DarthEbriate

If Tampa steamrolls us this season, then it will have been a great and entertaining year. Optimism: 1) We're going to score more goals than we give up. 2) [Pure speculation, no rumor or any truth to this] I think the teams realize a second and looming third year with a flat or reduced cap means they'll need a compliance buyout available after the 2021-22 season. Miller's move to the left side instead of Montour is a really important fix. Pessimism: Ullmark can handle it, but Hutton can't and neither can Johansson. Our trade deadline move(s) do not improve us sufficiently for this season to make an impact.

I also want to take a moment to point out that I love that we're having a fantastic hockey discussion on a Wednesday morning about our bottom 6 because we finally have six legitimate NHL-caliber top-6 players as well as young unprovens like Thompson and Cozens who could find themselves proven NHL-caliber soon. This is good. And this Wednesday morning happens to be opening day of a hockey season. Now -- Thompson top-6? Maybe, maybe not. But he's got Eichel and Hall to carry the puck for him and he's a 1st round pick whose frame has finally filled out. Maybe with an optimistic sidedish of hope.

I was thinking of a Skinner - Cozens - Sobotka 4th line response... 🍺

To which his coach should've demanded "Both." But Skinner is no Hull.

Is it with good linemates, or linemates he's good with? We got Hall, so RK split the big tandem (their bike!) of Eichel-Reino to go Hall-Eichel. Skinner started out with Staal (savvy vet who's played well with all manner of players/ages/types) and Reino (has shown the ability to mold/adapt to everyone he's played with). And Skinner lost that. That's disappointing, but it's also on Skinner. RK is about those pairs: Hall-Eichel, Staal-Reinhart, Eakins-Okposo. In the meantime, Skinner's on the spare-parts line until he meshes with a partner. History last year shows that RK is really stubborn (Skinner came back while Olofsson was out but remained on line 2). But there's nothing to say that Skinner doesn't jump back up with Staal-Reinhart and soon. This season-opening series is essentially the preseason.

Absolutely, but the NFL is designed for a team to be able to do just that. I watched Schneider arrive in Seattle 10 years ago and completely flip the roster in two seasons. They gutted everyone, wished some old-timers farewell, and were done with it and have competed ever since... (since they found the QB to go with it). But the NFL has guaranteed money, not guaranteed contracts. They can cut veterans with only a short-term impact the following season. They have longer rookie deals where the player is already contributing to the team. They have no farm system where you're tied to prospects. The league is made for flips. You can flip an NHL team over, but it takes a year or two longer --- unless you're trying to blow up an already good roster, that's easy. But we'd stripped down to the studs and the valuable parts were deemed untradeable and the other parts were really not worth the return to move out (Moulson or Bogosian, and now Skinner's 9M as examples).

That (not believing in The Concept Of) is why you fail. 🍺 ....The Concept of the Sabres surrounds us, and binds us....

This division is stacked and whoever makes it likely to have suppressed overall points compared to some of the league standings leaders, but is going to be battle-proven. If the Sabres make the playoffs (totally a longshot, sure, but a two-line team has a better chance than a one-line team), they won't be a pushover. If Hall re-signs we need a re-bounded cap ASAP (which the league isn't doing) or he's got to settle for way less. For the Bills it's apples/oranges. The Bills have had the same GM/coach combo for over 3 years now, which the Sabres haven't done in quite some time. It's a lot quicker to turnaround an NFL roster where the cap hits can be pushed out, the draft is entirely of 21+ year-olds who are essentially ready to compete for the roster, and the guaranteed money doesn't float around with the player forever.

Never? There certainly must have been points in the last 10 years that are more concerning than the current makeup of our bottom 6, which is missing Okposo/Girgensons to injury. If you need to cheer up, just take a look at the top 6.

Swapping Asplund and Cozens makes sense on those two lines for checking vs. scoring. But Cozens could just be getting the placement because Okposo remains out and their style is more similar than Okposo/Asplund. Hopefully, Okposo is back for the opener, allowing Cozens to shift to the Skinner line, or even sit and observe.

Rip finally easing up on his number monopoly with his reduced work hours. 🍺

Milbury came out of NBC too close to the Hoth system....

Pair him with Rieder, trade for Bogosian. We'll never give up a power play goal again. We're getting the band back together.

Olofsson is not a defenseman.... 🍺 And Eichel's shot is good.

Borgen has looked solid. As has Ullmark.

Rieders on the storm! Although it's German, so it'll sound as Reeder.

The pass faked me out.

Borgen had a bad o zone turnover, but played it well to break up the extra pass.

I'm looking for any signs of chemistry, and D pairings, how the power play might align, things like that. Seeing how aggressive the guys who are on the bubble are. But the outcome and such, no, nothing to be worried about or learned.

Haaaa! Rob! Love it. He's on fire using his assets.

Well-placed "Whom" by Rob Ray in the play-by-play. Impressive. And a good little tap/feed to Rieder for the equalizer. Hall too easy.

Lovely forced turnover and nice goal.

Local football team playoff game... Sabres intrasquad scrimmage... Sabres win, obviously.

Execute Order Twenty-Eight, or as I like to write it: Order 2$!

Luke, The Concept Of will be with you... always.