SHAAAUGHT!!!

Unless he moves 1-2 D-men out at the same time to make moves for a forward. The cap is handcuffing a lot of teams this year, and as good as the Sabres cap situation is next year, this year is proving to be brutal, especially with the LTIR possible costing us some room next year.

Assets are only assets when they bring value to the NHL club. Young assets are assets that don't help the Sabres in the near future, which is where this team needs help. Pilut is a 24 year old undersized defenseman that has a likely ceiling of a #4/5 defenseman on a good team while spending time on the PP. He is replaceable. I wouldn't put both Tage and Middlestat in the package, but if it frees up enough cap space to make a move on a top 5 forward I would send one of them out without batting an eye. For too long this club has been in rebuild mode. The answer to building a contender at this point is not stockpiling Tier 1 and Tier 2 assets for the future, but finding the right mix of players that support long-term organic growth while making multiple incremental moves to improve depth and consistency on the big club. We have 6-7 tier 1 and tier 2 prospects in the minors. Most contenders do not because they flip them for on-ice NHL assets.

I thought he looked good during the first Devils/Sabres match-up this year. A lot of times he looked like he was the only one on the ice for the Devils doing anything. The second time they played he looked worn down and beat up. For the Devils, he was "the guy," for the Sabres, he won't have to be "the guy." I think in this system PK would do well, and give us a big physical presence on the blue line that this team desperately needs. IMO we would have to give up one of our best blueline prospects and a middle top forward prospect if they were willing to take on the Okposo contract, which is why when there was news on Pilut it peaked my interest.

Do we think the Sabres might be in on PK Subban? When I heard he was looking out of NJ a few days ago I thought about his fit for the Sabres. Yes $9MM for the next 2 years is a lot, but we have two key defensemen on entry level deals for 1 more year and it could allow us to dump the Okposo and Bogo contracts while only giving up prospects like Pilut, Tage. I'd throw in Middlestat if we could get out from under Okposo's contract because if we can, that means we get Subban for $3MM a year ($9MM for PK - $6MM for Kyle) while freeing up $6MM in '22-23. I think everyone agrees PK isn't work $9MM a year, but in this scenario it is affordable and makes this team better short and long-term. Also, I know Kype has a Modified NTC where he can submit a list of 15 teams, but NJ may be a fit if he still has any ties to the tri-state area.

Agreed. Bogo's contract will get easier to move as the season goes on, but right now I can't imagine there are a lot of teams that want to pay him $5MM as a bottom pair defenseman unless we send a pick or prospect along as well. eRodent on the other hand might fetch a conditional 5-7th rounder. Neither of those options help us immediately, unless it is just to clear up cap space to make a bigger move. Which poses the question: JBotts - why haven't you made a move yet???

The only organizational problem this is evidence of is that the Sabres have a bad habit of signing some pretentious entitled crybaby *****. BOGO and eRod are the latest two players on this list that previously included such hits as Patrik Berglund, Ryan O'Reilly, and Robin Lehner. Okposo and Larry both struggled for years after coming back from injuries but they took their lumps, put the work in, and are now performing better than anyone expected this season. Nothing is worse than people under-performing at their job and then blaming others for their lack of success. Except maybe racism. Racism is really bad too...

Right now only 4 points separate the #2 slot in the Atlantic division (held by the Sabres) and the #7 spot. So the Sabres need to AT LEAST maintain the level of play we are seeing lately. No one should be overly optimistic or pessimistic at this point. The game changer for this team will be when we trade to get a forward. Will he fit in? Will he struggle and cost us games? Will we miss the D that was traded at some point during the season? Will it be enough of an upgrade to get us 2-3 more wins in the standings than we would have if we didn't make the trade? The Sabres are a bubble team for sure this season, but at this point it's up to JBotts to make a move to ensure that bubble carries us past the wildcard cutoff line before it pops...

Dec 12th: BOGO requests trade from Buff Also Dec 12: Galchenyuk's ice time increases 65% to 16:39 after spending most of December getting less than 10 minutes a game You think they announce this trade today, or wait until tomorrow? ???

Skinner - Larry - Sheary works for the reasons you guys mentioned above, but this is by far the fastest line we have on the team and will cause good teams fits if they stick together going forward. Larry has unfairly been the whipping boy the last few seasons as he’s worked to get back to 100%. He was a very quick skater before he broke and dislocated his arm. Last season he started to show flashes of that speed again and I think it’s been apparent this year he’s back to form.

