DarthEbriate

It'd be criminal treatment for the Amerks if they don't send him down today on paper.

Another skinny LHD.

Oh! Perfectly convenient. And there we go.

What is the date when players need to be in AHL to play in the AHL playoffs?

KO will be fine. Good luck, Okposo!

Go back earlier. Peca. And by not paying him, Hasek.

Brunette, yes. And... They replaced Severson (age 28) and Graves (27) with Luke Hughes (20) and Simon Nemec (19). Both kids have gotten points, and L.Hughes is skating the most minutes on the team, but they're not sturdy, dependable defensemen yet. Add to that Dougie Hamilton played only 20 games before tearing a pectoral muscle. Last year, they also got career seasons from the forwards (and lots of health). Their top 4 centers combined to miss 9 games (J. Hughes, Hischier, McLeod, Haula). This season, Hughes has already missed 15, Hischier 10, and McLeod 15. Combined with the weaker defense, the goalies have collectively gone from .908 sv% last season to .891 sv% this season.

He said in the offseason he was committing to defense this season and he has. He's not great at it, and he'll never be mistaken for a checking line grinder, but he's not releasing early from the zone like last season (as the entire team was being coached to do). The thing is... if you weren't going to go get a Quinn replacement, then why not let a 20-goal scorer in a UFA season play with JJP-Cozens every game from the start of the season? Anyhoo. So much water under so many bridges that have all been burned. I just caught some highlights and stopped by to say.... Good goal, BB-4! Welcome to Buffalo!

They're close, but are they tandem bike close?

No, it's OK. They have unfinished business and the Stanley Cup is silver.

It should be noted that Mitts never had a Star Wars nickname. Perhaps it was simply looking into the future. But Byram pretty much writes itself: BB-4. He joins R2-D6 and Muel-PO in the droid defense corps. The trade makes complete and total sense. Good job, GM Sheevyn!

Gustav Forsling signs an extension with the Panthers. 8x$5.75. Claimed off waivers, became a #2D with the correct #1 (Ekblad, Montour), top-4 on a stacked roster. Excellent complementary defenseman for a star or able to stabilize the 2nd pair on his own in both ends. If continues to remain healthy, it's an excellent extension. (He's kind of what we want Samuelsson to become -- albeit sized more like Jokiharju/R.Johnson)

Steve Bernier! Of course! Debut game against... Nashville. Coincidence? Likely.

Byram was scouted as a Rebel pilot. So, Byram... earn this. Earn your B-Wing. Lock your S-foils in attack position.

Yup. It was completely untenable until this season (2022-23 he had the $7.5M roster bonus) and it makes most sense financially after next season in the summer of 2025. The flat cap (and let's be honest, Skinner's goal-scoring last season -- he's a good scorer) also put a bit of a damper on the possibility. He is a very good player. He's a good 2nd line winger. He is not a core piece that you build around on any playoff team. He's your... Alexei Kovalev (who is a lot better than anyone remembers, who also happened to play with Lemieux, Jagr, and Koivu. When did he win his Cup? At age 20. [He played in the NHL until age 39]). And I don't want JJP, Quinn, Kulich, or Benson learning from him.

If Byram is in the lineup, does he have a: Bogo puck-rushing 11-hit experience? Not-Brad-Boyes-(1 goal)-but-the-other-guy-sorta-like-Boyes-whose-name-escapes-me-but-I-think-started-with-a-B's 2-goal debut? Jost fighting major?

Which is a good problem to have. Maybe you move VO early or don't re-sign him. Maybe you don't re-sign Hinostroza or bring back Sheahan because you've already got a veteran.

You don't have to conserve any space on a seasonal basis. Like you say, you just pay a bit of a premium on a slightly shorter deal. They had all the space in the world to do exactly that. Where was the legit #2-3 D signing to pair with Power for 2-3 seasons? Lyubushkin and Clifton were the multiyear righties. Yes and several NHL teams did (rightfully) tighten the budget for that next season. A couple also axed their AHL staffs like the Sabres did. The contrast is in the bounce-back. Let's look at Detroit's* same seasons: DET: $7.74M (2020-21), $11.9M (21-22), $7.7M (22-23), $1.7M (23-24) BUF: $8.8M (2020-21), $15.5M (21-22), $17M (22-23), $6.1M (23-24) *Why Detroit? Same division, same "not the greatest booming local economy/downtown, but similar passionate fan base", same boat in terms of rebuild, and arguably well behind the Sabres. You're competing with them for veterans who know it will be 2-3 seasons before they're contenders again. In 2022-23, it was right back to business as usual, and then this year -- under $2M in space. The Sabres will be there in terms of cap space ($2M) next season, but by then Detroit will already have playoff revenue, fan interest, and a solid core getting stronger. And spending another $4-10M in cap in 2022-23 could easily have been worth 2 points in the standings. $5M this season could have been a backup goalie and a bottom-6 C/W.

