PerreaultForever

Power has had a good rookie season, but it's going to be Beniers who wins it. Forwards are always favoured in these things and for a D man to win rookie of the year he has to have big offensive stats as well. Plus minus will never get you a rookie of the year award. Power has not disappointed however and it's only the beginning. I don't expect him to peak for 2-3 years still. His future is very bright.

maybe some of the board would have been, but not all. It would have been the right move. Lybushkin and Stillman are NIOT Borgen. Borgen is better. It's not just about their style. His game has grown. He's also an incredible team guy and any argument that he's nothing, or irrelevant simply doesn't have the facts and hasn't watched him play this year. Once again from last night: and it's not just that he fought again. It's the way he came in and took charge and took on the toughest guy Arizona has instead of leaving it for Oleksiak. Fans love him, team mates love him. He's a total character guy and my point would be that Sabres have a history of not valuing character in players as much as they should. So okay, maybe we couldn't keep him, that's a whole long argument, but he embodies exactly what we desperately need. So if not Borgen KA has to trade for or sign the closest thing he can find to him.

The numbers don't change what I'm talking about.

read my sentence. I said what's bugging me about his game lately.

Thing that is bugging me about his game lately is he is fast, he's getting to pucks and he is moving in hard down the wing, but then his awareness of where his linemates are and his decision making is poor. He's constantly shooting low percentage shots from the wing, easy stops for any goalie and usually a loss of possession. He needs to vary his game more and make better decisions. His tenacity is admirable however. He is trying.

Ovechkin campaigned for Putin's "election". That's a fact. Reject the facts if it makes you happier.

Borgen would not "fix" the problem but he would have been solid D depth. He's as good as Lybushkin, but with more of a physical edge. Solid bottom pairing player. Incorrect. I'm not speculating on anything. I (among other people) identified defensive depth as a problem before this season started. Back to last year's free agency. KA hasn't fixed it. That's a simple fact. The rest is speculation.

Pretty much went how I expected although I thought we'd win a little easier. Neither team knows how to defend. Levi looked mortal. Two big goals in the top of that net where the space is wide, wide open. This could be a problem. Overall though we are just terrible in front of our own goal and no goalie can handle that. The 3 above us didn't lose so it's all kind of irrelevant anyway. Seider is developing into a pretty good player. That draft is, as expected, looking like it was a really good one. Greenway going to be a goal scorer here? idk, we will see where this goes next year I guess. Goodbye VO in any event.

They generally play the way we like to play so with their slightly depleted roster and end of season vibe no reason not to win this one. Should be a fairly offensively oriented game. Assuming we don't have too many give aways or get TOO loose in our own end I expect we win fairly easily. As important is the 3 ahead of us losing.

Well that's purely speculative. You are just making guesses and assumptions. I can only respond to what he did or didn't do, not to what he might have done or tried to have done in the back room. GMs who get things done are successes. GMs who don't are failures. imo he could have done more and we could have made the playoffs and that would NOT have meant selling off the future either. But whatever, it's too late now. Have to hope he gets it done for next year so we're not saying all this again in 365 days.

First, nowhere did I say he would automatically fail. I said it COULD happen. It's hard to say with young guys. Second, 1980? What has that to do with anything? It's still a fact that in general development terms forwards are fastest, D men take longer and goalies take the longest. This hasn't changed. Lastly, in no way saying play in the minors necessarily. Saying instead that he needs a solid veteran to play with so he has a mentor and someone to stabilize things if he stumbles or slumps or loses a little confidence for a time or temporarily as rookie goalies can. He shouldn't be the #1 starter with no solid other option this early in his career.

Ya, that would have addressed the issue and it would have been good. Why I said I would have been willing to overpay for Chychrun. But since he didn't make that deal, okay he saved the draft capital but with lower first rounders and second rounders you're not going to get another Owen Power to step right in it'll be a 2-3 year project and so to make the playoffs next year he needs to find someone else to fill that second pairing spot. If it stays just in house development it'll be another year like this one and we will likely be outside looking in again.

