The Sabre Roundtable: Episode 60 – Let The Late-Season Push Begin
I cannot remember the last time they’ve won every game since the last time we recorded it has been a minute definitely hasn’t been this season right no because uh they haven’t won three straight this season and that’s usually how many games they play in a week
So here we find ourselves in a weird optimistic like an actual optimistic spot for once yeah also I guess you throw a little props our way it just means we consistently put out unlike uh unlike the BST pod that we decided to plug at the end of the
Episodes just kidding love those boyss love those boys hey the Savers are back I’m hearing on the streets that we’re back I wouldn’t go that far yet I would say we are fully back hop on the train before it takes off it’s already taken off actually have you guys seen uh Chad
Uh I always screw up his last name den den denus you sound you sound like me yeah I sound like you last de dein D menesis you see the the um graphic he made where like it’s like it’s kind of like uh you know light up
The light up the scoreboard to get to your goal so hey they get 40 points in their last I don’t know how many games maybe they make it interesting I’m really mad we didn’t come up with that idea because it’s a great idea and then it’s a he pulled it from Major League
Which is is just obviously one of the best sports movies and it’s just an iconic scene where you know every time we get a win they peel off a piece of clothing of the uh the owner but uh I think I think we should do that with Christian whoa hey okay all
Right we just we just switched we just switched a video podcast on YouTube but we’re not GNA get demonetized that quickly you could have done it before now we can do it it is a fun way to I guess kind of prepare for this last little stretch down the season it’s fun
It’s fun it’s a fun thing it’s a fun thing to keep your eyes on at least I I believe the the projection when he started that was they need 52 or they need 39 of a remaining 52 points so it’s it’s a tall task but it’s fun it’s fun to keep an
Eye on and they’re perfect since he started it so yeah it’s it’s fun until they start losing a lot then it just becomes sad it’s like oh yeah we need uh we need 30 we need 35 out of the remaining 15 points possible to make the playoffs although we’ve been eliminated
But hopefully they find a way to keep winning they got a tough stretch coming up so I don’t know you know they’re GNA make a heroic playoff push at the end of the season whenn like 16 on the next 20 games teames and they’re going to miss the playoffs by
Like two or three points give me a nickel for every time I’ve heard that one historic playoff push at the end of the season incoming I’m just waiting for it to happen do you remember it was one of our last episodes of the season last year and we were talking about how crazy
It would have been how uh in the if they would have done it the fashion they would have done it and I just I remember saying I’m like you know droughts droughts like this they don’t they don’t end in a boring way they do not it’s never
Mundane I wish it was make it a lot easier on everyone wouldn’t be fun it wouldn’t be you know what this this type of drought deserves some type of uh Disney fairy tale ending hey actually our third last game is against the Red Wings so we have three matchups against
The Red Wings left we do and and two a Tampa two a Tampa it’s possible I it’s possible weren’t we 4-0 against the Red Wings last season we did a clean sweep on and one to start this year but oh right yeah we lost to them earlier this year yeah
We’re due we’re due for three St but there’s games there’s games to look forward to and we’re going to get all into that and more everybody welcome back to another episode of the saber Round Table my name is Jonah I’m Christian I’m JP and as always we’ll be
Talking to about all things Buffalo Sabers hockey and even a little bit of The Wider NHL on the docket for today a three- game winning streak a three game winning streak for the first time this season which is something obviously we haven’t been able to talk about at all and among other things
Players like Payton Krabs the return of Owen power a lot of of fun stuff to talk about and some fresh news from today Arena Renovations so a very exciting stuff going to try to enjoy an episode like this it’s been a slog of a year I’m going to take full advantage of the
Positivity that I’m sort of feeling around the team right now um so let’s let’s just get right into it three- game win streak it’s starts in Montreal a 3-2 win against the Habs it was it was just good win good solid win it’s a team that
You you needed them to beat Jeff Skinner scoring against the Canadians was inevitable easy money but weirdly one of those games that was led by the saber special teams that Jeff Skinner go came on the power play Then Alex talk scored short-handed so contributions on both sides of the Special Teams um penalty
Kill has obviously been a good story this year but the power play has famously hasn’t been so there’s one game that you don’t win without your power play and it wouldn’t be the last one that it would come to help the team’s final result but three to2 winning
Montreal like I said a team that you did need to beat especially if you had any aspirations into somehow get back into this race that that’s 100% a game you needed to win um if not I feel like the the whole episode would have just been
Shot anyway like even if they won the second two games it’s like what you lost to Montreal so it’s like you’re kind of putting yourself in the same situation so hey they took care of business and it was nice to see some actual contributions out of Tuck and skanner
Who have obviously struggled as of recently but I mean their play continues into the next two games where they they’ve they’ve started a gel more they’ve started to look better they’ve started maybe get a little more healthy so um it’s you need your best players to contribute down this stretch and they’re
Starting to heat up and we’ll move on to the second game that the Sabres won against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus in a game where the Sabres outshot the Blue Jackets 37 to 26 guys like Tage Thompson and Payton Krebs all over the ice and yet your two goal
Scorers are zus gurgenson and Conor Clifton with his first as a buffalo saber not the goal scorers you predicted but it’s the ones you got and the sabes once again take care of business against the team that they needed to just solid win UK peka Lucan in pretty e easy night
For him but no it was a fitting time for Clifton’s first goal I wonder what the um what the odds were on like a on a same game parlay if you bet anytime goal scorer garson’s and Clifton like throw 10 bucks on that it’s got to be like at
Least a $100 payout right it’s got especially especially Conor like you think so here I’ll check next game we’ll see if they’re even on the L because people like that usually aren’t even betting odds while while JP’s doing that I will say that it was another solid allaround
Performance um it was good to get backtack wins again it seems like they’re doing that more often now and uh you know carried in the next game and they kind of did that another notable storyline K clay picking up his first assist on the season on gon’s goal and zus was
Actually goal scorer in consecutive games which you definitely don’t see very often he buries his fifth fifth and sixth in these last two games but he has yet to have an assist which is pretty odd having six goals and no assists but also Kell Cay now has more assistance
Than because gurson’s does and one has played a couple yeah and one has played what a few games the others played basically every game this season one more thing uh Jacob Bryson picking up his third assist of the year on Clifton’s goal could we give more
Props to him he probably still carries a bad stigma that comes from last season but he has been legitimately good this year it’s it’s true like he he’s been pretty solid since coming in I would say better than definitely better than Eric Johnson I think I put him better as his partner
And Conor Clifton it’s a good good little Underdog Story uh Redemption story whatever you want to call it so good for Jacob Bryson he’s 100% stepped it up from last season and I remember the um broadcast crew is even mentioning earlier in the year when he had a couple
Of games is that he was and I’ve said this before but um he’s been working hard all off season and in that one game against I think it was Colorado when he made that move at the blue line if you bring up that hit again I swear to God
No no no no no no no it was it was not it was not a hit it was he did some spin move or something but um yeah honestly I mean he’s an RFA I’d take him as your seventh guy over Clifton or and definitely over Eric
