Robviously

Perspective is everything. Is the 2014 draft disappointing because so many picks didn’t pan out? Or is it a success since we found two top six forwards (23, 68) in the same draft? (If every draft landed two top six guys forwards or two top 4 defensemen, we’d be doing pretty good.) The 2016 draft felt like a disaster last summer because of Nylander. But now Asplund looks great and all of a sudden Brett Murray is a legit NHL prospect. Who knows? The 2017 draft feels disappointing now because Mittelstadt is struggling but all 6 guys we took still have NHL potential (as of right now anyway). And UPL and Laaksonen are 2nd/3rd round picks with high ceilings. This could be a great draft. We’ll know for sure in 2022. Nobody likes the 2018 draft after Dahlin because of Samuelsson but Pekar, Cronholm, and Kukkonen all seem like decent picks for where we got them. We might end up with more than Dahlin helping the Sabres down the road. Basically, it’s hard to say what a successful draft looks like and it sometimes take a while before you even know. And honestly that’s why following the prospects is fun.

We need a lot more, but I like what they did today for what it is.

You’re literally describing a player that is better than every winger we have except 23, 53, and 68. It’s fine. We traded a pending UFA who needs a change of scenery for a pending UFA who needs a change of scenery — but this time at a position we could use some help at. I wish we’d made this trade in July, but whatever. Ultimately we’re still waiting for GMJB to make a bold move that dramatically changes the team and sets us up for long-term success.

Oh goodness — NO. Please no more “good player for group of assets” trades. We’re still trying to recover from the ROR debacle. I know this will sound impossible given our sleepy GM but *make a hockey trade*! Like if you’re going to trade Reinhart, do it 1-for-1 for a center. And this franchise is dying for a blockbuster hockey trade. Like the rest of the universe, I can’t explain Bogo. He should never play another game as a Sabre. But he’ll probably be in the lineup on Friday because YOLO.

I think he’s my second favorite player this year, and one of the few reasons we have to not give up all hope for the near-term future. RFA. Both him and Reinhart after this season. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. It’s Olofsson’s first year but he actually seems like the better player so far.

Well, we’re currently on pace to barely miss the playoffs. If RaKru’s job is to get us into the playoffs, then a lot of things should still be on the table, risky or not. And putting Eichel back with Skinner to see if Olofsson and Reinhart can keep it going on their own isn’t too risky considering how last year went. Alternatively, they could keep Olofsson and Eichel together and move Reinhart to Skinner’s line. Maybe even at center. I mean, why not?

I can’t remember what Bogo looked like on the ice last season, but he’s painfully slow right now. He can’t keep up with the other guys on the ice and it’s even affecting his decision-making — when he seems overwhelmed by how fast things are happening around him. It’s tough to watch. In other news, all I want for Christmas is for Eichel and Johansson to trade spots. We need more than one scoring line. And if we’re about to extend Reinhart and Olofsson, it’d be nice to know what they can do when they’re NOT on a line with a superstar...

Exactly the type of guy we should take a chance on with a “buy low” trade. Maybe we can find our Duclair or Strome.

Excited about Seattle joining the league and immediately having to answer questions about a 104-year Stanley Cup drought.

I doubt he’d come back full time anyway, but it’d be amazing to have him on the broadcast for 10 games a year. I didn’t realize until last night how much of the joy of watching the Sabres growing up was due to him. Honestly, maybe more than RJ. “He took him to the woodshed” is one of my favorite quotes of all time and he has maybe a 1000 lines like that. It still felt like he had new ones last night too.

They want to make sure he’s well-rested for his new team. ?

IIRC, during the broadcast of the NHL draft, that was the commentary right after the Sabres drafted him. They basically damned him with faint praise along the lines of "He's not the most skilled or cerebral player, but..." and I think it snowballed from there. And it was a little weird since none of the draft write-ups (at least the ones that I saw) in the months leading up to the draft had that narrative. Who knows? Maybe it will hold him back. But even if he's not Reinhart, that doesn't mean he's just a physically gifted athlete who is also a completely blockhead. Trying to be cautiously optimistic because the Sabres haven't historically had a lot of big, fast centers.

J. Crew with that November 2018 magic.

Belichick is money against young QBs, especially with 2 weeks to prepare. Rams will get behind early and that’ll be it.

So did the refs.

Your posts on the last couple pages don't read as jokes, but I'm glad you're walking that one back. Everyone on this board reads the same mock drafts and prospect analyses leading up to the draft which is why most of us are generally excited about the same players. A lot of people liked Boeser (along with a bunch of other projected late 1st rounders in 2015) which is why the board was apoplectic when the Lehner trade went down. A lot of people liked Sergachev the next year but were fine with Nylander -- again, based on what we all read. This board was pumped about Grigorenko and Girgensons right after that draft, and no one took Laaksonen seriously when we made that pick. We're hockey fans forming opinions based on second-hand information. It's fun, but I think we can just leave it at that.

This is honestly one of the more insane things I've ever seen anyone post on here.

There’s no way to justify ever playing Scandella again this season. And that was true weeks ago.

We’re gonna end up drafting 8th overall again aren’t we?

Nothing matters. Life is pain. Eat Arby's.

Sobotka is not good but I at least understand why they keep playing him. Scandella has been trash the entire season and we have better options.

Goodness. Every Scandella shift is a nightmare.

No intelligent GM would give us anything useful for him but it's really about not having him here. He's been a disaster for us all season, and we have better options.

I'll believe the Sabres are serious about making the playoffs this year when they get rid of Scandella. You can't justify playing him any more.

This. If we put Mittelstadt and Thompson in the AHL (or Dahlin for that matter), our system would look ridiculous. Instead they're doing their learning in the NHL. (In Dahlin's case, he's our best defenseman.) Apart from that, our system still looks pretty good. When's the last time Rochester had three defensemen (Pilut, Guhle, Borgen) and four forwards (Smith, Olofsson, Nylander, Asplund) we could bring up now with confidence and still have plans for in the future? UPL and Laaksonen are looking like guys that should have been picked in the 1st round, and Samuelsson looks promising too. Organizationally, we need some centers but GMJB probably knows that.