Weave

Casey Mittlestadt looked good because it was relative to what we had available at the time. “Credibly” has alot to do with expectations. He was better than our alternatives then, but if your expectations are playoffs, he is not a credible roster addition. A few off-seasons ago I said Mitts will be a useful depth forward in the NHL. Something just north of replacement value. For a brief moment I thought he might prove me wrong. Nope. The only way Mitts is someone worth putting back on the roster is if Norris ends up on LTIR. Even then, he’s probably not a center on the Sabres anymore. I just don’t see him as a worthwhile add to the roster unless this team is in a roster bind.

They didn’t show it last season. That youtube video showcased it. In theory we got 2 new guys for the bottom 6. JJP is gone, but Quinn is gonna eat most of those minutes on the 2nd line.

Someone in the last 24hrs posted a youtube video discussing why this team hasn’t been successful recently. I watched it just a few hrs before it was posted here. The analysis the youtube poster suggested is that this team is built for scoring on the rush, and taking shots from further out when not on the rush. It has been their MO since at least Granato and continued last season. So what you are suggesting isn’t a new path. It is status quo. We all know this team does not routinely go to the net. I am not convinced Doan and Danforth, both bottom 6 guys, are making a dent in this teams “go to the net quotient “.

They have changed too. We’ve been through several iterations of Asst Coaches since Bylsma dared to install a defensively responsible system and was roundly criticized for it.

He said Rob Ray, so I doubt it.

Interesting view from the outside, The Hockey Guy on YouTube is of the opinion that Rob Ray is the best color guy in the NHL.

I’d say about 13 yrs into a playoff drought. Does that mean we’re out of the worst of it? Ask me again in late November.

I was there with my family. The kids spent way too much on my wife’s birthday and got tickets for the 4 of us. Surprised “us” this morning. I knew, but had been sworn to secrecy. The only reason they told me, was because my job was to keep the calendar clear. They bought what they could afford. The tix were in the tippy top row, 300 level. We got there around halfway through Dashboard Confessionals set. Up to the last row in the dark, made our way to our seats, sat down, and I noticed my wife was on the verge of hyperventilating. She was near terrified. She’d never been in the arena cheap seats, and I didn’t expect this. A couple of songs in, I went back down to floor level to find account services to see if I could pay for an upgrade. Nope. Not a single ticket available for us to buy in the lower level. Yikes. I offered to take everyone out on the town. I suggested we listen for a bit at a hallway hightop table. She stuck it out through the opener, and when the lights came on between bands she settled down a bit. She never fully got comfortable, but did relax enough to do some butt dancing when the Dolls came on. She did say she was ready to go before they ended. I assume it was a song or two before encore, assuming they did an encore. She got a t shirt. That made her happy. Lesson to self, no cheap seats for Momma.

Fixed.

Related to my post yesterday in the Random thread….. The pooch my son and daughter-in-law just took in as a foster is a bit of a genetic mess it would seem. Spinal issues, front leg issues, rear leg and hip issues, jaw and teeth issues. This poor dog has badly inbred written all over it. The rescue group will be setting up and paying for a vet evaluation. The kids are expecting the worst. I suspect the kids are giving this guy a comfortable send off. Sad. And anger inducing at the same time.

Im not convinced they’ve ever succeeded at the second part.

A couple evenings ago, my son and his wife became aware of a dog wandering the streets. I guess it was pretty obviously dumped in the neighborhood. Someone took it off the street to keep it safe, but wasn’t able to hold it. My son tracked down a rescue group that agreed to step in. He has decided to foster it, get it crate and house trained, and healed up. It has open wounds on its paws pads and appears to have some sort of skin issue/infection. If it goes well, the kids may adopt it themselves, but for now have committed to fostering it in preparation for someone to adopt it. I am proud as hell that these kids are so good hearted, but man, they have some work cut out for them. Its an adult dog that was never trained and is minimally socialized.

This is the only response that makes sense.

I can breathe outside. Glorious.

I could see Tage moving back to C and Kulich on the wing if he falters. Probably not the same line thougj.

It’s practically another well.

Condensing everyone’s fears into 1 lineup: Quinn Norris Doan Benson McLeod Tage Zucker Krebs Tuch Malynspelling Danforth Greenway Dahlin Muel Power Byram Timmah! Kessel run Levi UPL Lyons lost to waivers

Mike Foligno is a bigger reach than Mike Peca. 30 goals + and/or 60pts + four times in his career. He was a first line player for a good chunk of his time.

Jordan Greenway .

Grier is a much more reasonable expectation than Peca.

You gotta consider that most players don’t hit their ceilings. We do this so often. It’s where the whole “concept of”. SS meme came from. What’s an 80% of ceiling look like? That’s much more likely.

I still grimace every time I see Quinn in a mock lineup. He so needed to be packaged up for a top 6 vet.