Ghost of Dwight Drane

Absolutely. I have said before....he has broken Sabres news since the Pegula purchase. Ted Black followed him on Twitter before the Buffalo Sabres...so have multiple other members of the organization. He was dropping names at the draft with the correct pick right before the picks were made. Etc. Etc. I am sure there is interest in Ott, Moulson, and Miller. My guess is that someone just walked away from the table on one of the 3 who was close to getting something done...and a call went out to try and spice things up. That's how these guys work. McKenzie is good and has sources....just question the timing. The old timers remember when I would blast Wawrow for taking cases of booze from Quinny during the old regime. I would get laughed at. How many stories has Wawrow had that are relevant since Pegula took over? He used to be the only one WITH access. Oh well. Hate to see Ott go. It all makes sense, but my guess is someone (LA?), just walked away from a Moulson deal because of the injury and Vanek getting shopped. But who am I?

Aaaand....on the Sabres payroll.....

I know you do....

So could my bowels........

If you'd like to make your way to the wagering thread....I say no way these 2 have kids.

That would have been the perfect combo....Darcy at GM and Seguin-Hodgson-Ennis as your centers. Thank you Darcy for going after picks. At least we have a shot.

It's like watching a video game of a 12yo playing his grandma.....

He has improved using his body, but again, he has to think it. If Myers were a stock...he came out guns ablazin at his IPO and went from 40 to 60. People were on the bandwagon and assumed he was headed to 100 and living the life of a franchise defenseman. Sadly...over the next 3 years, he went to 30...then 20...then 15...and bottomed out early this year at 10 or so. He's gone from that 10 back up to 25 or so, and maybe he can slowly get back to 35-40 with some consistency. I look at it as with that contract, be happy you could salvage a trade partner with him going to 25, and assume he is a 20-40 long term. You will probably never see that 60 again, and you would be nuts to think 100 was a possibility. A contender may want him, but your best move is a hockey trade with a team that can use D but has forwards and wants to lose a bad contract.

I bet Scott could get Roto Rooter to sponsor this thread and make a few 100 in advertising......

I said a few years ago his best bet was becoming a combination of Bill Hajt and Petr Svboda. Sort of looks that way...and he needs to get more Hajtish. I would be more apt to move him now. The rest of the league has been scouting the daylights out of this team and I am sure they have seen the improved play from him. The problem with Myers is that he doesn't have self-identity. When you hear him talk this year, he is saying what he thinks he should be saying and what the shrink has worked with him on. He has to think his words, sort of like so often he thinks his play. I like the kid personally, and he has gone from a trainwreck the past few years to serviceable with flashes of brilliance, but when you make a trade, you trade at peaks. People made the mistake it was a straightline up with him 4 years ago....let's not do it again. If there is a quality young forward out there on a team with a similar bad contract, package Myers and one of Ott/Moulson to even out salary and get a top line offensive prospect in here. You have Zadorov who looks to be pretty close to what we hoped Myers could become, and Risto. Pysyk and McNabb can be your #4 + #6 guy going forward....we need help up front.

And this is a great synopsis. I would take Kassian over Hodgson. Sadly, on the current Sabres roster, this is a moot discussion. Maybe that is why I appreciate it so much. I respect the daylights out of Torts. I think Vancouver has enough talent and guts to make a go of it in the playoffs....and I really think Kassian was a 6 month old pit bull puppy who has grown to a 10 month old and will break the skin when playing with you, but means well. Torts and team are starting to find that balance with him. Sure...he may chew up your couch and make a poopy on your bedspread before he grows up....but he will be the most athletic, loyal, nasty and loving dog in the world if you get it right with him. Hodgson is more like a 2yo Sharpei. He's a very nice and docile dog. All the fellas love to pet him when you walk him through the village and he loves to be loved on. If you have a few toddlers and are very conservative....the Sharpei is a no-brainer. If you have the spirit and understanding....a pitbull will reward you without limit if you put the effort into him. That's all I'm saying....

Duff is gold. He reminds me of Joe Tessitore on ESPN who does a bunch of college football and was the boxing/racing guy. He's the clean cut guy with the parted hair, the smooth voice that can't be stymied.....but behind it all, his wheels are spinning in his head and he can't wait to ballbreak someone.

