- 9 hours ago
ESPN's Greg Wyshynski joined "Schopp and the Bulldog" to share his thoughts on the incredible run the Sabres have been on this 2025-26 season.
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00:00Love to see it.
00:01Speaking of things that are hot and taking off here,
00:05not that it's new, but it's continuing here.
00:07Any worries about the time of the Olympic break?
00:10All the Sabres have done here, Greg, is win seven in a row coming out of the break.
00:14They have a chance to do tonight if they win an eighth in a row.
00:17It'll be the first time in their history they've ever had two winning streaks
00:20of eight games or more in a single season.
00:23Because they had the 10-gamer, of course, back before, you know, around the holidays.
00:27And so, I don't know.
00:29I mean, when we talked to you last time, there was a lot of shooting percentage,
00:33save percentage stuff, and that's still the case for them, but the beat goes on.
00:40It's just nice to not see an eight- and a ten-game losing streak
00:44that knocks them out of playoff contention in November,
00:46which is usually what we're talking about with this team.
00:49No, it's an awesome ride.
00:51You know, again, I'm not trying to be a party pooper,
00:55but you're the one who bought it up.
00:56They're still, you know, 18th in expected goals, 29th in expected goals against.
01:03They're outkicking their coverage when it comes to the analytics.
01:05They think they're third in shooting percentage of five-on-five,
01:09fourth in save percentage of five-on-five.
01:11This is all since the beginning of January.
01:14And so, again, like, the fancy stats are arguing a different case
01:18than what the actual results are telling you.
01:21But, like, throwing all that stuff out the window for a second,
01:24I mean, what a calling card victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning the other day.
01:29My God.
01:29Like, the Lightning walked in.
01:31They're just like, we don't care.
01:33We're going to try to beat these guys up and establish dominance,
01:37establish ourselves as the alpha in this Atlantic division,
01:42now that Florida's not going to make it.
01:44And Buffalo not only does, but then, like,
01:48didn't fold when the score got turned on either.
01:51And that was just like, what a definitive win for that team.
01:56Like, from a confidence standpoint and also from a,
02:00we are not an aberration, and when we see you guys in the playoffs,
02:03you're in for it kind of declaration.
02:05I was just really impressed by it.
02:07Yeah, and that was on the heels, Greg.
02:09Their third game out of the break a week ago Saturday was in Tampa,
02:15and my text thread of friends watching these games was like,
02:20statement win in Tampa.
02:22Like, they kind of dominated Tampa.
02:246-2.
02:24Yeah.
02:24I didn't know that they were going to have, like,
02:26another more definitive, more exciting statement to make eight days later,
02:30but there we were.
02:32I mean, I don't need the game of the year in the league confirmation from you,
02:37but it seemed like everywhere I looked yesterday,
02:40people who talk about hockey for a living were talking about that game.
02:45Yeah, it's because people who talk about hockey for a living want a bunch of
02:49fights and nastiness along with their goal scoring.
02:52Right.
02:53Like, anytime you get, like, game of the year proclamations,
02:56it's probably a game that had a lot of penalty minutes,
02:59and this one I think I saw had the most penalties and goals combined since,
03:04like, 94 or some such.
03:06Like, it definitely lived up to the billing,
03:10and it's going to be really exciting.
03:12I guess they see each other beginning of April again for one more tilt before the playoffs.
03:16But, you know, I'm writing a piece for tomorrow on ESPN about, you know,
03:21kind of, like, trade deadline overreactions about a week later.
03:25It is kind of stunning that nobody in the Eastern Conference really made an aggressive move to get that much
03:31better.
03:31Like, Detroit added a couple guys, and the Islanders got Braden Shen,
03:35and obviously Buffalo tried to take as big a swing as they could,
03:39first with the Robert Thomas bit, then the Colton Pareko bit.
03:42But, you know, for it being this wide open,
03:44and due respect to the Lightning and the Hurricanes,
03:47but neither of those teams were the Avalanche, right?
03:49Right.
03:49Like, for it being this wide open,
03:51I'm really surprised there wasn't more sealing the deal on big moves
03:55to try to have one of these contenders kind of move out in front of the others.
03:59Yeah, I agree with that.
04:00I mean, I spent last Tuesday talking.
