Here’s an open thread for discussing all matters Buffalo Sabres and NHL related for this week. Of course, you can talk about anything else you like too.
The Buffalo Sabres are back in action this week, after ten months than felt more like ten years! Here’s the full schedule if you haven’t seen it yet. [Sabres]
A recap from the second and final Blue & Gold scrimmage along with highlights. [Sabres]
The Sabres have assigned these 8 players to Rochester, so the ‘taxi squad’ is starting to take shape. [Sabres]
Remember, the final rosters have to be submitted to the NHL by Tuesday 5pm EST, though teams will have Wednesday as well to make any LTIR-enforced changes. The Sabres play the Capitals on Thursday night.
The Athletic had an anonymous panel of coaches and GMs rank all the starting goalies in the league, and Linus Ullmark fell in Tier 3, tied for 23rd with Juuse Saros, and received some very nice compliments too –
“I’m a fan. I like his style. I love his compete. He plays with an edge. Ullmark has paid his dues. He’s going to surprise people. He can hold his team up this year.”
Down Goes Brown [The Athletic] ranked all the teams, and didn’t have the Buffalo Sabres in either the ‘middle-of-the-pack division’ or the ‘bottom feeder division’, instead placing them in the ‘Your-Guess-Is-As-Good-As-Mine Division’ –
“… we all apparently agree that Montreal is a playoff lock based on adding Josh Anderson and Jake Allen, while a Sabres team that finished last year with virtually the same record adds Taylor Hall and Eric Staal and we all think they’re still miles away?
“They might be. Honestly, if they finished dead last I’m not sure I’d bat an eye. But if they shock us all and actually make a run at respectability, just remember that I kind of vaguely thought I might have seen it coming.”
Start preparing your picks in the following categories, we’re going to have the DBTB team’s picks published on Wednesday and want to see yours then!
Team MVP, Leading Goal Scorer, Surprise Player, Best Defenseman, Will they make the playoffs?, Total team points & Bold prediction
Feel free to add any links to developing news items as the week goes on in the comments below.