...

I would call it giving up, but that's not a bad thing. They would be giving up on him for a reason...whatever that reason is the public isn't privy to.

That's one less potential trade partner. I'd say his value dropped a tad bit.

... or "they", depending...

Okay, so based on what I've been reading, I'm amenable to revising my view on the matter a little. Frankly, I've never had to articulate these thoughts before, which were just an amalgam of observations over time sitting in the recesses of my brain. It would seem that it is quite likely socio-economics would be a measurable factor in the development of the hockey-child into a hockey-adult. However, I still maintain that it is not strictly socio-economics at work, but that family/commitment-based qualities are represented (way) above average in hockey-culture. While I have seen no studies to substantiate this claim, the anecdotal evidence is too strong and numerous to ignore. Now, let's talk about UFOs...

Anecdotal. Doesn't count. :P

Maybe. I understand your POV, but I don't find them equal at all. The parents of baseball and football kids can sit outside in the fresh air, sitting in their cozy chairs with a cooler of beverages, while their kid practices. It's simply not the same environment as going to a hockey rink, at all. Hockey is much more of a "hassle" for the for the parent.

I love it. I don't expect it to happen in Buffalo, but the idea is grand and would be about the only maneuver Regier could make that would earn some respect from me.

IMHO, no matter what the costs are financially, it takes more commitment from the family to get a kid up at 5am, and make sure he's at the rink at 6am for practice. It takes a commitment to car-pool to the next game, which may be an hour and half drive away. Then you have to sit on the hard, metal benches in a cold, smelly rink, not outside in a lawn chair. You need to get the kid into a rink in the off-season. The costs are nothing compared to the commitment.

BTW, don't get me wrong...I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, just have a discussion. That said, are you sitting on (solid/good/reliable) data about the socio-economic status of hockey culture? Are most kids involved in hockey from the upper-middle class or higher?

They could sit on their amnesty buy outs and use them after next season instead, if I understand it correctly.

Agreed. I wonder if salaries, at least temporarily, will adjust to the lower cap. If a player is asking too much, eventually he'll have to lower his asking price if he wants to work.

Have you ever played hockey? How familiar are you with hockey culture? Any direct experience?

I'll leave the real answer to people who know the CBA better than I do, but I think that since he went into the off-season un-healthy, that status would carry over until the next season begins, as far as the buy-out terms are concerned.

I think you need to get out of the office and attend a lawn fete or something that doesn't involve numbers, spreadsheets, and theorems.

I don't see it this way. I don't think Vinny has that kind of cachet, not now.

You can't bury contracts any more, at least not without keeping the cap hit. Better to move Stafford for a bag of pucks. And they're stuck with Leino next season because he's injured. And, honestly, Regier isn't going to buy out anyone, that jerk can not admit to a contract mistake until years after the fact.

Really (I say not in the smart-aleck way, but in the genuinely interested way)? Care to expand on the point because I don't see how it's desperation.

I think over the long term, say the next five years, they probably even out. A team has to sign Vinny now, a team has to sign Vanek next year. Vanek has the edge because even with a crappy team around him he still produces.

Mmmm, I don't think money is the central factor. Hockey culture is very, VERY family oriented. Doesn't matter the socio-economic class of the player and his/her family, what does matter is the family's commitment to the kid's hockey. In our society, roughly, communities with "stronger" and "more supportive" family structures and influences result in less crime and social disturbances/aberrations. I think hockey people are simply more "grounded" people because that's what it takes, generally, to succeed in the sport.

He could be the veteran talent the Sabres need. Put Vinny in between Vanek and...I don't know, someone dynamic, and that may be what Vanek needs to stick around. Are there any good wingers being bought out the Sabres can bring in to play on a line with Vinny and Vanek (love the way the rolls out "Vinny and Vanek")?

When the amnesty buy-out detail of the new CBA was announced, the poster boy was Lecavalier. This is not a surprise, and the guy gets to go and get his career back in shape. Works out for both parties.

And I thought I was all alone, yet all of this time, I was truly among friends! I'm so emotional I need to blog about it somewhere...'scuse me a moment. Oh, uhm, is Stafford on waivers yet?

Dear God, Please, please, please let this Kane-to-Buffalo meme die. Quickly, please. Please, God? Kane won't come to Buffalo, will he, God? Kane needs a partner like Toews to make him the star he is, right, God? Why can't people in Buffalo understand this, God? Please give them enlightenment. God, don't you agree it will be a long-ass summer if people keep up this Kane nonsense? If you need to, by all means employ tactical lightning strikes to stop this from going any further. I know most people won't mind. Thanks, God! You rock! Sincerely, sizzlemeister

Poor Bowman, I think he heard two of those questions,

SOUTH BUFFALO - TWO STANLEY CUPS - REPRESENTED!