PerreaultForever

Canadians rooting for Marchand was weirder. In Montreal.

I was filled with optimism as I know many others were as well. It was the first time we had an experienced NHL hockey coach, a guy who has won in this league, as the coach since the tank. It felt poised to make the big move forward. But then the assistants were all the same with Appert called up and that deflated me. Then they didn't spend to the cap and more air drained out and then they didn't spend any of that prospect capital to fill the holes and my optimism ended not with a bang but a whimper.

Toxic and disappointed and just whatever, growing numb. Being old it's near impossible to switch teams and so it feels like a toxic trap because I just don't see how next year will be any different than this year and on it goes. My optimism is gone as they just pass up opportunities and basically just don't do much of anything to change things.

I'm still wondering if this will be a serious tournament or just a new type of allstar game. Guess we will find out soon enough.

I hate that I'm looking at the draft and wish it wasn't so but since it is, I find it interesting you have Carter Bear at 7. I've generally seen him around 14-15 but I really like this guy. Since he's ranked around 14 I've suggested him as the guy the Bruins should go after (and I mean he's a "Bear"). I definitely wouldn't hate Sabres going after him though even if it might seem too early. Caleb Desnoyers is the guy I like that fits closer with the usual rankings though. He'd be a decent pick as well, but neither of these guys is what they usually go for.

My guess is they bet on the outcome and these days they probably bet on how many yards Mahomes would pass for and they probably lost their houses. Worst part of the superbowl was listening to Brady go on and on repeatedly about how hard it was to lose to the Giants. Poor Tom 🙂

If that was the case we'd already have veterans and there'd have been no palm tree talk. We are only going to get local boys (maybe), players in desperate need of a reset or rejuvenation that nobody else wants or mercenaries with big overpays. A losing team like this is NOT a preferred destination.

Umm we kind of have to do all of the above.

Tampa Bay letting all the new upstart teams know that 3rd place is theirs.

Wow, bad to non existent defensive coverage in that one. I guess the pushing and shoving was to show they aren't soft after the NJ debacle so I guess that's good in a way. ROR loving his hockey still I see. Vacation time for most of them. Season is over. Trade deadline next.

You're not being serious are you?

If you want Zucker and/or Greenway you make them an offer now at the break and if you sign them fine and if they don't sign your offer you move them at or before the deadline simple as that. Cold hard business and you get what you can get. Then you make offers to free agents in free agency and if they come great and if they don't, well then there's nothing you can with that except plant palm trees. A trade and sign deal sure. Trade for an RFA maybe. Trade for the end of this season and hope no way.

Ya ya I know the difference but the idea that you could convince UFAs to sign here rather than test free agency seems like folly and a waste of whatever you trade. I mean put yourself in a player's mind. You are entering free agency and you will have options to go anywhere you want so you're going to not see what's out there and sign with a perennial bottom feeder instead? I can't imagine anyone thinking that way unless maybe they were born in Buffalo and want o play in front of their parents every night and even then.

So Vesey logic. Ya, it's crazy.

I think it's probably simpler. I bet the 20 teams who have called or whatever the number is have all asked about his availability, Adams is disappointed with Cozens this year and so he asks what they are offering. They offer picks and prospects because they want a guy for now and since Adams also wants a guy for right now nothing happens. I would bet anything that if Adams was willing to take picks/prospects the trade would be done. Since Adams wants a roster player it won't happen this year. Maybe in the off season but not now.

That happened in the 1970s didn't it? I don't remember the year but I remember as a kid they moved off channel 2 or 7 or something and were on channel 49 for a while. We still had an antennae on the side of the house in those days and could pick up a snowy signal in Hamilton. After that they were back on whatever channel ran Hill Street Blues. I remember that because my mother was always annoyed when the Sabres games ran long and they delayed it or cut off the beginning with the "joined in progress". man I feel old 🙂

I suspect because he's slightly older than many of them and there was some wishin' and hopin' but maybe he's a "pro" in how he conducts himself off ice given his family history and they wanted some of that. Didn't want to just give it to goal scorers. idk, it's the Sabres.

Ya I've heard him talk about big games now and points and it just makes me think these guys are delusional. They aren't living in the real world at all.

Win streak? wtf does that matter? Nothing personal but the way Ruff and others are talking about the importance of wins now is a joke. There is absolutely no chance of catching the playoff teams. None. These are bs moral victories that mean nothing. The season has been over for ages.. Now to the rumor, "leadership group"? Who is that exactly? The letters I guess but who else? Tuch? Lots of teams want him. Zucker? A one year mercenary playing for his next deal. Who are we going to change the leadership group to? I can see Samuelsson and Cozens being traded over this to make a statement but they've lowered their value and stripping the letters would lower it even more. I guess if you eat salary or take on other salary you could move Muel to somebody who thinks they can fix him and Cozens is young enough for some to believe in a ceiling but just stripping them of the letters won't help this culture build it just scapegoats 2 guys when the whole team is at fault.

Offer sheets. Make some offers players can't refuse.

Winnipeg is cold and in the middle of nowhere so it's no surprise. If you noticed Calgary and Ottawa also got on the list so the Canadian thing is real. If McDavid wasn't in Edmonton they'd be on the list too. The big 3 Canadian cities are of course different as they all have positives. Losing does matter though, hence Anaheim and San Jose as well. For Buffalo it's no surprise, it's hard to escape a 13 year losing streak and no signs of getting out of it.

Trade him to Philly where I think his dad works. Maybe we could swap him for that Ristolainen guy. I hear he's available 🙂

So many rumors about teams interested in Cozens makes me wonder are these teams all stupid or are we the stupid ones and Cozens isn't the problem.

It's not a tear down. A tear down would be trading Dahlin or Thompson or major moves for future prospects. I'm simply looking at it practically. We sucked. We are one of the only teams not in it in the east (which is really sad since it was always Detroit, Ottawa, Buffalo all ready to rise and who will it be and it's them not us). You move out your UFAs and get what you can and then you also add free agents (same ones or different but you add and spend to the cap) and you trade prospects for veterans and you create a better roster than this year and not just leave it the same and wait for developing Rochester help. Probably won't happen, but it should.

We've had the D conversation for years and it's still there. Too many puck movers, not solid defenders. I think I said in the preseason a lot of this year depended on whether or not Samuelsson bounced back and well, we see it has not gone well. We didn't sign decent D (NJ did) and the make up of the team as a whole is flawed. Back to Zucker though I just don't think it's that important. Sure, if you can't sign anybody else I'd take him back but I'd prefer we got other bodies to fill needs. I can easily see signing Zucker and being disappointed as he never matches this season going forward. So I flip him at the deadline and then his name goes into the free agent hat with the rest of them.