Cascade Youth

He should be disappointed in his performance, not being sent down. They are doing him a FAVOR.

Dahlin, KO, Vesey

Reinhart was off all game.

He was exhausted and IMO out of patience. The first turnover was sheer exhaustion. The second one, he just let everyone get in too deep. Should’ve circled back around but he passed it out of impatience. Would be nice if someone else made a play. Would also be nice if the refs called a fair and even game but it’s Bettman’s NHL, that will likely never happen.

That’s the thing that gets me. Putting aside the timing element - he’s basically saying he deserves to be ahead of one (or more) of his defensive peers. Those guys have been working hard too - who does he think should be sitting so that he can play?

Personally? No more tickets or merchandise for me. My dollars will not be parted with any longer. Waste of time and money.

I mean there’s a market for this thing so...

Reinhardt forgot it was 3x3 and passed it back to nobody. Then Risto made another business decision for himself - has been making them for six weeks. Besides overtime it was a good game. Team is better with Bogo in and Dahlin out, sorry but it’s true. But man. I won’t miss Risto. And Sam tallies the points but never makes a difference.

The league just has no sense or self-awareness. I don’t need to look any farther than the ridiculous spectacle that is the televised lottery - a bunch of suited up white dudes sitting awkwardly on stools waiting for ping pong balls to drop - that’s the NHL’s idea of good prime time viewing. Bettman is a freaking clown - the NHL succeeds despite itself. It’s run by absolute morons.

I wish there were a way to make the Pegulas read this thread. Some Truly great takes here.

This is Bettman’s NHL. Completely tone-deaf about the health and future of the sport.

This is exactly where I'm at. He missed the net like 3 times from 10-15 feet out the other night. He doesn't look to me to be getting any better - he looks like a downright imposter out there, a paperboy dressed up as a hockey player for halloween with fake shoulderpads and everything. I don't see him growing into his frame at all, nor do I see his skills improving - he's a zero. Make him someone else's problem.

I have ZERO DOUBT that if there were a players-only meeting, especially if convened by Jack, it would find its way into the local rags. Heck, the Sabres' internal spin operation would be running to the presses to get it there.

If Eichel was the kind of leader this team needs, he'd be organizing a players-only meeting today to discuss what has been going on out there. He'd call out Hutton in that meeting, along with others (and himself). If he does that, I'll consider changing my mind about him. But I doubt he does.

Then the fans should stop paying for the product.

I’m starting to hold all of this against the entire NHL. Should I not?

Not a huge surprise. Team was constructed by a middle management loser with no track record. He has failed at hiring coaches. He has failed at building a roster. He made the worst trade in NHL history and suffered no consequences. Otherwise he has sat on his hands. He hasn’t drafted any real difference-makers except the consensus number one pick who he sucked into selecting and who now has regressed and lost all confidence. Not a single player has improved or developed under his watch. He has accomplished absolutely nothing. The ONLY thing he does is repeat over and over again, “We’re gonna build this thing the right way.” Does anyone, anywhere think they’re at all on a track toward building things the right way? Screw Botterill and screw Terry for being addicted to rookie GMs. Also screw Mittlestadt for not being able to land a shot on net from 10 feet out. He sucks at hockey.

This would never have happened if Terry Pegula were still alive.

I’m done with the Botterill era. He’s a middle management loser.

The one guy who openly worried about getting used to losing was shipped out for a bag of magic beans.

13 seconds into the game the Lightening scored and the announcers said, “This Buffalo team is fragile.” Pretty much the size of things.

He absolutely is an elite talent and in many, if not most games, he's the most talented player on the ice. I question his mental toughness, not his abilities. Does he make his teammates better (besides feeding them sick passes)? Does he refuse to lose? Does he always turn up the level of compete? I don't think so.

I want the last 10 minutes of my life back.

He is basically a shootout specialist masquerading as a 2/3C. He doesn't drive his line. He doesn't generate offense for others. He doesn't cause havoc in front of the net and he's not a two-way player except one time in one overtime that was significantly over-hyped by the media. He isn't hard to play against. He still seems to have the body of a teenage pizza deliverer. He has not come anywhere close to living up to the hype and, even though he's very young, one would think by now we'd have seen *SOME* glimpse of some future, latent talent yet to come out. But we haven't. He is Mythlestadt.