[Expected by whom: Sam Ventura]

30 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I have long believed that a missed penalty shot should still result in at least a 1 minute PP.

I don't understand why a SH goal would end a PP.  I do like the idea that certain dangerous infractions, like boarding, could result in a two-minute PP regardless of how many goals are scored.  Otherwise, I'm not sure I'd change the regular PP rules.  I agree with the delayed penalty idea.

In other words, a major minor?

[Sabres or Bills?]

I'd say Bills, just because NFL football is king and is the most expensive and difficult franchise for a city to get.  If Buffalo lost the Sabres, I could see another team coming in the future, with Buffalo being such a great hockey market.  If Buffalo lost the Bills, it would never get another NFL franchise.  The market is simply too small and the demand and money is too great in other much larger markets. 

All this aside, I played hockey from a young age (started at age 4) and the Sabres were a great team during my youth; the Bills not so much.  I didn't play football until my teenage years.  My family shared Sabres season tickets since I was a kid and I used to go to games without a ticket, sitting on my parents' lap, whereas the family didn't get Bills tickets until after I was grown up, off to college, and moved out of the city.  So my first love was hockey, but, objectively, if the city had to choose, keeping the Bills would be a higher priority.  I'm fairly certain that thanks to the Pegula family, the city won't have to choose.  I think that they will keep ownership of both teams.  Even if they do sell the Sabres, I believe that they would only sell to a local interest with a commitment to keeping the team in Buffalo.

[15 Goatheads nights this year.]

I did not like the goatheads at the time they originally came out.  I still don't like them in and of themselves, but I like the nostalgia associated with them, so I'm good with the Sabres wearing them a few times each season.  I'm no math whiz, but I believe that wearing them 15 times amounts to a little more than 18% of their games.  For me, that's too much.  But I won't lose any sleep over it.  It's just a uniform.

[Sabres to Have 15 National Broadcasts this Season]

22 minutes ago, #freejame said:

Looks like I’ll be maxing out at 74 games this year. Oh well. Still better than the Bills schedule. 

I assume that ESPN+ without Hulu will have all of the MSG games - basically all of the games that are not on TNT - which is how you calculated 74.

Last season, I had NHL Center Ice through DirecTV, but I cut the cord this year and have moved to YouTubeTV.  Thus, I believe that I need to get ESPN+ in order to get the lions share of the games.  

So my current Plan A is to get ESPN+ which would get me those 74 games when combined with the national games.  Plan B is if the wife and kids nag me to get Disney+, in which case I'll get the "bundle" with Hulu and then I should get all 82.  I think it's only an extra $4 (from $9.99 to $13.99) if I get the version with ads, but goes up to $19.99 to go ad free.  Having never had the service in the past, I don't now how intrusive the ads would be.  Live hockey games have commercials anyway, but I could see the kids getting upset if Encanto or Frozen is interrupted with ads.  If ad-free means I could watch an entire Sabres game without commercials and intermission (because I'm in the west and watch games hours after they've been played), I'm all in for that.  

Any insight from someone out-of-market who used it last year?

[Sabres Trade Ilya Lyubushkin to Anaheim for a 2025 4th Round Pick]

For what it's worth, I thought he was a decent bottom-pairing defenseman.  A serviceable veteran who brought a little physicality to a team that lacks it.  I would have preferred to see him remain on the roster, or, if traded, for a high 3rd or a 2nd of some kind.  That said, it's not a move that I'll lose sleep over.  I hope he does well with his new team and that the Sabres don't have so many injuries on defense that they'll regret this move.

[Former Sabre Joe Kowal died on 7/25 at age 67.]

I remember the name for sure.  RIP.

[The Mount Rushmore of Play-by-Play]

6 hours ago, Doohickie said:

With the passing of RJ and the wide acclaim on the forum that he was the GOAT of hockey play-by-play, I started thinking:  Who are the best announcers for each sport?  This is a bit tricky because some announcers covered multiple sports.  But if I had to pick one from each of the major four sports, I think I would go with:

• Hockey:  RJ of course.
• Basketball:  Marv Albert.  I'm not much of a basketball fan but it seems like his voice is associated with some of the greatest plays.
• Football:  Curt Gowdy.  The voice of the old AFL.
• Baseball:  Vin Scully.  In my opinion he had no peer.  The best of the best.

Who's on your Play-by-Play Mount Rushmore?

I can't argue with this list, although RJ never did national broadcasts (in the US or Canada), so although he's well-known and beloved to Buffalo fans, he's not as well known as some of the other names mentioned (Dan Kelly, Foster Hewitt, Doc Emerick, etc.)  Despite my disdain for New England sports, Tommy Heinshon has to be up there along with Marv Albert (who I also really like) for basketball.  For football, Dick Enberg was one of my all-time favorites (paired with Merlin Olsen), and although he's starting to slow down, Al Michaels has to be considered one of the all-time best.  I'm old, but not old enough to remember hearing much Curt Gowdy.  I did love his Genesee Beer commercials when I was growing up....Finally, for baseball I love Vin Scully, but was also a big Joe Garagiola fan.  I think that Joe worked WITH Scully at one point, and maybe Tony Kubek too, who was also a favorite of mine.  Great thread!

