Hoss

I’d be pissed if they protected Tage and Bjork over Asplund, a guy who is already able to play against other teams’ best players and still has some upside. Also: Borgen has played 10 NHL games. I’m pretty sure other teams are falling over themselves to get him, I believe it’s a Sabres fan creation.

You are not not not not NOT exposing Asplund. Absolutely protect him over Tage or Bjork.

There’s a reason they call it deadnaming.

Your top six is not always your best six forwards.

Correct but if I’m drafting someone number one overall I’m definitely going to need some notable production out of them. I believe Beniers can get there but I think Guenther does that well and can/will produce at the next level.

I don’t believe it’s a tank either but I also don’t think teams care about wins in a lost season at the end. They care about seeing what they’ve got and will prioritize that over winning games. It becomes notable whether what you’ve got can or can’t win games, obviously. This isn’t a tank, hence why the title reads “Tank.”

This was very predictable.

Having put in some relatively limited hours on this class so far and still digging this is where my top 10 is currently: 1. Owen Power (D) 2. Dylan Guenther (RW) 3. Matthew Beniers (C) 4. William Eklund (LW) 5. Luke Hughes (D) 6. Fabian Lysell (RW) 7. Brandt Clarke (D) 8. Nikita Chibrikov (RW) 9. Kent Johnson (C) 10. Simson Edvinsson (D) I won't act like I've done NEARLY as much legwork as others in here (notably Liger) so I can't really dive all the way in depth yet, but I'll sprinkle my thoughts on some of these guys over time. Chibrikov is a guy I think is being slept on quite a bit. I think I might be higher on Power than most others in here and Lysell is a guy that is growing on me a ton (was tempted to put him at 4). Eklund is a guy I like because I value production a ton and he put up points in the SHL ... but he's the only guy high up on my list that I have big nerves about. He seems to really benefit from the extra ice and plays well when he's got space but I'm worried about what happens when teams consistently take that away. I'm near equal on Beniers vs Guenther but I give Guenther the edge based on him being someone I see dominate the game a little more. Beniers might do a lot of things well but Guenther is a kid that does a few things great. I worry about the "all-around" prospects with no ELITE skills. Guenther is a guy that looks to have a little more upside. He's confident and you're going to need that when it's cold and you've lost three straight in Buffalo. Beniers' ability to flip the puck in his team's favor takes him from a "meh, he's probably going to be on an NHL roster for a long time" to a "this kid is going to be a top-six fixture." Simon Edvinsson is hanging by a thread because he's got a nifty name and I'm not afraid to admit that.

Things are off to a wonderful start ...

https://theathletic.com/2532217/ Not posting the full text (please don't) but they believe Seattle will take Miller without us having to send them anything. I don't think I want to send anything to Seattle and think the chances they take Miller are somewhat high anyways.

For tomorrow night there are three games of note: Vancouver (5) @ Ottawa (6), 5:30 PM Anaheim (11) @ Los Angeles (4), 10 PM Arizona @ San Jose (3), 10:30 PM

Wayne Simmonds has definitely had a positive impact on that team but shining the tires on a Ferrari is a little different than shining the tires on a hoopty.

These are all some form of "cable" service even if they're digital. He's asking specifically about streaming offerings.

Certainly but this is just a ranking for going into the lottery. Discussing the facts of the team's situation is not putting anyone in harm's way. It's important to take note of where you're going to be at as the season wraps and see what draft position you may have.

Having dove into the draft a little more I am very high on Guenther. He and Beniers make a ton of sense at the top. I'm actually a little higher on Fabian Lysell than some others. I really want to like William Eklund but I'm not all the way in on him yet. Guenther is a kid who plays like he knows he's damn good and I mean that in a very good way. A very smooth, big game from him anytime I see him skating. He seems to create a lot of action. I LOVE the way Beniers is not a "one-and-done" player. He might make a pass for a scoring chance that ends up missing and going to the other team but then suddenly he backchecks, steals the puck and creates another scoring opportunity. He's a guy that's going to breakup the other team's play and get you more scoring chances and there really is nothing more important I could want in a prospect.

I want to like him because he's got a great hockey name.

That appears to be correct. It also wasn't specific if the 25 ABC/ESPN games will all be on ESPN+ and whether or not those games count in the 75 "national" games they'll be broadcasting on ESPN+/Hulu.

Okay, okay. It seems not many around these parts are actively rooting for losses (I am not, either, for the record). But the team is here again as the games wind down. Figured I would get a little standings tracker going so we can get an idea where the team stands in the lottery. Right now: Vegas, Carolina, Pittsburgh, Florida, Colorado, Tampa Bay, Washington, Minnesota, Toronto, New York I, Boston, Edmonton, Winnipeg, New York R, Nashville, Dallas, Montreal, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Arizona, San Jose, Calgary, Los Angeles, Detroit, Ottawa, Columbus and Vancouver have all been "eliminated." The following are in order from closest to us in the standing and the "magic number" of points needed is in parentheses (any combo of the Sabres losing points and that team gaining points makes this number go down and when it reaches zero that team is eliminated). Anaheim (2 games remain, 1 point) I will update as games complete when I'm able.

One question I'm curious about and maybe others have the answer: what happens with NHL Network? I can't find those details anywhere. It's an NHL property that is partially owned by NBC. They had a deal with MLBAM who operates the studio/digital properties but that deal is up after this season. Is it being dissolved?

That appears to be the case but it sounds like they won't have games on HBO Max in the first year. They are focusing on the broadcasts first before getting the streaming simulcast going. Source I don't think the games on TNT/TBS will be available for streaming except maybe on the TNT app?

For the record, this is a valid point. This team ***** sucks right now but they will be "adding" Jack Eichel and he's probably not the only player they're adding. Unless of course they trade him.

They will not. This is the breakdown of rights: 2022, 2024, 2026 and 2028 Stanley Cup Finals will all be on ABC. 2023, 2025, 2027 will all be on TNT and/or TBS. Source ABC/ESPN and TNT/TBS will split the Conference Finals - one conference on one network and one on the other. The two networks will also split the first two rounds so all playoff games will be on one of those networks. NHL Winter Classic will be on TNT/TBS each season. TNT/TBS gets 72 regular-season games per season. ABC/ESPN will air 25 regular season games. That's a total of 97 games across those four networks (went back to 2019 to see and NBC Networks broadcast 109 regular season games that year so the number of those games actually goes down). ESPN+ and Hulu, though, will air 75 NATIONAL games each season. ESPN+ becomes the new home of what was "NHL.tv," airing over 1,000 "out-of-market" regular season games. HBO Max will get simulcast rights to some games but it's not specified how many games and that will be LATER in the agreement (also not specified). Turner is developing a studio where they will host games and compared it to their Inside the NBA studio which is some of the best sports studio broadcasting you'll find.

I don't see Dahlin getting an assist on the play. The puck was knocked off his stick by a Rangers player and then Reinhart got it to Mittelstadt who returned the puck to Samson for the goal.

“Nostalgia isn’t a solution” should be tattooed on my body.

Thanks for having me on! It was good to talk hockey and actually have to think instead of just mindlessly watching this team skate in circles.