04:03Mike was out sick.
04:05Oh, you're going to want to know this.
04:06Greg is going to want to know this.
04:07We had a Robert Thomas day in here on the show.
04:10I didn't talk about Robert Thomas for four hours.
04:12It was amazing.
04:14I think Bulldog thinks he was part of the reason why his name was being chanted in the arena,
04:19which you talked to Thomas about.
04:21Right.
04:22Yeah.
04:23Me and Jeff Merrick on Merrick's show, The Sheet.
04:25Me and Jeff, he did a podcast back in the day,
04:27and now we talk to each other twice a week on his show.
04:29I had Robert Thomas on yesterday, and I asked him about the chants,
04:33and it was funny.
04:34He said somebody – he thought it was a joke.
04:37He didn't think it was real.
04:38And then his buddy was actually at the game and said,
04:40no, dude, they're chanting your name in Buffalo.
04:42And he was, like, really flattered by it.
04:44But, you know, I guess the Thomas thing didn't get as far as we thought it did.
04:48Like, the Blues never came to him and asked him to actually wave.
04:52Obviously, with the Pareko thing, it got to the point where Jarmo was talking to Pareko about waving.
04:58But, again, like, Buffalo tried to take a big swing.
05:01You know, Montreal tried to take a big swing and didn't get it over the finish line.
05:05I think Carolina tried some things, but it just didn't happen.
05:09And then Rod Brendamore gets all boo-boo faced because they didn't make a big trade.
05:13I'm like, dude, your GM acquired Jake Gensel and Mikko Rantanen in consecutive seasons.
05:19I mean, okay, so you didn't get one this time.
05:22But, like, overall, for it being this wide open, it's kind of crazy that no one was able to really
05:26land a big fish.
05:27Well, that's where I started on Thomas there, and then we sidetracked with the chanting at the arena
05:33and that bit you had on the podcast with Merrick.
05:36The thing about Thomas that I was worried about when the Sabres didn't get that home
05:40was exactly what you just said, that Detroit or Montreal or, I don't know, Boston,
05:46like some other team or even one of the heavyweights, Tampa or Carolina, are going to do it.
05:51And I'm going to have to deal with that on top of, you know, the rest of their rosters.
05:56And, like, nobody ended up doing it, and we'll see if he gets moved in the summer.
06:00I think he probably will.
06:02I mean, like, the way he kind of described things with us on the podcast yesterday was
06:06he hasn't had to think about waving his no trade clause yet.
06:10He said yet a few times, and that kind of tells you he might know where the wind's blowing on
06:14this.
06:15I mean, he's a young guy.
06:15I'm sure if he could, he'd probably want to stick this thing out with St. Louis
06:19and not have to, you know, rearrange his life.
06:22But, you know, it seems like it's everything must go in St. Louis these days,
06:26and it wouldn't surprise me to see that trade made in the summer.
06:31I mean, honestly, I think the Pareko thing fell apart because of when this whole thing happened.
06:35They tried to make this guy, you know, convince this guy to, like, change his life
06:42while he's on the West Coast with the Blues on a road trip.
06:47Nursing back spasms at that, if you want it.
06:49Nursing back spasms.
06:50Like, you kind of want to just maybe sit face-to-face with your girlfriend before you're like,
06:55yeah, by the way, Buffalo.
06:56You know what I mean?
06:57So, like, I feel like that was a matter of timing more than anything else with the Blues
07:02and Pareko on that score.
07:03Speaking of the idea of Thomas getting rekindled in the summer,
07:06do you have any idea if there's bad blood on either side of that because of how that went?
07:12I mean, the Sabres had to put up with, you know, looking like they got turned down
07:15or being turned down, right?
07:18The Blues, I don't know, like, they're talking about internally checking everyone's phones
07:22and all this stuff.
07:23I don't know if they suspect that it was the Sabres.
07:26But, like, would Kekalainen and Armstrong now have a problematic relationship
07:30because of the way the Pareko thing went?
07:34Yeah, originally he said, I mean, obviously no problem with anything that happened with Thomas
07:37because it never really got down to that level.
07:40But with the Pareko thing, you know, at first it was uncomfortable,
07:43and I think you guys know why, is because the previous GM in Buffalo was talking about
07:47how they don't have palm trees and can't attract any talent.
