nfreeman

Good post, and it again raises the question of why we hired the AGM of a thoroughly mediocre organization to run the Sabres. In fact, I'm ready to launch an all-new SabreSpace meme: "the myth of GMTM as a skilled and proven talent evaluator." #funnybutabozo #wasted3years #nomorelosers Well, presumably his choices at coach played a big role. And maybe #mythofGMTM just didn't know, and has never known, how to assemble a winning organization. I agree with the bolded and I share the concern about rushing Guhle.

Correct. SFiR -- time to chill out a bit.

My wife and I have been watching "The Patriot" on Amazon. Pretty decent international spy/dark comedy show (and if you have a relatively new TV and Amazon Prime, you can watch it in 4K). I give it a B-plus.

Thanks for postng that one dudacek. Very good breakdown. It does sound like JBott will be able to acquire a decent defenseman if he's so inclined.

I don't think the NHL cared at all about Drury and Brieee when they did the first WC. I think they cared about the Penguins, and the evil Quinn did a great job selling it to them and serving up the whole thing wrapped in a bow. As for NYC -- I don't see how it can be said to distort NYS politics/economics if 85%+ of the state's population lives in the NYC metro area.

I have the same concern, including the concern that KO may not be worth his contract. The story isn't written on that yet though IMHO.

I think the NHL was thrilled with the results of the first WC -- so, yes, I think it did work out well for them. If your point is that the Sabres fell off the table after Black Sunday -- that had nothing to do with the WC. My point is that playing in the WC is good for the Sabres -- I was not commenting on whether it is good for the NHL. Do you not agree that it's good for the Sabres? As for the Ferrari -- yes, local vendors are hurt by losing a home game. It's certainly fair to consider the impact on them in evaluating how you feel about this. My point was that the benefit to the franchise (not the local vendors) far outweighs any harm to the franchise. This is true regardless of how you feel about the fairness of the Rangers' tax break.

SSF -- yes -- there is a "no politics" rule.

No. I said "several posters" created an unpleasant situation. You were the only one who responded, both to the OP (which I agree we could've lived without) and to my observation about the whole exchange.

That's true. But no one else jumped in with a bunch of obnoxious responses -- just you. There were a million better ways to have responded.

Well, that was an entirely unpleasant dozen or so posts that several posters just felt free to indulge themselves in. Thanks for splashing vomit all over the board gents.

Here's a contrary view: for a 78-point small-market team that hasn't made the playoffs in 7 freaking years to get a spot in the top TV game of the entire regular season is a freaking miracle, a great chance to show off Jack, Kane, ROR, KO, Reino, Risto and Caber to the rest of the NHL and well worth sacrificing one of 41 games at the FNC. If someone gives you a free Ferrari, you don't complain about having to go to the DMV and register it.

What a clever, original and factually supportable post this was.

Welcome sweetlou! I wouldn't expect more than 1 FA forward. I think they know they need to keep their cap space for D upgrades.

Very nice.

Of course it's not his job to save the world, and of course he is free to market his angst, just as he's free to market photos of his dog's morning bowel movements. However, the rest of the world is also free to react negatively to his marketing efforts. My point was simply that if he is working through his issues, a less self-absorbed way of doing so -- and thus a way that would've incurred a more positive reaction -- would've been to have done so by helping other people. There are certainly many other methods he could've chosen that would also have been less annoying.

If any Sabres STHs have the ability to get good seats for this and are interested in helping out fellow SSers, please speak up. I know I'm interested. Thanks.

Good man.

I'd expect that everyone here has had to eat a poop sandwich from time to time at work. That's life. I'd also expect that no one here has gotten paid over $25MM to play a game for a living. That's a freaking miracle. So, when those 2 worlds collided for him, if Ville wanted my advice on what to do, I would've told him to voice any complaints/angst he had very quietly and only to wife/inner circle, and always qualified by "I know how lucky I am, but..." Or, if he really had/has depression (and I think 11 could certainly be right about that), then tell the world, but do so in the context of trying to help others deal with their depression/other mental health issues. That would take some guts and be admirable, or at least reasonably OK. Doing what he did -- i.e. telling the world how tough it was for him in connection with selling his artwork online -- makes him look like a self-absorbed DB, IMHO.

Well, it does kinda seem like the ultimate ZFG move.

How's the Enroth crusade going?

Well, it doesn't seem possible that the story can ever be truly confirmed. 11 -- did your source actually witness this interaction? Or was he repeating a story he heard? If it's the former, and if 11 believes the source to be an honest person, that's good enough for me.

I agree that it's likely that Kuli's salary demands will be too rich for the Sabres' blood (and for my taste as well, BTW), and that it's accordingly highly unlikely that he's back here -- but I also think the scenario in which he's unsigned in late summer and forced to take whatever someone will give him like Franson did is reasonably likely. I'd gladly have him back on a 1-year, $2.5MM "prove it" deal.

It's perfectly reasonable to be disinterested in a person's religion, or in religion generally, but there's a slippery slope -- well illustrated in a number of threads on this board -- between disinterest and antipathy.

I don't really think we've seen peak Sam. And I think there's a good chance that peak Sam will indeed emerge if he plays center, which is why I'd like to see it given a real try (and I too liked what I saw when he played center last year with Kaner on his wing). My point is simply that although we think there's a good chance that Sam would spread his wings and fly if he is moved to center, there is certainly a good chance that DDB was right about playing him at wing, and that Sam can't play center in the NHL. And if Sam is indeed best at the NHL level as a winger, I don't have much optimism that peak Sam at wing is a quantum leap ahead of what he's shown to date. I do think that Sam does have an excellent hockey IQ, and I'm pretty optimistic that JBott will choose a good coach that will figure out how to get the most out of him.