OhMyDahlin

Hopefully we can hire him next year when Botterill gets fired and the new GM wants his own coach. I might have some faith in Krueger if I had even the slightest bit of faith in Botterill, but I don't.

A soccer coach...great. ? I guess Bill Parcells and Phil Jackson were busy.

It's awful he passed away, especially when considering he was only 3 years older than I am...really puts things in perspective. However, I feel bad for the thousands of other Bills/Sabres fans who are sick with cancer and never even get a Pegula/Beane/Botterill signed card in the mail. (I still find it odd that grown men dress up for sports games not played on Halloween...why don't the Sabres have any of these characters?)

This is my guy. I've been pounding the table for him since before Housley. It's a damn shame that Botterill probably doesn't want him because of his lack of NHL coaching experience. I'll say though, some team is going to get a hell of a coach someday soon...I really wish it was us.

If Chris Taylor is named the Sabres head coach, I will be furious...no coach deserves a promotion after getting swept in the playoffs two years in a row. Thankfully Friedman says Botterill has interest in Sheldon Keefe and has been impressed with him...he should get him at any cost. (Then offer sheet Kapanen.) EDIT: Source - https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/more-names-starting-surface-sabres-coaching-search ???

Can we get him for Rochester now? Maybe he wouldn't have been swept two years in a row.

Like when Davis Payne would coach and Phil Housley would stand there doing nothing? ?

Such a waste of space...can't wait until he's off the books.

Yup. Too many people penciling in Dahlin - Montour as the top-pairing. It needs to be... Dahlin - ? ? - Montour Pilut - ? One puck-mover on each pairing, now find one stay-at-home guy for each pairing...that's the smart way to do it, those kids will flourish in that kind of setup. (Which is why Borgen is perfect for Dahlin...but until he's ready maybe Stralman would be a good stop-gap for a couple years, he did wonders for Hedman.)

9 goals in 3 games...67 total on the season. Compared to Debrincat. This is the kind of kid the Sabres need...someone who can consistently put the puck in the net. When I thought he would fall to the 20's, I wanted Zegras or Boldy and Caufield...but he's not getting past pick #15, he might not make it out of the top-10. I'd love to draft this kid, he could be deadly in a few years with Mittelstadt. "A game-breaking goal scorer that, despite his diminutive frame, thrives under pressure and is difficult to contain. He’s a silky smooth skater that traverses all three zones with jump and jam. Defensively, he’s uncomfortable having the puck in his own end for long and he’ll make the extra effort to pressure around the blue line and take away cross-ice options. Upon procuring puck possession, he’ll be the first to explode up ice in-transition. The hallmark of his game is his exceptional goal-scoring ability. He has a shot that absolutely leaps off his stick with pinpoint accuracy when he lets loose and a low centre of gravity that facilitates fast and flashy puckhandling at pace. He affords his linemates options by taking advantage of any allotted attention he garners, generating time and space by drawing guys in; he’s perpetually hard to play against. All-in-all, Cole Caufield is an electrifying goal-scoring machine that makes some of the most otherworldly plays look like child’s play. [EP 2019]" https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/316168/cole-caufield

How in the world does Hayes get more than Duchene??? With all due respect, that is comical. If I can sign Duchene AND a winger like Eberle for only $3-$4M more than what it would cost to keep Skinner...sign me up for that in a heartbeat. EDIT: Actually, I wouldn't want Eberle...I'd rather have Dzingel or another winger.

Thought you meant with Botterill, my bad. But 2014 is debatable with Cornel, Karabacek and Martin. Lol. (That wasn't exactly a great draft though.)

Butcher also played with Henrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry, Danton Heinen, Dylan Gambrell, Trevor Moore, and a much more talented team than Bryson.

They were drafted by two different GMs.

I don't get the fascination with Donskoi, I've seen him mentioned before...he's never scored more than 14 goals or 37 points. He's a 3rd line forward, not a 1st line forward. Love the 2nd and 3rd lines though. One more thought, I'm not sure it's a good idea to put Montour and Ristolainen together...they're both offensive guys and they need steady partners.

