nfreeman

Abso-freakin'-lutely. As to Borgen -- eeeeeeessssshhhh. As to the bolded -- yes.

Certainly a panicky GM could overpay for Lehner (sounds familiar, eh?). I just think that Lehner is JAG and therefore isn't a clear upgrade over what any of those teams now have. Maybe a 3rd that conditionally becomes a 2nd based on team and Lehner's performance?

I am on board with all of this, unless Smith costs more than a 3rd-rounder. This too. Beat me to it. I think McD's actions since he got here, plus TT's poor showing in the playoff game, make it highly likely that TT is gone. And I have been a TT supporter, but if they can get Smith or Cousins or one of the Minny guys (or of course Brees, but I think there is zero possibility there), then I think they should do so.

This. However, I think there is zero possibility of getting a 2nd for Lehner.

I'm as much of a Reino critic as anyone, but he did put together 2 respectable seasons (although I think I was more down on his 2nd season than most here) before falling off the table this season. I don't think he'll ever sniff 30 goals or 60 points, but he'll probably play at least 7 NHL seasons as a full-timer. Nylander might never skate a regular shift in the NHL. That's a bigger bust IMHO.

Well, we may have been operating under the wrong cap assumptions regarding TT -- per ESPN: http://www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/30922/tyrod-taylor-cordy-glenn-among-bills-trade-candidates-this-offseason

If Nylander is a washout, is he GMTM's biggest mistake?

Final World Juniors Stats: Mittlestadt: #1 in the tournament in scoring, with 4-7-11 in 7 games. Nylander: #20 in the tournament in scoring, with 1-6-7 in 7 games. IMHO, Casey's showing was quite encouraging, but not Nylander's. 1 goal in 7 games?

Feels like a bloodbath.

I see your point, but no matter who they bring in to replace TT, that $8MM dead cap hit will be there — and it’s still less than half of the cap hit for keeping him. If you’re going to require that TT’s replacement provide $8MM in incremental “discount value” to make up for TT’s dead cap hit — i.e. that the FNG needs to deliver $24MM worth of QB play for a $16MM salary — then it will be impossible to find a QB.

Oooooooooooohhhh. TB is guilty of #Hammymath. Perhaps it was unintentional. Either way, TB has neglected to point out that TT's dead cap hit is about $8MM less than his cap hit if the Bills keep him.

Things are starting to get urgent here.

I have a brother and a good friend at the game. They tailgated all morning and are now sitting in good seats. Envious! Come on boys.

This is probably a dumb question, but have you considered doing the artwork for ad agencies, video games and/or comic books?

Is it necessary to belittle someone thinking of a deceased parent and spending time remembering him at his grave?

MattiPaj with the killer video but Liger for the win!! Congrats! Perhaps the meetup game could double as a bachelor party...

Fantastic.

OK -- the Lehner posts (or most of them, anyway) have been moved to the Lehner thread.

Would you rather give Cam Ward a 1-year deal at $3MM, or Lehner 4 years x $5MM? How about Anton Khudobin or Anti Raanta on a 1- or 2-year deal?

Good stuff RF. One more point about the "similar production for half the cost" point (which is an excellent one) -- when we calculate "half the cost", we need to consider what it will cost to keep Lehner after this year, both in annual pay and term. I think it's reasonably possible that the Sabres can get similar production for $2MMish next year. And if it will take a 3-year deal or longer to keep Lehner, then I'm certain the Sabres can get similar production at a much lower cost.

...and the Lehner noose tightens ever further around duda/Mick's neck.

It seemed like after the 1st period they used the ordinary camera angles most of the time. Maybe the shadows made those cameras unusable in the 1st?

Regarding Jones -- I don't think the difference in price is splitting hairs. The #29 pick a year from now is a significantly lower price than the #21 pick 3 days from now. The broader point is not, respectfully, that I (and others) are unjustly blaming Lehner for the team's record. I think the Sabres would have 4-5 more wins if they had a top-5 goalie, but it wouldn't be a game-changer. It's that I think he's pretty much JAG and am deeply repelled at the thought of committing to him as the starter for any significant period of time. Separately: I don't think we can just look at 5x5 SV%. Special teams are a huge part of the game and I think Lehner is somewhere in the 20s in overall SV%.

Of the guys you've mentioned recently in the not-starter-when-acquired category, IMHO Dubnyk, Anderson, Jones and Bishop are all clearly better than Lehner and all cost less to acquire (Schneider is also better but cost more). You are right that some of them required big contracts, but not all. Jones didn't get his contract until he played 2 years for the Sharks -- and BTW, they traded a #1 in a draft 12 months later that ended up being #29 -- whereas GMTM traded the #21 in a draft 3 days later for Lehner. Bobrovsky was in this category a few years ago and cost less (a 2nd and 2 4ths). And there are also the 2nd-tier veterans who move around or are likely to do so, like Halak, Neuvirth, Jimmy Howard, Mike Smith, Brian Elliott, etc.. I think JBott can find one if needed who would give the Sabres pretty much what they get from Lehner until Ullmark or someone else is ready. (To be clear I don't need one of these guys over Lehner next year unless Lehner demands a long-term contract, but I'm OK either way.)

Awesome.