Johnson like you know Johnson will be gone next year Conor Clifton no idea what’s going to happen with that maybe they just try and make it work on the bottom pair but if they need more defensive depth and they can’t find anyone which it it’s hard to find in free agency I
Mean if you’re going into the free agency market I’d probably just be looking for that big fish to go into the top four which they desperately need but if you’re looking for a cheap depth guy who’s been legitimately good this year I think Jacob Bryson’s a great option he
Could rotate in with Conor Clifton if you decide to keep him around and then um you figure out the rest from there care a comment JP oh he’s been playing good um I’m impressed so I hope I hope he keeps it up I I am not the biggest hater of
Bryson it’s just the fact that in recent years he was like a top hair defenseman and he wasn’t that good but I think he has been good this year like I I agree this is my my UPL is JP’s Jacob Bryson no no no Casey Fitzgerald is my upo okay
Man what’s he up two these days I kind of forgot about he’s still in Florida right I don’t know I think he’s still in Florida let’s take a look while you’re doing that Jonah move on do do what she need to do buddy I’m gonna see where
Casey Fitzgerald is it’s just a good story for Bryson uh obviously he had that one stretch where he went a month plus without even suiting up for a game so to see him kind of Step In for samelson and Owen power during their timeout just a good story good for him
Uh and I I agree with Christian he’s look he’s a seventh defenseman like I think you’re seeing now like he’s not a bad option the reason he garnered so much criticism and negativity around him last season was a his on Ice save percentage was absurdly low everything
Every time he stepped down to the ice a puck was going into the net and another reason it was it was injuries there was a point where Owen power Henry okaru and Samuelson were all out at one point last season so either you play Kell clay or Elia lbushkin with
Ras mallene or you play Jacob Bryson it’s kind of a lose lose he was always thrown in that spot and not saying he he played good I’m not saying he was anything special it was it was a tough spot for him and I’m not going to blame
Him for I guess not performing up to that role so like I said good for him good for him on performing and being able to find a spot in this lineup it’s got to feel good for him yeah yeah good for him and we gave him some uh some
Props last episode but um he’s good play so he’s uh he deserves more of it and uh by the way JP uh Casey Fitzgerald has spent this season with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL so he has not played an NHL game since he played Four NHL games with
The Florida Panthers after we traded him and he has not suited up for them since he was wasn’t he waved he was waved I believe so yeah on to what was probably the most probably the arguably the best game of the season aside from Black Friday against the Penguins the Sabers versus the
Hurricanes at home the Sabers pick up a three to2 win in the shootouts to were in their first three- game win streak of the season now I was I I was at this game uh first of all crowd was super into it uh it was a
Decent crowd to I know it was obviously a Sunday night game so obviously you’re going to probably get more people on the seats on a weekend but crowd was super into it they were really loud at points especially near the end of the game when they were killing off those penalties
Just a fun night overall a very fun night and I’m glad that they got the result they wanted it was an electric game yeah was I was glued into it I was cheering I was it was a lot of a lot of fun it was a nice change of pace
Um and you know what it was a fun game and it wasn’t even a high-scoring game which you don’t usually hear much with the Savers usually it’s a high-scoring game it’s a six to4 win um but this was just back and forth and the refs you
Know got the the fans all riled up and I think deservedly so and the Savers actually responded so that is a great site to see uh from watching it on my phone um it seemed pretty loud there uh and it was a really fun game to watch
And it kept me on my toes all the way through the shootout it kind of reminded me of that Rangers game at the end of the year last year when they needed to win that shootout to stay in it I felt like it was kind of a must-win game
Going into the shootout so um that second penalty in the third period it personally I think it was was a bad call I really think Michael bunting pushed Rasmus Dalene into Spencer Martin um but and they ended up getting scored on during that uh Power Play which just
Rubbed salt in the wound and I was just I threw my hands up I was just like yep there it is there’s the there’s the dagger in the back and then you know pack it in and that’s it it’s over no three- game win streak but Payton Krebs been very very good the
Past I don’t know five 10 games because he’s been playing with actual skill players and don’t get me wrong I was in that boat like because I mean he had his bouts with um certain guys in the past but they were very short-lived and we
Didn’t see a lot of it and then he was just thrown back on the fourth line and I was one of the people I said it a few episodes ago I was like maybe we should just trade him you know we need other pieces you know too many cooks in the
Kitchen maybe you get a bigger fish you maybe you help out on the the back end but now he’s he’s been a spark plug especially with Tage Thompson not being himself probably battling an injury um great assist behind the net quick little stick handle move and found Owen power
Streaking down in the slot and you just buried the puck and that brought that I’m sure from where you guys were sitting that definitely breathe some life back into the arena so um that was that was cool to watch and it’s also it’s also cool to
See um I feel like we didn’t see it a lot earlier in the season because of the style of system they were running the defense is jumping up in the plays a lot like they’re getting down into the offensive zone they’re almost like forwards and when they do that there’s
People back to cover you know they’re playing a style of system that’s you know it’s almost like these guys don’t have set positions sometimes unless they’re a stay-at-home defenseman but how many of those do we really have not many but all around I thought it was a
Great game to watch how about they’re playing a system that actually suits them that’s why so good right now yeah but that line has been awesome it’s it’s the new kids line it’s an even younger line than last year which is crazy to think with and it’s but that line was all over
The ice yesterday and Benson was four checking like crazy and they’ve had so many chances um but they really haven’t cashed in and I think it is coming um because I mean petka has been snakeman he’s had a ton of chances um and obviously Benson hasn’t had the finishing touch this year but
That line has been amazing so they’ll find their scoring touch I’m confident of it since those three had been reunited they hadn’t scored scor a goal in the three to four games they’d been playing together uh even JJ petka he you see how good they’re playing and then you look
At their their game logs none of them are picking up any points so you’re just kind of you’re just kind of waiting because you you like what you’re seeing you feel like they deserve better and yet it still says zeros across the board and then that shift Benson keeps the
Puck in then drives the net which attract if you watch the replay it attracts three Carolina Defenders AO totally gets sucked down towards the crease leaving power just wide open and Krebs with just the he was just so patient just waiting for something to open up and it was actually such an easy
Pass but you know he he could have thrown it at the net he could have I don’t know brought it out then gone back down but he just waited for Carolina who retired and he recognized this to just make their own mistake and power was just wide open
And underrated shot it was a laser of a shot it was in and out and ties the game and probably the biggest pop in the arena since that Black Friday game against Pittsburgh all those months ago speaking for me personally it was one of those it’s been what because I’ve been
In my fair share of Sabers games this year and you know it’s tough to kind of get up get EXC did even when they’re winning games um but that was that was the goal that kind of you know you kind of black out for a second and you just
Kind of jump up and cheer for the goal and you know even going back to the sequence before when Dalene takes that penalty and I kind of thought it was a penalty and he goes into the box and he’s punching the door slamming stuff and then Carolina scores Dalene comes
Out and he’s giv it to the ref the crowd everybody was just angry and it’s something Don Granado was talking about they were just so angry that you could tell they just didn’t want to lose that game like that that did not take them out it didn’t slow
