Drag0nDan

I'm sure they will be bad... but I'm strangely optimistic that they won't finish dead last. I think the defense is actually improved, and while they lost ullmark - the goalies who will actually be playing are an improvement over Hutton and the others.

I just think it was a cap issue as much as anything else. Probably self-inflicted by the Hall signing - and obviously terrible cap hits of okposo and skinner. The Eakin signing (while terrible) didn't break the bank, and may be like 1M different than bringing back larson. They non-tendered Kahun to save some scratch (I forget how much the QA was for, but much higher than the sub 1M contract he signed), that also opened up a spot for Hall. There was also a rumor floated that they were possibly non-tendering montour (would have saved them probably the 3M needed to sign someone, and put Borgen on the opening night roster). While many would have accused KA of wasting an asset as they probably could have traded him for something, RFAs had like no value last offseason because of the reduced cap crunch being in year 1. 6 total UFA defensemen received contracts with AAVs higher than Montour, and didn't require any draft compensation to acquire.

I'm just not sure who they should or could have brought in. The third highest AAV guy retired before the season. Markstrom was the top dog, and the next 4 either signed to start or joined timeshares for playing time buffalo was not able to guarantee, nor do i think buffalo was capable of matching those dollars while bringing in Hall. So you're left with the guys making below a million - who are basically AHL/NHL goalies.

Who were they signing though (https://www.spotrac.com/nhl/free-agents/2020/goaltender/ufa/)? And what cap space were they using? So the starter played 20 games (18 to get stats in). There are 44 goalies who started more games than him. 22 started 30 or more. They were clearly planning to lean on him in that high 30 to 40 games. Since teams needed to carry 3 goalies this year, it became even more challenging to bring in a quality backup. Hutton was bad, but the team was on 3rd, 4th, and 5th options by the end of the year. No team was going to be super successful with their depth players playing that much. Johansson on the Taxi squad seemed to make him generally less effective, but his numbers in colorado show that the defense in front of him was probably equally ineffective.

Right, but there were other factors at play. The condensed schedule didn't exactly help things, nor did playing in basically the toughest division (minus NJ). The covid issue was a big one that really seemed to sap the team - they went like 2-20 after that and its pretty obvious that like more than half the team got covid. The travel issues after the 2 week "break" (where they couldn't practice or prepare really, and a number of players were physically ill), are just a nightmare to look at.

Shot suppression was not their strong suit apparently.

Sadly cap space was mostly allotted to bringing in Hall. The goal in the shorter season was to probably get to the deadline in position to acquire an extra goalie. With Ullmark penciled in at starter i cant imagine buffalo was in on Markstrom, Talbot, Khudobin, or Holtby. Greiss maybe? After that it's basically who buffalo signed this year.

Considering the struggles with Kruegers system, and just an absurd number of lost games to injuries, I don't know how I'd feel putting that on Adams. Eichel, Cozens, McCabe, Girgensons, Ullmark, Okposo all missed a ton of games. Add in a really long covid protocol issue, and a few players who were clearly negatively affected by it. Just an absolute disaster of a year on the health front.

I don't understand the title. I've never heard of jack doing literally any of these things. The eichel rumors I heard were partying related.

So Hagg is likely the #7, pushing bryson for ice time. I don't even need to see him play to say he's an upgrade over irwin.

Honestly? I hated the guy. The whole downtown incident of like choking a woman in a bar and pushing bouncers... it all comes off very entitled. The whole casino marker thing in Vegas, during the playoffs, not a good look. I don't think everything she says is true, but do I believe that he'd go off partying and leave his family at home? Yeah, i do.

Yeah. I know it was a leak... but reading the original article didn't seem like even the starting point for a negotiation and painted them in an absolutely terrible light.

Why should they sign free agents though? The team has bled cash year after year, and they should expect to shell out cash again for a bad team to lose? The goal this year is to get young players playing time. Also: A - You don't build a successful team that way. Between Ehrhoff, Leino, Okposo, etc. it seems like you're more likely to miss than hit. There are other examples across the league. B - This free agent class was pretty weak. One player got more than 6 AAV. Hamilton was the prize, Grubauer the top goalie... then Zach Hyman. Who's essentially switching from running with Matthews to running with McDavid. C - Who would sign here? Older vets chasing a cup most likely won't. The only other person would be someone to get a large offer out to try and leverage it for more money. I'd have liked a better goalie, there aren't a ton of goalie jobs out there. I think they're going to roll with a youth movement there too (well young and old as hell).

I hope they don't. If they do its probably some group to move them to Quebec or houston or something.

I got my vaccine there. It was as ugly and depressing as i remember it.

The ullmark one... i don't know who was interested or for how much pick-wise. If we lost a 3rd rounder or something for not trading him... who really cares?

I mean... Detroit sucks. Ottawa sucks. Anaheim sucks. New jersey sucks. San Jose sucks. Phoenix sucks. There's plenty of dysfunctional teams at the moment. The thing I'd look to is Colorado, and how they turned around quickly from a terrible young team into a perennial contender. They bottomed out, picked 4 and got Makar. They didn't get a ton for O'reilly, but they did hit on the duchene trade with byram/girard. And they've been bold in acquiring goalies from varlamov, to grubauer, to kuemper this year. Other than that its been the same 3 fwd core.

Yeesh, you must be fun at parties. Why is the culture terrible? And was it good with Jack? Was it ever good?

The team didn't look particularly strong, I'm kind of over the status quo. The players available in UFA are usually looking to be courted to play on someone's line, or to compete for a cup. Buffalo can offer neither. Jack pouted his way out, and without him we were the worst team in the league. So why would reinhart want to extend here, or risto? This is jack's team and he's leaving, what can you do but pick up the pieces and keep on playing hockey. I think the difference between this team and tanking, is the expectation that more of the guys on the 21-22 team are building blocks vs the 2012-2014 teams. Those teams were sending out players because they had any semblance of value, hell they traded neuvirth because he was winning games. Adams is just trying to get to where they have players that want to be here, and want to make buffalo a hockey destination. You'll never compete with NY/florida/nashville/LA/Vegas on free agency, so focus your efforts on bringing in the right players via draft and trades.

Guess there's only 1 thing left to do... win the whole. f****n. thing.

His save percentage is better. Those 3 seasons were also with some terrible Ottawa teams, so he has some experience in front of garbage teams.

I expect him or tokarski in the minors. His numbers last year were pretty terrible, this is probably his last shot for nhl playing time.

I mean. Is he an upgrade over risto...?

Stop hijacking the Drake Caggiula to complain about Adams. He's a 4th line PK player... They aren't signing anyone of note, because no one of note will come here. Also you complain about okposo, skinner and o'reilly and he literally had nothing to do with any of those moves. They can't extend reinhart, so why keep him?

Do you have examples of Bogo being a good leader? I feel like Winnipeg knew something we didn't in that trade. That Bogo was damaged goods, and Kane was a nut.