DarthEbriate

Good call on Määttä. I'd forgotten he'd been in Detroit, too. Crafty veteran who is a LHD but has consistently played on the right side throughout his career. Traded for a 3rd with 2/3 of a season remaining.

We like a good story with good vs. evil. The story feels better when the good side wins. Of course, "Good is a point of view." What we're left with is the question, is our choice of team the side of good or the side of evil? Or the third side of moral victory?

GM Sheevyn will make it legal.

Hronek was a UFA I believe, so at least they got something (1st = Axel Sandin Pellikka). The Wings should've probably just tried harder to extend Hronek though, given he wouldn't break the bank and would be great on Edvinsson's right side (just as he's doing for Hughes). Walman is a weird cap dump. He's not great, certainly. Just a 4-6, but he scores some goals and blocks a lot of shots. (Sabres fans wouldn't love him because he throws fewer hits than Jokiharju, but more than Power.) But to have to move a 2nd and him and receive "future considerations" for it, is goofy, especially since they still have $3M in cap space even with Husso's salary counting as dead cap because he's in Grand Rapids. Their 3D pair isn't any better with Gustafsson on it than it would be with Walman. 2nd = Leo Sahlin Wallenius who is another LHD.

The Canucks would be an expansion sibling. The Blues are first cousins, by color scheme, once removed (1967 expansion generation).

But that's not as fun. Yzerman recently traded away Hronek and Walman to remove blockers for up-and-coming d-men and you know that GM Sheevyn just loves Johansson (thinly built LHD).

I only went back to 2010. There definitely could be another season where the Sabres started especially slow and the Bills were good to excellent.

This is a fun exercise. 11/26/2014 (Eichel tank season) -- they both had 6 wins 12/21/2017 -- they both had 8 wins 12/27/2024 -- they both have 12 wins. A Sabres loss tonight and at St Louis on Sunday, plus a Bills win over the Jets? We could be talking January. C'mon, Sabres!

No changes. The owner's speech in Montreal wasn't falsehood. It's EEE and the belief is in the core... when they're a couple years older. That said, it'll be more of the same. Streaky with wins and undoing any good streak with a run of losses. If JJP-Cozens-Quinn produces, they'll be just over DeLuca .500 which is wild card-level over an entire season (but given a 13-game losing streak will leave them shy of 90 points). But, most likely they'll go through another cold spell in a couple months, or get derailed by another injury, etc., before selling at the deadline.

Didn't see the game. Is there any reason given for Kleber not playing? I had thought he had been expected to skate on a pair with Hutson or in the top 4?

Have a happy Life Day or whatever solstice celebration y'all partake in, ‘Spacers!

Emphatically breaking the losing streak is fun. But let us not forget, the Sabres were pacing for 90 points even after their 3-game winning streak west coast trip. The only reason it was fine is because none of the other teams in the East seemed to want the wild card spots. If they get back to a 90-point pace the rest of the way they’re only looking at 79 points.

To me, he's royalty GM Sheevyn Palmsmatine.

[The Shabres] are ###### on the field of victory!

It’s a win. And now I have to watch it extended after the football game, but… It still only counts as one! (Win)

Two thoughts on the lineup: 1) I realize McLeod's good start has dried up and he hasn't scored a goal in a month -- that stinks. But how about getting him into the top 6 with scorers instead? 2) The Kid Line (Benson-Cozens-Quinn) wasn't producing. So... now they have two kid lines? That's on the GM for having such a young roster, but especially with Greenway out so you don't have a shutdown defensive line while simultaneously needing to shake things up... how about spreading out the veterans and the types of players on each line? Split up McLeod, Malenstyn, Lafferty, Aube-Kubel -- weave them in with the kids who are getting pushed around. And, McLeod will either get a qualifying offer and then get out of dodge -- OR -- he's going to sign a 1-year offer sheet. The Sabres can match it because the compensation won't be great, but then he'll need to be dealt or just let him walk for nothing. His role is perfect for this team and where they're at, and they're going to chase him away with their ineptitude.

He's a 2026, so this is his draft year minus 1, next year will be his draft year/draft zero year.

Red Squadron only goes up to 12 X-Wings. I don't even have anything to quip about.... It's an Isles game though, so the Sabres have a chance to win in OT/SO if they can score 2 goals in regulation. More likely it's 4-1 Isles with an ENG added less than 15 seconds after UPL leaves the ice.

Likely Neuchev. Kisakov has no trade value as a sweetener at this point.

Say what you will about Pegula, but he hasn’t yet had a documented kill of a trade because he didn’t like the player’s EA NHL game rating. The Sabres trades have been negated by the inbound players.

The competition is San Jose, which is still in tear-down mode and has had the savvy to trade Wedgewood for Georgiev already. The Sabres can easily finish 31st or 32nd.

Nothing since EEE, correct?

If they keep the pick and Schaefer is the BPA when they’re on clock, say 4-7th after the lottery, then that’s the pick to make. But! If it were the pick, then don’t play him in the NHL, and in his rookie year, skate him on the 3rd pair with an established veteran RHD, not fellow rookie Maxim Strbak.

Pettersson’s contract is very big. Power, a lottery-protected 1st (basically 2026 1st at this point), and Rosen for Pettersson and Sherwood. It has to be a little bit painful for them to lose a top-6 for them. And the Sherwood is the Sabres middle-6 insurance for when they inevitably move out the veterans (Greenway and Zucker) before the trade deadline. But really, I’d rather have Hronek for Joker plus stuff. The type of trade Vancouver would never do.

In 5 years, the palms trees could be yay-high and the residents could vote in a full new array of legislators to replace NY state income taxes with a 12ish% sales tax instead, plus more in areas where new stadiums are being built.