Pimlach

The bold text is a major shift for you @JohnC. Last season you were adamant about Joki being a solid 4D and there was no need to upgrade. Now you want to add a 4D and a 5/6 D as well. What changed for you? Ryan Johnson might get a look at some point but we should not count on him to help us this season. I think that Adam’s should not neglect goaltending again. He should not go with Levi and UPL/Comrie. Which teams are we going to pass to get into the top 8 in the conference or top 3 in the division? He should not gamble on a rookie to two boarder-line backups. Adam’s has prospects that he can never fully utilize. It’s time to make a few hockey trades and go for it.

Agree here. My add, was for a bottom 6 center that wins face-offs, plays an effective PK, and provides some grit. That ship has sailed with KO, ZG, and Rousek all retained and Jost likely retained as well. Adding two vet defenseman would be good so we can drop Bryson and Clague and roster 8 solid defensemen.

The best hockey that the NHL has to offer, the Stanley Cup playoffs, is hardly watched in the US because of baseball season. Start earlier, end sooner.

I actually enjoy these special games and events. At the top of my list is Hockey Fights Cancer, which I have several personal reasons for supporting. Second on my list are veterans. They should be acknowledged for their sacrifices. People might be surprised how poor the treatment for injured vets can be. Anyway, these are the two special nights I hope they retain All the other “community” stuff ( LGBTQ+, Native American, African American, St Pats, or whatever), is well intended but I agree with the comments that less is more. The concept of America was (and still is) to unite multi-cultural people as one nation. Marginalizing minorities is wrong, and while special nights celebrating special groups might raise awareness, it is not really uniting anything either. Hence this whole discussion.

Boomers, advocates (?), corporations, “enlightened in society”? I truly do not understand what your message is here and if I did I would probably laugh about it rather than argue with it. I prefer we stick to hockey unless a thread is designated as an off topic thread. In that case I can avoid it if I wish.

You are saying you need at least average or slightly above average goaltending if you have great a great defensive team - that is not Comrie, UPL and Anderson. They aren't going to keep you in it. Anderson cannot play enough games and UPL/Comrie could get leaky and put you way behind early, forcing you out of your defensive game.

He looks at benefit and term. He favors decisions that benefit for the long term. That makes sense to me.

Look at his career stats. He is a consistent 30+ goal scorer when healthy and playing a full season.

@Buffalonill are you kidding me? Bottom 5?

I sure hope so to the bolded part.

Scoff away. I won't say he is an upgrade over our current assistants but I think he could be. Laviolette and Drury want Peca. Armstrong and Berube in St Louis wanted Weber. For the most part the system works. Perform at a high level and it will be recognized.

He probably starts the year in Rochester. so we get to see Rousek, and probably Kulich and Savoie this year. I am still hoping they acquire a bottom 6 NHL vet that can help defensively and on the PK. It is getting crowded with KO and ZG back.

Man you are intense on this. I expect they are happy with the progress made last season but hopefully they are not satisfied with it either. They will be hiring two coaches for Rochester, the price of success. As for the NHL coaching staff, it looks like no changes so far.

You have to let your coaches move on when opportunities come up. Peca or Webby could both end up back with Buffalo someday. Right now they get better experience by taking on new roles of higher responsibility in new organizations. Karmanos is the AHL GM, he just might know a guy or two.

Hate to see Michael leave again.

He played in two games in Buffalo that I can recall. Looked like a guy with some energy and he looked confident and comfortable out there too. Projects as a bottom 6 forward. To me he is a smaller version of Girgensons with maybe more offensive skill. We shall see.

This says might. Maybe Adams is working on the "what will it take to make you stay" part of it. @Buffalonill is correct that we could use him on the Sabres right now.

The bold is so true and to me it is a breath of fresh air in Buffalo Sports. Getting rid of them would not be a smart move, and is more likely to start another decline. Pittsburgh has had 3 coaches in 50+ years. Patience is a virtue. I understand that Buffalo is starving for a Championship. Winning a lot of games and being a destination for elite players for the first time ever is fun and I don't want it to end because of impatient and unrealistic thinking. I think that it is asking a lot to expect Kincaid to be like Travis Kelce in his first year, if ever. Kelce was targeted 87 times for 67 catches his first year. I doubt we have enough footballs to target a rookie that much. Knox had 65 targets last year at TE. Our slot receivers combined for about 100 targets combined (McKenzie+ Crowder+ Shakir+ Beasley). The Oline upgrades have to be better. Conner McGovern is in his prime and is better than the aging Roy Saffold. If #2 pick O'Cyrus is the player he was in college we have have a legit line. If he is not ready we added John Edwards who is promising, and we still have Ryan Bates who projects more to the center position when Morse is gone.

I am not sure they are great either but I think they can be. They are definitely very good and they are knocking on the door to win one. Look at how long the great coach in KC was considered “not good enough”. Sean Payton, the great offensive mind, won ONE Super Bowl with HoF Drew Brees at QB. That’s one in 13 years. McDermott has definitely come up short in playoffs, no doubt about it. Beane has missed on some draft picks, no doubt about it. But overall the product on the field is in the top tier in the entire league and I see no reason to replace either of them. Look at the Bills history of hiring coaches that made the playoffs - Lou Saban twice, Joe Collier (made playoffs one year with Saban’s team, then totally fell apart), Chuck Knox, Marv Levy, Wade Phillips, and Sean McDermott. Six in 63 years. Two of the six were on staff replacements. Only one time ever did they follow one winning coach with another, that was Phillips coaching Marv’s left overs. Now look at Pegula’s track record of hiring good coaches and GMs in both football and hockey. Do you like those odds? I prefer to support McBeane and let them try to achieve greatness rather than rolling the dice again. I think they can do it. You may be able to find a better game day HC than McD, but lose Beane with along him and this team along with its renewed winning culture is at risk.

On that final Sunday of the week the Bills needed to win and they did. They also needed the Ravens to lose to Cincinnati. They also did. The Bill won their game and got it. Just because the Raven lost happened 5 minutes later does that mean the Bills backed in? What if the Ravens game ended first, then the Bills finished with a win 5 minutes later? Would you still say they Bills backed in? This happens to teams every year. What other fan base calls this backing in? You play your schedule and you follow the league sanctioned tie-breakers.

Gonna have to disagree with this/ They did not back into the playoffs. The made it during a rebuild. There was no backing in. The won enough games to get it. In Allen they have one of the best players in the league. They deserve only credit for scouting, development, and coaching him. Look at the QBs in his draft class, many were more heralded. It is not easy to find and develop a QB. You don't win that many games without good drafting and good veteran FA pick ups. The flops are there and so are the gems. Edmunds is a fine player that we just could not afford to keep. Elam will play more this season - it is hard to argue with the value they got drafting and acquiring DB's. Groot has to earn his stripes, Having Miller and Floyd should help him, not hurt him. The drafts have not been perfect, none are, EVER, for any team. But they find players in all rounds, not just 1 and 2.

Not seeing that in the playoffs.

Wow. And he kept going for the Cup.

Blood, Sweat and Tears?