Marvin

Here's the original. It might work better or be more offencive to the Hockey Gods, depending on whether they are woke, hidebound, our somewhere in between.

We do need to start filling in the LHD in the pipeline over the next few years as well. For the moment, forward depth and consistent goaltending have to be our priorities.

Does that mean that we could actually go 3 pairs deep next season -- even if we lost one of the top few to Seattle? McCabe-Ristolainen, Dahlin-Borgen, Bryson-Jokiharu, Samuelsson-Miller, Pilut-Laaksonen, Davidson. (Assumes neither Miller nor Montour are here next season.) There have to be at least 3 NHL-quality pairs in there somewhere. At last, erm, At least we could competently exit the D-zone with possession.

Sorry, I just can't resist.

That may be the most objectively positive information I have seen here this season. It's almost as if we could say, "just imagine if everyone just starts scoring normally."

As my will, so mote it be. (Eoh evohay! Eoh evohay! Eoh evohay! ... ) ogo terru sawb maleht tnew yram tah tereh wyreve wons saetih wsawece elfstib malelt tiladah yram. Eko, eko Azal! (Eko, eko Azal!) As my will, so mote it be. (Might as well go with something Buffalo Science Fiction fandom is known for finding...)

I want to fill this up with ever Johnathan Quayle Higgins III rant from the old "Magnum, p.i." Krueger's rationale reminds me of an old Doctor Who scene: "I've got a memory like a...like a...Oh, dear, what is it that I have a memory like? What's that thing you drain rice in?"

Let's turn this around: assuming that the don't write off the season, what do they need to do which makes the playoffs more likely this year but does not require spending prime assets? Are there teams in a similar situation where we can make a mutually beneficial trade? Nashville, Dallas, Anaheim, and San Jose leap to mind. Have we ever put them away?

My mother. I could never tell her that I loved her. (This is what lets Kirk know that Spock is affected by that thing that Lt. Tormolen brought back from the surface.)

Egad. Yikes. Ick. Yeesh.

Don't give them any ideas. I will stay off my anti-tank hobby-horse to point out that all of the excuses hold some water -- just not enough for me. They should have figured out a way to get out of goalie gaol before the season began.

Me too. But given how this board is reading, maybe the Sabres should pass.

We can put him on the same line as Skinner and Okposo then...

This adds up.

For a player your coach doesn't want at a gigantic contract? Start with Skinner at 50%, Eichel at 50%, a couple of unprotected firsts, and a couple of top young players for every cap dump which I can lay my hands on.

Get well, Jake.

If the goal is to make Jeff Skinner a more responsible defencive player, maybe RK should learn from how the Sabres trained Gil Perreault to be better in his own end: put him out on the penalty kill. First, it was in lop-sided games where, if they go scored on, it wouldn't matter. Then, as he got more experienced, he got better in our end of the ice. By the time Scotty Bowman, Roger Neilson, and Jimmy Roberts got here, he was a passable two-way player. Maybe no one else remembers, but he was the "defencive conscience" of the "dream line" in Canada Cup 1981 (Perreault-Gretzky-Lafleur). Even after being injured in Canada's 4th game, he led the team in scoring until their 2nd last game and still got votes for tournament MVP.

My head hurts. What the hell is going on?

I hope you are right. I am not hopeful.

Housley was like that. When 2018-9 went south, the players did not react well to him. RK was brought in because he is a players' coach.

Psychological. They need to win a few in a row and not go on prolonged losing streaks before they can believe in themselves again. IMHO, this goes back to GMJB bad-mouthing their winning streak after the 2017-8 TDL. Some part of their subconsciously believes if that wasn't good enough, then nothing will be, so who cares?

Joker needs a Borgen type as his partner as well. If they can find him the right partner, we may have three solid pairs. When was the last time we could even think about that?

They seem to have great chemistry. I hope this is a trend.

Is it just me, or does the presence of Cozens matter more than I ought to expect?

Yay? I actually think that once the Sabres get some time in lines and pairings which work, then they will actually be decent to watch. Let us hope I am right and that this is soon.