Buffalo Sabres & NHL 2020-2021

[Greg S]

9 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

It's not strange.

 

Ralph Wilson was a terrible football team owner..........he didn't know how to build a winner......he was meddlesome, mercurial and prone to decisions made in anger.........but he still ran into a few good decisions.     The best bold decision he ever made in the post merger era was actually paying the going rate for Chuck Knox.........then he stupidly ran Chuck Knox out of town......but was too cheap to fire all the former LA Rams personnel people in the front office that Knox had brought with him and they ended up scouting and drafting the foundation of those SB teams and developing a young Bill Polian etc..   A decision to save money accidentally lead to about 12 years of good football.......the only sustained stretch where it looked like Ralph had a clue.

 

The Pegula's had no idea how to build winning organizations in pro sports either.....which was predictable.......they were entirely new to it.   The problem with the hockey end is that they haven't accepted that they are clueless there yet.    The Bills were different........they hadn't ever attended a Bills game in OP in person until they bought the team........and they lived in OP!.......they clearly were very casual fans.    They were desperate to hand the reigns to the Bills off to someone when they hired McDermott because they knew they didn't know sh*t about football and it was pretty clear that when you fail at football you become a national laughingstock.   They wanted to avoid that kind of scrutiny.

 

With hockey, Terry Pegula grew up a big hockey fan and thinks he knows a lot about the sport........and when you lose in the NHL nobody from outta' town really notices........so the chaos will likely continue until the family either accepts their limitations as hockey ops decision makers........or runs into good fortune.  

 

Any chance they sell the team? They have owned the Sabres about 10 years now or so. If they haven't figured out or accept the reality that they have no clue then they never will.  You would think given the success of the Bills that they would want the same for the Sabres. Given that its Beane/McDermott who are driving the Bills bus that they would want to find the right people to do the same for the Sabres. If Terry and Kim can bring a Super Bowl and Stanley Cup to WNY then they will be treated like a King and Queen forever in WNY. 

[May Day 10]

1 hour ago, BillsVet said:

The Sabres right now are essentially where the Bills were circa 2006-2010: stuck in a never-ending cycle of stupid.  Ralph hiring/promoting people he knew as GM  who wouldn't work in the same role for 31 other teams.  And that only happened when he saw an outside the organization hire fail.  

 

And now with the HC, hire, it's clear the Sabres went down the path of least resistance and hired someone no one else considered.  Similar to Chan Gailey in 2010.

 

Now they're trading/letting your best players hit UFA only to talk about draft picks under team control for a few years.  Not to mention, the late Wilson years of cutting costs, albeit for different reasons.  

 

At this point, as @BADOLBILZ notes, they either give up control or luck into success.  I have a hard time seeing the former happen with the meddling that happens in that front office.  And I don't see Kevyn Adams being the type to tell ownership to stay out of his way.  

 

 

 

 

 

The big problem is, you cant really luck into success in the NHL like you can the NFL.  At least sustained success.

 

NHL there is a lot more depth to the front office in the way of amateur scouting (16-18 year olds across the globe playing in apples to oranges leagues) and development.  The CBA/guaranteed contracts are not forgiving at all and you pay for mistakes for many years with no relief.

 

Maybe you can get lucky and hit on a goalie on a hot year who can carry them into the playoffs.  Thats it. 

 

The whole organization needs to be bleached at this point and someone who knows what they are doing needs to build a professional outfit from the top-down

 

Kevyn Adams as an NHL GM is an absolute joke.

[plenzmd1]

10 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

   The Bills were different........they hadn't ever attended a Bills game in OP in person until they bought the team........and they lived in OP!.......they clearly were very casual fans.   

 

 

Hmm, never been to a  Bills game eh?

Quote

Though he never met Wilson, Pegula did recall watching the Bills in the 1960s. Pegula became an even bigger fan in the 1980s, when he based his natural gas company in Olean, New York, and began regularly attending Bills games.

https://apnews.com/article/e902ababa25842b2a191b8c2eddb6704
 

 

[Greg S]

9 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

 

The big problem is, you cant really luck into success in the NHL like you can the NFL.  At least sustained success.

