Hoss

Since this one is still pinned for some reason I'll just put this hear: Chris Johnston: Jason Demers agrees to $22.5M, five-year deal with #FlaPanthers, @Sportsnet has learned: http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/source-panthers-demers-agree-5-year-22-5-million-contract/http://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/749277165196152832/photo/1

I'm happy with Lehner as the starter. That's not to say I think he's a sure thing long term, but I have confidence that he can get the job down if he stays healthy.

I believe JJ was talking about Detroit and not Buffalo in saying they're not any better. And he's probably right.

Okposo is the godfather to one of Moulson's children (not Jack).

The fact that the players they have lost and added are JAGs is essentially my point. The key pieces are still in place aside from the Subban-Weber swap. And it's a thread about the Sabres playoff chances - I don't have many thoughts about Columbus vs Toronto aside from knowing that Toronto doesn't have enough veteran talent in place to matter. It's a volatile situation, but I think they're in a better spot than people think they are (no credit goes to Bergevin, tho, he's an idiot).

So today was pretty crazy. http://www.tsn.ca/wait-there-s-more-tsn-hockey-top-50-free-agent-list-1.518321 Of TSN's top 50 free agents 17 remain available: Demers (RD-8), Russell (LD-13), Hudler (RW-22), Schenn (RD-23), Schultz (RD-25), Vrbata (RW-26), Polak (RD-29), Versteeg (RW-30), PA Parenteau (LW-32), Gagner (C-34), Pirri (LW-35), Bartkowski (LD-38), Cowen (LD-40), Enroth (G-41), Gryba (RD-32), Quincey (LD-43), Spaling (C-48). I'm not interested in any of those players aside from Enroth.

I wouldn't say "everyone." I think most people expect Bailey to start in Rochester. But Bailey is also a righty which has less competition for immediate ice time. I think there will be camp battles. I don't think there's any definitive word on Bailey or Carrier right now. If they're the better players they'll be on the team.

Montreal finished second in the entire NHL two seasons ago. Last season the only difference was Carey Price suffered a major injury. Players who played more than half their regular season games in 2014-15 that aren't on today's squad: Dale Weise, PK Subban, Lars Eller, PA Parenteau, Brandon Prust, Jiri Sekac, Tom Gilbert, Sergei Gonchar They've added Shea Weber, Alex Radulov, Jeff Petry, Andrew Shaw, Daniel Carr, Brian Flynn, Philip Danault, Torrey Mitchell and Zach Redmond. Alex Galchenyuk is significantly better now than he was then. I don't think it's crazy to think that the second-best team in the NHL regular season two years ago returns to top-five in their conference if their goaltender is healthy (which is assumed in my power rankings). Thanks for your useful input.

I know we've all penciled in Vesey-Eichel-Reinhart since Vesey's rights were acquired, but do we really think that's a good idea? Those are three players with a total of 169 games played and none of them are known to be outstanding defensive players. There's also not a lick of physicality there. Reinhart and Eichel were so fun together, but if Vesey really wants/needs to play with Eichel it might be better to split them up and put Okposo on the other wing. Or if Vesey can play with O'Reilly then you can put Kane there. Or, the wet dream for some on the board, Girgensons goes to Eichel's wing. We've got options. I'll play the game TB did above and mix and match a bit. His first lineup above with Larsson and Girgensons switched is the lineup I would probably piece together if I were to guess the lines Bylsma goes with. If splitting up Eichel and Reinhart is a possibility then: Kane - O'Reilly - Reinhart Vesey - Eichel - Okposo Foligno - Girgensons - Ennis Deslauriers - Larsson - Gionta If they would rather get Reinhart to center now and think O'Reilly's true long-term position is on the wing then this could be a possibility at some point: O'Reilly - Reinhart - Ennis Vesey - Eichel - Okposo Kane - Girgensons - Bailey? Foligno - Larsson - Gionta

I can attest: he did have a good time. ;)

If you look back I actually deleted my initial post because when I looked at WGR's Tweets they don't make it clear at all who he's talking about. It wasn't until some follow up quotes from other local reporters that I realized it was definitely Okposo. Certainly not your fault since others wondered the same. Also, 716-555-5555.

