Don’t Forget the Summer Goalie Market When Questioning the Sabres Moves

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The season may only be four games old, but the Sabres’ 1-3 start has put some of the fans’ biggest offseason concerns in the spotlight.

Buffalo’s decision to leave the roster largely untouched and lean on their unproven trio of goaltenders was chief among the offseason debate in Sabres circles. Leaning on a roster that made the Sabres the third highest scoring team in the NHL wasn’t a terrible choice when you dig into the data. Kevyn Adams has continued to lock up the core of his roster and it was those players – most notably Tage Thompson (47 goals), Dylan Cozens (31 goals) and Rasmus Dahlin (73 points) – who pushed the Sabres to the top of the league’s scoring race. The choices in goal were a greater gamble. 

Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s struggles last season underscored the position that likely kept the Sabres out of the playoffs. While Devon Levi has shown promise (and was stout in Tuesday’s win over Tampa), handing the keys to a 21-year old with seven games of NHL experience is unprecedented. If there was one position where fans would have agreed with more tangible reinforcement, it would have been in net. The league’s goalie market from the summer made that proposition much harder to accomplish than maybe some assume. 

Connor Hellebuyck was far and away the best goaltender available over the summer. There were widespread reports that the Jets were shopping the former Vezina winner, though a deal never materialized. Hellebuyck’s contract status almost certainly played a role in the lack of a trade. While Hellebuyck was a goaltender I felt could push the Sabres to a playoff berth, I would not have pursued him with a lengthy contract extension attached. Now that he’s signed a seven-year, $59.5 million extension, it would be hard to see the logic in acquiring that sort of player given the faith the organization has in Levi. 

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The Instigator Podcast 12.8 – Pat Kane and the Sabres. Is There a Fit?

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After offering a recap of Buffalo’s first three games, we tackle a topic that’s been circulating with Sabres fans for quite some time. Are the Sabres interested in Pat Kane and would he be a good fit with this roster? We dig into Kane’s underlying stats, consider how he may look post-surgery and offer up some of the potential positives if he was indeed signed as a free agent in the coming weeks or months.

Celebrate The Day of the Dead with FOCO’s Buffalo Bills Calavera Bobbleheads

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Step up your game this halloween and show your Bills spirit with FOCO’s Buffalo Bills 2023 Calavera Glow in the Dark Bobblehead.

All season long, make sure you are repping your Buffalo Bills with the best officially licensed apparel and collectibles from our partners at FOCO as today, they are commemorating a very special in the Mexican Heritage, The Day of the Dead.  This morning, FOCO has just released a line of Calavera bobbleheads with teams from various sports leagues, including your Buffalo Bills.

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Sabres Trade Tiers

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Going back to the spring, many Sabres fans have been waiting on a trade that hasn’t come. 

As Buffalo morphed into a playoff contender, there was a growing expectation that Kevyn Adams would make some deals to round out his roster. But his action at the deadline was more measured than some may have guessed, and he completed the offseason without any notable deals being made (save for dealing Ilya Lyubushkin to alleviate a numbers crunch on the blueline). Victor Olofsson is on record saying he was prepared to be moved, but no deal materialized for him, a goaltender or any other position which could have helped the Sabres take the next step to the playoffs. 

It’s understandable that Adams hasn’t been in a rush to shake up his group. The forward group is brimming with young talent while a pair of first overall picks anchor the blueline. Buffalo boasts a core many teams can only dream of. The need to materially alter this group is reserved to maybe two or three spots across the entire roster. Unlike previous years during this decade-long rebuild, the team isn’t in a position where they’re lacking depth on the NHL roster or in their pipeline. It’s a luxury which will put them in a position of strength when the time comes to take a big swing. 

And that time is approaching. 

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The Instigator Podcast 12.7 – Start of Season Mailbag

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Let’s kick off the opening week of the NHL season with a listener mailbag. On this episode we’ll tackle Owen Power’s contract, how the Sabres should handle Matt Savoie, what a successful start to the year looks like for Zach Benson and more.