 

NHL there is a lot more depth to the front office in the way of amateur scouting (16-18 year olds across the globe playing in apples to oranges leagues) and development.  The CBA/guaranteed contracts are not forgiving at all and you pay for mistakes for many years with no relief.

 

Maybe you can get lucky and hit on a goalie on a hot year who can carry them into the playoffs.  Thats it. 

 

The whole organization needs to be bleached at this point and someone who knows what they are doing needs to build a professional outfit from the top-down

 

Kevyn Adams as an NHL GM is an absolute joke.

 

Just like the Isles did when they hired Lou Lamoriello to be President/GM and bringing in Trotz as coach. You can't compare the NFL to the NHL but finding the right people to run the organization is the same no matter what the sport.

Edited July 2, 2021 by Greg S

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, plenzmd1 said:

Hmm, never been to a  Bills game eh?

https://apnews.com/article/e902ababa25842b2a191b8c2eddb6704
 

 

 

 

Show me the stubs........I got my info from the news media as well...........and the quote from Kim in THAT story was "the traffic was too bad" for them to attend games when they lived in OP. 

 

So while there may be inconsistency in the stories they've told about the Bills............and of how they became husband and second wife..........Terry Pegula being a big hockey fan has been the consistent story...........and the fact that he funded the construction of the ice rink at Penn State indicates that his love for the game extended beyond just a specific pro sports team.

[BADOLBILZ]

2 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

Any chance they sell the team? They have owned the Sabres about 10 years now or so. If they haven't figured out or accept the reality that they have no clue then they never will.  You would think given the success of the Bills that they would want the same for the Sabres. Given that its Beane/McDermott who are driving the Bills bus that they would want to find the right people to do the same for the Sabres. If Terry and Kim can bring a Super Bowl and Stanley Cup to WNY then they will be treated like a King and Queen forever in WNY. 

 

 

I have no idea if they would sell the team..........I have heard Paul Hamilton say that the Pegula's now regret giving Beane and McDermott total control of the Bills though........which is a little concerning considering that the Bills are just a couple notches from being the best team in the NFL and the Sabres are absolutely the worst run organization in hockey(and possibly all 4 of the major north american pro sports).   In the end,  they are their toys and understanding that I don't necessarily tie my entertainment entirely to the end results.   I greatly appreciate them keeping the two teams in WNY because the Sabres are barely even viable and the Bills could be worth a lot more in another market.   But losing will always lead to criticism.   

[shrader]

14 hours ago, The Jokeman said:

Marv Levy was a far worse GM than GMTM. While I think GMTM gave too much in some of his trades but at least guys he got produced like Adams thus far.

 

Zach Bogosian

Josh Gorges

Andrej Meszaros

Andre Benoit

Tyson Strachan

Cody Franson

Carlo Colaiacovo

Justin Falk

Taylor Fedun

Dmitri Kulikov

 

That's the reason why Tim Murray failed.  These are the defensemen he added who got significant playing time over those three years.  Bogosian and Kulikov unfortunately didn't work out and the rest are a bunch of has beens and never weres.  Murray only cared about the forwards and then tried to patch up his blue line in the clearance aisle. 

[plenzmd1]

44 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Show me the stubs........I got my info from the news media as well...........and the quote from Kim in THAT story was "the traffic was too bad" for them to attend games when they lived in OP. 

 

So while there may be inconsistency in the stories they've told about the Bills............and of how they became husband and second wife..........Terry Pegula being a big hockey fan has been the consistent story...........and the fact that he funded the construction of the ice rink at Penn State indicates that his love for the game extended beyond just a specific pro sports team.

How about this. You made a quote they never attended a game. I just posted a story , from the AP, that quotes they regularly attended games. 
 

How bout you show me the back up to your story they NEVER attended a Bills game before they bought them. 
 

if you make poop up out of thin air to support your narrative, your narrative is poop. 
 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

2 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

How about this. You made a quote they never attended a game. I just posted a story , from the AP, that quotes they regularly attended games. 
 

