nfreeman

Winnipeg looks like a juggernaut.

Interesting. I kinda think that if DC trades Grubauer, it will be at the draft, and if so they will get a 2018 2nd or better for him — but you could certainly be right. And I agree that it’s likely that they want Lehner gone as part of the push to improve team attitude.

Outstanding.

I would do that in a second, which makes me think it’ll cost more.

Again: what if, instead of Kim, TP had appointed as president his friend’s son, Joe, same age as Kim, and TP had met Joe at the same time he met Kim, and Joe similarly never had a real job before meeting TP, and Joe had the same amount of pro sports senior management experience as Kim has now? Would people not raise similar questions? They would, and it wouldn’t be due to prejudice.

And for dudacek's consolation let it be noted for the record that Martin Jones just gave up a very Lehner-esque goal to give Vegas baby Vegas a 3-0 lead.

That slapper by Stamkos to tie it with 7 min to go though.

Also quite fair, and quite possible. (And Friedman's rank relative to MH's is like the jungle rank of the lion vs that of the vulture.) I think it still goes back to how much time they've spent together and thus how well they know each other. Friedman said "I've known Mike a long time." If they've spent a bunch of late nights boozing together after games, Friedman's probably got enough information about MH to formulate a reasonably well-informed opinion. If they've just met briefly a couple of times and follow each other on twitter, then he probably doesn't have enough info. Of course, we don't know -- and since we don't, I think the default should NOT be to assume that Friedman is a simpleton who would think "he's always been nice to me, so he's not a sexist."

I agree with WC that the bolded is fair. I do not doubt that prejudice, and resulting disadvantage and unfair treatment, exist. I just think it's a serious accusation, involving a significant character flaw, and one that shouldn't be thrown around without really digging into the facts and allowing the person in question to explain his/her actions. I also think that this type of sober, pre-accusation analysis doesn't occur very often, and that the failure to do so has had a cumulative, highly destructive impact on our society.

Is this not true for a gay POC hanging out with another gay POC? More importantly -- no one (I think) is disputing that if 2 people randomly hang out with each other, they might not discover all of the skeletons in their respective closets. But if 2 people spend a lot of time together over a period of years, they probably will. I don't agree, and, to revert to my original point on this, I think society is better off if we lean to the side of assuming that someone is NOT acting based on prejudice, as opposed to the assuming that he/she is doing so.

Dude. How are we supposed to sleep for the next 5 months? (OTOH, maybe he is The One. Those videos sure make it seem like a distinct possibility.)

Again -- this is not what he said. "He's been nice to me" was NOT the predicate for "I don't think he's a sexist." The predicate was "I've known Mike a long time." The two are materially different.

This isn't what you said initially. "He's been nice to me, so he isn't sexist" is qualitatively different from "Based on my experience with him, I don't think he's a sexist." More importantly, "based on my experience with him, I don't think he's a sexist" can be a 100% legitimate perspective depending on how well they know each other. The alternative -- no one can evaluate someone else's prejudices (or lack thereof) because he/she isn't a member of the allegedly victimized class -- is nonsense. Beat me to it. What in the world does race have to do with it? Would the first sentence be OK if a different color were substituted for "white?" The question answers itself.

Again: no. Here's what he said: Friedman said: - He's known MH a long time. - He doesn't think MH is sexist. - He's seen MH be a DB to people at times but also be nice at other times, and MH has always been nice to Friedman. - He knew MH's comments about KP would be perceived by some as sexist but he doesn't think MH meant them that way. There is ZERO causation between "he's nice to me" and "he's not a sexist" anywhere in EF's statement. While I appreciate the irony of PAFan being hoisted on his own petard here, I will defend him. His questioning of how and why KP is qualified to be president of the Sabres/Bills does not make him a sexist. It just doesn't. I think he would ask the same questions -- and they would be fair questions -- if TP had appointed his brother or nephew to the job. As someone who is lucky enough to have a wife and a daughter, I am grateful for your sensitivities about sexism. But I also think one of the regrettable qualities of the dialogue in our society generally at this point is the ease and willingness with which people accuse each other of prejudice -- even those (like PA) who are guilty of doing so themselves.

Great thread. As a kid: 1. Rico 2. Schoeny 3. Bert 4. Housley 5. Edwards 6. Gare 7. Barrasso 8. Playfair 9. Guilty pleasure honorable mention -- Mal Davis -- he was a a one-trick pony, but still the best wrist shot I have seen from a Sabre As an adult: 1. Lindy 2. Drury 3. Briere 4. Miller 5. McKee 6. Connolly -- just the 2005-'06 season, which was the best Sabre redemption story of all time and in which his play was a thing of beauty 7. Guilty pleasure -- Max

That's not what he said.

I like your lineup and your rationale here.

JFC. I’m trying to relax here, which is why I haven’t been posting much. But for some reason this thread — which should be a celebration about the jettisoning of an undeniable incompetent who quite likely is also a dirtbag — has turned into a poop show that looks to have chased away 2 good posters. It’s important to converse in a respectful fashion.

What if he’s really awesome? Like a no-BS top-5 NHL player? And maybe JBott finds a good goalie, and Eichel stays healthy, and Mittelstadt flourishes, and Risto improves with less pressure on him, and McCabe and Bogo rebound, and Guhle develops, and Reino and ROR show up when it matters? It could happen.

Every dog has its day. Allen is going to be great and the Sabres are going to rise again. Halle-freakin-lujah. JBott — get us a goalie and a couple of forwards with heart and speed and let us live. Go Sabres.

I watched Atomic Blonde on HBO yesterday. Excellent spy action thriller. Recommended.

I'd like Miller-Ullmark too, but Miller isn't leaving his wife and kid in Southern California to return to WNY.

Serious question: is there any reason to think that JBott won't follow the unwritten rules about not signing RFAs? Separately -- Flagg -- another excellent post. I will say (again) though that I think KO is a better possession player than you think he is. OTOH, I don't think JBott would've brought him in, and I think JBott would prefer not to have him on the roster. However, no one is going to take him, so JBott and Howie need to figure out how to get the most out of him. I don't think they will feel obligated to keep KO with Eichel or in the top 6 at all though if he's not adding value in that slot. More broadly, I think JBott and Howie want to play the kind of game you are advocating. They took Pommer as part of the price for getting Scandella -- who is the type of player who plays that type of game -- not because they wanted Pommer to play a big role. I expect the forward ranks to improve next year and for Pommer's role to diminish.

Good stuff here boys. My bottom line is that: - As I mentioned above, Pommer will definitely be back -- although that might just mean back on the Sabres' payroll -- not necessarily on their NHL roster. I can certainly see him getting healthy-scratched regularly or sent down. - He's much diminished, and I hate the idea of him on Eichel's line, but he's nowhere near as much of a basket case as Moulson was, and nowhere near the 12th forward on this roster. Now, if the Sabres had a respectable roster? Probably a different story, but not on this year's team. - I don't see any urgent need to buy him out and take a future cap hit. As duda pointed out he's a pro and he's not yet completely useless.

Very nice.