[Is it too soon to think we might actually be good?]

Too soon to tell with the competition we've faced. I do believe, however, that we were/are better than some of the NHL teams that had better records than us last year. We just never got to play them, and they didn't have the same level of competition as us

[What would YOUR goal song be?]

Kiss: God of Thunder

Or anything on the Jim Schonfeld album

[Welcome to the Sabres Will Butcher]

He's probably been called this his entire life

[Out-of-market US fans: Where to watch the Coyotes game?]

I scoured the internet trying to figure this out today. Eventually I gave up and listened to it on WGR. I wasn't sure if it was because ESPN+ wasn't carrying it or that I'm in the Phoenix blackout zone. I live 6 hours from Phoenix and 6 hours from Denver. Both teams are blacked out. Just glad Sabres don't play either too often. Any idea if ESPN+ replays the games even if they don't carry it on Plus? 

[Dahlin Would Be an Elite Forward...]

Not sure how often this has been tried with offensive defensemen but I think at this level he needs to stick with what got him into the NHL. I think Bowman tried this with Housley, and not sure how bad it worked, but needless to say, he went back to defense. Housley played offense in High School, but has Dahlin ever played that position?

[Is Don Granato the best coach the Sabres have had since Lindy Ruff?]

Ted Nolan was good with the Sabres in the 90's. His second stint wasn't so great which could have been a result of a gutted roster, or him being out of the league for a few years. Too early to say with Granato though. We really haven't hit a home run with coaches, and I'm not sure if Bylsma was given enough of a chance to put his mark on the team.

On a side note, does anyone know if Kevin Dineen has ever been looked at as a coaching candidate? Every time the Sabres do a coaching search I think of his time with Portland/Rochester and always thought highly of him.

[Doug Allen will not be performing the Anthems at Sabres Games This Season]

4 hours ago, Andrew Amerk said:

Ironically, I work with a guy also named Doug Allen who won’t get vaccinated because he had COVID. 

Is there even any proof that someone who had COVID is immune? I honestly haven’t been paying attention to news much this year. People who have had the flu can get the flu again, that’s as much as I know. 

From what I understand, people who have had COVID and later the vaccine can have a greater immunity to the virus than simply having the vaccine. I've also read that you are taking a gamble by relying on virus antibodies alone. Here's from Nebraska Medicine:  

More than a third of COVID-19 infections result in zero protective antibodies

Natural immunity fades faster than vaccine immunity

Natural immunity alone is less than half as effective than natural immunity plus vaccination

[OT - if you were casting for a "history of the Buffalo Sabres" movie who would play who?]

 Alex Høgh Andersen plays Martin Biron. Always thought Marty looked like this guy from Vikings. And if Rodney Dangerfield were still alive he would get my vote for Jeanneret.

[Who's going to be captain?]

7 hours ago, lost in dc said:

Stop the madness. The Sabres have already made themselves look bad by taking the “C” off of Eichel. They have devalued him by essentially saying he’s never going to play again for Buffalo. It makes the organization look like they couldn’t run an ECHL franchise. Enough of this, put three “A” s on 3 players and move on. 

I really don't understand why anyone expected Eichel to be the captain. It really puzzles me why this is an actual issue. If Adams never issued a statement about the captaincy and we begin the season with Eichel not being the captain would anyone blink an eye? He doesn't want to be here and It seems like a lot is being made out of a reporters question and Adams honest response. Why would you want the captain of your team be the main guy who want out of here?

[Kevyn Adams Discloses in his Presser that Eichel is No Longer the Buffalo Sabres Captain]

I haven't scrolled through all of the comments, so this may have been said already, but did anybody expect Eichel to be the captain? An injury that requires surgery/recovery as well as missing a big chunk of the season in addition to wanting to get traded. Why is this even news that can be viewed other than neutral?

[What’s Your Favorite Aud Memory?]

Not sure if I'm remembering this correctly as it was a few years back, but it seems like the Sabres were going to have an Elvis night, and give out Elvis masks. Apparently they couldn't get permission from Elvis' people, so instead they gave out Wayne Presley masks.

