DarthEbriate

I was really hoping Kazakhstan would win yesterday, or that Arttu could've finished off Canada in regulation to really put down Canada (and give some underdogs a chance for a medal). So -- Germany, Latvia... all you have to do is skate around for 60 minutes. Get to OT 0-0. Both teams get points. Voila. Yeah, then, play to win in OT/SO, whatever.

Which is why the inclusion of Lazar, a perfect Bruin, (I know I know, cap-balancing reasons) was so awful in the Hall trade. Getting those first-round potential guys who reinvent themselves and embrace bottom 6 roles on the cheap? That's the lifeblood of a good roster. Paille, Girgensons (until the current contract), Lazar, Angry Larry (high 2nd). Heck, even the Concept of Kassian. It takes them a few years to accept it, and then they're cheap, reliable, and can bounce up and down the lineup. Replaceable? Absolutely. But we have a capricious flavor-of-the-month owner. So when it comes time to replace a Girgensons... it's an overpay as a reward of service or worse, it's the reward for a guy who played above himself while bouncing around the roster (Kassian after playing with McDavid) or after a great playoffs (Beagle -- undrafted, not a 1st -- with Vancouver on a heinous contract after his big playoff with the Caps). When you have these ideal grinders, it's OK to keep them. It really comes down to Hasek though, doesn't it? Until the final 1999 roster was in order (Barnaby out for Barnes; Juneau added; Wilson out for Warrener; Ray riding the pine) that team didn't have the depth to survive the playoffs without Hasek stealing 2 games per series. Shields and Roloson were both good enough to win playoff games for the Sabres while Hasek was out, but over the course of an entire season that's a borderline playoff bubble roster, and probably cannon fodder without Hasek in the opposition's heads.

Yes, bu RaKru wanted veterans and was going to play the veterans. (And I recall Eichel wanting veteran leadership in an interview, maybe the 2020 exit interview?) So the youth movement wasn't happening this year with RaKru in power. I'd have loved to see Girgs - Lazar - Okposo as the GLO replacement. That's a solid 3rd line if Hall and Staal and Skinner truly solidify the top 6, and with a healthy Eichel. That could've worked. But lots of factors went into ripping that apart. Alas, now we've got to look to the future. But with this franchise (and any franchise) small mistakes pile up. Trading for Frolik, acquiring Kahun and his bonus overage, along with Dahlin's and Joker's bonuses, then overpaying Eakin and Girgensons. None of those are big. But all together and we can't do things like creatively move Hutton or be a 3rd party to carry cap in a trade. Big issues like Skinner's contract and paying Leino to be a C, and giving Ehrhoff 10M for his first season when the league is trying to eliminate Kovalchuk deals (and wouldn't Regier have known that from GM meetings?) -- you can work around one or two of those if you minimize the little mistakes.

This. And while it could work if, say, we'd been winning for the last decade and had had a strong captain throughout and now the reins were being handed over to Eichel and Reinhart and McCabe -- they might not be natural leaders themselves, but they would have hypothetically learned everything needed and built and been part of the culture. Instead, it's quite the opposite. They've been the figureheads of the worst team year-in and year-out, with an ever-revolving GM/coach group, mockery from the media and hockey peers, and a constantly-shifting veteran "leader" presence of at most a year or two (exempting Okposo, who is himself a great "A" and 2nd-in-command/support guy but not "the" guy). For whatever reason, they decided that Vancouver-Calgary regular season games had to finish up before the North playoffs began. It made no sense, those games easily could have been paired as late games after TOR/MTL (and if OT, deal with it) and alternating on days with WPG/EDM. But instead... we've got this. I'm managing my office's annual playoff pick 'em thread and I'm basically saying: "Yeah, pick the semis whenever you get the chance but hopefully by end-of-day Tuesday once you're back to reading company email again after the holiday." Good thing we just pick for bragging rights.

Not mutually exclusive, but if we were going to get a goalie then we needed a capital G goalie. Ullmark had yet to play 40 games in a season, was coming off an injury, and the other goalie couldn't see and had had one hot month but otherwise had been below average for us in two seasons. So if we weren't going to trust Hutton (rightfully so) then we needed a 1A and we needed to pony up 4M+ for that player or work a trade for him. Instead, we got Tokarski. And he was better than JoJo and Hutton, but he's also a career AHLer and he didn't change that with this season's performance. Of course, claiming Nedeljkovic off waivers was an option. Not that this team would've made him look great. But maybe he could play as well as Ullmark and voila... we have ourselves a competitive team (once RaKru was dismissed).