Washington, Pittsburgh, Florida and Tampa Bay are the only teams I view as playoff locks next season (barring major injuries). That's two from each division, so there's one more division spot in each and two wild card spots to fight for. I have a feeling the Rangers blueline will bounce back next season. Marc Staal, Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi are all better than they played last season as long as they're healthy. Their forward depth is pitiful, though, and the additions of Nathan Gerbe and Michael Grabner aren't going to change that. They are a likely playoff team, but it's not a certainty. The Islanders had a great year and still have one of the league's best players in John Tavares, but they'll feel the losses of Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen and Matt Martin. They'll especially feel the loss of Okposo if they find themselves fighting with us for a playoff spot. And their goaltending situation is volatile with Halak sounding very unhappy with being supplanted by Thomas Greiss as the starter. They'll be relying on some big minutes from young guys. Shane Prince impressed after the deadline. Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson look like they're ready to be very good NHLers. Mathew Barzal could crack the lineup. Michael Dal Colle, despite looking like a total flop since being drafted fifth overall, could still surprise at the professional level. A lot of question marks there. Philadelphia took a wild ride to get to the playoffs last year, but I imagine they'll be a little more consistent from the start. Still, they're not going to blow you away with talent. Blueline is one of the worst in the league so they'll need great seasons from Mason and Neuvirth (which will be a good battle to watch). Gostisbehere was probably the main reason for the mid-to-late-season run. Will he be a superstar again? One of the three teams above will likely slot into the third Metro playoff spot that the Sabres can't touch, so they only need to overcome one or two of them. Detroit will be interesting. They lost Datsyuk and replaced him with Frans Nielsen, Thomas Vanek and a jar of tears they filled after Stamkos signed back in Tampa without even meeting with them. I think Vanek is a very good addition for them because they've got a lot of playmakers on their team. Dylan Larkin looks like he's going to be a star in this league, but they don't have much top-end ability in the forward ranks beyond that. Mantha is a question mark to even make the team, Nyquist took a step back, Tatar seemed to be up and down their lineup all year and may have fallen out of favor a bit despite good numbers. Their goaltending is probably on par with Buffalo. They have a young guy they really like in Mrazek but he's no lock to step up. Their biggest need beyond replacing Pavel was to find defense and they haven't done that yet. Looking at some non-playoff teams we'll have to keep an eye on: Boston added David Backes and everybody laughed, but it's a great signing in the short term (long term it's laughable). He is a player with a ton of heart and experience, so I would guess he has a huge impact there. Looking at their roster I think they're a playoff team if Chara isn't a totally useless slab of meat again (decent chance he is). Their forward ranks look good but they've got zero depth on defense. Rask will need to be better for them to make the playoffs. Is Marchand really the offensive powerhouse that he seemed to be last year, though? They'll be a tough team to pass. Carolina was in the cellar all year then just took off. They were never a threat for a playoff spot but ended up only missing by eight points. Their defense is unreal and young, but their goaltending is pitiful and they just seemed to stand pat there. They'd be a team that makes a ton of sense for Ben Bishop (and I'd fear them if they did), but I just don't see enough scoring to offset the bad goaltending. Probably the worst group of forwards among teams actually trying to be good in the league. Montreal, regardless of perceptions on the Subban trade, will be a contender again if Carey Price returns to the top of the league. His health is a question mark, but he masks every issue that was exposed last season. The addition of Radulov is confusing considering, but he's a mystery. He could give them serious punch and Galchenyuk's continued improvement could give them a legitimate top-line center. If that's the case I think they'll be tough to pass, as well. Andrew Shaw could give them some heart and Shea Weber is still elite. I'm not worried about Ottawa, Toronto, New Jersey or Columbus. Columbus should be way better, but they weren't able to add much to the roster. New Jersey should be better offensively with Hall, but they didn't do nearly enough to scare me. My Eastern Conference Power Rankings after day one of free agency (aka way too early): 1. Tampa Bay 2. Washington 3. Florida 4. Pittsburgh 5. Montreal 6. New York Rangers 7. New York Islanders 8. Boston Bruins 9. Buffalo Sabres 10. Detroit Red Wings 11. Carolina Hurricanes 12. Philadelphia Flyers 13. Columbus Blue Jackets 14. New Jersey Devils 15. Ottawa Senators 16. Toronto Maple Leafs

Renaud Lavoie @renlavoietva Roman Polak contrat avec les #blues #tvasports LOL Renaud Lavoie @renlavoietva #blues didn't sign Roman Polak. Phone issues. My bad.

