DarthEbriate

Gotta go research what Asplund and Lyubushkin had to say about him after their trades.

Seems fairly obvious to me. Who was the face of the Rebellion after Oky-Lan Kposobi was lost? Tuch Icewalker. With R2-D2 at his side to raise hell and save the day with timely hacks of the system.

Too old!

About to head out for the day, but isn’t it a bit late to be featuring Girgensons for a trade? Good luck today, ‘Spacers.

I’m in the same quandary. I’m waiting for Kraken ticket prices to drop even further (it’s working!). But which game do they give UPL — Seattle or Vancouver? I want to see the Sabres get a win against the expansion team.

… try turning to the Cap Side, abandoning the family to focus on your new hockey Empire… and if that doesn’t free up time to watch the game… try cutting off one of the kid’s hands. That said, I won’t be able to watch this one either. I hope the Sabres win.

Agreed. Kozak might someday be a 4th liner. 20% chance. But today is not that day. I’d rather have seen the Sabres get more from Colorado by working Johanson and retention into the trade with Philly, but Jost is fine at center to coast out the season. I do think now that the AHL rosters are settled for playoffs you can get a 2- to4-game look at all the kids: Novikov, Kulich, Rosen, Kozak, Biro. Just cycle through them. Take one on the PNW trip.

I think we’ll quickly realize that Mittelstadt and Okposo and their work on the boards were not the dead weight on the roster. Puck possession in this game could get ugly. EJ was being scratched regularly anyway. But… an actual practice for Byram and Dahlin together could result in some fun.

The tank was a terrible idea. But it worked. Both 2nd overalls have turned into top line players. The franchise was on the rebound until the JBott GM switch. GMTM was a flawed character, but on the hockey personnel side the roster he constructed would’ve made the playoffs given another couple years (though he’d have had to move Kane or Bogo— which the right coaching staff and captain/team leaders can identify and request). Reversing course and going JBott/Housley d-corps approach specifically from that GMTM roster sent the franchise spiraling further out of control. And the coaching decisions and making personnel decisions based on post-season pressers where they’re upset didn’t help. Edit: stay on target with the thread. And… Okposo fit that GMTM roster construction much better than Moulson did.

It is common decency that you treat your outgoing players with respect and try to get them to a good spot when your season is off the rails. What’s an uncommon decency in Buffalo? Ensuring your season doesn’t go off the rails in the first place. Enticing your best players to stay by surrounding them with the right pieces and coaches. Retaining salary and weaponizing all the cap space. Improving your own team in the near- and long-term. And sending Girgensons to a playoff team. Give that guy a taste of the playoffs. You can ALWAYS overpay him by $1M over any other suitor in UFA in the summer if your owner loves him so much.

But he won’t. The Locomotive is a perfectly decent 4th liner who would be a solid contributor to a playoff roster. The problem is he works for a bunch of enablers who overpay him by $1.25M. His role could be played by a Robinson or a Rousek. Why leave when you have the salary safety net and no pressure? Upon his re-signing this season I was hopeful he’d finally reach the playoffs. But nope. They don’t even have the decency to retain salary to move him to a contender. Instead, they’ll extend him. Gonna put on my Hugh Beaumont voice: I’m not angry, Darth Pegulas. I’m just disappointed.

...or maybe trading you for a really highly drafted player when you're too expensive to sign.

There is. May need to take the GDTs to strange new worlds, to seek out new teams and new-colored sweaters, to boldly find enjoyable hockey where this franchise fears to go.

What I gathered from Adams' press conference is that I should watch more (maybe exclusively) games of other NHL teams.

Could've made this trade 2 months ago.

Note: There is a vast difference in the modern 4th round (32 teams) vs. the 4th round in the 20th century. Example: Rob Blake. 70th overall in 1988 top of 4th round. The 70th overall pick in this coming 2024 draft is at the top of the 3rd round.

They're playing by the rules. And GMs aren't going to give up this power willingly because it gives them the opportunity to win, provided their owner wants to win and is willing to pay. That said, the rule must be rewritten. It's pathetic loophole with the way the rest of the cap operates. Either you make the playoff rosters cap-bound, or any player placed on LTIR (it's for retirees and serious injuries like ACLs) is out until the start of the new fiscal season/UFA opening on 7/1. But on a serious note, it's good to have a villain. As Jackikin Eichwalker wants to remind us: "I have brought goals, a Cup, and LTIR exploitation to my new Empire!"

He's a Minnesotan at heart. We Midwesterners love our indirectness.

What have they been doing since October?

Practice like you're going to play. The Avalanche play fast. Coaching again.

Ullmark wants to win.

Okposo on the ESPN feed. I think the final conversation went a little something like this: GM Sheevyn: Your stat lines are weak, old man. Oky-Lan (Dad) Kposobi: You can't win, Sheevyn. If you trade me down (to America's wang), I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

If we had moved him a couple months ago, they'd have spun him at the deadline for a 2nd, but this is good enough.

Risto! Risto! Return of Risto! (Just to see this board explode.) Aww... another 4th.

Goes right back to Adams' complete lack of awareness at the position since day 1 of his coup. Specific to the last 320 days: If you believe in UPL, then get a veteran NHLer as a backup/waive Comrie, and let Levi carry the load in Rochester. If you don't believe in UPL, trade him immediately.