DarthEbriate

Totally. But I have to worry about something.

Cozens has much higher upside. But worrisome me wonders, didn't we say this about Bailey?

Good, gooooood. Let the hype flow through Olof.

A communications disruption can mean only one thing: Hamilton! (on the play [radio]-by-play) Olofsson.

Yub nub! / We've got / some hockey. / We've got hockey, yes we do. / Yes we do do doooo.

I would like EA to offer just a bit more cash to at least make it interesting. It's not like sports games are exactly cash-strapped. But more to the point for me --- EA should be offering up the best teams of every franchise per decade. It's not like they can't import/push billions of players out to the gamers. And... I want the entire French Connection, or the entire Russian Five circa '96 (pre-Buffalo-Kovlov), or the entire '99 roster with Hasek at 99 rating. Then, you can mix-and-match across eras as well. But the team would be the thing to have. And 1999 Michael Peca is no 80-rated skater. C'mon!

Too old! to begin the training.

Sith flashbacks sounds like a bad trip to me. But more importantly, you are able to take showers/baths with lasers, which is awesome. I need that technology in my star system.

We're losing McD. We don't know why... he's lost the will to play. But it's OK, because he's carrying twins. Ooobah... Ooobah.

It has to be 4 from the IIHF to ban him from a cycle of the Olympics. It's like giving a baseball starting pitcher a five-game suspension for beaning someone so he misses a start.

The non-trilogy material has had the benefit of not having to have Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker driven into them (and I like Rogue One, but it didn't really need Vader at all, Krennic and faux-Tarkin were suitable enough villains). The best news of The Mandalorian (apart from Space Carl Weathers!) is that Boba Fett won't be in it. Break free, little Star Wars, you've got a whole galaxy to explore! (but I am looking forward to Ewan McGregor getting a Kenobi series).

McCabe is our new captain? Has anyone told Eichel?

Gold 50, standing by.... (I was secretly hoping for a golden goat, but this is impressive.)

True. Me either. But all contingencies must be accounted for.

Do you think that Obi-Wan ever said to himself, "[it] doesn't matter what I would do."? No! Do you think Amidala ever said to herself, "[it] doesn't matter what I would do."? No! Do you think that Threepio ever said to... wait, don't answer that one. The logjam is at RHD. McCabe had offseason surgery. Pilut and Bogo won't be ready for the start of the season. We stay the course. And then, we have innumerable options as the season unfolds. Barring injuries, there's a lot of good deadline trade possibilities. Although I believe we've got to get our 2C before the season begins. I don't want to wait for the first couple of months to dictate what we do. I want to dictate with our passion and quality what we do with the season.

I like McCabe. I think the roster needs a McCabe to balance out the finesse of Dahlin, Pilut, Montour, and Jokiharju. But as a GM... wow does this signing make for solid trade bait if I don’t *believe* in McCabe.

We surrender!

They look like TIE fighters. That’s the emoji you use when you’re going for massive numbers (and no shields) to overwhelm the Rebellion. Beers are for the big ticket items. Not the local bulk cruisers, I’m talking about the big Corellian ships. (Scrolls further down page) Good... good. The Moulson is strong in this one.

Toughness is proven over time. I’ve got the hands and legs and suit to prove it. You earn your toughness by playing in the playoffs and eliminating teams you should beat and rising above teams you shouldn’t. And blocking shots and finishing checks and protecting your goalie and either not backing down, or not being distracted by someone licking your visor. But most importantly, I define toughness as imposing your will on your opponent, however it is done. And in that sense, we haven’t been a tough team since ‘07.

Is this thread the prequel or the sequel to the "Tim Murray was a complete disaster" thread? That will sway my opinion. JBot is building the foundation for the future (Rochester may have bowed out meekly in the playoffs but their season was very good; Cincinnati was even better in the regular season, but also whiffed in the playoffs). Playoff exits notwithstanding, the overall structure and competition in the organization is much better. He's building a speed roster; I think that's good. But so far, no playoffs for the Sabres -- which is the single most important measure. He got fleeced in one trade; fleeced Carolina in another; and ... had to move Kane at the deadline because he wasn't likely to re-sign here -- that happens every year, and it's a push -- (unless Johnson becomes and elite defender, then yay!). I'm voting patience. And I vote for sacrificing Han and Leia. Because I honor what JBot is fighting for.

Ristolainen. Only being relied upon for 20 minutes a night vs. 25, and having a better surrounding cast will make his life much easier. Then, we might see him be able to put together more than half a season of competent hockey. Now... as to whether he's a Sabre during the season or not... he is one for the moment. Strictly Sabres, I'm for Mittelstadt as the most overall improved (he'll look like he belongs, but not in control... sort of like Reinhart's first full season). And for our overall success, assuming the team plays more cohesively defensively in general, it has to be Hutton and Ullmark who show the greatest statistical gain.

I caught one of his interviews with local sports radio on the drive home from work. Seems measured, calculating. I like that he did scouting, then assistant GM, then on the bench for a season, then back to assistant GM in his years leading up to this gig. He's dabbled everywhere. He's JBot-esque learning under Rutherford and building up an AHL roster as AGM (he was the overseer of this year's Calder Cup champ Charlotte Checkers. Wow, many Cs there. It's all about the expansion draft. He has a harder job than McPhee did because the league's front offices are going to protect themselves much better. But with the same parameters he'll still make a killing in accumulating picks to take the players that the other teams want to give up.

Part of why we liked him is because GMTM was ZFG. The trouble with being glib is it runs into problems with accountability and relationships. JBots is running a professional ship now. Did ROR request a trade? Did Pegula demand a trade? Why trade a #1B center for so much salary coming back... all we can do is speculate. And that's good! JBot won't let the reasons slip, ever. GMTM would've inadvertently ZFG'ed that out already. And this means JBot is going to manage the owners, and the players, and the cap. He's got the players' backs, knowing that he's also going to cut them or not give them as much money as they want. But that is now known around the league. Lehner might have been miffed about the Sabres team (because we stunk, and he contributed to that) but he had good things to say about the organization helping him get right, even if that meant moving on. That's good for free agency and veterans. And Nylander has a legitimate gripe, and Bailey and Baptiste probably didn't get a fair shake with the new GM --- but they're trying to catch on with other teams and are saying "it's business." This is good for the long run. You can get a lot of things accomplished by keeping an orderly starship (and drafting well).

That's a suspiciously cropped photo. Reveal the robot hand!

@SABRES 0311-inspired. (and it's probably been done in this thread already, but... it's summer of 2019 now). Best road-trip music? Obviously, I'd say Star Wars sound tracks back-to-back-to-back. And yes, I have done this once many years ago. It wasn't as much music at the time and the scenery slid right on by. A personal favorite... my car's aux jack died so no iPod for a cross-country adventure. So I stopped in at used CD stores along the way, plus one album I found online for much cheaper than it should have been: 87' Laments -- a live Prince album from the Sign o the Times tour. Delicious while driving. Edit: After my lengthy entry. What's everyone's best road trip album/track?