How bout you show me the back up to your story they NEVER attended a Bills game before they bought them. 
 

if you make poop up out of thin air to support your narrative, your narrative is poop. 
 

 

 

 

I've linked and quoted the story many times on here.    It's old news.   If you want to think it's crap I really couldn't care less.    Have you ever heard Terry Pegula talk about being at a specific game in the 1980's?   Me neither.

 

Better yet do you remember when I posted on here about that fight at Hammer's Lot after the Tampa game...........and literally everyone here who had comment insisted I was lying.........and you were the only other one who actually saw it?     Yeah.   I don't post lies.

 

Here's the more important aspect of the article you linked........"lifelong Sabres fan".....but......."Detroit Lions fan".

 

So get exercised if you want........regardless of which story is true TPegs has been invested in the Sabres for a whole lot longer than he was the Bills...........and he's gone WAY THE ***** out of his way to promote youth and amateur hockey.

 

Football?   Notsomuch.   

 

Only a fool would deny his love of hockey.

 

[Draconator]

https://shoponebuffalo.com/products/pre-sale-donny-meatballs-tee

[plenzmd1]

4 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

I've linked and quoted the story many times on here.    It's old news.   If you want to think it's crap I really couldn't care less.    Have you ever heard Terry Pegula talk about being at a specific game in the 1980's?   Me neither.

 

Better yet do you remember when I posted on here about that fight at Hammer's Lot after the Tampa game...........and literally everyone here who had comment insisted I was lying.........and you were the only other one who actually saw it?     Yeah.   I don't post lies.

 

Here's the more important aspect of the article you linked........"lifelong Sabres fan".....but......."Detroit Lions fan".

 

So get exercised if you want........regardless of which story is true TPegs has been invested in the Sabres for a whole lot longer than he was the Bills...........and he's gone WAY THE ***** out of his way to promote youth and amateur hockey.

 

Football?   Notsomuch.   

 

Only a fool would deny his love of hockey.

 

couple things here..

 

1) If you linked the story many times, should be easy to find and link again

2)The fight at Hammers..if you remember was not a fight, i was in the middle of it, I broke up the disagreement..no need to exaggerate.

3) I I grew up in Buffalo..first team I loved was the KC Chiefs..they were on TV way more than the Bills in my formative years...in Buffalo. 

4) TPEGS loves the Sabres, loves the Bills too. Why is that mutually exclusive..i love them both as well

5) He aint making a dent in the PSU football program legacy..that is long established . His legacy at his Alma Mater will be the establishment of the hockey program and  the building that bears his name.

6)  Don't make things in posts and don't exaggerate, your opinions will carry way more weight 

[BADOLBILZ]

4 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

couple things here..

 

1) If you linked the story many times, should be easy to find and link again

2)The fight at Hammers..if you remember was not a fight, i was in the middle of it, I broke up the disagreement..no need to exaggerate.

3) I I grew up in Buffalo..first team I loved was the KC Chiefs..they were on TV way more than the Bills in my formative years...in Buffalo. 

4) TPEGS loves the Sabres, loves the Bills too. Why is that mutually exclusive..i love them both as well

5) He aint making a dent in the PSU football program legacy..that is long established . His legacy at his Alma Mater will be the establishment of the hockey program and  the building that bears his name.

6)  Don't make things in posts and don't exaggerate, your opinions will carry way more weight 

 

 

1) If I gave you the satisfaction of a link would you respond with an apology?   Nope.  I don't do work for you.......who the ***** are you?

 

2) Numerous punches to the head/face area were exchanged by some very large offensive tackle sized Tampa Bay fans AND the mob of Bills fans that were encircling them and pushing them from both sides........that qualifies as a fight.    It all happened on the curb of Abbott Road......right about where the TBDAHOT is usually set up........ as I sat bemused in the seat of a full size van just feet away as we pulled off Glen St.  Maybe I had a better view than you and Hammer who was easily visible with his flowing blonde locks but basically underwater in the middle of the mass of people. 

 

3) Cool story........just like Terry Pegula.........what non-Buffalo hockey team did you root for when you didn't grow up in Scranton PA?

