Randall Flagg

These guys were only drafted 3 years apart - 2015, 2018. Say they both play 13 years - you're claiming that we definitely won't win a cup while they overlap, but definitely will in Dahlin's twilight? Or do you think that Jack's going to leave but Dahlin won't?

Who do you think will lead NHL defenders in scoring this coming season? And will our man, Rasmus Dahlin, make an appearance at the top of this list? I'm going to list my predictions for the top 10. 1.) John Klingberg - 79 points 2.) Tyson Barrie - 77 points 3.) John Carlson - 73 points 4.) Brent Burns - 70 points 5.) Victor Hedman - 68 points 6.) Thomas Chabot - 65 points 7.) Morgan Rielly - 63 points 8.) Roman Josi - 61 points 9.) Seth Jones - 60 points 10.) Erik Karlsson - 59 points (injuries) Honorable mentions to Dahlin, Gustafsson from Chicago, Letang, Dumba, Yandle, Heiskanen. I think Dahlin finishes around 55 points. I think Giordano falls off a bit.

I read that this means Ryan Miller is the last man standing from the 1999 NHL Draft. Edit: Nope, he has to beat Craig Anderson

Would have guessed that this happened 5 years ago tbh

Man how is Russell Wilson 30 already?

I'd describe it as the bookends being reasonable, not elite, but reasonable (Skinner-Jack-Sam and Zemgus-Larry-Okposo, at least relative to what each line is expected to bring), but sandwiching immense disappointment between them

I think it's really just a product of the purpose of the message board. The same way this board bashes the bills and is optimistic about the Sabres every year, I see the exact opposite on TBD, where you will get pounced on if your criticism of the team goes above John Murphy levels and the Sabres are regularly the butt end of jokes. And people don't like McDermott because he appears conservative/old-school, and they're worried about Allen's accuracy on short/intermediate routes.