Phil Bossy.... OK....in reality though, the worst he is on that list is Brad May, who was a nice, tough, honest player for a long time. Who can Hodgson become? I said his ceiling was Pierre Turgeon. At worst he is who?....Plante?........ If they both peak, Kassian is worth more than Hodgson. If they both hit their low end...Kassian is worth more than Hodgson. Hodgson needs to hit somewhere between 70-90% of his potential and Kassian 40-60% for Hodgson to be more valuable in the long run. Again....(not you Bun)...please find me where I say Hodgson is a bad player. All I have done is praise his vision, compliment his outward maturity this year, and say he is a nice player. I happen to value Kassian more. 40% of NHL'rs can be a Hodgson. 3% can be a Kassian. I will take my chances on the rarity, and a kid who has turned the corner the past 6 weeks.

Duff knows full well what he's doing....

Once Again....a bunch of you prove my point. Please find me any quote of mine where I say Cody Hodgson is a bad hockey player...... Let's put it this way....with Cody Hodgson's skillset, he will NEVER make the Olympics. There will always be 20 or 30 guys who are just as talented or better, bigger, or tougher. There is a 30% chance Kassian makes an Olympic roster over time. Hodgson is a fine player, but a commodity in NHL terms. Put Plante, Holzinger, Dawe, Satan, Turgeon, Hogue, Roy, Connolly in a blender.....and you have Hodgson. Kassian is a roulette wheel of Neely, Gillies, Lucic, Bossy, Nilan, Corson, May. I watched Drew Stafford twice this month.......

Steak? Talapia? Smells like fish to me.....

What's funny.....is the constant sh!t some "negative?" posters took for trying to expose the previous regime. That same protective attitude still is abound....but since Lafontaine and Nolan were hired....those with discernment, common sense, and no conflict of interest, have not felt the need to worry about it so much. I trust those two....I like Murray but still have questions on his value system of players. Let it Snow...Let it Snow...Let it Snow......

No....Regier was on record saying they viewed Foligno as a 4th line forward, 3rd at best...2 months after the trade. He was surprised by his success so early. It's out there...as well as the opinions on Foligno by Rene Robert, et al. I am very disappointed with Foligno under Nolan. I figured he would thrive. So far, Stafford is showing much more of a power forward skillset than Foligno under Nolan. Nowhere have I ever said Hodgson is a crappy player or not talented. I am constantly amused however by the Cody Coddling that goes on. You yourself just said the 2007 Sabres weren't built for the playoffs because they dumped a guy like Grier and kept Afinogenov. Well......you never answered my question....Afinogenov had almost 3x as many points per game as Grier. Soooooooo..........how come you can't understand some people would value a guy like Kassian, who has 2x the skill of Grier, but 1/3 the leadership to this point....over Hodgson? Hodgson is exactly what the Sabres had tons of.....skilled, soft, reluctant to battle. "But Cody's young....he hasn't reached his ceiling!!!! Yeah...no sh!t....Kassian is a year younger and has a game built on strength, which takes longer to develop than skill...but just happens to have a similar goal output playing 80% of the ice time as Hodgson. Please....after watching this team the past decade, educated fans understand why I would value Kassian more. I just wish if someone's kid sang happy birthday to the owner, or a player signed a jersey for them....they'd have full disclosure....because I wouldn't assume there is a screw missing from you. I have no ties to Kassian other than loving the fact a guy can kill someone on the ice, busts open half the guys he fights, has hands softer than anyone on this team, and if he is on the pace to score 20 on the 3rd and 4th line now...what will he do in a few years.....all this after watching a culture of Pure Pussydome in my hometown for longer than most Great Danes live.....

Which goes to my original point in bumping the thread a few weeks ago....there is an immature and underdeveloped psychology of some fans wanting former Sabres to fail while excusing off every little nook and cranny in current and especially new Sabres. You made 3 good points about the Sabres, yet somehow refuse to see how they compute to this specific situation.

If there is one thing you would think anyone would do...it would be to have a passionate defense for your team. But then again, look at the type of team Darcy built....so I guess it's not surprising he would hang them out to dry.

What DID, Darcy ever do to earn a paycheck? He made 1 trade a year....Devine sounded like he ran the draft....he never set a market....now not only do you have Bucky Gleason, who took a lot of crap by the way saying he had sources that said Regier was offline....but you have it straight from the mouth of a head NHL official...one who MAY still have to work with Darcy in the future.

Give him $6...$1 for his trouble....then say you are going to mail any photos of him to some guy on Craigslist trolling for photos of twinks, along with his email and address.....

Maybe we want to move this part of the discussion to the Miller thread since our "elite" goalie couldn't hold a lead for 20 minutes.....???? Maybe now you can understand why some here hold Kassian in higher regard than Hodgson. Do me a favor and figure out Afinogenov's PPG versus Grier the time they were on the same team together....then tell me this again.

Vine us the boobies in the halls at 1AM!!!

They beat UMASS handily....I know he works the sports beat, so it would be cool if he had a 1st hand report...............