ska-T Palmtown

This happened ....

I just remembered a convo I had with a buddy back in the Heroic Charge to 9th Place Season where he wanted Cozens for Patty Kane (when Kaner was with the 'Hawks) ... boy if only that could have worked out ...

We've tried 8th a bunch ... how about 1-3 or 9-11? 🙂

I am a total stan for Stephen King. Started reading the Dark Tower series in 10th grade (with book 4 ... thanks mom!) I have read pretty much all of his work. Anyway, just finished up "Holly" which was a great thriller about a recurring character from one of the many amazing worlds he has created. Off the top of my head, I think this was his 5th novel with Holly in it, his first with her as the undisputed main character. (google says she was also the subject of a novella!) I typically buy books from the airport when I am travelling for work or pleasure - so I want a reliable author that practically never disappoints, so I lean on Mr. King as often as I can.

I never mind extra insight. I work in a heavily regulated industry where ensuring everyone's concerns are heard and explored is the norm. So much nuance is lost in a forum style chat that it is always great to have that explanation. The Sabres have both out-scored and under-defensed the Eulers who are comfortably sitting in third in their division. The only way I would be comfortable going into next year with only an improved offense is if the concept is to still be top-10 in GF, but have such outlandishly good puck possession numbers that the other teams don't even have the puck enough to out score the Sabres. But, I don't think that is a very realistic scenario, so the top of my personal wish list is improved team defense.

I will be amongst the first people to faint from unfathomable joy should the Sabres ever return to the playoffs - but I gotta be honest, getting swept and utterly wasted in round 1 will not be that great of a feeling, lol. So, I am hoping (against ALL odds) that the Sabres become a better team, in all facets, next year.

Yeah, for sure. Now that I reconsider my own points a little ... most of the current forwards are meh to bleh with respect to their d-zone job anyway - so if you swap out a 15 goal winger for 44 goal Nylander, perhaps all you do is add 29 goals to the goal total with minimal impact on the GA number? I just want progress in not looking like a complete clown show in their own end. It is just embarrassing to watch.

I think the point I am trying to make is that the Sabres are not (-15) (and as you pointed out, it was way worse before this meaningless late season tease) because they did not score enough, it is because they did such a horrendous job of preventing the other team from scoring.

We are saying the same thing ... I think adding Marner or someone of his ilk would drastically improve our team defense more than finding the ideal #6 (or even #4) D-man. Not only would his spot on the ice improve d-zone coverage dramatically - one would have to assume he would help others be better.

It think it is just the nuance of it for me. Nothing in a vacuum. We are in the upper 1/3 of teams for GF. Adding someone like Nylander from Tor, with his notoriously poor defensive zone play does not make the Sabres a playoff team. Adding someone who scores about as many goals as someone they replace who can also play better defensively ... now they have my attention.

This is a heated exchange so I wade in with caution and with genuine interest as to what else, in hockey, defines a successful offense than goals? Or is it better to just say "we are 9th best in goals scored" and note that adding forwards that can score better than the current group need not be near the top of the priority list? I ask because I don't think "add more scoring" fixes the Sabre next year. *Scoring forwards* are not the issue, but as I, and many many others have lamented, *TEAM* defense should be a primary concern this offseason. I think it is ever-so-slightly above "average NHL goaltending" only because in some sample size UPL played around that level ... I have yet to see this team play good team defense consistently. Please note that in my world, "team defense" likely means getting a better assistant coach that can help fix whatever it is that we watch in front of the Sabres' goal.

(Obligatory response about how "defense" is a team game and it usually seems like the coaches forgot to tell the forwards that. The general concept amongst GOOD defensive teams is to out-number the offensive team on the puck. O sends 2 fwds into the corner - you send your strong side D, C and strong side winger. GET. THE. PUCK. The Sabres are constantly outnumbered on the puck in their own zone. It is infuriating.) **Disclaimer: The above post in no way constitutes approval of the sometimes (often?) clueless play of defensemen not named Dahlin; rather it is intended to serve as an indictment of how the Sabres, as a team, "play" defense.

You jest, but until they are mathematically eliminated - there are 3 or 4 brain cells waaaaay in the back whispering "it could happen ..."

@mjd1001 It is overly simplistic, but on NHL.com, he ranks amongst "centers" 62nd in goals (his 16 EV goals is actually only one behind McJesus) 55th in points 60th in P/PG He is a borderline 2/3 C. The caveat being that many of the 2Cs probably get decidedly more powerplay time than McL - but who knows, he might be the second coming of Cozens on the powerplay? I would wager he is above average at the defensive aspects of the game (his +14 is 23rd), so that possibly slides him up into "solid NHL 2C" ... and given that half the league does not make the playoffs, @Thorner's point of "excellent" 3C on playoff team seems to hold water.