 

[Rick Jeanneret: 1942–2023]

2 hours ago, North Buffalo said:

RIP Rick... always remember your voice from under my pillow with the radio so my parents didnt know as a kid listening to games.

I did the same in the 70's as a little kid.  I remember listening to Rick when the Sabres played in time zones west of Buffalo and I wasn't allowed to stay up late and watch.  I had a little transistor radio with an earpiece that I hid under the pillow.

His calls are the stuff of legend and he was truly beloved by the Sabres community in and outside of Buffalo, and really all those in the NHL family that knew him.  I'm usually not terribly sad when someone 80+ that I have never met passes away, but my heart is very heavy right now.  Although I never met the man, I know how great it would have been.  Despite the fact that he was truly a superstar in his field, he was a humble regular guy.  Rest in peace RJ!

[What to do with Rousek this coming season and what is his long-term future with the Sabres?]

I like Rousek and definitely see him as a bottom-6 forward with a future home on the Sabres roster.  I don't think he has the shot or scoring ability that Oloffson has.  With Quinn out, the team needs to replace that scoring ability, so I don't see Rousek displacing Oloffson.  After Quinn returns and regains his form, Rousek's grit and two-way play may be more needed on the ice than Oloffson's scoring.  The previous comment makes a lot of sense - I could see Oloffson staying in the lineup, but if he goes cold, and/or the offense (outside of Oloffson) is producing and defense is lacking, Rousek could get that ice time.

[Sabres add Zach Redmond to Development Staff]

They've had some success with gritty former players in these roles.

[Sharks trade Karlsson to Penguins in 3 team trade with Montreal]

Upthread there was discussion about the Sabres rebuild taking 7-10 years and selling the fans a bill of goods indicating the the future is more important than the present.

Keep in mind that the Sabres have rebuilt TWICE.  First it was the Eichel/Reinhart/Risto rebuild, which failed, so there's now a 2nd rebuild, which is nearly complete.  The first rebuild was short-circuited by Tim Murray, who tried to accelerate the process too quickly by trading away too many young assets, and then by Jason Botterill who made poor coaching choices.  Adams seems to have the correct approach at this point.  A good coach is in place and a lot of young talent on the roster, with ton more in the pipeline.  I agree that the goaltending situation is precarious, but if Levi can be a good NHL goalie, and UPL can be an average NHL goalie, neither of which are crazy notions, the team should be fine.

[Sens sign Tarasenko 1 year $5 million...]

23 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

I am gonna try to check this out

This is off-the-cuff, but the Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup two years ago was built along the lines that the Sabres are being built.  I don't know if their prospect pool was rated #1, but I suspect it was somewhere near the top.  In contrast, the Vegas that won this past season was built around veterans from other franchises.  Of course, they were an expansion team, so there was no pre-existing prospect pool from which to build.  Either method could be successful - it's more about properly executing it.

[Sabres traded that made you sad to see them go]

Rick Martin, Danny Gare/Jim Schoenfeld, and Ryan Miller come to mind.

[Tage Thompson: Top 10 Center]

Just wondering if the post is considering the top centers RIGHT NOW, or the MOST VALUABLE to have on a roster.  I'd argue that Thompson is a more valuable asset than many of the guys on the list because he is younger and is still an ascending player.  A few of these guys are older and on the decline, even though they may be Hall of Fame caliber players.  Further, Adams did a great job locking Thompson in long-term on a reasonable deal.  I have not looked up the salaries of all of the other guys mentioned, but I would guess that Thompson does and/or will cost less than several of them.  As a side note, although Thompson's play dropped off late in the season, it is widely known that he was injured and trying to play through it.

[Sabres 2023 Draft Class]

 I said in a post yesterday after the first round that I was happy with the Benson pick, IF:

• they drafted a goalie
• they drafted multiple defensemen

Both boxes are checked.  They also added size both at forward and on D.  

I don't know enough about any of these prospects to make a fully eduated judgment.  That said, I like what I see.

[Rd 1, Pick 13: Zach Benson]

I know very little about NHL draft prospects beyond Connor Bedard, Fantilli, and the Russian guy who is great but might not make it over to North America so fast.  Based on what I am seeing, Benson was clearly the BPA at 13 and looks like a steal at that spot.  The Sabres are going to have to move some forward prospect(s) for defensive prospects, although if they draft one goalie and the rest defensemen with the remainder of their picks, they'll be fine as far as young players and can acquire some veteran defensive help via free agency.

