LTS

So, if his skates aren't sharp and he still manages to push his way out of position all the time what do you think would happen if he put an edge on them? He might shoot through the side boards... He's clearly just a beast and doesn't need edges, perhaps his claws provide enough traction?

I'd like to think that he left this world knowing that he was on his way home and that a great friend had helped him along the way and that this provided some level of comfort on his final journey. Remember him well, and he shall live forever.

That joke is only funny with 3.14% of people.

There is no reasonable way Kane was staying with the Sabres. None. There's no indication of ANY possibility of it happening. I don't know why people insist on clinging to this concept. Berglund and Sobotka probably would have ended up in another trade deal somewhere else, unless you think St. Louis was ONLY talking to Buffalo and was willing to say, no ROR? how about some picks and we'll give you these two. Oh, and perhaps those picks are the ones that were used to land Sheary and Skinner? I mean, getting the 1st rounder from St. Louis next year kind of provides protection against the 2nd rounder they gave up for Skinner doesn't it? You are making roster moves and trades in a vacuum.

This didn't get the love it deserved... well done.

The good news is that the sooner there is a new update the sooner the last update stops getting dissected. The problem with the off season is that there's not enough news being created. As such we are left with 52 page threads on the color of some player's beer cooler at a charity golf tournament including pages of advanced stats on whether he used the ice properly in the cooler followed by pages blaming the coach for not having experience with proper ice usage.

Only the good die young.... or so it goes.

Well, it has been a civil conversation and for that I applaud. Believe me... I have a hard time staying out of this conversation. Let me say this... after 20 minutes of writing and erasing words... The Catholic Church seems to be content to continue adding to its long and storied history of covering up sexual predatory behavior by its clergy. Knowing that in almost all cases what is reported is only a fraction of what actually happens (regarding pretty much any crime) it only makes the situation worse. Given its lack of real action regarding these matters the discussion, for me, starts with whether it should continue to be recognized as a legal religious entity within the United States and if the entire leadership should be indicted for its complicit behavior and response to abuse by its leadership. The school presidents of both Michigan State and Penn State were forced to resign in the midst of child sexual abuse that occurred while they were in charge of the organization. The CEO of Uber was forced to resign due to sexual harassment. However, when it comes to the Catholic Church people seem content to debate "who knew what" despite the fact that the amount of abuse perpetrated by the clergy of the Catholic Church dwarfs that of Larry Nassar and Jerry Sandusky combined. So... I guess I just jumped into the pool.

He's a child. It's really that simple. He acts like a spoiled child. If Veruca Salt were a male, it would be Donald Trump. Although Donald is orange and not blue.

The only thing I like about football is that it keeps enough people indoors that I can visit places without it being overcrowded. Thank you football!

The key to all of this is that we are discussing the competition for spots that was part of Botterill's plan. Even if the competition today is in the bottom 6, it's still better than some players making the team without even trying. This is good.

Yeah.. sounds about right. I'm going to stay out of this conversation... I find religious discussions to be infinitely more difficult to navigate compared to political.

Cherry picking season ends mid-August around WNY.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/25/politics/john-mccain-obituary/index.html Regardless of the politician he was, he did serve his country and he was a POW. That gets my respect. Tough to think about his decision making process in stopping treatment knowing that the end was near. He clearly was a guy who didn't give up easily.

#firstworldproblems ... and you know it better than any of us.

You put the what in the who, when? You know what... brag all you want. This is amazing stuff. When you invest everything into something and are filled with doubts it makes it all that much more amazing when you come out on the other side not only successful, but ahead of where you thought you could even be. If that's not something you can brag about I don't know what is... Well done sir.

I think the league is subtly moving that way. Players realize the precarious balance of their heads. The hits are still there but they tend to me lessening in frequency (eye test). There are still some huge hits as well. That said, it's a game that allows contact and there is going to be contact and at times it will be violent and unavoidable. If you play a game at a high enough pace at some point you are going to find yourself in an unavoidable collision. I don't really like fighting, but I don't like players being disrespectful turd-blossoms either. Even in the leagues I play in, non-checking, I've taken some big hits. It's a matter of two people needing to be in the same place at the same time. Incidental contact and boom. It's definitely not the same as laying a hip into someone or running a player along the boards though.

