ska-T Palmtown

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?

In the salary cap era, most teams can't afford to have a designated goon. I am a bit torn on fighting. I can see why something like what Greenway did is needed. Even if Z was getting a penalty - he took liberties and that needs to be fixed. I think it is a fine line because the other way to address crap like that is to overly involve the refs in their subjective penalty calling. As a Sabres fan, I am not sure I want the refs having even MORE influence on the game. I think the USA-Canada fights, while somewhat entertaining, were also kinda dumb from the perspective of having a hockey game.

Let it not be lost that The Athletic ranked them LOWER than the fans (by 0.02 - which is within "rounding error", but STILL!)

Until the Sabres lose the lottery and slide down the "maximum" two spots ... and pick 5th.

I was looking through the trash heap of old threads and could not find the one that either @GASabresIUFAN or maybe @LGR4GM was lamenting the potential disaster that might be the Sabres 2025 cap situation. I was just wondering what the trades and recent signings have done to that situation?

We are spending too much for too little production in other areas to go get Marner 😞 It is kind of odd, now with Cozens gone, many of our good(ish) forwards seem like good deals. I don't think any of our forwards could be classified as a significant overpay. But the overspending on what we are currently getting at D? Oy.

Curses! I have Max to watch cool shows ... and thus also have access to this game 😞 I am not strong enough to stay away on my own.

Lord knows I don't have it in me ... but after 1 pm Eastern on a game day without a thread ... losing 6 in a row will do that to you, I guess.

nifty little move by Rosen.

Yeah, all of that was what brought up my original question ... any total scrub goalies with their name on the cup. I don't think any of them approach being Dilfer-esque.

I think this is such a tough exercise because Trent Dilfer was borderline BAD ... to reiterate, he threw more INTs than TDs in his career ... Corey Crawford - These numbers are very respectable, but his teams were such powerhouses, it is hard to tell: Those numbers are essential over 10 years.

There is a joke in there about the typical Sabres game this year belonging in a circus ....

23-25 bring me an enormous amount of joy This also makes it official, right? Tage Thompson is the #6 center in the league. Done. 😉