Hello! Welcome to the official Die By The Blade Podcast. On this show, we’ll discuss all kinds of Buffalo Sabres news. From games to prospects, team news, trades, and everything else you can think of that has to do with Sabres hockey. On this episode, we discussed the Sabres hot start, Jack Eichel trade talks, and the impressive start that’s been seen from some of the Sabres’ prospects playing in Rochester and NCAA hockey. Enjoy!
On this, the very first episode of the newly-revamped Die By The Blade Podcast, hosted by Luke Seeley and Josh Schmit, we sit down and talk about how we feel about the Sabres being 5-2-1 going into the Sharks game on Nov. 2nd.
– Sabres coming back to earth?
– Is Tage Thompson an answer at center?
– Eichel saga
– Amerks prospects
And much much more!
Listen here, or check out the transcript below:
The boys are hoping that you guys like this and we can grow from here! We want to get as many people recognized and given credit as possible, so keep your eyes and ears on the lookout.
Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors.
Luke:
What is up everyone and welcome to the very first episode of the Die by the Blade podcast where Josh and I sit down and talk about everything. Buffalo hockey. I’m your host, Luke. The other guy on my screen is my co-host Josh. Alright, let’s get right into it.
Luke:
Josh. What is up? How are you? Who are you? So why don’t you give the listeners a little background on who you are and how you got here?
Josh:
How’s it going, everybody? I’m Josh. It’s great to be here. Really excited for this. I’ve been a Sabres fan my whole life, as I’m sure many of you have as well. I know Luke has as well. My claim to fame is I was born into hockey. Two months after I was born was the infamous “No Goal.”. So that’s, that’s how I got here. I studied radio broadcasting at SUNY Fredonia and with a minor in sports management. I actually just graduated in the spring. I have always had a passion for sports, played sports all through high school, not hockey until recently, actually. Um, but you know, that’s just kinda how I got here was my love for sports and my education at college. And then me and Luke actually met because we started, Luke started a podcast, almost three years ago.
Josh:
Now that is our other show that we do, and that’s how we met. We ended up living together. We lived through the pandemic together at our apartment in Fredonia. That was a wild ride. And here we are now, 107 episodes later on the other show. Like I was saying, I’ve always been a Sabres fan, through the ups and downs and through all this BS we’ve seen in the past 10 years. I’m sure we’re gonna get right into that stuff as we move along here. But other than that, some more stuff with my personal life, I work at WGR, WBEN and The Bet 1520 in Buffalo, along with being a part-time backroom worker at Best Buy because student loans are a pain in the ass. But enough about me, let’s hear from our illustrious host, Lucas Seeley,
Luke:
Josh may have been born into hockey, but I am the born into the epitome of Buffalo as I was born at 7:16 PM. So I’m the epitome of 716.
Josh:
You were born in October.
Luke:
Yeah. Hockey, start of hockey season.
Josh:
You could’ve been born in July on the 16th.
Luke:
That probably would have been better. But that being said, obviously Josh mentioned, I also went to Fredonia I graduated ironically with a music industry degree last year in 2020 during the pandemic. I also just had a love of sports, my entire life, hockey and football, definitely taking the, on that being from Buffalo makes sense that hockey and football are the two forefronts because those are two big major league teams. I as well, I played sports throughout my life growing up, but never really on like big teams. Like, you know, like actual rec teams, like through like varsity and whatnot. I had just played it more with my friends and everything and never played hockey. Still don’t play hockey, working on it. Still not there. I apologize for those listening. We never played hockey, but here we are now.
Josh:
Well,I’ve played, I’m a beer league hero. I learned to skate 4 or 5 years ago and been playing for about three or four years.
Luke:
Well, I don’t play hockey so apologize for those listening that are upset by that, but still know plenty about it. And it’s still just love to talk about it. And that’s what we’re here to do. As Josh said, yes, we have another show. I’ve been the host of that for the past two and a half years going on three, weirdly enough started back in college, but this is the Die By the Blade podcast. And we’re here to talk about the Sabres, Amerks, you guys listening, anything and everything under the sun that has to do with Buffalo hockey. And we’re going to go ahead and jump right into that because the Sabres right now are sitting at five, two and one, and have a game tonight against the San Jose sharks as is, uh, November 2nd is we are recording this. They have a game tonight against the Sharks. Well, this team’s winning.
Josh:
Yeah. That’s why, how?
Luke:
Yes. More and more. It’s a bit little, honestly that question right there. Why and how is actually a really good question? Like why? Because Shane Wright’s right there in your grasp.
Josh:
Yeah. See, I, I remember when we tanked quote unquote, when we tanked for McDavid in 2015, it’s not that I hated it, but I just don’t like the idea of like, oh, there’s someone good. Let’s just lose. Like, that’s why I like and hate the lottery system that the NHL has. Because if you look at like the NFL, they don’t have a lottery systems. So you can literally just lose and get the best player in the draft or at least have the choice of the best players in the draft. But a lottery system, you can’t do that. It’s not a guaranteed first. I mean, sure. We’ve had two first overall draft picks in the past few years, but it’s not guaranteed. I mean, we’ve seen simulations where teams that are at 12 jump to first, we’ve seen actual real life things where teams at 12 jumped to, I think four, remember Chicago did that a couple of years ago.
Josh:
They jumped from like 12 till third or fourth or something like that. So that’s why I’ve never been a whole proponent of, Hey, let’s just lose and we’ll get this guy again. Chances are, you’re going to get a top three talent, but you’re not going to, you’re not guaranteed to get somebody and that somebody isn’t guaranteed to be good. Look at Nail Yakupov. I mean, look how well that worked out for the Edmonton Oilers. So to bring this back to now, my expectations this year were just have fun with what they do because we’re going to suck. Anyway, this is what, this is how I went into the 2015 season to take the wins, take the fun, you know, they’re going to suck, so don’t expect much, but when they do good, enjoy it, you know, like, and they’re doing really good. Like Kyle Okposo is, was one of our leading scores at one point. I’m just curious. And it looks like he did in 2012, like this team is working together. And I think a large part of it is because of Don Granato.
Luke:
It’s most definitely because of Granato,
Josh:
Right? I mean, the fact, the fact that he was on the coaching staff with Ralph Krueger is beyond crazy to me because it looks like he didn’t even have a say in anything because this is a completely different team.
Luke:
No one did. It was Ralph Krueger’s systems. Ralph Krueger made the system for that, for this team for the past two years. And we saw what happened. Donny Granato came in the last 22 games last year and said, I don’t really have a system right now. I’m letting them go play how they want to play. If this is how they want to play, I’ll build a system around that.
