Doohickie

No Toke over the line? Sweet Jesus!

They want the fans to know: This isn't just any player, this is a former Predator!

I'm skeptical. I want it to work but I will believe it when I see it.

Call me skeptical but I can't see a coach/GM picking a player's brain for how they should run the team.

Seems odd for you to be so optimistic.

He played for the Sabres??? 😮

They have two guest coaches from the NCAA.... Colgate and... some other Ivy League School.

As far as mature prospects go, he's just getting there with players developed internally but they may or may not be ready, which is why you sign a few Clagues to allow the prospects time to mature.

Nice. Now get back to work! I hope he is.

But he doesn't have to agree to a short term extension. If the Sabres trade for him he will be a free agent after one year and he can sign a 1-year extension if he wants, or insist on 8 years (or 7 with another team). I think @GoPuckYourself is talking about a sign-and-trade situation.

You're one of the more thoughtful dot-connectors on the forum, so... Thanks for the speculation/info.

And what's wrong with that?

So you think they'll make a play for Gibson?

I wonder if that hurt him in the draft as well as his size? Skinner plays a somewhat unconventional style. We've seen that not all coaches know what to do with him, but with the right coach he's a dynamic scorer with a good overall game. I wonder how many GMs looked at Benson and saw the talent, but didn't like the style he plays.

Yeah, that's kind of the read I get. At first I was thinking the Sabres should go after him but... I don't know, meh.

See, this is why Kevyn has said he's good with what we currently have. There are other options out there but as you explore them none of them are really what he's looking for. Gibson is at best average. He would be okay in a mentoring role like Anderson, but probably doesn't have 40-50 quality games in him. Helle is a viable option until you consider you're either getting him for only one year or you're going to have to pay him too much for too long if you sign an extension. Any top quality FA goalie falls in the same bucket as Helle: They will cost too much for too long. It's easier and more practical to improve the defense and KA has already taken steps there, with perhaps more coming. And as I alluded to, I think his strategy is to put a good team in front of whatever goalie we have, good enough that the goalie isn't the linchpin holding the team together. Having a hero goalie is fun but being able to win games without the heroics in goal is more what Kevyn is after I think.

I tend to agree, but I think Stillman would get snatched up. Which Johnson are you referring to? Veteran Erik or prospect Ryan?

I think some people simply can't imagine that far out into the future. If we have cap space now we should spend it, future be damned! Muel in the third pairing? wut.

A quick glance at one of the trails where I ride my bike

What does Kevyn have left to do? Tidy things up. Which defensemen are staying on the roster, which are going to Rochester and which... need to be moved. That's about it. I expect Kevyn will continue to look for improvements to the roster, particularly at defense and goal, but I'm also fully prepared to see this team play in October as is. If he makes improvements, more power to him.

Sabrepede 2023!

He didn't even have to lead in Buffalo. There were veterans brought in specifically for that, people like Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges and Ryan O'Reilly. But he didn't cooperate with them, he formed his own factions in the locker room, resulting in a dysfunctional culture for the team.

*cough, cough* Ullmark *cough*

Okay, but he was not and did not want to be part of the solution here. He had his chance to be a leader of the Sabres, to build something. He put up big numbers but in the locker room he was part of the Sabres toxic culture. That was my point. With all the feel-good vibes the Sabres have looking forward, if Eichel were still here he'd be undermining them.