Add Some International Flavor to Your Collection with Bills London Game Bobbleheads

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There’s no debate that North London is red (white and blue) as the Bills take the field to take on the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

Buffalo’s second regular season trip to London is headlined by a high-flying offense led by Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. To celebrate the occasion, and the sea of Bills fans who made the trip to London, FOCO has released two limited edition bobbleheads of Allen and Diggs for the NFL London Game. 

The Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs London Game bobbleheads features the QB in his home uniform with a mockup of the Tower Bridge and the NFL London Games 2023 logo behind them. It’s topped off with a British flag and the Bills logo on the base. Like all FOCO bobbleheads, the attention to detail on these figures is pristine. The small touches, like the detailing on the Tower Bridge, sets these figures apart. 

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The Instigator Podcast 12.6 – Analyzing the Sabres Roster Choices

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The regular season is nearly here. With the Sabres wrapping up their preseason schedule, we try and determine what Don Granato and Kevyn Adams’ final decisions will be in forming Buffalo’s roster. We dicsuss the backup goaltending decision, how many defensemen the team will choose to keep and which forwards will earn the precious few spots which are available. We wrap up the show discussing where we see the Sabres finishing the season in a wide open Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Time to Go Back In Time with FOCO’s Snoopy Peanuts Bills Bobbleheads

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Get ready to celebrate the return of the NFL season with a touch of nostalgia as FOCO has announced the sixth release of their ongoing series, the  Peanuts Snoopy NFL Team Themed Bighead Bobbleheads.  This collaboration brings together the beloved charm of the Peanuts characters with the iconic teams of the NFL in a collectible form. These are available for all 32 NFL teams including the Baltimore Ravens!

The Bills Peanuts Snoopy Bobblehead captures the essence of sportsmanship and playful charm. In this unique rendition, Snoopy, everyone’s favorite beagle from the Peanuts universe, is showcased in an action-packed pose, donning the proud colors of the Bills. Sporting the team’s signature purple jersey along with a perfectly fitted Bills helmet, Snoopy is all set to hit the field. The attention to detail is impeccable, from Snoopy’s determined expression to the intricately designed football helmet.

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Thinking out of the Box: Would you rather be the Bills or the Dolphins?

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Featuring Chris & @BuffaloWins

This series is supported by FOCO. FOCO carries an impressive line of team-branded merchandise and collectibles. They create unique, limited edition bobbleheads of some of the biggest stars in sports and they complement those lines with cool apparel, home decor and more. Check out their full Bills line by following this link.

Many moons ago, there was a little site called Buffalo Wins. I’d contribute to their Bills and Sabres coverage from time to time when I wasn’t arguing on Twitter with Joe about whatever he was mad about that week. One of our most enjoyable content pieces was a barstool deliberation piece where we did the Jerry Sullivan, Rex Carr columns only with two real people as opposed to a make-believe strawman.

And while Joe’s site has been retired, we thought we might rekindle our old debate stage here on 2ITB. Our first topic? Which team would you rather be? The Bills or the Dolphins?

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Show Your Bills Pride with an Allen, Diggs, White Three-Pack Bobblehead Set

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In their two victories this year, the connection between Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs has been vital to the Bills offensive success. The pair showed off their apparent telepathic communication on a classic Allen improvisation that led to a long completion to Diggs. They’ve been the motor making the Bills offense run and they’ll need to be on their game Sunday when the Dolphins are in town.

You can show off your pride for the Buffalo Bills, Allen, Diggs and Tre-Davious White with yourselves the Josh Allen/Stefon Diggs/Tre’Davious White 3 Pack Mini Bighead Bobblehead Set from our partners at FOCO. The bobble set features 3 mini bighead bobbleheads of Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, & Tre’Davious White standing on a field stripe base in an action pose ready to hit your living room, man cave, bar or anywhere else where you want to show off some good Bills vibes.

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