jad1

I don't think they're telling the same story. Both stories are good, but I doubt they'll be the same.

Definitely!

Agree that the books and show are different. The writers have played fast and loose with the lore in the books, sometimes to their benefit and sometimes to their detriment. The Dance of the Dragons is mentioned in the show multiple times, so it exists in the world of the show, but hey are picking and choosing the details here to make John more special for some reason. And for the record, the short story "The Princess and the Queen" is a part of the ASOIF canon and details the Dance of the Dragons (The Targaryen civil war, where the majority of Targaryen dragons were wiped out). In that story, Nettles, Ulf the White, and Hugh the Hammer are non-Targaryens who ride dragons. So the books have established that non-Targaryens can ride dragons.

Not true. There were non-Targaryen dragon riders during the Dance of the Dragons (the civil war, not the book).

I agree. This draft wasn't going to fix the team's immediate issues, so I'm looking more foward to Botterill using FA and trades to make the team competitive next season. Hiring the right coach is also key.

Don't think it's rigged, just think it's a stupid idea to fix a non-problem that hurts a team's ability to build through the draft.

It doesn't just screw Buffalo, it screws every team that legitimately needs talent to build it's roster.

Another lottery where the Sabres drop back. This lottery scheme was a fantastic idea. ?

I agree. The defense top six is made up of 3 first rounders (all drafted in the top 10), and 3 second rounders (Scandella, McCabe, and Montour). It's hard to imagine Botterill acquiring better talent than is on the ice right now. For example, Botterill paid a big price for Montour, and the defense actually got worse after the aquisition. The defense has a lot of bad habits in their own zone and maybe the team needs a dinosaur like Ruff or Trotz for a few seasons to drill fundamentals into the defensemen's heads.

The defense is probably the area of the team where Botterill expected more. Risto is a 40 point defenseman who is way too mistake-prone in his own zone. Dahlin looks to be following the same path with defensive zone mistakes. Scandella is a Botterill acquisition. Further damming is that overall defensive play didn't improve with the acquisition of Montour. Botterill might feel that a better coach will get better results from this group. The fowards just need help.

Montour has shown skill and talent, but the defense and team really hasn't improved since he arrived, putting up 8 points the last month or so. O'Reilly is a 75 point Selke candidate, the leading scorer on a playoff team. Imagine if Botterill signs a 75 point 2C this off season. How ecstatic would Sabres fans be? Hopefully Montour and the defense will improve under better coaching, but Montour for O'Reilly is still a big win for the Blues.

After last season I was hoping I would never have to hear the words "draft lottery" again for the rest of my life. And yet, here we are.

I agree with wanting a scoring 3rd line, like the the RAV line. Okposo, Sheary, and Mitts aren't going to get you that. Olofsson and Nylander with ERod might be a better choice for the third line. Casey and Tage are in limbo, both should start in Rochester next season. Thompson should be trade bait and Mitts should be on a short leash. Eichel, Skinnner, and Reinhart would give the Sabres a dominant first line. Botterill needs to build the 2nd line almost from scratch. Maybe Sheary stays there, but Botterill needs to find a couple of 20+ goal scorers at center or wing by trade or in FA.

He definitely looks good. It would be great if he fills a top 6 forward slot next season.

They should bring him back next season at the right price. 15+ goals, can fill in on every line, veteran with the right attitude. He'd be a good role player.

NHL games? 200 games is almost 3 full seasons, which is too long to judge if a player has the ability to adjust to the speed of the NHL game. And Tage is half-way there, with un-promising results.

Dahlin might be still getting used to the speed of the game, but he's 18 and put up 41 points this season. Tage is 3 years older and had 12 points this year. Not to be too harsh, but that's the difference between a rising star and a bust. And the extra weight won't help Thompson, because he's not a physical player. He's not a Carrier or even a Girgensons. The most disappointing thing about him is his lack of physical play.

106 games to get used to NHL speed? I think he has more problems than that. And entitlement is the only reason Thompson spent almost the entire season on an NHL roster this year. Botterill should find a GM who is similarly awed by Thompson's physical giftedness so he can package Tage in a deal for a player who can actually play NHL hockey. In other words, he needs to give Thompson the ol' 'Cliff Pu.'

Here you go: Luke Adam: 90 Career NHL games, 15 goals, 11 assists, 26 points, -11 Tage Thompson: 106 Career NHL games, 10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points, -34

Because the Pegulas have been consistent in firing coaches after 2 years (Ruff, Nolan, Bylsma, Rex) and in just about all cases, they've been right to do so. They make their mistakes when they hire the new coach.

Good effort boys! Take Thursday off! (As if they need to be told to do that!)

Right now, this season would be Skinner's 3rd best season, so it's not a career year. He's in the neighborhood of a 25+ goal and 50+ point average per year player. Stafford scored 20+ goals 4 times in his 15 year career. So, no real comparison in the risk of signing these two players. Let Skinner walk, but Botterill better have a replacement in mind to play on Eichel's wing. The best way to blow $10 million a year is to put Sheary and Thompson on Jack's line.

I would argue that it cost them this season. A 55 point player would look pretty good on the 2nd line, behind Eichel, Skinner, and Reinhart. Buffalo has 3 top six forwards right now. 2 if Skinner walks. That means next season, Botterill has to add three or four 55-point players to the roster. It's an almost impossible task to add that number of 55-point players to a roster in one off season. So, barring a miracle from Botterill in the trade and FA market this off season, next season could make it two lost seasons.

You can see what Murray was trying to do to quickly rebuild the team. He drafted Eichel and Reinhart, traded for O'Reilly and Kane, and signed Okposo and Moulson as free agents. In a couple of short years he tried to build the top six fowards. It didn't work out, mainly due to Okposo and Moulson. The Sabres need a GM better than Murray, but as a fan I appreciate Murray's urgency with his plan.

Yeah, I think the point is that it's extremely difficult to acquire legitimate top 6 fowards in the NHL. You can't be cavalier with these guys, because they're difficult to replace (case in point, losing Drury and Briere for nothing basically destroyed the Sabres franchise). When Botterill realized that he wasn't going to be able to trade Kane for a top six foward, he should have tried to work a deal with Kane to keep him long term. Despite Kane's shortcomings, not replacing his contributions on the ice has set the franchise back years.