Joe Yerdon @JoeYerdon As for Okposo, Murray said he did not have to sell him on Buffalo. Okposo said he had family here and already loved the city.

WGR 550 @WGR550 MURRAY: "We have a few more depth guys to sign for sure. A couple more targets that we'd call depth guys, and the goalie situation."

I'm going to guess Zatkoff

WGR 550 @WGR550 MURRAY on Risto talks: "We have a number we know we are traveling to. He told us he wants to be here, and we want him to be here." Paul Hamilton @pham1717 Said talks with Rasmus are headed in the right direction. WGR 550 @WGR550 MURRAY: "We are going down the road of a long term deal. If there are bumps in talks we may do bridge, but we want to get long term done."

Bill Hoppe @BillHoppeNHL Sabres met Stamkos on Sunday.

Thinking this is Zatkoff WGR 550 @WGR550 MURRAY: "I thought I had a goalie done, I had a verbal agreement and it was reneged upon." WGR 550 @WGR550 MURRAY: "It was not Chad Johnson who reneged upon our agreement." WGR 550 @WGR550 MURRAY: "It has never happened to me, I called the GM he signed with to tell him my story, he had a similar story." On Goalie reneging.

Darren Dreger @DarrenDreger No move in first 2 yrs and limited no trade for rest of deal where Okposo declares 15 teams annually he won't go to.

WGR 550 @WGR550 MURRAY: On Vesey, "Will go next week to meet with him. Tell him how much we need him." WGR 550 @WGR550 MURRAY: "We're excited about going down and having a chance to have a face to face chat with him." On Vesey.

https://sabresdigitalpressbox.com/2016/07/01/okposo-signs-7-year-deal-with-sabres/ Sabres make it officially official. OKPOSO SIGNS 7-YEAR DEAL WITH SABRES Posted on July 1, 2016 by Ian Ott | Leave a comment BUFFALO, N.Y. (July 1, 2016) — The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team has signed forward Kyle Okposo to a seven-year contract. In his eighth full NHL season with the New York Islanders in 2015-16, Okposo (6’0”, 217 lbs., 4/16/1988) recorded 64 points (22+42) and 51 penalty minutes. His career-high totals in assists (42) and power play points (23) each led all Islanders players in 2015-16. Okposo has topped the 50-point mark in each of the last three seasons, including a career-best 69 points (27+42) in 2013-14. He has been among the league’s most productive players during that stretch, ranking 25th among all NHL skaters in assists (117) and points (184), and 18th in points per game (.88) since the beginning of the 2013-14 season. In 529 total NHL games, Okposo has recorded 369 points (139+230) and 310 penalty minutes, adding 15 points (7+8) and 11 penalty minutes in 24 playoff games. The St. Paul, Minnesota native has also represented the United States at several international tournaments, including the IIHF World Championship (2009, 2010, 2012) and the IIHF World Junior Championship (2007, 2008).

You've been corrected on this before and even acknowledged it. He was offered top-six minutes. Poile said it publicly.

I think that's a great deal. $4 million per for Boedker for four years is a very good deal.

Pierre LeBrun @Real_ESPNLeBrun LA Kings have signed forward Teddy Purcell Pierre LeBrun @Real_ESPNLeBrun San Jose Sharks have signed Mikkel Boedker to a four-year, $16-million contract Darren Dreger @DarrenDreger @Real_ESPNLeBrun Playing for DeBoer huge consideration for Boedker. Had more term and $ elsewhere. Wants to win a Stanley Cup with San Jose