07:50And here's, like, one of the first major guys they're taking a swing at,
07:54and he's like, no, thank you.
07:55But the more you hear about it, the more you think about it.
07:58It's a matter of timing.
07:59It's a matter of his own personal life.
08:02It's a matter of really having a connection with St. Louis
08:04and maybe not having gotten to a place yet where he's processing having to leave.
08:10I think you give it a few months and revisit it
08:12because I actually liked the move for Buffalo if it came together.
08:17But I don't think it's necessarily bad blood.
08:20I think it's the price of doing business.
08:21And, again, I say this all the time.
08:24I mean, the Blues tried the same thing with Torrey Krug a few years ago.
08:29This whole thing about, you know, trying to find out who's leaking this stuff
08:33to put pressure on the Blues players,
08:34it feels like Matt Damon in The Departed leading the mole hunt.
08:39The call is coming from inside the house.
08:41That's all I'm saying.
08:42With Greg Wyshynski, the Sabres end up making trades for four players in the end.
08:48And Kekalainen talked about, I mean, it's obvious from who they got,
08:52experience and size.
08:54And that's kind of the typical strategy most of the time, you think,
08:59with teams at the deadline,
09:01especially a team that doesn't have any playoff experience probably.
09:04Is it worth it?
09:06I mean, these are not depth players per se.
09:09A couple will be in the lineup.
09:11Carrick has already played and contributed with a goal on Sunday and a fight.
09:16So it's not all just backups, but did they do something of value, really?
09:22I like the Carrick move.
09:23You know, I live in Brooklyn, so I've covered the Rangers a bunch,
09:27and I've always liked his game.
09:28I think he's a good add.
09:29The two defensemen from the Jets I'm not crazy about, if I'm being honest with you,
09:32especially for the cost of acquisition.
09:35Those are very, very sort of depth players.
09:37In the case of Luke Shen, you know, I think you bring out a lot of experience,
09:41and that might help in a rough and tumble game here and there.
09:44But, you know, for me, that's sort of the law of diminishing returns.
09:47When you tease Meek Pareko, and then you end up with Stanley and Shen,
09:51it's a bit of a tough pill to swallow.
09:55But, again, like, that's the thing about the Sabres right now, though, is, I mean,
09:58what do they really need?
10:00I know we've talked a lot about the Blues in this conversation,
10:03but there's a lot of people that have been saying around me recently,
10:07like, maybe this is the Blues.
10:09Maybe this is the Blues back in the year they won the Cup,
10:11where all of a sudden the team just kind of finds its stride in season
10:16and then just, you know, ratchets up like six or seven gears,
10:20and all of a sudden a team no one's had on their radar
10:24becomes so good to be challenging for a championship.
10:26And that could easily be the Sabres.
10:28So when you think about what did happen, didn't happen,
10:31it's good to kind of take a step back and look at the roster that they have
10:34and say, well, damn, it's pretty complete.
10:37I mean, the success they're having is pretty good.
10:40If Norris can stay healthy, I endorse that 100%.
10:44The reason I like the Thomas thing so much and talked about it
10:46for the whole show last Tuesday was that he would be some form of insurance for that.
10:53I mean, and much more than that.
10:55I mean, he's every bit the player Norris is when he's healthy.
10:57I mean, he's a top-line center.
10:59Right now, I feel like this thing is hinging on Norris being there,
11:03and that is just a tough bet to make given his history.
11:07So, you know, bumping Tage out to a wing with Thomas at center,
11:12I was here for that with Norris, and if something happens to Norris,
11:15then I can move Thompson back.
11:17Now I'm sort of just crossing my fingers every time Norris goes into a corner.
11:21I mean, I'm kind of thinking Norris might have been a part of that deal,
11:24like just to make the money work.
11:27But we'll – I mean, that's neither here nor there.
11:30I mean, listen, there's been a lot of sort of like celebration
11:35of how Kevin Adams built this team and the things that he did
11:39and look what they're doing, and should Kevin's name be on the cup
11:42if they win it this year?
11:44That Josh Norris one's a tough one still, man.
11:47Like we said at the time, it's, you know, a guy who can be spectacular
11:52when he's healthy, but when is he healthy?
11:54And that's exactly the player he's been for the Sabres so far.