1. Sheldon Keefe 2. Kevin Hayes, UFA. (Unless they can find someone better suited to play 2C for a year, then move to 3C when Mittelstadt is ready next year.) 3. Yes, no more than $9M. 4. Yes, they need to find him a reliable defensive-defenseman partner so he can roam and do his thing. (Looking at FAs, I don't see anyone good enough that fits.) 5. Kevin Hayes, 6 years for $6M per year. (I wish we could lure Joe Thornton, Justin Williams and Brooks Orpik here. That's what this team needs for a season or two. Pipe dream, I know, just thinking out loud.)

#1 priority - Trevor Zegras #2 priority - Matthew Boldy #3 priority - Alex Turcotte #4 priority - Alex Newhook As for the second 1st round pick...give me Cole Caufield, a pure, natural goal-scorer in the mold of Kane and Gaudreau. (If he's gone, give me Kaliyev, we need goal-scorers.)

Trevor Zegras is an elite two-way forward that can play both wing and center. His pro-level mobility is the foundation of his game, supplementing an in-transition speed that shifts the pace of play. He knows how to get under the skin of opponents and will actively seek out opportunities to lay the body and create separation, all the while staying attentive to the unfolding play. This unique aspect of his game makes him difficult and frustrating to play against. His ability to finish and create plays is undoubtedly the hallmark of his game, as he is one of the major dynamos of his draft class. He is a dangerous scoring threat anywhere below the blue line and his vision matched with his net-drive propels him into positions that create high percentage opportunities. Defensively astute and proactive, he sees the lanes that his opponents do and will do his best to force the puck along the wall where he is at his best. All-in-all, Zegras is one of those special buzzsaw-type players that can excel in key roles and perform under pressure. (Curtis Joe, EP 2019) https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/424453/trevor-zegras The kid can score goals...having him as a winger with Mittelstadt wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

THN Future Watch says Zegras is "ultra-skilled," and that "he'll transition to pro-hockey seamlessly." He has vision, creativity, explosiveness and he's offensively gifted...it also says he would be the star attraction for the USNTDP if not for Hughes. (That's from a scout they spoke with.) I'd love this pick, he's going to be a hell of a player...I don't believe he's any different, in terms of skill, than Hughes. (Hughes just has the IQ and awareness.) EDIT: And he's a New York boy!

Zegras or Boldy...one of the two have to be the Sabres' pick, one of them will be the best player available at #7. Eichel, Mittelstadt, Zegras, Asplund, Davidsson and Pekar could be a great group of (young) centers moving forward. THN Future Watch has a scout that says Boldy is one of the best scorers he's ever seen with the USNTDP...plus, "elite hands and unbelievable hand-eye coordination." For Zegas it says he's explosive and offensively gifted with vision and creativity, "ultra-skilled"...the scout says, "he'll transition to pro-hockey seamlessly."

Sheldon Keefe. I made the argument last week and I stand by it...I've stood by it for three years now.

I need a little more than that for Jack Hughes. Give me Horvat, their 1st round pick, and one of Troy Stecher or Ben Hutton. (I'm p*ssed that they signed Jake Kielly and Botterill couldn't pull it off, after the kid was in Sabres development camp last summer.)

None of these players will ever be as good as Ryan O'Reilly. The Blues got the best player in the trade...a player the Sabres now have to look for again, after it took us since Drury/Briere to find one. EDIT:Now that I think about it, we have no idea if this is how the trade will play out. That pick has not yet been conveyed to Anaheim, and it can't be until after the playoffs. It's based on the final order of the 1st round. If St. Louis goes further than San Jose, then Anaheim gets the San Jose pick.

He spoke the truth, good for him...I wish him well and hope he wins there.

I hear Barnaby on SiriusXM all the time, and he's such a jerk towards the Sabres...he seems to hate the team and the city.