Porous Five Hole

I get it. We don’t want to lose any good player…especially a grow your own 60+ point type of player. But the Sabres roster structure of defense first was sealed when they picked first and drafted D both times. No team in history drafted #1 overall closely and went D both times. This is why I’m good with Byram. Buffalo is trying to build the best blue line in the NHL and it cost Mitts to continue to add there. The Sabres have a lot of forward depth in the pipe. They will rely on Tage & Cozens as 1C & 2C. A near six million AAV for a 3C is a luxury Buffalo cannot afford when they’re trying to build the best blue line in the NHL. Last thing—I understand Mitts was a top six forward and not a 3C. But with the prospect depth, it’s a lot easier to develop another top six/3C than it is to find another top four D given the current Sabres pipeline. You don’t have to like their approach, but I understand what they’re trying to do. Good luck to Mitts.

For the people who don’t like the individual goal songs, do you also dislike MLB players picking their song to walk to the plate to hit? Or when Mariano Rivera walked into a save situation with Enter Sandman? I care more about a guy scoring than I do the 20 second sound clip they like when they score. To me, it is okay to let these guys have a little fun and show some personality.

Draisaitl broken fingers and ribs. Mcdavid torn abdominal which requires surgery. Warriors.

The Bills draft experts weigh in. https://x.com/BuffaloSabres/status/1805375351503438300/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1805375351503438300&currentTweetUser=BuffaloSabres

Matthew Tkachuk referencing Okposo’s speech/leadership made earlier today during his on ice interview was interesting. It seemed clear he was a complimentary piece in a Panthers room that already had great leadership. It’s too bad Buffalo couldn’t figure out KO needed leadership help with this team. Instead Adams surrounded him with the youngest team in hockey the last two years and we got what we got.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40421355/panthers-opt-veteran-kyle-okposo-game-7-vs-oilers Okie in tonight.

Jessie is back and healthy. And just won her fifth tourney (first ever on grass). nice lead-in to Wimbledon starting next week https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/40413397/pegula-tops-gauff-semis-kalinskaya-final-berlin-title She will also be repping Team USA at the Olympics this summer.

I agree. Demko’s season before the five year extension: 35GP, .915, 2.85, 69 career starts. Gustafson’s season before the three year extension: 39 GP, .931, 2.10, 66 career starts. UPL last year: 54 GP, .910, 2.57, 96 career starts. Jeremy Swayman when he went to arbitration: 37 GP, .920, 2.27, 82 career starts. Arbitration awarded him 3.475MM. Demko is a comp because neither he or UPL tended a playoff team that year, but UPL’s case isn’t really stronger than any of these guys. It’s why arbitration makes the most sense to me.

To me, the correct play is Arbitration. The same path as Swayman. Make UPL show it again. 50 games isn’t enough to hand that kind of money out. UPL would be an RFA after next year. If he does it again, you have enough proof to hand out a long term deal. Or, more likely to me, to transition to Levi.

I vote Waneta Lake, which is a small lake just south of Keuka. Kind of in between Keuka & Seneca. My family has a spot there. It is very shallow so it warms up quickly. That is great because it is “adult warm” as early aa Memorial Day…even if the water gets a bit weedy. It’s quiet and mostly undeveloped compared to the big brother finger lakes. The fishing is great (Muskie, Large & Small mouth bass, and lots more) and most of the residents are old, quiet and polite. Waneta’s (and neighbor lake Lamoka) biggest problem is harmful algae bloom (HAB) which started happening here in 2022. And HABs are becoming a problem in the finger lakes. The DEC has their work cut out for them to figure out how to combat it.

It would be music to my ears if UPL went to arbitration for a one year deal (a la Swayman). I need proof last year wasn’t a fluke.

I had to look it up. Karmanos is Associate GM. Forton is Assistant GM. I hope this is no impact to Jason and his role.

Good news: He has changed it to Tommer97. Not sure what the new name implies. There’s a a Tommer Construction in the state of Washington. Maybe he’s embracing a wrecking ball? (I know wishful thinking)

What the balls is this NHL??

Man, I’ve been able to scroll past you all day, but this one right here. Wow. 🤌

While I totally agree with you, who is listening to the local radio station as their primary source of the broadcast in 2024? Maybe for 15 min in the car on a random night? Most people just check their yahoo/espn app for a score update when they’re not home. I haven’t seen Nielsen ratings, but they most be very low. I get it, most of the rest of the league still has two broadcast teams—one for tv and one for radio…so why shouldn’t we also have that? But in reality, it doesn’t make a whole lot of financial sense to invest money in a radio only broadcast team. It is a dying entity (and this is coming from someone who worked in radio).

That’s a bump of 4.5MM. With the reported edict of Buffalo spending to the cap, that money will come in handy toward another top six forward.

Day one of these! And of course it is now 64 and raining.

It’s nice to dream about, but the chances that Ottawa trades Brady Tkachuk within the division are next to zero.

That is tough to determine right now. Savoie tore up Junior at age 20. He was in way over his head during AHL playoff games at 19 last year and was scratched down the stretch. Meanwhile Kulich nearly led the Amerks in playoff scoring last year at age 19. Jiri, also 20, now has two years of pro under his belt. So maybe via draft pedigree you can say Savoie has higher upside, but I would not be surprised if Kulich ended up the better player both short term and long term.

He just covered an old Cream song (Crossroads) with Slash and it’s exceptional.

The refs didn’t get a championship parade, a party where the whole city takes a collective sigh of relief after 50 years, a banner, and a team that went down in history. Dallas did.

This isn’t a good take. Sergachev suffered a horrific injury that required a stretcher to get him off the ice, surgery on a fractured fibula & fractured tibia, and returned for game four.

Please tell me how that makes a difference to the end result. Brett Hull is still carving pumpkins about it. Get off my lawn.

Forgot about Asplund lol He is a full time AHLer these days: 9G, 35A, 67 GP for Charlotte.