Hoss

Berglund, Bogo, Beaulieu if he's around, Zemgus if he's around, McCabe/Scandella aren't slouches. We're covered. Don't need a plug who can punch your face in but can't punch the puck in. They had to. It was going to arbitration.

Canes GM said Skinner had and used his full NMC and noted that Buffalo is a place he’s long been interested in.

This is nearly the lineup I would come up with bit I’d switch Berglund/Sobotka and replace Zemgus with Wilson. I think there’s a decent chance 2/3 of Zemgus, Bailey, Baptiste and Pominville are waived or traded. I don’t imagine there will be much interest in Pominville, though. And I’m okay with him being in the bottom of the lineup.

I understand concerns about defensive abilities (or lack thereof). You want all-around players... but at some point you need guys who produce. I’ve seen fanbases fall in love with too many guys who play a good “all-around game” but don’t produce at a useful clip. I woke up this morning and had forgotten about this trade for a moment. As soon as I remembered I was ecstatic all over again. I do want an extension done sooner rather than later.

I doubt it too but would be a sort of dream scenario. They moved the deadline back which has caused way more action recently. Heck, that’s how we got KB13 and Dareus ended up in Jacksonville.

Chz wasn’t making a joke when she mentioned Jeff Skinner the figure skater — he grew up one.

Botterill says they've had ongoing dialogue with Reinhart's camp about a deal but no updates at this time.

Botterill says they haven't talked contract and won't right now. Says that's a conversation for "down the road." Noted that him waiving his NMC shows he's excited to be in Buffalo.

I believe the rumor was they asked for him in an O'Reilly deal but a deal with Carolina had to be done post July 1st. So maybe once O'Reilly went to STL it really delayed talks between the teams?

I'd be surprised if he got the same deal Evander Kane did.

Expires after this season. He had a full no-movement clause, so he had to approve this one. Hope that's an indication a contract will be next.

Isn't a Pu Hurricane just a shitstorm?

Yes. It happened twice last season. Once for Jimmy G to the 49ers and once for McCarron to the Browns (but the Browns failed to fax the paperwork to the league on time at the deadline). Carson Palmer went to Oakland in the middle of the season.

Yea, Dahlin is head and shoulders above everyone. And Pettersson is head and shoulders above anyone after him. Then you could argue Mittelstadt is next on the list or very close to it.

It was me ?

Interviewed Nilsson about the You Can Play stuff when the Sabres had their night two years ago. He’s been a great ambassador. He’s definitrly (mostly) right. There are certainly some individuals across all sports who are closeted. I believe it was You Can Play who put out a few years ago that a prominent QB in the NFL is gay and allowed them to vaguely share that fact. They mentioned they had multiple people from each of the four major sports who had contacted them about the possibility of coming out.

Sporting News has the Sabres as the number one prospect pool: http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/nhl-top-prospects-best-worst-farm-system-draft-history-sabres-flyers-canucks-penguins/tn8fb6mqnial16bxvtds5dacu

Yes. The vibe going into camp was that it was Peterman’s job to lose and most seem to now think Peterman is number three with McCarron the clear front runner at the moment. Obviously a lot can and likely will still change, but this was the result I assumed would come. If McCarron goes out there and is solid you put yourself in a great position to use him as a trade chip either at the deadline or next offseason when you turn it over to Allen.

The team isn’t going to give him a five-year deal. It’d be almost as bad as a four-year pact. And teams don’t need to operate by looking around at other contracts and when they expire if they have so few deals signed that far out. The only long-term consideration the team is likely looking at is what contracts they’ll soon have to do (Dahlin, Mittelstadt).

Worth noting Bogo feels healthy and confident enough to be playing in the Beauty League right now. Playing in on-ice games in the offseason is a good sign.

Dusty Baker is a damn good manager. Those before him seemed to get to the postseason and panic with debilitating decisions with the bullpen and beyond. At some point Rizzo needed to really go for it. I know the Lerner’s are pathetic and cheap (see their refusal to pay for the assistant GMs life-saving treatment and how he turned to GoFundMe for help), but they had plenty of opportunities to add. Not to mention getting used by free agents and teams on big deals often (Cano, Fielder and Chris Sale are three big ones). Scherzer is a great, great deal. I’ll give him that. I don’t give him much credit on landing Trea Turner because that was clearly San Diego just being incredibly stupid. But beyond that I haven’t been impressed.

He took over in 2009. Technically it’s fewer managers because one was just a three-game interim after Davey’s resignation. Acta, Riggleman, Johnson, Williams, Baker, Martinez. So not counting McClean I’d be number seven. Either way it’s a really bad look.

That I’ll be his eighth manager in nine years? Yes, I strongly believe they never should have let Dusty go.

I stand by my earlier statement that Rizzo is a terrible GM.