JohnC

How much is a stadium beer?

So what If the contract he signs results in the backside of the contract being an over payment. That's not an unusual outcome in these extended contracts; it's a standard feature of these contracts. The standard outcome for these types of long-term contracts is that the player in the first half to two thirds of the contract produce at a reasonable rate of return, and then there is a decline in production. That's a normal occurrence for every team in the league. I'm not bothered by it. The historical problem for this plagued franchise is that it makes poor judgments on which players to reward and not to reward with these extended contracts. Tuch is a player who should be rewarded for putting up with the shiiiiit that he has had endure after being trading from a championship franchise to this clown show operation that he got stuck with.

Was Adams the GM who declined to sign Reinhardt when the player was willing to sign the extension? My sense is that Ullmark wanted to string KA along in contract negotiations so he could finish his UFA contract and get in the open market. When you run a dysfunctional franchise the incentive is for players to maneuver to get out. Hopefully the tide is changing in that area where players are more receptive to sign contracts to stay.

You accurately described where he should be pegged as a player. He's a third or even a fourth pairing player. Is he an upgrade from Joki or Bryson? Yes.

I'm not saying you are wrong but I don't see that happening. Also, he isn't playing up to his contract value but his game as of late has been stabilized and consistent. I'm sure it can be attributed to the Dahlin pairing. The bigger issue is who will be paired with Power and where will that player come from?

I don't think it is likely that Samuelsson gets moved. The inhibiting feature of his potential movement is his swollen contract.

Based on the figures you posted I would keep Byram. Better value and more cap flexibility.

Sometimes being unnoticeable is not a bad thing for young players. That indicates that he is not a glaring liability, especially in the defensive zone. Would it be better for him to play another year in the AHL and given more time to physically develop? My position for all players is that you earn your spot and role. No more of this "not blocking" and rushing prospects before they are ready. If he shines in camp and outperforms other roster candidates, then he will have earned the right to secure a roster spot. Next year, Norris and Greenway should be back and ready to go. The talent pool is increasing enabling us to handle injuries better and create more internal competition. That's a good thing.

What has been the team’s record since the trades? The other teams made deals that helped each of the teams to win the Cup. What happened to the Sabre’s post trades? The Sabres continued to wallow in the muck of mediocrity. There is a simple and understandable scorecard in sports: your re record. It is what it is.

He's had a terrific year and is our unsung hero. And he is being impactful while playing on a lower line than his talent should be on. He's big, fast, tough, and does the dirty work on behalf of the team. In addition to his scoring production, he's our best PK player. On top of all that his leadership is demonstrated more by how he plays than by his talk. It's a shame that his terrific season isn't rewarded by having the opportunity to participate in the playoffs.

According to the box score, the attendance was 13,709. There's still a lot more this franchise needs to do to win back the paying customers. The Sabres are doing well right now in its typical end of season run that will again result in this team watching the playoffs from the couch. This has been going on for a generation. This is an important offseason. The owner and GM can't allow it to be mostly another status quo offseason. Urgency most be demonstrated to what is now a withered fanbase.

Why?

I have underestimated his ability to play on a top two line because I thought he was limited offensively. I'm slowly but steadily altering my position on him because he has demonstrated albeit in an early stage that he can improve offensively. It will come when he gets stronger. He has more offensive upside than I originally thought. My hope is that players like Quinn, JJP, Kulich and Power continue on an upward trajectory. The GM and franchise are counting/betting on it. In addition, although it is still very early to make a judgment, I'm impressed with Östlund's mature play in the little that I have seen of him.

That's a fair response. I think he will get better while a number of people are skeptical that he will. I can't blame others for having a different viewpoint because his play has been uneven. The issue for him is whether he is willing to play a grittier game that goes beyond his offensive game. TBD.

This team has to start off well next season. The fanbase unsurprisingly is skeptical about the owner and franchise. I assume the GM will be back. Whether he is or not a few smart personnel decisions need to be made.

Quick thoughts on this game: Reimer has been the main factor in our winning stretch. His positioning is superb, good balance and little wasted motion. I can't recall a juicy rebound that he gave up in this game. UPL needs to watch film on his teammate and use him as his model to playing the position. Carolina is a tough team to play. You don't have much room to maneuver. A Carolina game is not an aesthetically pleasing to watch. They can frustrate you if you get frustrated and too impatient. Over the past dozen games or so this team has been able to play the same game whether they are leading or behind. It's a sign of maturity. The play of the game was Byram getting a clean draw from McCleud ?? and then making a quick and precise pass to Tuch for the short hand goal. Pretty play. Quinn also fought to get the puck and then made a nice pass to JJP for a score. Quinn has a lot of critics here but he's working to round out his game. I wouldn't be surprised if Östlund wins a roster spot next year. Are these meaningless games? From a standings standpoint, yes. But from learning how to play the right way it shows advancement. The Sabres have won 8 out of the last 9 games, and have won five games in a row. They have made the home ice a tough place for the visiting team to play. I'm not complaining about that.

Quinn made a nice play to get the puck, and then made a nice pass to JJP for the score. He’s worth being patient for.

