z-man

I have to watch the Caps broadcast due to blackout rules…so much better than Dunleavy. Feel like Dahlin should pretend to be an NBA shooting guard and just take it in to the net himself every so often.

I'm excited about what we got back in the deal, and glad it's all over. I think my only somewhat productive comment I could add to this discussion is something I think about all the time with the Bills and where they are at now: good teams don't necessarily start with big names, and big names don't make good teams. For years the Bills signed free agents who wound up underperforming when they got to Buffalo. The Sabres have done the same. When you focus on building a team and culture up and down the roster (and pipeline in the case of Hockey) rather than fitting a collection of talents into a "system," you wind up with guys that will play better than they might go on to do elsewhere if they were to leave...in essence, a lot of your team winds up becoming the very big names you once sought, as a product of their environment. Inevitably, some may leave in free agency, and go on to underperform elsewhere. Obviously, you need good hockey players -- you can't make something out of nothing. And we've certainly got some promising talent in the system. We're probably not going to have another player of Eichel's "no-doubt" elite talent just fall into our lap, but who knows what happens if we take some swings on high upside but less certain prospects and put them into the right environment to grow. How many guys did we pass up in drafts who are now top 20 players in the league?

Derrick Henry is incredible...don't want to face him in the playoffs but love to watch him play in general. I can't recall a more physically dominant RB in recent times -- brings to mind Jerome Bettis. There are guys that run hard (e.g. Marshawn Lynch), but they weren't also HUGE.

NHL.com already has us 14 in their power rankings 👀

I like the way Foligno is responding to the increase in ice time this year. I feel that if this continues, he will learn to stop making as many bonehead plays. He brings a lot to the table for a guy with such hands, and I like that he can be an energy guy without resorting to sandpaper tactics. Ennis just doesn't have it. He was a bright spot in the tank, but his flashy individual plays don't work if he can't create plays with his teammates. I am loving watching Reinhart's development.

Deluca, I think I'm going to pass this year. My team name is Tokyo Katanas. Thanks for running things.

While it seems a little arrogant on some level, I don't think we have a Brendan Lemieux on our hands. He legitimately does have the choice of many teams, and nothing he's said is at all out of the ordinary for someone in that position. If we get him, which we probably have an good shot at doing, great.

I'm a happy camper. I think a poster here once summed up his game perfectly: "Okposo is a man." If you watch him play, you can see his stats are not a byproduct of playing with Tavares at all (did they even play together all the time?). He's heavy, he's got skill, and he plays with energy.

I was just thinking about this, and thought it might be an interesting game. Fill in the blanks with your best 5, the wild card 6th man, the winning shooter, and the RJ Call. ----------------- The Sabres, after an up and down start in 2015, came roaring to life in the second half of the season, and made an improbable playoff run, culminating in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Sabres went down 1-0 in the first period, and gave up two more goals in the second. But ten minutes into the third, refusing to give up, they rallied back, scoring two goals within 6 minutes. Down one goal, with momentum on their side, and thousands of fans on their feet, they pull the goalie with two minutes to go. The crowd is going wild! But wait...a missed pass and icing is called. The puck comes back into the Sabres zone with just a minute to play, as the crowd catches it's breath momentarily. The atmosphere is elecric! Rick Jeanneret is screaming into the mic! The goalie goes back in to the net, and Dan Bylsma sends out his best 5...the true blood and guts of the team...the 5 guys you can count on: ___________, _____________, _____________, ____________, and _____________. The Sabres win the faceoff!!! The goalie sprints to the bench, and Dan sends out one more man, _____________. [Cuts to RJ's call] He shoots, HE STOPPED IT!!!!! ROBBED!!!!!...HE GETS THE REBOUND....SENDS IT RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE CREASE!!!!!! 10 SECONDS LEFT...HE PASSES IT TO ______________________...HE SHOOTS...SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRREEEEESSSSS!!!!!!! ______________________[insert RJ's Call]_______________________

I've been going the cheaper route recently, and have actually been enjoying Famous Grouse and Black Grouse. I think they are basically the bare minimum in quality required to drink neat, at least for me. Not too much going on, but pretty nice flavor and smooth. But still a step down from Johnnie Black. Perfect for scotch and soda. I also got a bottle of Tullamore Dew for the first time, it's actually not bad. It completely disappears in a whiskey ginger (moreso than Jameson), but on it's own it's surprisingly smooth and balanced. I'm not sure if I like it more than the base offerings from Jameson and Bushmill's, but it's not bad at all.

I can't put my finger on why, but I just don't like him.

The WJC/USA Hockey guy they interviewed during the intermission, when asked why they chose Buffalo, among his answers specifically mentioned "especially since Russ Brandon has taken over, he had a lot of enthusiasm..." the implication is that this guy did not like Ted Black.

Why is Babcock considered to be such a great coach? He won one cup with a good team. So did many others (including Bylsma, Torts, and others who were available last offseason). The wings still have the second best record in the NHL without him. The Leafs suck even worse with him. I don't get why he keeps getting cited for the Olympic Gold...I could coach the Canadians to a gold while blind drunk. Maybe I'm just saying this because he's arrogant, but I'm just not seeing it.

This would be my choice. Sure there are a few player upgrades, but by and large EVERYONE is playing better under Bylsma. I'm very surprised.

With a great play by play guy, you should be able to tell what the puck is doing based solely on the tone of his voice. With great announcers, sometimes you can be taking a nap on the couch and they will wake you up just in time to see a goal.