Thorny

A win could move us within 9 of a playoff spot

Anything any team does is miraculous relative to us with the exception of Detroit Who we are still way beyond

I just quoted the numbers - - - “9 of 10 prior to 2016” “6 of past 9” These are all random qualifiers assigned to each team, whichever makes them look worst 14 *straight*

It’s 3 seasons usually (at most) and you are back. SOMETIMES 4. Then there are a handful of outliers. Then there’s the buffalo sabres Even a little extra “Boston mystique” and it’s 1/2 years instead of 3. We are most thoroughly influenced by our experiences Sabres are the clock moving really fast in space. Our time is way slowed down

The bruins usually aren’t down for long because no one is usually down for long only 8 teams besides buffalo have missed more than 3 seasons

Unless they line up with the lions share of data from the past. Ie Norris and greenway struggling to stay healthy

Lafferty and Malenstyn don’t have the defensive acumen to play effectively with Lafferty and Malenstyn

Pay your dues, boy the refs will also be lookin to teach him a lesson As they should “It’s worse. He’s overly critical, he never listens, he... he doesn’t understand! It’s not fair!”

The question here is of style, that’s the framing: “sniping” is the style by which they achieve the high goal scoring for (and apparently at least some of the high goals against) rates

They are exactly this, they draft players in the mold, and they are apparently encouraging it from Östlund, etc. I’m much more of an old school, play D and playmake type guy re: entertainment value, but.. kids these days Norris has one of the worst primary assist rates in the league. They like snipers

Norris likely shut down. So he’ll be billed as the key offseason addition. Östlund will look to cement his spot

“Only through me do you have the power to achieve relevancy!” *does the thing* “Please, teach me the ways of relevancy!” “….well, about that..only one has sabres GM has achieved it before but I’m sure if we put our heads together we can work something out.”

Good thing we have a savvy GM to steer the ship through these troubling times

You know what they awoke in the darkness

We know he’s actually good so I’d rather overpay than lose him. We’d just be looking for another JJ Peterka for the top 6 when we already need help there and if we don’t want to wait on someone young (the actual plan), we’d have to overpay for the devil you don’t, anyways. If there’s a hockey trade to be made that’s an option, too. I don’t think he’ll be signed to an offer sheet and if so I doubt it’s some huge Vanek like overpay, teams won’t be able to afford that. Could be an overpay in line with what we are probably already looking at

In the end the differential of distinction isn’t going to sway me on the level of forward add we need: the best we can get. McLeod can be defensible as a 2C, but the combination of Norris and McLeod being a capable 1-2 punch doubles the bet and makes it far more unlikely to work out: the sort of thing we constantly do. If Thompson is on the wing, we essentially need an add at centre if we are serious about configuring a roster that’s going to make the playoffs. If Thompson is at C, the likelihood of ONE of McLeod or Norris locking down 2C does goes way up: much better bet. It’s why I like/want Tage back at C. We still need to add in this case if we can, but it can be at wing, and therefore much more attainable there’s a Marner sized hole at RW, or we can run back Quinn and hope for the best. Marner may be a pipe dream, but a top 6 wing would go a long way you are looking to add to the roster in any way you can if you are in 27th place and your *best* stats are mid pack. Your weaknesses are too strong and your strengths aren’t strong enough to balance out the weaknesses. Still in a position to add to strengths and address weaknesses, both unless you are good with configuring teams that have a chance at playoffs if almost eveything works out in our favour, and Dahlin doesn’t miss any games

But you meant to say he’d be an “excellent” 3C on a playoff team, no? You’d think the connotation of excellent 2C would be one bordering on 1 and McLeod isn’t that. Debate here is between 2 and 3 good 2C, excellent 3C was I thought your argument

It’s still an issue. Being like 17th (instead of 19th. But still 19th depending on the calculation method) in even strength differential is not close to “good enough, worry about the rest” *Stanley cup* contenders add forwards, dude its 15th in 5v5 differential. It’s nothing to write home about. - - - I’ll never agree with your, “aim really low, complain a lot when it goes wrong”‘ strategy

Reimer very likely couldn’t have done this over a full season if we are being honest

The shooting percentage thing is extremely observable even without looking at the stats. When they wind up right now it has the “feeling” it’s gonna go in

I think he actually meant to type excellent 3C tbh

It’s “McLeod” (only phonetic) and you are right, it was a great trade. Never mind just “good”. Tuch doesn’t apply in this context, we traded the vastly superior player to get him, that doesn’t indicate trading aptitude

You mean excellent 3C on a playoff team He’s a perfect Sabres 2C. Squint and it’s good enough

Levi is Hasek was a time, man I also don’t believe my classification verges very thoroughly on hyperbole, either