pi2000

My concern with him is his stature and how that impacts his ability to win battles and protect the puck in the d-zone. Case in point...

Giving somebody the "C" who may not be completely ready for it can have a positive influence on their game. If it's anybody but Eichel I'll be shocked.

Any reports on Antipin? Is he NHL caliber?

Not a fan of Girgensons with ROR, or Pominville with Eichel. Maybe it will work, and I don't really know who else might fit there, so whatever for now.

Can Jack save us? That's a definite maybe.

I think there exists a very likely scenario where Guhle outplays Antipin in camp/preseason. Antipin I just don't see having much success on a smaller ice surface where his lack of size will be a detriment in the d-zone.

Every team in the NHL wants to play that way. Have you ever heard a coach say... "We want to play a slow and passive game, lulling them to sleep so we can sneak a few pucks by them". Can Housley get everyone to buy in? Will Kane cover for a rushing Risto? What about Eichel, do you see him hanging back so McCabe can spend some time below the goal line? I don't know.

I don't eithe.... I mean.... All Praise our Lord and Savior Tyrod Taylor!

What rule did he break to get banned?

I think NHL network is showing the Sabres/Leafs game next Fri

If Reinhart really blossoms as a center (I'm skeptical), then we may see ROR moved to Eichel's wing, which I would be OK with. ROR can still play the pivot on the PK and take dzone draws... not a big deal. Him and Eichel with Okposo would be a good line I think.

Nylander is still too careless and nonchalant with the puck and he lacks a sense of urgency when he turns it over... typical traits of a young player, he should figure it out eventually.

Eliminating offsides would turn it into roller hockey. There would be crazy high scoring games, it would be a different sport altogether.

How often does the game stop because the puck barely nicked the netting and returned to the ice. Just keep playing! Why stop the play? What is so different about the puck hitting the netting vs the glass... the netting is just an extension of the glass... keep play moving, the fewer whistles the better. The only caveat would be that you can't score directly off the net.

Kane's effort in the d-zone is not the reason he hasn't been extended yet. Why are we even discussing this?

Allowing 2-line passes forces the d-men to back off the red line which creates more space in the neutral zone.... this is especially noticeable on power plays where d-men need to keep everyone in front of them, makes zone entries easier. I do think they should move the bluelines back in a few feet and move the goal line back to where it was and remove the trapezoid letting goalies play the puck where ever it is... and play pucks off the netting.

I think the guy who's going to really stand out and outperform his peer is Chad Johnson. This could become an issue as I'm not sure how well Lehner would react to starting the season as the backup.

Former Sabre Jeff Parker has passed away. He was in his mid 50s. No word on cause of death. He suffered from CTE symptoms ever since he retired from hockey in his late 20s due to a severe head injury.

He's prolly better than Gorges at this point... better for Housley's system anyway.

"Tuesday’s news conference was canceled after new sexual-abuse allegations against Mayor Ed Murray. More updates to come." oops

No, they won't. Still don't have the depth up and down the lineup to consistently produce offensively when ROR and Jack are running cold.

Completely disagree. He has above average NHL physical abilities. His speed alone is above average, once he figures it out he's going to be an asset. Kucherov? I don't see it. IMO he's a very similar to Andreas Athanasiou both in skill set and how he plays the game.

Bailey and Guhle certainly look NHL ready, but I'd still send them all to Roch to start the season. With Smith, Fasching and Baptiste, that's a nice core in Rochester to build something down there. I'd really like to see these guys have success there, both individually and as a team, before getting regular duty in Buffalo. Let them play the entire season down there unless somebody breaks out and consistently dominates at that level.