That's a bad story, but it's the kind of thing that can happen anywhere. Unfortunately, if it weren't for the location, we would not even hear of this hit/murder.
Very true, I only posted it because I was there and it's world famous. These kind of shootings have been happening very often over here lately, especially this year. I woke up one night, there was a real loud bang in front of my place, it ended up being a gunshot. Some guy just walked in front of another building and shot through the glass at the security gaurd. Another one up the street, a drive by at four in the afternoon. This all has to do with owing money for a drug debt, nothing more.
I have not been back to Buffalo in a long time. And I have never been to the Anchor Bar! Beers and wings on me when we get there for the WJC, Dec. 2017.
Sabres ink defenceman Brycen Martin to entry-level deal The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenceman Brycen Martin to a three-year, entry-level contract. Martin was a third-round pick (74th overall) of the Sabres in 2014 and spent the past season in the Western Hockey League with the Saskatoon Blades and Everett Silvertips. The Calgary native played in 66 games this season, scoring six goals while leading all Everett defencemen with 37 points and 31 assists. (SN)
It's no secret that Buffalo's D corp is young and thin. I like the young part, but they need to fatten things up. The draft? I would speculate that it's highly likely the Sabres pick D at #8. But, realistically, that prospect will be at least a year away from contributing. The org. pipeline? There are a couple of prospects that should be steady blueliners: B. Guhle and W. Borgen. But, these players are a year or more away. Obviously there are some more prospects in the pipeline, but they're more in the "it'll take luck", or "surprise us" category. B. Martin is the most likely of this lot. I believe he was one of the first picks in his WHL draft class, so he's kinda the opposite of a late bloomer. He has some nice tools that once made him look like a first rounder. He had a decent year last year. I'm hopeful that after lengthy seasoning in Rochester he may make a showing in blue & gold. About the most excited I'll get about him is to remind everyone that TM has a knack for finding good D in the middle rounds. Getting back to the here-and-now Sabres; it looks like TM needs to swing a deal. He demonstrated that he's not afraid to spend to get what he wants. He is also decisive. Anaheim and Minnesota seem to be the most likely shopping stops, with Philly and NJ being stores where he may do more than just window shop.
Had to post a message, any message, to move the Sabres board off the sign of the devil number. Aah, 667, that's better.
(If this looks familiar, I posted the same message in the 2016 FA thread.) I do not twit (tweet?), so this is just a brazen copy & paste from another site: On a personal level, I hope this is true as Soupy remains extraordinarily popular in Buffalo - in fact, he's one of my favorite players ever. (I still have the #51 Buffaslug sweater.) It would go a long way to remove the bitter taste still lingering from the Golisano/Regier days if he were to come back to his first team. On a professional level I believe he could be close to an ideal stop-gap signing for the Sabres. He fits a crucial need, and he has the credentials to be a great leader for every player on the roster, let alone blueliners. His dollars could be pretty close to whatever he wants as long as he does not need more than two years. I still think FL will push to resign him. And, I also think it's gotta be rather sweet for a Canadian guy to winter in South Florida. Still, as dreams go, Soupy coming back to Buffalo ranks up there in the wet dream category.
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have signed prospect forward Vaclav Karabacek to a three-year entry-level contract. The Czech Republic-born player was selected by the Sabres with the 49th pick in the 2014 draft. Karabacek is coming off a season in which he had 18 goals and 12 assists in 47 games split between Baie-Comeau and Moncton in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Overall, he has 56 goals and 61 assists in 171 career QMJHL games.
Many of us in Sabreville wondered if the team would pass on signing Karabacek and allow him back into the draft. He skates in a very high-scoring league, but his production was very pedestrian for a former second round pick. Plus, (and I'm having a hard time verifying this), I believe this puts Buffalo at the 50 contract org. limit. The only positive I can come up with is that it's better to retain prospect rights than to lose him for nothing. He could become a legit. NHL prospect, or maybe a trade throw in. That's the positive. More likely, IMO, is that he busts and the Sabres have less flexibility. Oh well, I guess that even I do not view every Sabres move as a positive.
NHL.com, Buffalo Sabres, Learning How to Win: http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=881457&navid=DL|BUF|home (I hope the link works, I've never done this on a tablet before.) Essentially my thoughts from a few days ago are expressed here. - The Sabres had a massive amount of changes a year ago. - They were a very young team. - Naturally, it would take an uneven period of time to assimilate the team. - The Sabres really had two seasons in 2015-16; the first half put them in a big hole. They played like a playoff team over the second half. I believe the Sabres need three major upgrades this summer if they're going to do anything more than just compete for a low playoff seed: they need more scoring from the top six - specifically from wingers. And they need a top four LHD. The draft does not have any D at #8 that is likely to play next season. There are a couple of wingers that have a shot. I now think TM is targeting D through trade, and may try to get an elite winger in the first round. This leaves me with an unsettling sense that there may some plausibility to the numerous rumors that BUF will push hard to sign Stamkos. (Steve would stay at C, which is reportedly a cause for friction in TB. ROR can easily play wing, and this versatility is one reason I was eager for them to acquire him a year ago.) Tyler Ennis should be good to go, and can play top six. Otherwise, there are a few other players that could fill in until this year's top pick is ready. ROR, Eich, Reinhart, Ristoleinen, and probably Lehner are untouchable, (Rob is not really untouchable, it's just that it would make zero sense that he would be moved in the current market for G.) (And, yes, Kane's omission is not an oversight.) That leaves quite a number of attractive players, prospects, picks, and salary flexibility that could be used to make the one deal needed for D. There are a number that could be moved, but in the end I expect TM will target Fowler from the Ducks.
Casey Fitzgerald: These fans are unbelievable. Amazing crowd, city & I've heard great things from Jack (Eichel) too.
Kyle Olposa is an ideal fit for the Sabres from a need & style perspective. At $6MM AAV he is not being overpaid either. The contract is heavily skewed to bonus money vs. salary. But that's what needed to be done to sign the most highly sought after FA to hit the open market this year. I think he'll get most of his ice time on the first line with O'Reilly and Kane*. If Jimmy Vesey signs then he'll help form the REV line together with Eichel & Reinhart. Bylsma has a lot of flexibility with some very versatile players and should be able to roll four strong lines. (* Kane is in the doghouse and I would not be shocked if he were dealt.) The D should be stronger, if for no other reason than they're a year older. They also no longer have to force a player to play on the wrong side after the draft-day trade. Chad Johnson would have been a nice luxury at backup goal. TM is going to need to acquire a solid backup since the pipeline needs another year of seasoning, and Rob Lehner has not yet established that he can play an entire season.
Must have good goaltending. The defensive system played in front of a goalie is important, but a good goalie that can bail a team out is huge. In my opinion, a good goalie is a huge part of the 'core' a team needs to build around.
