TrueBlueGED

Pants change #2.

Pants change #1.

This is my favorite random observation in awhile.

I'm giving Bylsma a pass because he started McCabe with Risto. He must have read my post! :D

The Eichel jersey has been donned for the first time this season. I'm ready.

Continuing his stint as overrated by Sabres fans :angel:

I'm reasonably confident I gave enough to put one unit on the Sabres, so I'm going to do that because I want all of the happiness should we win.

I did not listen to it, but logically speaking, we've been healthy sans Jack at other times during the season and still played dead puck era hockey, so seems to me Jack is who Bylsma was waiting on. To your second point, no, but he might be the first coach in NHL history to do a 180 on play style with anything less than a 100% healthy roster. Oh, right, he didn't reverse play style...he continued what was happening last year.

Yup.

*shrug* The others have been back for at least a few games now.

I don't think throwing with anticipation has to do with reading a defense, I think it's largely instinctual and cannot be taught nor learned.

With fans, possibly. I find it odd that a guy who is pretty reserved with the media wouldn't try to downplay the return with a "he's only one guy" cliche and remind us we're still missing two of our top-4 defensemen.

Yyyyyeeeesssssss!!!

I'll believe it when I see it. I'm old enough to remember last season when we chipped and chased while trapping the neutral zone, all with a healthy Eichel. But I'm not going to contaminate Jack's return with this when we have like 3 Bylsma bashing threads. So go Sabres!

His Kelly girl? C'mon man. Kellyanne Conway was a political professional long before Trump entered the arena, and she's very good at her job. Both. I genuinely believe that the popular vote loss irks him, and we have over a calendar year of evidence (plus numerous accounts before he was a candidate) that he cannot let a slight go unanswered. But I also believe he knows how to manipulate the media and does so strategically.

Well there's an understatement :lol: I'm lukewarm. I don't think he's as good as he was last year, and I think that speaks to defenses having a year of tape to look at and his inability to improve in areas that need improvement. He's an average QB who can't do some routine things other average QBs do, but compensates with a couple spectacular plays that other average QBs can't make. But average he remains. I don't think you should pay an average QB $18 million, but the market dictates you do, and given the QB play we've endured for two decades, I can understand the temptation to do it. I think a lot of it comes down to how much the drought really eats at you. If it's a major thing to you, then keeping Tyrod makes sense because he's definitely good enough to get to the playoffs. For me, it's been so long that another year or two honestly doesn't even phase me, and simply making the playoffs without any real confidence in making a run just doesn't do much for me. If I'm the GM, I'm walking away after this season and hoping to find another average QB for less, or ideally, trading for Romo. His inability to throw over the middle of the field and lack of pocket presence, and inability to throw with anticipation are too glaring for me to ignore. But I don't think it's insane to hold on to Tyrod for two more years and keep looking in the meantime (emphasis on keep looking...I fear they'd keep him then stop trying to upgrade). Hey, if Joe Flacco can win a Super Bowl...

I don't think FF has been good since 9. (I may or may not have stopped playing at 10...)

I think Zemgus is just one of those players who is going to take time to develop (and may ultimately be a 4th liner)...he was rushed into the NHL without sufficient development thanks to the tank, only to be greeted by Ted Nolan's coaching, and hasn't had to truly think the game while playing before last season, only to then be moved all over the lineup. Sometimes it just takes time (see: Foligno, Marcus). But he does literally everything better than Deslauriers other than fight.

Good for you. Took ya long enough, though :p

I'd be happier than I am with the team being dull and losing, but I wouldn't be satisfied. If the choice were binary between good and boring vs. bad and fun, I take good and boring. But I neither think it has to be that way in the abstract, nor with the roster currently assembled.

John Vogl ‏@BuffNewsVogl 34m34 minutes ago Jack Eichel just scored during Sabres' power play. Just thought you might like to know. John Vogl ‏@BuffNewsVogl 8m8 minutes ago Jack Eichel just scored during shootout drill. Just thought you might like to know. *changes pants*

His 2017 and 2018 base salaries become fully guaranteed on the 3rd day of the 2017 league year (starts in March, I think)--that's dead money on the cap if he's cut, plus future signing bonus gets accelerated to the dead cap total. If we "opt-in" following this season and then decide to cut him after next season, his dead cap hit would be around $15 million for the 2018 season. After the 2018 season his base is no longer guaranteed so we could cut him and only be responsible for his accelerated signing bonus money, which is less than $1.5 million.

I like it. Since we know lines get tossed in a blender regularly, and if we're going with pairs versus movable pieces, my pairs would be: _-90-21 _-15-23 9-22-_ 26-27-_ Move around Girgensons, Carrier, Gionta and Foligno based on performance.

Money-wise, if we opt-in following this season, he's going to be our starter for at least two more years.

My happiness with Jack being back is enough to offset the positions of Moulson and Kane.