SHAAAUGHT!!!

Additional ideas to improve pre-game, in-game, post game experience: 1) Built in aquarium - having tanks built into the wall around the arena provides both ambiance and education benefits for all age groups 2) Live music between periods is a nice addition, but we actually need some interesting musical acts, not your 50 somethings playing Blues and Classic Rock covers - book some B level national bands and unique genres/performances 3) It was in another thread but having a small stage adjacent stage for pre and post game concerts for music or comedy (could have the band play 1-2 songs in between periods as a teaser/bonus); it would also provide the arena an option for non-game day bookings 4) Guest restaurants - weeklong rentals to area restaurants or national chains promoting a new product (thinking shamrock shakes during March, or Dinosaur BBQ selling pulled pork sandwiches and brisket, etc) I'm sure I could think of more but I do have to get to work at some point today...

Somewhat related, I will never understand the people that move to the country from the city/suburb and then proceed to cut down trees and/or spray for bugs. The frog population around my house still hasn't recovered even though it's been around 4 years since the "new" neighbors sprayed for mosquitoes the first three years they were here. On the plus side, it's really easy to identify the suckers in the neighborhood because all you have to do is look for the Mosquito Joe sign in someone's yard.

There is a Today's Cap Hit column on Positional Breakdown tab on https://www.capfriendly.com/. I'm guessing this reflects the current active roster cap hit but I make no claim to it's accuracy.

Right testis or no right testis... we will be talking about the Jack Eichel trade tree for decades

1 Alex Tuch + 1 Peyton Krebs > 1 Jack Eichel

I think Curtis Lazar played 20 something games for Granato, but with more time I think Lazar would have excelled with this system and style. Johan Larson as well.

lol, I'm always around but work is wacky so I'm not able to participate here as much as I'd like. I try to check in at least once a day though to make sure I'm not missing too much!

This is exactly what I want to hear from the GM. He is also proving himself to be an expert negotiator. Stating he plans on using all 2022 first round picks to draft players just increased the value of those picks in a trade. Bravo good sir. Bravo.

Completely agree. The type of cap dump Buffalo should take advantage of is something like Kane's or Toew's $10.5M salary next year or give Giroux 10x2 to come in and help our forwards develop. The Sabres have a ton of cap flexibility the next two years but after that we need to start handing out significant new deals to several projected core players (Krebs, Cozens, Casey, Tage, Samuelson, Powers, Dahlin (again), goalie 1A or 1B, etc).

I'm a poster you know what I mean? And I do my little typing on a laptop. On a laptop, on a laptop yeah I do my little typing on a laptop

My friend is funny Boston New Years Eve 2001 Peed on Fleet Center

I don’t think this year is a fluke for Tage. He has the right attitude and skill set. Future offensive success for him depends on a few things but typically guys don’t score at a 15% clip year over year. That said even if he was shooting at a 10% rate he would have 25 goals this year and I think he likely ends up between 25-35 annually playing PP and as a 1C or 2C.

Was this the scout you spoke with?

It really was, but I always felt it was a little too polished for the band they were. The piano ballad and their attempt at a "Every Rose Has A Thorn" type song was a bit hard to stomach, but I get what they (or their producer) were trying to do. I never got to see them but I appreciated that MC5 vibe they brought. Another garage shredder from that era I just got into last year is Ty Segall. He has some great songs and did the best cover of Lowrider I've ever heard.

I'm glad to see Granato mixing up both the forward and defensive lines so much at this point in the season. It's apparent the Sabres management is evaluating individual skill sets in preparation of offseason whiteboarding. You can't hide behind chemistry, or be a passenger, with the lines moving around like this. I haven't felt this confident about the Sabres FO in a long time...

I would love if Asplund became a CB level player, but I just don't see that happening. If he has a long NHL career it will be as a 4th line shutdown role, but at this point I can't see him as more effective than a healthy Girgs or Larsson. Larsson had an edge that allowed him to play big, and I haven't seen that from Asplund yet. IMO he needs to establish himself as a reliable faceoff guy to have a chance to extend his career in this league.

I think this will be addressed in the next CBA negotiations. My guess is they end up with some sort of draft compensation if they lose a player's rights. It would be interesting if the team that signed a player after his rights expired had to give his draft team one of their picks. It would lesson the sting for a team losing a player, and motivate a NCAA player to sign with the team that spent draft capital on him. In any case, it would be fun to be in the room while they brainstorm what that new rule would look like...

Reasons for Sabres fans not to worry (too much): 1) Levi missed his entire freshman season with an injury 2) Levi missed a large stretch of games his sophmore year due to the Olympics, which he didn't even get to play in 3) Levi didn't win a NCAA championship or Hobey Baker So I think Levi still has something to prove and play for as a junior. Consistency is everything for a goalie, so proving he can play at this level year over year is important. It also gives him time to see if the Sabres are really trending in the right direction.

I think he plays another 1-2 years after this contract expires, but $4M a year is WAY too much and I hope they don't do that. I think $4-5M for 2 years is appropriate. A lot of these 30+ players don't mind taking less money to be somewhere they want to be and I don't think someone else signs him for more $ with his injury history.

There are a lot of "good guys" out there. We need one that is better at faceoffs and doesn't need Girgs and KO flanking him every night to be effective. The major issue with signing a new JAG over an old JAG is how they do in the teams system, and this is why we might see another year of Eakin. I'm hoping they are able to bring in a 30-something center with some battle wounds that can play up and down the lineup.

Tuch, Okposo, and Fitzgerald are there. Dahlin, Samuelsson, Cozens, and Tage are getting there. Hayden will have to be that type of player if he develops into an NHL regular. Aaron Dell is that kind of player too, but I don't think we will see him again...

I actually think his value is higher than you'd think with this information about his wrist coming out, assuming he doesn't reinjure it before the end of the season. And I 100% agree with keeping him on the 3rd line. I see him in an Al Kotalik type role: 3rd line/PP sniper that gets moved up the lineup if he gets hot.

I thought it was a strange decision too, but I haven't had a chance to listen to the interview to see if he went into his reasoning for keeping Olofsson in the lineup.

Mystery solved: "Granato also confirmed that the injury Olofsson has been dealing with for a majority of the season was a wrist injury that has affected his ability to shoot the puck as he normally would." https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/sports/sabres/listen-granato-not-even-close-to-seeing-best-of-rasmus-dahlin-yet