 

4) Again..........the proof is in the pudding and the pudding was pud in youth and amateur hockey.

 

5) He built the Penn State hockey facility,  bought the Sabres and built Harbor Center...........all hockey.........much of it done for kids who will never wear the uniform of a team he owns........before ever buying the Bills. 

 

6) I do not care if you or anyone else THINK my opinions carry weight...........I just post them..........and I've just been proven correct over and over.

[BillsFan4]

10 hours ago, shrader said:

 

Zach Bogosian

Josh Gorges

Andrej Meszaros

Andre Benoit

Tyson Strachan

Cody Franson

Carlo Colaiacovo

Justin Falk

Taylor Fedun

Dmitri Kulikov

 

That's the reason why Tim Murray failed.  These are the defensemen he added who got significant playing time over those three years.  Bogosian and Kulikov unfortunately didn't work out and the rest are a bunch of has beens and never weres.  Murray only cared about the forwards and then tried to patch up his blue line in the clearance aisle. 

Yikes! I had forgotten how terrible his blue line acquisitions were.

 

And to make matters worse he had some sort of rule about not drafting defenseman in the top 1/2 of the draft.

 

I think it was the year they passed on Sergachev that he made the comment about how Buffalo had to draft later in the 1st before he could draft a d-man. 🤦‍♂️
wonder what he would’ve done in the Dahlin draft? 

 

I will give him credit for a few things, though.

 

- the ROR trade was a home run (before pegula/botterill f’ed it up)

- at least he seemed to have a vision on how he wanted to build the team. More than I can say for whatever the **** Botterill was trying to build. 
- drafting for skill in the late rounds, which led to the Olofsson pick.

 

that’s about all I can think of off hand. 😂

 

it’s pretty incredible to think about how bad the GM’s have been since Darcy Regier. I still wonder what type of team he would’ve put together if given the 5 years he wanted. Couldn’t have been much worse, right? 

[plenzmd1]

10 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

1) If I gave you the satisfaction of a link would you respond with an apology?   Nope.  I don't do work for you.......who the ***** are you?

 

2) Numerous punches to the head/face area were exchanged by some very large offensive tackle sized Tampa Bay fans AND the mob of Bills fans that were encircling them and pushing them from both sides........that qualifies as a fight.    It all happened on the curb of Abbott Road......right about where the TBDAHOT is usually set up........ as I sat bemused in the seat of a full size van just feet away as we pulled off Glen St.  Maybe I had a better view than you and Hammer who was easily visible with his flowing blonde locks but basically underwater in the middle of the mass of people. 

 

3) Cool story........just like Terry Pegula.........what non-Buffalo hockey team did you root for when you didn't grow up in Scranton PA?

 

4) Again..........the proof is in the pudding and the pudding was pud in youth and amateur hockey.

 

5) He built the Penn State hockey facility,  bought the Sabres and built Harbor Center...........all hockey.........much of it done for kids who will never wear the uniform of a team he owns........before ever buying the Bills. 

 

6) I do not care if you or anyone else THINK my opinions carry weight...........I just post them..........and I've just been proven correct over and over.

Post a link to where the pegulas never attended a Bills game before their ownership, not only will I apologize but I will also buy you a case of your favorite beer for the opener. Flip side is if you don’t , ylu need to buy me a case of 60 minute for the opener. 
 

2) stop with the hyperbole   on the fight… It was NO FIGHT! I was in the middle of it dude , I been in plenty in my life, that was not a fight. It was some drunk people screaming at each other , no punches thrown from either side. Your hyperbole is why your opinions carry less weight. 
 

3) there was a time when The only  Bills games on where away games dippoop, and for someone who could not even dream of affording a ticket to a home game , you grew to like teams other than the bills as they were on TV more than than the Bills. 
 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by plenzmd1

[BillsFan4]

oh man. 😢 How sad.

 

edit:

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

 

some info on him:

 

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2020/12/01/pittsburgh-penguins-sam-ventura-nhl-hockey-analytics-puck-player-tracking/stories/202012010022

he’s the guy who originally founded war on ice and iirc was one of the first big analytics hires in the NHL.
 