Josh:
Well, when we saw it in the off season, I can’t remember his exact quote, but it was something about along the lines of making your systems work. And he said, if your system isn’t working with your players, change your system. It’s like putting a square peg in a round hole. You can’t make your system work with players who can’t play in it. Exactly. You either need to change. I mean, sure. If it’s like one or two players don’t change it. But if it’s the whole team like it was with Ralph Krueger, you need to change something like Ralph Kruger’s team would look great in very, very minute aspects of the game. Don Granato, his team looks well overall with small little things. They need to work out partially because of the talent partially because he’s a new coach and partially just because it’s hockey and you can’t be perfect. It’s, it’s a sport, you know, you’re never going to be perfect. But what I love, what Granato is what he’s doing with our young guys, Casey Mittlestadt in that 22 games last year, 18 points, Casey Mittelstadt looked like he would never score 18 points in a season, let alone in 22 games.
Luke:
We all, we all wrote Mittelstadt off. We’re like, oh, he’s not going to be anything. He’s not going to be good. We wasted a draft pick on him. He’s a bust right?
Josh:
Now. Kind of.
Luke:
And now we’re kind of hurting without him in the lineup, right?
Josh:
I mean, Mittelstadt in, well, you know, he only played one game this year, so you can’t really base that off anything.
Luke:
But if you, if you add him back into the lineup, based on how he played last year on Granato and based on the, um, efforts, he took this off season to grow his game and what he showed throughout the training camps and the off season and the season and through the first game, like he was looking like, all right, he’s, he’s ready to take the step. Now he wasn’t, without a, we see the issues at depth at center to right.
Josh:
He was driving play as an NHL center, which is something we didn’t ever think he was going to be able to do. I mean, he looked like he could be our number one center in a couple of years, maybe. I mean, I think that’ll, I think that job will be Dylan Cozens, but what’s nice to see is you have someone that can also be there if say Cozens gets hurt or he’s in a funk or something like that. But Granato just seems to be getting something out of these guys that no one has been able to for the past 10 years. I mean, granted, no one on this team was here 10 years ago anymore. I mean, we got rid of Ristolainen and we got rid of Reinhart. Um, Jack is hurt and on the brink of being traded, which we’ll get to later, I know you’re all probably tired of all that.
Luke:
The longest tenured Sabre right now is Zemgus Girgensons, right?
Josh:
Yeah. The only… That is true. He’s yeah, we…
Luke:
Been here since 2012, 2012.
Josh:
And I guess the next one after that would be Okposo we signed him in 2016.
Luke:
I want to say you’re right on that one. It’s it’s either Okposo yeah.
Josh:
Yeah, because we signed him to an eight year deal. Yeah. We signed him to a… seven, seven-year.
Luke:
Seven year. Okay.
Josh:
July 1st, 2016.
Luke:
Wow.
Josh:
That looked great back then. Didn’t it? The year coming off a fifth of 64 point season and he’s kinda on pace to do something close to that, which is I’m okay.
Luke:
It’ll it’ll dip. It will dip. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. The only, the only the person actually that’s been here just as long, the only two years, less than, Girgensons is technically Victor Olofsson. He was drafted seventh round in 2014. That is true. That he hasn’t been with the team he’s been with the AHL, he was with the AHL for a year. And then he’s been with us for the past, technically two and a half. This COVID short season is just messing with everyone’s concept of time.
Josh:
It’s been a lot was, was that our original draft pick?
Luke:
That seventh rounder?
Josh:
I think it was.
Luke:
I’m pretty sure it was. Yeah.
Josh:
I’m not entirely sure, but I’m pretty sure, I’m pretty sure it was. Um, because the only reason I ask is I want to get to in our prospect section when we get there, but some of the draft picks that we traded for years ago in like nothing trades are turning into good players, Jakub Konecny comes to mind. We, we drafted him, I think fifth or seventh round. And the pick that we got that trade or the reason we got that pick was because we traded Taylor Fedun to the Dallas Stars. Yeah. Anyway, like I said, a little bit more later, so back to the team now, Luke, I have a question for you. What are your thoughts on Tage Thompson at center? Do you want to see him stay there? And what have you thought of him there so far, mind you two years ago? I said Tage Thompson is an NHL center or, well, not that at the time he wasn’t that caliber, but Tage Thompson is a center in the game of hockey and on our other show, for those of you who may have come over here from there, you’ll remember Steve would rip on me, endlessly saying, Tage Thompson is not a center. He is a winger. Look at him. Now he is an NHL center and he’s filling in for Casey Mittelstadt. We suspect, wow, he’s doing pretty well. He’s doing pretty well.
Luke:
So, so, so my thoughts on Tage is I, I didn’t completely write him off. Um, over the past, you know, season and a half, two seasons that he’s kind of been up and down in our roster between the NHL and AHL, bounce back and forth, trying to find his game. Obviously the big reason as most of us know that we’ve been writing him off is because he’s six, five to mid, mid to highly. I want to say like two 30 ish to 40 ish. He’s built, he’s a big boy and he’s never used his body. And that is why so many people have written him off because he doesn’t have that. He’s not a fast skater. He has a long stride because
Josh:
He’s literally Tyler Myers before Tyler Myers turned into a defenseman. You remember that, remember when Tyler Myers used to play forward when he was like 15 years old and then they were like, Hey buddy, you’re going to play can.
Luke:
But he’s, he’s learned how to use his body with his stride this year. And this PA this throughout this off season. And that is the reason he was able to make the switch from wing to center at the NHL level, because he’s finally learning how to use his body with everything else that he is pretty good. He’s, he’s decent with his hands. He’s got pretty decent hands. And if you can just use his body, Hey, he’s middle six, top six player. Yeah. It’s just a matter of how long will this stay now? That’s my, that’s my concern right now. How long is this going to stay? Is you going to hold onto this? And he’s going to actually grow into the player that we were expecting him to be. What do we made that Ryan O’Reilly trade that no one wants to talk about?
Josh:
I mean, even if he turns into the player, we wanted him to be that trade is still a massive, massive mess up by this franchise. Because if Patrick Berglund who literally just left the NHL and then I believe was arrested.
Luke:
Who knows?
Josh:
Or he was like on trial for a pretty, I don’t…
Luke:
Remember exact country.
Josh:
He went back to his home country, but I’m pretty sure he went on trial for a possible, he was being investigated for possible crime. Vladimir Sobotka was just bad. There was no other way to put it.
Luke:
And even the underlying numbers show how bad he was, even if you don’t want to even just only look at stats and everything. We know he didn’t really put up any points, but even the underlying numbers were just.
Josh:
And then the last piece of that deal besides Thompson was the third. Well, what ended up being the 31st overall draft pick because the Blues won the cup.