I know this isn't a football forum but I'm trying to procrastinate here, so I'm going to go through with my predictions for every team (the W/L records might not add up, it's just a general feel for how well i think they'll do) AFC East 1.) New England Patriots: 12 - 4. Same old same old. 2.) New York Jets: 8 - 8. While Gase and Gregggg are rather mediocre and goofballs, I think Darnold is legit and their WRs are enticing, as is Bell if he still has it. For as bad as the outside of their defense is, the middle of it looks to be pretty damn good. They're on the rise, though I don't think this coaching staff is going to be there long-term. 3.) Buffalo Bills: 8 - 8. I think the right side of Morse-Ford-Nsekhe is going to be a wall, though I'm worried about LG. Either way, Allen and the backs will have a lot more time than they did last year, even if the line isn't GREAT yet. And while our skill positions are spectacularly mediocre, I like John Brown and Cole Beasley more than any receiver we used last year, so there's at least improvement even though it's not really acceptable yet. Someday we'll join the modern NFL with a modern TE. The defense should be solid, needs to be better in the red zone. You obviously shouldn't analyze the schedule before you see teams play, but it appears that our first half is a lot easier than our second half, so I predict a strong start and struggle at the end. 4.) Miami Dolphins: 3 - 13. Fitz throws for 432 yards and 4 TDs in each of those three wins. They're trying to lose. The question is do they draft Tua or try and wait for Lawrence? Or both? They robbed Houston getting 2 first rounders and a 2nd rounder for a mediocre WR and a tackle who was bad his rookie year and solid-but-not-spectacular in year 2. AFC North 1.) Cleveland Browns: 11 - 5. They manage to control the egos in the room (mostly because the big ones, Baker and OBJ, are satisfied sharing 1400 passing yards and 13 passing TDs). The story/face of the NFL this season. 2.) Pittsburgh Steelers: 9 - 7. Ben and Juju is still a lethal combination, I think I've read that their defense might be good this year? The RB they used in place of Bell did just fine last year. Drafted a nasty LB in round 1. 3.) Baltimore Ravens: 9 - 7. Lamar is really hard to get a handle on. The league could catch up to what they did with him last year, but he could also continue to develop as a passer and make that not matter. I'm not sure I like their skill positions much, but I'm pretty sure their defense is just always going to be good? 4.) Cincinnati Bengals: 5 - 11. Meh AFC South 1.) Jacksonville Jaguars: 9 - 7. Not sure why I'm picking this, but I think Foles is better than Bortles, and their SB is not in week 3 this time. 2.) Houston Texans: 8 - 8. They'll be better if their line doesn't get Watson killed by week 5, but I'm not confident in that, and the general clown organization vibes I'm getting right now limit their ceiling in this post, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if they win 11 and take the division. 3.) Tennessee Titans: 7 - 9. These guys always seem to have solid of not spectacular rosters. We once again face them in a week 5 game, it will probably be the most forgettable game of the season like Bills-Titans games usually are. 4.) Indianapolis Colts: 4 - 12. What a gut-punch that must have been. It's like when Eichel sprained his ankle the day before the season, but worse. The real shame is that for the first time ever, the roster was starting to come together around Luck. I think Reich is a good coach, and I have heard that Brissett isn't the worst (the only games I've seen him in are the Bills shutout of the Pats 3 years ago and then the snow game, so it's tough to judge from that) but I think the team's spirit for this season is shot. They're going to find a new QB quick though, and they'll be back before long. AFC West 1.) Kansas City Chiefs: 13 - 3. Their offense will be electric, their defense a hair better. Rather than blowing teams up for a total of 5000+ passing yards and 50 passing TDs, they're going to take a step back in the stats department and focus on rounding their game out for January. 2.) San Diego Chargers: 9 - 7. I thought Rivers' arm looked pretty shot at the end of last season. But their defense is awesome, and their team is well-rounded outside of that. I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the 10-13 win range. 3.) Denver Broncos: 6 - 10. Mediocre. Von Miller is cool. 4.) Oakland Raiders: 2 - 14. You just know Gruden is going to play Peterman at some point. NFC East 1.) Philadelphia Eagles: 11 - 5. Rock solid roster and coaching staff, obviously Wentz' health is critical. Their center is ridiculous 2.) Dallas Cowboys: 10 - 6. Another roster that appears to be rock solid. Fairly critical year in seeing what Prescott will be as an NFL QB. 3.) Washington Redskins: 7 - 9. I know basically nothing about this team. Keenum had a good season in Minny? Maybe Haskins gets to sit and learn a full year. 4.) New York Giants: 3 - 13. They bad. Barkley is worth putting them on though. NFC North 1.) Minnesota Vikings: 10 - 6. Don't buy the Cousins big game narrative, and as the guy from Minny in my office has reiterated nineteen times, they really have addressed their biggest holes on the roster and their goofy OC. 2.) Green Bay Packers: 10 - 6. I really have no idea though. With Rodgers anything is possible, although apparently he's a douche? No idea if their other weaknesses have been adequately addressed. 3.) Chicago Bears: 8 - 8. A step back, first place schedule, and I don't really like Mitch. Their D is scary though. 4.) Detroit Lions: 7 - 9. Not a Patricia fan but I like their roster a little more than most people do. Scary D line, Hockenson is going to be a star. NFC South 1.) New Orleans Saints: 11 - 5. Brees, Jordan, that WR, Kamara, good stuff. 2.) Carolina Panthers: 9 - 7. All depends on Cam's shoulder. 3.) Atlanta Falcons: 7 - 9. Can't say much. 4.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6 - 10. This is a lot of people's surprise pick, I guess they like Arians. NFC West This is the most interesting division in football to me. 1.) LA Rams: 12 - 4. This is a great team with a wizard head coach that has learned lessons from its super bowl defeat, and will be incredibly driven to get back. Aaron Donald......man. 2.) Seattle Seahawks: 10 - 6. I adore Wilson, and I've read that their line might actually be better? And that their defense is coming around again? Bobby Wagner is special. 3.) San Francisco 49ers: 10 - 6. Yeah, I said it. I think this is a good team. Despite their first 2 QBs getting hurt last year, I'm pretty sure their offensive metrics were at/above league average, because Shanahan is good at that stuff and Kittle is sick. I'm a JG fan. Their defense might be solid too. 4.) Arizona Cardinals: lol 2 - 14. Interested to watch Kyler though. Take all of these with a huge grain of salt because I really don't know much about football.

