Around the NHL 2025-26 Season

[thewookie1]

21 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Thought this was interesting....Connor McDavid:

-2023-24, 2024-25, and so far this year combined (including playoffs):  196 games played, 73 goals (30.5 goals per 82 game pace)

-Previous 3 seasons before that, (including playoffs):  250 games, 141 goals (46.3 goals per 82 game pace)

He's still a great player no doubt, and almost making up for the drop-off in goals by adding assists, but not immune to the 'superstars peak at goal scoring in their early-to-mid 20's' rule. (he'll be 29 when the playoff start this year, 31 when his 'next' contract starts)

In my opinion he's improved his defensive play to a degree which does damper some degree of offensive output. Plus, he's played in 2 consecutive Finals so I'd guess wear is starting to hit him.

That being said, like Crosby his stats will falter and spike for another 11 years probably.

[DarthEbriate]

Good opening slate for the Sabres tonight. Sens, Habs, and Lightning lose in regulation. Leafs get a loser point but no more.

(And although it's early, Boston trails in Colorado.)

[Stads]

Random fact: Tyler Myers scored the most points in a season during his first two seasons in Buffalo. 

[DarthEbriate]

40 minutes ago, Stads said:

Random fact: Tyler Myers scored the most points in a season during his first two seasons in Buffalo. 

I think you need some more parameters there.

Most points as a right-handed D over 6'7"?

[Stads]

8 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

I think you need some more parameters there.

Most points as a right-handed D over 6'7"?

Just his personal highest scoring seasons came in his first two years here

[LGR4GM]

31 minutes ago, Stads said:

Just his personal highest scoring seasons came in his first two years here

Teams figured out you can beat him by playing the puck into his feet. 

[PerreaultForever]

17 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

Good opening slate for the Sabres tonight. Sens, Habs, and Lightning lose in regulation. Leafs get a loser point but no more.

(And although it's early, Boston trails in Colorado.)

After watching the last few Bruins games it's pretty clear they were pretenders not contenders. Second line (with Mitts) is dreadful. If Sabres had played the way they did in the last game they would have beaten the Bruins and should, next time. IF they play that way (or better). 

Habs I still like, Sens look like garbage without Tkachuk. They just stay in games because of Ullmark. Leafs aren't as good as last year without Marner and Lightning are up and down. The division could be a dog fight all year. If Sabres get it together and continue what started last game anything is possible.

[PerreaultForever]

Mittelstadt a healthy scratch for Boston today in Utah. He won't last long there at this rate. 

[Brawndo]

Death, Taxes and 

 

 

[mjd1001]

22 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Mittelstadt a healthy scratch for Boston today in Utah. He won't last long there at this rate. 

What happened to him, seriously?

When he left Buffalo, he was the teams leading scorer.  A double digit positive player.  He was looking like he was 'breaking out' to be a very, very good #2 center, playing both sides of the ice, and on his way to a 60-65 point season.

Then he goes to a better team, and since he left Buffalo on Colorado and Boston, he has been a healthy scratch in both locations, has 52 points in 105 games (less than a point every other game) and is a -32.

Was there a pretty big injury that I missed? I don't get the sudden and drastic drop-off.

[PerreaultForever]

2 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

What happened to him, seriously?

When he left Buffalo, he was the teams leading scorer.  A double digit positive player.  He was looking like he was 'breaking out' to be a very, very good #2 center, playing both sides of the ice, and on his way to a 60-65 point season.

Then he goes to a better team, and since he left Buffalo on Colorado and Boston, he has been a healthy scratch in both locations, has 52 points in 105 games (less than a point every other game) and is a -32.

Was there a pretty big injury that I missed? I don't get the sudden and drastic drop-off.

Well I can't speak to him in Colorado but in Boston they demand work ethic, effort, and commitment to the defensive system. Mitts has moments but then he slacks and gives away the puck or goes to the bench instead of taking his man. Little effort things. They want more. It was an example benching. It's like Quinn here last year. 

[LGR4GM]

8 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Well I can't speak to him in Colorado but in Boston they demand work ethic, effort, and commitment to the defensive system. Mitts has moments but then he slacks and gives away the puck or goes to the bench instead of taking his man. Little effort things. They want more. It was an example benching. It's like Quinn here last year. 

Boston fan would know. 

[Flashsabre]

3 hours ago, Brawndo said:

Death, Taxes and 

 

 

One of the smartest players I’ve ever watched but my god he can’t stay healthy to save his life.

[SwampD]

3 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

One of the smartest players I’ve ever watched but my god he can’t stay healthy to save his life.

He stays just healthy enough.

[Jorcus]

15 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

What happened to him, seriously?

