The Instigator Podcast

Chris Creamer and Todd Radom join the show to discuss their new book Fabric of the Game. We discuss some of the excellent stories in the encyclopedic book about the NHL's uniform and logo history. They also share some great stories from their careers, their personally favorite uniforms and logos and even some thoughts on the NHL's Reverse Retro uniforms.

The NHL's Reverse Retro collection is here and Tyler and Chris go deep on their favorite (and least favorite) designs of the new uniforms. They also discuss the Sabres entry to the collection and their excitement over the new addition. Also on the docket is a discussion over the uncertainty surrounding the start of the 2020-21 season.

Joe Yerdon joins the show yet again as we discuss the Sabres work at the draft and free agency. We touch on how Taylor Hall will impact the roster and whether or not his acquisition gives the Sabres enough fire power to take the next step. Jack Quinn is on the table as well as we run through the draft and the tepid reaction to Quinn's selection.

Chad and Anthony from Expected Buffalo and Die By The Blade joined the show for our first ever draft round table. We discuss our preferred targets for the Sabres at eighth overall and how the top of the draft may shake out.

We break down the Sabres trade for Eric Staal, discuss what might come next for the team and touch on the hiring of Mike Weber and Adam Mair in Rochester. We also run through the tough situation in Arizona and some of the odd decisions made by Jim Rutherford in Pittsburgh.

Reports that the Sabres are expected to operate with an internal budget this season were greeted with trepidation. Reports that the budget could sit as low as $70 million were greeted with outright anger. We discuss the ramifications such a restrictive budget could have and whether or not we believe the Sabres could actually pull that off (spoiler: we don't). We also touch on news from around the NHL as the league inches closer to crowning a champion.

John Vogl of The Athletic joins the show to discuss his recent article about the Sabres Hall of Fame and it's lengthy hiatus. We talk about the odd circumstances surrounding the team Hall of Fame and even get around to discussing some roster building topics as well.

The NHL players led a decision to postpone play for two nights in response to the continued unrest throughout the country. We discuss the decision, the NHL's initial reaction and other factors surrounding the league and how they've reacted to the Black Lives Matter movement. We also discuss the trade that sent Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh and touch on a potential trade partner for the Sabres.

We're playing catch up on this week's episode after missing last week's batch of news. So we run down the Sabres return to royal blue and the unveiling of their new uniforms. We touch on the Rangers lottery win, the qualifying round and the Amerks' hiring of Seth Appert. The bulk of the episode is devoted to the first round of the NHL playoffs and how each of the series has shaped up.

The NHL officially returns in just a few short days and we devote this week's show to previewing and predicting the qualifying round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and offering up our picks for who will play for the Stanley Cup.