I'm just excited about football in general. It's becoming more and more fun to watch for me over the last few years. I absolutely love the new wave of QB stars, Mahomes/Watson/Mayfield/Darnold, and actually have some degree of hope that a.) the Bills' guy has a real shot to get there b.) they will quickly try again if it doesn't work out Like, all I ever asked for from 2005-2013 was that we just TRY to get a franchise guy. Even though EJ didn't work out and Josh might not, it feels so much better to be in the "actively trying" part of that process rather than whatever we were doing otherwise

Darnold, Eli?, Dalton, Brady, Mariota, Fitz/Rosen, Wentz, Keenum, Mayfield, Flacco, Prescott, Jackson, Roethlisberger are the QBs we'll be seeing this year. This Bills roster is objectively better than last year's. That doesn't always translate to more wins, because the NFL is wild I think they'll be in the 7-9 win range like usual, and better than the Sabres for the ~8th season in a row. They're also ridiculously easy to root for. The development of Jerry Hughes into a serene team leader has quietly been one of the better stories in Buffalo sports over the last couple of years. Lorax is the new Kyle. Tre is Tre. The safety duo is so fun to watch, and I'm incredibly excited for Edmunds. Hopefully Milano is fully recovered. Imagine if Josh Allen works out, and we get a stud WR in next year's loaded draft class. This forum definitely perpetually picks the bills for a bottom 5 team and the Sabres for the playoff bubble even though the opposite has almost always been true the last good while I believe 96% of the votes cast in the "which team will have a better season" poll last year were incorrect.

Words cannot describe how excited I am that it's week 1.

Hopes: An increase in threads like these as hockey season grows ever closer!

Lmaooooo that guy totally stole my "Sabres have performed worse than any franchise in pro sports since 2013" analysis And our top six are not well-situated, our top 3 are. Our top six includes the worst 2C situation in the league until proven otherwise

1.) Jack, Sam, Skinner, Dahlin, the potential in Olofsson/Casey, and the completely reasonable defense core. I'm sure many people will put Krueger here, but I need to see tangible on-ice stuff that tells me we have a good coach before I get excited or disappointed. 2.) It feels like the major components of the bad parts of last year, guys who were among the worst players in the entire league at their positions, will all be back for training camp, and some of them will play a lot of hockey games for us this year. Our middle six forwards and center spine behind Jack, the driving forces behind our 60 games of last place hockey, are either mediocre (as someone who isn't high on Vesey and likes Johansson well enough, and is unsure of where Olofsson will be playing) or completely unchanged (the latter being particularly troubling, as our center spine behind the 1C was the worst in the NHL last year and will again be facing a slate of ridiculously strong centers nearly every game this season). While the offseason was a net positive, it was mildly so, for a roster that needed anything but mild changes for us to actually be confident in a winning hockey team. Having hope is one thing, but ~12 franchises per year can be confident looking at their roster that they're going to consistently play winning hockey, and we aren't really close to that. The goalies are also unchanged, and aren't blamed enough for how they played last year and its effect on our record. 3.) I expect this to be a 78-83 point team as the roster stands, barring major injuries or absurd player development.

While always allowing for the possibility for any amount of development with a player so young, I generally reserve actual, firm belief in prospects for the ones who don't struggle with processing speed to the degree that Tage did last year. That's, like, the ONLY real barometer I have when watching prospects, to be honest. That's where my "negativity" surrounding him comes from. A guy like Olofsson may well fail too, like any other prospect, but I'm going to sound more pleasant talking about him, because he cleared a fundamental (for my analysis purposes) bar that Tage tripped over in spectacular fashion. Of course, there are other ways and reasons Victor may not make it. The reason why that's the key characteristic I look for is because (and this is completely unscientific) I've simply never seen a player that's really bad at processing the game at the NHL speed suddenly become good at it. I don't think there's anything else you can look at which would sort out prospect outcomes as cleanly as that does, even if we all may define and see it differently.

