I saw a team that went 7-2-1 down the stretch and both losses in regulation they outplayed both Florida and New Jersey and it’s just how the cookie crumbled.

I see a team that improved this offseason while the rest of the Atlantic playoff teams lost a considerable amount of talent.

Did Detroit do enough to bridge a 12 point gap? Activity doesn’t necessarily mean results either.

Ottawa you can make a case for but they have more than enough of their own question marks.

Generally speaking your top end talent will carry the team, I believe in the top end talent.

Simple as that
- Swedish_Jesus

They have a ton of talent in that building today with a lot of their prospects in town. One thing I don't think we're talking about enough, I know some have said it, can Donny lead all that talent? A lot of team defense is about coaching and this year there aren't the excuses that your defense is lead by a rookie, he's in his D+3 year and has a full season under his belt, along with Samuelson and Dahlin the defense has no excuse and neither does Donny.

On the offense, he's unlocked some real gems in Tage, Quinn, and Cozens and now if he does the same with Greenway (another guy from his USNTDP) then it's a huge boon for them.

It's a do or die year for a lot of reasons and coaching should also be on that list

I would Chabot and Sanderson have star potential.

The rest I agree with.
- washedup20

Yeah ngl of all the teams in our division Ottawa is the one I know the least about right now. I'm trying to get back into hockey mode so some of the names mistake me now and I forgot about them. Hopefully they stay irrelevant for our sake

I would Chabot and Sanderson have star potential.

The rest I agree with.
- washedup20

HA

They just went through this Levi ….. they wanted a PTO tryout contract and have him go on a playoff run with Rochester.

He wanted to be in the nhl and burn a year.

The college player wins that battle 99% of time or else they pull a Jimmy vesey and leave the team that drafted him.


You are definitely wrong about this
- Sabretooth9

Name me another team that has done this for not one, but multiple college players?

It's also a team whose coach decided UPL, Olofsson and Bryson were unplayable down the stretch.

All are still on the team, and some are in larger roles. There are valid questions to ask about whether the requisite moves were made. We're about to find out.
- Hank Balling

Says who ?

oops

HA

- DirtyDan

Why don’t you think so?

Which of the (literally) tens of thousands of repetitive comments posted on HB pertaining to boats, dinners, 12 years, top 5, 82 points, etc is your favorite? It's so hard to choose....the bountiful harvest of repetitiveness is only exceeded by the completely non-evidenced conclusions being jumped to along the way.

Pure Conjecture Buzz, or Total Speculation Buzz, Totally Misguided Conclusion Buzz, or I'm So Bored But I Love Bashing My Team's GM Just Because Buzz would be more accurate than HockeyBuzz.

Now, a real point: it does seem like we have "wasted seasons" of our good players, but so does every single team that does not get their name on the Cup that year. Are Boston fans relentlessly badgering each other over their "wasted" season by Bergeron, Krejci, etc ...the historic regular season that didn't even make it out of round one? Or how about the wasted years of Marner, Matthews and the gang up north? Maybe for a moment but then those fans prolly grew up and out of it and stop living in the past so much (ok, maybe TO is not the best example cuz their fans are as bad as ours, but the point remains that there are a LOT of "wasted seasons" out there).

In the last 12 years, I have seen my kid grow from a toddler into a teen, went back to college, changed careers, grew more in love with my wife than I've ever been, played lead guitar in a great band (we just played Rich stadium during Wingfest), and learned to make the best goddanged blueberry pie you've ever tasted.

My hockey team hasn't done squat?...oh well. Better luck next year. But having my first sip of coffee at my first SAbres game at the Aud in 1974 in zero-degree weather at age 5 is still one of my favorite memories of all time. And there wasn't a friggin nacho bar anywhere back then, just stale cold popcorn and blackened hot dogs, and they were delicious.
- LandlordTom

Have you met Leafs fans?

Also, their seasons end in April, the Sabres' seasons end in November.

Have you met Leafs fans?

Also, their seasons end in April, the Sabres' seasons end in November.
- Wetbandit1

Says who ?
- Swedish_Jesus

Either UPL or Comrie will eclipse their season total from last year unless Levi plays 55 games. Could he? Sure. It's a hell of a gamble though

Nobody wants to come here! .
- Buff36

disagree

we can grab an over the hill free agent d man that colorado no longer wants after a decade


give the min wage guys 2 to 3 mil and they will come

Have you met Leafs fans?