In 2020, Pegula made the Effective, Efficient, and Economical statement. Since then, the Sabres have been: $8.8M (2020-21), $15.5M (21-22), $17M (22-23), $6.1M (23-24) under the cap each season (per Spotrac -- with in-season fluctuations for trades, etc.) They have had massive holes in the roster every season that could have been addressed via trade, retained salary, or UFA. They might not have stated there's an owner-imposed salary cap, but since "EEE", they've not been close the cap.

Not a fan favorite for me though I've been very happy to see his growth. But -- the moment it clicked for me was the outdoor game at home in Toronto. Mitts got to the boards, reversed checked some hapless Leaf (probably Brodie, or Sandin? or similar undersized defenseman) into oblivion, and then calmly went about making a pass. Since then, he's been their most consistent player along the boards, and has created numerous goals simply by winning battles, calmly possessing the puck, and then making quality passes. No other center on this roster is anywhere close to Mitts' skill along the wall and only Okposo and Greenway and Benson are anywhere near as consistent in their efforts along the boards. He'll be missed the remainder of this season for certain. (All that said, it doesn't mean it was a bad trade. And we won't really know the trade's value until additional moves are made and Byram is 2 seasons into his Sabres career or traded rather than extended.) That's the real trick, isn't it. And it'll cost us something extra. 17 thousand. All in advance. We already needed a 4C to take defensive zone draws and be "harder to play against", and now we need that and 2C equivalent. Krebs? Maybe. Kulich? He's a sniper at heart, not a grinder. I think it'll shake out in the end: Byram - Dahlin; Power - RJohnson; Muel - Clifton. And Joker will have a completely respectable career somewhere else -- Sekera-like, or the complementary Lydman type.

A few thoughts that don't involve Rebel pilots: Mitts wasn't the Sabres' 2C. 5-on-5 he was at 15:37 per game, 90 seconds more than TNT, and 2 minutes more than Cozens. He was their 1C this season. And he had earned those minutes based on play. Byram-Dahlin... We'll see, but it seems like both Dahlin and Byram could use a veteran stay-at-home-type to let them go on the offensive. Power still needs that, too. I wouldn't be surprised if Byram looks "best" with R.Johnson the remainder of this season. They're playing on the D-corp's timeline. And that could very easily be 2025-26 now at the earliest (when Dahlin is 25, Byram is 24, Muel is 25, Power is 23, and R.Johnson is 24). 15 years? 16?

Had to trade for Byram to get Johnson's game back on track.

Well, shoot. There goes my preseason prediction that Mitts would lead the team in points. And there goes our best all-around center. On the other hand, his next contract was going to be more than an Efficient, Effective, and Economical front office was going to be willing to pay. Let's go back to the 2019 scouting report: Kakko -- the K-Gun. More Ks to join UPL K^6. Turcotte -- sounds like a guy who would drive an AT-AT Byram -- sounds like a Rebel pilot Cozens -- sounds like an Imperial officer Zegras -- sounds like a bounty hunter Dach -- the excited young snowspeeder gunner! Pod -- "Now, this is Podkolzin!" Boldy -- "To boldy go where no one has... " wrong franchise. Krebs -- sounds like an Ewok  Cole Caufield -- sounds like a Tatooine farmer. I'm looking at you, Biggs Darklighter! We've got a Rebel pilot, an Imperial officer, and an Ewok. We win!

Rousek is about 60 games overdue for the tryout, particularly since VO has been the #13 all season.

Reinhart has over 40 goals this season; Tarasenko gets to be a 2nd/3rd liner. And in hindsight, maybe $5M is a bit much, but Tarasenko would've been a good 1-year fill-in for Quinn. Then, when Quinn returns if you're in it -- you've got a legit top-6 RW problem. And if you're not in, you do what Ottawa is and ship him out for futures.