LTS

Oooo evil Sith lord!

It's really about if his penalties are off-set at the time they take them or if the Sabres score more PPG when he draws a penalty than they give up when he takes a penalty. It doesn't do the team any good if they only score 1 in 10 times on the power play if they give up goals 3 of 10 times when he's in the box.

Hmmm.. I never recall this happening until this past time I was there. Granted I did not buy much water, but my kid did. And there's a great idea right there. Not only that but I really hate single serve bottles.

I believe this. The points are nice but his ability to read the play and move the puck stood out for me. Like many other players in this situation, especially at his age, I am concerned about his ability to wither the grind of a 82 game season and playoffs. It's not a bad problem to have though.

Well poop. When I looked earlier it wasn't on there. scratch my theory.

This makes sense. The Sabres clearly do not want to just get rid of a goalie and so they are forced to keep all 3. They might want a trade, but at the same time teams know that no team wants to carry 3 goaltenders. It's a battle of wills, are teams like Tampa willing to go into the season with their goaltenders or are they willing to make a trade? Of course with more players still to hit waivers, and doing so now, that might change things. For example, is Martin Jones now an option for Tampa?

I was probably not clear. Dahlin might have been asking for trade restrictions and the Sabres were negotiating against providing them, thus Dahlin seeking more money in compensation for agreeing to an open movement contract.

I wonder about two things in particular to the higher amount. First, I've seen no mention of any trade restrictions on this contract. I wonder if the Sabres wanted that and Dahlin countered with more money to accommodate. Second, with many players signing short term UFA deals earlier this summer, I wonder if Dahlin's camp approached the Sabres and said, you can pay us a bit more now or wait for someone to set the new baseline in the next few years. All in all, the biggest benefit (other than being signed) is if it's true that he can be moved at will.

I know what I said, and the word was not predetermined. Nothing I said at all indicates he won't be able to compete or that the team knows for sure. My comments are that they need to be sure. Nothing more. They aren't even my opinion but commentary on how management makes decisions on rosters. This has been going on for as long as players have been trying out for teams. It's not even a Granato or Adams thing. You seem to be relating the all of the potential outcomes of a preseason with the word predetermined. Roster flexibility and the ability of a player to perform at an NHL level throughout a season are concerns for every player in this situation, it has nothing to do with Benson or anyone. There's nothing predetermined. You have players compete in preseason so you can gauge the likelihood of their ability to compete at the NHL level for a full season. That seems rather obvious.

That said, before the Peter Gabriel concert I received an email each from KBC and TicketMaster telling me of the policy. That did not happen last year so I suspect they heard some complaints. The newest joy is them taking the plastic caps from the bottles if you buy something to drink (water, etc.). I guess it's to allow the bottle to empty a bit should you want to throw it? No idea.

Just run the damn thing from below the goal line and those one-timers will open up even more. It should also reduce short-handed opportunities against as the defense is forced to play lower in the zone. I still wait for the day some NHL team uses this and shows success.. and they will show success.

Who said predetermined? You are making a counterpoint to a point that was not made. If the original point does not exist, then your counterpoint is, by virtue, also non-existent.. therefore your comment is pointless. Just having some fun, but seriously. I didn't say predetermined, so you should re-read what I posted and make a counterpoint to that. True, but that does speak to the contract/roster flexibility. I don't just mean at this point in time but for as long as those assets are in the system. Starting a contract without getting the full potential is, at a business level, wasteful. All things can be worked around, naturally. With younger players the tendency is to keep things flexible, especially when a team has a talented roster. And again, I will say it. I like Benson, a lot. I would like nothing more for him to be on this team and to provide the Sabres with roster flexibility to ice a top 9 that are all scoring threats. I don't know where Benson ends up this season, but his play so far indicates his trajectory is top line eventually.

It's never about just the talent of the players that can be in the lineup. This is one aspect that has to be taken into account. Until a team is a near absolute lock to challenge for the Cup (not just make the playoffs) a good GM isn't planning to win this year at the expense of any future years. Burning contracts reduces roster flexibility. And roster flexibility is the real key to all of this. If the situation was like the AHL then it would be a no brainer. But it's not and that will more than likely lead the team to send both Benson and Savoie back to Wenatchee. Simply put, if either of them are kept past 9 games then there is no other spot for them. If they struggle, the team is handcuffed on what they can do. No ability to trade for someone and send the struggling player to the AHL. The team has to be damn sure the player can contribute and contribute for a full 82 game + playoff season. Benson looks good now, but what does he look like in February after the grind of the NHL? I just don't see a team with the stated goal of making the playoffs limiting its ability to move proven NHL roster pieces around. And I think Benson is fantastic, I think if he could be sent down to the AHL then I would put him on this roster until Quinn returns or he begins to struggle. I love how he sees the ice and anticipates the play. But.. the business wins in the end.

Love Pizza PLant. Go there almost every time before a game. Great beer selection and love PODs. Johnny Ryan uses pure cane sugar versus HFCS... I don't drink any of the stuff any more but I avoid HFCS at all opportunities. See above!

It's admirable, but once "American" cars began being primarily built outside of the United States I began looking for cars that were mostly built within the United States. I'd rather see the money go to support the team on the floor versus the team in the office.

Every hit? Good thing the Sabres are not playing at home given their stingy statisticians!

I'll give you my opinion about the lines in the GDT on 10/12/23. Might as well speculate on the Powerball numbers at this point. 🙂

Yeah, I bought a PC instead because they get better deals. but, I never buy cutting edge anyway.. it's far too expensive. I have been toying with building a racing rig, full seat frame and everything. But.. common sense keeps winning out. 🙂

Liquid cooling has been around awhile. It replaces the thermal fan you would normally use and that creates a much quieter setup. Sure it's great for heat dissipation as well, but the silence (and often the LED bling) are the primary reasons people choose it. I didn't build a PC the last time I upgraded because of the cost of video cards. I've been considering an upgrade but, just don't need it these days.

They'll need to rely on upping the STH count, and the team is not good enough for that, not yet. That's when your almost die hard fans justify buying in for the season. That's when they can feel confident that a Tuesday night game in January will sell on the resale market except... Factor in an crap economy, an ever increasing cost of attending a game, a lower tier arena experience, and I think people are content to sit at home and watch the game.

Tage is big, but I am sure splitting him in half will half serious impacts to his game. 🙂 Let's just leave it to hockey here. Hockey is a sport that routinely sees kids at a very young age going off and living away from their families for an extended period of time. Our friend's daughter has been at prep school since 14 playing hockey. These kids are going to play hockey for a good part of the day and then get an education. They are being banged up and are playing against bigger individuals. If Zach Benson were in college his year, he'd be playing against 22 year olds who are bigger and stronger. Overall, I'm can't recall if a team can have Benson play a few games, then send him down, and bring him back again to play a few more. If that's possible then I suspect that if they feel Benson can contribute immediately they'll send him back to Wenatchee while they work a trade that opens up a roster spot and then recall him. Having him sitting in the press box while working a trade is a clear indication the Sabres think he's ready and it could impact value. I won't prognosticate more. I need to see him in an NHL game against a full NHL squad.

I'll take phrases inkman likes to hear for $500 Alex. No watching the game for me tonight... oh well. I'm saving my money for as long as I can before I make a decision on how I will watch the Sabres this season.

Not sure. I expected it to be blacked out.. but I'm not complaining!

I'm in Rochester and watching on ESPN+. I don't like Edwards, but I've never heard him sound like this. He sounds like he is suffering a medical condition. I'm not even trying to be sparky. I'm actually concerned for him.

It was a great show.