nfreeman

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.

Well, at least they'll be able to get a long look at Linus as they decide whether to try to keep him.

Absolutely. My point was that Drury, Brind'Amour and McKee were exactly that kind of player.

Well, I'd be pretty happy with a Drury, Brind or McKee -- those are all difference-makers, and the kind of guys this team is dying for (although NOT in exchange for Eichel, whom the Sabres should not trade). Adams? Not so much.

@PASabreFan — I’m sorry no one got the joke. Maybe one more layer of meta is needed.

OK, so I've got 2 pretty good HBO shows to recommend: 1. "Gomorrah" -- Italian-language mafia show set in Naples. Not as good or as funny as the Sopranos, but still a good crime show. Solid B-plus. 2. "The Knick" -- Hospital show set in 1900 in NYC. 20 episodes, all directed by Stephen Soderbergh. I'm about halfway through season 1. Very good so far -- borderline B-plus/A-minus.

OK -- I stand corrected. Still, depending on how many starts he would need for them to keep his rights, it would seem like bad asset management not to give him that # of starts in order to keep his rights, given that this season is lost.

Well, he's an RFA after this season and wasn't making much $$, so I agree with @pi2000 that it's far from clear as to why they unloaded him.

I haven't listened to the podcast, as I find Friedman too long-winded, but was it "there may be a written agreement?" or "I've heard that there is a written agreement?" A lot of things "may" exist.

I just listened to the Weekes segment and was not impressed. He did not provide a single specific piece of information about the organization -- it was just a bunch of broad criticisms about culture, failure of ownership to include more people in decisions (as if the Sabres had a Tom Brady that should've been consulted), etc. There were no facts -- just "the proof is in the pudding." Well, no kidding that the results have been poor. I'd like an NHL insider to tell me something I don't already know. It sounded pretty mailed-in IMHO.

My core position is that TP has more or less the same amount of involvement as most other NHL owners in matters like hiring/firing coaches. As for being dug in -- we're having a conversation on a sports message board about factual matters that we don't know the truth of. If being dug in means that I think my view is probably correct and that those with different assessments are probably incorrect, and that I haven't changed my view despite others repeating their views, then yes, I am dug in. I will be happy to dig out when a credible source says something on this that contradicts my assessment, but I haven't seen that happen yet. Just the opposite, in fact -- since yesterday, 2 close observers of the team (Chad D. and Hammy) have said that KA has full authority to remake the organization. Now, I think TP will still want to sign off on KA's choice for HC -- but neither Chad nor Hammy indicated that TP would be instructing KA (or instructed JB) on hiring/firing decisions.

Well, it sounded to me more like with RK out of the picture, KA is the sole captain of the ship -- "last season was more running down players RK liked."

But but but meddling!

So you're interpreting the word "ours" to mean "we instructed our GMs on hiring and firing decisions?"

No, but if a certain poster is inclined towards coming to conclusions without analyzing the facts, and if one of those conclusions is that TP is heavily involved in HC hiring decisions, and if the reason for that conclusion is that "every picture and every video of every transaction the Sabres have done in the past 10 years have Terry sitting right at the table" -- it would seem relevant that in the pressers regarding the 2 most recent HC decisions, TP is nowhere to be found.

All of this is fair. Ultimately the franchise has fallen to pieces on his watch, and it's reasonable for him to be accountable.

Did you see TP today? Do you see TP in this video (when RK was announced as coach)? https://duckduckgo.com/?q=sabres+hire+ralph+krueger+may+2019&t=ffnt&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D7UXkFOwtdzQ Seeing him sitting in the draft war room -- like pretty much every other NHL owner does -- doesn't mean anything, unless you think he's in there lobbying for Alex Nylander or Ukka-Pekka-Lukkonen.

The line that separates enjoyable message board conversation from the other stuff that you, I and others from time to time engage in.

Do other NFL owners behave like TP? Is that why the Bills are doing well? In what way do I twist, distort, shuck and jive? You are of course free, and encouraged, to post your views, just as others are free to call you out when you cross the line.

Well, we're all free to infer things and get senses on things, and I think it's fair to say that this has happened on both sides of this particular discussion. My point is that "what we know, have heard and read" does not in any way establish that TP's involvement in hiring coaches is greater than that of most owners. Certain posters believe that it is greater, and repeat that proposition ad nauseum, but that does not transform the belief into fact. As for KA and the next coach: since you don't think he'll be recommending a candidate to TP and asking for TP to sign off -- what specifically do you think will happen?