nfreeman

Now that drive was what the doctor ordered. JA is 20 for 23!

This is how the Bills lost a bunch of games last year. They move the ball well for a while but then the offense just dies for 4 or 5 possessions.

In retrospect it was another awful Botteril move. A good young forward who is tough and intense and has some skill for a very-close-to-done Pommer and a decent RHD in Scandella that they totally squandered, healthy-scratching him for a lengthy period and then dumping him for a 4th to Montreal, who turned around and traded him for a 2nd a month later — and not much later we found ourselves short on RHD. As for your main point here, I agree that one or 2 more guys with size and an edge would be useful. Maybe one of the lower-round picks who will be in Rochester this year will make his bones this way.

I would guess that Poyer wishes he were 4 or 5 years younger. I think this is right. If Edmunds demands too much, they'll let him go. Otherwise, they'll extend Edmunds and let Milano go.

I think there will be a spirited 3-way battle for the 6-7-8 slots among Casey, Bryson and Pilut. It seems most likely that Bryson will win out initially, especially because Boosh will probably be the other guy on the 3rd pair, so some offense and puck-carrying will be needed from Boosh's partner, but I wouldn't be surprised with any outcome. In any case due to injuries elsewhere in the D corps, 2 of those 3 will likely end up playing a lot. I like Fitzie and the edge he brings. It's an area where the Sabres are a bit deficient. He just needs to improve his decision-making in the D zone, which will come with experience.

Well, $9MM+ per year next summer means that Dahlin would've just finished a huge season in which he made it clear that he's going to be an elite defenseman for the length of the contract. So it's not all bad.

I've been thinking about this too -- he's really good at using that leverage to create a great wrister that is a major weapon. I think the leverage allows for the wrister to be both quick-release and high-velocity. And his high-skill hands make it accurate as well. Yes indeed and here are some numbers: All 3 of them are centers, Norris and Suzuki were both born in 1999, 2 years after TT was born, both Norris and Suzuki got 8 years, $63MM, and Suzuki has played 209 NHL games, TT 223 and Norris 125). Just sayin'. Good read. Thanks for posting.

Possibly on both, but I think the 2nd line will likely end up VO-Cozens-KO and the top PP will be Dahlin-TT-Skinner-Tuch-VO.

This is such a good post about an interesting player who could easily deliver a Tim Connolly out-of-nowhere explosion, or wash out, or just tread water again. This is where I am as well, although it’s more because of DG’s apparent belief in him than my own, which is pretty limited.

I chose the 2nd option. I like Vinny, and I think KA and the coaches like him, and that guys like Quinn, JJP, Krebs, Asplund, Sheahan and perhaps Mitts will have to work like crazy to stay above him in the rotation, but I think the team views him kinda that way too -- i.e. as a bar for those guys to clear if they want to become NHL regulars. Vinny got under 14 min of ice time per game last year -- less than all of the regulars (including Caggiula!) except Eakin, Bjork and Hayden. With those JAGs being presumably replaced by better guys like Quinn, JJP and Krebs, it seems likely that Vinny will slot in as the 13th or 14th forward but will end up dressing for most games due to injuries, rookie inconsistency, etc.

My wife and I just took our daughter to start college and I really miss her.

I think Granato and the move to C were big factors in TT’s development, as were his natural development and growing into his body. One under-discussed factor IMHO was simply him shooting more, shooting more quickly once he gets it, and shooting more wrist shots instead of trying to tee up the slapper each time. I recall DG at some point discussing that shooting more and shooting more quickly than were points he had emphasized to TT. He’s always had the slapper, but last season TT showed a world-class wrister that he can get off quickly and put anywhere he wants with velocity. I think he’s going to keep scoring in bushels.

I think the question about reportability was rhetorical. In any case, I can understand why not responding to new poster A but responding to longtime poster B, even though the 2 of them have made the same point, can feel off-putting to poster A. I don’t think that most here intend to snub poster A when this happens, but I take the point and would encourage everyone to respond to poster A as well as poster B.

I agree that he isn't trolling, although the presentation could certainly be improved. The goal is, as always, for the board Certainly there are some here who don't always cover themselves in glory, but I don't agree that the board is unwelcoming or that the regulars shun newcomers. There are quite a few posters who make a point of welcoming new members. The mods try to coax everyone into behaving in a friendly and respectful manner, but don't always succeed. If anyone feels that a post has crossed the line, please report it. ...and this will probably be the rising tide that lifts all boats.

Maybe an issue with the coach?

Now that is an interesting observation. It may not be true by the end of this year, but I think you are correct right now. OK, but at least stop saying "4 seasons." You and everyone else here knows that he missed over 75% of one of those seasons and over 50% of another. It's just BS to keep saying it. In any case, he exploded as soon as he returned. He can skate, he can shoot it like Auston freaking Mathews (I'll urge everyone to watch the video of all 24 of his ES goals last season that someone posted upthread), he can pass it, he turns 25 in October and he has a great attitude. He could easily score 40 this year and then you're looking at 8 years x $8.5MM to keep him. Speaking of which, I won't be at all surprised if he scores 40 a few times during that contract. I like this extension.

I think they lost to KC last year because: - #1 with a bullet: the game was in KC -- which was a direct result of the Bills' highly inconsistent regular season -- and the offense was probably more guilty here than the D was. - they had a good pass rush but they couldn't convert pressures into sacks. That's what the Von Miller signing was about. If he's still got it, and Rousseau and Epenesa are improved, this can be a big difference-maker. - they wasted a few possessions vs KC with dumb play-calling/execution. When KC has it going, like they did that night, you need to take advantage of every single GD opportunity you have.

Bienvenue!

Serious question: assuming Araiza didn’t force her to do anything (which appears to have been the case), what if she told Araiza she was 19? What if she showed him a fake ID? I doubt we’ll ever know, but I would like to know what the Bills concluded that he did specifically.

What if the Bills did indeed screw it up, and she was the one who was handling it and supposed to get it right? Don’t the facts matter?

What if it turns out that the whole thing is BS?

Well, ESPN states: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34460423/buffalo-bills-punter-matt-araiza-two-san-diego-state-football-players-accused-gang-raping-minor-lawsuit

Indeed. Gilleon had a long phone call with the team's attorney. What else was he expecting?

Well, they said they investigated. Presumably their investigation yielded the conclusion that he didn't do what he's accused of, which is what his attorney said. It's also worth noting that criminal charges haven't been brought despite this occurring 10 months ago. It's likely the DA's office concluded that there isn't sufficient evidence to support criminal charges. I don't think a team has to dump a player based solely on an accusation.

Be careful with the NFL hubris my friend. TP is 71 and KP just had what seems like a serious health scare -- and Toronto will still be an economic powerhouse in 150 years. Nothing lasts forever.