PerreaultForever

Oh I heard it, and I hear you, and I believe it's true, and I want it to be true, BUT I also know in this day and age athletes get coached by agents and they say the right thing and I'm skeptical of everything with the Sabres at this point so I simply want to see it. When I see him on the ice, how he plays, how he reacts, how he interacts, then I will feel that I know for sure if it's real or not. I think it will be.

Well, we haven't had ANY leadership with that old group (or at least any GOOD leadership) so I get that people want to latch onto anything even this small. I'm not on the Tuch bandwagon yet, but there is cause for hope there. If he is the local boy who wants to bleed blue and gold for real well then that is something we've missed and will go a long way and hopefully become infectious. In a few years I would not be surprised (or disappointed) if our letters were on the jerseys of Tuch, Cozens and Power.

Krakheads have trouble scoring, but they are a gritty tenacious and relentless bunch that will give us trouble with their style of play. Goaltending is definitely their edge so if we get one of our stinker games from our goalies we will lose, if our goalie has a good game it's an even match with a full contrast of hockey styles for your dining and dancing pleasure. toss up.

Not going to argue with either of these positions but that was not THEIR plan (unless they were idiots and simply assumed they'd re-sign Ullmark). The failure to bring in a decent goalie for this year was imo a clear indication that they were prepared to write off this year and the only thing that mattered was the rebuild/reset/whatever, basically moving on from Eichel etc. That's all that mattered to THEM. If they actually had wanted to try to win now there were many many goalie options better than the way we went. So I simply don't want to change course mid plan. We have those prospects, we have picks, don't trade them away for a stop gap goalie measure now with some silly notion that we can challenge for the playoffs this year. We won't, even with a goalie.

Of course, but it'll just be interesting to see. Plus I wouldn't say "can't make an expansion team" as they clearly drafted extra D men and simply have too many. Trade deadline capital. Borgen will be part of that team going forward. The style they play will be hard for us to play against.

Offensively yes, but not as a whole. Our D will be ahead of theirs next year when we add Power and Samuelson. Goaltending remains to be seen 🙂

and exactly what we need.

No, but I'd keep him in the line up and just waive Caggula myself. Hayden's not great, but he fits into a bottom line better imo. I did too. I kind of like Murray on his wing for now too. Opens up a little more ice for Dylan and makes that line a bigger force. I think the Murray-Cozens-Okposo combo is a much better line than Cagguila-Cozens-Hinostroza was. We might see Borgen(and be annoyed). Made his season debut tonight and looked pretty good. Detroit and us are about the same imo. Neither will make the playoffs.

Well their rebuild seems to be on an accelerated curve so likely not good but they are speed oriented and we are better with that than physical tough checking so it's not impossible. Going to require a hot goalie game though like in Pittsburgh. Is Detroit now, perhaps what we are hoping to become next year? I suspect that's the hope/plan.

Well, Ottawa's been looking to unload Murray for a while so when we needed a contract to get up to the cap floor wouldn't that one have made more sense than Boychuk, if we had any interest in another goalie at all that is, which clearly they didn't. Personally don't think they will spend any extra money here on out at all.

Also shows you how much difference a great goalie can make. They are missing many key people from that team and some of their kids have taken the not that unusual step backwards.

That's what I've been noticing about Skinner too. More and more it looks like his big season was just luck. He doesn't aim his shots or pick his spots at all. Just turn and fire like a blind man. Useless. Mildly satisfying to see we are not that worst they are (or Arizona maybe). Best moment had to be Tage giving him the stare down after the goal following the hit. Enjoyed that. nice to win for a change. Even if they lost, more than we won.

trade them Skinner for Murray straight up. (no move clause I know, but if he'd agree). Only 2 years of a bad contract that way and a (slim) possibility of a reclamation cause goalies are weird and you never know. I know it won't happen.

lol, I'm obviously being facetious but the point holds that they are a really bad team and there is no excuse not to win this one. Even for a tank team.

I just don't want him to pull a Terry Murray and start trading off the capital he has acquired for veterans. We decided to tear it down and build with the draft, we have to stick to that now - this time.

I hear ya, and I'd like them to give him a proper chance (5 or 6 games actually playing) but I suppose that is why you have a farm team close to your city.

If they now flip the script and trade a high pick or prospect for a goalie I might be done caring. It'd be an admission of a total f up. I say wait until January and trade Bjork back to the Bruins for Ullmark. That seems about right for this team.

Montreal is horrible this year. If we can't win this one we may not win another all year.

Drafting has been horrible no question and we've traded picks away but we've also had talent that has idk done wrong? not developed? fallen off the path? not been developed? misused? call it whatever you like. ROR - Stanley Cup MVP and a team captain for example. Goaltending is the perennial issue here and there's old Lehner considered one of the top 10 in the league (ya I know, F that guy ) but still............ They even like Risto in Philly for some reason or other. If Eichel turns into McDavid playing with Vegas we're all going to need medication. idk, players come here and get worse almost never better. Draft picks underachieve. It's just fugazi.

Weren't they going to lose Vladar in the expansion draft so they traded him instead? Not sure. The better question would be why didn't KA give them a 3rd rounder for Vladar? We have a pretty good precedent in turning a Czech gaolie into a star after all.

So you're okay with it? You think it's what? a positive attitude?

In a way that might be true, but we also had so called talent that didn't get it done and lost their love and didn't play well while here and so on. On a team like this, as they're all kind of equal, that should also still send a message that you can sit if you have the wrong attitude. But we don't. We give the harder workers away for free (Lazar) and keep the floaters (Bjork). Neither is all that good, but the one with the right attitude is fitting in with a more talented team that likes him for his work habits and attitude. Just an example. Hell, Montour's playing with Florida. So was/is he talent? He sucked here. Now he's on a team undefeated at home. There's more to this than just we need more talent.

You could be right about that I don't really remember. You're probably right about it. I'm probably over reacting but I'm just sick and tired of float teams that don't care. I want to like this team so bad, but they just make it so hard to do.

Yup, and I've been saying it for years (and yes, I'm not the only one). The country club atmosphere started when the Pegulas arrived and the theme seemed to be pamper the players and they will want to be here and they will perform and it's never changed. The bar for performance on the ice is incredibly low. Kyle said a lot of the right things at the start of this season and it briefly felt like we were going to change the culture and re-instill some pride in the jersey (along with a sense of obligation to the fans) a thing that used to exist in Buffalo long ago, but this made me think that maybe it's not going to happen this time either.

Same old same old. We simply cannot play against solid defensive teams that drive the net with their physicality. It will be a long second half of the season. Some actual goaltending might have made it closer, but we were not in this game after about the first 5 minutes or so. Probably meaningless but slightly irritating observation, too much smiling on the bench after falling behind 4-1. Tanking going to result in teaching this next young core to be okay with losing like they did with the last young core? Hope not. Probably not a big thing, but it irritated me.