Curt

I firmly believe this. Having a good tournament is nice and it is good to see how guys do against their elite peers, but the larger body of work is more important.

How so?

Yeah, actually. Especially in Bogo’s case.

I think you may be projecting your own feelings into the players. They have not quit. They are giving an honest effort. They are still showing up. I honestly can’t say that that’s always been true in years past. Your feelings about the team may be at rock bottom right now, but I honestly don’t think the team is at rock bottom right now.

And they have given up valuable assets to do it.

?????? They did not.

Sadly, the answer to this question is without a doubt yes. It is an occupation and in many cases an extremely lucrative one.

No. Last season there was only Ike, Reino, Skinner. Now there is Ike, Reino, Skinner, Olofsson and Johansson (who is middle 6 as opposed to straight top 6 in my book.). The forward group is definitely improved over last season.

I know it’s going against the grain right now, but they really are closer to being good than at any other point in like 7-8 years. I honestly believe that. Its just that a lot of people are currently in the process of coming around to the realization that they aren’t going to make the playoffs this year, so there is a lot of negativity being thrown about right now. I’m sure those same people were not predicting playoffs before the season but some got their hopes up after some periods of good results early on. I would say that the team is 2 top-6 (40-50 pt) forwards and slightly better goaltending away from being a solid playoff team next season.

Was never captain of the Buffalo Sabres.

I see no consistency between the O’Reilly deal and Boterill’s other moves. It seems that the deal was rushed/forced into a strict timeline, whereas every other Botterill move has been patient (even overly patient to a fault in some cases). You think Botterill decided not to pay the bonus in order to get a better trade return? Thus lowering O’Reilly’s trade value and also creating an artificial deadline for the deal. If O’Reilly goes into end of year interviews and says “I am done with this team/organization. I can’t see myself being here next season. I’m completely miserable here.” You don’t NEED to trade him, but do you want that guy back, around a bunch of kids on a young team?

I obviously do not know for sure, but it very well could have been a decision that was made for him, by Pegula or O’Reilly or both. Of course we have gone over this so many times.

I don’t know who the newcomer captain is then. Gionta? Anyone involved in naming him captain is already gone from the organization anyway.

What’s the difference? Not being a smart-A, legitimately asking. You mean like everyone on the ice jumping Cernak after he takes a cheap shot as opposed to sending out the goon next shift to try to start a fight? I’ll try to complete your sentence: “If they need a career minor leaguer to provide backbone......” .........It probably means that there aren’t enough guys on the major league roster with backbone.

Eichel has been with the team for 3 years. 21 years old, but hardly a newcomer. Plus, people bitch that the team isn’t tough enough, then also bitch when they bring up a tough guy. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.

They are rebuilding right now. Rebuilding doesn’t mean that you have to sell off every good player you have. Most of their older players have NMCs anyway.

It really is not overly concerning because he is 19 and he still has some filling out to do. It is an area where he can improve though.

Several people implied that he would win the Norris this season ? That he would secure his place in the HOF this season? I don’t recall seeing it written.

Yeah, pretty sure people said the same thing about Mitts. Not saying either is wrong, just saying.....

Yeah, it was generally thought that Buffalo was lucky that Mittelstadt fell to them. That it was a good pick. He was hyped but not like “ZOMG” that I remember. The hype really took off after his excellent 2018 WJC and prospectors started ranking him super highly.

No one said he was going to win a Norris or secure a place in the HOF at age 19.

Agree, and people may forget that Lidstrom himself was 21 before he even stepped on NHL ice. We never even saw him try to play at the highest level as a teen. It takes time.

I don’t think Skinner is really a defensive liability. He backchecks well at least.

How far is Rochester from Buffalo? Is his family even in Rochester? The players have a few days off around the holidays specifically so they can travel to be with family. He would have been able to do that regardless of whether he was in the AHL or the NHL.

That’s exactly what I’m saying. Guys like Byfuglien are the exception. If he can, that’s great.