My absolute favorite part, and why I am so glad he will be back next year is Zucker standing on the bench with both arms raised looking happy AF. That man cares about the game and cares about his 'mates. He is always genuinely happy when the puck is the back of the opposing team's net. Good on him. I think Krebs would be solid 3rd/4th line addition to many of the playoff teams out there. He is the epitome (ok, maybe a little hyperbole) of the "effort guy" that inevitably ends up making some sort of key play for a real contender each year. He has been misused and surrounded by borderline garbage for much of his time in blue and gold. This is the reason we are generally left to lament how players not named Cozens go on to do better after the Sabres. They are decent players being played too high by Buffalo, but excel (mostly) when placed at that appropriate level with a competent hockey organization. @Thorner - I had a quote, but there was so much back and forth on it, I just decided to start "fresh". RE: the forward group. My perspective is that the Sabres score enough goals ... they are 7th overall in GF (give or take a game or two in hand, etc). So no, I don't think they need more goal-scoring forwards. But seeing as how they have given up the 5th most GA - they need to improve team defense. And since there are THREE forwards and only TWO defensemen, my simpleton math leads me to believe that 60% of the players that should be playing "defense" are forwards. So, my opinion is that they need to address the forward group with more players like McLeod. Fast, responsible, and hungry. The forward group, overall, is good at scoring goals and not really very good at playing hockey.

I was just quoting you because you were the last post in that odd exchange that I saw. I was mostly agreeing with you, but did not state it. But I said it with my mind 😉 Yeah, JQ needs to pull his head out of his arse, for sure. I wish the Sabres had the roster construction that does not force them to make those choices with a 24-yr old. Oh well.

I might be in the minority, but I don't see how this amounts to "injury prone": Most of the games Quinn missed this year are due to being a healthy scratch. He had TWO freak injuries in one year ... hardly injury prone. The achilles injury sucks, but is not that uncommon - and most people would break their leg if they went into the boards the way he did. When you add this to the (maybe gone?) falsehood about "he hasn't been the same since the injury" stuff (0.49 pts/game in 22-23 and 0.7 in 23-24), it seems like maybe we are all telling ourselves little white lies about JQ to make it easier when the Sabres cast him aside at the age of <checks notes>: 24, because of one bad year.

Not Casey, lol.

I didn't realize the auctions for the jerseys would be over so soon 😞 Usually the Sabres stuff is up for a few days after the event. Weak sauce.

Did a rat skate this morning, great skate - way over my skill level - and a bunch of the guys went out for breakfast after. I think there were 12 of us at the table THREE of us (in Chicago) were Sabres fans. The fan base is there ... give us something to cheer for!!!!!

Assuring prospective new owner of a quick path to that sweet sweet playoff revenue stream is part of the business model of the NHL. "You too can walk all over the Sabres on your way to the Stanley Cup Playoffs!" @Pimlach - exactly. The stars of teams don't go anywhere and the 2nd and 3rd line talent gets spread further and further out - except a few really good teams that manage to hang on to them long enough to get a cup. It gives FAs more teams to choose from, and as noted - the recent expansion teams seem to be run better than Buffalo 😞

I don't believe the $30M number, because Forbes is a reputable source and they are including all sources of revenue, tickets, merch, concessions, and league revenue sharing. Terry is a successful billionaire business owner, surely he is not stupid enough to forget to include all revenue streams when deciding whether or not he as a net profit or loss. Add to that, the asset has appreciated by close to $1B over 14 years. If he thinks he has "lost money" on the Sabres, he is either very dumb, needs to fire his accountant, or both. This line of thinking is hilarious.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/196791/revenue-of-the-buffalo-sabres-since-2006/#:~:text=The annual National Hockey League,in the 2023%2F24 season. No idea how stadium upkeep, etc is figured into this number - but sure does not seem like he is losing an average of $30M per year. More info from Forbes. Looks like the only person you need to "know" is Google: https://www.forbes.com/teams/buffalo-sabres/ Operating income by year, 2024 being on the left: From rough math, since 2015 he would be ~+5M. (in the article you can hover and get numbers for each year.

Krebs would be the poster child for "former Sabre player goes to a team where he is used correctly and flourishes"

I wish there was an "Although I don't agree, I see your point" emoji reaction 🙂 And I should say, the entertainment went down with each "fight". Right off the opening faceoff? Ohhhh! Drama! The others? It felt ... staged?