dudacek

I'm really envisioning (Rutherford as?) a senior advisor to Adams and Karmanos who will generally operate the hockey department as a partnership, with Adams being the senior partner. Under them will be the coaches, the player development department, the scouting department, the analytics department, the sports performance department, and a cap-and-contracts guru. I foresee Jakubowski continuing as the contracts guy, I don't have any real insight into the performance department, and they obviously need a new head coach. I would be surprised if additions aren't made to each of the other three departments, but I'm not clear if they will be working with, for, or over existing guys like Forton, Crowe, Nightengale and Ellis. One would think if they are adding a guy like Luce, he will go right to the top of the scouting department.

I don't think Bryson is eligible. And I would be stunned if they didn't protect Joki, especially if he continues playing how he's played with Dahlin the past stretch.

The draft is designed to rob each and every team of their fourth-best defencemen or their 8th-best forward With all due respect to Will Borgen, it seems like the worst-case scenario for the Sabres heading into the expansion draft is losing a 25-year-old with 8 games of NHL experience that we hope hits his ceiling as a 4/5. I'd say compared to catching the competition, the expansion draft is among the least of our concerns.

Setting aside any questions about his skills or his personality, Schopp's lack of knowledge about and obvious disinterest in what is, at worst, the number two focus of his audience is unforgivable in my books.

Let's face it, you just like to argue, and I just like the monthly cheque your wife sends so you're not arguing with her. 😜 (Just in case @jsb hasn't put us back on ignore)

I barely remember Tage's dad as a player, but maybe he could help?

I believe the scuttlebutt was Rutherford would only come if Terry butted out. I heard no such caveat attached to Karmanos. Hope this is the first of several hires to build out the front office again.

Speaking strictly for myself, "at the time I thought Adams made some good moves bringing in Hall and Staal, boy was I wrong" and "I'm glad he sold off the players who weren't coming back for whatever he could get even though I wish he could have gotten more."

The thing that can't be forgotten about is the death of the PP and how it factors into those numbers.

Hey man, I posted this yesterday! I warned you what would happen if you put me on ignore again.

I'll go a step further. The trade deadline made the Sabres better. Taylor Hall and particularly Eric Staal were anchors. Removing Staal's tired legs and Hall's self-absorbed ways created a vacuum on the team that is being filled by two better players right now: Thompson and Mittelstadt. To a lesser extent Bryson and Asplund also have supplanted Montour and Lazar. Their departure probably also probably rearranged the locker room pecking order gave space to players who are simply happier to be here. Never mind that having 10 picks in June instead of 5 puts Adams in a much better position to hit refresh this fall. I generally agree with this theme in your posting. Look at the way the team is playing. I don't think that's what happened this year at all.

That may have been the most emotionally satisfying shootout loss in years. The Bruins will try to characterize it as a game where they manned up and pulled out a victory after taking their foot of the gas. But that's not what happened at all. They tried to bully us into tucking tail and running right out of the arena. We took it on the chin, wiped off the blood and came back with everything we had. They didn't give us an opening, we took it. And by the end we had them on the ropes. That was the closest thing to playoff-style hockey this franchise has seen in years and the boys looked like they want some more. I know I do.

I find it difficult to discuss defensive play because people tend to have a wide variety of reference frames. I think the people who define defence as puck pressure, blocking shots, taking the body, and similar positive acts of aggression are rightly down on Sam's defence. And I think people who define it as covering for teammates, being on the right side of the puck, getting it out of the zone and other positive acts of positioning are rightly high on it. Sam correctly recognizing a bad pinch, rotating back to be an a position to help break up the resulting rush is a signature move. It's just that he sometimes doesn't make the play when he gets there and you see him a stride behind the guy scoring the goal. Lack of urgency is his both his gift and his curse.

The numbers may not back this up, but my sense is Eakin has been almost adequate without Kyle, and Kyle has been OK (and recently pretty good) without Cody. Put them together and it is an absolute disaster.

We all saw it.

I'd go with your memory. High danger chances measure where the shot was taken from, not where players are in relation to where the shot was taken from — ie how open the shooter and the net are.

It may have been life got in the way. He had a serious bout of cancer in his late 30s when his resume was just starting to reach that place. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31194727/the-human-side-buffalo-sabres-18-game-winless-streak-2021

Sabrespace?

Does that mean Kyle to the checking line and one of the checkers sitting?

Thanks for flagging that. Excellent interview For me, the rest of this year is about confirming prospects as players and he really seems to have the perfect mindset for that. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/podcasts/howard-and-jeremy-20258

When you think about it, a drinking age of 21 is pretty stupid, useless, and completely counterintuitive to the way people actually behave.

If Hall picked Boston over Vegas, Hall is foolish. Vegas is a better team with an easier path. I think it was more likely St. Louis, based on the rumour mill and various circumstances. Like you say, we probably will never know for sure, but it sure would be interesting.

Bjork steps out on the ice wearing number 4 and stares Hall down in the warm-up. Hall refuses to make eye contact. Bjork rips off the jersey and lights it on fire at centre ice. Hall looks for Chara. Bjork scores a hat trick, punches Brad Marchand in the nose, then blows kisses to garden faithful before asking Jack Edwards "how do you like me now?" in his post-game interview. Hall loses the puck in the corner

From Adams yesterday, it sounds like there is uncertainty over the correct treatment path (I read it "is surgery necessary") and a decision about that will be made soon. At the time of that decision, we will get an update.

Please don't read this as an endorsement of Granato. But he might be the most well-versed in the X&Os of any coach we had since Lindy. He's certainly the most experienced. https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/104317/don-granato