DarthEbriate

"Take a mulligan, KA." is my favorite Morgan Freeman quote. It's from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, I think.

Power play assists, power play zone entries, the occasional breakaway shot that... bounces harmlessly into the corner. The "Hall 1st Overall Pick Perk". Some basic entertainment value. Hall for a 2nd should've been the trade and off we go. (Or wait until later in the day to see if Boston blinks.) But if the only other option is to actually take on salary to lose the only forward grit we have (who also takes OT faceoffs, will defend teammates), for another --- as folks have said up-thread ERod comparable? No thanks. We can call up that guy from the AHL for spot duty next season.

He is the Hunter. Hall's NMC obviously put us in a tough spot. I like getting a second for him and is what I was expecting (not hoping). It should've been a second + a throw-in given the salary retention to make it work, but whatever. But losing our turbo Lazar for next season? For Bjork? No. Lazar is better, plays center, has grit, and is really a needed player for this particular Sabres roster. Bjork is yet another plays-smaller-than-he-is guy who isn't that big to begin with. I like the name. I like the musical artist. He was a misfit on the Bruins roster and they were right to jettison him before they go to light speed the playoffs. I can only hope Bjork proves me wrong, but watching any Buffalo/Boston game the last couple seasons he's been the most disappointing/invisible Bruin forward. He's been bad against us. But here's a better trade for the Sabres --- don't make it. If you don't get a better offer by the end of the day, fine... bring Hall back into the lineup. Let him play for his paycheck here down the stretch in the revived offense. Maybe he can help revitalize the dismal power play.

I was hoping Mitts and Thompson would've been starting together in ROC at the beginning of the year; Thompson's contract would've allowed the waivers. I'd have thought Asplund as a center there, but it could've been a nice top line for the Amerks. Instead, it took awhile, but we're seeing it here. Other stray notes: Remember when Thompson started the season as RW1 and promptly let us know he was not ready? So unready, in fact, he went to scratch. He's back as RW1 and is looking alright. Bryson has played 23 games. He's averaging over 19 minutes a game. He just got back to an even +/-. On this team. Through the bulk of the 18-game losing streak. He and Risto aren't perfect, but they are a fit. Sorta like Pilut also meshed with Risto, somewhat. Pilut. Now there's another puck-moving defenseman that floundered under RaKru.

It's how I draft in EA NHL games. After the 1st round, cool names only need apply.

To be fair to one Linus Ullmark, this team didn't play nearly as well without him, either. The thing I'm seeing with Granato that they did not have with RaKru --- even when Ullmark and Eichel were healthy [edit: even last season when Eichel was healthy, obviously this season he was never 100%]--- is their tenacity and dare I say "compete-level". Instead of folding after a bad break, this team now battles back. They aren't guaranteed to follow up a goal-against with five minutes of ineptitude, likely leading to a 2-goal deficit from which point the other team coasts. They scrap instead. And if that's on Granato, then it's just a shame he couldn't have exacted that sooner as an assistant, or... if we couldn't have just fired RaKru over the summer after he had a hot start turn to rubbish. Or just as part of the purge of all departments (even though he was likely asked to help name the names in the scourge).

Catching up on the game... Concentrate, feel The Concept Of (Moulson/Ehrhoff, now Skinner) flow. Yes, good, calm.... Through The Concept Of (Skinner), things you will see: other places, the future, the past. Old Sabres skaters, long gone. I wish I had your confidence. Your focus determines your reality. I never doubted you for a second. Wonderful! When @Scottysabres started the game he was but the learner. Now, he is the master.

It takes years, but ZFGMTM begets ZFGDT?

Re-signing is the right move from the Sabres' perspective. But is it the right move for Ullmark?

Fun note on today's game: The Amerks played yesterday. The Monsters played last Saturday. It should be a classic examination of too-long-of-a-layoff vs. second of a back-to-back.

GM Sheevyn cackles: "Order Thirty-Three executed. Almost Halfway there."

This year: Montour 7 Yr veteran D. 38 games, 5-9-14 points and playing better since the RaKru shackles were removed. Going to a team with significant need who had lost their top RHD. 3rd rounder. Last year: Scandella 10 Yr veteran D. 51 games (when MTL moved him to STL), 4-8-12 and playing less effectively as the season went on with Jokiharju. 2020 2nd rounder and a conditional 4th rounder in 2021. No salary retained in either case. Scandella had a higher salary. Why are we incapable of netting a 2nd round pick for a rental UFA D?

Just think if HCRK had not been in charge to start the season, or rather, if Granato had been given more control of the offensive attack to maximize the potential of the roster that had been assembled (assorted non-gritty skill guys and overwhelmingly "puck-moving" vs. stay-at-home/defensive defensemen). We could still very well be out of the playoffs and selling at the deadline because the quality of the division and injuries. But Hall and Staal would have had high-end trade value with "normal" seasons. Granato's team is averaging 2.75 goals/game in 12 games -- mostly without Cozens, often without Hall, and completely without Eichel. No PP support whatsoever. RK's team averaged 2.14 goals/game in 28 games -- and had one of the league's top-rated PPs for half of it, and Cozens/Hall, and even sometimes a functional Eichel.

Dare I say it... this team could use a high-speed top six skater who plays with pace and drives defenders back or if they fail to, can get around and make something happen. Hall, a healthy Eichel, Cozens...

Here we go: Maxi-big the Too Many Men. Well, that smells stinky off.

egads. I'll have to search my memory banks for an appropriate expression for that dreck.

Thanks, Joker! We needed that one.

Not so much power on that play. It appeared Chara had a lot of room short-side for that attempt.

Mitts' line has had a bit of a spark to it. But it's obvious when we play teams like the Caps how slowly we play. We think we have time to play the puck, they eliminate the time and space immediately. We started to do that defensively as well in Granato's second week (the first game against the Devils we started to lose it, and then completely lost it yesterday), but now we need to get it back and kick it up a notch when facing an elite squad.

Irwin playing forward goes as expected.

Hmm. After playing the Devils... When play the Capitals you do, look as good, you will not -- hmm?

Good. Gooood. Join me.

Arttu! Where are you? You be more careful. Arttu, third line? All too easy.

No, not yet. But the AHL hasn't released any statement that there absolutely will not be any playoff. I can see them not awarding the Calder and there'd be questions about what to do with the Canadian division. However, vaccines are now starting to distribute more widely across all ages, and AHL teams have multi-day breaks between games to administer shots and recover. By end of May we could see the possibility of a cross-division tourney of some sort.

Bottoms up! Bottoms... lower!