jad1

Remaining goals for the season: Sign Skinner; Find a 2nd center; seriously evaluate the need for a veteran coach.

This refereeing is total garbage.

I get that, but the some of the best playoff runs started with the Sabres in the 8th seed. Being a Bills/Sabres fan over the last two decades, I've learned you can't pick when you're going to be good. To waste this opportunity to protect a late first round pick doesn't seem like the right move here.

Yeah, need a better understanding of 'mortgaging the future.' Trading the 28th pick in the draft and a defenseman prospect for a legit 2nd line center to salvage an Eichel-led playoff run doesn't sound like a bad idea right now.

Eichel/Skinner/Thompson were getting dominated because Thompson is a offensive zone possession time killer. Puck goes to him, possession ends. Mittlestadt with Reinhart would have been a better move, but that turns Eichel into a playmaker. Mittlestadt with Skinner and Eichel with Reinhart would create two playmaker/scorer lines. Would fill out the two top lines with ERod and Larry.

Possession is great, but Sheary an Sobotka haven't scored since Thanksgiving. You can't waste Reinhart on these two slugs when you're two goals down fighting for playoff position.

Lack of scorers and down by two goals, it's really the only answer this team has.

Carolina is playing a tight game. Reinhart needs to be moved up to the first line to help create space for Eichel and Skinner.

Jack is rusty and Thompson's game isn't at a level (yet) where he can hang with Eichel and Skinner.

Looks like another nothing game for Okposo.

That's a surprise.?

He's scrambling too much. Not set in the net.

Don't know. Need to ask our soon-to-be ex-coach.

Just pull Hutton, for his own sanity.

Nice assist by ERod.

Meh, Thompson.

Sobotka couldn't be more useless.

USA beats Russia 2-1. Heading to the gold medal game.

Those middle two lines would be no better than what they have now, and the first line wouldn't be as good as it is now.

Eichel and Skinner have 35% of the Sabres total goals. If you want to distribute scoring on the current roster, those are the guys to move. It is a horrible idea, and that's why JBots has got to make some moves to fix the rest of the roster.

The problem is that if you want to distribute scoring, the guys to break up on that line are Eichel and Skinner. If you want a playmaker/scorer combo, then the move should be something like Eichel/Reinhart and Mittelstadt/Skinner. And, at this point, that's just a bad idea.

Yeah, they'll be dealing with his contract long after they're done with him.

Skinner is just a born-goal scorer. The Sabres either need a legit 2nd line center, or they need another Skinner to team with Casey.

Problem is that you would have three playmakers and no scorers on that line. Maybe if Olafsson is ready to come up, you can put Casey, Reinhart and Olafsson together.

Yep, no doubt. That trade could have been made at any time before the deadline. Jbots could have kicked the tires with O'Reilly's attitude, which would have probably improved with the team's improvement, over the first 20 games of the season.