I swear the Oilers will win the draft again.

g]
- stashu

think of it as a night cap

think of it as a night cap
- cabin

It was only a matter of time...the yawn was more for that than being tired.

I swear the Oilers will win the draft again.
- sippyd

If they did. the hockey fans would go nuts.

If they did. the hockey fans would go nuts.
- cabin

I think it will be funny. No matter what the NHL tries it doesn't work.

I think it will be funny. No matter what the NHL tries it doesn't work.
- sippyd

Yep Same here . but will suck a lot that other teams didn't get the players they have gotten. those poor kids. Makes ya think they were not all that great.

we will never know unless the Oil trades some away.

Yep Same here . but will suck a lot that other teams didn't get the players they have gotten. those poor kids. Makes ya think they were not all that great.

we will never know unless the Oil trades some away.
- cabin

They'll have to. Can't see how you pay all those #1 picks.

I think it will be funny. No matter what the NHL tries it doesn't work.
- sippyd

They should have made a rule already that you can't win the lottery twice

They'll have to. Can't see how you pay all those #1 picks.
- sippyd

yeah same thinking . We could run into that problem if not careful in the next 2 years.

It was only a matter of time...the yawn was more for that than being tired.
- stashu

They should have made a rule already that you can't win the lottery twice
- gerbe75pts

That will be next.

I'm out .

Was a dec goal. Mainly the feed jack gave him. Watched it from the degraff emergency room Just got home . My girls daughter in there with a kidney stone 7mm. admitted so i came home to plow.
- cabin

Damn that's rough. How old is she?

I watched the Sabres Bruins play a playoff game on Mother's day about 17 years ago from there. We won. I cut my leg open pretty bad when my bike fell on top of me and the sprocket dug into my shin and kind of tucked the flap of skin under the skin that wasn't cut. Not as much blood as you'd think for gouging out piece of skin about the size of your pinky. I could see my shin bone. It was awesome. It didn't even hurt until that wiener doctor started pulling and unrolling the skin without any kind of numbing agent.

yeah same thinking . We could run into that problem if not careful in the next 2 years.
- cabin

It'll be a good problem to have

They should have made a rule already that you can't win the lottery twice
- gerbe75pts

It won't happen. But then again this is the league that can't go a single year without some major rule change. The next one I'd like to see, and tonight/this year has nothing to do with it is to get rid of the goddamn shootout, and get rid of the loser point. Sure it makes races closer, but artificially so, the teams that are down only a handful of points, but have 3 or 4 teams to jump have almost no hope of moving up when those teams play each other in a game where both teams come out with points.

Also the Devils should go back to the red and green jerseys, they're awesome.

Also the Devils should go back to the red and green jerseys, they're awesome.
- Wetbandit1

I love those jerseys.

It won't happen. But then again this is the league that can't go a single year without some major rule change. The next one I'd like to see, and tonight/this year has nothing to do with it is to get rid of the goddamn shootout, and get rid of the loser point. Sure it makes races closer, but artificially so, the teams that are down only a handful of points, but have 3 or 4 teams to jump have almost no hope of moving up when those teams play each other in a game where both teams come out with points.
- Wetbandit1

The NHL will NEVER get rid of the loser point
Artificial or not, what they want is parody, and that clearly helps.
I really like the 3-2-1 idea...
But it will hurt parody, so I doubt it happens

I like the idea about not letting the same team win the lotto more than once in a set period of time (3yrs, 5yrs, whatever... Just something)

Stricter punishments on head hits

Call the damn obstruction penalties & let guys skate

Get rid of the "armor-plated" elbow & shoulder pads

Reduce the size on goalie equipment

Make the nets slightly bigger


Basically...
Cater to your star players
Let them skate, shoot & score!

The NFL does it for QBs... Wake up NHL!

The more scoring, the more exciting it'll be
And the more "fringe" fans it'll attract

I think it will be funny. No matter what the NHL tries it doesn't work.
- sippyd

At least this time they'll trade it....right?

At least this time they'll trade it....right?
- Sabresfan-365

I take Matthews if I were the Oilers & won the lotto
And I wouldn't trade Eberle, or Hall, or RNH or Draisaitl
That would potentially give them 2 dynamic lines,
Or split them up & still have 3 lines that are really good

I would trade Yakupov + for a top4 defenseman
And I'd trade Schultz for another top4 defenseman
Those guys still have enough talent that a team will take a chance on them

Add those 2 defensemen to Nurse & Klefbom & Sekera and they should be ok on defense

Draft defensemen with every other pick in the draft

They still might need to find a goalie though

I think it will be funny. No matter what the NHL tries it doesn't work.
- sippyd

I have a feeling they go on a mini run finish fourth last and then end up winning the 2nd pick. What they do with that pick is anyone's guess.

