PerreaultForever

Absolutely. I think this could be the moment we see the table turn and they fall as we rise and eventually swap spots for a while.

lol, I can't really argue with that and if I was playing against him I'd have given him some shots too no doubt. Couldn't stand yappers in general and I wasn't a clean player by any means so he'd have gotten his. But yes, Chara would have destroyed you back in that day. That team was tight. I found the face lick funny, but I get how that crossed a line and revolted some people. Definitely not his best moment. He's on the list for sure, but worst in history is the point I disagree with. He's caused a lot less injuries than some of those other guys and most of his antics are just annoying, not dangerous, but most of all he also has skills and that makes him better than most of that list. Going to stick with Avery as the worst. In hockey anyway.

I know ya'll hate old Marchand but biggest......in sports history? Really? I can think of quite a few guys just in hockey that were either dirtier or rattier and definitely had a lot less goals and assists. One of them wore Sabres colours, good old Matt Barnaby. Barnaby was our rat but he was pure dirty scum, and dumb as a post. I'm thinking over hockey history and have a few names you might remember. Darcy Tucker. Could play, quite a bit like Marchand, but not nearly as good and I'd say far dirtier. Kenny Linsman, possibly the biggest rat in history the way he'd start things and never finish them himself. Matt Cooke, king of the cheap shots. Claude Lemieux, now there's a man who defined dirty. Apple fell near the tree with his less talented son too. How about Dale Hunter? Let's ask Pierre Turgeon about him. Mr. Knee on knee Bryan Marchment is another good one. But the absolute winner for me is Sean Avery. Biggest ass....in hockey history without question.

Reading this, it sounds like a rebuild is maybe the plan: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/06/07/sports/bruins-boss-don-sweeney-admits-team-could-be-facing-rebuild-under-new-coach/ Looking at the expiring contracts, Haula, Frederic and Clifton are all players who could help the Sabres be better (for the right price obviously). Maybe take that Nick Foligno contract off their hands (one year) if they throw in Frederic or Clifton for free.

Regarding interviews, keep in mind they might not have interviewed guys they have already made their mind up on or have spoken to in a different setting already. The guys they interviewed here MIGHT be guys they are interested in, but might also be guys they aren't quite sure about and they want to add a little more info on. In other words, I wouldn't read anything into it.

I agree with the first sentence. The bar in Boston is certainly much higher than it is here in Buffalo and that is the way it should be. They do have a winning culture there for sure. As to the drop off, I wouldn't be so sure. McAvoy and Marchand both had surgeries, out 6 months. Reilly and Bergeron also had lesser surgeries. Bergeron might retire. Bottom end of the roster is incapable of scoring, prospect pool is small. Their season could be over by Xmas.

That's true, and Bruins fans aren't real happy with Sweeney (or Neely) either. They have squandered quite a few prospects and picks with deadline attempts to make cup runs too. For example, they gave Lindgren to the Rangers in the Rick Nash deal, and then a few years later were shopping for the exact same type of defenseman and then gave up more to get Lindholm. The 2015 draft haunts them forever obviously. I suspect there is more in the works, there will be some trades, and likely a change of direction. A lot depends on what Bergeron is doing as well as the rumour that Krejci might want to return. Ullmark has a no trade clause but I suspect a number of players could be moved. I'm sure KA will give them a phone call to see who or what might be on the market.

They were supposed to play Panama but instead but the match was cancelled at the last minute. They were selling tickets right up to game time and then they just cancelled it. Many pissed off fans in Vancouver.

That tweet is likely right. Cassidy was a good coach who had a solid defensive system and the team stats show that, but he's also a little out of step with the times and the direction of the league. He was horrible and far too demanding with young players. Guys like Studnicka would show promise, play well offensively and then make one defensive error and it was back to Providence. As said above, he was in some ways the anti Granato. Those defensive stats above were impressive, but goals for was only 15th, PP was average, the offense was really not that good. Tank? Change of direction? No idea, but that does open a playoff spot for sure.

Exactly. There's an embellishment penalty for diving, there should be one (enforced) for all the overly dramatic head/neck bobbing, goalies and players.

I think free agency, and the draft (with any big trades made at that time) will go a long way to answering that question. Which of those teams will choose to build slowly, internally, and which (if any) wants to try to leap forward. We have the cap room to add 2, 3, even 4 key pieces. Big names even. But I really don't think we will. Just a feeling/guess. Goalie is of course the main issue we have to address. If it's just UPL/Anderson or UPL/Tokarski well, then it's probably best to lower expectations and think about playoffs in 2024. Personally, I really hope we make the moves and take the leap now.

obviously not, but I'm just talking about the locker room and the attitudes of young players. This team had no leadership and was a mess inside that locker room. Toxic cultural problems have clearly been an issue even if we as fans were never privy to the details. Girgs and Okposo didn't cause that, but they didn't lead either. I just think their value is over rated. They fell into the veteran leader roles due to a lack of other candidates. Kyle definitely stepped up, but he's not a key part of the future imo that's all. I see him gone in a year OR relegated to a smaller role. I want a captain in place who loves the team, wants to be here, and will be here for the future. We need to be looking forward, only forward. imo Tuch's arrival (and Eichel's departure) is day 1, and everything before it goes in the dumpster.

might not be any games for me to watch anyway. Team Canada's in some sort of dispute over money and is refusing to play games. No idea on the details or who is right or wrong but it seems soccer has lots of governing bodies and behind the scenes organizations. It's clearly big business, and I think kind of corrupt.