[2023 NHL Awards tonight (June 26). TNT, SportsNet, and TVAS.]

Although an argument could be made for Power to have won, Beniers and Skinner also had excellent seasons and were deserving.  Dahlin finishing 8th was pretty bad.  If NHL GM's could rank the defensemen as to which one they'd want on their roster right now, I suspect that Dahlin would be in the top 3 for all of them.  I think that Makar and Dahlin would be the top 2 on almost every ranking.  Makar has shown a little bit more to date, but he's also played on a much better team.  I suspect that as the Sabres improve and ascend, that Dahlin's numbers will get even better and he'll stand out more.  I'm very happy with the trajectory of the Sabres, but they still are a non-playoff team until they make the playoffs, so that impacts the perception of their players on a league-wide basis.

[Which Young Sabre Will Make The Biggest Stride Forward This Year?]

This is a great thread.  One of the best.  Positive dialogue from everyone and sets the tone for a promising upcoming season.

For what it's worth, I went with Peterka.  Mid-season, I thought he needed to sit, because he just couldn't finish, and the team really needed that production.  I thought he may have hit the rookie wall.  That said, he came on strong down the stretch and had a great tournment at the Worlds.  If he continues on this trajectory, he should show a great season-over-season improvement.  Obviously, there are a ton of other candidates, all of whom have the potential to break out.  Exciting times ahead!

[Kevyn Adams and Jerry Forton Pre-Draft Presser, 6/21/2023]

21 minutes ago, ... said:

My impression of KA lately is that if he publickly supports a decision or idea, like keeping three goalies (or re-signing Okposo), then he actually means it.

The only off-season change he's supported publickly that I recall offhand is that the defense needs work.

Therefore, my suspicion is that his priority is a D man and contract extensions for Dahlin and Power. 

If this turns out to be the case then it's obviously good work but an incomplete job.

Going with a goalie trio for the NHL roster is madness especially when only one of those goalies, at this point, seems like they may give us a chance in a playoff round.

I think that Adams' comments were intentional and calculated.  I think he'd like to get a solid veteran goalie, but he doesn't want to overpay, and if it requires overpayment, he'd be willing to go with the trio he has.  If Levi is able to play a full NHL season and some playoffs at the level he played at the end of last season, they'll be fine.  UPL is also a young goalie who played well at times and can/probably will improve.  Comrie, while effective at times, doesn't seem to have much upside.  All of this said, it's quite a gamble to expect Levi to play at that level for an entire NHL season.  I do think he will get there eventually, but it's a lot to expect for a young guy in his first full NHL season.  So Adams left the door open by saying he's going to listen to what's out there and participate in discussions, while also being in a position to not contradict himself if they end up with the same 3 guys.

While I do believe the team should seek goalie help, and I think that Adams does too, I also think that he sees defensemen as a higher priority, and I agree with him.  The poor play in their own zone, and number of times the Sabres left their goalies out to dry on odd man rushes last year, was pretty astounding.  If they can tighten up their defense, and the penalty kill in particular, the goaltending stats will look much better, the team's record will improve, and they will make the playoffs.

[Kevyn Adams and Jerry Forton Pre-Draft Presser, 6/21/2023]

The presence of Levi already makes the goalie room substantially better than it was last year.  I also bet that Adams is looking for a veteran goalie to add, but he doesn't want to throw his current guys under the bus, nor does he want to tip his hand to other teams.  While it would be interesting for us on a message board to know for sure, he's probably doing his job by saying what he's saying.

I also believe that most of the younger guys will improve, some of them by quite a bit.  Peterka, Quinn and Power should all show significant improvement based on age, experience, time in an NHL training program, etc.  Krebs should also improve with age/experience and Greenway will be better after having a full camp in the Granato system.  Cozens will grow, fill out, and improve.  Thompson may improve a little bit, if he stays healthy, but he's getting pretty close to his ceiling (which happens to be pretty high), and if the team gets similar production out of Skinner and Tuch, they'll be in good shape.  Also, if Mitts plays the way he did down the stretch over the course of an entire season, that should certainly be considered an improvement.

They still need to add a gritty veteran defensive defenseman (or 2) - high priority - and a gritty veteran foward - not as high a priority, but would be helpful.  Okposo, Girgs, and Jost (if re-signed) bring some of that to the team, although they might not be the most physical players out there.  Adams is aware of these needs and I believe he's working on them.

[According to Pierre Lebrun, Sabres have interest in Brett Pesce.]

I agree that this guy looks like an ideal fit for the Sabres.  I'm glad that the team is looking into this type of player.  Obviously it takes two to tango.  If the player is still under contract with Carolina (is he going into his final contract year?), the Sabres will have to give assets to get a good player and if he's a UFA (this past season was the last one on his deal?), then he's going to have to want to play in Buffalo and it's gonna cost in salary.