Luke:
Yeah, no one saw that one coming, but
Josh:
It was Ryan Johnson and Ryan Johnson starting to get better. And again, we’ll get into that sort of thing during our prospect section. But what I want to point out with Tage in the 2019-2020 season, the season of when the pandemic came in, in April, you know, when the pandemic started and everything Thompson played one game with the Sabres, I think it was, I don’t think it was the first game, but it was his first game of the season. And he dislocated his shoulder and needed shoulder suggery.
Luke:
Yeah, it was, it was, it was like mid season. Right? Cause he was, he was starting to tear it up in the S and we were like, all right.
Josh:
No, no, no. I think I thought it was at the…. No, you’re right. You’re right. It was.
Luke:
When you started, you started do good. I’m like, oh, we bring it to the shops. Let’s go.
Josh:
Because I’m looking at his CapFriendly stats here. Shoutout to CapFriendly. He had 16 games in the A that year with 12 points. So yeah, you’re right. They did. He started out in the A, played amazing. Came up for one game, got injured, was going to maybe be back by like February or March. And then the pandemic happened and they were just like, you know what? Scrap it, let him get fully healthy. He comes back in the COVID shortened season gets 14 points in 38 games. I’m pretty sure most of those points came in at the end of the year after Kruger laughs again, looking back or looking at Don Granato and this team as a whole. And now he has four points in eight games. He looks like, he knows how to use his shot. He looks like he knows how to use his body. He’s still, I mean, obviously this whole team has kinks to work out, but again, he looks like he’s turning a corner, mental stat, much like, um, Victor Olofsson, who’s starting to score more on five on five.
Luke:
And starting to look, look like he’s actually starting to back-check to yeah.
Josh:
Know, actually gets the ball on the play, not just being a shooter.
Luke:
But you love to see it. Yes.
Josh:
Also fair warning for the rest of these episodes, we are very, very high on — at least I’m very, very optimistic — whenever it comes to this team
Luke:
Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll be the one that kind of brings him back to reality. Like, yeah. We’re 5-1, but Hey look, the teams we faced, it’s not, I, I don’t, I don’t think it’s sustainable. I think we can definitely stay like at the 500 that everyone likes to call it.
Josh:
Yes. With the overtime losses and things like that. Um, but like I said, I’m very cautiously optimistic and by cautiously, I mean very optimistic all the time. Like I was optimistic. I think it was three years ago. Uh, when.
Luke:
Oh, we know, oh, I know at least listeners might not know yet, but you get you’ll guys. You’ll learn to understand. Back to Tage though. Like he’s the biggest thing I’ve seen from him with him using his body more is behind the net play in the offensive zone. That’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed. He’s getting into the scraps. He’s getting into the dirty areas and actually winning the battles because he’s learning and learned how to use his body to win those battles because he can, he’s some of these defensive and we’re like 5, 10, 5, 11. They is going down so nightly basis. He’s a bigger player. Use that to your advantage and just get the puck away from them. And he’s starting to do that. And that’s why he’s looked pretty good at center because he’s also winning face offs. Right. He’s been our best center at faceoffs right.
Josh:
One thing I really like to see, or I would like to see more from him. I mean, obviously yes, we know he has a shot. So you want to utilize that shot on a power play or even just in the offensive zone. But I want to see him screen more. I want to see him in front of the net getting into that bat and that front battles, not necessarily to deflect the puck, but just to be a body in the way of that goalie, because it’s one thing to look around Jeff Skinner or Victor Olofsson or Asplund. But if you’re looking around Tage Thompson, I mean, let’s, let’s, let’s take tonight. For example, we’re playing the San Jose sharks. James Reimer is the expected starter. James Reimer is average, average goalie. He is six foot two Thompson is six foot five, not on skates. So six foot six, I’m sorry. So he’s even taller. Like he’s almost seven feet tall on skates. I’m assuming these heights, more like six, eight skates only give you like two inches.
Josh:
Okay. But still you’re a six four goalie looking around a 6-8 player and looking around your defenseman. So my point being, it’d be interesting to see if Granato and his coaching staff try to utilize Thompson more in front of the net rather than shooting, like shooting at himself.
Luke:
Here’s, here’s a not a hot take, but it takes that I know fans aren’t happy with. And exactly what you said is the fact that why is Thompson not in for the net? Why are we using Asplund and Skinner and these little guys. And I think at least with the Thompson line, the reason that Asplund has been the one to go to the front of that is a because of how scrappy that that little guy is. And Thompson has the best hands on that line. Yes. And I think that’s the same with say with the powerplay. Thompson has the best hands on his, on his pairing, aside from Skinner, but Skinner, Skinner likes that net front presence because he likes to get in the heads of players.
Josh:
Yeah. Skinner has always been scrappy. I remember a few years ago he tried to fight Zdeno Chara.
Luke:
We come over once and this is smaller than him
Josh:
And took down. Wasn’t it pro overall of that one time. Yeah. So I do like that Skinner. I like that all the little guys get involved in front of the net because they’re that pesky little, little guy that’s just jabbing you in the side, just you off. But, and we’ve seen so far this year, the perimeter guys on the powerplay are Dahlin, Olofsson and Thompson, at least with that unit. And then your net from guys are Skinner.
Luke:
Skinner and Asplund. And sir, um, Collin Miller has dropped, dropped down there a few times too.
Josh:
Yeah, but I like it when Skinner and Asplund are out there. That’s our best power-play unit, I think by the numbers. Um, I mean, you look at the power play unit that has Okposo on it. I remember the first night we saw that we were like, what are you doing? Okay.
Luke:
Why is it, why is that Okposo? And now Girgensons on the power play, what scored.
Josh:
We’ve seen. They can score now for some reason. So anyway, to get back to, you know, this team is a whole, I don’t even know what I want to say. Where do you see them going from here? But I don’t know. Like,
Luke:
It’s hard to tell, but we don’t know. You know, there’s obviously always going to be issues with, you know, what, if someone gets hurt, what did this person like? We already saw that after the first game Mittelstadt and Jokiharju got hurt. Oh. Now what? Like the team
Josh:
Does rework
Luke:
Less
Josh:
Inserting. Yeah. They don’t look as just, they don’t look like they have as much pep in their step without those two in a lineup, more middle step than joker. But myths is, I just feel like he’s more of a presence on that team now. He’s I remember hearing Dahlinat the beginning of the year, he sat down with, uh, for an interview with channel two and he said, this locker room is unlike any Sabre’s locker room he’s been in, in his first, what? Four years here, three.
Luke:
He said he was a, he was a 20th, 17, eighth or overall.
Josh:
He was 18, 18 draft.
Luke:
No. And he had no Dahlin.
Josh:
Dahlin was the 18 draft. That’s what I said.
