Bob Malooga

I was joking with that part of it, given all the recruitment in all sports the past couple years. I was REALLY hoping you would, instead, focus on explaining the other part to me, as I don't understand it? :unsure:

I came here specifically looking for this thread...SIGN HIM TOMORROW! I am a little biased, given we share the same last name...so ya know, the whole jersey thing would be cool! Lol. However, I am curious...why in the world does a team get an extra draft pick for failing to sign their prospects? Did Buffalo get any compensation for losing/not signing Marek Zagrapan? (Or was that a different situation?) I just don't understand how the NHL can reward one of their elite teams for failing to do their job...makes no sense. EDIT: I'd have to think it's already in the bag he is headed for Calgary to join his former linemates in college at BC...I suspect a little bit of tampering is going on, as well...put in an offer and if you lose out on him, call them out on the tampering Timmy!

Can the other part of the blame be laid on your poor reading skills? Lol, just kidding. Really though, who the hell is Gord? :nana: *Yes, I am 2 weeks late.

"It looks like the owner of the Buffalo Sabres is the front-runner to purchase the Buffalo Bills. But will the Pegula family owning two teams in the same city affect the Sabres in any meaningful way?" http://www.diebytheblade.com/2014/7/31/5955083/terry-pegula-purchasing-the-buffalo-bills-affects-buffalo-sabres My personal opinion? It would have absolutely zero direct effect on either team, if he were to own both franchises. He would put the right people in place, possibly keeping Whaley (who I think deserves to stay), and could be the one who brings both fans a championship...I see nothing but positives with this scenario. Discuss.

I, personally, think this is his last shot to prove himself, hence the 1-year deal. He was drafted by a different regime, so Murray owes him nothing...and there will be prospects coming up next year who will need spots in Rochester, including Luke's spot. If he doesn't crack the lineup in Buffalo this year, or at the very least have his best season yet in Rochester...he will no longer be a part of this system come next summer. I could see him being an add-on in a trade down the road too...I just do not see him in this organization for much longer than this year.

The news station in Rochester heard about FBI agents kicking down the door of the restaurant a month or so back. They said they were going to investigate and relay any other information...which is obviously what they did. Interesting though, saying "no comment," on the news right now...they say he IS connected to the Marina Restaurant gambling ring. *News channel 10 out of Rochester. EDIT: Sorry, I didn't see the first link up top.

Zach Bogosian? Tim Erixon? Francis Bouillon? Matt Gilroy? Mike Komisarek? Brian Lashoff? Nick Petrecki? Rob Scuderi? Those are the current NHL defensemen from NYS...but the best one would have to be Kevin Shattenkirk. http://www.hockey-reference.com/friv/birthplaces.cgi?country=US&province=&state=NY (They are mostly players from "New York State," but I think that is fair enough and works here with your "hometown team.")

I had to post this video...it's probably one of the funniest things I have seen about the situation. ENJOY! Lol. Competition in basketball today is nothing like it used to be in the 80's and 90's, not even close...the NBA will never be like it used to be. Michael Jordan faced incredible competition, that's what made him so great. I played basketball my entire life, used to watch it religiously...and I can hardly watch playoff games now.

3-5 years TOPS in my opinion. It is all about next year's draft...add 3 first round picks to that group...and then go into free agency guns-a-blazing, get whomever you want! We start competing for the playoffs in 2015-16...start competing for the division in 2016-17...compete for a Stanley Cup in 2017-18. Win it in 2018-19? :D

I doubt they are "good lines," but I just threw them together to show how much talent there really is in this organization...it's very deep. Someone undoubtedly has to be traded at some point...possibly to bring in an Evander Kane or someone like that? (Idk?) Ennis - Reinhart - Armia Grigorenko - Girgensons - Hodgson Carrier - Compher - Fasching Foligno - Larsson - Baptiste Lemeiux - Catenacci - Bailey Possler - Cornel - Karabacek McCabe - Myers Zadorov - Ristolainen Martin - Pysyk Florentino - Ruhwedel Austin - Gauthier Leduc Ullmark Johansson Lieuwen Makarov And there are obviously A LOT of guys missing that I did not include...but in my opinion, this is the best of the best. (and I love it! Lol.) EDIT: Took out McDavid as he is not part of the organization, "yet."

