DarthEbriate

Maybe even inconsistently a playoff team at this point (their division is stacked), but still at least a threat. A competent GM and owner who aren't anxious to dole out 1-year or 2-year deals to their best futures (Reinhart, Ullmark) while dishing out big term/salary to unproven (Samuelsson) and nice, but not core pieces (Skinner) could easily have walked into the 2022-2023 season (missed the playoffs by 1 point) with Granato as head coach and Eichel, Reinhart, Montour, and Ullmark on the roster. Toss in a trade (let's say a 1st + prospect + something for then-third-liner Alex Tuch so he could blossom in the top 6 on your team), and you'd still be cap compliant and ready to go. You might not be able to pay Skinner 9... but he'd probably have taken a lot less to stick around with a real GM. Now... when you get to the playoffs, your run-and-gun is going to get destroyed, but you can start tweaking from there because you have your core and they know they're on the ascent. UFAs join those teams. NMCs get waived for, and NTCs don't list, those teams.

Not to be confused with the Draft thread and discussions. This is simply: What would you do with the 9th overall selection?

McDavid had 33 points in 22 games, tying Draisaitl for the playoffs lead -- both of them 10 clear of Reinhart/Tkachuk/Verhaege. McDavid was hardly a playoff bust. He was a stud in every game and series. He and Draisaitl simply ran into a better team, particularly when Florida had the last change. If EDM had the depth (and goaltending!) to run McDavid and Draisaitl on separate lines, maybe they could manage it. But when they're paired together, Florida just drops on Verghaege-Barkov-Reinhart or ERod-Bennett-Tkachuk. And they still have Marchand-Lundell-Luostarinen as a "3rd line". That's 3 centers that can limit the damage and Marchand is on the flippin' 3rd line as a scoring threat. We have to dial it back on this belief that a star player can do everything in team sports (even in basketball. Those '90s Bulls were the better team in each and every series; heck, they finished 2nd/3rd in their division when Jordan wasn't even on the team for the season.)

Always fun to watch them skate it. Despite the frustration and envy.

It’s a nice way to do it this second year. Samoskevich is going to be good, too. They won’t fade soon.

I saw Samoskevich, Megna, Boqvist. But not Asplund. I feel saddened. One more Sabre was needed.

In one season he can sign with Florida for a few million a year.

Decided he didn’t need to be part of the handshake line.

How many empty netters can they get in 5 minutes? Reinahrt’s shooting percentage is unsustainable!!!!

Reinhart will be fine. Thanks for blowing up the core, Sheev.

Opening shift, I think it was Reinhart with the back check to disrupt a Draisaitl slot shot.

When they do get “flustered” or abrasive or go goon, it’s with purpose and they don’t lose their cool. They find the line for the penalties and then ride it.

Lundqvist is right. Florida doesn’t make mistakes. They’re all smart players and they don’t panic.

If Kulich and Levi lead the Sabres to three Finals and two Cups… we can call it a draw. But in the meantime… watch Adams trade Levi before he gets good.

It’s very frustrating. Put every game: pre-, regular, and post-season on ESPN+ and show the playoff games on ESPN/ABC and they can do TNT but they have to share the streaming with ESPN+.

Skinner out with McDavid and Draisaitl for a shift. Gets a chance and then complains about no call. In the 2nd period of game 6. The whistles are mostly lost by now (except for pucks over the glass).

One of these days he’ll turn out fine.

If folks are watching the game tonight, don't drink a shot every time they show or mention the Stanley Cup in the building. Your loved ones need you alive tomorrow.

Vancouver is awesome. And early summer is the best of times. Or August 1st until October 15th-ish.

Tampa is not trading Cirelli. He's a Selke-candidate center in a division with Matthews and Barkov who they have to beat to get out of the second round every year. And Yanni Gourde, despite being signed forever at a low cost, is no Cirelli. If Tampa were the target, the Adams Special Deal of the Day would be centered around JJP for Moser +, who has 1 year left before becoming RFA again. No, thank you.

They're all older and a goalie arrives to save their skins. I've got a bad feeling about this...

Happy "the Cup is in the building" camera shots day to you and yours!

I just don't think Pettersson is the best player they could add, by trade or by free agency. I think he'll have good seasons but his career best is already past and his solid value production days are another contract into the future. In between he'll be a Matt Duchene or a Ryan Johanson. Good players... but overpaid, and if you really overpaid them, then you'll be sorely disappointed.

So... move Power or Samuelsson (or buy him out while he's so cheap). The finances will work. In 2 years, at the halfway point of Dahlin's contract, his percentage of the cap will be 9.69%, which is very close to what Hedman's cap percentage was when Tampa won their back-to-back Cups (9.66% with a $7.875M salary to 81.5 cap ceiling. After that there will be 4 more seasons where the cap could be even higher with expansion. The resources will be there. Now, whether Adams/Pegula can effectively put that cap to reasonable use for the rest of the roster, I'll agree with you there. But Dahlin making money isn't really a negative. The no one wins the Cup with a $10M/year salary days are long over; Eichel busted that. Then Bob did. And this year someone will do it again.

Whoops, I didn't expand on that enough. My bad. By full potential I meant -- when they drafted him if he had achieved his maximum homerun swing potential, maybe even grew another inch or two, and basically was a diamond in the rough. I agree: now his ceiling is a responsible 3W with an above-average shot, which can be a good player -- like an Evan Rodrigues (who floats up the lineup without any problems) and should never cost you that much in salary unless you sign him UFA the season after he wins a Cup and has several clutch moments and your team needs "winners" and "leadership".