I take Matthews if I were the Oilers & won the lotto
And I wouldn't trade Eberle, or Hall, or RNH or Draisaitl
That would potentially give them 2 dynamic lines,
Or split them up & still have 3 lines that are really good

I would trade Yakupov + for a top4 defenseman
And I'd trade Schultz for another top4 defenseman
Those guys still have enough talent that a team will take a chance on them

Add those 2 defensemen to Nurse & Klefbom & Sekera and they should be ok on defense

Draft defensemen with every other pick in the draft

They still might need to find a goalie though
- jdfitz77

No way does Schultz get you a top 4, not by himself. They'd have to add their 2nd. He's just not very good. He's a third pairing guy.

Yak is a bit different. I think he's still pretty much a known unknown at this point, and could probably get you a number 4/5 guy like a Leddy type.

The NHL will NEVER get rid of the loser point
Artificial or not, what they want is parody, and that clearly helps.
I really like the 3-2-1 idea...
But it will hurt parody, so I doubt it happens

I like the idea about not letting the same team win the lotto more than once in a set period of time (3yrs, 5yrs, whatever... Just something)

Stricter punishments on head hits

Call the damn obstruction penalties & let guys skate

Get rid of the "armor-plated" elbow & shoulder pads

Reduce the size on goalie equipment

Make the nets slightly bigger


Basically...
Cater to your star players
Let them skate, shoot & score!

The NFL does it for QBs... Wake up NHL!

The more scoring, the more exciting it'll be
And the more "fringe" fans it'll attract
- jdfitz77

This is the ongoing debate. What tweaks does the game need to be better?


3-2-1 is logical. And sure the loser point keeps "parity" but I don't believe we need that. The NFL needs party. NFL games are only as fun as they are meaningful. The division leader vs that scrappy team facing playoff elimination is exciting. A .500 team vs a team that mathematically eliminated means nothing except for fantasy points.

An NHL team on the other hand can be fun for it's fans anytime. The Sabres have never really been the greatest team over the years, but they've always been fun to watch(minus the tank years. That's it's own story). A three game win streak, or a
win over a rival is always great. In that moment your team is powerful and the underlying narratives don't matter. In football you win the last game of the season and there goes your shot at a franchise changing quarterback. The NHL needs to stop tying to be the NFL.

As far as equipment, net sizes and such, I think you can only change the things that have changed over the years. Net sizes and puck sizes should be sacred. I would hate for the NHL to become "that league where the nets are different from everywhere else on earth" for the sake of some gimmick. The goalie equipment and rule enforcement are absolutely what has to change. Even 3 on 3 hasn't really produced that results they hoped for.

What the NHL needs is some real (frank)ing leadership. Stop trying to be the NFL as a fix-all and stop letting your fans have the better ideas and solutions than you do.

This is the ongoing debate. What tweaks does the game need to be better?


3-2-1 is logical. And sure the loser point keeps "parity" but I don't believe we need that. The NFL needs party. NFL games are only as fun as they are meaningful. The division leader vs that scrappy team facing playoff elimination is exciting. A .500 team vs a team that mathematically eliminated means nothing except for fantasy points.

An NHL team on the other hand can be fun for it's fans anytime. The Sabres have never really been the greatest team over the years, but they've always been fun to watch(minus the tank years. That's it's own story). A three game win streak, or a
win over a rival is always great. In that moment your team is powerful and the underlying narratives don't matter. In football you win the last game of the season and there goes your shot at a franchise changing quarterback. The NHL needs to stop tying to be the NFL.

As far as equipment, net sizes and such, I think you can only change the things that have changed over the years. Net sizes and puck sizes should be sacred. I would hate for the NHL to become "that league where the nets are different from everywhere else on earth" for the sake of some gimmick. The goalie equipment and rule enforcement are absolutely what has to change. Even 3 on 3 hasn't really produced that results they hoped for.

What the NHL needs is some real (frank)ing leadership. Stop trying to be the NFL as a fix-all and stop letting your fans have the better ideas and solutions than you do.
- Buffalo--Sabres

I could concede on the net size point
Hopefully the other changes would be enough to increase the scoring
If the net sizes were also to change, I really didn't think it would be a big deal
Im just talking a couple inches in each direction
For me,
It's more important that scoring goes up than it is to have the same net sizes over in Europe
Chances are, those leagues would follow suit anyways

As far as the 3-2-1 system goes...
I just don't think it'll ever happen
The good that the loser point does now, would be nullified by the extra 3rd point

Sure, you & I could find the NHL exciting even when losing is going on
But that's not true for fringe fans needed to grow the game
And yes, I do believe it's important to grow the game & attract these fans

When your team is out of it, fans don't show up as much
And that's obviously bad for the game

Even here in Buffalo...
In the post Hasek days, there were many nights when half the arena was empty

Parody helps that
It makes more $$$ and keeps more fans interested in the team


I do agree with most of what you said though
Especially the leadership part
The NHL really needs to make some changes
Hopefully soon

Awful quiet this morning for going 2-0-1 in our last 3 game series!