BFHS 3/2/26: A Beast in the East
Kris Baker and The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn discuss everything Buffalo Sabres. Hit those like and subscribe buttons and be sure to read Matthew’s latest at The Athletic: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7078326/2026/03/02/sabres-mattias-samuelsson-injury-career-season-appert/
23 Comments
6:24 what do they need? Defensive depth and maybe an upgrade to replace Jack Quinn, who arguably doesn’t fit.
The power play you speak of is insanely bad especially the entries. Seeing them go full speed to the blue line, only to slam on the brakes as they drop the puck and fumble it or dump into the corner with no momentum is an exercise in futility. Watching it sail down the ice to try the same thing again is almost inevitable. Or worse a short handed chance to crush all Sabre souls. Please do something different
Quinn should not be on the PP. The team as well maybe ?
Trade for some muscle
Story idea for Matt after the season: a reassessment of Kevyn Adams tenure as Sabres GM. He rebuilt the Sabres mostly through the draft because the Sabres were radioactive to trades and free agency. Not saying he didn't need to go. I'm sure there were other issues with him. But strictly judging on the team he built, I think he was unfairly judged.
If we play Montreal, Detroit or Boston in the playoffs and lose, I would be pissed. We're just better than they are. If we play Tampa and lose, I won't be thrilled but at least that's a very good team stacked with veterans who know how to play the game. And they have arguably the best goalie in the league. I'm not a UPL hater, but I can't put him in Vasiy territory or anywhere near it.
The PP is just a mess with zone entry, with faceoffs also contributing. We can't win a faceoff ever, apparently. Pretty sure we're zero for 10 million on the season. I kind of wish the league changed it's rules, because I just see the remnants of the 90's when I see teams defending the PP. Everyone stands up on the blue line, like it's the neutral zone trap days. I'm radical in that, I hate the blue line and offsides in general. I only see a need for icing and the red line. I'd like to see a rule change where maybe only on the PP, the blue line is ignored and it gets moved to the red line. If you want to stand up on the red line, go ahead. We're gonna chip behind you and really see some space and work and chaos. Also, once we enter the zone the blue line isn't going to be the wall that it is for stopping offense. Radical change, but I think it would be better in the long run once teams adjusted. More of a focus on skill.
Norris is great on the PP because he's one of the few that knows how to enter the zone properly. And Quinn should never be on either PP squad. He's a shorthanded disaster giveaway machine, who doesn't bring enough offensively to compensate for it.
Very high possibility there will be five new playoff teams in the East – only Montreal, Tampa, and Carolina will make it from the 2025 bracket. Caps are bubble WC at best.
It's funny how your perspective changes when you live in the bubble vs. when you live outside the bubble. From my experience, when you're in the bubble you don't see things as clearly and objectively. When I listen to Kris and Matthew I hear two guys who are deeply in the bubble. This is not a criticism, just an observation.
Thank you for mentioning it early on. I thought Tampa played like the spoiled kid who gets everything and for once it came at their expense and they seemed to just be a bunch of babies about it. Did not lose in grace at all
I don't think the team getting in this year is no longer a shortcut because they stand to sit with home ice during the first round.
What's with the thumbnail? 😂
Tampa is dirty. That is all
Adams is gone, right? So it's OK to give this team boxing lessons, RIGHT???
Is Kevyn Adams winning the Executive of the Year Award 😳
A Hab filled Key Bank Arena for a first round playoff series? No Thanks 🤬
Always the best Sabres content, no clickbait trade ideas or hot takes, just two intelligent guys who understand this team. Hope to see this podcast grow and continue in the years ahead
Benny on pp1, zucker on pp2, get quinn the fuck outta there too.
Good interview with Jarmo, 100% Hockey:
https://youtu.be/fe0LfOeZgOs?si=CHZhYO2Ae_r8Oe7l
Sounds like you both had colds. Hoping for a pre planned announced live show and late night west coast sabres cocktail baker Fairburn hockey show
I know everyone craps on Quinn……..but he’s going to have 50pts by end of season. That’s not nothing
So fun hearing the differences in audio across platforms and audio devices. Fairburn is the most recent Batman
Can we last in a physical series? I think so but, I still think we need someone who can handle themselves when it gets really ugly.
Was just thinking about all the talk earlier this season of an internal cap and here we are trying to figure out how to game the external cap.
lol now that is interesting…..
What if the trade is Thomas and Faulk. Faulk can fill powers spot. Timmons is coming back…..and after this year Buffalo has Mrtka, Strbak, Kleber and Johnson in the pipeline.
In exchange for Thomas and Faulk – STL gets; Power, Quinn, 2027 1st, 2026 2nd, Rosen and maybe another minor piece……
That frees up 8m from power and fills it with Thomas. The rest of Powers 8m and Quinn’s salary takes care of Faulk…….
That leaves GMJK to trade Greenway at some point, lose the 3rd goalie, and free up enough space to sign our needed UFA/RFA’s; Tuch, Benson, Kesselring, Krebs and Mals…..
It’ll be tight AF LOL