Luke:
Talk about Dahlin. I am behind. I thought it was, we were still on Mitts.
Josh:
No, but that’s why I, my point was, is I think guys like Mittelstadt, Cozens, Dahlin, they’re becoming the presence in the locker room. It’s no longer Ristolainen, Reinhart, Eichel. it’s and it’s even more Okposo and Cozens. Now I think reentered the conversation of being the locker room presence.
Luke:
So that’s the big thing too. And why you’re seeing why you’re seeing these young guys, Okposo ever since is, you know, he got here in this big contract and then all of a sudden got relegated to role-player. He kind of embraced that and was like, I’ll be that veteran guy for these young players. And that’s exactly what Donnie Granato was doing with having him and Girgensons, being the, uh, two alternate this year is we don’t have a captain is so that they can kind of as the players in the room, they can kind of see. And probably they’re probably talking to Don Granato, being asking like, and telling him, Hey, these are the guys that are standing out that could be captains in the future. And that’s probably exactly what he’s using Okposo and Girgensons for.
Josh:
And I know we’ve talked about this before, but Dylan Cozens needs to be only an alternate next year. And maybe even the year following, because what I hated with the Jack Eichel captaincy is making him captain like right away. Like we made him captain too quickly. Plus hot take, Jack Eichel is not a good leader. Um, he’s not a good soul leader. I think he needs to be part of a leadership group, but he’s not, he shouldn’t be the guy when it comes to leadership, at least. Um, but I think Dylan Cozens can be that one guy, but I don’t want to rush him into it because as weird as it sounds, I think that if you rush someone into leadership, especially in sports, it’s going to mess up the rest of their game because they’re going to be so focused on everything else going on around them.
Josh:
Because as a leader in that locker room, and as a captain guys come to you, not only for on ice things, I mean, obviously I’m not speaking from experience, but just things I’ve read. I remember the athletic that an expose, a with, um, not expose. I don’t know what the correct term would be, but they interviewed former Sabres, captains about the whole Jack Eichel situation. And one of them said, you know, not as, not only are you dealing with on ice problems, but you’re dealing with, if a guy has an issue with his wife or his girlfriend, you’re dealing with, if a guy has, is homesick, you’re dealing with, if a guy is not getting enough sleep at night or not fitting in, in the city or with the rest of the team, it’s all these different little things. And then you also have to focus on your game on the ice. And you also have to focus about being the lead by example guy. So it’s all these things. And I think it’s just too much for those young guys to handle.
Luke:
Here’s, here’s, here’s my counter to that though. And you, um, those listening, if you’re, if you, you know, frequent, you know, the Die by the Blade website, you’ll see this article, hopefully within the next few days, um, why Dylan cousins should be the next Sabres captain. I’m not saying
Josh:
Be the next captain, but just not
Luke:
Yet, but, but here’s the issue next season. We’re going to have a captain, no matter what, they’re not going to do two seasons of no captain. And my idea is give Cozens a C, but either I post, this has two years left right this year and next season. Uh,
Josh:
Yes.
Luke:
So keep,
Josh:
I will get rid of that. God awful contract,
Luke:
Keep Okposo, so, and Girgensons as your As to be, to be the guys that the players can go to for the office stuff so that Cozens can work on because how to become a leader. And he can learn from Okposo and Girgensons who have been As many times, Okposo some more. So he’s been a here for a couple of years, he’s been on and off with an A, believe for like half the season while on the island for the last two years, he was an A, so he knows what it’s like to be a leader in a locker room. He’s been there, done that.
Josh:
Yeah. So, you know, I, I get it. It’s just, I get, I get so gun shy now with rushing players with anything after Mittelstadt, because I mean, Mittelstadt came into our team after putting up an incredible world juniors. I mean, we all remember it, Casey Mittelstadt was like the guy we, we thought we drafted the best player in the draft at eighth overall. I mean, he had 11 points in seven games in the world juniors and he looked phenomenal. Yeah. He comes in and he scores 25 points in 77 games and he looks like, okay, yeah, it’s his rookie year. Then he comes in and scores nine points in 31 games and looks like he’s never going to play in the NHL again. But that we also have to remember, we put a, like basically high school kid into the NHL, because at that time, Casey Mittelstadt had only played one year of college hockey.
Josh:
I mean, sure. You can say Jack Eichel did the same thing. Connor McDavid did the same thing, but they played very different styles of hockey and they were very different caliber players than Casey Mittelstadt. So that’s just my whole, like fear of like rushing people and jumping into things too early, because I feel like this team is poised to be very good in the next two to three years. And I’m so scared we’re going to mess it up somehow. And it might not even be like someone’s fault. It might just be a thing, you know, that’s, that’s my whole thing.
Luke:
Who knows. Um,
Josh:
Should we address the elephant in the room?
Luke:
Did we, do we want to, I mean like I, this, this is our, this is, this is the first episode of the Die By the Blade podcasts that Melissa was so generous to give us, do we really want to talk about Jack Eichel? In general, I honestly like it’s been out there for the past year. He wants out of Buffalo. The only Buffalo wants him out. Yeah. There’s been trade rumors. They’ve heated up and cooled down 17 different times a day for the past month and a half minimum.
Josh:
Here’s the two new things, quote, unquote, at least different sentences that we’ve heard then from what we’ve heard for the past four months. And I’m sure by the time this is out, most of you will have seen these reports, but the rumored reported, whatever you want to call it. Package from Vegas that was offered to the sabers directly. Like it was, uh, telling my criminal or whoever their GM is. Um, who is it? God, I can’t think of his name. Oh yeah. It is. It is Kelly Mccrimmon. He said, look, Kevin, we’re going to give you Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, one of Brenda Busan or Nick Hague or Zach Whitecloud. And a conditional first round pick for an injured Jack Eichel, if Kevin Adams could have, he would have said yes, but from what it sounds like, and this is coming from other sources, not me because I don’t have sources. I’m just a lowly college graduate, trying to make his way in the world. Um, it basically, it’s the money issue. Vegas can’t take on Jack’s cap hit. We can’t get rid of Jack’s cap hit. Cause we’ll
Luke:
Be below the cap will be below the…
Josh:
Cap. So we need to retain, but we don’t want to, because then it’ll be a five-year retainment. It won’t be like a one or two year. Okay, we’re done. It’ll be the rest of Jack’s contract. That’s how much money we retain. So the rumor has it along with this report is that there is the both teams are looking for a third party source to be that cap retainer. But I don’t think
Luke:
Arizona has entered the chat.