Not at all... but it fits your narrative. And this is why... for as bad as Buffalo was.. no one wanted Antipin in trade and he wasn't cracking the lineup. Antipin might have promise, but that mentality is why he's never going to be a winner. He's basically saying he'd prefer to go back to a lower level and win than play at the highest level and lose. I can go into a 3rd grade gym glass and kick the crap out of them in dodge ball. Am I winner? Sure, I won the game. But I'm a loser at life. Antipin is trending in the wrong direction on this one.

A likable goaltender isn't going to overcome a lack of talent. As I said, all things being equal... a goaltender who is respected will get better effort from a team than one who is not. If you don't trust your goaltender, odds are good you don't respect him. I've played on teams too, I've seen it. I've coached it. It's human nature and it's not just applicable in sports. This might be something to buy into, if it were ONLY the Buffalo Sabres who had an opinion on Housley. But it isn't. There was a lot of praise being thrown on Phil from all over hockey circles. There's no fan emotion in that praise. Last year's team may have had talent but it had no cohesion. The assertion that talent trumps teamwork is absurd. Just doesn't happen... they are related, not independent from each other.

Yes, I acknowledged that Fleury tended to suck it up in the playoffs. In addition, in 2017, if i recall correctly, Murray was injured and Fleury got them through the first few rounds of the playoffs. As for the point about other players being respected, I think it's very different. If there's going to be a shot on net and a player isn't inspired as much to get in the way or change the angle of the shot, it makes the goaltender's job harder. If there's a need to bust butt back up the ice to backcheck to prevent a shot on net or even hassle the shooter so the shot isn't as high quality it's less likely a player is going to do it because when the goaltender says something about it in the locker room, no one is going to care. If the goaltender isn't supported then that potentially they don't try as hard either... and goal goes in net. Apply that to any other player and the goal doesn't necessarily go in the net. It might be 1 player out of 18 skaters that doesn't get a pass, but if they aren't trying hard they might get benched or they might have a bad year, the puck doesn't go in the net. The same holds true in football. If the RB or QB aren't respected by the O-Line, what's the different in effort they put into blocking? It's not the same as a WR not being respected... then the QB might not throw him the ball.

If it had not been gourmet steak would it have been okay?

Yeah. It's not always so much about the news outlets while a story is in the news. It's about any source that follows up on a story so that you could get a start to finish on what happened. I know it's a long shot since most people don't care enough to want to know what happens. This is why it's bad to be accused of a crime and arrested even if you aren't guilty of it (and especially if someone else is). The public labels you immediately and then moves on. No need for facts or reality.

You don't? https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/2018-nhl-playoffs-five-reasons-the-pittsburgh-penguins-were-eliminated-by-the-washington-capitals/ The Penguins are an exceptionally talented team. There were a few things that went wrong in that series. Washington also was an exceptional team. However, Murray's play was less than exceptional. Perhaps Fleury doesn't fare any better, there's no real way to tell. However, he was gone and players certainly talked about how his presence in the locker room would be missed. Simultaneously, the team he went to continually pointed to Fleury as being a huge reason why they were winning. There's no way to definitively prove that example, one way or another. I don't think it's unreasonable to believe that Fleury has an impact on the team he plays for and that players want to play just a bit harder for him. All of that aside, the point was about a goaltender who has respect in the locker room will carry a team further than one who doesn't, all things being equal.

The way this league is trending, there are only a handful of players who are worth the long term deal at 28/29 (at least at the range Karlsson is going to get) There are far more players worth the long-term deal that gets them to 28/29. You keep Reinhart... Karlsson is someone else's bad investment. If you sign Reinhart to 6 years at his price tag he'll probably still be movable if he's not where you want him to be. If you sign Karlsson you'll have to make one of those salary cap adjustment trades that can be pulled off but usually at the expense of one of your younger potential stars.