nfreeman

My wife and I watched “No Sudden Moves”, the new Stephen Soderbergh HBO movie with a bunch of big names in the cast. Pretty disappointing. I give it a C-plus.

Here's some more false hope. The theory goes like this: - KA thinks Eichel's injury is bad enough that it's pretty likely -- not certain, but pretty likely -- he'll never fully recover, and the best move is to trade him if he can get a good return. - KA also has decided that he can't trade Eichel for an embarrassing pittance because he knows the franchise is already viewed as Siberia-like and he's trying to restore credibility. - Eichel's condition has not improved with the rest/rehab program and he still wants the surgery -- which is likely why KA said yesterday that the team still opposes the surgery, and is likely why KA hasn't shared Eichel's medical records with other teams. - The other GMs are spooked by the injury, but they're still in touch with KA, but have not made a good enough offer for KA to accept. - There is a distinct possibility that no one makes a good enough offer without seeing Eichel on the ice and looking awesome again. - The stalemate carries over into the season and what's this? Eichel looks awesome, the Sabres' new goalie tandem of MAF and Freddy Andersen is killing it, Donnie Meatballs has them playing fast, hard and together, Dahlin is really cooking, Cozens looks like a growing force, Mattias Samuelsson and Will Borgen are stopping and pounding the opposition, and the Sabres are 14-6-3 and Jack is having the time of his freaking life... - And if you're really hankering for hope -- why not throw Reino, in the last year of his deal but still not entirely closed off to an extension if the team can finally look alive -- in there too? I feel your pain brother.

There are plenty of ways to communicate this that are better than telling someone to "***** right off."

He didn't "get scolded." You told him to "**** right off." That is poor behavior, which you are well past being too old to engage in, and is not how we communicate here.

I think if there had been positive news on his health, we would've heard about it, as it's very much in both the Sabres' and Eichel's interests to make that known. So I think the resolution is a trade.

Yowza! What tawdry vice item is @New Scotland (NS) reaching for? @Radar -- Please stick around. Among other reasons, you'll want to see the answer to that question.

Let's chill out a bit in here please.

It's also worth noting that "TP is a fan of Owen Power" is a very different statement from "TP has instructed KA to draft Owen Power."

Old San Juan is a hidden gem.

Well, he wasn't my first choice, but he knows enough hockey and has coached enough that it might work. If he succeeds it will be a great story. I sure hope KA gives him a better roster than we saw last year.

That might be the right career move for him. I heard him call a Sabres game and he was indeed good at it. Somewhat related: I listened to a podcast with Dunleavy from a month or so ago and I actually found him quite likable.

Excellent breakdown in the OP. I think they are probably going to trade both of them, and Eichel will bring more in return. But the injury discount will bring Eichel's return much closer to Reino's return than would've been the case before last season.

But there are a lot of spoken words supporting the theory that the injury is the main issue — at least as many as support your interpretation.

It’s certainly possible that Eichel’s attitude is the primary driver. I do think though that KA understands how precious a franchise center is, that he had a front row seat to the ROR debacle and understands what a crippling blow it was, and that as a former player he knows that young players can change their minds and often do when the environment around them improves. I also think that KA is smart and ruthless enough to realize that it may be impossible for Jack to regain his prior form and that it therefore may be in the Sabres’ best interests to let somebody else bear the risk and hope for the best on the injury. I also think that if the injury is KA’s primary driver, it’s in KA’s best interests not to make that known.

This could be negotiation through the media, or it could align pretty well with what I and others have been saying about the injury: it's a big freaking deal, it's probably the driver of KA's decision to move on from Eichel, and it's going to affect what the Sabres get in return.

Awesome. Is that Tiger Williams chasing him?

How about Scandella for a 4th from the Habs, who almost immediately flipped him for a 2nd and a 4th? That one was pretty close to a firing offense.

Sir. The Sabres won at least 1 round in the playoffs every year from 74-75 to 80-81 except once -- so 6 out of 7 years -- and made the conf finals twice and the SC finals once. Comparing that culture to the current abomination is a bridge too far. Please report to the principal's office immediately. I can't argue with the bolded, but I'm still PO'd. I loved that team. Those were my childhood heroes that Scotty sent away. And as you alluded to, it didn't produce anything worthwhile. The Sabres' playoff results got worse, not better -- they won one stinking playoff round from 1982 to 1992. Just like when the Bills thought they were so clever and released Thurman, Bruce and Andre, and immediately embarked on a 20-year playoff drought. Perfectly stated. As for Rico, he was my favorite player. Clinically, even though Rico had 45 goals the previous year, Scotty did well in assessing the situation and deciding that Rico's knee injury and age made it highly likely that he was done -- and he turned him into Barrasso, which on paper is an enormous win. But this wasn't fantasy hockey, and this was Rico. For an expansion team, and a city in love with that team, there was only one Perreault, but there was also only one Rico. It stands with Black Sunday as the worst betrayal in Sabres history.

I've mellowed with age, and when I see Scotty interviewed, he seems like a good guy, but I still can't forgive him for crashing into town like a hurricane and blowing up that team. The idea of trading Rico, RR, Gare and Schoeny still infuriates me. Who TF did he think he was?

Rob Ray pronounces it Vehgas (first syllable rhymes with “meh”).

The great ones from earlier generations continue to slip through our fingers. We’ll miss you Rene. You were a great Sabre. Thanks for the memories. Gone but not forgotten.

This is obnoxious.

This adds zero value to the conversation. Any details on Comtois and his game, production, stats, etc as to why he might not be as good as some think?

So limiting his involvement in hockey operations to a 30-minute call a couple of weeks before the draft in which the top prospects are summarized is too much meddling?

I think the question needs to include: "...but if the 50% chance comes through for you, you keep your high-paying dream job for an indefinite period, and if you don't make a big splashy move like this, you're probably fired in 1 year or less?"