In The Buff
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Posts posted by In The Buff
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2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:
Truth.
Cirelli is still who I would target. Tampa is a hard trade partner thought with all their NMC. Tampa might want some RHD help after this season. The issue is they won't trade him until this summer when they need to pay him and they could still wiggle out of their cap issues and keep him.
Cirelli would be a good target. I know he's a name we've mentioned for a couple years now. He's one of 6 RFA'S Tampa will have to deal with heading into next year, in addition to 4 UFA's & they only have $8 Million in cap space to do it... so someone has to go. He is arguably their best 2 way forward & I have no doubt that we would be interested. Its just that other teams will be interested as well.
Toffoli would be another potential target & I know his name has been mentioned from time to time. Its been said the asking price for Toffoli is a 2nd round pick & a prospect, so that seems like a pretty fair ask. But I believe he's an UFA going into next season so we'd have to be confident in signing an extension with him. Jason Zucker is another name you hear quite often. He won't wow you or anything but all he does is play a consistent game & put up 20 goals a year. Has a modest cap number of $5.5 mil thru 2023. Seems his name is mentioned year after year. I gotta figure at some point those rumors pan true & he's moved... that whole where theres smoke theres fire kinda thing.
There are options out there, but with so many teams coveting quality forwards there'll be bidding wars so to speak, with teams trying to maximize their returns on guys like these.
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3 hours ago, tom webster said:
This is all true but playing half his games in a state that has no state taxes will still lower his tax bill relative to the rest of the league.
Yes of course... pretty sure that was already stated. But his question was about paying taxes for away games in different states (which is something thats not as commonly known) & thats what i answered.
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1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:
You sure? I thought it was based on their place of residence during the season and not on where the games were?
Yes he's right. Its called a Jock Tax. And besides from having to pay a tax for each State in which they play, some cities also add an additional City Tax, generally another 4% or so on top of that. So at the end of the year, players will file 10-20 State Tax forms for the various States in which they've played, on top of the taxes they pay for their home residing State.
Theres lots of articles out there about it. Just a few months ago our own Scott Wilson filed a complaint vs the city of Pittsburgh for their tax scheme towards non resident athletes. Article here if you're curious: https://www.si.com/nhl/2019/11/27/pittsburgh-jock-tax-scott-wilson-kyle-palmieri Every State & City has different requirements of course & i don't know what the current laws/rules state. But yes afaik players are still required to pay for away games in States where that's a thing.
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Adam Henrique gets mentioned here a lot by some posters. Why i'm not quite sure, maybe its a perceived lack of options. I've said this before but I just don't see Anaheim even wanting to trade him in the 1st place. Not to mention he has a 10 team no trade clause. But he just signed a 5 year extension in 2018. Thats not something a team usually does when they're considering moving him.
He's also their 2nd highest scorer in terms of goals, 1 behind the leader at 14. He's now on their top scoring line playing alongside Getzlaf & Sprong. But he also takes lots of important draws for them, as he has the best Faceoff percentage on the team. All this for making a hair under $6mil a year til 2023-2024.
Anaheim is on the outside looking in on making a wildcard spot, so come the deadline i could see them willing to shed a contract or 2 of an under performing player to get younger or out of a bad contract to build for the future. But moving Henrique wouldn't really fit that idea. He's 1 of their top scorers who can play anywhere in the lineup on a decent deal.
What would it take from us to get the deal done? I don't think we'd be willing to overpay & we don't have much cap space to take any cap back in a cap dump. I guess anythings possible but it takes 2 to tango & i don't see either side wanting to make a trade here & have yet to hear a plausible scenario for one either.
Rumors out of Pittsburgh are that Galchenyuk is on the block again. I'd say a trade with them would be more likely than Henrique & even with Galchenyuk i don't see that happening either. But i'd be more likely to believe that as a possibility than Henrique. As sad as it sounds i think maybe Botts makes a move for futures at the deadline but he waits til the offseason to do anything substantial.
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Saw this on espn's hockey portion of their site for bold 2nd half predictions for the season:
What candidates for Pres above Botts that would either accept the position & be what we need is beyond me. RK i could see a few years down the road, but we need someone now. Correction, years ago.
Patience is probably the Sabres version of "The Process".... since we don't seem to have any process at all besides from needing more patience... which we're all running short on after years of this mess.
Just need a little more patience. Someone should make a Sabres version of this song. GM in the office late at night, trying to make a trade & get it right. Hard to deal with so many around, you know i don't like being seen in the crowd. And the seasons don't change but maybe the year. Whole things depressing as i drown in more beer.
No seriously, think i need to get drunk now & forget about all this. I know, just need a little more patience haha, shoot me!
But yeah we're gonna need a lot of it...