Impressive. Most impressive. It's too bad he let Eichel's injury let him check out instead of taking over and being force. And sure, he was leading the team in assists for awhile and was OK. But he was content to stay safe and injury free and steer clear of the net. And once RK was gone, instead of embracing Granato and again, being a veteran leader they needed with Okposo also hurt, he cchecked out until they were forced to scratch him for trade. All in all: agreed. He can sod off forever.

Larsson was a useful part of a team -- not great, but a solid role. And he agitated people, which was nice. But to lose a nearly-defense-only guy and to get a worse offensive player for more money? Hall and the goalie. If we could turn back time and spend Hall's contract on Toffoli and a goalie instead. Heck, MTL's signings could have as easily have been ours: Jake Allen and Tyler Toffoli. No Hall. And instead of Cody Fr-Eakin Eakin on day 2 or day 3 of free agency, and getting another guy for less later (Haula, or bring back Larry). RK's wishes destroyed this team to the point that now we're considering moving Eichel. What the hell? What the your taun-taun-will-freeze-before-the-first-marker-then-I'll-see-you-in Hell?

Unfortunately, neither coach this season put Okposo together with Lazar. Lazar got paired with Skinner and 4th line minutes early, and then injuries/trades prevented any opportunity later. Eakin should've been benched when the losing streak was at 10, if not earlier. Meanwhile, Asplund was on the bench and Mitts was still on the wing. Because veteran leadership I guess. Oh, and face offs. Alas... that was not our 4 line by ES minutes. When at our most healthy and that trio was together, they were our third line. Skinner-Lazar-Sheahen played fewer minutes. (Skinner got his average up by the end of the season, but also got top 6 minutes toward the end.)

I'm surprised it took this long for the ratings to plummet.

Good.... Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and watch your despised teams contend for the Cup!

He'd definitely be on the Sabres' board were JBott still GM. He's in the mold of Bryson, Antipin, and Pilut. With GM Sheevyn, it's TBD what size and style of player he tends toward. He's drafted only one D-man thus far (Lyckasen, who is also a smaller frame type at 5-11, 187# at time of draft).

This would be the more logical approach. What could Edmonton get for Draisaitl that would fill out the remainder of the roster and provide depth and balance? In the playoffs it's much easier to defeat a team dependent on a top-notch power play because whistles have a habit of getting swallowed, scrums and hits wear everyone down, and suddenly defenses are desperate to reduce space and block shots instead of just clearing a view for the goalie. As to EDM trading McDavid... for giggles, if I'm Edmonton I don't even want Eichel for McDavid. Instead, I view Eichel as the throw-in for salary-balancing purposes because I know I'm only getting 60 games/season from him. I'd start with 6 first-round picks, no protections, one for each year of McDavid's contract plus one year after. Oh, and don't forget to send Cozens, Samuelsson, Portillo, Quinn, and Peterka. All the depth you've gathered for Eichel's future? It's doomed to be mine. As is your future fleet of picks because Buffalo will ruin McDavid just like they've ruined everyone else and all 5 of those picks will be top-10. Enjoy the basement of the standing with Skinner getting 30 goals a year and still being a minus player with an immovable contract. Huzzah!

I have a sweet spot for Brind'Amour... who hasn't officially re-signed yet, but will any moment... and I would've loved Grier on the Sabres staff. Really, Granato is fine if we're going the full youth movement route, but frankly, I want some proven experience as a head coach. Just get someone who hires a top staff, keeps Bales or an appropriate goalie-whisperer, and then inspires the team to attack.

The 'Ebriate had a similar out-of-town culinary experience recently. I don't process red meat as I did when I was a youngling, so I did: Saturday - grilled a 28 oz. ribeye on the Weber; roasted Greek potatoes, homemade Caesar and a whole romaine heart Sunday - the remaining meat got sliced and warmed at the very end in a pan full of Stroganoff. Mushrooms, onions, some paprika, and half a container of sour cream. Served over a bowl of pasta. Edit: I can post the stroganoff recipe I use, and I can sorta approximate the Caesar dressing, if requested.

