It’s another edition of the mailbag and this time we’re tackling what the Sabres would need to change to adapt to the physical nature of the playoffs, how many new faces might be on the roster and Kyle Okposo’s recent comments on this year’s Sabres.
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The Instigator Podcast 12.37 – Trade Targets from First Round Eliminations
The first round of the playoffs is behind us and that means it’s time to identify which teams may be feeling desperate after an early playoff exit. We touch on some of our favorite targets from the eight eliminated clubs, highlighting players who could help put the Sabres over the top. We also dissect the Maple Leafs latest first round exit and the drama surrounding them after the loss. We kick off the show with a brief conversation about the NHL Draft Lottery and why we think the Sabres ought to move their pick.
The Instigator Podcast 12.36 – Catching Up With the NHL Playoffs and Utah
The first round of the playoffs are chugging along and we are here to catch up with what we’ve missed. We touch on the few series that have impressed us and the ones that haven’t. We look ahead to what could be a very impressive slate of second round series while we wait to see if any of the trailing teams catch up in their respective series.
We also spend some time breaking down the league’s move from Arizona to Utah. We discuss some of the biggest pitfalls of the Coyotes’ time in Phoenix while sharing our optimism of what’s to come for the NHL in Salt Lake City.
The Instigator Podcast 12.31 – Ready for Prime(time)
The NHL will be highlighted in a new reality series that will air on Amazon. We spend some time talking about the outlook for the show and some of the players we’d like to see highlighted by the production. We kick off this week’s episode discussing the Sabres west coast trip and offer up some thoughts on how things should unfold in the offseason before jumping into a conversation about rule changes and the upcoming Amazon series.
Who Should Star in the NHL Amazon Series?
The NHL is diving into the waters of Drive to Survive and Full Swing as Chris Johnston announced that the league had reached a deal with Amazon for a show that will follow 10-12 NHL stars with an expected fall release.
Interest in the various streaming reality shows has been at a fever pitch, with the productions helping to pull in new fans and new markets for the sports and athletes they highlight. Perhaps no sport has seen as much of an uptick than F1 since the first season of Drive to Survive. It’s fitting of the NHL to get on board with the athlete-centric reality craze but to hitch their wagon to Amazon Prime as opposed to Netflix where the other shows (and sports) have found so much success. Nothing is ever easy with this league.
Kidding aside, this is a wonderful bit of news. The NHL has been pretty good about adjusting to the shifting dynamics of the modern athlete and finding ways to allow players to promote themselves. There is a notable evolution away from the team-centric mindset to one where the league puts its stars front and center. This is another step in that process and, barring a significant amount of overreach in the editing process, it ought to be a terrific product for the NHL and its stars to hang their hats on.
In a perfect world we will get the sort of unscripted, natural behind the scenes content we were treated to in the early days of 24/7 on HBO. I’m not sure anyone the show plans to feature will be quite as outgoing as the best parts of 24/7, but the magic of these similar shows has just as much to do with the on-field exploits of the athletes as it does their off-field activities. So long as the product is genuine, I think this will be a hit with hockey fans. And with any luck, it will be a hit with non-hockey fans as well.
Continue readingProjecting the 4 Nations Face Off: USA
The 4 Nations Face Off will be the closest the U.S. has been to Canada in terms of overall talent at any point in best-on-best international play. The Americans beat the Canadians in 1996 and they were one shot away from another sweep in 2010, but neither of those teams were close to their Canadian counterparts on the basis of talent. The Americans have a young and deep group of players to select from and should be able to ice a roster that can go toe-to-toe with the Canadians.
It’s a shame there isn’t a mechanism that would allow them to trade a goaltender to Canada for a forward or defenseman simply given how rich the U.S. is at the position. There are easily four, if not five, goaltenders worthy of consideration for this roster, a strength that will largely be squandered in a tournament that is so short. That isn’t to say the Americans shouldn’t feel confident in their goaltending, but it’s the one position where depth as impressive as theirs won’t really matter given the nature of the position. But goalie isn’t the only area where the Americans should feel confident. So long as they don’t repeat the mistakes of 2014 and 2016, they should have an immensely talented lineup at their disposal.
Continue readingProjecting the 4 Nations Face Off: Sweden
It will be hard to fairly judge any of the teams in this tournament given its length. Finland’s roster doesn’t seem ultra impressive on paper, but if Juuse Saros is hot, or certain key players on other teams are injured, the results could be much different than what may be expected. I think in a more controlled setting, with more runway to get up to speed this Sweden team could really make some noise.
They have a well rounded defense corps and there are some serious players up front. They don’t have quite the same amount of depth of talent as the Americans or Canadians, but they’re close. It’s a solid group with some lineup flexibility that could come in handy. Their goaltending won’t get as much attention as the U.S. group, but the Swedes easily have the second best stable of the tournament. How it all translates in a round robin setting is tougher to determine.
Continue readingThe Instigator Podcast 12.27 – Targeting Mission: Eastern Conference
In a follow up to last week’s episode, we run through the NHL’s Eastern Conference to determine viable trade targets for the Sabres at this year’s deadline or in the offseason. We hit on each team in the East, identifying players who can help on the fringes of the roster and even a few blockbuster candidates.
We also hit on the news that the Sabres will be bringing in a new scoreboard for the 2024-25 season along with repairing the roof of KeyBank Center.
Projecting the 4 Nations Face Off: Finland
Of the four teams participating in the 4 Nations Face Off, Finland looks to be the weakest of the bunch. While they don’t lack high-end talent, they don’t boast the sort of depth that the Americans or Canadians have in bunches. Their goaltending is also fairly unproven once you get past Juuse Saros. Saros also has the skill to steal games, making the Finns a dangerous opponent. But on paper, this is the weakest of the four groups.
There’s a lot of room for movement on the Finnish roster and I think all four teams will use their practice time together to shuffle through line permutations before the games begin. So don’t view all of the lines listed in these posts as firm, but a general scope of how I view each roster. From the top group of forwards down, I don’t think any single one of these groupings would be written in ink given where some of the weak points are with the players they can select from.
Continue readingThe Instigator Podcast 12.26 – Targeting Mission: Western Conference Edition
We thought we’d try something different with this week’s episode. Rather than go on about another squandered pair of points, we dive into the Western Conference to come up with players the Sabres could target in a trade. We touch on each team in the West, highlighting players that range from pie-in-the-sky dreams, to valuable fits deeper in the lineup.
Two in the Box 