The Mitch Marner dream is fantasy. Does he have a partial no-trade clause in his contract? If so, you know that Buffalo is at the top of his "no go" locations. Acquiring a veteran top 4 defenseman seems to me an attainable desire. We have the assets to parlay to make such a deal. I also believe that adding another top two-line forward is realistic. I would be open to dealing Byram in a deal to make that happen. As far as the goalie issue is, I have no answers. If UPL is rehabilitated, then we are in a better situation. If not, the ship with a gaping hole will sink again. I would love to add another Zucker like player who is a little younger. We have a collection of young players such as Quinn, JJP, Kulich, Power, maybe Oustlund and Power. Will they all get better? Quinn has struggled more than I thought he would, but it seems that the other youngsters are improving. Our GM designed a rebuild strategy around the draft/develop model, so it seems he is fully invested in it. What it comes down to, a few smart and reasonable moves, added to the addition and return to health of Norris and Greenway, will thicken the roster and make it better balanced. As you and many others point out, the real critical issue between success and failure is the goalie position. I'm not sure how to get that issue resolved.

As you point out, he lacked hockey IQ. I've felt because he lacked that essential trait for a centerman that he should have instead played wing. In the international tournaments he would usually play the wing position. When positioned there he would usually play really well with the top players in the sport. For this particular player: less thinking results in better play.

Vino, vino, vino. Make sure you order the red.😀

I grew up on the West Side when it was 98% Italian, first and second generation. One of the guys I grew up with was a terrific athlete but also a hoodlum. He was supposed to testify in a criminal case that he was involved in. The Big Boys wanted to make sure that he knew how to testify properly. So they called him for a meet to go over his testimony. They had a car pick him up and put him in the front passenger seat. They drove to a location in the neighborhood. The person sitting behind him ended up garroting him and killing him. His brother who was also a bad dude had a number of criminal talents. One of them, besides his main thievery talents, was as an arsonist. The Big Boys got tired of his lone wolf escapes acting without their approval. So on one of his arsonist jobs the person he was with ended up throwing gasoline on him and lighting him up. He didn't die but was severely burned and disfigured. My point in recounting these boyhood stories is I encourage you to be careful when giving me that menacing scowl that you exhibited in the picture that you posted. Just remember, I still have friends (Sicilian businessmen) that I can call on when the appropriate amount of respect is not given. Do you capiche? 😀

A week or so ago, Marty Biron talked about UPL's degraded play. What he noted as a main reason for his diminished play was that his mechanics were out of whack. He was reaching and flailing instead of retaining a stable posture and reacting without flailing motions. It seemed that he lost confidence in the defense around him (understandably so) with the increased onslaught and reacted by losing his mechanics. When he's on there is better body positioning and a lot less movement. If he closely watched Reimer during his recent good play, he would have noticed Reimer's economy of movement. There is a lot at stake for the team for him to get back on track. If that goalie position is stabilized, this team should be in a much better position. The bottom line is what pitching is to baseball; goaltending is to hockey. Without it you get nowhere meaningful.

Great effort in your analysis. With respect to UPL's faltering how do you fix that positional deficiency? Do you try to rehabilitate him or replace him? If you decide to replace him, then with whom? Is Reimer at this stage of his career have the ability to be a # 1 workhorse goalie? I'm wary about taking that course. And as far as trading UPL, who is going to take him with his contract. My sense of what is going to happen under KA is that there will not be a change in staffing the position. That will be risky but the options appear to be limited. Your Cozens analysis is intriguing. What it basically concludes is that his shedding was addition by subtraction. My hope is that Norris gets healthy and becomes at the minimum a contributing #2 center. If that happens, then the trade would favor the Sabres even more. On the Quinn issue, it appears that I am an outlier. I'm more inclined to be more patient with him than you. (To state the obvious.) But even if retained, his role and playing minutes should be dictated by his play.

You may not be aware of it but you have a menacing look. You look like a west side bookie bill collector from my youth who was just told by a tardy gambler that he'll come up with the money tomorrow. The collector then pulls out a crowbar and wacks the guy on a knee. When the wounded scofflaw asks why he was hit, the collector responds that he wanted to make the point that it is imperative that he comes up with the money owed, plus interest, very soon.

The goalie issue for the Sabres, as it is for all teams, is that with the exception of the few elite goalies, the players playing the position are erratic in their play, year to year and also within season. Reimer has been stellar over his recent extended play. Can he expected to carry a full load next season if he becomes our primary goalie? I'm skeptical about that. Should UPL be relegated to a backup role or be dealt because his recent play in general has been lacking? I'm not sure? What this recent winning stretch demonstrates is that with good goaltending this team can be a competitive team. However, what does the GM do to solidify the position and make it a more consistent position to depend on? I don't have the answer for that. As you point out with Swayman, he gained a rich, long term contract based on his play when his contract was coming up. Now, it seems that he is adrift. In watching the game against Boston what became apparent was that the Sabres were the superior team. And as the game advanced it became ever more apparent. Looking back at this season, how many games against lesser teams did we lose to and how many games against superior teams did we elevate our play and win. This team had opportunities but due to a lack of maturity it did not seize on them when they were there for the taking. I'm aware that from a playoff standpoint this is a failed season regardless on how this team plays these end of season games. But what is apparent to me is that this team in general is playing a more responsible two-way game. And it is also apparent that the coach is giving out playing time and roles based on performances. The focus now isn't so much player development as it is on which players put this team in a better position to win. How Quinn is being handled by Ruff is an example of that. When his play is lacking, his playing time becomes limited and his line assignment is dropped. That's a good thing for the team and also for the player in question.