Jason Nightingale (our long time analytics guy) promoted to assistant director of amateur scouting. So I’m assuming analytics will play a large role in the Sabres drafts under Adams. Hopefully that ends up being a good thing... I’d say it can’t get much worse, but as we know, it always can. 😂

Ventura seems like a competent hire so I’m hopeful (for now).

 

Edited July 6, 2021 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

 

[4merper4mer]

6 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

First time Skinner has played a team game in quite a while.

[BillsFan4]

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31823310/in-eulogy-matiss-kivilenieks-praised-saving-many-lives-fireworks-blast

 

Quote

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins says his teammate Matiss Kivlenieks "died a hero" after saving him and his pregnant wife from the errant fireworks blast that killed the 24-year-old.

 

"He saved not just many lives, but when it happened, I was standing 20, 30 feet back of him and I was hugging my wife," Merzlikins said at Kivlenieks' memorial service Thursday in Upper Arlington, Ohio. "He saved my son, he saved my wife, and he saved me."

 

Merzlikins' wife, Aleksandra, is in her third trimester, and Merzlikins said their son's second name will be Matiss in honor of his teammate. Kivlenieks was living in Ohio with Merzlikins, who called his fellow Latvian player "my little brother."

 

Kivlenieks died from chest trauma with major damage to his heart and lungs after being hit with an errant firework at a July 4 backyard party at the Michigan home of Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace. The party was also a wedding celebration for Legace's daughter, Sabrina.

 

In saying Kivlenieks died a hero, Merzlikins noted, "That's not just what I said. That's what the doctor said. ... And as Sabrina said, he saved his last puck."

ugh 😢 so tragic.

 

 

[BillsFan4]

 

my thoughts are that it probably just got more expensive to re-sign Dahlin... 

[BillsFan4]

 

mildly surprised they didn’t (idiotically) protect Girgensons over Asplund... lol.

 

Hopefully Adams has a deal in place not to lose Will Borgen. Other than him I don’t care who Seattle takes from our exposed player list. Taking Skinner would be amazing but it’ll never happen. At least not without Buffalo throwing in a big sweetener.

 

available players:

 

Drake Caggiula (F)

Jean-Sebastien Dea (F)

Cody Eakin (F)

Steven Fogarty (F)

Zemgus Girgensons (F)

Andrew Oglevie (F)

Kyle Okposo (F)

Tobias Rieder (F)

Riley Sheahan (F)

Jeff Skinner (F)

C.J. Smith (F)

Will Borgen (D)

Brandon Davidson (D)

Matt Irwin (D)

Jake McCabe (D)

Colin Miller (D)

Casey Nelson (D)

Michael Houser (G)

Carter Hutton (G)

Dustin Tokarski (G)

 

If anyone’s curious Here’s the protected/exposed list for every NHL team:

https://media.nhl.com/public/news/15205

Edited July 18, 2021 by BillsFan4

[Beast]

Seriously, what is the infatuation with this Borgen guy? A 24 year old defenseman that couldn't be a regular on the worst team in modern hockey history?

 

He's not nearly as valuable as people make him out to be.

Edited July 18, 2021 by Beast

[PastaJoe]

Former Sabres not protected: Derek Grant, Brendon Guhle, Ryan Miller, Taylor Hall, Nikita Zadorov, JT Compher, Jonas Johansson, Nathan Gerbe, Cliff Pu, Mikhail Gregorenko, Mark Pysyk, Paul Byron, Eric Stall, Evan Rodrigues, Chad Ruhwedel, Marco Scandella, Wayne Simmonds, Zack Bogosian, Jimmy Vesey, Conor Sheary, Nathan Beaulieu
 

Former Sabres protected: Nic Deslauriers, Zack Kassian, Cal Peterson, Marcus Foligno, Joel Armia, Evander Kane, Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Myers

[shrader]

I understand the recent expansion team reasoning, but Vegas finished tied for the Presidents’ Trophy this year. They should be included in the draft too. 
 

So they’re one of the top teams in the league and they also get to keep their full roster. 

