Thorny

Would honestly be shocked if Catton wasn’t the pick. If he’s the guy ranked up top that’s supposed to fall, that’s our MO The chances of our draft board above us going in order and a player we have ranked above 11 not falling is almost zero mathematically It’s almost impossible the Sabres can’t draft a perceived “steal” at 11 it’s just how rankings work. One of the players we have ranked on the top 10 won’t go top 10, it’s almost certain. Every team drafting in the top 20 or so will be able to get a perceived steal. Just depends who ends up correct But if they are predisposed to making the pick, they’ll find a way to make it. There will almost always be a player who presents as excellent value

That would address the issue of being da youngest team in da leaguueee though so I’d be good with that we don’t want to be the youngest team in the league next year. It’s uncommon for the youngest team in the league to make the playoffs - that’s not an anomaly that’s proven data Should be noted that what Adams most likely does given the added cap space is “explore all options” to the tune of questionable conversion - - - We should see a big offseason this year with several competent experienced players brought in. We needed that before we traded Mitts and we needed it before we entertained buying out Skinner. Go ahead, buy out your 3rd best goal scorer after trading your best centre. I’ve absolutely advocated for addressing fit, regardless of if it was those specific players. I feel like dudacek would have you believe if you advocate for change and get it you aren’t allowed to question the means, but I don’t agree. But I’m also withholding judgment: the theory of addressing fit makes sense We need a big offseason and even more so now upfront without Casey and potentially Skinner. I’m game, I will praise Kevyn if he takes a few noteworthy swings - one thing that need not apply though, ever going forward is “who even was there?” if the results aren’t adequate it’s all on the line now for KA this offseason

We need both

Well said Welcome to the Skinner fan club, new vice president

Miss Flagg and the conversations he contributed to

Skinner is like 95% of other players in this league. They have their flaws. You either find the right mix, or you don’t, and the fact of the matter is that when you are bringing these guys IN they are their strengths and when you are shipping them OUT they are their weaknesses. Doesn’t matter if it’s Zac Efron or Zack Morris, saved by the bell or high school musical, that’s the way spin works

I would say he’s not “a” reason we’ve missed. There’s a multitude of other roster positions that, had they been addressed, what Skinner provided was reasonably slotted into one component of a playoff team. He’s not even close to that end of the list, he’s been an enormous net positive

A quick google search reveals just as much message board speculation out there on this as there is the Rod thing. Depends on what you believe. There’s no definitive answer or link that can be posted. I could post a quote from their GM that while I wouldn’t put stock in outright, I’d certainly put as much stock in as anything else I’d read here, as he literally says the reason is what sabremike mentioned. https://thehockeywriters.com/hurricanes-trade-jeff-skinner/ Waddell continued, “However, with Jeff becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, this was the right time for us to move on, and to provide Jeff with a fresh start in Buffalo. We talked to every team in the league over the past four months, and ultimately the Sabres were the team that provided us with the best value in return, including three picks and a prospect we like in Cliff Pu.”

Why look to causation when magical correlation is sitting right there! This is sabrespace Skinner fell to 3rd in goals and 4th in penalties drawn among all of our forwards so clearly we’d be better without him (of course, we weight Adams’ 2022-23 season above his most recent and decline to do so with skinner because reasons) If you average out his stats by years on this planet he’s actually behind Josh bloom and Isak Rosen. If you look at the per 60 rate, per square of potential, per inch of “want to be here” he’s actually eliminating past playoff wins from our record books

Bound to happen when there’s a bye week between each game

The Market is heating up Now we just wait for it to settle the board is set, the pieces are moving

Does that Dubois guy ever stay put?

No I think the all star pond hockey stuff sucks too. My issue is purely with fighting

He’s the biggest reason we GET to the PP

Agree, it’s not addition by subtraction. It’s cute that some think the Buffalo Sabres are a big boy team with a culture and system we can protect by hypothetically giving up our 3rd leading goal scorer. The Sabres have no leg to stand on, no one running anything is better at their job than Jeff skinner is at his. The Sabres can buy out Skinner and treat it like addition by subtraction, playing dress up in their dad’s closet as the rest of the teams go to work, but it’ll only be beneficial, like some are saying, if we use all the cash on good veterans

You’re finally breaking Are we really going to be the youngest team in da league again? Has….anyone ever perused the playoff rate of the “youngest team in the league”? You say “BUT on da youngest team in da league” as if THAT’S not the flaw

My post was before yours don’t lump me in to these massive AOL online mailing lists the cds are useless I don’t even have a cd drive There’d still be a point to that, just not one we like

I’ve said it Hell I tweeted it

Smythe belong to McDavid sorry Nill

Paul Maurice teams dive, told ya

He’s going to win the conn Smythe, win or lose

It’s a better series this way. Pretty up in the air outcome now I think, edge to Florida still tho of course I feel sorry for Eric Foreman. Nothing he ever did was enough. Clearly

You get that his post wasn’t so much reflective of enjoyment as the fact he’s saying he got full value only because he paid nothing, right? I think that went over your head based on your response

I’m not biased Sabres guy lol I never bitch about Marchand. He’s what he is I don’t care. Just pointing out how I think his general perception has changed disregard at will he takes, and gives cheap shots - my point is about the perception changing not so much his play which wasn’t even what my original point about Dahlin was about now I think about this. I don’t care about your bruins stuff lol I can get behind that

Only 2 humans have ever scored more in a playoffs than McDavid this year: Gretzky and Lemieux