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@North Buffalo I have a friend who uses the online handle of Ukko. Ukko in Finnish mythology is the equivalent of Thor. I think Ukko itself translates to thunder.
But he always makes a point to correct people that its Ukko, not Uko. Seeing your title i just had to see if u could correct it. Thanks for sharing btw, pretty cool!
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I still enjoy going to the arena to watch the Sabres play. I still get that anticipation & excitement walking into the arena. Its just that sometimes by the end of the 1st period that feeling has turned into dread haha. I don't really go to games as much as I used to, just because I don't really have the extra money to spend on a game experience that ends in a loss or disappointment. But when it comes to supporting the team, i still stand behind them. Because I don't ever want to take them being here for granted. For years our franchise had that dark cloud over it, where we weren't sure they'd even stay in Buffalo or not. So i'm thankful they're still here.
As for a contest I suppose you could assign people a number & just have a simple or impartial lottery. Or maybe you could pick a set of games coming up & have people guess what the score would be, or which Sabre would score the 1st goal & decide the winner based on the correct answer.
Or if you're looking for something more creative, maybe have a contest for best new Sabres slogan? For an example: "You'll give away the whole seat, but we'll only need the edge".
Or "Don't fall on your sword. Stick with the Sabres as they cut up the competition."
I don't know, i'm just talking gibberish now haha. I'm sure you'll come up with something! Most likely something way better than i suggested!
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Figures lol
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Ullmark having a phenomenal game tonight. If it wasn't for him, we could easily be down right now. TB has had a ton of great scoring chances.
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1 minute ago, KC Scouts said:
I have no problem with the Sabres (Dalton Smith) going after Cernak or any other Lightning player for that matter (Kucherov deserves a beating too but he won't get it).I hope he does, I really do. Sending a message has been long overdue! It should have been done right away but that is the bugaboo that has followed this team for long time. However,If they are going to do it, they has better be ready for retaliation and if they don't have the stomach for that, don't do it.
I don't think we're gonna do anything dirty per se. Thats not what RK wants us to be. But i think its a good thing that we'll have someone who is not only not afraid to get in someones face, but someone who is capable of smashing one should a need for that come up. But with the media attention towards Cernak & Smith, i think its inevitable that something happens between those 2.
I'd rather we'd be talking about a new 20-30 goal scorer being added to the team, but if Dalton Smith makes us a tougher team to play against, I'm all for it. Gretzky had a protector on the ice, Lemieux, Ovechkin. if we can find a guy who can help protect our young stars & not be a liability at the same time, i think that'll help our team for sure. It'll be interesting to see how he does.
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39 minutes ago, Zamboni said:
RK is playing Ullmark too much. I know some people don’t like it, but Hutton needs to rotate in there every once in a while. A little more than he has been. Even if Hutton has been subpar/terrible or whatever satisfying adjective one likes to use.
I think the break for christmas was enough of a rest for Ullmark. But he's playing him so much out of necessity at this point. That said, Hutton will probably get the nod in Edmonton with Ullmark starting again in Florida before a 4 day break into St Louis.
Ullmark is young, im not too worried about his usage so far. I'm more worried about Hutton's play to date & everyone else tbh.
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After his 1st season he said that he was gonna work a lot on his one timers, since he admitted he hadn't really done that in his career up to that point but saw how important of a skill/shot that was to have.
He still needs to work on it & i think in time his shot will improve. Once he adds more weight & size to his frame & grows more into a man than a teenager, i expect he'll grow in all areas. Both literally & figuratively. I think we just need to be patient. Comparisons like Lidstrom were getting thrown around before he ever stepped on the ice. Its gonna take time for him to get there.
But his shot doesnt concern me. His giveaways concerned me a bit but i expect that'll improve in time as well. If theres anything i'd like to see it'd be for him to be more assertive with his game. But that'll come with more confidence out there.
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Its rough when you look at those lines & see only 4 forwards out of the 12 as players you'd want on your team.
You could make arguments for maybe 1 or 2 more of those guys in a 4th line role, but thats a pretty pathetic NHL roster.
I honestly do feel bad for Jack & I hope this stretch of hockey doesnt jade him too much.
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Whether they should keep KO or not is kind of a mute point imo. As already stated, his contract makes it near impossible to move him if you even wanted to.
More likely what happens is that he plays out his contract here until kyle retires. I wish him good health but with the style of play he has, and his history of concussions, i'm afraid he's just another hit away from getting another one & hanging it up. That thought has already been part of the discussion with Kyle. So if that god forbid does happen again, I don't see KO playing out to the end of his contract at 35 anyways.
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2 hours ago, OhMyDahlin said:
Not if it means sending them Ristolainen so he kicks our @ss every time we play them.
Miller? Go for it, he's not very good at all.
