Pimlach

This is a nice alternate view and I hope you are correct. I would love it if Skinner has "lost his love for the Sabres" and is asking for a trade, but that is probably just wishful thinking.

I am not even sure Byram will be a Sabre after this season. Lets see what players they bring in this off season, and at what cost. Lets see what Byram does after a full season too.

I am talking about more hockey trades that bring in NHL players and actually improve the roster. Taking a few risks in an effort for high reward. He has players, many prospects, picks, and cap room. He did one hockey trade last year, Mitts for Byram. And that is a trade that on its own cannot help this team unless he replaces Mitts. It is an incomplete move since he left a void at center. He made one other decent trade the year prior, using draft picks to get Greenway. Besides that, he has played in the bargain bins for guys like Jost, Robinson, etc. Plenty of GMs make trades for NHL hockey players every season. Adams has gone on record complaining that other teams want his prospects for nothing, and that other teams took less for players than what he offered. Time for him to grow a pair and impress us with his shrewdness. Four full years have past since Adams took the reins, he needs to finish this rebuild and get this team back into the NHL. The year 5 clock has started.

100% on the bolded. So far.

He got rid of a guy that he decided he didn't want to re-sign, and he added a younger and promising player at another position. I don't feel that he proved anything with that trade. Are the Sabres better with Bryam instead of Mitts? We don't know yet until they fill the very big hole at center.

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.