Also, their seasons end in April, the Sabres' seasons end in November.
- Wetbandit1

I can’t tell you who’s worse between the two fanbases.

One team makes the playoffs, the other team hasn’t.

And at the end of the day it’s all the same

Either UPL or Comrie will eclipse their season total from last year unless Levi plays 55 games. Could he? Sure. It's a hell of a gamble though
- Hank Balling

Is it bold prediction time or do I have to wait until the first season game? Because I'm betting UPL gets the lion share of the starts, especially in the beginning, and I bet he actually does pretty well with it too. He could be the one poised to improve the most with the defense shaping up

They just went through this Levi ….. they wanted a PTO tryout contract and have him go on a playoff run with Rochester.

He wanted to be in the nhl and burn a year.

The college player wins that battle 99% of time or else they pull a Jimmy vesey and leave the team that drafted him.


You are definitely wrong about this
- Sabretooth9

if levi wanted to vesey it, he would have had to go 2 more seasons w/o nhl money though

I can’t tell you who’s worse between the two fanbases.

One team makes the playoffs, the other team hasn’t.

And at the end of the day it’s all the same
- Swedish_Jesus

nope


sabres hockey with hasek was much better than sabres lottery hockey for 10 plus years


at the end of the decade , one 10 year stretch was fun to watch and one was unwatchable

I can’t tell you who’s worse between the two fanbases.

One team makes the playoffs, the other team hasn’t.

And at the end of the day it’s all the same
- Swedish_Jesus

No, it’s not. And frankly it’s not even close and it’s insulting to suggest it’s “all the same”

Biggest thing that will help this team improve is a Good high pressure 200ft D game that hopefully doesn't take away to much offense. If played right with the Sabres skating and fast break ability it should actually add offense because of the turnovers it should create with there pressure. It will help whoever is in net and hopefully cut down on some of the ridiculous high danger shots. IMO

No, it’s not. And frankly it’s not even close and it’s insulting to suggest it’s “all the same”
- sbroads24

If you don't win the Cup you might as well have finished 32nd

And the Sabres are on 95% players No go list. He's not the only one that doesn't want to come to Buffalo. We aren't ready in a lot of players Eye's, atleast yet.
- Buff36

That could be exactly why Casey mitts was on our team last season.

Took a bit, but it went full circle......

No, it’s not. And frankly it’s not even close and it’s insulting to suggest it’s “all the same”
- sbroads24

Tell that to my buddies who don’t even care to watch Leafs regular season games.

That entire fanbase is on autopilot.

Unless they win in the playoffs nobody cares anymore.

As it should be when your expectations are that high.

That could be exactly why Casey mitts was on our team last season.

Took a bit, but it went full circle......
- Boss34

Not even would consider Casey there, a few others.

If you don't win the Cup you might as well have finished 32nd
- Wetbandit1

Chicago had the best best season this year outside of Vegas.

Prove me wrong.

What’s more valuable than a 18 year old Superstar outside of winning the cup itself ?

Is it bold prediction time or do I have to wait until the first season game? Because I'm betting UPL gets the lion share of the starts, especially in the beginning, and I bet he actually does pretty well with it too. He could be the one poised to improve the most with the defense shaping up
- Zschalberg

I admire your UPL positivity but I think this is undoubtedly Levi's net unless he has a 2017 Casey Mittelstadt training camp

Chicago had the best best season this year outside of Vegas.

Prove me wrong.

What’s more valuable than a 18 year old Superstar outside of winning the cup itself ?
- Swedish_Jesus

You're not factoring in the variable of fans. People don't watch bad teams and that matters when they're paying people to play here. And sure, Chicago got the #1 pick and he's gonna be a beast, but look at Washington, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Buffalo, Buffalo, Buffalo, Edmonton x6, getting that #1 or #2 overall guy doesn't automatically lead to playoffs right away.

So yes, they had the best draft by getting Bedard, but winning doesn't just happen after that.

No, it’s not. And frankly it’s not even close and it’s insulting to suggest it’s “all the same”
- sbroads24

I challenge any sane Bills fan to tell me the past 5 years of Bills football was the exact same fun level as the 17 year drought.