StuckinFL

I'm not so sure I can completely agree with this. Goalies are weird and develop/bring it together at odd times. I'd give him another season as a backup before I'd rule him out as a potential #1. Let's see what the new goalie coach can do with him.

I actually disagree with alot of what's being said here. I don't think this season will define him. I think this off season will. If he does nothing more for the 2nd line, is perceived as doing too little, or a bad move, the fanbase will turn and blame him and not the coach or the players. If he is seen making more good moves, solidifying up the 2nd line, then our focus will be on a brand new coach or the new players and he'll be looked at as a good GM that's still cleaning up a mess. Either way, I think the narrative on who JBot is will be decided in the next 2 months. If we turn on him the season would have to be amazing for that narrative to change. If we're behind him, the season would have to be an absolute dumpster fire for us to change our minds.

The ROR definitely soured me on him. I was ecstatic though and was woefully optimistic before that though. I like what I'm seeing in Rochester and I like most of his other moves, but I haven't had a moment that has truly made me a JBOT believer. I feel like his moves in the next few months with our current glut of defenseman will define that. If he makes moves to create a truly dangerous 2nd line, then I'm a believer. If he doesn't or trades them for picks, I'm on the disappointed train.

I think Ullmark is going to have the most surprising season. I actually expect Dahlin to backslide a bit at the beginning of the year and then make huge strides. I actually have this odd feeling that the inverse of last season is going to happen. I think we'll play mediocre hockey in the beginning of the year and then break out and play amazing and inspired hockey starting in December. I really do feel like we're going to be a lock for the playoffs for the second half of the season. We've been underperforming for so long that I think once the players start playing to their ability and talent, this thing is gonna explode.

I'd feel more than comfortable offering him 6.5/7 x 8, with a NTC for the first 4 years, this year right out the gate. He gets security and you get a steal of a contract by the end of the deal. If he pushes for 7+ then I get rid of a NTC for the length of the contact.

If he wants to go a penny over 8, I only offer 7 x 8.75 and he doesn't get NTC protection. If he agrees to the 8x8 contract, he gets NTC for 5 years and I front load either as much as possible.

If he was going to sign, it would have already been done. He's testing free agency.

I miss Flagg

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. Not that he was given a ton to work with in that middle 6. But he'll get the axe before JBots does unless JBots has been waiting to pull off some sort of trade miracle this off-season and fixes the leaks in our middle 6 without killing us in another position.

I don't disagree at all. But the return we got for him signaled to me that JBot had a push to get rid of him when we did or that TP was in on that decision and owns it and partially his own. That's why I think there's extra leash. If the consensus is that low talent is the reason we didn't take a bigger step forward and TP owns all or some of that decision, then I can see them getting an extra 7 months to right the ship rather than being fired in a few weeks.

I don't think he will. I think both will be given till Thanksgiving. The writing on the wall is that the talent is too low right now. I think ultimately getting rid of ROR was TP move, not a JBots one or that TP owns part of that decision. If that's the case, not having a 2C and teams just needing to shut down our first line absolutely killed this teams ability to consistently win hockey games and TP will give a little extra slack. I think one good off-season is all we need to set the ship right. Bringing in a decent 2C and graduating some of the kids from Rochester will make this a playoff caliber team. Especially if Mitts takes a progression next year in a 3C role. And as long as we don't have both goaltenders falling off a cliff at the same time like we did this year (please get a new GT coach) we should take a huge jump. I get that we're all disappointed but the sky isn't falling. We've packed it in and aren't competitive right now because the team is in a 'here we go again' slide. We're fine. The Sabres will be fine.

Is there anything better than Leaf tears? I want us to win this game so bad.

Me too.

I mean this is just sad. We are absolutely pathetic. We fold at the slightest amount of pressure and we absolutely cannot score right now. How much longer can this go on before people start getting pink slips?

Yeah, I have zero hope for this team anymore. Expecting a blowout. Guess is that Chicago beats us by 3 or 4.

I'm inclined to agree

Leave em wanting more? Come on, don't leave us in suspense like that. I enjoy reading stuff like this quite often. Given the way the season has been as of late, it's the only source of joy about this team left, haha.

This. I think the plan was always to trade him at the deadline, but with how bad the team has been lately, I think they hold him to stop a revolt from occurring with season ticket holders and he ends up walking for nothing.

We don't deserve to even have a loser point in this game.

Did Dallas have a 5 on 5 power play? Because that's what that last shift looked like...

I'm excited for this game. Let's hope the boys bring it.

I definitely agree. But that fear is still very much there that it could bite us in the ***. Okposo's contract definitely makes me leary of throwing money to someone based on one years production. His other seasons were good, don't get me wrong, but not worth over 7x7. If someone offer sheets Dahlin for max contract after we sign Samson (or someone that replaces him) and a 2c, and we have to match it, that's it, we're done if Skinner isn't producing at an elite level. We need to shed that contract ASAP. I'm hoping Seattle can be bribed with picks to take him. I know it's a fools hope. Only other option is a compliance buyout at the next strike.

I personally wouldn't go above 8x8 for anything but Dahlin or an exceptional 2C, but I have a feeling that JBot is going to do 8.5x8 for Skinner. Where this scares me is if this is his career year and he only sniffs 30 goals the next 3 years and then plummets after that. Or worse, he turns into another Okposo next yeat and we're stuck and doomed with those contracts and can't field a competitive team because of 2 horrendous contracts. I'd be much more comfortable gaming on Skinner if Okposo wasn't such a waste of cap space.

I totally agree. But that's why I said we need an exceptional 2c. An average 2c wouldn't help us enough to carry that weight adequately. An exceptional one just might enough to carry us to the playoffs. And I'm not pinning my future on a hope that Casey is 100% going to become that guy. That's just poor planning for a GM at this point in Casey's development.

I'm not putting my eggs in that basket yet. I don't care what his age is, I wouldn't even consider him competent as a NHL center yet. He has no business being on the Sabres roster and should be developing in Rochester. We need a 2c that performs at that level consistently if this team is ever going to make the playoffs.