That being said, I don't think Kapanen moves the needle for us.I agree with the 1st two. The last one not so much. Sure i'd like someone better or a 2C, but Kap is a feisty enough RW who put up 20 goals last year & is on his way to doing that & more this year. IF he were on our team he'd be 5th in scoring, right behind Skinner. And he fills a position of need imo, since we're kinda thin at RW. I think he instantly improves our top 9 & is on a good contract til 2021. And he's a Finn & would fit in with the rest of our players from that region.
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Its a tough trade market for a player like Bogo. Even if you bought one & got one free, you know, a bogo it'd be difficult. But with this one all you get is a 29 year old slow, 1 hit away from another hip surgery $5 million cap eater.
We might have to package him with a Mitts or a 3rd Rd pick or eat some salary to move him & most of what i just said seems too much to get rid of without something substantial coming back. Nothing short of a miracle, it seems staying the course with what RK is doing will be what happens & you hope Bogo's play improves to the point where he's happy or we can move him.
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47 minutes ago, tom webster said:
And I don’t understand how people need to treat sports teams as the same industry. All four major sports have different corporate structures, different management structures and different roster structures. What does being a first round pick in hockey have anything to do with being a first round pick in football?
Its about expectations. Just saying theres the expectation that if you're a 1st round pick in any major sport, youre expected to be a top tier player, not a 3rd running back or 12th forward in the NHL. And thats true, there is that expectation. But it doesn't always pan out that way in the NHL & thats not to say that player can't go on to have a solid career. But if you were drafted 14th like Girgensons, or 8th like Mittelstadt, there was an expectation that you could turn out to be something more than say a 4th line player or a healthy scratch.
Whole thing with hockey is that theres so many variables to a players development. Often a players draft position detracts from who they are. And its not like the players get to choose where they get drafted. If we drafted Girgensons at 14 & he's forever a 4th line player, then that was our mistake drafting him too high, because you hope for more than that with the premium that 1st round picks have. But that doesn't mean he can't be a solid player for you.
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3 hours ago, PASabreFan said:
I defer to Freddie.
Each section should have a fan captain and alternate captains.
Honestly there are a lot of things that could be done, but they would not serve the corporate masters, so...
Yeah that'd be cool. At this point i'd be supportive of just about anything to change the atmosphere in the arena. I'd really like us to do something that Vegas has been doing. With more elaborate pre game ceremonies. Start a new Buffalo themed Sabres tradition that gets everyone fired up.
Also a change of music in there would be appreciated by me. 20 years of Cotton Eyed Joe is too much imo. Seems like we have the worst music playing in the whole league. Its almost embarrassing compared to what i hear in other arenas. If the music is supposed to pump people up, it surely doesnt do that here.
I hope winning can make the environment more exciting but i wonder if at this point, if only a new arena can promote a change like that. But its not like that's happening anytime soon.
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Losing is a big part of it. Having the impression that the players on the ice arent giving 100% effort is another part. But for me, why i dont go to as many games anymore besides from the cost/benefit value part of it is that the arena is a mausoleum. Its just not that fun of an experience as it used to be.
At the Aud it used to be rocking. During the early days of HSBC Arena, fans would be engaged & you could scream at the players & for your team & you were just another fan having a good time. But now if you do that everyone looks at you like youre crazy & that you should sit down & stop making noise. Like i seriously feel awkward chanting & making noise at the game. And as a result the arena is so quiet you can hear a pin drop. That is unless Toronto is in town & their fans take over the arena.
How does this all change? Winning sure would help. But its gonna take a long time & imo a concerted effort by the PR staff of the team to change the culture inside the arena. Because at the moment its just not that fun of an experience for the money it costs.... unless we win of course. Because you're happy we won. But the atmosphere is still the same. Its a mausoleum.
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2 hours ago, pi2000 said:
Larsson centering Skinner is an abomination.
You're paying Skinner $9m/yr and give him Johan Larsson as his center.... Johan Larsson, a guy who's averaged about 15-16 assists per season over his career.
This organization man, I have no words.
Obviously its not ideal. It'd be great to pencil in a McDavid in that spot, but for the time being its something we have to deal with. And tbh I'm all for trying it if they perform like they did last night. We just lit up the Devils 7-1, had scoring thruout our lineup. Larsson had 3 assists. RK wants balance amongst the lines & he's not afraid to mix things up to achieve that goal. Given what he has to work with, that's really all he can do.
One things for sure, its increased competition within the group & given some of these players who have long been relegated to lesser minutes historically in their careers an opportunity to gain more ice time & play a more significant role. Like Larsson for instance ?