Them down it didn’t suck the life out of them they were motivated to score and it only took another minute what’s your opinion on the penalty why do you think it it should have been I thought darene could have gotten out of the way like changed his path fair enough do you
Remember do you remember cuz we were talk talking about a mid game do you remember the Jordan 22 incident with Ryan Miller it was Miller’s first game back from after the mil lit L hit so when he like his first game back from a concussion and and this was a much worse
Incident because if you watch it 2 two jumps into Miller but 2 two he’s driving the net his head’s down but like he you know you’re you’re an NHL hockey player you know where the net is you have enough awareness and and doesn’t change his path just keeps going and ends up
Colliding with Miller I thought that was darene bunting had his kind of hand on darene but it wasn’t a shove it wasn’t a push I thought darene was clearly going to the net if it wasn’t darene I would say maybe maybe it wasn’t a penalty but
You know he did almost kill his own goenda penalty that one was obvious to me you can see in the replay he’s he like looks over and I forget who he shoved but he just he turns and just kind of guides him into the post the another thing that’s kind of killed this
Team this year is just their penalty share has been awful speaking of Dalene though he’s had quite the week since Owen power went out with his injury dating back to the the first of the six games Owen power was out for here are his game logs in terms of
Ice time 29 minutes 30 minutes 29 minutes 29 minutes 29 minutes and then last night he sets a career high of 31 minutes and 43 seconds and you saw that stack going around where he logged almost five miles on the ice last night or Sunday night crazy stuff it hasn’t
Been it hasn’t been done since Eric Carlson seven years ago yeah that’s that’s insane over 30 obviously overtime may have had a little bit of a hand in that but but he said for four minutes so it’s almost like guess yeah I it almost it almost evens it out like you think
About that like he’s getting double shifted that that guy’s taking double shifts in the NHL against the best competition and you know he’s going up against their top Pairs and their top lines all of that man it’s like it’s almost like um you got to appreciate having a guy
Like that around round because sometimes you know he might not be the flashiest guy I mean he’s he’s led the NHL in goals for a defenseman but you know sometimes he has his Quiet Moments and I think a lot of people don’t appreciate how good of a player he is because he
Goes out of the lineup you have a massive hole to fill in in defense like almost unfillable to a certain extent because that guy is is netting double shifts he’s taking a tremendous workload off of five six if you’re dressing 70 um five other defensemen that are on the
Ice that are fresher because Dalene could play 30 minutes a night I don’t know how sustainable that is but I mean they gave him the day off today as they should how much you want to bet he didn’t leave bed he just I he can barely
Move dude I could barely play in Beer League it’s like I I’ll wake up the next day for work I’ll be like yeah I’m sore don’t want to go anywhere he probably slept for 24 hours and he’s been playing great too like he’s had a ton of chances recently
And you know it’s that’s what happens when early in the season you’re not even playing that good and you lead the league in in goals it’s coming back to bite him but he has had so many chances and with how much he’s playing it’s incredible how good he’s been
Playing he was on the ice for 45 shot attempts against Carolina 45 in a regular season game that’s nuts I mean I guess when you play 31 minutes it sort of adds up but crazy stuff um you know I’ve been the one handing him a fair bit of
Criticism dating back to the beginning of the season and I’ve taken some flag for it but I stood by my points I think since the new year you’ve basically gotten Ras M Dalene I think since January 1 he is top three and expected goal share on the team he’s still
Producing I in this last little stretch you you know you’re already down mat Samson for the season and then Owen power goes down he’s got to carry the load and he’s he’s done that I mean if you even want to go to before the uh before the six game stretch when Owen
Power was out since the Dallas game so since the allstar break he’s had one game under 29 minutes I should say two but the other one he played 28 minutes and 59 seconds he played 22 minutes against the Kings but then every other game he’s played 28 minutes or
More he’s been he’s been putting the defensive unit on his back and the team on his back at points he’s just he’s been awesome he’s been great another player that I did want to talk about was Owen power I thought last night you really did see what they were
Missing and not just not just the goal but I thought it goes back to what JP or what Christian was actually talking about how last night it did feel like their defensemen were jumping up obviously Dalene logs five miles but Power was leading the rush at points obviously he snuck into the slot
On his goal I think what we you know we’ve touched on it a little bit but Dalene gets the attention for you know he was being restricted at points I guess this season he had that quote a few weeks ago how he didn’t want to jump into rushes and I feel like
Power was was probably suffering from the same thing and I wouldn’t be surprised if this time off he kind of had a chance to reexamine how the team was playing and if last night was any indication then he you know he was jumping into the rush as you expect him
To yeah he’s he jumped into the play he made his Mark and you know there was too many people in this fan base saying how we didn’t miss him when he was gone and that they were not happy he was hurt but you were saying that you know we don’t
Need him in the lineup it’s all the people who say he need to be more physical but just last night you see the presence he brings and how important he really is to this team um and just because he’s not the most physical person doesn’t mean he’s
Not going to contribute so I’m glad he’s back and I was surprised how well he played coming off of injury and my final point my final player I wanted to bring up I think Tage Thompson has looked really good these last few games it’s honestly a crime he
Hasn’t come away with a goal I know he scored against the Ducks but these last three games you you could argue he was their best player offensively he’s been he’s been all over the ice and you can just these last few games so it has been really encouraging and that actually it
Kind of leads me into a point about these last few games and these last few wins that we’ve had and that it’s a good thing and a bad thing that we’ve won these close games that we’ve haven’t really been able to score like we’ve been claw for some goals ggens since and Clifton
Basically won the game the other day so that’s it’s not a good thing to see that we cannot get any goals in net and they’re not winning in these games you know by two goals where you know we don’t have to wait till the last minute
To score a goal and maybe win the game but at the same time an offensive explosion might be coming like if they finally start putting in the back of the net like they are really going to get in a hot streak so we just need to see it
Actually happen and I think Tage will be the start of it I think once he pots one or two he’s going to heat up and the whole team’s just going to Rally behind him and the pucks are going to start going in and the games are going to be a
Little easier they’re not going to you know you’re not going to be down 2-1 with five minutes left where it’s might be a little more in hand than it has been I I completely could see that happening um in the next few games it’s just it’s just it honestly
It’d be kind of Bittersweet just because it’d be just such a bummer that it couldn’t happen throughout the entire season um again probably the system change had something to do with that probably all of most of what to do with it but um yeah yeah I i’ I’d love to see it
I’d love to see how many games do they have left like 22 something like that 24 24 let me I can look at the record briefly I think it’s 24 yeah because they played 58 games yeah they’re at uh they’ve played 58 games so 24 left third of the seasons’s left
Um I’d love to see it wi all 24 of them I know that’s BAS Bally impossible but um it just it again it just really sucks I’m trying to keep this episode as positive as possible but it just it it really would suck if it’s just like oh
They’re playing so well and then they miss by five points or three points or know something like that I wouldn’t completely mind though like if like I don’t because you’re going to hear people if they finish well if they finish dominant and yet they still miss you’re going to hear people saying there
