HumanSlinky39

Daughter: how're the Sabres doing, daddy? Me:

That was a bloody gift. Cripes.

That's some *****.

BALLS

5-3 Sabres First goal - Tage

That's quite a reverse course...they both seemed fed up. All those zeroes can smooth stuff over though, I suppose.

I was excited as hell when he slipped to us, but I didn't put much thought into him making the squad straight away. This is awesome.

In a couple of years, with his current trajectory, this will look like a bargain. I'm confident there's a Norris in his future.

I think I made the same noise. But I often do it when I stand up too fast, as well, so...

I'll always remember that sweet OT winner against Tampa. Best of luck, Boooosh.

Best to ever do it. RJ's calls had as much to do with propelling my love of hockey as anything. Legitimately saddened by this news. RIP, Legend.

Nah, leave 'em on. Run that bill up. Eff them.

That's not an apples/apples comparison. Those EDM teams were stacked. It's near impossible to put a roster like that together with a salary cap. I might be in the minority, but I think McDavid stays in EDM. Draisaitl is the one to watch when the time comes.

It's funny looking at that deal in retrospect given the view of RBs in today's NFL. By most any measure, Williams was a mediocre back in NO. Yeah, he played on crap teams (hindered further by missing out on an entire draft), but he never averaged over 4 ypc in his 3 years and missed 30% of his first 2 seasons to injury. He really only had the one elite year in the NFL (2002) and even that was due to him essentially being Miami's ENTIRE offense.

Tampa knows their clock is ticking and were in total "win now" mode. It was a total overpayment, but they aren't concerned about kids that might help 3-4 years down the road. It was short-sighted, but the future isn't their concern. I'm good with it , though...I hate Tampa so it's gonna be glorious watching them slam into the wall at 100 mph.

It's not as dire as it looks for them. Morgan Reilly ($7.5M) and Matt Murray ($4,687,500) are bound for LTIR. Samsonov will necessitate further cap gymnastics, though. There's long been rumors about them moving Willy Nylander. We'll see on that.

I'd say we're on the same page. I absolutely do want to see a solid vet brought in to pair with Levi both for the team's sake and for Levi's development. I'm just saying the people that are saying we're screwed are going a bit "doomsday", IMO. I feel very confident that a 41 games of Levi and 41 games of UPL/Comrie get us further than we were last season just because 41 games of Levi is an improvement over last season (Andy only started 24). Will there be hiccups with a rookie goalie? Absolutely, but I saw enough good in Levi in that small sample size to feel confident he can give us a good 40 games overall. Add in overall improvement again from Dahlin and Power, plus the upgrade Clifton provides and that should put whoever is in net in better spots. Or at least dealing with a good bit fewer breakaways and odd man rushes those poor guys dealt with last season. TL;DR - yes, please bring in a vet to help us and Devon, but if we don't it's not necessarily the end of the world.

He was decent, but Carolina play a system that is great for defensemen. I just don't see how he's worth all the baggage that comes with him. He speared somebody (even if it was a turd like Corey Perry) in the balls in plain sight this season for Christ's sake. The guy is a mess.

For one year at the right price, I'd be fine with it. But if WPG is looking for a big haul, and I think they are, that likely involves a very hefty extension.

I think in an ideal world Levi isn't starting more than 45 games and we bring in a solid vet to supplement him. That said, I do think he is capable of carrying the water if needed based on what I saw at the end of the season, would just prefer he didn't have to yet. I'm not overly confident in a UPL/Comrie tandem with him. But, if we are unable to land someone, I'm at least hoping the improved D ahead of them will help some. I don't think either of them was particularly good last season, but I also don't think it's all on them.

I cannot make heads or tales of Carolina wanting to bring in that animatronic warm bottle of beer again. He got dirt on somebody there?

Helle is very good, but isn't worth the contract hell.

Becoming?

You state this as fact, but let's look at it subjectively: Last season, with 70+ games of the 3 headed hydra goalie situation, they still missed the playoffs by just 1 game. They were a very young team still finding their way. Fast forward to October. All of that young talent is a year older with a full year under their belt playing together. They have improved their blue line with Clifton and brought in another veteran who has recent Stanley Cup experience. They're looking at a full season of Devon Levi who in his 7 game sample size looked much better than either Comrie/UPL, or Anderson most nights. And it wasn't just against powderpuffs, he beat some very good teams. I'm not saying I don't want KA to add a 1B, I absolutely do; but failing to do so doesn't torpedo our playoff aspirations at all, IMO. Unless Levi struggles badly, I think we get in with him as the rest of the roster continues to build on last season's work. But, all that said, I'd be way more comfortable with a solid veteran 1B as the above doesn't take into account injuries.

Agree, they're in vastly different situations right now. If you were to ask me, point blank, "who has done a better job managing his team's rebuild?", I'd say Adams without hesitating for a second. Steve Yzerman has developed this mythos around him as the "genius executive." He's been in Detroit for 4.5 years now. I look at that roster and their prospect pool and genuinely want to know what he's done that is so brilliant. Seider was a good pick...though, realistically, he very likely could have traded down several spots and still got him. What else? I don't see any indication that they're building a team that has the makings of a serious Stanley Cup contender anywhere in the near future. I'm not saying he's bungling their rebuild, but I'm not seeing anything...again, 4.5 years in...that would lead me to believe he's some elite GM. I guess my biggest issue with the guy is the media's unending lathering of his apple bag. Maybe 3 years from now he's built a juggernaut and I look like an idiot; but right now, I'm not seeing it.