Sure, but I'm not the only one who repeats themselves around here. It is the primary issue that we still have to address. Like it or not.

When Hart started as a rookie he went on a big win streak and was being proclaimed the new Bernie Parent. Then he had the inevitable sophomore slump and fell apart for a while and now is pretty good. How good remains to be seen but it was (is) a rocky road. It's exactly what I am worried might happen with rushing Levi. Hextall was fired in part because he didn't want to bring Hart up and believed it would have a negative impact on his future. He may have been right. My big question is, is Bales good enough, not Levi?

Does he realize it? Good question. Seems to me he could have and should have acted on it much earlier and before the season even started. It's not just about Cjhychrun. That was just one option, one trade. It wasn't and isn't about try to get Chychrun and if that fails just shrug and go oh well we tried. We will see if he addresses it properly in the off season.

Everything in the past is inconsequential.........we can go zen on this if you like but then why have a Sabrespace cause everything will just be what it is. D depth is a problem on this team. KA needs to address that further than he has as the prospect pool for D can't make this go away for next year with his internal development plan. That's the real issue.

How so? I agree that KA's plan is what is there now. Don't agree with it, but pretty sure that'll be the plan. I like Levi. I was one of the first here to say he could be a steal in that trade and said he could eventually be a star goalie. I like him a lot, but young goalies are young goalies and they take time and development and there's many that have been ruined or set back by too much too soon. Lot's of young guys thrive on competition and pressure. That's not unique. I don't see what's so special or different about Levi in that regard. I'd be much more comfortable if we were moving forward with a veteran beside him to take half the load like Boston has with Swayman and Ullmark. Comrie ain't it.

Oh sure, that ear to ear smile on Ovechkin's face when Putin phoned in to his wedding was just for show. Okay. Sure. and the election was rigged................. Internet world today. Nobody believes anything even when there's facts. Whatever.

Borgen's better than Stillman. That is all.

Just feels so wrong that we were such a crap team and yet we gave Seattle one of their better expansion pick ups.

Ya, there's a lot of talk among Bruins fans that Goalie Bob (Essensa) is a genius and the best goalie coach in the league. He might be. Have to hope younger Tkachuk demolishes older Tkachuk and Tampa still cares enough to beat the Isles Thursday. If Pitt also loses to Minnesota and we beat Detroit it won't be over just yet and the slim hope will still be there.

Actually I think that was a pretty good effort and there were quite a few positives to take away from this. Unfortunately the final score wasn't one of them. Levi made big saves, key player made some big plays, we went to the paint far more than usual and looked like a team trying hard to win and willing to pay the price. This is new and encouraging. They survived the physicality but I do wish they'd initiate that more and not just endure it. Overall I liked what I saw and although they will not make the playoffs (I do think management blew it) they are a far far better team then they were at this point last season. Tuch is my favourite Sabre. He reminds me of old time Sabre heroes and he brings his best when it's toughest. A true warrior. I so desperately want him to be named captain.

Oh I'm the same. I just enjoy some luxuries. I can afford the better wine (not the best wine) and the good coffee and so forth and so I do but I'm still the street walking cheetah with a head full of napalm I always was 🙂

Never said YOU did. Read all the comments in the thread. There's a general anti Putin political tone that implies this was possibly a political act. I merely stated there was no evidence of that assumption. Obviously nothing makes it okay for Putin to do that but I don't believe Putin is doing that. Watch the clip above.

I watch a ton of games as well. But do you not cheer for one side or the other? Do you not pick your secondary teams? I find it much more enjoyable if I'm actually invested in the outcomes. It's not the same as when your main team wins or loses. I do remember the heartbreak of Sabres playoff losses and the jubilation of wins. Upset wins were so sweet as well. Those wins and losses stick with me. It's satisfying when secondary teams win, but it's far less emotional. Still fun though.