Was no pressure pressure on them and it’s just your yearly good end to the season it doesn’t mean anything and I think a degree to a degree those can be true they’re obviously playing without any pressure right now and it was sort of an issue last year even when they
Made that late push but I don’t know I I don’t want like I don’t want this team to keep losing I don’t want I like I it’s it’s I enjoyed that Carolina game and in the grand scheme of things is it going to matter probably not but I want
More games like that I want to at least feel like they’re they’re fighting to get back into the race and I don’t know I’m ready for a late season push even if they if they fall Five Points short that’s fine but they fall Five Points short that means they’re probably an 86
87 Point team which is a step back from last year but it’s not a 10-point step back like it’s been looking like for the most of this season so if they can string together just a really good last month and a half I’m satisfied I’m satisfied I’m I’m also glad that I mean
That letter came out today that to season ticket holders they’re talking about like accountability and how the T how both Terry and Kevin have stated that this is not where they want the team to be at this point in time in the past could you think of any have they ever
Done something like that where they’ve just like sent a letter out saying like oh we know that this is um this is a disappointing year we had higher expectations I’m sure it was said I don’t know if it was ever in writing but um I would doubt it was from Terry
Pugula because obviously now that he’s president of the Sabers he’s kind of on The Fan Experience side especially that especially since John rough is no longer with them yeah it was probably before this it was Ted black or maybe it was Kim um just their other higher ups this was
Probably the first letter by Terry Pula I could be wrong I could be you know he maybe he sent out a few before but I think given that he’s risen to the higher to a higher position I think this is his first time addressing the fans
Well I’m just glad that you know it is being said in writing I feel like a lot of stuff in the past has kind of fallen on deaf ears from the fans yelling at upper man man agement and the owners um but it’s good to see
That we’re being listened to at some at some point you know to an extent but here the Sabers find themselves on a three-game win streak with at Le it’s it’s a jolt okay it’s gotten it’s at least made us it’s I’m not bought back in but at least
I can tune into this next this next week with some purpose it still feels it somewhat feels like they’re in it now you’re just riding the wave are they actually in it not really but it’s possible like the projection said they need um if if I can check the update
They have 48 points on the board they need 35 they need 35 more points out of the remaining 48 and they’re that’ll put them at 92 93 points which is what is projected from the Wild Card which is basically what it was last year obviously the sabes
Finished with 90 they finished with 91 points last year correct so they’re a one point short that’s right so I’m I’m let’s have some fun with this and if look if you look at their upcoming schedule it’s not easy but there are some big games left now
Obviously these next two games are huge in Florida obviously the Panthers have been rolling they’re going to get maach Chuck back tomorrow night and Tampa Bay they’ve been playing really well recently then obviously Saturday you get Vegas coming to town and then you got Winnipeg on Sunday so like this these
Next four games it’s like it’s it’s a mini stretch now I think if you can get one of those wins in Florida probably against Tampa Bay I’m fine with that but then you need to beat Vegas and you need to beat Winnipeg Vegas has not been playing well they’re
Without Jack eel they’re without Mark Stone you need to win that game and same with Winnipeg I think they what then they just lose to Chicago the other night or it went it went to overtime those are two very winnable games if you get three of four here I think you’re in
Business but if you get four of four here four out of four wins holy cow now you’re on a seven game win streak now you’re playing Toronto who we’ve played very well then you’ve got Nashville and then you got the Oilers but then continuing on you have two big
Matchups against Detroit coming in mid-march those I would not be surprised if that is their season those two games so if you can get if you can make this a long winning streak and I don’t know just go into that stretch hot you might be you might be
Playing for something there you might be playing for something yeah there’s still a ton of work to be done before we could even say those Detroit games are meaningful um but it is doable in the grand scheme of things it’s doable but between now and then you got to
Win almost all of your games and I think the issue is is that the Red Wings in Tampa Bay just won’t stop winning like we could literally win eight of our next 10 and we could still be way out looking in like the Red Wings keep clawing their way through games
Patty Kane keeps scoring overtime winners and they just can’t lose that’s the issue we might get back in the fight but we need these other teams to you know slow down a little and maybe get into a little SL it’s the worst it is the worst thing in all of sports when
You have to depend on other teams when you know you’re you’ve dug yourself such a hole that’s a big that was a big issue with the bills drought it’s like you’ve just dug yourself so much of a hole and you need help from so many teams it’s just the odds are stacked so
Far against you all right so weirdly enough that’ll wrap up some playoff talk which have not even bothered to discuss it at all recently let’s get on to the super the super excited news that came out today uh as Christian alluded to earlier the sabes have formally announced Arena
Renovations coming next season a new Jumbotron and a new roof the scoreboard has been in place for what 15 years now and the roof is still the original roof from when this building was built so long overdue it’s nice to see some money being pumped into the arena and honestly
I will give Terry Pula some credit or at least like I’ll commend him a little bit like you can’t tell me that he’s not totally wrapped up in the bill Stadium process right now so for him to start plugging in some money I’ll give him you
Know I’ll thank him for that he didn’t he honestly there’s probably not a lot of owners that would have done this simultaneously yeah and the um the Jumbotron there were rumors about it earlier and it was people were saying oh don’t get too excited it’s not supposed
To be anything too special it’s supposed to be an upgrade but nothing crazy this looks like one of the better jumbotrons in the league it I know the penguins have something similar I believe um it’s just a complete it’s a you know it’s a square WRA screen wrapped all the way
Around and screens underneath um I think it’s great it’s probably going to you know definitely enhance Fan Experience and um as for the roof again that’s probably even more overdue than the Jumbotron just on the fact that I know someone who works there as an usher and they say that they
Constantly get calls saying that there’s leaks in the roof and seats are soaking wet and everything else so this is something that it might not be cosmetically Flash but it’s something that needs to be done yeah I mean the the scoreboard it’s old it’s one of the smaller ones in the
League I don’t know maybe other than Arizona at a college like it’s got to be probably the smallest one in the league so I did hear some people talking about that you know there are still more important things which is true the seating does eventually need to be
Replaced that probably is the most pressing thing but this is a this is a big step to make The Fan Experience a lot better and to catch up with the times a little if you go to some other stadiums you’ll just see how much better these jumbotrons really are than ours like
Little Caesar’s Arena that place is unbelievable and obviously it’s 30 years younger than our Arena but just unreal it’s just no words do describe that and when it comes to the seats here yes they need to be redone done and I think it would be cool if
They did like you know maybe instead of just blue maybe they kind of did something like that paid homage to the odd but I know a lot of people don’t like that because they’re like oh keep the odd the odd that’s how it was I think it he’s talking about me
He’s talking about me guys I think it would be cool to be honest I really do I’ll put this in perspective the current Jumbotron is 22 ft by 12 1/2 ft the new one is going to be 27 ft by 43t that’s double the size double the size it is going to be
