Skibum

It just seems like such a terrible move for the Sabres on all fronts. Trade away your best player on a long-term contract when his market value is at rock bottom and you just hired a coach who might actually be able to coax some success out of the team? I just can't see why they would do it unless Jack simply refuses to play if they don't.

I have family in Seattle, and they confirm that, yes, the locals are already calling themselves Krakheads, and everyone calls the stadium the Krakhouse. Let's just hope they don't have cheerleaders... I don't know if this was intentional, unintentional, ignorant or brilliant, but I can't see it going away anytime soon. I still think they should have gone with Sasquatch - he is far more of a fixture in the PNW than the Kraken ever was. Should be big in Japan, then.

To me, that's what makes this season the worst. The organization was actually trying to win, yet they played perhaps even worse hockey than they did during the tank. Also regarding the tank year(s), it was pretty evident at that time that a rebuild was the only viable option for the Sabres, so it really didn't bother me that they were tanking. I got so sick of watching the Bills go 7-9 every year and never get a blue chip prospect out of it.

He was always one of my favorite players back in the last 'good' era. I never understood all the criticism he received on this and other boards - all he ever did was play hard every night, and he was arguably the most consistent producer on offense during his time here (with the exception of Briere's best year). He was a great skater and had a creative mind for making plays. He rarely got hurt, too. I have a lot of great memories of the magical breakout season of Roy centering the third line between Vanek and Afinogenov, exploiting other teams' mid- and bottom-pairing D with a lot of Showtime goals. Roy then continued to produce consistently on the top line after Briere and Drury left town. What I wouldn't give to have a center like Derek Roy in his prime on the Sabres today! Congrats to Derek Roy on a great, if under-appreciated, career.

At the end of the day, for all his talent, Jack has captained the most underachieving teams in franchise history. He has only shown occasional runs of consistent elite-level play. He has been injured a lot. I think it's time to forget about the past - the Tank that brought Jack here in the first place, the idea that he's the centerpiece of the team, etc. - Just pull the Band-aid off and trade him already. Haven't we seen enough to know that he's not the saviour of the franchise? The sad truth is that if/when he is moved, he will probably thrive in his new home and become the player we all wished he was. It's just not going to happen in Buffalo, I'm afraid.

What makes it so much worse is that there are many talented players on the team, and the ownership and front office are actually trying to build a winning team. Not saying they are doing a good job, obviously, but this was not supposed to be a rebuilding season. I don't think it's fair to compare this Sabres team to expansion teams from other eras. Back then, expansion teams were very likely to be horrid while they built up their teams. This is a team that has had consistent ownership and a will to win for seven years running, and they suck out loud. It's not a stretch to say they are the worst team of the last 30-40 years, and maybe ever. They are definitely the biggest embarrassment.

Once Drury and Briere were gone, Darcy should have realized that the team was kneecapped and could not be returned to contender status with Vanek as the centerpiece. In that context, a rebuild was the better option, and four #1 picks would have been a golden opportunity to do so. Signing Vanek's offer sheet was an emotional "statement" move and a huge mistake. Darcy was trying to make up for the failed strategy of not negotiating with Briere and Drury during the season. Hindsight also strongly suggests that retaining Vanek was not the best option. It simply did not work out, at all.

It would certainly be a familiar place for him.

Could the Sabres make the playoffs in ANY division? Until they prove otherwise on the ice, they are not a playoff team.

Great hockey name, if nothing else.

Hasek by a long shot. One of the most extraordinary athletes of all time; he did his job better than anyone ever had, and did it in a way that nobody has ever been able to replicate. Usually, when an athlete performs at such a high level using novel technique, others copy them and it becomes standard. In Hasek's case, nobody can physically do the things he did, so his style still holds up as completely his own.

I'll take it, but it seems odd that the biggest prize in free agency would take a 1 year deal for 8 mil. I would have thought a guy with Taylor Hall's resume would do better for himself than that.

That is a good mix indeed. Flats have the edge in texture and juiciness; drummies can dry out sometimes. But when you really want a deep hit of blue cheese, the drummy is the perfect vehicle.

Amen. Too big - they just throw off my rhythm.

I have also had the opposite experience - Wings so big they don't fry right, the sauce-to-wing ratio gets thrown off, and I can't even finish a dozen without supplemental oxygen. This is fairly common in today's world of mutant factory farm chickens.

Dirty Dave's in Scottsville. Very unique hot sauce and they take the art of frying very seriously. They will deliver your desired crispiness with pride. They have had great wings under the radar for decades, since it was D&Ds. It used to be a real dump; I would still classify it as a Dive Bar, but in a good way. Dave has cleaned it up a lot. I just wish he had kept the shuffleboard table!

Depending on how they calculate income, I may or may not get it. But either way, I work in agriculture and business in booming. My job is safe and I feel extremely fortunate. I don't need the money and I can't believe our stupid government thinks this is a good use of $2 trillion, when we are already over $10 trillion in the hole. For that kind of money, they could provide health care for millions of Americans. Or maybe just get us some friggin' masks and COVID tests, already. If I do get the money, I will likely be donating my cut to some key political campaigns this fall.

The Sabres were great that year, but I don't think there was any denying the Rangers their cup in '94.

That's really cool. It's amazing what a crisis can do for the public good. I remember life during the Ice Storm of '91 in Rochester - Everything goes back to basics, neighbors help each other out, and it's the best time in a lot of ways. It ended up being one of the fondest memories of my youth!

Kinda hard not to be better than last year.

Nothing like a good schadenfreude thread to help ease the sting of another bum season.

He looked slow last night, but I would take Wayne Simmonds in his 50's over Evan Rodrigues in his prime, any day of the week.

I didn't have cable TV when I was growing up in WNY in the 80's and early 90's, then I moved out west for a while. So I didn't see many RJ games prior to the mid 2000's. My favorite calls since then are Scary Good, Who Else?, and the Ottawa brawl. There hasn't been much to get excited about since those days!

Oh my God, I just thought about what it would be like to make $857K per year for the next 8 years, and not even have to go to work.

I always liked TV a lot as a player here. He scored some beautiful goals and generally made the team fun to watch. I just thought it was a huge mistake to build the team around him when Drury and Briere left. He was never going to be that kind of guy (and didn't have to be). I didn't want to see Vanek go, but at that point they had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to just blow it up and start fresh with four freaking first round picks. Eight first rounders if you count their own! Then Darcy's pride got the best of him. And now, here we are.