NAF

Overall I've been pretty happy with Adams. I've cut the few moves I haven't really liked. I thought the Reinhart situation was largely mishandled. Reports were that he was willing to sign a longer deal, IIRC. I thought Adams also got poor value on the trade. A first rounder that logically would end up in the late first round and a goaltender. I'm glad Levi looks promising, but the uncertainty of goalie prospects makes the value of the trade worse. Reinhart was the second best player on the team -- a consistent 65 point player ought to get more than a late first and a decent goaltender prospect Losing Ullmark has put this team in a poor position from a goaltending standpoint. How many goalies did the Sabres use last season? 6? 8? Adams should have locked up Ullmark for 2-3 years. Dahlin also should have been given a longer deal. 8 yrs x 8 million would have been a bargain down the road. Now the team will end up giving him 5 x 10 million when the bridge deal is up.

My greatest fear is that in 20 years the NHL becomes the NBA with this kind of BS. I really hope they stop the Stutzles and Shesterkins of the league before other players catch on.

I mean they aren't supposed to be good... they're cap dumps for a reason. The goal would be more to eat the contracts for the picks and prospects with the added benefit of having them provide veteran leadership to an incredibly young team. Even if Granato decides to consistently healthy scratch these guys in favor of the Ruotsolainens of the organization, their presence is still valuable.

Unfortunately most of them have NTC/NMCs. 1. Lucic, contingent on him waiving NTC. CGY will need cap space if they want to keep Tkachuk and Gaudreau. 2. Monahan? I don't even really know what the deal is with him anymore 3. Nick Foligno if he waives. 4. Brady Skjei? I've heard Carolina has been unhappy with his advanced metrics. 5. Colton Sissons if Nashville wants to re-sign Forsberg. 6. Cizikas, Bailey -- any old dude from the Isles.

Adams needs to take advantage of this -- eat bad contracts for picks and prospects. Ideally these bad contracts are veterans who can also lead the young guys.

Can anyone else not stand the Rangers? The Sabres don't even really have a rivalry with them but they're near the top of my most disliked teams/fanbases for a few reasons. 1. The whole "untouchable" prospect thing when Eichel was being traded. Just super homerish and annoying. 2. As someone from NYC it seems like the percentage of their fanbase that is fairweather/not die hard is large compared to other teams in the league. This wouldn't be a big deal except for the fact that these "fans" are often loud and annoying. 3. The team's rise to success isn't as a result of homegrown talent or taking their lumps at the bottom of the standings like the Sabres have done. Panarin, a player that signed with them because of the advantageous position they have in a big market and great city, is their best player -- this is some NBA garbage. They also won 2 draft lotteries even though they definitely shouldn't have (yes, I know Kakko and Lafreniere suck, but still). 4. They progressed through the first round essentially due to a (up for debate) dirty hit on Crosby. They rely too heavily on Shesterkin, but luckily don't seem to be getting punished for it. I really hope they lose tonight, even if it means Carolina wins.

Kassian looks like he can't read

Anyone have a free stream link for this they wouldn't mind sharing?

What are the odds Dallas blows it up after losing this series to Calgary? I think they keep their core for another year max if they lose this series. They're in an awkward spot where they're just good enough to get into the playoffs, but not good enough to do anything once reaching the post season. Benn and Seguin have really fallen off over the past few years. I'd love for the Sabres to be one of the teams the picks the bones of their team when they inevitably fall apart. I will say that I am a huge fan of Hintz and Robertson, but no chance those two are getting traded.

I think a better question is "who would you rather have on the Sabres?" I think it's a bit silly to think Tage is or ever will be as good as Eichel. However, I think there is a case to be made, considering contract demand (as in % of the salary cap eaten up) and the potential off ice issues Jack might have, that I'd rather have Tage. I think I need to see one more season of consistent production from Tage before I make my final decision.

Didn't get a chance to watch -- how was Power?

Agree wholeheartedly. I will add that I noticed several times where Power's size and stick length allowed him to cover more ground in blocking a passing/shooting lane that a smaller defense man probably wouldn't have been able to. Additionally he seems like a very risk averse player. He'll choose to fall back instead of pinching in the offensive zone, for instance.

Power never really wowed me, but I guess that isn't really his play style. Too bad we didn't get to see him on the PP. Portillo looked shaky in the first two periods, but better in the third and OT.

Does he automatically burn a year off of ELC by signing or is there like a 10 game limit? IMO let him sit and watch a few games such that he can see NHL hockey up close, also he won't burn the year (if there is the x game limit).

Trading him at what is likely his lowest point (and value) is a poor decision IMO, the same thinking that sent O'Reilly away for scraps.

I think so. I'll add that depth and goaltending are far more important in the playoffs than star power. Look no further than the last 6 years of Sabres hockey -- a star studded top line surrounded by AHL players and a sideshow cast in net resulted in bottom 8 finishes every year. It is hard to ignore the evidence that the Penguins, Lightning, and Blackhawks (star power) have won far more than the Blues and Kings (less star power) in recent years, but I think this more comes down to the drive that star players have to win rather than talent. I don't believe that Sidney Crosby's talent has brought him success, rather it is his work ethic and determination that have brought him three cups. When you have that star determination on your team it raises everyone's level of play. The question is really can a non star power lineup bring that same level of determination.

Just occurred to me -- because of the whole Russia situation I think we can kiss the majority of last years draft class goodbye. Sucks.

what does JAG mean?

MIttelstadt and Olofsson looking pretty bad...

Obviously dunno if this has to do with the neck, but he was always an injury prone player -- definitely something to consider when reviewing the trade moving forward.

That's what I'm saying -- they were winning not because they were good (they were bad), but because of Levi.

Wow. Bad Fenwick means Levi was actually playing fantastic, not just winning because Northeastern was good.

Pablo might sn 4 t ch (why is this bleeped out) his chain if he isn't careful!

Is that the biggest Sabres win in 3 years?