...

Unless he sucks. Seriously, I think the past is so far removed from the present that if Nolan can't steer this team in the right direction, the fanbase won't care if he is truly only an interim coach. I think everyone wants a Cup. What's @fakedarcy going to do now?

A valid concern, IMHO. The Sabres have been through their share of smaller guys.

I've read he has the hands, and I'm thinking in terms of what the Sabres need. I didn't consider his size, but you could be right. I think the Ennis comparison is possible, considering the size and the reports of him liking to hang on to the puck, but that he likes to shoot it more often than not.

Who over Nylander? Nylander's rep, currently, paints a picture of a Vanek-type of player, as far as I read it. But, admittedly, I'm a 2014 draft noob yet. I think, as it stands, the Sabres need Reinhart at center and I'm undecided if they should grab yet another center in Draisaitl or a scoring winger. As far as I'm concerned, they need to ignore Ekblad unless they have three picks in the top 5.

From what I have gathered so far, I agree with this assessment. I'm glad the thread started so early; I have a chance to edumacate myself long before the big day! I think the Sabres are targeting Reinhart and Draisaitl - two centers who fill obvious holes. If they can grab Nylander before Draisaitl, they may, depending on the picks they have in hand. If the Sabres walked away with Reinhart and one of either Draisaitl or Nylander, would they still want to tank for McDavid? Seems like Reinhart is having a better season so far.

Rolston is in a pretty unique position. The idea is to tank, and so they hire a coach who, while on the one hand will teach the kids the game, will also guarantee at least one season of tanking. I think Regier and crew are gambling that Rolston doesn't finally figure out this whole NHL coaching thing by the beginning of next season. Perhaps they plan to give him two seasons to tank, and season three to audition for the "real" job after they get their picks. So, Rolston gets two seasons of baptism by fire to learn how to win as an NHL coach. That's a gift to someone who never played in the league.

What's with the pessimism? ~30 pts is doable, given the circumstances.

How can you be a Sabre watching this Penguins game and not instantly grasp the difference between legit competitive teams and themselves? The intensity difference is striking, I'm jealous.

Anyone watching this Bruins vs. Penguins game? Wow, the Sabres are no-freaking-where near the same league.

Sounds like Pegula finally got around to asking the question "just what the hell is really the problem, here?"

I think it was Rob Ray on the pre-game yesterday that said, directly, that Vanek's conditioning will have to get up to speed for him to play like they'll expect him to on the Islanders.

Almost an understatement...almost.

Alright! Two firsts for this draft, so far, right? What do we have, let's see...I need to bone up on this thread.

Vanek's fleas are better, though.

Meh, I'm getting the impression Moulson has been under the microscope: http://eyesonisles.com/2013/10/18/whats-next-matt-moulson/

Holy crap, Hamilton is huge! I thought he lost weight.

Thing is, with the scuttlebutt that Vanek wants to sign with the Wild next season, who was going to give the Sabres anything like this for him? I think this was the smart move, because I'm sure Vanek gave them the heads-up that there's no fricking way in hell he's resigning to this clusterf*ck. Moulson could work out, but I suspect they're looking to trade for even more picks or, as someone noted, another Larsson.

Word up.

What we're seeing now from the Sabres is a result of Regier's "management"; I don't understand the argument to keep him on the job.

Why bother. No one would believe it. Few would care. Even less would understand and appreciate the ramifications of it all. Welcome Big Brother!

I need more of a sample this season to pass judgment on Stafford. I think Physics makes a fair point. We all evolve and mature; we all have our life-realizations. Stafford isn't an old salt, yet. Maybe he DID prep harder over the summer. The dude just got married, too. If she's pregnant, or they're talking about it, that will certainly get him to wake up a little and think through things differently. Personally, while keeping his past in the proper perspective, I will give him more time before deciding whether he's the same old, or has finally taken the right step forward. Same goes for Myers. I think his game looks better than it has. But, we'll see. I mean, let's remember these are young men, yet. And the past couple of seasons have been hostile seasons here in Buffalo. I think that plays into a player's psyche and takes a lot more to overcome than if one were developing in, say, Chicago, Pittsburgh, or Boston. This is not say I think fans should change, or that I wish the attitude were different, all of that is on the organization. But, we can't ignore the effects of being part of a crappy organization on a young, male ego.

At some point, ticket sales/empty seats, merchandise and concession sales, and TV ratings, WILL take their toll. Where that point resides is the question.

Is there a summary or two of this data you can point to? I would love to read it. To me, it seems there's an irony in the position you stated, because itself seems a biased interpretation of data.

In the context of the wavering central narrative, my comment was not a distraction.

Dude, get real. This is why I don't like getting into detail, especially with you here, because, at the foundation, you fail to respect the POV, twist my points, and try and force me to re-state points I have already made within a context you set up. Perhaps you should take a clue from TrueBlue, who is one of the few artful debaters here. He and I clearly disagree on many things, but at times come to agreement on some matters, and respect each other's POV regardless and can discuss our disagreements rationally. You are the type of poster who can easily derail a thread and make things go bad because of your constant aggression and unwillingness to attempt to respect another's POV. I can so easily take the ridiculous jabs you keep taking and turn them back on you five fold and have this thread locked within an hour, but I do not, because, unlike you (seemingly), I see the fun is in the back and forth. Just like a sport, you have to, at some point, respect your opponent.