Night it’s it’s going to be probably the most staggering thing you like when you walk into the ring it’s going to be the probably the defining feature of the arena for now it’s cuz I mean first of all it’s just going to be this shining
Shiny new toy in just an arena full of I don’t want to call it a dump but you know 30 years of erosion to it you got the old seats you’ve still got the gold trim which has been around for over a decade now it’s an it’s it’s an old
Arena it’s 30 years old by this point so it’s as I said it’s nice to see some money finally being pumped into it especially in a big way I think it’s very cool that they’re going to do the underbelly screens it’s something you know probably don’t think about it’s
Something they didn’t have to do it’s cool it’s very cool and uh as Christian alluded to I believe credit to Matt B I think he did his own research and this new scoreboard I think would put the Sabers as around the seventh largest scoreboard in the league so it’s
Not the Behemoth that I think I think Seattle has like one of the largest now or uh Little Caesars obviously but it’s going to be up there it’s going to be up there so very cool and obviously if the the roof is leaking it it might be time for a new
Roof so very cool stuff if you which I mean I just did if you go on Google um I just looked up what the Penguins Jumbotron was um they basically had the same one we had um up until a few years ago and then they switched to basically
The same one we’re going to get so if you want like a comparable timeline instead of seeing renderings just look up what the Penguins did because it’s basically the same thing and I think it’s really it’s going to be really cool it’s definitely going to be staggering
When you walk through the aisles to see just a massive screen and I wonder if they plan on doing anything with like cuz you know how sometimes they do like the smoke with um like the physical Buffalo that are on the side of the underbelly of the
Jumbotron I wonder if they do anything cuz I know sometimes those big ones the all screen ones they have like smoke where you could like blast it down or I don’t know I think you know be creative you know what I do gotta say though I’m sure it’s purely a
Coincidence that they announced this and they sent the letter to season tickets and they sent the renewals of the season tickets right after this week and right after a shootout win it is very it is very funny that the season ticket renewals were they were sent later today
Later today dude hey it’s good business PR how you do business that’s how you do business I don’t blame him I don’t blame him I’m just saying I’m sure it’s a great coincidence that happened after the best week of the Season let’s hope they keep winning
Yeah I’m sure if they didn’t win the you know at least two of three they probably would have waited to announce it with their conversations at the uh at like the start of the Season like hey you know when they get on like a long winning streak you know we’ll kind we’ll
Just throw it in there and let everybody know and then you know we’re in the end of February and they just got their first official winning streak of the season on they’re like pull the trigger pull the trigger right now we’re doing we got to do it now Vibes are high keep
Them hi I have pulled up Mike Harrington’s uh article from the summer this was with his conversation with John Roth who was still with the organization at the time and I just want to quickly recap because you know we we did kind of know this was coming they said the new
Scoreboard was going to come this season and obviously the roof was also there just to recap on what else is coming obviously the sound system they’ve been trying they’re studying the acoustics and uh trying to improve that and then they did say that seating Bowl was going
To be revised as time went on but there was there’s no dates on those ones uh those are just there there’s things they’re going things they going to improve obviously this year this year was mostly concessions next year is going to be the scoreboard and the ceiling and then I would guess after
That we get new seats and maybe other additions I know I put out some thoughts of what I would like to see most importantly they got to put a rick jenet statue in it’s it’s a must it’s something they have to do and then obviously something we’ve
Been talking about for a little while up update the alumni Plaza mural please please it looks like I don’t know how many of our listeners have Tik Tok JP doesn’t even have Tik Tock there’s like there there’s a trend and it’s it’s used using AI where you just you put a location
That is you know like everybody recognizes and is nostalgic about so it’s like I don’t know like like the Crusty Crab from from SpongeBob and it just it just ages it year over year to make it more desolate and Abandoned and that’s what the alumni Plaza mirral
Looks like it looks like it’s totally been detracted of any color and it needs an update hard they could do it over just do it they could do something much more creative um they could keep it alumni Plaza but I really think you know a add some color um and B just update
All the pictures that’s all you have to do they’re in in the club seats at KeyBank Center if you walk around the not the 200 section like the the actual suites with like the you know the numbers outside the doors that light up you could see as
You go up to the 300 section um somewhere down in those hallways there is a big mural of like Sabers alumni and it’s like listed through the years and everything I think that would have been perfect to put an alumni Plaza um and even uh if you want to update it
Through now I know we haven’t had much luck in the past you know 13 years you know you could throw eel on there you could throw uh um I don’t know about Ryan O’Reilly or Vander Kane but ristan sure he was here a long time maybe uh garson’s put him up there if
He’s not on the team next year can’t you can’t you can’t just negate a decade of History exactly you can’t do that um you can’t look I get it like do you put eel and ryanh Hart on there I don’t think they would they probably wouldn’t you know they were
Very quick to rip everything down when they left of any traces of them in the ARA they’re still playing so I get it um yeah and they’re still playing so I get it I just think it be update just new artwork even if he kept everybody the
Same and also make like if you you know walking around the arena today there are hardly any pictures of the current players any current signage the this this it’s been brought up the the coloring on like the signs that you know that list the sections of each section in the
Arena still navy blue they have’t updated just smaller stuff like that so yeah over you know the arena it needs an overhaul you know this is not going to be enough putting in a new scoreboard putting in a new roof that’s a lot it’s going to take a lot of money those are
Like the big things I think the scoreboard is essential because you know it’s the scoreboard you need you had to update it but you know it’s smaller things around the arena it’s updating the signage um I think that would up to me I would get rid of the the the the
Disgusting green floors but if that’s a noo then I think it’s kind of cool I think I’m cool with it it’s like you know you’re a Key Bank when you see green floors with like outlines of plays on the floor there like a route running going on it’s like wrong sport
Here man it’s like what are we doing pretty weird it is pretty weird um I think the paint and stuff like you know the the gold trim that spoke about in the navy blue I think that’s probably the last thing they’re going to do they
Had the they had the red trim it was red and blue for a long time up until 2010 2011 I want to say maybe the last year they made the playoffs could have been when they switched to the gold but five six years after they went from
Red and black to blue and gold again it was still like a red it was red walls and blue trim everywhere so it was like didn’t match at all but yeah I think that’s probably the last thing on their list i’ I’d say the yeah the big things
Scoreboard roof those are the two and the seats two of those three are getting done the seat should be next after that additional cosmetic changes but in the meantime they should put more pictures of the players around the arena that’s easy that’s marketing all right so very exciting stuff
Something to stay tuned with some exciting stuff especially for season ticket holders like ourselves uh at least me and JP so very cool stuff we should touch on the one bit of Downer news that they did kind of sneak into this little this big big 24hour positivity
Swing it seems as if Jeff Skinner is going to be he’s probably going to be out for a few games here we we don’t know how long it could be he could be out for the season fora we know he left practice today apparently it was a non- contct
