Challenge #28 - Buffalo Sabres - Discussion Thread

[bruins72]

Sorry. We're actually looking to kick off a new challenge on Monday. This one has been going for a while now and I don't think many people are still participating in it. We're hoping to get people on board with the new one.

[Asher413]

Season 3:
Not as good as I hoped in the regular season, but we managed to make a nice playoff run!

Highlights:
Playoffs- Managed to beat the Rangers, the arch-rival Bruins (lost 6 of 8 in the regular season), and make it to game 6 with the Caps, more than I dreamed after barely finishing 8th.
Scoring Depth- Finally managed to get a number of players to score behind the first line, 13 players with 20+ points, 7 with 40+.
Kunitz- for slight humor purposes, I lost out on the Kunitz free agency run, but proceeded to trade away the future for him (A. Barkov, but I had already determined this would be my last season, so why not?)

Lowlights:
Free agency/Waivers: Lost in free agency to what I wanted (a top 6 winger), then proceeded to claim Saku Koivu, who put up a massive 1 point and 6 PIMs in 9 games. I didn't manage to sign a decent player (Lombardi is the only one that actually played) over the two seasons, but you take your lumps!
Miller playoff injuries: He was hurt twice, at the end of a game 6 win in the Eastern Semi's (missed game 7, then 1 and 2 of the ECF), then in the 1st OT of 5 OT's in game 5 (was tied 2-2 in the series) of the ECF. What might've been...

Transactions:
Players: (notables)
Claimed Saku Koivu off waviers
Traded Barkov for Kunitz
Traded 2nd rounder for Greg Campbell

Draft Notables:
1.10 Ivan Barbashev: played in Buffalo, 6-9-15 in 41 games

Staff:
DIdn't mess with it.

Offseason goals:
Click continue until July 1 for screenshots.

For sure I don't have time for the next season, but this was a nice return to challenges (Thank you NHL draft for making me think of EHM!). Looking forward to the next challenge, and I need to review the Waiver rules as I lost more players than I wanted from having the wrong guys in the minors (re-entry waivers killed me!)

[bruins72]

Draft Notables:
1.10 Ivan Barbashev: played in Buffalo, 6-9-15 in 41 games

I really wanted to grab him but he was already taken by the time it came to my pick. He looked like one of the best in that draft class.

[coombs14]

I was also hoping to grab him too but he went way earlier than I was expecting, given his draft ranking. I ended up getting Reid Gardner instead who seemed to be working out well in the limited playing time he got for me in season 4. I think the kid is going to be a good offensive winger but he doesn't have the all around game that Barbashev has. He was rookie of the year for the Panthers in 2015.