Based on what I'm reading, it looks like he's going into his final year, so it's a trade scenario.  I think that what's posted above "VO, 39 overall, and a prospect" looks like a reasonable deal.  What about trading the Sabres' 1st round pick, straight up, for this player, with a sign and trade contingency?  If he's willing to sign a deal, would it be worth it to get immediate needed defensive help, rather than drafting a guy who might not be ready for 2-3 years, and, as is often the case with drafting in pro sports (and in the NHL in particular) could be a bust?  I understand that this is a top-15 pick and might be the highest the Sabres draft in a very long time.  And there isn't much term left for the player.  So it's probably too much, but I'm just throwing it out there to see what people think.  This kind of player is EXACTLY what this team needs.

[Report: Teams are "poking around the Sabres" about Victor Olofsson]

Goal scorers are hard to find, so I could see him fetching a late 1st, but given that the Sabres made him a healthy scratch a few times and the fact that other teams are fully aware of this, a 2nd might be more realistic.  The Sabres have plenty of draft picks, so the better bet is to trade him - a player with talent that needs a change of scenery - for a similar player (one with talent that needs a change of scenery) that also happens to be a veteran defenseman.  A #4-#6 veteran D-man for a guy who can score 20-30 goals per season and be a fixture on the power play is a fair trade.  Not sure if Olofsson is enough to get a veteran goalie in exchange, but it would depend on the goalie.  I'm not sure he'll fetch a goalie that's much better than UPL or Comrie.

[Hot take: I’ll be rooting for Eichel]

Eichel doesn't owe Buffalo, the Sabres, or Sabres fans anything.  That said, perhaps the next time the Sabres play the Golden Knights, Eichel could say something in the press to the effect of "It's unfortunate that things didn't work out in Buffalo for me or the team, but I've moved on and am very happy where I am, and the Sabres have an exciting young team on the rise, so I wish them well.  I appreciate the Sabres willingness to faciliate a trade that allowed me to have the surgery I wanted and join a contender and I wish them no ill will going forward.  My emotions ran high the last couple of visits to Buffalo, but I had some great years there and, again, wish the Sabres and their great fans well.  They supported me through the early part of my career and I'll always apprecite it."

That would be the classy thing to do.  Will her?  I have no idea.  Eichel seems to have matured.  He's not at McDavid's talent level, but he still may have been the most skilled player on the ice during the finals and definitely contributed to his team's success in many ways.  He did things that he never did in Buffalo, like come back to help out on defense, block shots, etc.  He drew a lot of attention and made terrific passes throughout the finals, many of which ended up as goals.  He was definitely in the running for the Conn Smythe, but appeared genuinely happy for his teammate Marchessault when he won it.  I think that playing with veterans like Stone and the many others on that team, along with the highly competent coaching and management has rubbed off on him.

[Michael Andlauer expected purchased the Ottawa Senators]

Bettman was instrumental in keeping the Sabres in Buffalo during some precarious times.  When he speaks, he sound disingenuius, spewing corp-speak, but I think that's simply because he's not a very good public speaker.  Overall, he's been good for the NHL and good for the Sabres franchise.  The recent moves to bring the broadcast rights back to ESPN, and to join Turner sports, have been very good for the league, despite the fact that the ESPN telecasts leave much to be desired.  The Turner broadcasts are great.  The expansions into Vegas and Seattle have been home runs and seeing teams in Florida and Carolina succeed is also good for hockey overall.  The situation in Arizona isn't good, but Bettman and the league have done their best to keep the team where it is and the issues are local in Arizona.

[Would you trade Devon Levi for Connor Hellebuyck with a contract extension?]

No, I would not trade Levi for Hellebuyck.  The reasons:

1.  Age - Levi is 8 or 9 years younger.  Helly could play well for another 10 years, or he could decline.

2. Cost - Levi is on a rookie contract.  Helly would commend top dollar.  Money is needed to extend Dahlin, Power, and many other young guys coming up.

3. Chemistry - Levi wants to be a part of what the Sabres are building and his age fits in well with the young, developing core.

4. Timing - The Sabres have not even made the playoffs yet.  If Helly took them from a 2nd round playoff team to a potential Cup winner, then you consider it.  He might be the guy to put you over the top.  The Sabres are a couple of steps away from that, so Helly might get them into the playoffs, but this team is not yet at the point where it needs to mortgage the future for the present.

5.  Other Assets - Let me be clear that I'm not opposed to acquiring Helly.  The team would be better served with him as a mentor/bridge to Levi and not a replacement for him.  The team has an abundance of draft picks and young forwards, so those would be better assets to trade for a veteran goalie.

Final comment - I have no idea if "Helly" is his actual nickname and I'm not trying to sound cool or like I know the guy.  It's just a whole lot faster and easier to type.