Injury and I didn’t know it was non- contct that’s not good and they need to get they sent him to get some Imaging done by the time you’re listening to this podcast the news might already be out um it could be nothing it could be horrible we don’t know it just with
Tyson Jo being recalled today it does seem as if he’s not going to play tomorrow night in Florida sucks man I’m a big Jeff Skinner fan it’s the last thing I wanted to hear but um just bad injury luck this year man it’s like an another main factor that’s
Just murdered our season is just the injuries especially Quinn but everyone else it seems and Samuel but everyone else it just seems like it’s been a revolve ing door of people in and out of the lineup calling guys up but it is what it is right at the end
Of the at the end of the year at the end of the season nobody cares about your injuries it’s like it’s like fantasy football it’s like oh could have you’re not going to put could have won the championship but I had a injury to Jeff Skinner insert name here it’s like good
Teams find ways to win you know that’s why depth is so important yeah power comes in and Jeff skner goes out and good teams find out find a way to put their good players on long-term I to CC circumvent the cap Vegas is at it again with their High
Jinks yeah it’s it’s no doubt a big loss he had goals in consec well not two out of his last three games it looks like he was slowly getting healthy alongside Tage this is going to be a big L L if he’s out especially for these next two
Games or this week or however long he’s going to be out yep and before we move on from the rest of the team I just gotta say that Eric Johnson I feel like every single game he costs us a goal like I just think he’s been getting worse and worse
And I’m serious when I say like Kevin Adams needs to trade him now before he has no value because it’s just incredible how bad he’s SP like some of the decisions he’s making I swear to God once a night I see a video of oh there’s
Eric Johnson again and he’s in out of position and then they score a goal like I I don’t get it and there was you know particular reporter you know defending him and saying how good his penalty kill is and how important is the team he plays two minutes on a penalty kill a
Night okay the other 15 minutes he might play he’s a liability I don’t care about his penalty killing I don’t I’m I’m sick of it he is he’s the only guy right now that I just can’t stand when he’s out there and I know he’s a vet he’s season
Vet he’s been a great player but my God is he cing this team right now get rid of M May Ken Bryson’s playing good bring up Riley Selmer to Kel click I don’t care I can’t watch Eric Johnson season don’t don’t forget Ryan Johnson has received healthy scratches these last
Few games as well yeah I hate that did forget about him but yeah I mean EJ’s been having a down year you know sucks but uh we’ll try again next season when we resign him to a one-year deal in the off season there’s that many games left
Until the trader deadline Am I Wrong is it only like coming up March 8th March 8th yeah I think so we’re a little a little over a week little about two weeks to go week and a half to go so we’re getting like 12 days ship out don’t make it a last
Minute thing and then don’t make it oh we’re under playoff push we can’t trade him get rid of him we’ll be better oh my God could you imagine yeah you know we had we had a couple suitors lined up for Eric Johnson but you know our team’s
Back in the race so you know we decide to hang on he wants to be here he wants to help get us there that’s such a Sabers move I could see that happening please no like he just doesn’t bring any value to the ice they if they
Want to do that with gurgenson and ooso like fine because they’ve been here so long but EJ like you owe nothing to this guy you really don’t yeah please don’t Kevin please please get rid of him for my sanity I Ryan he’s my new case of fitgerald I need Ryan Johnson in this
Lineup ASAP he deserves to be a nightly defenseman on this team he’s he’s had his struggles recently ADM so but it’s rookie Growing Pains he’s still better than Eric Johnson that too all right I think that wraps up all the Sabers talk let’s hop around the NHL so I’m just
Going to get right into the biggest headline um me favorite headline my favorite headline he needs it me noted elas Pon um I don’t even know what it’s called supporter enthusiast Stan Stan you may you may even you can throw the Stan label on me so Elliot
Fredman goes on Hockey Night in Canada at the intermission and gets to his NHL headlines and he declares he reports that teams have been calling about Elias Patterson because it is February 26th and he has still not signed a contract he has an Engaged in contract talks with the Canucks and teams just
Want to see what the availability is there now is he getting traded this season absolutely not obviously um canox are obviously they might win the Pacific uh they’re definitely going to make the playoffs he’s not going anywhere but and this this comes with more this came with some more news today
Or a quote by another Vancouver reporter how supposedly ership is getting really frustrated because Pon doesn’t want to engage with any contract talks just yet um he’s been on the record saying or not on the record but it’s been reported that he doesn’t want to start them until
The summer he wants to see how the season shakes out it’s it’s it’s getting to that like my my ecle senses are starting to kick in now where it’s like oh this guy might want out of here because how many how many other times has this happened where a team at points seemed
Like you know it seemed at points this team was going to win the president’s trophy I don’t think it’s going to happen but they’re having the best case scenario season imaginable and the guy doesn’t even want to talk he doesn’t even want to talk about a contract and it’s been reported
David pegoda reported it during the week kxs are willing to throw cash at him it they they’re willing to they I think they put an 8 by 12 on the table Pon hasn’t like he’s not putting pen to paper and it’s just really which is interesting it’s really it is really
Weird if someone offered you an eight by an 8 by 12 I mean the term is long but when you’re going to get 12 million over that long players love that though they love security they’ll get security set for life you’re making well into the $10
Million a year and this and this is Vancouver it’s a great place to live it’s a hockey crazy town and they’re having a fantastic season and it just makes you wonder like what is going on in his head and I just of course I’m hoping this is the case
But I just think I don’t think he wants to be there and a lot has happened okay patteron was a big fan of Bruce Pedro obviously there was that supposed divide in the locker room last season where half the players supported Bo Horvat the other support to JT Miller Bo horac gets
Traded and JT Miller gets the big contract extension and look they’re they’re like I said they’re doing well this season I’m not saying he’s miserable but I would not be surprised if he’s looking at his future and being like I don’t want to stay in Vancouver for eight more years not to mention
Owner their ownership group is awful like their owner is a legit scumbag he I think he’s he’s he was accused of like abusing his children or something like it’s just it’s a yeah it’s a shady ownership group I don’t think he likes them um obviously if that’s true then
Yeah nobody should like them I just think he’s he’s re he’s he’s re-evaluating whether or not he wants to stick around longterm and myself as a big fan of Elias petson as a player oh that gets me that gets that gets me a little bit excited makes me uh I’m going
To be rooting for a first round sweep let’s put it that way that yeah first round exit that first round exit’s going to hit like nothing else um but what do you think if it were to come to the point where Pon wanteded to leave he’s an
RFA what would you throw at the Canucks to get his rights see I I feel like the Canucks are sort of like the Flames where they don’t don’t want to rebuild so I think immediately if you’re trading for Pon I feel like Dylan cousins is the guy
To go he’s from western Canada he’s a young player on a long-term deal they have control there I feel like cousins is the guy out like they because yeah look this is Elias Pon okay at his Peak he is a top five player in the NHL you
Have to surrender a lot I mean I think think you’re talking one of cousins or Jack Quinn probably one of seavo or Kulik probably two first round picks maybe you have to throw you probably have to throw in another big piece like it’s I mean I it might just
Be too much honestly it might be too much but like if you’re just losing Dylan cousins from your NHL roster man like you got to do it you got to do it yeah I I know like this is Elias Pon man guy is a superstar some other big news that fredman
