SHAAAUGHT!!!

He will make sure the other team has their head up all night because he will hit anyone anywhere, and isn’t afraid to follow it up with his fists. I’m estimating he has over 15 jaw dropping open ice hits this season and will end up being a fan favorite as a heavy hitting/shutdown/PK specialist.

I see Casey being the guy that pushes these young defensemen to not only bring it every night, but ensure they are showing game over game improvement. Because he is going to be there to step in if Power shies away from the physical play, or Samuelson loses confidence, someone gets injured, etc. Casey is the guy on the team that is looking for that opportunity to show his value and I'm excited to see what he does in '22-'23 if he gets a regular spot for 8-10 games. I think he beats out Pilut for the 7th D role on the team this year at some point because he has a broader skillset, and plays fearless. I'm rooting for Pilut too, but IMO he has a lot more to prove than Fitz.

Thank you for that! I had to jump on a call but wanted to post. They are pretty good on reporting rumors and posting breaking news, you just have to wade through the pop-ups

There’s a clip of the hit embedded in this article https://www.bladeofsteel.com/Buffalo-Sabres-prospect-ejected-for-dirty-jumping-check-to-the-head-152758?fbclid=IwAR3Ewcm1Loigz4mA50Sv4_qpqGeTEfyxsVNdsy1ptmIN3XxhY4DFNWLDuJ4

I’m almost positive Culture Club won’t be oversold 😁

Bill Burr show was great last night. He did at least 1.5 hours himself with several Buffalo specific bits too. He really is one of the best in the business. Next show Im going to is Monday night, August 29th at the Mohawk place. My band is lucky enough to be opening for Daikaiju, one of the best, if not the best, surf bands doing it today.

Sabres are definitely better than last year, but I look at it like this: Is Buffalo better than Tampa and Florida? Nope. Better than Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa? Probably not. Better than Boston or Detroit. Yes. Sabres might play together as a team better than Montreal, Toronto, or Ottawa does, but there are still a lot of question marks with every team in this division outside the state of Florida…

Looks like Price is done

Does that mean Price is gone? Because Montreal has $250k of cap space and still has to sign Dach

There was a good article today in the Athletic about Rosen's development and how COVID really impacted his ability to get time and reps in, but this junior tourney has highlighted his capabilities. His father also spoke how he expects Isak to eventually fill out, as he played professionally at 6 foot and 200lbs.

I went into this summer only planning on buying Porno for Pyros tickets if they came within 4 hours of Buffalo, but ended up with tickets for Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets at Sheas, Billy Strings in Rochester, and Bill Burr. Going to pick up Culture Club tickets this weekend at the Art Park box office. Still waiting for a Pyros tour to be announced...

I put him down as 3C because Mitts came out of camp as the #1 center last season before going down with an injury in game 1. Right now I expect Mitts to come back and win the 1C or 2C role, with Tage in the other spot, pushing Cozens to 3C. One of many reasons camp will be interesting to watch this year...

Where did we need upgrades from last year: defense and in net. Where did we get better from last year: defense and in net How did this happen: UFA signings So we overpaid? No Who do I thank for this?

Dynamics vary from company to company and industry to industry, but the intent of that tactic is to create a situation where someone finally caves and provides the information you want them to provide. Secondary benefits/results from this tactic are below: 1) typically if the person responsible doesn’t eventually speak up or take responsibly they are either fired, put on notice, or lose a considerable amount of respect/clout which eventually leads to them finding a job elsewhere 2) it’s a message to everyone else in that room that if you make an avoidable mistake you better be ready to answer for it, or see #1 above

This is actually a highly effective negotiation tactic. People will become uncomfortable in silence and will just start talking to fill the space. I’ve hit the 6 minute mark in negotiations before, but 45 minutes is next level. Say what you will about Tommy Boy and his effectiveness, but there is no denying he is an expert negotiator.

Picked up 2 tickets to see Billy Strings in Rochester in August. Had tickets to see him May 2020 at Babeville but that ended up getting cancelled. This guy inspired me to pick my guitar back up and try something different with it a few years ago.

That is a major reason I wouldn't hesitate to go 7years/$50M with Tage. He was given the opportunity, seized it, outperformed everyone's expectations, and still hasn't reached his max potential. There just aren't a lot of giant centers in the league that can play 1st line minutes, have those silky smooth hands, can score 40, and also appear to be a good guy in the locker room. I think he only gets more expensive as the season goes on, assuming he stays healthy.

Hopefully both. I was really concerned about his health for a while (as I think many of us were), but I'm very happy that he seems to be past the worst of it. I don't think he would be expensive either because I can't imagine many teams would give him more than $2M AAV x 3 years as a UFA.

FYI for Athletic subscribers - I was going to cancel my Athletic subscription last year because the renewal rate was around $60, so I set it up to cancel once expired. Around a week later they sent me an email to continue by subscription for only $15-20. Use this info however you want. 🙂

Since when is coming to Buffalo a reward??? 😁 Kane coming to Buffalo to finish his career at a cap friendly deal, while showing maturity on and off the ice, helping the team to the Cup Final for the first time since ‘99 would be the perfect capstone for his career. He would be immortalized in West Herr ads for the next 40 years once he retires, which will make up for any discount he provided the team. I’ve done my part, balls in Patty’s court now.

This is my concern too, but I think KA has a vision and Kane seems like someone that we could get an actual hometown discount on. He's made over $110M in just salary so far in his career. I can see him coming to the Sabres this season and then signing a 3 year deal for $1M AAV after the season if the team sniffs the playoffs. The Sabres are going to be contenders in 2-4 years, no? Kane will want to take another shot at a cup so the Sabres might be his best bet to make it happen, and with him on our 2nd/3rd line and 2nd PP unit we should be a playoff team.

It's good to want things. I can think of 6.9M things the Hawks want more than Kane on a losing team next year. Chicago would be thrilled to take a 2nd rounder and a prospect all day long for this contract and the baggage (real or perceived) that comes along with him. This is what weaponized cap space looks like in my book 🙂

This seems like a huge overpay when there are only a handful of teams that could take on this contract and he has a full NMC.

I welcome the move because he doesn't need to be "the guy" and he can help the extremely young crop of forwards develop. All great teams have a depth guy like this on their roster. I also think we don't have to give up much more than a middling prospect or second round pick, and a late round pick to get him because he is owed $6.9M in cash for next season (including a $4M signing bonus). My guess is that if he will be traded, he will get traded before he received his signing bonus for this season.

Not what I had in mind when I hear weaponizing cap space…