11:57So you still have to, like, caveat some of this Kevin Adams stuff
12:01because that remains a risky acquisition at best.
12:05It hasn't been that long since we've spoken, Greg,
12:08but any sort of new calibration in the Eastern Conference?
12:11It's still – is it still pretty flat?
12:14Has anything about the Lightning losing a few games
12:17even before they were here on Sunday, Carolina –
12:20is the calculus different for you than it was?
12:24The Lightning are a little wobbly.
12:26I mean, obviously, I guess the calculation we have to make
12:29is they acquired Corey Perry, which means they'll lose in the cup final.
12:33I mean, that's kind of how it works when you get Corey Perry.
12:36You know, I think Buffalo has kind of invited itself to the party
12:40as the third-best team in the conference.
12:42You know, however you want to structure that top three is fine with me,
12:46but, like, they're right there with Tampa and Carolina.
12:49Carolina is the one I'm curious about because they've been saying all year long
12:53that they think that they've got the best offensive depth
12:55that they've had under Brindamore,
12:57and to me that's always been the reason why they've not been able
13:01to break through and play for the cup is finding that one goal
13:03that they need in the playoffs.
13:05And I feel like they've acknowledged that in making the trade for Gensel
13:09and making the Rantanen move that obviously didn't work out.
13:12Like, I think they kind of know what they need,
13:14and I'm wondering if they feel like they've got enough internally now
13:18on that roster to make it happen.
13:20But the East is anyone's.
13:22I mean, like, with Florida out of commission,
13:25it really is a wide-open conference for Buffalo, for Tampa, for Carolina,
13:29for someone we're not thinking of to make a run.
13:34And that's exciting.
13:35I mean, it's got to be exciting for Sabres fans
13:37because there isn't anybody like a Colorado kind of blocking your way
13:41to potentially playing for the cup this year.
13:43Right.
13:43Are those three teams atop that division in the West,
13:47that's the Central, Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota,
13:50are they the three best teams in the league, you think?
13:53I think so.
13:54I think so.
13:54And, you know, glory be to the NHL playoff format
13:58where the three best teams in the league
13:59will all have to play each other in the first two rounds of the playoffs
14:02because that really values the regular season.
14:05But, yeah, those three teams are real good.
14:08I think Colorado is clearly a cut above the other two
14:11and only got better at the trade deadline,
14:14not only with the cadre acquisition,
14:17but Nick Wah, I think,
14:18gives them the best center depth of any team in this league.
14:22And, you know, they're just so well-built
14:24and so good offensively and defensively.
14:27But don't sleep on Dallas.
14:29Like, I don't think the Wild are as good as either of those two teams,
14:32mainly because their center depth is not anywhere near as good
14:35as what Colorado and Dallas have.
14:37But Dallas has been, you know,
14:39the conference bridesmaid for three years running for a reason.
14:43Like, they're really, really good.
14:45And, you know, they didn't do anything spectacular.
14:47The Tyler Myers trade was okay.
14:50Kind of gives them that same sort of right shot veteran defense
14:54than they got when they traded for Tanev and they traded for Cody Ceci.
14:59But, I mean, if anyone's going to be able to knock Colorado off their perch,
15:02I think it's Dallas just because of how much playoff experience they have
15:06and the depth that they have on their roster
15:09and some of the positions you need depth in to beat Colorado.
15:13Well, as I mentioned on Friday to EJ Raddick, who also talked up the Avs.
15:18It's understandable, obviously.
15:20Let's get to the finals and see what happens.
15:22I mean, that's – right, Bulldog?
15:23Would you take that?
15:24Sure.
15:25Would you take a cup finals if it meant playing Colorado?
15:27I think I would.
15:28I think I would.
15:29I mean, sure.
15:30But then, as per usual in this dopey league we follow,
15:34like the last time we saw a juggernaut like this in the regular season,
15:37it was Boston, and then they took it on the chin in seven games from Florida.
15:40So, for all this hype about the Central Division, you know,
15:44get ready for your Seattle Kraken first-round upset over the Colorado Avalanche,
15:48and then it's anybody's guess.
15:49Fine.
15:50Also fine.
15:52Tampa-Columbus, not only an upset but a sweep.
15:55Win.
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