PerreaultForever

Well yes, he might be better suited to our style, but I would counter that our "style" on D is really lacking. If we do not improve our GA this year we will not make the playoffs. So while I like Clifton a lot, and I think it was very good value in terms of adding talent, I have a small question mark beside him as that rigid structure you mentioned covered up for some of his errors. Will someone on the Sabres fill that gap if he gets caught out of position? That could make him look worse than he did in Boston. The feistiness and effort should be off the charts though. He is a real competitor and a decent scrapper too (even with his size). He blocks shots and hits (a lot) and we have been missing that. When Power fully grows into his body our D should end up being very good. For the time being I hope they pair Clifton with Power. I think that combination will work. Jokiharju and Power I have my doubts.

I've watched him for years and he was the underdog who wouldn't go away. Bruins were never sold on him but he always kept playing his way on to the roster despite their bias. "fast and fearless" is his forte with the only caveat being sometimes gets caught out of position as a result so his pairing is important, as is the system. It is possible (NOT PROBABLE) that he resembles a smaller Risto with us and the way we play in our own end. But, I do think he will be a welcome upgrade.

If this is true, and they are talking to division rivals I would call them. He would be ideal at 3C.

Couldn't find any stats on this for 2022=23 but he was top in 2019. https://www.icydata.hockey/vizzes/penalties-dashboard/7 Interestingly, looking around and mostly getting penalties taken stats, Dahlin was tied for most in the NHL. Had no idea. I knew he took quite a few, but didn't realize it was this many. No wonder PK stats suffer when your top D man heads to the box this often. https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/most-penalties-drawn-by-nhl-player-this-season

Can't see us looking for any kind of rentals. We haven't done that, and it just doesn't fit the plan they have outlined. I would think if they talked at all it was trade and sign. However, I would also say just because Michael Russo said that does not mean Sabres called the Jets or pursued that option. Could just as easily be Winnipeg called up KA, asked him if he was interested, he asked the price, and then they listened while he laughed hysterically and then said good luck with that. Levi is the plan and the expectation.

If you can get Power to sign for this now you do it. I suspect however that he will bet on himself (being better than Sanderson) and will either not sign a long term deal now or will want more now. The reality of the prospect pool is that yes, it's rich looking, but ultimately the window closes fast and we will not be able to pay them all so if you want to win now the GM should be looking at trading a few to balance the roster. imo

This is weird. I thought the whole thing was Dubas wanted complete control? https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/news/doug-wilson-hired-by-pittsburgh-as-senior-adviser

idk what it is, maybe just nostalgia, maybe the colours, but we look bigger and tougher in the goatheads and it seems to bring out the best in them. Wish it was more than 15. Not the white though, the dark.

It is, and although it is definitely a "sign of the times" there could of course be incompetence in there as well. Hard to say. It's kind of just the way it is now though. I used to work for Hydro and 20 plus years ago contractors would make bids on the construction of new sub stations (that sort of thing) and there was a ton of competition and these guys all cut to the core and were desperately trying to land the contract. Last few years I worked there (4 years ago plus) we had less bids and many of them didn't seem to care if they won or not. They all had busy schedules. There's definitely a shortage, and the power dynamics have shifted in their favour so I think if they come in and say "sorry, price of the lumber/concrete/steel/whatever went up so it's now x dollars" there's not much that can be done.

If the U.S. is anything like Canada (and I think it is) that's really hard to do these days. There are huge labour shortages and all the power is in the hands of contractors. They all have more work than they can handle and quotes they give have short time limits. It's not how it used to be. There just isn't enough competition in the workplace right now. You're kind of at the mercy of the contractors and suppliers.

When has a new stadium in the U.S. ever not been over budget? Pretty sure these guys all know that going in (they should) and they just give lower numbers up front for politicians and other BS stuff like that. Unless he starts losing those fracking lawsuits he will be just fine.

We could use all 4 of them.

Quite a few people here are not in Buffalo and are not Bills fans. Never have been. I kind of liked them a little when I was young living in Hamilton cause back then they didn't have cable packages or streaming and Bills were the team on the tv more often than not. Used to enjoy those Buffalo Miami battles. I liked Bruce Smith a lot. Hated Dallas. But did I care about the Bills ever? No. Not really. Having said that, I would hope they stay in Buffalo. Buffalo as a city does not deserve the sort of kick in the teeth that either team moving delivers.

Sure. Very unlikely but it's still the floor. EVERYTHING can go wrong any year. I'm not in any way saying we will fall to the bottom, but the idea that there's a "floor" established for a team (or player for that matter) is meaningless imo. Just like with your stocks and mutual funds, past performance does not guarantee future gains.

Actually this "floor" thing is BS. Any team can crash and burn fast if things go badly. There are no guarantees in sports. What if Levi is nowhere near ready and falls apart, UPL sucks bad and Comrie gets hurt? No goaltending. Dahlin and Thompson get hurt long term early. In a heartbeat we could be bottom of the league and looking at the lottery. Anything can happen any year. The "floor" is always dead last.

Well sure, it was a kind of ridiculous example and Boston's not going anywhere obviously but I thought it makes the point. The league WOULD let Buffalo be moved if that's what Pegula wanted. I don't think he does.

Thank you. Exactly. I think what Adams did was good (I suggested Clifton ages ago as a good value possible) but I wish he'd done more. He is still, for example, rolling the dice on goaltending. Something I would have solidified first.

How long have you been here? obviously not back when I first talked about this stuff. You want to paint me as something I'm not. Please don't. IFF we make the playoffs this year then yes, Jersey is only a year or two ahead of us. IFF we miss the playoffs AGAIN, it's a different story. So as I said, it remains to be seen.

Ya, the cancer man in the X files rigged it. made Thurman forget his helmet too.

Oh I think it matters to the league. Original six matter. Small markets matter less. I don't think that's much of a controversial idea. Pretty much the same in every sport. If Jacobs announced he was moving the team to Quebec City, the league would go batshit crazy. If Pegula announced he was moving the team to Quebec it'd be "ya sure? well alright, good French rivalry, we can work with that". Not many people outside Buffalo area care what happens to Buffalo. Never have. (and neither of those things is happening obviously)

Was he? Not sure what the point he was making was then in terms of Pegula and the Sabres as the issue. Jacobs is powerful though sure. Original six and one of the most popular teams outside their geography.

option 4. AHL all star.

Well I don't see Pegula having any special power either, just wealth. He's not an original six owner, not a legacy owner, not an owner of a big market high profile team. Not a shiny new owner or a flashy Vegas type market owner. Just some rich guy snowed under near a lake. League could not care less if Buffalo had a team or not.

Since you asked.

nah, see I can't agree with that. If he's a fan of the sport (hockey) he's not going to just switch to a different sport (football) because that team did better. You don't switch sports when your team loses do you? I don't. I watch other teams, but I still watch hockey first above all else.