they have the chance to move out cap space that might be on the books next year to help sign him.

I bet they throw Kevin Klein into the deal. Useful but it gets 2.9m off the books next year for them. Something like that
- DDM-Coga

Plus they have him for a run this year. And let's face it, they're not getting any younger. Well, Hank isn't anyway.

Wheres the D man....WHERES THE D
- DDM-Coga

NO D FOR YOU!!

Finishing ahead of where we were last year doesn't mean we didn't regress. That's a bizarre concept, I know. But the PK is terrible, like you said, the D worse, without whipping boy Mike Weber, Bylsma cannot make any kind of adjustment other than juggling lines. And aside from Eichel, who's on pace for 70 pts over a full season this year, no one has made the leap that we expected except maybe Kane and Lehner.

It was playoffs or bust this season. I don't care for the excuses anymore. This team should have been hovering around 8th all year, especially with the parity in the East and despite the Eichel injury.

We have a $10,000,000.00 fourth line, for f u c k ' s sake.
- BeadyEyedDouche

Reinhart has made a really nice bump, Risto too. So, only 5 guys have improved. lol

Edit: Oops forgot about McCabe too. Girgensons hasn't exactly been good, but he's been better.

And I refuse to say playoffs "or bust". 95 points was the goal. We will likely fall short of that goal. We will fall somewhere in between last year and this year with all of the players you hoped would progress progressed save for maybe Girgensons. That's not regression.

The PK is atrocious. The D is bad, outside of Risto and McCabe, but with a solid outside addition and Guhle, it improves drastically.

A quarter season loss of your best player isn't an excuse, it's a fact that it affects EVERYTHING.

Not a Bylsma fan.
- Powerslave

What's to say that Jack starts the year and doesn't experience the dreaded sophomore slump for the first 20 games anyway? Bylsma would have been juggling the lines like a madman still, they might have looked to Jack too much too early and he might have tried himself to do too much too early.

I don't think him being injured had any bearing on the team's standing whatsoever. One could actually argue it forced the team to gel more without him. Moulson wouldn't have 12 goals and 9 PP goals, that's for sure so his production in Jack's absence is a wash, since realistically, Jack would have been the one producing in his stead.

The team wasn't lost without him, they were missing him, sure. But he's been turning the puck over like a madman, refusing to shoot or throw it at the net hoping for the bounce, and going for the pretty plays way too often. Early in the year, that could have hurt us just as much as helped us.

The real problem was having Grant up to start the year, and keeping guys like Bailey, Baptiste, Rodriguez down in Rochester while Deslauriers, Larsson, Fasching stunk up the joint. Seriously, Falk and Fedun have done better than Bogo, Franson and Gorges combined. I don't care what they make. A guy plays like a jamoke, you (frank)ing sit his ass.

Bylsma gonna Bylsma though. We sacrificed speed and youth for molasses and crusty socks.

NO D FOR YOU!!
- Wetbandit1

- GERBE!!!75PTS

Never gonna happen.

Reinhart has made a really nice bump, Risto too. So, only 5 guys have improved. lol
- Wetbandit1

Eh... I was one of the few who expected 20 goals and 50 points from Reinhart last season. I'm very disappointed with him this year, though. He hasn't been as aggressive as I would have liked and he's the opposite of Jack. Jack has dangled too much and Reinhart not enough.

Risto, he's improved points-wise so far but is out of position a lot and I attribute this to his decision making. He hesitates too much or thinks too much. He isn't jumping up in the play like last year but at the same time, he isn't getting back in his zone fast enough. He's landed some big hits, but also been on the receiving end of a lot of big hits. He's making up for the lack of production for literally the entire rest of the D-core though.

Foligno, for as much poop as I give him, is having a very solid year. I actually wish he would shoot more, and his shooting percentage the past 3 years is 12%, including this season where he has actually been shooting more. But he's thinking too much and I don't like him when he thinks because he doesn't seem to be good at it. Doesn't help Bylsma is expecting him to be a finesse player.

Never gonna happen.
- Wetbandit1

Sell sell sell...at least some of the youngsters looked good

Valimaki is who I'd want. Left shot D, he's a Finn (I think we have one other ) and has put up some big time points in the WHL.

