Pimlach

The question remains: Does he have the gumption to make big hockey trades. (Not just unloading players that don't want to be here for futures.)

I have had a few good rounds myself @Thorny

McDavid was there and he was very noticeable but Florida did a good job on him last night. Weird game statistically, the shots end up about even but it seemed like the Oilers had the puck most of the time and they had better chances. Game 7 will be interesting to see. Florida looks like they do not know what to do. They have been playing cautious hockey since game 4.

It’s sounds that way. I really want to see 6 new NHL Level players on this roster. This presser gives me no confidence that big moves are coming.

Proven winner? Lindy or Skinner? Lindy seems to have already made his assessment on Skinner, hence the trade/buyout rumors.

Henrique again. Playing the shut down center role. Nice pick up.

Empty netter seals it. Back to Florida.

Henrique has always been a really good player. Great pick up by Edmonton to get him.

Agree, but caveat that Florida would not be in the final without Bobrovsky.

8 to 1 shots Edmonton. 13 - 3 hits Panthers. Who has the puck?

Ready to go. Looking for some great hockey. Oilers crowd is insane. Panthers need someone to step up. Oilers are all over them.

If the fan base is truly somnolent then they may lack the ability to be revved up, they would not be just sleeping on the team. I think much of the fan base is disgusted with the team, waiting for a turnaround, actually saying "show me", and meanwhile is focused on the Bills and Josh Allen. Kane is not the player that will fix a lot of things either. He is good enough to play on this team, but they need more than Kane.

Enjoy every moment. Soak it in.

Yes. They but wanted more than a 4C from Krebs though. A solid 3C that can create offense was what I thought he could be at one time. His shot as 3C came and he didn’t do much with it. Still young, maybe it clicks soon, maybe not. Tuch has been very good. Östlund is TBD. Greenway has been well worth giving up the #2 for. More trades like that please.

Lindy likes to have at least one solid two-way player on every line so we don't know what his first line will be, even if they can't or don't move Skinner, I don't see him being a Lindy first line player. It sure sounds like Lindy took the job with the promise of getting a major input into the roster. I do share your concern on getting rid of Skinner and then not bringing in a first line winger. I hope they are not going to just hand a first line position to Quinn or Peterka and then bring in Kulich or Rosen for the 2nd or 3rd line. If they move on from Skinner they need to replace him with an NHL player. They still need to replace Mitts too. We know that Lindy likes situational players, he referred to them as "tools". He said he wants to win key face-offs, to have a shut down line, to play a grittier game, and to have a few players that will keep the other team from getting out of line. In other words it sounds like we could be bringing in 5 or 6 new players. As for Skinner scoring 25+ on the 3rd line with Benson on the other wing? That would require a 3C that is capable of being a 2C and it is also asking a lot of Benson who will play next season at only 19 years old.

There were many reasons, call it chemistry for lack of a better word. Murray's group really started to rot an already bad culture. Coaching was a factor. Leadership on the team was probably an even bigger factor. Maturity of the players. Eichel and Reinhart were very young and being asked to carry more load than they could at the time. Some of the players acquired were very distracted and had personal issues that they brought with them - see Kane and Bogo. Lehner had a bunch of problems too, most of that came out a few years later. Veterans brought in like Gionta, Gorges, and Moulson were no longer effective players or listened too. Factions started to grow within the players that remained after Murray and Byslma were gone. On top of all that Murray did not draft (or develop) very well.

Buffalo did not actually draft Riley Hiedt, Minnesota did. They traded that pick (a 2nd round 64th overall), which came from Vegas as part of the Eichel trade, to Minnesota for Greenway. So we have Tuch, Krebs, Östlund, and Greenway for Eichel.

Wow, I did not know they gave up so much for Jeannot. He had one 24 goal, 41 point season while amassing 130 PIM for Nashville in the season after Covid. He has been a minus player for Tampa. He fit the bill of good fighter that can also play hockey, but I cannot see Buffalo paying anywhere near that much for him.

I sure can do better. My calling them rednecks was actually just as bad as you, who called my opinion an insufferable narrative.

My opinion is what Gatorman responded to with the insufferable comment. Because I said I want cities like Buffalo and Vancouver to win a Cup over a franchise like Florida. That is my opinion. He called it an insufferable narrative. His opinion. Why are you even involved? Yes, the facts are Florida's attendance increased by over 6% this year and was one of the highest in the league. They had strong teams the two years prior, and they are just now selling out games consistently this year. Good for them.

Yes it is. Disagreement is one thing, but it is even crazier when an opinion is called insufferable because its different than your own. Which is what happened here.

Buffalo’s fan base is completely beaten down but still is more loyal and hockey knowledgeable than the rednecks from Sunrise, who didn’t even sell out many games last year after a Presidents Trophy the prior season This year they finally had a big increase in fan attendance, so it took three years of playing at the top of the conference for that to happen. Given the size if the Metro area, and the number of tourists and transplants, their fan base has been surprisingly slow to catch on. But for sure, right now have better attendance than Buffalo, and a much better team. To me, not a reason to pull for them at all. The complaints about McDavid winning a cup are even more insufferable. Jealous people calling him McJesus are beyond insufferable too. The panic by some here that NHL TV announcers will say even more nice things about McDavid is also insufferable. Listening to Florida’s hockey illiterate and rude fans talk and scream (while wearing their ball caps) during both Anthem’s, that too is insufferable.

You are an influencer here at SabreSpace.

I like Greenway and adding guys like him for a 2nd round pick are the kinds of moves we should be making. We needed a top 4 defenseman. I did not see enough from Byram to determine if he is the right guy but my first take is he is not. I worry about paying him big money, along with big money to Dahlin and Power. We will learn a lot about Byram this season. Shake up the Core, sure. But see Byram above. I am thinking in a LaFontaine/ Turgeon way. We now have a hole at center and really need a 1C/2C to fix it, unless Tage and Cozens both can consistently play like they did two seasons ago. We actually should add 2 centers since Krebs is still not there. Lindy likes guys that can play both Center and Wing. More accountability? Yes. That means you Adams. Skinner can be moved but not just to make room for a rookie. Girgs can move along too as long as we replace his production and experience with winning experience. The 24-25 Sabres really should look a lot different. Lindy will want a few more centers, one that wins draws. He will want more grit and and a true shut down line. He will probably want 7 defenseman that get the job done and include some intimidation on the backline, which we don't have enough of. I am tired of people hanging around UPL. As stated in anther thread, he will probably want a guy that will drop them without hesitation that the other teams have to be concerned about (and hopefully he can actually play hockey too).

If Lindy the coach can get them to the playoffs then we will see Lindy somewhere in the FO once his contract expires. I have been saying for a while now that Adams needed to pick a HC that can help him build an NHL roster. One with NHL credibility and one that knows people all over the league. Adams has acquired the pieces to make a few big trades happen but he lacked the experience to pull the trigger on big hockey trades. Maybe now that will finally change.