CGorman

This is one of those games you really notice the lack of secondary pressure. The middle 6 get their chances, but there's no sustained o zone possesion. The first line is close to, if not already, elite. Fun to watch them (insert plea to resign Skinner).

Eichel and Reinhart together is so beautiful to watch. The small plays look incredible.

Oh, I've been here the whole time. Just lurking in the shadows... For real though, it is nice to have a community of people that loves this team the way everyone on here does. I don't post often, but I do read frequently. Always enjoy everyone's thoughts & banter. Go Sabres!

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I didn't plan on making a Sabres vid until they made the playoffs, but this win streak needed to be recognized. Looking forward to the next one, Go Sabres!

Hey everyone, It's been a fun ride to see this team climb out of the basement, here's a little video I put together to pay homage. Go Sabres!

Overall I'm pretty impressed, especially with Nylander, Asplund, and Smith. Guhle and Mittelstadt should be in Rochester to start the season, and that is not a bad thing. Remember, development is a fluid process with lots of ups and downs. The announcers are annoying as all hell. I put them on mute after they raved about the "composure" during the most elementary of zone exits between Sandin and Liljegren. I'm expecting a solid 2 minute conversation about how well Tavares ties his skates in the second.

With the slow part of the offseason upon us, I wanted to share a scene from a feature length comedy we are making in Chicago. It's completely improvised which allows us to take these characters and put them in the real world without missing a beat. We will need to reshoot some stuff this year (replace ROR, Benoit, and hope they actually win this time), but we still can't believe how awesome the scene turned out. Enjoy!

Danny Briere. There was a funny dichotomy to his persona. On the ice he was this explosive spark plug capable of creating offense from anywhere. Off the ice he was this soft spoken easy going guy. I do often wonder what that team would have been if we even just kept him. Oh well, better days are ahead.

I do think the nucleus of Eichel, Reinhart, Risto, Mittlestadt, and Nylander will be stronger than that of Kelly, Thurman, Bruce, Talley, and Reed. I know they're different sports but hockey gets the edge because it's half the amount of guys you need to fill around the core. In terms of Sabres history, the 05-06 core was the strongest one I've ever seen. Much stronger than the 99 team (remember they finished 4th in the division that year and rode a hot Hasek through the playoffs). The 99 team didnt have a run before or after that year while the post lockout Sabres has deep runs both years they were together (what could have been if they had more than two years?). The French Connection Sabres are probably around where this team could be. Strong team from drafted players. If we are now in an era similar to the Perrault years, things are about to get fun.

This team feels different than any other Buffalo sports team I have ever cheered for. Despite having only been alive since 1990, I feel confident in saying this is a team unlike any other in Buffalo sports history. The tank took the fanbase to a place it never would have predicted, and that feels strange to come out the other side of. It really felt like watching your best friend hit rock bottom, knowing deep down it was best for them. We got what we wanted in Eichel. Along the way we got talent like Risto, Reinhart, Nylander, and Mittlestadt. Those four with Eichel is the most talented core a Buffalo team has ever had. Talent doesn't always translate, but the ceilings are very high for these 5. The question will come down to how the team around them is built. As of now, I do trust Botterill. He has made every sound move so far. He's not trying to make the big move, just the right one. I also trust Housley. He seems to be implementing a style that fits our strength, something the previous coach failed to do. It is going to be a rocky season, but feels like one that could be a lot of fun. The thing that is most different about this team is how close we will all grow to it. Hitting rock bottom with them makes them mean all the more. I do believe this will be the team thats wins a championship in Buffalo, and look forward to the ride with all of you. Go Sabres!

Was that Housley?

Nostalgia is all we've had the past six years, so let's open this up. Just give a random playoff goals that stuck with you for whatever reason. Stu Barnes Game 5 v Pittsburgh - 2002 Watched this one alone in my house on a random spring Saturday (if memory is correct it was the day before easter). Just felt right, plus the ping of the post mixed with Johan Hedberg's (who we couldn't beat early in that series) utter shock at the power of the shot made it amazing.

Because our top goal scorer is not going to be a part of the team after next year and his value won't get any higher than it is now. If we were in the Caps position, keep him and go for a cup. We aren't going for a cup next year but hopefully will in 3-5. We have some big contracts that are going out to offensive players in the next few years, Kane won't (shouldn't) be getting one. Get a defender that you will give a contract to.