If you have him, Guhle, Borgen, Martin (maybe), Nelson (maybe), Fitz and Florentino (maybe) all with NHL potential, methinks we would have something to work with. Still like to get another addition, but all of a sudden we don't necessarily need it yesterday like we do now.
- RhinoFan

Florentino & especially Martin are gonna make the NHL
Martin is like -15 in the ECHL!!!
With how bad Rochester has been needing defense this year,
You'd think they'd wanna give him a shot...
but apparently he's been horrible

Fitz & Nelson are longshots imo

Guhle will be an NHLer, but not a top4 guy next year like so many assume
Borgen is a "maybe" for me, but I haven't seen him play this year yet

Florentino & especially Martin are gonna make the NHL
Martin is like -15 in the ECHL!!!
With how bad Rochester has been needing defense this year,
You'd think they'd wanna give him a shot...
but apparently he's been horrible

Fitz & Nelson are longshots imo

Guhle will be an NHLer, but not a top4 guy next year like so many assume
Borgen is a "maybe" for me, but I haven't seen him play this year yet
- jdfitz77

Borgen's legit, doesnt get enough credit cuz hes not a high scorer but he'll be an nhler as well

Florentino & especially Martin are gonna make the NHL
Martin is like -15 in the ECHL!!!
With how bad Rochester has been needing defense this year,
You'd think they'd wanna give him a shot...
but apparently he's been horrible

Fitz & Nelson are longshots imo

Guhle will be an NHLer, but not a top4 guy next year like so many assume
Borgen is a "maybe" for me, but I haven't seen him play this year yet
- jdfitz77

Just out of curiosity but what makes you so sure Guhle won't be a top 4 next year, he certainly looked like one when he got a few games earlier this year

this is murray's team


congrats on the extension

nylander and baptitse score a goal

rochester loses 4-3


kennedy had 2 more points

"Speaking of the Hurricanes, Matheson cites scouts claiming defenseman Justin Faulk is in play and notes the Canes need a center. "

http://spectorshockey.net...roundup-february-26-2017/

"Speaking of the Hurricanes, Matheson cites scouts claiming defenseman Justin Faulk is in play and notes the Canes need a center. "

http://spectorshockey.net...roundup-february-26-2017/
- homiedclown

He's RHD and we need LHD.

He's RHD and we need LHD.
- Der Kaiser

we need one of each

we need one of each
- homiedclown

Can't see how that happens. We should focus on what's possible rather than our wish list.

Can't see how that happens. We should focus on what's possible rather than our wish list.
- Der Kaiser

this team is a mess

the coach is a mess

the gm is a mess

rochester is a mess

this team is a mess

the coach is a mess

the gm is a mess

rochester is a mess
- homiedclown

I'm not paying much attention to the Amerks but I'm not discouraged by the state of the Sabres. I don't think it's a mess

Can't see how that happens. We should focus on what's possible rather than our wish list.
- Der Kaiser

there arent many(any) top LHD's out there. Justin Faulk is probably attainable. You can roll 2 solid pairings if you can find a lower end defensive/shot suppressing guy to play with risto.

there arent many(any) top LHD's out there. Justin Faulk is probably attainable. You can roll 2 solid pairings if you can find a lower end defensive/shot suppressing guy to play with risto.
- Sabresfan-365

I'm not sure how much faith I put into the reports that Faulk is available. All the rest of Carolina's D has been a disaster. Moving Faulk would disrupt carolina's rebuild as much as moving Risto would disrupt Buffalo's.

I'm not sure how much faith I put into the reports that Faulk is available. All the rest of Carolina's D has been a disaster. Moving Faulk would disrupt carolina's rebuild as much as moving Risto would disrupt Buffalo's.
- Der Kaiser

??

Carolina's D has been excellent. Pesce and Slavin have overtaken faulk in ice time and hanifin probably projects to as well. Fleury and Bean coming through the system, they may be inclined to move faulk while his value is up to address a need at forward.

Edit: didn't Homie and 89 both bring up faulk at last years draft?

Why the hell would the Rangers trade for him when they can sign him and only have it cost money after the season?

Desperate GM's are crazy.
- kingcong39

The Rangers are a contender out of the East this year. Shattenkirk helps them win this year as well.

The Rangers are a contender out of the East this year. Shattenkirk helps them win this year as well.
- buffalofan19

Yup...and Lundqvist isn't getting any younger