Josh:
Right? That’s the big, most notable probable, like that’s a more probable destination for Jack’s cap, but the two problems there being one, like I said, the Sabres would be under the cap. Well, under the cap and two, what do you value that re that money retained? We saw this happen a few years ago when Robin Lehner went to the golden Knights, he went from Chicago to Toronto, Toronto retained salary and went to Vegas for like a second round pick.
Luke:
I don’t know how Toronto did that, but.
Josh:
Right. But it was for like a second round pick, but this is Jack. I go, we’re talking about, and this is for a long time, for most likely a lump sum of money. So yes, Arizona is the most likely destination, but will they want that money in five years when maybe they’ll figure their out and they’ll rebuild, not likely. So that’s where this whole issue lies of. Like they have the deal right there, but they just can’t get that last little piece. It’s like, you’re building a puzzle and you just lost the last piece of the puzzle.
Luke:
I, I almost want to be like, you know, screw it, drop Brisson out that and see if we can coerce Riley Smith out of them too. But I doubt that’s going to happen. Cause that’s, that’s another 4 million boom right there. Then we’ll still hit the cap floor. Right.
Josh:
And if you take that it’s yeah, like, like you said, Reilly, Smith’s 5 million actually. So that’s the 5 million, 9.7 from Vegas for Jax 10. I mean, plus you count in Peyton Krebs, um,
Luke:
800,
Josh:
800,000, that’s over 10 million right there. So that would figure out the deal. But I feel like you’d have to drop that first round pick two, which is a problem
Luke:
I used to think Vegas also is not fully willing to get rid of Reilly Smith, especially if they’re going to lose tuck in this too. Yes, that’s their right. That’s their right side minus Mark Stone.
Josh:
But remember Riley Smith is a UFA at the end of the year. That is
Luke:
True.
Josh:
He has less value to us the Sabres, but he also has less value to Vegas as being an unrestricted free agent at the age of 30.
Luke:
So what I’m hearing is Vegas says, screw it loses Reilly Smith. And we take him on a loner for a couple months. And then he goes to another team as a loner at the deadline. Got it.
Josh:
Maybe that’s not a bad idea actually. But the problem is, is I feel like the only way to make that deal work that would be worthwhile for the sabers. And the Knights is you’d have to kick in a little extra with ICL in the form of a hat or in a form of a draft picker two. And remember Vegas is hurting for players right now with Karlsson. It was just announced today Will Karlsson is going to be out long-term.
Luke:
I believe
Josh:
A broken foot. Max Pacioretty already is out longterm. Alex Tuch is out long-term Mark Stone, Nolan, Zack White cloud. Yeah.
Luke:
They’re they’re hurting. So in a way, it almost doesn’t make sense to them to take Eichel, but with them moving Tuch, who’s already hurt. They’re not losing too much. And it’s only Krebs who has not looked amazing so far in Vegas. No.
Josh:
And this would be their big deal. Like this would be where they’ve been looking for a star number one center since they’ve came into the league, I mean, Will Karlsson has done phenomenal, but he’s not the guy. Yeah.
Luke:
Chandler Stephenson has been better. Consists more consistently than Will Karlsson has to as of
Josh:
Late, but even
Luke:
He even last season, he was better.
Josh:
But even him, he’s definitely not the guy. But if the Knights got Jack Eichel, they would look for real. And this ownership group, as we’ve heard over the past few months, all they want to do is win. They will win at any cost. They want to win right now, this Jack Eichel deal. Won’t get them to win this year. But I think you give it a year. You say, okay, we’re going to take in him. And we’re just going to let everyone get healthy. Screw this year. If we make the playoffs, we make the playoffs. If not we don’t next year though, you have a healthy Jack Eichel, a healthy Mark Stone, a healthy Max Pacioretty ready, however much they’re worth at that point, a healthy will Karlsson, a healthy Nolan Patrick, Zack White cloud. You get, you get the picture and who knows who you pick up in the off season or in the rest of the season making trades. So there’s definitely. I think Vegas is going to happen. It’s not going to be Anaheim. It’s not going to be Calgary. It’s going to be Vegas.
Luke:
If it has to be Vegas at this point.
Josh:
Right? I mean, that’s the only team that really, really makes sense.
Luke:
So you can argue that Calgary makes sense, but the return just it, the return isn’t as appealing to Sabres fans and even Sabres management. No, I
Josh:
Mean
Luke:
The best for I’ll take, I’ll take a Dillon Dube, Connor Zary, first and insert your name here. No,
Josh:
Because Dillon
Luke:
Dube, I like Dillon Dube or also input. And Andrew Mangiapane who has looked very good.
Josh:
Yeah. I, aside from their looks on paper, the Flames are a lot like the Sabres. I mean, the Flames are running the Pacific right now. They ran through the Philadelphia Flyers last or a couple of nights ago and the Flyers have been dominating in the east. So it’s like, but then you look at like Montreal and Vegas and um, who else is starting off real slow Chicago. I mean, well, yeah.
Luke:
And they, they deserve it a little bit. Yeah.
Josh:
They deserve it. But I’m saying like, look at all these teams that are usually we see them as perennial, like, you know, winners and, and starting off.
Luke:
Why do you even look at Tampa and Toronto within our division?
Josh:
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it’s looked really rough throughout the league for some teams and weirdly good for other teams. So I don’t know. It’s it’s it’s so it’s so delicate this trade, because like I said, there’s a lot of moving parts and there’s a lot of money going each way that has to be looked at. And that’s why, I mean, that’s why there’s no real timetable. It’s just kind of like, we know who’s going where we know all the particulars, we just have to figure out the math, you know?
Luke:
So yeah. And it sucks, um,
Josh:
At this point, retain Jack salary. Okay. We were talking about this right before we recorded Luke, what did you, I mean, what did you say? You look at this team they’re young and they’re cheap, right?
Luke:
Yeah.
Josh:
Like we have 15 million in cap right now. Our biggest signing this coming off season would be Victor Olofsson. The next biggest would be Arttu Ruotsalainen at a million dollars. Yeah.
Luke:
Yeah, exactly. He’s he’s not gonna make much, even if he pops off this year at some point, I don’t think he makes anything more than 1.5. Cause it’s one year and him being a Europe player, we know how they can have one really good year. And then for nothing, look, Vlad Sobotka, he had 31 points. He was looking, he was looking pretty good in St. Louis. And then he didn’t nothing. After that season, Mikhail Grigorenko. He was a bust for us. He went over to, uh, Colorado put up, he would have 40 points. And then after that, those two seasons went back to the KHL, came back to Columbus, back to the K.
Josh:
And by the time we’re done retaining Jack salary because Jack’s contract that he is on, is up at the end of the 20, 25, 20, 26 season. Holy crap. That looks like a long way away, but it’s not.
Luke:
It’s five years.