Reported on it’s seeming like it’s a 5050 shot that you see Saros actually gets moved at this deadline which is crazy to say but uh Nashville obviously not being a big Contender going into the end of this season and if you take a look at their AHL team they’re currently
On a 16 game winning streak and with their top prospect yaroslav escv dominating the crease so it’s given them the idea that maybe they can ship out UC Saros for something big um obviously if uko peka lukanin wasn’t having the season he was having I think I’d be all
Over this that could be an interest that could be a huge trade that you end up seeing and I don’t think that’s something people really expected at one point yeah what team thinks that they’re really good and have a really good future but their goal tening is absolutely
Trash team onio yeah our best friends in Ottawa so I think they’re going to be all over it some of the mock trades you just see thrown around on Twitter I’m like you guys just pay a goalie obviously it didn’t work out you’re going to need another one but it’s like
You’re willing to just throw more assets I saw someone throw Jacob Chen’s name around I’m like like you just got him like what for a goalie really just just sign another goalie in the offseason or something I don’t know it’s like you never know what you’re going to get with these guys it’
Be so funny if they did the hattrick of big additions that didn’t work out traford de Bret gone in a year trade for Chan gone in a year put all the chips in for yuss Saros I don’t know leaves in free agency or something it would just be funny would be
Funny moving on the Arizona Coyotes they uh they’ve been down in the dumps so obviously the Arena situation still ongoing they still don’t have a place to a place to play and on top of all of that they’re kind of in the midst of a prolonged losing streak
How long well 12 games you’re on a 12 game losing streak right now A team that was coined at one point to be a playoff lock earlier in the year has lost their last 12 in a row I don’t know man it’s just that organization it
Just seems like it’s been I mean we talk about the Sabers being a tire that organization has been a dumpster fire for their play and a lit a laundry list of other reasons it’s like there’s just it’s only a matter of time before they move to Utah I’m just hoping they break the
Sapers record get us out of the history books lose 19 straight come on do it for the memes it’s the only record we have you do got to wonder just how much this Arena situation is kind of hanging over them probably it probably looms pretty large knowing every time you step on the
Ice you take a look around you’re like man this is this is a college Arena this is not you know this ain’t the NHL this is not what I was expecting to play in when I became a player and I don’t know I I also think you know
Just the players might just see the writing on the wall at this point there there’s a lot there’s a lot going on in that organization That’s not healthy for a a constructive culture to build around a team like there’s talks of relocation and you know maybe the franchise is
Going belly up and you’re not winning games either that’s the most important thing you’re not winning and you were earlier what happened I don’t know speaking of Arena situations that are getting dicey see uh the Winnipeg Jets MH there are some doubts that their longterm sustain sustainability
Is it’s in doubt let’s put it that way Gary bman had a recent meeting with a lot of Winnipeg or maybe it was bman maybe it was the Jets owner they had a meeting with some of their bigger sponsors it’s it’s look it’s not looking good their ticket sales are down I think
30% this year in a season where they’re making where they’re going make the playoffs and have been one of the better teams in that division they could be on the move again yeah yeah might might uh have to might have to pack up the Mayflower trucks and
Drive down to Atlanta go head back to wouldn’t that be funny if they had they went back to Atlanta they just kept playing Hot Potato I mean but it’s it’s funny I mean a you’re in Canada that’s already your back’s already against the wall when you’re a Sports organization at least in
The NHL you don’t make as much money as the American franchises either way usually if you have a good fan base you’re sustainable but with the decrease in the ticket sales in a season where this team has been very good I mean dare I say maybe
One of the best teams in the west you’re not filling your your Arena and it’s not even like it doesn’t even sit 18,000 isn’t it like 16 that’s how many people were at the Sabers game on Sunday if an NHL team wasn’t currently playing at a college
Arena they’d by far be the smallest arena in the league by like a couple thousand and also it’s I feel like it’s like a Hartford situation I just don’t think Winnipeg like Buffalo is a small Market but we have a ride or die fan base and I’ve always said this team’s a
Hockey Town first you know there’s you know we have the combine here um youth hockey is huge in this in this area it’s probably one of the biggest Sports in Buffalo um but I mean I could say all the same things about Winnipeg but it’s just for some reason it’s not working out
Maybe I heard a rumor that I mean that most of the people in Winnipeg it’s like more well-off affluent people there for work so they don’t go to the games as much they don’t have like a season ticket base this I don’t know maybe it’s a
Rumor but all I’m saying is they got to figure it out soon because bman is not going to be as patient with them as he is with the coyotes just knowing that the coyotes could pull in a lot a lot more money if they get a new stadium in the United
States in Canada you don’t get that many opportunities so and if they leave again for the second time it’s not going to be like an Atlanta situation where they might go back a third time you’re done it’s over you’re they’re never going back if they leave I was just going to say it’s
Incredible that they’re actually having a good season they’ve you know they’ve been a playoff team and then there’s us who have the longest playoff drought in HL history is probably going to be extended um there’s relocation talks all over the NHL right now there’s expansion talks all over the NHL right now
And buffalo is not in any of those conversations so and we’re getting upgrades yeah it’s it’s crazy to think about that like out of any if you look at all the franchises be like which team do you think would want out of their City you think it’s the team that is on
The longest route their fans are starting to really get fed up but I mean this is a hockey town like Christian said people will come back once once you know we prove it it doesn’t even take proving it we win four games in a row we sell
Out it’s it’s not even that hard like coming out of covid it was tough f it was a you know Financial hardships were pretty prevalent in this town as there was across the country and attendance was down League wide for most markets G to get 2,000 people to show up at one
Point once the team rebuilt and after having the season we had last year and even end even the end of 2021 22 after a historically Bad season we strung a few wins together that that place was almost sold out during the week it was down a little bit
To be expected you know frustrations all that still like yesterday trying to win their third game in a row for the first time all season had 16,000 people there that’s a that’s a complete sellout in Winnipeg so the grass isn’t always greener like we might think we have it bad sometimes but
I’m just grateful that we have a hockey team that’s going to be here for a long time all right I think it’s time to address sort of the elephant in the room Patrick Kane he’s had quite the week quite the 26 or seven games here through 27 games
He has 28 points he has 12 goals which is four less than Tage Thompson he’s looks healthy to say the least he looks better than anybody would have expected him to and this was capped off by him having probably one of the best scripted NHL moments in recent
Memory he goes back to Chicago scores the overtime winner just a just an awesome moment for him for it it’s one of those storybook moments and the Detroit Red Wings You know despite what many underlying stats may say despite what their analytics say look they look like they’re going to
Make the playoffs and Kane’s been a huge part of that since he’s come back and I know for anybody that’s been listening to us at least since the start of this season we were uh we weren’t on the SE Patrick Kane train to say the least we were critical we
Were critical we were very critical and at times very like you know we were very sarcastic about it we were very you know we had strong opinions about it I I I I I did and I think a part of it I know I don’t want to backpedal but I think a
