Tondas

3 years seems to be the standard to turnaround a franchise these days. I have turned around many businesses in my 30 year career and have found that it takes about 50% of the time that it was broken to fix it. So if the Sabres have not made the playoffs in 8 years (broken), it will take about 4 years to see success. So I would give JBOT 4 years. But I agree, I think that sniffing the playoffs this year is a good barometer.

I'm not going to attempt to do my own work. What is the best nationwide service center that does quality work without being a rip off shop? Midas, Meineke, Firestone. Pep Boys, Goodyear, Sears? I saw a documentary on dealerships that pretty much said that after the warranty expires, you're better off going to a local shop. Some service managers said they were paid on commission as high as 70% which incentivizes unwarranted repairs.

Can't see Alfred Hitchcock agreeing to that.

Not ridiculous but less impactful. However, It does prove that the landing was not faked. If it was, they would have done another take with him correctly saying "a man."

His defensive partners are there for him, he fails to utilize them. He confuses his partners by not reversing when he should, not playing cross ice "catch" when he should, etc. He has tunnel vision and even the best defensive partner he's paired with can't change that.

I'm a boomer and you're right. But I'm a boomer that feels an obligation to pay it forward and try to do that every day.

Got to think this helps the Risto trade value. OT. It's strange that the Rangers had 3 former Sabres captains on their staff last year (Schoenfeld, Ruff and Drury).

Maybe Risto has just never recovered from being choked out by John Scott in his rookie year.

Olofsson and Ullmark.

My favorite: "You don't know what pressure is until you've played for $5 a hole with only $2 in your pocket."

Tiger Woods after his round yesterday: “I'm just not moving as well as I'd like, and unfortunately you've got to be able to move and, especially under these conditions, shape the golf ball - and I didn't do that. Everything was left to right and I wasn't hitting the golf ball very solidly. It's just the way it is. It's just father time and the procedures I’ve had over time. It's just the way it’s going to be. One of the reasons I am playing less tournaments this year is that hopefully I can prolong my career and be out there a bit longer.”

Golf is weird. It's really the only sport that the players have a compunction to say Golf Ball as opposed to ball, as in. "I didn't hit the golf ball well today, or I need to shape the golf ball to get it close." Do they really need to say golf ball. Do we think they are using a different ball, e.g. soccer? I never heard a baseball announcer say "that's a long fly baseball to left field." Nor do I hear announcers say "the Sabres dump the hockey puck in deep." Or in football, "you can't put the football on the ground 3 times and expect to win." Or in tennis, players complaining that "that tennis ball was out!" Golfers are an arrogant bunch. And I like golf (ball).

JBOT played at 6'4" and 220. He has to realize what size can bring to a team. Yet he brings in smaller guys. Strange.

I would be disappointed but I don't think it will come to that. I do like what JBOT has done thus far, but not securing a top 6 is glaring. Risto is the best asset to sell to get a top 6. Risto is not going to have a break out season. He is what he is going to be (not saying he is a bad player). With the influx of defensemen that JBOT brought in, I find it hard to believe that he doesn't have a deal or 2 regarding Risto worked out and is just waiting for the RFA stuff to clear before pulling the trigger.

This is one concept that hockey needs to learn from football.

I like McCabe a lot. Brings toughness and grit. Reminds me of Mike Ramsey. But I still had to go with 3rd pair.

Heaven forbid we are out of it again at the trade deadline next year, I would think ALL of those players that you mentioned should be traded for picks. Oh yeah, and JBOT can trade Sobotka today for a conditional bag of pucks.

I agree. Besides a monster deal involving Risto, I see a few minor ones to replenish our draft picks in the coming years. JBOT has always maintained that he builds through the draft and we are currently down 2 3rds and a 5th in the next 3 years. I see JBOT trying to get those back, if not better.

Yep. Stevie Y didn't do BriseBois any favors with the NTCs. I know he did what he thought he had to do, but he really handcuffed the organization as he bolted (yeah, I took the easy shot) back to Detroit.

Me too. And considering there are only 31 teams, I think ranking him at 38 is reasonable.

My concern with Risto always has been his inability to effectively use his defensive partner. Watch Dahlin at 18 years old. He uses his defensive partner perfectly to get him out of trouble, get him some ice to skate, etc. Risto has been playing hockey for 20 years and still can't do this. It's Defense 101. I can remember Mike Robitaille saying that your defense partner and you work as a hinge. Mike was taught that 50 years ago. Risto would rather try to muscle it out or simply ring it around the boards. Those behaviors do not lead to fast, effective, first pass break outs. I don't think anyone can develop Risto's game further since his biggest weakness is between his ears. He is example 1 of non-Hockey IQ. I don't think trading Risto will backfire like ROR. We need a top six (preferable a 2C). Package Risto with something else to get it. The Sabres will not regret it.

Can you fit Slava Kozlov in before you close the thread?

It's dullsville out there now. I guess we'll have to wait for the arbitrations to finalize and the second buy out period to end until to get some movement. All the GMs need to know how many dollars they have to work with.

I'm going for an all 1970's edition: Favorite Sabres: Perreault, Schoenfeld, Gare. Favorite non-Sabres: Orr, Lafleur, Sittler Least Favorite non-Sabres: Clarke, O'Reilly, Schultz