established by the eye test, as well as by the 2 goals in 21 games.

You should definitely shop around for mortgages. Some banks will cover the closing costs, which can otherwise get pretty pricey. There are a bunch of online mortgage shopping tools, but they won't give you the final quote. If you think you're going to stay in the house for a while, then you should get a 30-year fixed mortgage. Rates have increased a bit but are still very low. You should also pay zero points (which are just upfront fees that the bank charges on some mortgages -- often the tradeoff is a slightly lower rate if you pay points). As for a home inspector, that is a very good call. I would suggest Angie's list (which is also great for plumbers & similar services). Finally, I would suggest buying a lesser house in a better neighborhood as opposed to the other way around. One of the key factors in determining whether a neighborhood is "good" in terms of holding & gaining resale value is the quality of the public schools. I would also suggest accepting a lesser house with a bigger yard and a quieter location, as those are also important factors in resale value. Of course, it goes without saying that there needs to be room for a man-cave.

Don't forget McCabe! Disappointing season this year, but I think still a potentially solid 2nd-pair guy.

ROR in October -- 4 goals, 8 pts in 12 games, minus-9 ROR in November -- 3 goals, 8 pts in 13 games, minus-8 ROR in December -- 2 goals, 8 pts in 12 games, plus-2 There was also a stretch from mid-Nov. to early Jan in which he had 2 goals in 21 games. I stand by my corpse assertion.

I too am mightily concerned about the speed issue with those 3 in the Sabres' top 6. At the same time, I am expecting all 3 back next year based on JBott's recent comments, plus ROR's and KO's contracts and Reino's depressed value. I think a potential remedy is to increase the speed on D. If Guhle is indeed in Buffalo next year, that will help. Another fast, skilled defenseman for the top 4 would be a great addition.

Great breakdown GA. One question: why do the Sabres need to sign Asplund now? As a 2016 draftee, the Sabres wouldn't lose his rights yet, innit? I'd also have DOR and CJ at #4, but that's just an optimistic guess.

ROR played like an utter corpse for the first 30-odd games of the season, which is the period when the season was lost. I agree that he has looked like a good-to-very-good player quite often during his tenure here, but he also deserves plenty of criticism for this season.

Good man. I'm not putting much value into their recent garbage time surge, but I wholeheartedly appreciate the optimism. AND, as I posted in another thread, I do think they can be greatly improved next year if they get better goaltending plus a number of other things, each of which is quite possible.

This.

Another name in this category: Tim Schaller, who costs less and is having a better season than both Larsson and Zemgus.

I think, more than the episodes you mentioned, it's: - major locker room issues in Winnipeg - 2 legal scrapes involving allegations of assaulting women - skipping/being late for practice - allegedly last-on-first-off for practice - allegedly not well liked in locker room in Buffalo And now I think we've beaten this one to death.

I noticed that #hammymath took a shot in his column at "an irresponsible blogger" who reported that Lehner had asked for a trade. Pretty rich coming from Hammy.

Now you're splitting hairs. He was handcuffed on a sidewalk in front of cameras and everyone knew it was for allegedly choking a woman in a bar. And everyone also knew the other scrape was for alleged sexual assault. (I will note again for the record that it's quite likely he was innocent in both cases. It still reflected badly on him and on the team.) As for the timing, in the real world it matters. It played out in front of the entire league and its media, and at a moment when the organization wanted to put its best foot forward. No company would want one of its employees to cause a problem like that at a moment like that. And again "should have been coveted" depends on facts we don't know, and "but for the rep" assumes that those unknown facts are irrelevant, and only the rep -- i.e. the Vegas photos and the skin color -- matter. That is an unsupportable assumption. I would agree with saying "a player whose on-ice production would lead us to think that most teams would covet him, but other factors have depressed his value" -- but not the assumption that those other factors include racism. That's an assumption about other people that I don't think anyone should make without evidence.