[TBBills]

4 hours ago, shrader said:

I understand the recent expansion team reasoning, but Vegas finished tied for the Presidents’ Trophy this year. They should be included in the draft too. 
 

So they’re one of the top teams in the league and they also get to keep their full roster. 

NHL won't do things that are logical.

[TBBills]

It doesn't matter who get taken from the Sabres that is the good thing about this, being the worst team in the NHL has it's benefits.

Edited July 20, 2021 by TBBills

[shrader]

I was dumb enough to look at a mock expansion draft yesterday on NHL.com.  It's the only one I've looked at.  It had the Kraken taking Tokarski.  I had to clean the coffee off my monitor.

[ChevyVanMiller]

40 minutes ago, shrader said:

I was dumb enough to look at a mock expansion draft yesterday on NHL.com.  It's the only one I've looked at.  It had the Kraken taking Tokarski.  I had to clean the coffee off my monitor.

I read one where they took Cody Eakin. Who gets paid to write such nonsense?

[4merper4mer]

2 minutes ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

I read one where they took Cody Eakin. Who gets paid to write such nonsense?

I wish I could find one that says they'll take Skinner.

 

I did see one on Youtube that mulled the possibility of Okposo going which I found astonishing.  I think it will be Borgen or Miller.

[ChevyVanMiller]

16 minutes ago, 4merper4mer said:

I wish I could find one that says they'll take Skinner.

 

I did see one on Youtube that mulled the possibility of Okposo going which I found astonishing.  I think it will be Borgen or Miller.

I think it’s certain to be one of those two or, possibly, Girgensons. Don’t forget that Botterill was the one that signed him to a contract twice his worth on the open market.

[Pete]

please take Okposo 🙏

[BillsFan4]

Sabres expansion pick is one of the only ones that hasn’t leaked yet.

Guess it’s easier to keep under wraps when you only have like 3 people working for the front office... 😂

[Jauronimo]

2 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

Sabres expansion pick is one of the only ones that hasn’t leaked yet.

Guess it’s easier to keep under wraps when you only have like 3 people working for the front office... 😂

Which flavor of ***** you want to eat is not a decision to take likely.  

[BillsFan4]

 

the only guy I didn’t want to lose, so I’m not surprised Seattle felt the same (that he was the only player worth taking).

 

 I followed his development for years. Was finally going to get to see him in the NHL this year. Guess not. He probably would’ve been in the NHL a year+ ago if not for Stupid botterill trading for a pile of crappy veteran nhl defenseman. 
 

He’s not waiver exempt though, so if Seattle waived him at any point Buffalo can just claim him (we have #1 priority).

Edited July 21, 2021 by BillsFan4

[4merper4mer]

1 minute ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

the only guy I didn’t want to lose, so I’m not surprised Seattle felt the same (that he was the only player worth taking).

Were there rules on how the positions were protected or did teams just follow the same formula?  Borgen was certainly more protectable than friggin Mittestadt.

[BillsFan4]

29 minutes ago, 4merper4mer said:

Were there rules on how the positions were protected or did teams just follow the same formula?  Borgen was certainly more protectable than friggin Mittestadt.

7 forwards, 3 defenseman and a goalie.

 

or 8 total players and a goalie.
 

I wouldn’t have wanted to lose Mittelstadt. I thought he was playing some good hockey last season. He finally looks like he’s coming into his own. 
 

Sabres are super thin on players with top 6 C potential too. If they trade Eichel and Reinhart, then Mitts and Cozens are pretty much the only 2 left with top 6 potential, and that includes our prospect pipeline. 
 

 

What will piss me off is if they now end up trading Ristolainen for a crap return, like 3rd or 4th round pick (or something worth less than having a young, NHL ready right shot defenseman already on the roster to replace him). Would’ve rather just left him exposed over Borgen if that’s the case. But I heard buffalo’s asking for a 1st + prospect for him. Hopefully they get something decent in return for him. 

Edited July 21, 2021 by BillsFan4

[Jauronimo]

1 minute ago, BillsFan4 said:

7 forwards, 3 defenseman and a goalie.

