Taro T

Realize that. Don't care about where they are cap-wise now. But barring some major move that will likely once again cost them a 1st, they're still cuurrently sitting with only $5.6MM in cap space with 3-5 skaters to add. Dropping at least $2.5MM of that off to upgrade the backup (or slide Murray to backup) doesn't give them much wiggle room. Especially if they try to keep the standard $2-3MM of space on opening day they need to still move more salary out to fit Comrie (or anybody else) in. Didn't they also want to try to fix the dysfunction they call a D-corps?

How do they pull that off? They've got something like $5.6MM of cap space left and only 16 skaters under contract.

Such a trivial pursuit.

It HAS to be someone better than Tokarski because if it isn't, Anderson is the starter AGAIN & that will turn to doo doo by early November once again. The skaters & fans deserve better.

Could see Tokarski wanting to leave to get a bona fide opportunity to be the backup somewhere. Realizing Adams may not find a starter, but Anderson pencils in as the backup, UPL the Amerks starter, & Subban the Amerks backup but likely 1st callup. Toker deserves a legit opportunity to be a backup somewhere. MHO.

OK, let's rephrase that, they wanted a guy that would be an NHL backup on THEIR team rather than a possible AHL starter for their farm team in return for Talbot.

Minny wanted an NHL backup, not an AHL possible starter.

Guess we know who UPLs battery mate will be. Nothing against Dustin, but please dear God don't let Adams also bring back Tokarski at this point.

That stinks.

Don't believe anybody said that he ignored it; if they did it was hyperbolic. But this would have been far and away the biggest & longest player contract he had handed out and he was still professing he thought EVERYBODY should be on a 1 day contract (even though the CBA & reality made that an impossibility). He mulled it over too long & might as well have ignored it as the excessive length of the delay is why Drury backed out. You honestly don't see where he'd want to mull this over a bit? Well, mulling it over too ####ing long started a domino chain that to a certain degree we still feel today. He didn't negotiate the deal but he darn sure was the one who would or wouldn't sign off on it. And he didn't want to lose money in ANY season and told his people that was the mandate. No way a contract like this doesn't give him pause. Unfortunately for all of us, it gave him too much.

True. But being in Minny's system, stranger things have happened.

Glad he's back. Expected it would happen, but until the ink is dry ... Still hoping they bring in another F; either middle 6 or 4C. Upgrade 2RD & 1G. Then maybe some depth signings of 4th liners / 3rd pairing guys that can start out in Ra-cha-cha & move up when there aren't enough kids that have earned callups to fill in for injuries or significant regressions.

And if you do have NHL Quality GTing, continue drafting 1 per year (or 2/3 at minimum) as those up & comers can be traded for pieces that will help keep the rest of the crew together like SJ did for a long time. Doesn't hurt the Sabres but it could put the Gophers in one heck of a spot; especially if Faber gets talked into bolting too.

And the 3v3 tourney will be livestreamed on the Sabres website.

You know, this take is actually kind of funny. He doesn't remember anything about the negotiation but yet he manages to summarize large portions of what others were doing while not including his role in it. Really? He manages to recollect what others were doing but forgot his role. In HIS OWN BIOGRAPHY. What was his thought process in that, PA? Well, clearly people aren't interested in what B Thomas Golisano was doing at the time nor his role in the events, but here's what others were doing. Are the rest of the chapters written that way as well? Must be one heck of a page turner if that's the case. Wouldn't a better title for the book then be "the Italian Kid Got Swept Up by It?" Strains credulity; especially when 2 points are considered: this negotiation was a clear break from the previous policy of no in-season negotiations and his role in this failed negotiation in large part set in motion the dismantling of one of the best teams the Sabres ever had. But, surely that was merely an oversight and not in any way intentional in the man's own biography. 🙄

You're looking for the "announcement on Ryan Johnson" thread. This is not the thread you are looking for. 😉

Rosen. We have a good handle on what the other 3 are and what they might be. Because Rosen was too small at this point of his maturation to be consistently successful when playing against adults he's still much more of a question mark. And the other 3 will all be NHLers at some point this year. He likely won't. Which is why he's unlike the other 3 though he very well could be there & playing comparably as well once he finally matures into it. Or he could bust as well. Hope not. But it'll be good to see direct apples to apples comparison for him & that is the one this guy most wants to see.

Rosen is actually the one that will be most interesting to see where he's at IMHO. Quinn & Peterka will be NHLers this year & Power already is. He's the one 1st rounder that isn't necessarily like the others but still could be.

Did not state that he was lying. Said he left a huge piece of the story out of his retelling of it. Which, BTW, Fearless Leader confirmed. (You going to accuse him of being "full of it" too?) Also, only in your world is claiming that somebody left something out of a story the same as claiming that person that was in the room doesn't know what actually happened in it. Of course Golisano knows the whole story, but only you would believe he didn't leave ANYTHING out in the retelling. Because in PA's world people never do that and they always tell a story in a manner that gives the reader or listener the most complete and accurate version so there is no reason to ever question any portion of it. Even when the story came out in real time, PA will defer to the version of the one relating the story years later who might be trying to avoid looking bad because, well, guess you'll have to ask him that one.

Very likely true. As Hammister was woefully undercapitalized and almost certainly would've become the owner there was a very good chance that he'd've pulled an Art Modell with the team just like he did with the Destroyers or else that he'd've sold to Balsillie who would've moved the club. It definitely would've been even more tumultuous.

2 separate sources each w/ a direct connection to a different person at the time in the organization.

Missed him w/ a quick perusal of the list. Git 'er dun Kevyn.

Which could be one more similarity between Briere & Savoie. While Briere was technically the C on his line, he often had linemates such as Hecht or the FA signee that shall go unnamed that took on many of the defensive responsibilities so he was sort of a hybrid C/W. Wouldn't be the worst thing in the world were the Sabres to fill that role by committee on a line or 2.

He's telling the story in a manner that is different than what was told by multiple reliable sources at the time. (None of which were columnists for the local newspaper.) A deal was worked out for 5 years at ~$5.3/yr in October. It sat waiting for weeks on some recent author's desk for approval. By the time approval was finally granted, the other party suggested they table it until after the season. So, while what he said may be technically accurate from a certain point of view (it's too late in the evening to parse his exact wording & as such will give him the benefit of the doubt), it is neglecting a HUGE component as to why the deal wasn't formalized.

Not surprising he would claim no deal was ever reached w/ Drury, but it wasn't a BN columnist who was the source of the story that a deal was agreed to then sat on BTG's desk unsigned until Drury finally backed out of it. But he's not the 1st to make stuff up in his biography and won't be the last either.