Better than watching baseball or golf (how can anyone watch golf???) but I only watch the big world cup type events where the crowd and spectacle of it all make it better. Not a lot though. Kind of wild that Canada made the World Cup so will have to watch that until they lose out at least.

Here's the crux of why Kyle shouldn't get the C. He gets an absurd amount of praise around here because he played better this season, presumably because he recovered fully from head injuries etc. and he wrote that passionate letter to the fans. All good, BUT if he was such a great leader (and this goes for Girgs too), if they were such good leaders why was this team totally lacking leadership in prior seasons and why couldn't they get Eichel and Risto and Reinhart and everyone else who was here to buy in and excel the way the team seems to be growing now? History matters.

I have in the past called it the Tuch factor. The team got substantially better after the trade was made, Tuch arrived, and then quite a bit better the minute Tuch laced them up and stepped on the ice. So I will leave it at this agree to disagree point. You credit Granato, I credit Tuch. Let's hope next season they both do well and the team does even better. (But if they don't slap the C on Tuch they are insane)

It's not ridiculous. After we traded for Tuch I'm pretty sure every single person here was chomping at the bit waiting for him to suit up and everybody felt he would elevate whatever line he was on. Giving Skinner a shot at the top is a credit I give to Granato but Tuch was a no brainer.

Regarding Tuch, see above. Regarding Granato and coaches, it's about wins plain and simple. Gallant's teams win hockey games. They over achieve like that World team. Your comments might seem obvious to you in some ways but I'm equally amused that so little credit for the Rangers success is going to Gallant. It's all Shesterkin, it's winning the lottery twice, it's Drury's acquisitions, and so forth while the one commonality that is overlooked is Gallant has turned his team into a winner every time. Without Gallant I doubt they'd have even made the playoffs. Granato on the other hand seems to have a low bar evaluation. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the guy, I think he's a good coach, a good teacher, I'm just not sold on him as being this great coach signing from KA and the jury is still out on him as a head coach. He has to have a winning season before I jump on that bandwagon. Next season, if Boudreau wins in Vancouver, and Gallant wins again in NY while Granato loses here, the coaching decision won't look so good will it? Here's hoping that isn't what happens. he doesn't because he wasn't on the team here last year. He was a good player already and elevated because of where he is imo.

I can't agree with the progression you make here. I really don't see that Granato did anything. He put Tuch on a top line. Where else was he going to put him? Where would you have put him? Same place right? You start there and if he plays well he stays and if he plays poorly he drops down. Not rocket science. Tuch came off an injury to a new fresh team, his childhood team, the one he dreamed of being on when he was a wee lad. You think he was going to step on that ice and float? Granato had nothing to do with it. Credit KA with getting a guy who wanted to be here as he said, but it wasn't coaching.

The last sentence is the key to the argument right? As a 4th line, making typical 4th line money, I have no problem with them. Correcting it in the negotiation is an assumption and I'm saying you can move on from both of them because I think they will try the open market anyway rather than accept 4th line money to stay. Just my assumption. "Important to the growth of the team" is a whole other point of argument and does lead to derailing the thread so leave it there as an agree to disagree on that.

That's my thought too. With all those solid 100 point teams, this is the potential playoff spot up for grabs. I think Pittsburgh and Washington also have some question marks, but the Bruins look set to fall hard so if you can have a big leap forward season the potential to be next year's Rangers is there for the taking.

Well if you want you can bring back Larsson too would that make everyone happy? That was the praised 4th line that wasn't a 4th line wasn't it? Just one problem with all of this, we still haven't WON games and had a winning season. You guys really need to step back and stop over valuing a losing team's talent.

Well they're not the same so shouldn't be considered as a unity but it's not so much low regard, as maybe pieces of a horrible past and not part of the future. Kyle had a good year - finally. I'm far from the only one who a year ago was discussing him as a stiff or talking merits of a buy out and so forth. Harsher critiques than I've ever given were common. So suddenly he's a warrior? A little extreme but good if he is. Should get a good price for him at the deadline then. As for Girgs, not low regard but indifference. No more vital to this team's success than Cody Eakin.

Why? How did Granato make Tuch better? If it's silly to not credit Granato it's also silly to credit Granato. There's absolutely no proof. It's speculative either way. You going to tell me Tuch didn't play one of his best games the day Eichel came to town? Was that for Granato? Think about it.

But to the point of discussion, I'm not crediting Granato with Tuch's play, I'm going to credit that to him playing for his hometown blue and gold and wanting to rise to that challenge and responsibility. I don't think it took much coaching to get him to give his all. (and that's why I want him as captain next year as well). I'm not even going to credit Granato with the one big genius move of the year, Thompson at center. Maybe it's Don's genius, but I think it more likely he lucked out after just making the move out of a try anything approach due to a lack of centers at the start of the year. I will be happy to be wrong, and if he's out there, psst, try the reverse idea, Cozens at wing. Not a narrative, just a fact. See posts above. Look at his stats.