Fair enough. The difference at the NHL level between an average player and a good one is desire and passion. I just never saw either from Sobotka. I saw a player going though the motions.
I did not see any reports of his not wanting to be in Buffalo, but his lack of action and passion on the ice spoke louder than anything he could have said in his defense.
Keeping a player on the roster who clearly didn't want to be in Buffalo kills the culture for another year and says that apathy will be tolerated. JBot loses respect for this and the players will see it very clearly.
I can blame Terry. He's a petroleum engineer telling a hockey expert which hockey player to trade. Hire good hockey experts and let them work. Terry has every right to tell Jbot, it's his team, but it's not the best way to run it.
JBot not buying out Sobotka per BN. Sounds like this Sabres year is like the Bills last year. Get rid of the crap contracts this year but will have to live though the pain, free up the cap and work on 2020-2021. Yea!!
Good points. But how long is too long? It's been 8 years and we're really no further along. How long is the learning curve before you say Terry will never get it right?
If I'm Marner, I take the 8 years and $88 mil. No telling what the future holds. He could get injured and not be the same player (e.g. Bobby Orr). Get the money while you can. I think he could make $88 mil last a lifetime.
If I won a billion dollars in the lottery, I would still know nothing about drilling for gas. Why should Terry think he knows anything about running a professional sports team(s)? I would hire experts and not be arrogant enough to think I know better than they do.