When he left Buffalo, he was the teams leading scorer.  A double digit positive player.  He was looking like he was 'breaking out' to be a very, very good #2 center, playing both sides of the ice, and on his way to a 60-65 point season.

Then he goes to a better team, and since he left Buffalo on Colorado and Boston, he has been a healthy scratch in both locations, has 52 points in 105 games (less than a point every other game) and is a -32.

Was there a pretty big injury that I missed? I don't get the sudden and drastic drop-off.

Some context is needed. When Mitts left Buffalo it was in a season where many of our scorers had been injured. I think when he left his rank in NHL scoring was over 100 so best of a bad situation. I posted this before but I was following an Avs. board quite a bit and the best description I found said he was an east west player on a north south team. I think the other situation is that he is a much better player along the wall than he is in front of the net. Granato was the key to his play. The best thing he does is gain and maintain the puck. When he is playing well he distributes the puck nicely but he can go into streaks of bad turnovers. That is the kind of thing that gets him on the bench. I haven't seen the Boston Mitts too much but he would seem to be a better fit for teams that are more about puck control than run and gun so you would think it was a better spot for him. There has been no injury that I am aware of. It's just the regression to where he was in systems and rolls that don't fit his game.     

[Thorny]

19 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

What happened to him, seriously?

When he left Buffalo, he was the teams leading scorer.  A double digit positive player.  He was looking like he was 'breaking out' to be a very, very good #2 center, playing both sides of the ice, and on his way to a 60-65 point season.

Then he goes to a better team, and since he left Buffalo on Colorado and Boston, he has been a healthy scratch in both locations, has 52 points in 105 games (less than a point every other game) and is a -32.

Was there a pretty big injury that I missed? I don't get the sudden and drastic drop-off.

How many times have we seen sabres players go on to other environments and look much better? It stands to reason that MUST exist in reverse, even if relatively few and far between. Perhaps he was just a good fit, here. I certainly won’t necessarily retroactively diminish what I saw from him here because he hasn’t done it elsewhere yet - cause you are right, he was good here.

Granato was mentioned above and that’s a good point too. We underrated him as a coach

[LabattBlue]

29 minutes ago, Thorny said:

How many times have we seen sabres players go on to other environments and look much better? It stands to reason that MUST exist in reverse, even if relatively few and far between. Perhaps he was just a good fit, here. I certainly won’t necessarily retroactively diminish what I saw from him here because he hasn’t done it elsewhere yet - cause you are right, he was good here.

Granato was mentioned above and that’s a good point too. We underrated him as a coach

You mean Don Granato “play offense now and learn defense later”?  Maybe that explains Mitts good offensive numbers while a Sabre, which then disappeared as part of the Avs & Bruins. 

[PromoTheRobot]

Bruins playing the Marchand tribute video and made the Rat cry. Touching, actually.

[K-9]

37 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Bruins playing the Marchand tribute video and made the Rat cry. Touching, actually.

Screw that rat bastard.

[Brawndo]

 

[Wyldnwoody44]

Crazy ending to this Bruins/Panthers game. 

[PerreaultForever]

25 minutes ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Crazy ending to this Bruins/Panthers game. 

Bruins are a lottery team. 

[Pimlach]

On 10/20/2025 at 5:11 PM, mjd1001 said:

What happened to him, seriously?

When he left Buffalo, he was the teams leading scorer.  A double digit positive player.  He was looking like he was 'breaking out' to be a very, very good #2 center, playing both sides of the ice, and on his way to a 60-65 point season.

Then he goes to a better team, and since he left Buffalo on Colorado and Boston, he has been a healthy scratch in both locations, has 52 points in 105 games (less than a point every other game) and is a -32.

Was there a pretty big injury that I missed? I don't get the sudden and drastic drop-off.

Another guy that liked DGs free wheelin’ hockey. 

[That Aud Smell]

On 10/20/2025 at 6:11 PM, mjd1001 said:

What happened to him, seriously?

⬇️

On 10/21/2025 at 9:39 AM, Jorcus said:

Some context is needed. When Mitts left Buffalo  ... Granato was the key to his play. 

I think this is precisely it.

20 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

You mean Don Granato “play offense now and learn defense later”?  Maybe that explains Mitts good offensive numbers while a Sabre, which then disappeared as part of the Avs & Bruins. 

This also.

Mittelstadt did pretty well in Granato's brand of firewagon hockey. Those were fun games. It was not a style of hockey that was going to get the Sabres into (or maybe, if they'd had better luck, past the first round of) the playoffs.

Like a lot of players this franchise has relied on, he's a bit of a dangler and a floater. Dynamic hands, for sure ("sick Mitts!"). But he doesn't play a hard game, he isn't "greasy."

 

Edited 3 hours ago by That Aud Smell

[Brawndo]

This is cool