DarthEbriate

An extra year and an extra million? Ullmark was not going to block UPL this season. And if Ullmark is a block in 3 years, then that means they're both playing well and UPL has made it and projects higher than Ullmark, so you trade Ullmark when it gets you a good package. This team had no cap issues for the next couple seasons. (And then Okposo either comes back for $2M or retires, and we can buy out Skinner in June 2023 with only one more bad cap hit.) But Dell was trending downward each of the past few years while Ullmark has been trending upward every year. And Anderson was retired. So... I think we could've gotten Ullmark and Dell, or Ullmark and Anderson and have better overall goaltending than any of the previous 3 years. But the trouble was Ullmark didn't want only $750k.

I think Darth Pegulas the Boss told us the reason: Effective, Efficient, and Economical. No need to pay for AHL coaching when the league was shut down for the near-term. And Taylor was likely a perceived threat to HC RaKru based on filling in for Granato to start the previous season.

The funny thing about not blocking the youth... the youth still needs to be good enough to surpass the block.

Taking butcher out of the lineup and inserting Joker is a net plus. I wouldn’t mind seeing Fitz get an extended look in the second half of the season. Right now, let’s get our top players on and see how it goes for December. Then add Tuch for January ‘22. And add Samuelsson for look in February/March but back down for a hopeful playoff run.

If everything is equal: smarts, tenacity, speed, heart/courage, edge work, speed of release, stick checking, playing with leverage, Acceleration, etc., then the you always take the bigger person. Because the advantages of reach are real. But, size is detrimental to agility, quickness, leverage, getting a stick on a puck really quickly when it’s between your skates... all very important in hockey. And we don’t have enough 6’7” 335# players in the league to show the detriments of being so big that even the big guys skate circles around you. Just remember... our late ‘90s squad was small and fast and tenacious compared to the big bad physical Flyers. And we bounced them from the playoffs every time.

The Flames have now won 9 games... 6 of which have been shutouts. I almost made the comment this morning that we needed to score first or we weren't going to score at all, but I didn't want to jinx us into a shutout. Or appear too prescient because of my ability to see the future and all. But ... the Flames... wow. That's a solid team now that they've had Gaudreau and Monahan on the trade rumors for 3 years. They're on pace for what -- about 50 wins and 33 shutouts.

Even their point shots are dangerous. I don't know that we've had a scoring chance where the goalie actually had to make a save. Cozens had one shot, but put it high and wide. Jiminy! Who is on the PP? Tonight... I feel the good in you, the compete. There is no compete. (tonight)

Dell's gotta go in to wake up the skaters, right?

Speaking of delicious bowls of soup and chili...

Sutter has the Flames playing very staunch defense and choking the life out of games. Their goalie numbers, both Markstrom and Vladar, read like dead puck era numbers. The Flames have 8 wins.... 5 of those wins are shutouts. This game should be fun to see how Granato attempts to attack.

I know it's super silly, but giving up only 12 shots all game is... too few? We constantly see a goalie not face a SOG for like 10 minutes and then the first one they face is a goal. No excuse for 3 goals against... but I can see a bad one sneaking past when you're not in any flow of the game whatsoever as a goalie. Still would've been nice to take them off the list of unbeatens when you outshoot them 2:1.

How are the play features of AHL TV? Easy skip-ahead, skip-back dragbars? Little pop-up icons where the goals take place and periods start? (like what NHL TV had and what ESPN+ is sorely lacking)? I mean... DarthEbriate can't start commenting on the Younglings games, too. That's too much effort. But I could watch the games.

This is why when someone runs him, we need to address it on the ice and immediately. Our PK is solid. If Toker gets popped, by golly, you pop 'em back. You shouldn't even be able to throw a punch because the entire team has jumped the person. (and then the refs are going to dole out penalties to the roughing the goalie, because clearly it was more vicious than they initially thought -- or at the very least the person who did it is off the ice for 5 minutes for fighting.)

Errrr... getting outshot by... 17 ("Seventeen thousand!") even if many from the perimeter, is full-on Alamo Death Star mode and is not sustainable for winning or holding 3rd period leads. Closing out the game is what we did to Tampa in the 3rd. Outshot them. Added the insurance goal. Then, patiently crushed them with empty netters to pad our stats.

One note on the 5-game losing streak. It happened to be on he west coast trip, but what it coincided with was taking Olofsson out of the lineup (over 1 pt/gm) and putting in Hayden. We blew a 2-goal lead in Olofsson's injury game, then were scrambly no-shows in SJ/Seattle. It took time for the Sabres to rebound without the 5on5 scoring and without the PP even being worthy of respect, let alone fear that Olofsson can bring. They're getting by now that they're settled down. And that all points to a big plus on HC DG. Weathering the injury storm and still winning some games = good coaching. Oh, and Tokarski smoking.

If the lineup ever gets fully healthy, I don't think R2 dresses. With those three back, a Bjork/Caggiula-type still needs to dress to kill penalties.

Wooooo! (sighting) Now the question is... is it because Murray can play in ROC on Wednesday, then get back to BUF for Thursday? Or is it because one of our forwards is coming back from injury?

Remember the Alamo Death Star! Keep on the attack and win this game.

We're due one more at least. That wasn't a makeup, that was missed egregious elbow/fist to the face. There's more coming.

Hey refs... so we're gonna get 2 makeup calls in the third for that garbage, right? You know, after you get the call from Toronto for letting them run Toker?

Toker toeing the line. And... yes, pipes. And the children danced to the Pipes of Pan! (drink)

I've gotten that. On both, actually. And...funny story, it helped me reunite with my estranged son, albeit briefly.

It's risky, but you do it if you truly believe UPL will take much longer. Or you believe he has no chance. (Launch the patrols!) Yes, it was a quote.

Once @pi2000 generations generated immense optimism for the Old Sabres. Before the dark times, before the Tank.

You'd have to treat it just like you would if you're in a normal "playoff-contender" season, but tend toward the conservative because this franchise still needs to re-stock all the talent it can get. The depth still isn't there. So -- let's say we're in an awesome spot, sitting 3rd in the division and statistically/historically we're nearly guaranteed to get in: then yes. Give up a 2nd for a vet rental who is a proven playoff contributor on a junk team. A 1st is only in play if it's a good player with term (1 more year). Like usual. If you're below the cusp, I say no. Trust the kids. Maybe look for a really cheap rental (4 round or lower), but let them run with it. Then stockpile, stockpile, stockpile in what should be a really deep draft. We're playing the long game.