Anyone know how we lured Mike Komisarek into the organization? Interesting since he doesn't have any prior affiliation with the Sabres that I'm aware of

Stop being so reasonable and rational - this is the internet ??? The Sabres aren't a top 10 team in the NHL, but they aren't a bottom 10 team either. Consistent efforts on a nightly basis, regular game-over-game improvement for developing players, one move mid-season and another at the deadline could get them to the second round. JBotts isn't a terrible GM, he's just green; the coach, also a bit green, is a known for being an effective motivator; and Jack Eichel is proving this season to be a leader on the ice and in the locker room. Sure it's not the best situation to be in, but it's not dire (yet). There are going to be a lot of ups and downs this season; everyone should strap in and enjoy the fact that we have a management team that doesn't ruin the development of future propects (i.e. Dylan Cozens) to superficially improve the team on paper. I hope the Sabres step on the Leafs throat tonight. 2 losses in a row against a struggling Sabres team would turn the heat up in TO and hopefully disrupt any left over momentum from the Babcock firing.

I would gladly trade Reinhart if it brings equal value back and reunites Skinner and Eichel. Samson and a RHD or two should yield a top 2-3 FWD.

Unfortunately I don't think the front offices, or more importantly the players, want anything close to accountability - and here's why: 1) GM's would have to deal with a new host of salary cap issues if players faced longer suspensions 2) Lost playing time (and money) for the player - the players, the teams, and the league, don't want their guys sitting very long, especially if he is a superstar (see Kucherov v. Sobokta's knee) 3) Lost revenue for the league - it's bad enough one player is out, now two are going to sit? Depending on your assumptions, it's unlikely the reduction of suspendable infractions justifies the additional player days lost from a "more appropriate" punishment (think something similar to ROI on a investment) 4) If the players really cared, the NHLPA would address this in the collective bargaining negotiations At the end of the day if comes down to money and playing time. Nobody wants to lose a significant chunk of either one...

You are 100% right! I'm hoping one day I find a box of VHS recordings of Sabres games from '94-'01 at a garage sale so I can find it and share.

??? I still say this to people in a terrible Czech accent and they just assume I'm crazy

The correct answer is the Adelphia commercial with Zhitnik and Hasek. Hasek is sitting on the couch trying to watch TV and is being screened by player standing in front him. Zhitnik comes in and DESTROYS the other player and apologizes to Hasek before offering him a shrimp off a serving platter. Pure comedy gold. I have searched for this commercial high and low over the years but haven't been able to find it...

Just like Patty, Okposo has a warriors heart and I don't see him wanting to call it a career just yet. Does anyone know if the Sabres are able to put him on LTIR if they refuse to clear him due to concussion issues, but he claims feels ok to get back on the ice?

Well, from what I've seen so far this season he's at his best when he's a warm body out there not making mistakes. I wouldn't call that good either...

He's made some improvement this season on the defensive side of his game, but his ineffectiveness at faceoffs has me worried about him as a 2C. I think its unfair to think Cozens could step in next year as the 2C, but he could/should challenge at the 3C position. If that happens, does this push Casey out of the organization, or to a wing? I think it's much more likely that he ends up at LW in this scenario but it also may depend on how much he's looking at for his next deal. He hasn't shown as much as Samson did before his 7MM/2yr bridge contract and also burned a year off his ELC for those 6 games in '17-'18.

I'm curious to see how the defense responds after getting Montour back, and having a few days off to rest and practice. They've been spending more time pinned in their defensive zone the last few games, but I've been chalking that up to fatigue. 13 games in 25 day will have that affect...

JBotts has an incredible amount of flexibility next year with so much salary coming off the books. What I hadn't really considered until today was the incremental cap space he should see from Seattle. Here is a decent article from Forbes that talks about the impact Vegas had on the cap. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanlake/2018/12/06/nhl-expansion-to-seattle-brings-hope-of-higher-salaries-for-players/#4c6e7d332125 This could give JBotts the option of giving someone like Samson a bigger deal without stretching himself too thin in year 3-8. I see Reino getting 8 years @ 7.5-8.5M AAV,

Meh. Neither player has contributed significantly. Casey is the more skilled player, but he hasn't been able to translate it into points. This could be a major reason Casey isn't translating that skill into points. eRod should've buried that feed from Casey last night. I was only able to watch a few parts of the game last night, and the highlights today. Did this line generate much last night? It looks like Vesey and Casey both had 14-15 minutes, but eRod only had 7 minutes. Did this line get broken up or was it due to PP/PK time?

I'm not saying Casey is a lost cause, I'm just saying we've been waiting on the future for 6 years - it's go time. If the kid can't figure it out we have skaters that could be a better option. Right now I'd rather see eRod as that 3C. I'm curious to see if Krueger makes any changes if that line isn't able to get it going tonight.

$2.5/3MM each for Larsson and Girgs??!!!! I think some people might need to take a deep breath. I would but I just threw up in my mouth thinking about paying a checking line $12MM that has doesn't have skaters good enough to move up and down the lineup. It looks like we have a coach that knows how to get the most out of people, so I'm not worried about paying anyone next year not named Samson (likelay $7.5-8.5/8 years) or Montour (idk yet). Nobody else up for a contract has any leverage; I don't care what type of year they have in '19-'20.

Wrong, this is a Sabres problem. They need a solid third line center and Casey has shown nothing so far to prove he is the guy.