After a 7-1 win, i can't really complain today
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We've discussed the tear down & tank & years of suck ad nauseum for years now. This Thanksgiving the one thing i can be thankful for is not thinking about that today. Ownership on down thru our team & city knows the fans are sick of losing & that we've had enough of it. I'm 100% confident that this is no secret lol. So I don't see a manifesto as something thats needed, but if it floats your boat go for it.
In the meantime spend time with your family & try to enjoy it. Happy Thanksgiving SS ?
47 minutes ago, Pimlach said:I did not watch the Calgary game. I am visiting family in Dallas for Thanksgiving. I could have streamed it but why distract myself from people I love.
I missed another mediocre performance and another home loss. The wheels are falling off.
I will be at the Bills Cowboys game.
Enjoy the game, GO BILLS!
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8 hours ago, OhMyDahlin said:
"The Sabres have made a number of bad trades in which they've parted with valuable assets and not gotten much back (Lehner, E. Kane, ROR), while the Bills haven't done so.'
How does that have so many votes? The Bills got rid of Watkins, Woods, Goodwin, Gilmore, Dareus, and several others, while getting nothing of value in return.
Thats not really a fair statement.
The Bills traded Watkins because they werent going to resign him & in return received a 2nd round pick.
Woods was also going to test the free agent market & at the time the Bills didnt want to commit big money. In hindsight they probably shouldve done more to keep him but at the time football analysts graded the Rams for the trade a 'D' after they gave him the contract, saying "he wasnt worth what they gave him." It was said Woods also gave LA a "hometown discount" so he could play back home, playing for millions less than what the Bills most likely would've had to dish out.
Dareus, it was addition by subtraction. His work ethic was questioned, his $96 Million contract was too high for his production & they got rid of a player who didnt buy in to McD & there was all that off field nonsense. He was a liability on & off the field. Looking at what he's done in Jax since the trade, it looks like a great move. He hasnt done anything down there.
Gilmore's been great for NE now, but it didnt start out that way. But once again he was in the last year of his deal & the Bills couldve franchised him for $14 mil, but decided not to. With the money they saved they were able to get Micah Hyde & Jordan Poyer. With the other compensation received, they also turned it into Tre White & EJ Gaines. 4 players, 3 of which that are a cornerstone of a defense that salary wise totaled less than what Gilmore would make.
Thats a Patriots-esque decision there in managing the salary cap.Not every trade a team makes requires an asset of equal or greater value to be a success. Sometimes shedding salary is the asset you value. Or shedding a player that doesnt fit the system you deploy. Or shedding a player who's heart isnt in it & is a liability out there. Or acquiring draft capital.
The point is that the Bills have had a plan & have made decisions based on that plan. Some work out, some are a wash & some will fail. Thats just the nature of building a team. And weak schedule or not, the team is obviously on an upwards trajectory. And if Allen continues to grow as he appears to be doing, the Bills window for success will be a long one.
If it was so easy for a GM to make the perfect moves, every team would be a winner. Obviously its not. Botterill had a plan too, get younger, get faster & more skilled, build for the future, get the salary cap straightened out, build up ur affiliates. But the nature of contracts in the NHL is far different than that in the NFL. You can't walk away from players as easily & players take much longer to develop. Comparing the 2 teams just isnt a fair comparison imo.-
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I dont see us trading top prospects & picks away for short term relief. Only if its for a player who he thinks is a critical piece moving forward.
We're not gonna see Botts trade away Asplund or Pilut & a 2nd for Kyle Turris.
But he will have to trade something. You don't get anything good in return for nothing.
His strategy has always been build from within, playing the long game. So i dont see him doing anything rash or crazy.
But we surely need him to do something.
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28 minutes ago, ... said:
I don't know WTF you're over-reacting to now. Breathe and observe how the posts unfolded. If you're still upset, I can direct you to a good CBD store.
OMFG, I'm not down on, or criticizing ROR, BUT HE NEVER MADE AN IMPACT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE TEAM. Whoever is to blame for that.
I get the point you're trying to make, but with what you're saying you could add Eichel to that list. Eichels our best player but we're still a crap team so how impactful is he if we're still crap? The thing about ROR & Eichel is that we know they are both 2 excellent players. We weren't crap because of them. We're crap because of the lack of quality pieces around them.
There should be no doubt at all that if ROR were still here we'd look a lot better. Because now 2 years later we have a couple added pieces, (MOJO, VO) but with ROR being gone, have 1 crucial piece removed. A strong 2 way 2C.
Even though its far from a finished product, I'd much rather have this than what we have now:
Skinner-Eichel-Reinhart
Olofsson-ROR-Johansson
Vesey-Mittelstadt-Asplund
Girgensons-Larsson-Lazar
Okposo/RodriguesCozens next year in our lineup as well. I'd feel a lot more comfortable with how our team would look then, than i do now
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2nd line centre anyone?
in The Aud Club
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less... but hey you never know