My other great memories were seeing them play against the Soviet teams. Great battles against the Red Army, and Moscow Dynamo

[OT: G.O.A.T.'s in all sports]

Jim Brown as best all around athlete for playing two sports at a hall of fame level? Maybe Bo Jackson for the same reason.

[Streaming the Sabres Legally]

Thanks for starting this thread-I just got rid of my DirecTV after the price jumped from $74.00 to 122.00. Apparently I had to buy an AT&T service to keep my previous price. I live in NM and the only way I know of to watch Sabre's games is Center Ice. I bought a Roku device for that reason. Does anyone have any experience streaming Center Ice? Do you get a choice in which team's feed you get to watch? Comcast was a crap shoot as to whether it would be the Buffalo broadcast or not. Directv always gave the option. Not sure how well this will work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[The curious case of Rasmus Ristolainen: ?]

I was under the impression that defensemen hit their prime later than offensemen. If that is the case isn't it a little early to be making judgments on a player who has played 3 full seasons in the league and is 22 years old? It seems that most of the top defensemen in the league are 25 or older with Ekblad being one of the big exceptions. Rasmus seems to be playing good now and has the potential to be very good, 

[Expansion draft and league-wide wheeling and dealing]

Does anyone out there know if/how the expansion draft could have effected players in the AHL, or were they protected? Was curious if Nylander could have been taken.

[Vesey signs with Rangers; huge thread now moot]

I have to admit that I knew absolutely nothing about Vesey before the Sabres acquired him and still don't know a whole lot. He sounds like he will be a great prospect, but is it too early to think of him as a top six without ever having played an NHL game? I know he'll be an older rookie who has had a great collegiate career, but are we putting too much stock in him before he proves himself? I definitely think he is worth the gamble, but I don't want to rush him into the lineup if he decides to play with us even though a guaranteed spot would be a selling point.

[Taylor Hall traded straight up for Adam Larsson]

If this was because of future salary cap couldn't Edmonton have gotten a couple of future draft picks or second liners thrown into the deal as well? I don't get this being a straight up trade. 

[C dy H dgs n not qualfied]

Seems talented enough to make a career in the AHL and be a call up on occasion.

[Coaches Challenge on Offsides]

I'd like to get rid of the rule, but if they won't do that, maybe they can adjust it to make teams think twice about using it. Take away the goal if they get it right, and give a delay of game penalty if they get it wrong. 

[Dish Network Center Ice]

I recently switched from directv to comcast and my center ice package is of a much lesser quality than it was with dtv. I made the switch not because i was dissatisfied with directv, but with the internet provider they bundled with which is century link which was awful. While my internet is better, I'm now getting less Buffalo feeds, and less HD feeds. I had every possible option under dtv-home and away broadcasts both hd and sd. Is this an NHL Center Ice problem, or a Comcast one? I assumed Center Ice would be the same no matter what company I dealt with

[Kim Pegula and Buffalo Sabres new goal song]

[I miss Milt Ellis]

The announcers in certain arenas have gotten very annoying with Boston's being my least favorite. Is this a carry over from the NBA where they are paid to be a part of the entertainment?

[All about the Babwatch -- Sabres out]

I don't know if Babcock can put this team over the edge, but it seems that if an elite coach can put the pieces together and make a good team great he will be worth the money in a couple of years. Coaches may be undervalued by teams in the NHL and they may be worth more in the coming years. I think coaches should be paid like players as so many teams may be a coach away from a playoff spot, or a victory. I don't know if there's a Wayne Gretzky of coaches, but there are certainly ones who make good teams really good and should be paid as such. I think a good coach can make a huge difference and I'm surprised there aren't more bidding wars for them especially when it doesn't impact the salary cap (to my knowledge).    

[Sabres should draft Vladmir Putin]

Was he shirtless?

[Name your Derby horse, Sabre style]

Lucky Lindy