Big part of it was where the team was at especially when the team was ramping up conversations okay it sounded like at one point he was going to sign here and that was around November when the team was probably playing their worst hockey of the season
So given it was already a big risk and given where the team was at I just wasn’t me personally I can say I wasn’t at a point where I wanted it to happen and I was very very strong in my opinion about that and he’s making me eat my words I’ll say
It he’s he looks fantastic he’s put look he’s putting together one of the best two-way seasons of his career his defensive numbers are good which is nuts that’s the last thing I would have expected all it took was hip resurfacing surgery for for it all to come back into
Place but yeah I’ll uh I’ll jump on that train too I’m a big enough man to admit when I was when I’m wrong and I was wrong that you know about all the things I mean we had legitimate reasons to be speculative of how he would
Perform and we aired on the side of him being bad and in the past his defensive numbers were dead last in the league I would have never guessed that he had the defensive turnaround he had this season um and his you know offensive production’s always been good
And it’s still there I didn’t think any of that would happen I did not want him on this team and uh I have to give a little shout out to my dad because I when we had these conversations I was like you don’t want him on this
Team man we’re good we don’t need it it’s like he’s not good anymore he’s a shell of his former self all he said was yeah we’ll just see what happens but I think he’s still a good player and sure enough right yeah we were uh we were definitely
Wrong it hurts to say that no one no one wants to say that but we were wrong and some people have been dunking on us which is fine because that’s what makes a fun that’s what makes having opinions fun but at the end of the day did
Patrick Kan want to come here no if he wanted to come here and he wanted to come to his hometown he would have found a way to come back here okay he didn’t want to come here so all the people who are still you know dunking on all the
People like us or like other people like it’s not like he even want to come here like I I don’t know the point you’re trying to make anymore like I I’m not rooting I was never rooting against Patrick Kane I’m glad he’s playing really good but if he didn’t want to
Come here that’s his choice so I’m I’m not going to be upset that I was wrong yeah Sabres were actively pursuing him for a long time and it was reported by many different people that they wanted him on this team and he chose Detroit a team that’s right
Down the qw through Ontario on the other side of Lake Erie basically just if he wanted to be in Buffalo and play for his hometown team he’d be here right now playing for this team and he didn’t want to end of story he didn’t want to be
Here put the rumors to bed that he wants to come home because he obviously doesn’t and Kevin Went hard after him Donnie talked about him they wanted him okay he he would have been here he signed for $2.75 million you cannot tell me that a team with 10 million in cap
Space like the Buffalo Sabers did not offer more than that no we and I’m sorry but every time you heard Kane was talking with the Sabers he was trying to get more money or an extra year and I just I just I never really believed that he wanted to
Be here I just don’t like it’s like JP said he would have been here now you can say oh he saw they were losing oh he saw they were on the down swing yeah he probably did he probably did and I don’t blame him for not coming here but
I hope that puts to bed any narrative that he wanted to come home because usually people that want to come home they put that priority above their desire to win and also okay and I’m not saying he shouldn’t want to win but he’s got three Stanley
Cups at that point in his career if he really thinks he’s as healthy as he is yeah you probably go home and you probably want to prove that you’re still playing at a high level with your hometown team in the midst of a big playoff trout look the story narrative
Was there he could have made himself even more of a legend if he really wanted to come here could he could have been LeBron he could have came home and won one for the hometown he didn’t he didn’t want to and yeah and there’s no there’s there’s literally nothing wrong
With that there is zero wrong with him not wanting to do that but he wanted to go to a team that that was winning he went to a team that is winning went to go play with his old teammate went to a team that probably honest to God other
Than the Florida Panthers of the teams that were interested Detroit was probably the best place for him to go because he was surrounded by two-way players playing with his star teammate it was just it was a good place for him to go and it would have been better than
Buffalo MH he could have been a hero in Buffalo he wanted to be in Detroit man it’s a beautiful city he wanted to be in Detroit but at this point I get it he’s nearly 30 games in he’s Point per game he’s made everybody eat their own words I don’t need to see
More Buffalo fans tweeting about it reminding us how wrong we were like I get it you had your time like you’re dunking on us I get it okay I got I get that those debates got heated I get that we are us ourselves we used very strong we were very strong in our
Opinions we were very stubborn and those conversations got heated because he’s a very highly contested player look if he never had the hip surgery there would still be highly highly heated discussions about whether or not he would have been a good addition you know and you couple with that with some of
The baggage he’s P he’s had with him throughout his career it’s it was it those conversations always get highly contested so I don’t I think we’re past the point I think we can move on past it the guy chose another city over us screw him stop rooting for him stop rooting
For a team we’re trying to catch in the playoff race yeah you took your Victory lap now shut up and root for the Sabers the first 10 15 games if you want to donk on people like fine these 30 games in like I agree just just move on just move on I
Get it people were probably condescending they were coming at you but you have taken a long long Victory lap so we were wrong okay we were wrong you guys are right all right I think we’ve closed the door on that and I think that’s pretty much going to do it for this episode
So biggest stretch of the season this week would you say yes yeah first first winning streak of the year you got to keep it going you can’t start you can’t start losing games again you can’t well you’re going to lose a few but you can’t you know lose
One win one lose two win two you just gota you got to keep going two games in Florida against two teams that are rolling with that road trip went very well last year and then you’ve got got Vegas coming to town on Saturday now jack is
Not going to be playing but it’s a national broadcast game Saturday nights you’re still going to have people there because it’s Vegas and Vegas has not been playing well and then Sunday you’ve got another home game against Winnipeg this is you know from here on out every week is the biggest week of
The season so let’s make this streak an extended streak I know you’re kind of you’re getting the toughest opponent out of the way without Jeff Skinner most likely it’s going to be a tough test but find a way let’s make this interesting let’s make this last month and a half
Interesting and fun have let’s have some fun yeah let’s just have some fun but that’s going to do it for this episode uh we’ll probably speak to you guys after the Winnipeg game at some point so until then if you want to follow us on Twitter follow us at atth
Saer report follow us on Instagram atth saer report follow us on Tik Tok subscribe to us on YouTube if you want updates for the Pod follow us at at saber report pod go give our friends over at the Buffalo Sports Talk podcast to listen but other than that if you guys
Got nothing else left to say it’s going to do it for this episode thank you very much for listening for watching feel free to leave us a review and we’ll see you next time go savers go Savers go savers
In this episode, the guys have the chance to talk about a Sabres team that is actually streaking. They touch on Peyton Krebs, the return of Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, a potential playoff push, upcoming arena renovations, and more!
(0:00) Three Straight for the Sabres
(16:20) Peyton Krebs Flourishing
(22:39) Rasmus Dahlin is a Workhorse
(27:08) Owen Power’s Return
(31:40) Potential Playoff Push?
(38:58) Arena Renovations Coming Next Season
(52:35) Jeff Skinner’s Injury
(58:07) Elias Pettersson on the move?
(01:03:55) Juuse Saros Trade Rumor
(01: 05:46) Arizona’s 12-Game Losing Streak
(01:07:49) Winnipeg Jets Attendance Woes
(01:13:04) Patrick Kane
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