Josh:
That’s, that’s strange to me, um, that when that contract is up, you’ll have already resigned. Dylan Cozens you’ll have already resigned Tage Thompson, Anders Bjork. Hopefully Olofsson signed that long. The season before you’ll resign Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt and Henri Jokiharju. If, if you get Peyton Krebs, he’ll be an RFA the same year as Dahlin and all those guys and Al Tuch is signed through the same season as Jack Eiche;. So his money comes off, Tuch’s goes on. It really works out. If you retain money, I’m not saying retain half, but retain like maybe three mil. That’s a number I’m comfortable with is 3 million.
Luke:
I’ve been seeing 2.2 being thrown around a lot.
Josh:
This is
Luke:
Well three. Yeah. I seen 2.2 thrown out a lot about how much we should retain. And I like that number. I think that’s a very low enough number. It’s it’s, it’s, it’s less than Girgensons makes. Right.
Josh:
Right. That’s crazy.
Luke:
Um, I, I just want it to happen at this point. I I’ve literally have started to take myself out of discussion. Like try to get away from even looking at anything. I go trade talk because everyone’s going to have their own trade ideas and all these rumor mills going around it’s it’s like, it’s just draining at this point. Like, I’m like, just get a deal that does, we can stop talking about it. I’m over-talking about it. That’s the thing. Right?
Josh:
And like, they all say, it’s not done until it’s done because realistically 30 teams are in on Jack Eichel like, if you’re a team
Luke:
Manager 31, no
Josh:
30, because we’re out, obviously
Luke:
The other team that’s out
Josh:
Colorado. And I think the Rangers are fully out.
Luke:
Okay. But you, you get my point though, in reality, 31 teams are in the sweepstakes for Jack Eichel.
Josh:
No, because
Luke:
I know, but if, but if you think about it in a wide spectrum, like 31 teams during the sweepstakes for Jack, I go in the fact of pretty much any team in this league. If, if they’re, if they’re any kinds of smart, they’ve seen what Jack Eichel can do, right? Like, you’d be stupid. Not have, want him on your team. Obviously, some teams don’t need him. i.e. Colorado, you know, Edmonton has McDavid already. Like
Josh:
Colorado thing was the reason he’s not going to Colorado is because we’re not retaining salary. And they want us to, so that’s like basically why he’s not going to Colorado.
Luke:
Um,
Josh:
No, but like what, like, what I’m saying though, is basically every team is in on this guy. So we can’t really safely assume, oh, he’s going to Vegas. So he’s going to Calgary. It was going to Anaheim because who knows, maybe there’s been this sleeper team. I mean, not to say the Islanders are in on it, but we know how Lou Lamoriello is with, with trade rumors. Nothing gets,
Luke:
Um, I’m getting, I’m getting Barzal. I don’t, I don’t want anything but Barzal.
Josh:
[inaudible] at all because why would they be? But it’s just, it’s that kind of thing where it’s like, you never know who could just pop in out of nowhere last second. Like, Hey, we’ll give you this, this and this. This is exactly what you want. Exactly. That final point for me. I know I’ve been talking a lot. I’m sorry, if you all hate my voice by now. I’m sorry. Um, my final point, I love how Kevyn Adams has stuck to his guns. Yes. But I think it’s time to loosen up on the retaining thing. That’s the thing you loosen up on. You try to get the same value, but you say, Hey, look, Vegas, we’re going to do your salad. We’re going to retain to $2.6 million on cap. Jack’s cap hit. Let’s make this deal happen. Yeah,
Luke:
Definitely thinks so. But we’re going to get off of this whole Jack Eichel thing. And we’re going to look ahead to the future a little bit, you know, here on the Die By the Blade podcast, we’re going to talk Sabres and we’re going to look ahead. We’ve got some games coming up. We’re still in this west coast cake. We got San Jose tonight as we were recording, we got Seattle on Thursday. And then we’re back home for, um, the Red Wings on Saturday. I put in the Docker. I’ve said, Jersey, it’s the red wings this Saturday.
Josh:
Last
Luke:
Saturday. Yes. Jersey was actually two Saturdays ago. Oh, shoot.
Josh:
Flying by. Like what’s…
Luke:
Right where we’re in game nine tonight, already on the season. Um, yeah, we got, we got the Red Wings this Saturday. I’m actually going to that game. So I’m very excited. And I’ll definitely give you guys an update on how that went. Um, this west coast skid we’ve looked, no, we won against Anaheim. We had a three, nothing lead. We let them crawl back. We won it in overtime. Um, Sunday after the Bills game, we saw them have a two, nothing lead in the second period, get wiped away. And we lost three, two there. They’re doing typical Sabres things that we’ve seen over the past 10 years
Josh:
From what we’ve all heard from player interviews and things like that. I remember Girgensons, I think it was specifically, he said a lot of the guys had problems with jet lag and mind you, like, we were also talking about this before the show this team had no Eastern conference team has traveled west in two years.
Luke:
Exactly.
Josh:
The only team to do it is Montreal.
Luke:
And well that well that, and like, you know, when they went to go face Vancouver.
Josh:
But, but the majority has not done a trans continental trip in two years. And some of the guys on teams have never done it,
Luke:
Even if young teams. Right. Right.
Josh:
Yes. Like you were pointing out earlier, you said Asplund, hasn’t really done it. Dahlin only did it once. Um, Ruotsalainen never done it. So it’s definitely weighing on the guys I think. Um, and they just look more comfortable at home anyway. I mean, they always do, but
Luke:
I mean, I’d always hope they do. Yeah. It’s your home ice, right?
Josh:
Um, I mean, I’m hopeful for tonight. I have a good feeling.
Luke:
I have a good thing about tonight. I’m a little upset that Olofsson’s not playing and a little nervous about that. So, so yeah, that, that news broke at least to me earlier today, Victor Olson is out of the lineup with a, some kind of soft tissue injury thing. Hopefully it’s just like a day-to-day thing and he’ll get it figured out. Uh, Cody Eakin, however, is back in the lineup. So we will see him for the first time.
Josh:
Hey, that’s good.
Luke:
Yes. Cause that line’s done well, hopefully he can, can be at the same spot he was before the injury. Um, those, those listening that don’t know, I, I at least, um, have been very, very, very, very, very low on Cody Eakin. Um, I don’t think he deserves a spot in the NHL
Josh:
Fan base was low on him last year. I mean, the man did not know how to play hockey for four months. Um, but he’s figured it out
Luke:
Pretty good.