 

or 8 total players and a goalie.
 

I wouldn’t have wanted to lose Mittelstadt. I thought he was playing some good hockey last season. He finally looks like he’s coming into his own. 
 

Sabres are super thin on players with top 6 C potential too. If they trade Eichel and Reinhart, then Mitts and Cozens are pretty much the only 2 left with top 6 potential, and that includes our prospect pipeline. 
 

 

What will piss me off is if they now end up trading Ristolainen for a crap return, like 3rd or 4th round pick or something. Would’ve rather just left him exposed over Borgen if that’s the case. But I heard buffalo’s asking for a 1st + prospect for him. Hopefully they get something decent in return for him. 

Agreed on Mitts.  I thought Risto was playing his best hockey before Covid.  Then he came back and looked lost again positionally.  I am now totally onboard with dealing Ristolainen but that old article about the trade for Risto to the Flames being scrapped because his stats are a "black hole" has me pessimistic on the potential return.

 

https://flamesnation.ca/2019/11/30/burke-flames-halted-trade-talks-on-ristolainen-based-on-analytics/

[4merper4mer]

12 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

7 forwards, 3 defenseman and a goalie.

 

or 8 total players and a goalie.
 

I wouldn’t have wanted to lose Mittelstadt. I thought he was playing some good hockey last season. He finally looks like he’s coming into his own. 
 

Sabres are super thin on players with top 6 C potential too. If they trade Eichel and Reinhart, then Mitts and Cozens are pretty much the only 2 left with top 6 potential, and that includes our prospect pipeline. 
 

 

What will piss me off is if they now end up trading Ristolainen for a crap return, like 3rd or 4th round pick (or something worth less than having a young, NHL ready right shot defenseman already on the roster to replace him). Would’ve rather just left him exposed over Borgen if that’s the case. But I heard buffalo’s asking for a 1st + prospect for him. Hopefully they get something decent in return for him. 

I disagree about Mittlestadt..and Thompson too….but understand your point.  Mitts has top 6 potential on the Sabres I suppose but is 4th line at the absolute most on a real team.  Agree on Risto; we need a good return.

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23 hours ago, Pete said:

please take Okposo 🙏

Slowposo is here to stay, I’m afraid. Love his heart and leadership, but he hasn’t been the same since his hospitalization in 2017. He’s also suffered a couple more concussions since then and needs to retire. He’s young and set for life with a beautiful family. Time to simply enjoy that. 

1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

the only guy I didn’t want to lose, so I’m not surprised Seattle felt the same (that he was the only player worth taking).

 

 I followed his development for years. Was finally going to get to see him in the NHL this year. Guess not. He probably would’ve been in the NHL a year+ ago if not for Stupid botterill trading for a pile of crappy veteran nhl defenseman. 
 

He’s not waiver exempt though, so if Seattle waived him at any point Buffalo can just claim him (we have #1 priority).

Looking at the Dmen the Kraken selected today, I have Borgen on the outside looking in on that group; no better than the 7 or 8 Dman. At best, he will see minimum ice time as the extra man. Wouldn’t be surprised if they tried sneaking him thru waivers. Then again, I can see Seattle trading some of the players they took today as well. 

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1 hour ago, Jauronimo said:

Agreed on Mitts.  I thought Risto was playing his best hockey before Covid.  Then he came back and looked lost again positionally.  I am now totally onboard with dealing Ristolainen but that old article about the trade for Risto to the Flames being scrapped because his stats are a "black hole" has me pessimistic on the potential return.

 

https://flamesnation.ca/2019/11/30/burke-flames-halted-trade-talks-on-ristolainen-based-on-analytics/

I wouldn’t be surprised if Risto ended up staying this season. Word is Granato really likes him as a player. He doesn’t have the greatest hockey sense, but his analytics don’t tell the whole story, either. He’s played top minutes against top opponents with crap support since he came into the league. I don’t offer that as a defense of Risto, but rather as a way of suggesting that Risto in a less pressurized role with a better supporting cast, would have better analytics. He can be a pain in the ass to play against as we’ve seen over the years.