I really hope we make a run for Oshie. He's the only FA I think we should aggressively go after. He'd be great with Jack or ROR and would help our abysmal shootout attempts (assuming the league doesn't scrap the SO). Won't come cheap but won't break the bank either. Trade Kane for D and have your forwards look something like this: Oshie-Eichel-Erod Okposo-ROR-Ennis Carrier-Samson-Nylander Girgs-Larsson-Foligno

Very true, but every time the tank was talked about it was with Murray. He was the one saying "if you're a free agent, we trade you" when it was blatantly a tank job. While he won't go down as a great GM in Buffalo sports history, we should all take a second and recognize how brilliantly bad the 2014-15 Sabres were. Murray set out for the bottom and wow did he get there. The comedic twist of it all was having a guy like Harrington on him -forcing him to talk about it, and teams like Arizona hanging right with us- forcing him to tank harder. Tim Murray, we will miss your bluntness and large judgmental eyes. Forever the commander of our tank.

I am guilty of being a habitual lurker. My new era resolution will be to post more.

#1- This team is still not far from being good. The hard part is over, and they have talent. Forward depth and the entire blue line needs work, but we have a franchise player that we haven't had since Perrault. Even Briere and Drury couldn't dictate the game like Eichel does, and he's only 20. Eichel is the centerpiece of this franchise, and the GM and coach decision should be filtered through that. Some may say that a 20 year old shouldn't have that much power, but most 20 year olds aren't tanked for. He is what we hoped he would be and now we need to build around his strengths and weaknesses. The first order for the new coach is to make Eichel captain. Connor is captain, Auston soon will be. Let's not kid ourselves into saying Jack isn't the face of the franchise. I wouldn't even mind co-captains with Jack and ROR a-la post lock out Sabres before D-Day 7/1/07. Whatever works, you need a C on his chest in some capacity. #2- I hope Lindy is Czar and Phil Housley is coach. It is very Pegulaish but this one might work. Both are certainly qualified for those positions and would keep the local vibe they seem obsessed with. #3- Sam Reinhart, the biggest decision of the offseason. I have always loved him playing with Jack but around February it became clear that it wasn't working for Sam's development. He needs to be the facilitator of a line, slowing the game to the speed that he thrives at (not a knock on his literal speed, which still needs work). Keep them on the #1 power play together and let their magic thrive there. If they use him as trade bait, theres only one player he should be traded for: Hanifin. #4- Murray being fired was surprising, but probably needed to happen simply to remove the face of the tank. The biggest concern with tanking was what it does to the culture of the franchise. We loved Murray during the tank because he wanted exactly what we did: last place. It's hard to turn that mindset off. Not saying he intentionally made a bad team out of the tank, but to focus on being noncompetitive and then overnight try to build a competitive roster is hard to do. He was in too deep, and giving out bad contracts to guys like Moulson and Ennis didn't help. He would have spent this offseason tip toeing around his mistakes as opposed to cutting his losses. A new GM will add a valuable fresh perspective on this roster. #5- I hope these moves don't make Antipin sign elsewhere. If you think about it, he was probably coming here for one reason and it wasn't Dan Bylsma or Tim Murray (see point 1 for answer). He's an active D man who would excel with a puck carrying player like Eichel. Hope he's still coming. #6- Change the jerseys to royal blue. I lived in the DC area when Ovie first came in and that team changed it's identity with the uniform change from black to red. The Oilers are doing the same with their orange unis. This team and this fanbase needs to turn the page, and this would be the simplest and most visible way to do so. Cue the Bob Seger.

If the season is going to turn it has to turn now. Not the end of the world if they finish near the bottom again, but would be nice to see this team learn to win.

Good pace so far. Doesn't look like it'll be a snoozer.

Excellent

Eichel and Reinhart together is beautiful. Can't remember a duo this fun to watch since Briere/ Pomminstein in 06-07. I know the plan has been to have Eichel, ROR, and Samson centering your top 9, but they should keep them together. Jesse was supposed to die at the end of season one of Breaking Bad, but Vince Gilligan decided Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul were too good together to end it. Please Sabres, don't kill Jesse Pinkman.

Foligno-Larsson-Gio is a surprisingly solid line

It's truly a great example of how he thinks the game on another plane, literally. You don't often see guys feather shots wide like that hoping for a deflection. He's going to be fun to watch.

Okposo is good. He's making all those small plays that ROR routinely makes. They're going to be fun to watch together. Also, that attempted back-hand alley-oop pass by Reinhart to ROR was silly, bet he and Eichel connect on that a few times this year.

Hey guys, thanks for the kind words! Long time reader of the boards but don't post too often- looking forward to a great year!