This is largely the product of the planned suffering and tank. Once we totally cleaned shop of NHL-caliber players up top, and lacked sufficient mid-tier call-ups, our most capable players to call up were the kids. Girgensons, Grigorenko, Ristolainen, Zadorov... the very first fruits of the planned suffering start-up: they all should have come up for a drink of water and then gone right back down to ROC. Instead, only Zadorov went back, and that was apparently more because he missed a flight and was an immature 19? year-old at the time than his play on the ice. Then we traded them (Grigorenko, Zadorov, Armia) and there were no young stud building blocks in the AHL, and not yet ready for the continuous rigors of a tank-team in the NHL, and it spiralled. Say what you will about Meszaros --- but he was in the NHL for a reason. $4M. Cap floor compliance. And sacrifice a year of his career for the money so that Ristolainen could've been protected (and then Risto made the team anyway). We needed another Meszaros, and probably for the next season as well, until a Risto or a Zadorov, or Girgs or Grigs or Armia was consistently dominating the AHL game week in and week out.

I don't think Vegas considers breaking up their 4th line, especially both its primary pieces. That 4th line is like the Isles' 4th line... it's the soul of the team and frequently changes the complexion of the game via either physicality or the timely goal. Unless.... Yes. If Vegas flames out, then maybe they really go for the shakeup. "We had a super-balanced team of rejects, and we had the ultimate board-crashing physical 4th line and got close... now we need to go unbalanced and more top-heavy finesse with the superstar" mindset kicking in. My other 2 Republic credits on the matter is --- If I'm an opposing GM I need to see Jack play again before I give up good-to-great value in a trade for him. He was hurt in every which way before and during this last season and looked like a shell of himself with no shot and no breakaway speed. I'm not going to the Sabres a fair price until Jack can demonstrate he's healthy and himself again. So -- we need to find which team has a GM who covets Eichel like GMTM coveted Evander Kane. (He's hurt? All the better! We can get even worse to get him!) Or to find an owner (Dolan?) who covets Eichel like TPeg loved Ehrhoff or Leino.

Didn't get a chance to watch FLA-TB game 1, so just doing a quick look today.... This is why our team needs desperately to make the playoffs. To understand the passion, the craziness, the physicality of every shift and shot. The last half decade when other teams want to, they take it up another gear against us. And we almost never have had a response. I would say sometime the Granato team did, and sometimes the Byslma-Eichel-rookie year did, particularly in the second half of the season when there were some comeback wins. But --- this FLA-TB game 1 --- this is two gears above anything the Sabres saw in the regular season. And they need to make the playoffs so they can experience this and learn from it and become comfortable with it.

Even on our ex-players squad they're trying to make MoJo a center again... And Lazar can't beat Staal out of the lineup???

Wilson definitely extended his hands to push to stay onside, but... that was really close. Super headsy play by Wilson. Regardless, what a deflection and then the bounce down off the B crest, and between the legs.

I don't like the Bruins. But they do hockey really well. So do the Caps. This is going to be a fun series.

I can hypocritically state that although I don't want to wish ill-health upon anyone, I also wouldn't mind if Marchand and Wilson licked and punched each other into injuries that resulted in lost time from both the hurt as well as the suspensions and ridicule.

Talent is the most important thing. But it isn't just the culture of the core, it's culture of the entire team. It's attention to detail on the ice, off the ice, in communication, etc. The players can all hate each other and be completely dysfunctional off the ice and sufficient talent can overcome that. Having everyone bought in and going in the same direction can make up a little of a talent gap. As to why? What other choice do we have? Onward and upward! This is where the fun begins.

Screw you, Hall. We didn't see that type of zone entry from him in a Sabres jersey after January. (But I hope if it was COVID-related that he's fully healthy. No health wishes against anyone unless I want to see their face pounded. Hatred and Dark Side and all... I'm a polite darth.)

Ouch. Losing Vanecek. If he's out with a groin, and Samsonov isn't ready, that's advantage: Bruins.

Opening line shifts of the Caps-Bruins series had two or three checks delivered harder than any Sabre forward doled out all season (I specify forwards because Ristolainen had hits to match). We need our skill forwards to also be able to withstand this level of game and elevate to it. Note: these were the top lines, the skill guys, setting the tone.