I'm not claiming we're going to do anything, but there are very real whispers about Ristolainen, I think McCabe, and even a guy like Gardiner, connected to Buffalo. And Risto for any forward (whether good or not) while bringing in another top 4 D is a large enough change that I'm going to wait for it to happen (or not) before I start writing up meaningful lineups or predictions

This is what happens in literally any form of hockey analysis you could possibly do, with or without numbers.. This is what GMs get paid to do. This is what we do when we talk hockey in the summer. You are either incorporating past information when you form your opinions, or you are completely guessing, and it's as simple as that. It's no more a problem for analytics than it is for ANY attempt to talk about next year's Sabres.

I know that these people have jobs to do, but I could never bring myself to make a season preview when it appears that so much NHL action is being held up until the last second. Our roster might be quite different than it looks right now come October.

Sorta sad about Shady. Without commenting on any off-field stuff, the nature of which I'm really not aware, he always appeared to be a great team guy and a leader from everything I've seen and read. And man was he fun to watch those first three seasons. A huge reason for the end of the drought. Thanks for coming here and playing your heart out, Shady.

I like all of the rest of the guys from that tier about equally. We do have a solid prospect pool IMO.

Yeah, I'm fine with it, but shocked they actually did it. Yeldon had that nasty fumble in preseason but some of the catches he made showed that he really can be a weapon in real games, along with his 900 all purpose yards and 5 TDs last year. Hope Singletary is ready. He showed off some tantalizing instincts/vision. I'm a little worried about his speed/acceleration.

Forget about the germ factory angle - I binge-watched a bunch of cruise ship disaster videos this spring (which is of course exactly how to not appropriately represent relative safety of doing anything, but whatever) and I trust any given cruise ship company or captain as far as I can throw them The ocean is beautiful but it's the sketchiest part of the planet IMO

A safe player making a safe but unspectacular play, a wise decision to not go for something somebody more physically able would have been able to go for, has its place on an NHL hockey team. It can fit in nicely during a bunch of wins like it did in November. It can make your metrics easy on the eye. On a team that is last/near last in the league in several ways to measure even strength scoring chance generation, that hasn't been in out of the bottom third offensively in like a decade, whose problem is plainly the fact that they can't take their game to the other team and are stuck slinking around the perimeter, lobbing stuff into corners, and taking off-balance point shots, that's the type of play they need less of. Pominville's game on any part of this roster would kneecap an attempt to get more reliable scoring chances the way we need to get them I just vividly remember him pleading the Sabres to not take Sam off that line even though it might have been to the benefit of line two, just because it was becoming clearer and clearer that Jason wasn't the answer on line one.

The twitter stat geeks are loud in their requests, though. The other thing I don't like about that analysis they're doing is that they're treating it as sort of a blank canvas type thing. Pominville was on that line when everything was clicking for the team. He wasn't moved off for some mystery reason, to the team's detriment - it got old, quickly, highlighted by the production I mentioned. It plainly wasn't working. We made the switch to Sam around the end of the win streak, and after that point Jack and Jeff went OFF again for another two or three weeks - including Jack's best stretch of play of the year, from the end of the streak (performances like Toronto, Philly 6-2 loss, the Washington losses, and that Boston win where the team was on his shoulders), and guys like Taro were posting insistently that it would be a horrible idea to take Sam off that line, even though the depth was struggling - Taro is smart and saw how the end of Pominville's run on that line went, otherwise it wouldn't make any sense why he would suggest that. And there was never any meaningful cry here or anywhere else to reunite that line. That's because we were closer to having seen what Pominville actually contributes on the ice. A boring-but-respectable game that gets worse and worse as time goes on. The difference between Pominville in March and Pominville in November was sometimes just that the tap-ins after Eich did all the work in that Ottawa blowout were instead laughable misses where he had the open net and double-hit it with the backhand, saving his own shot. The game he brings doesn't create those numbers, he was just doing alright for a while in a golden position while everything else around him was also going unbelievably right. The way those guys take some xG stat (and especially regular goals, jesus) in a tiny sample size and then compare it to one that includes the entire team imploding is disingenuous. I have no way to look it up but I'd bet Sam-Jack-Jeff's goals/expected goals during that string of games after the streak was also ludicrously impressive, it is just going to get weighed down by the dreary March that we simply don't have stats for Jason with Jack in, because like everyone would have agreed at the time, Pominville was in no position to be effective on that line. I don't like Vesey much either though.