nfreeman

Eggs-actly. For the zillionth time: the point of the tank was to end up with a winning team -- NOT just to end up with a star player. The misguided souls who supported the tank did so because they thought, wrongly, that getting a star player was the surest path to developing a winning team. The wise ones who opposed the tank knew that really bad teams usually stay in the basement -- they don't just pop down to pick up a bottle of champagne and then pop back up to become the life of the party. Also, Dahlin was not part of the tank. The Sabres were trying to be good that year -- they just failed miserably due to incompetence at GM and HC.

Very true, but my point was simply that it wasn't because of cheapness. He's been choosing the wrong guys to run the team. It's not for lack of trying.

I think it's more accurate to say that it ended a bit less than 1 year ago, when TP decided to cut spending in light of the covid shutdown. Before that point, the Sabres had a heavily staffed front office, a highly compensated HC and spent to the cap every year. (It's also worth noting that even during the covid lean period, the Sabres spent to the cap this year.) If they hire the 2 guys that are the subject of this thread and staff up the scouting the department, and spend to the cap again next year -- all of which sound reasonably likely -- the cost-cutting era will probably be dead and gone, although they probably won't return to the lavish spending of yesteryear that you noted.

Just to be precise, it doesn't work quite like this, and the savings aren't as much -- essentially the players pay prorated state taxes to each state they play in on road trips. The savings are substantial, to be sure, but it's not all-or-nothing.

I hate myself for watching the last 10 min of that game.

Ladies and Gents, Matt Irwin, franchise player, leads the Sabres in ice time tonight.

Well, pi can certainly speak for himself, but he might've been thinking of Lehner too, which is fair IMHO even if they didn't trade him.

Trade him for whatever we can get. I like Linus but not enough to say he's definitely the #1 next year. I'd be fine bringing him back along with someone like MAF or other legit NHL goalie and letting them fight it out for the top job. I definitely don't want to give him an extension until Karmanos and hopefully Rutherford are here to opine. It will probably make sense to wait until the deadline so he can prove he's healthy with a few starts.

I am going to suggest that the Sabres' fan base is no more and no less deluded on the value of their team's players than every other team's fan base. The way-above-average amount of delusions lie in certain fans' feelings about the owners.

I agree and am not expecting a #1 for Hall. I don't think any NHL GM could have seen the Sabres play this year and decide to give up a #1 for him. I'm guessing it will be a #2 and a #3, or perhaps a #2 and a prospect.

I think it's more accurate to say that "reporters have said they've heard rumors that TP and BB have an agreement that TP won't meddle." I don't think any credible reporter has reported that such an agreement exists.

I think that’s true if Carolina will pay in the same ballpark as what Rod can get by leaving, but he’s not going to take, say $2MM x 3 years just to stay there when he can probably get a guaranteed $18MM or so elsewhere.

I don't think that is the case though. I think I heard that Karmanos was fired over Rutherford's objection and that might've been the reason for Rutherford's sudden resignation.

Just for poops and giggles -- if it is Karmanos plus Rutherford... Kevyn Adams was with the Hurricanes from 2002 to 2007. Karmanos was with the Hurricanes from 1998 to 2013. Rutherford was with the Hurricanes from 1994 to 2014. Rod Brind'amour, probably the most highly regarded young coach in the NHL, and maybe the Chuck Norris of NHL coaches, which is EXACTLY what the Sabres are dying for, whose contract is up after this season, and who is one of the lowest-paid coaches in the NHL, and who works for one of the biggest cheapskates in the NHL, has been with Hurricanes since 1999. Oh, and by the way? Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane, who have delivered unto TP an elite NFL franchise, are both alumni of Carolina's NFL team. The Sabres might not get him, but if CDD is right, and 2 real guys are joining the Sabres, and if those 2 guys are Karmanos and Rutherford -- don't even try to tell me that Rod isn't #1 with a bullet on their list, and that they don't have carte blanche from TP to pay whatever it costs to get him. It might happen.

FWIW, this AM there were vaccine appointments available tomorrow around 50 minutes from me (at one of the upstate SUNYs). They went pretty quickly -- by the time I made my appointment an hour later, first available was a week from tomorrow, and it's now up to 3 weeks from tomorrow. Still pretty encouraging, and I think a new batch of near-term appointments gets uploaded every day.

It seems like at least 50/50 that Torts and Skinner would go about as well as RK and Skinner.

What about Torts, Quenneville, Lindy, Trotz, Laviolette...

Interesting. I have not held this opinion of CDD, but I'm certainly open to being swayed that way if today's tweets prove out. I've posted previously about how I was in the arena on '70s night when they brought a ton of guys back, and I was pretty close to Dudley, and he absolutely still looks like he could clean out a bar full of ruffians at 3:00 AM. Now this is a positive worldview that quickened my pulse. I can see all of it, just over the rainbow...

I'm predicting a 2nd and a 3rd for Hall.

Now those are some very sloppy seconds.

I don't think there is a contract extension dat Hall realistically would accept dat I would want the Sabres to give him.

A mere thumbs up wouldn't have conveyed how much I enjoyed dis. BTW, for those bemoaning the Staal trade upthread, Johansson hasn't done anything for the Wild dis year (although he's missed much of it with injury, to be fair). As for dis trade -- I don't think anyone reasonably could've expected more in return given how ineffective Staal was for the Sabres dis year.

So far, it's making me smile with every affected post, which is a happy turn of events in yet another misbegotten season. And dat's the truth.

Some of those women's UFC matches are fantastic.

I would support it, especially if it includes additional buildout of the FO, e.g. scouts, analytics guys, etc.