Josh:
He’s just looking better under Granato. Like we’ve been saying this whole episode,
Luke:
It might be that, um, you know, he’s looked pretty well with Okposo. So, so hopefully that lines back to how it was the first couple of games of the season before his injury. Uh, I definitely think it can be, um, especially, and especially against, you know, it’s, that’s a veteran line and as long as not none, none of the three of them get hurt tonight. We have Seattle coming up on Thursday, another our last west coast game for this trip and you know, a veteran line, you know, they’ve, they’ve been through these west coast first and the slash east coast shows for Cody Eakin when he was in the west coast for a while, you know, these long stretches away, they know how to, they know how to play. And you know, on it with a team that’s is, you know, new as Seattle is still trying to figure out chemistry that could really benefit us with the veterans playing together to just wear down that Seattle team.
Luke:
And I, I I’m, I’m optimistic over the next three games, honestly, tonight’s Thursdays and even Saturdays Redwings are looking good, but we’re back home after a nice long road trip there, they’re playing fun hockey and that’s, that’s, that’s all I’ve been asking for for the past 10 years, play fun hockey. I don’t care if we lose six to four, you put up four goals, you looked pretty okay, doing it. Obviously defensive, lows, and gold, any woes are there, but they look fun. They were fun to watch. And that’s how you get fans back in the stands we saw throughout the first week of the season, we weren’t, we didn’t even break 10,000 fans that arena can fit 18,000, 19,000,
Josh:
Whatever
Luke:
My point stands, like we’re never a, a 10,000 fans in that arena play fun hockey and you’ll get fans back. But speaking of fun, hockey and, you know, getting fans back, some of these, uh, some of these young guys seem to potentially bring that back as we’re going to shift down to the, uh, AHL real quick talk about our Rochester Americans farm team, you know, my slow trip down to 90 cause um, our draft picks are looking really good in Jack Quin and JJ Peterka.
Josh:
Jack Quinn is very good at hockey. Okay. That’s a bit…
Luke:
He’s very good at AHL hockey. Yeah.
Josh:
Okay. Yeah. That’s a, that’s a better point.
Luke:
It’s nine points of 15 last year, 10 in 5, 6, 10, and six this year.
Josh:
Um, he has just blown me away. I mean, him and JJ is JJ. [inaudible] what Marco Rossi was for him on the Ottawa 67s. I mean, we all remember going into that draft. We all wanted Marco. Everyone wanted Marco Rossi. That was the guy, oh my God, we got him. And then boom, you draft Jack Quinn, big letdown. And then everyone was like, oh my God. Only, you know, Rossi just speeds Quinn. That’s the only reason he has goals, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Fast forward to now, JJ [inaudible] has six assists. Jack Quinn has five goals. Like I’m not saying he’s assisted, he’s been the primary assist for every single goal, but they play in a line together and Peterka is a plus three. Quinn’s a plus two.
Luke:
Well, we also want to obtain the same play unit as well. Right.
Josh:
So it’s just these two look like they’re meshing very well. And I hope they stay together when they come to the NHL.
Luke:
That’s, that’s exactly where I was gonna go with that. It’s it’s, it’s good to see from two AHL players, um, that are, you know, your biggest names in your system right now?
Josh:
Anyway. Yeah.
Luke:
Like two of the beat, two of the bigger names in your system playing very well together, you know, um, our buddy, Steve brought up this point, um, about, about the whole, how they’ve played this year. No Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka playing together. It’s a lot like Roy and Pominville from the lockout season. Right.
Josh:
And this Amerks team reminds me a lot of that team from the lockout season. I mean, obviously not every, I mean, every guy on that lockout team was going to make it to the NHL. I mean, you look back at that roster. It was just incredible how many NHL players were on that team. But I mean, JJ Peterka, Jack, when Michael Mersch has looked before,
Luke:
He’s looked very well as a leader down there in the A. I don’t think he really ever gets a chance with the sabers. Um, just because we have, you know, JJ and Jack, they’re going to be the first call ups obviously. Yeah.
Josh:
But I mean Mersch is only, I mean, how old is he?
Luke:
He’s not to say it’s 26.
Josh:
He was born in 92.
Luke:
So he’s 28 going on 29. Yeah.
Josh:
And he’s definitely a veteran presence down there for them. So you’d expect him to get the points he’s getting, but I mean, he could be a call up say another forward gets hurt. Yeah. I would, I honestly would have liked to see, maybe see him get called up instead of Brett Murray. I don’t want to see Quinn or Peterka get called up yet.
Luke:
I don’t want to see him caught up until 25 plus games have been played. Right?
Josh:
Yep. Let them get more under their belt,
Luke:
Especially, especially for Peterka. Um, Jack Quinn at least has some games played in the A and has played at higher levels. Whereas particular coming from the DEL, you know, he’s used to that your style of play, let him really get accustomed to the north American style and how, how things kind of work and get him that experience before rushing him. And that’s, that’s exactly what was everyone was calling for Peterka, Hey, Peterka should be in the lineup. They’re going to be in the lineup, come opening night. And then when he wasn’t, everyone was kind of like what, why? And some of the, some of the guy, like some people were just like, Hey, we’re not rushing him. Like we did middle step.
Josh:
Um, a couple other prospects I want to hit. Um, hopefully future prospect, Brendan Brisson has 11 points for Michigan in eight games. Another one of his fellow teammates. Owen Power has eight points in eight games. Pretty good. Start. I’d say for a defenseman had three of those eight points in his first game of the season. So that’s pretty good. Um, another one of his teammates, Eric Portillo has eight games played six wins, two losses, 18 goals against for a two to a 2.2, five goals against and a nine 20 save percentage. It’s pretty good compared to [inaudible] 4.9, three goals against average and a 0.818 save percentage.
Luke:
Is it time we start to talk about is U P L a bust?
Josh:
I don’t think he’s a bust because he never got to the league.
Luke:
I don’t think it makes them even that would make it even more of a bust. If he even doesn’t look at how he’s playing in the air right now, w the guy he played last year, even he was not looking good. Right.
Josh:
I just feel like he’s been pushed for so long of like, oh my God, you’re the guy. You’re the guy. You’re the guy it’s got away on him, somewhat, you know,
Luke:
Possibly. But they, they’re not pushed. They don’t push that down in Roch, over in Rochester. They don’t push things like that on them. Right. They’re like, Hey, you’re the starting goalie here. That’s your focus. And w w when you, when you see he’s played eight games, seven games, six For always, but even, even that four games is having almost a five goals against in the AHL. Like, I’m not saying the AHL is a bad league, but when you’re tout, like when you were touted as a goalie, the, of, of the future for a team, those numbers can’t be that high. They just can’t.
Josh:
But then you look at one Devin Levi who has had, I think, four shutouts in all.
Luke:
Four of his wins are, have been shutouts. Yeah.
Josh:
Devin Levi has, no, five wins. Now he’s five and three. Okay.
