nfreeman

I think for the 5-year period starting this year, the odds are 25% or greater that ERod is better than Reino.

Good response. Thanks. However, my understanding (which could be well off base) is that Cousins will cost $35MM to $40MM and Alex Smith will cost $25MM to $30MM. At those prices, I'd rather have TT. I'd also MUCH rather have TT than McCown or Keenum, regardless of how much those 2 would cost. I agree that the plan should be to draft a QB and to have a veteran starter for next season while the rookie is groomed. But I think TT should be that vet unless someone who's clearly better pops loose. I also agree that the Bills are almost certain to lose to the Pats.

I think there is a real possibility that Rodrigues is a better NHL player than Reino.

But NHL GMs are paid millions of dollars to be right about draft picks -- not to just follow the scouts' consensus. Otherwise anyone here could've run the draft. This is where XGMTM's gimlet eye was supposed to be a difference-maker. He was supposed to be able to figure out that Draisaitl (not to mention Pastrnak) was better than Reino and that MacAvoy and Sergachev were better than Nylander. He was supposed to look at the bunch of second-round prospects that were all ranked between a 6.6 and a 6.8 and the third-round prospects ranked between 5.5 and 5.7 and pick the right ones -- especially since he had a bunch of picks to work with -- or at least do so now and then. He was supposed to figure out that McNabb was a better asset than Fasching. More accurately, he was supposed to be right on these calls a respectable percentage of the time, instead of wrong on just about all of them. This doesn't even touch on his inability to put together a roster that functioned well together, to bring in a solid goalie to give confidence to a young team, to foster a winning culture in Rochester or to comprehend that the tank was an idiotic move. He was a debacle.

I think what TP said about McD being religious was more in the context of McD being a person of good character -- i.e. character being the key factor, not devoutness. TP also emphasized McD's attention to detail much more than he did character or faith. As for disputing the point -- the point I am disputing is that devoutness played any kind of significant role in the choice. I continue to think this is nonsense and not supported by the facts. And as you noted there is no indication that TP played much if any of a role in selecting Housley -- let alone that any of the factors mentioned in PA's post were considered. I am simply responding to your trollish and baseless assertion that TP applied silly criteria in the selection of Housley.

Correct. Darcy couldn't draft forwards and GMTM couldn't draft anyone.

While I think it is reasonably likely that TT is gone -- although if he gets them into the playoffs and looks good in the playoffs then I think they will keep him -- I would like to know who specifically will be a better option in FA. Do you want to spend $35-$40MM on Cousins? As for the draft -- they aren't going to have a top-15 pick and aren't going to be able to trade up into the top 2 or 3. Who specifically will they be able to draft that would be better than TT next year? Completely agree with this.

Nonsense.

This.

This was the first game I watched wire to wire in a while. Pretty entertaining game IMHO that could’ve gone either way. The Sabres has quite a few chances in the first period and had the better of the play, and then it was pretty even in the 2nd and 3rd with perhaps a slight edge to the Bruins. The Bruins are clearly a better team but the Sabres were quite competitive. I hate to risk irritating Inky, but the difference between the teams tonight wasn’t much more than the spread between their respective #1 picks in 2014 and 2016 — Pastrnak and MacAvoy vs Reino and Nylander. Add to that Marchand being better than Eichel and Bergeron being better than ROR and there’s your margin. ROR has one goal in his last 15 games. I think either he or Reino or both will be gone this summer. Still: I was encouraged. They had a lot more life than they did a month ago.

Pastrnak and Marchand look better than any of the sabres' forwards.

A few Netflix recommendations: - Ozark -- money laundering accountant in the boonies trying not to get killed by local and Mexican drug gangs - Mindhunter -- kinda like Silence of the Lambs albeit slower - American Vandal -- semi-raunchy high school comedy

I am as skeptical about Nylander — mostly because he was a GMTM selection — as the next guy, but I think it’s too early to tell yet. He missed a few months, including all of camp with a new coach and new system, with what seems like a pretty significant injury and is just getting back. I think we need to see how he looks in, say, the last 20 games or so of the AHL season before coming to any conclusions. Now Reino, OTOH...

I'd make the trade I proposed in a heartbeat, but I don't think Ottawa would.

Let it be noted for the record that I proposed a wild trade scenario and Liger was the voice of reason. He is 100% right that the Sabres should not trade for Karlsson without an extension in hand -- which means no trade until July 1, which means the lottery and the draft will already have occurred. So: let's say the Sabres end up with the #3 overall pick, and draft whoever the Senators would want at #3. So it would be Risto, Reino and the #3 overall pick for a locked-up Karlsson at presumably $11MM per year x 8 years. Who says no?

Submitted for your consideration: Risto, Reino and the Sabres’ #1 next summer for Karlsson. Who says no? And would you do it if you were JBott?

Leaving aside the soft goals in the 3rd/OT issue that Lehner has, I agree with the comment upthread about short-side goals and would just add in particular that these goals arise because he repeatedly commits the simple mental error of coming off the post.

This is fair. I admit that I cannot answer your questions as I missed good chunks of each of the games.

Can't both statements be true? More broadly: can't it be true that Lehner has the size and athleticism to be a very good goalie -- which is probably what GMTM saw in him -- while lacking the mental toughness to use correct technique 100% of the time and to close games out -- and thus he's mediocre when all is said and done?

Lehner's flailing at the pokecheck was poor and desparate piece of goaltending IMHO. To be clear, I'm not blaming him for the loss -- just noting that it was yet another late-game choke.

This is their 3rd season here. They made the playoffs in the first year and missed them last year. The whole time, the dominant story has been how ridiculous the arena setup is and how they want to move again. It just hasn’t been conducive to building a fan base. I think you’re right that Barclays can opt out, but it sounds like the plan is to renegotiate a new deal that will keep the Islanders there for the next few years while they figure out their next move. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.lighthousehockey.com/platform/amp/2017/10/10/16454742/islanders-owner-no-coliseum-barclays-belmont

Which is why he’s probably gone. The owners aren’t going to write a $700MM check to avoid losing him, and the city/state isn’t going to do so under any circumstances.

It might be time to rethink that avatar.

Well, I want to come but I’m still pretty iffy. I need to see how things shake out as we get closer.

Well, the team is now owned by smart and successful people, so I’m confident they have a plan. I think they want to use the implied threat of relocation to get as much public money as possible for an arena, and if they don’t get the amount they want they will stay at Barclays unless and until they get a good enough relocation offer.