‘With a large chunk of money and time invested in Hodgson for years to come, Sabres fans have to hope that he is more the plus side of Tim Connolly and not the down side. If Pat LaFontaine, a new general manager and Ted Nolan — or whoever the next head coach is — can get through to Hodgson, he can still turn into the No. 1 center the Sabres hoped they were getting with Tim Connolly, but never really saw.’