Luke:
I missed a game in there.
Josh:
14 goals against a 1 point 76 goals against average and a nine 40 save percentage with four shutouts.
Luke:
He’s playing, he’s waiting in a weaker division with Northeastern, but it’s stil.
Josh:
Really good
Luke:
Numbers. It’s unreal numbers for any goalie in any league.
Josh:
Right. And you look at what he did in the world juniors, not too long ago when he was,
Luke:
I don’t look into world juniors. I don’t look into world juniors anymore because of Casey Mittelstadt,
Josh:
But he put up Carey price numbers in those world, juniors as an injured goaltender. I mean, granted on a very good Canada team,
Luke:
Overpowered hand game,
Josh:
Right. But he had seven games played with a 0.75 goals against an a 9 64 save percentage while he was injured. The only game they lost was the gold medal game.
Josh:
Right. But still like,
Luke:
So what I’m hearing is he cracks under pressure.
Josh:
That whole team cracked under pressure. Let’s be adults
Luke:
I’m. I’m very, I’m very high on both Portillo and Levi. And that’s why I don’t say UPL is a bust, but if he doesn’t figure it out by the end of the year, and either Portillo or Levi are ready for at least like the AHL and they’re willing to leave school to come do that, I’m okay with it. I want to see what they can do on a higher level.
Josh:
Right? I mean, I look at it with either Portillo or Levi. I feel like it’s almost kind of like the Marty and Miller situation we had where Marty Biron was just coming in. He looked like he was going to be our starter for awhile. And then boom, Ryan Miller comes out of nowhere and just shocks the world and takes the starter position away from Marty for, for how long. Now we’ve said Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is going to be the guy he’s going to be the starter, blah, blah, blah. And then boom, Erik Portillo or Devin Levi, or both of them could just come in and just take it away from him.
Luke:
Yeah. I mean, I would love to, I would love to see it be both. And we just have a Portillo-Levi tandem for years, if they’re they’re up to that level.
Josh:
Right. I mean, I think eventually one of them is going to be worse than the other.
Luke:
Oh, most definitely. And I’m, it’s, it’s hard to tell right now. I think Portillo in the long run might be the better goalie. Yeah.
Josh:
Michigan has always, again, back to him. Well, Miller was Michigan state, but still it’s still
Luke:
Michigan.
Josh:
Michigan has always produced good goaltenders. So along with college hockey as a whole, so I’m okay if UPL doesn’t work out the way we wanted them to, we have, I’m not saying we have goalies, but
Luke:
We do have potentially have options. And that’s the biggest thing to take away from it. And to hope for, for the future, if you are any kind of optimist like Josh is we have pieces, right? It’s a matter of putting them together and seeing if they, these pieces can translate to the NHL level. And that’s what you hope to see.
Josh:
Speaking of those pieces, we’re going to take a deeper dive into the European prospects. And next week I know we really only hit the American Canadian prospects, but well, we didn’t really hit the Canadian ones. So we’ll hit Canada and Europe next week because I know we kind of teased out a little bit, but we’re running low on time. So we’ll probably hit those prospects next week.
Luke:
Definitely gonna hit this process prospects next week. Um, I also, uh, for those listening, I know this is the very first episode, but something I want to integrate here on the show is talking about some of your guys’s posts on Die by the Blade. I would love to hear that. I would love to talk about that. You know, y’all, y’all write an article, we’ll talk about it. If you really want to talk about what Duffy talk about it, because we want to intro, we want to get you guys involved with this as much as we can. I, you know, I’m starting to read some of these articles and they’re, they’re looking really good. I’m loving the bold predictions. I’m loving these takes after the games, before games, pregames, everything. I love it. I love to see it. And it’s something I want to keep going here on the Die by the Blade podcast. Um, you know, it’s that first episode we’re, we’re we’re, you know, getting our feet rolling here. We’re getting, we’re getting the space wet a little bit. You know, we might not be on the ice yet. Maybe we had a conditioning drill today. Um,
Josh:
It was funny for five seconds getting the skates wet.
Luke:
I don’t know. I, I lo I lost my train of thought. We’re just rolling here.
Josh:
To sweat when you skate
Luke:
The ice is way.
Josh:
Yeah, but it’s not supposed to be, it’s supposed to be frozen. Hence cold weather, hence ice hockey. All right. Anyway.
Luke:
Yeah, but like at melts, sometimes
Josh:
Moving,
Luke:
Uh, um, honestly at this point, I’m sure you guys are sick of hearing our voices. So if you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for dealing with us and getting through this very first episode of the Die by the Blade podcast. Definitely gonna keep this going. We love talking hockey and you know, it’s end of the show. We can, we can take a quick little break from hockey and just talk about us for another second, because that’s what we like to do here. We just have banter, Josh, anything fun going on in your life coming up?
Josh:
Um, not
Luke:
Really or previous,
Josh:
Um, I’m looking forward to the month of November. It’s the month before Christmas. It’s the month of Thanksgiving. Um, it’s, you know, it’s that time of year again, I’m excited. I mean, football’s going well, the Bills are doing great. I mean, Sunday’s game could have been better, but we still won. So that’s what matters. Um, but, uh, you know, I’m really excited for a snow to come back. We had, as we’re, like we said, we were recording on the second. I had our, uh, at least in my area, the first bit of snowfall, I live in the farther in the Southern tier. So I’ve got a little bit of snow today. That was fun. Um, just looking forward to when the lakes and the ponds freeze over and we can go out and skate on those instead of having to skate in those crappy arenas. But, um, other than that, I’m just kind of vibing doing me and just really excited about the show. And thank you guys for listening.
Luke:
Yeah, it’s definitely thanks for listening. Um, I, myself, you know, like I said, I got the Sabres game coming up, uh, the Saturday I get to go to it. My wonderful girlfriend bought me tickets for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. So I’m very excited about that first time going to a game in three years, because of all, everything with COVID two years, two years.
Josh:
Yeah. Yeah. Cause we went during the 50th anniversary, we went me and you saw the, the Jersey blowout.
Luke:
Yeah. We saw that and yeah, yeah, it was it, that was a fun game to be at, but yeah, first game in like two years. So very excited for that. Um, I’m also off from work tomorrow, which I’m also very excited about after driving to Syracuse today. Uh, for those that don’t know, I know I didn’t preface this in the intro. I do military funeral honors full time. So my life surrounds around the military and I had to go to Syracuse today and it was a long drive to say the least. Um, but thank you again, everyone that tuned in to listen to the very first episode of the Die by the Blade podcast, hosted by Luke and Josh and, you know, go, go watch them Sabres hockey tonight and the rest of the week, it’s going to be
Josh:
Sabres after dark baby. Let’s do it.