Exactly. Someone like Grigorenko might fail, but Olofsson could end up being a steal. (Theoretically speaking.) I just see no way this team does not become good with all this talent...even if only the 1st rounders made it, that's enough for a darn good team.

But this is what I mean, right here...how absurd is this and how do I even argue with that? (I tried my best, but facts aren't enough for him.)

Thank you, I greatly appreciate your feedback and the fact you even took the time to read my post. I don't post often, so when I do I like to add something of substance and bring something to the table. I just cannot wrap my head around not getting behind this team and new regime simply because of "Dennis Persson and Marek Zagrapan." I haven't thought about those names in 5 years probably. They are gone. The people who drafted them are gone, and I'm pretty sure all their draft mates are gone too. It's a new day in Buffalo Sabres hockey...we have a leader who knows what he is doing, as does his assistant...they've BOTH been "there." I honestly, truly 100% feel like it is time for Sabres fans to pee or get off the pot...you're either with us, or you're not? Thanks again for the feedback! :thumbsup: That was my exact thing, too...enough with chasing mediocrity, just missing the playoffs or finishing 8th to be bounced in the opening round...and drafting 8-14. Time to right the ship and do the dirty work that needs to be done to make this team respectable again...for a VERY long time. I want to compete and contend for the President's Trophy every year, or at least the division/conference...this is how you build a team to do that. Like I laid out in my previous post, with a plan like this...there is no possible way to screw this up, there's just way too much talent to go around.

I wish we could jump 2 years into the future...I am getting so frustrated trying to defend the Sabres and what they are doing, to everyone. Even some guy over in the Bills forum is complaining because WGR is talking about development camp..."because they're a bunch of scrubs from 2nd tier leagues." I have never been this optimistic about the Sabres, EVER, in my entire life! It blows my mind people want to bash them and not support them.

You should probably read the article you link before trying to set someone straight...who the hell is Gord Dineen and why would I want him in Buffalo? "The Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League have hired GORD DINEEN as their new head coach." KEVIN DINEEN signed on in Chicago as an assistant coach. http://espn.go.com/c...assistant-coach http://www.chicagotr...0,2413545.story http://www.nbcchicag...-267030571.html (It was a nice try though. Lol.) *EDIT: I will NEVER post here or elsewhere, unless I know what I am talking about and have done my homework...that's a promise. ;)

Very true, he wouldn't want me not doing something because he is the one I used to do those things with. Unfortunately, I didn't make it for the whole thing last night. I missed the first period, but I was impressed with a lot of what I saw. Most of my observations have been shared here already...but like I just said in the long post, I am optimistic. I think we are going to have too many good prospects, which is a good thing...but some will need to be traded. The future is bright, we have nowhere to go but up...and I can't express how excited I am right now for Buffalo Sabres hockey! (On a side note...Dunn Tire tried to get me to get an inspection for free Bills training camp tickets the other day. So we ended up leaving and called Dunn Tire in Buffalo...the guy sent me 8 tickets (you could only get 2 in person), 2 Bills hats and a note that basically said, "Sorry for the misunderstanding, but here are 8 tickets for you and your guests, and a 9th for your Father to be there in spirit with you. He knew about my Dad because when I called, he asked how long I have been a fan and all of that. But, I couldn't believe it...and it showed up on my doorstep in Canandaigua within an hour, no clue how that happened...it was crazy weird.) Anyways...I'm pumped, and I know my Pops would be too...like I said, everything is happening the way he wanted it to happen! :beer:

Ummm, Dennis Persson was in 2006, Marek Zagrapan was in 2005...Zack Kassian got Cody Hodgson. Ennis and Myers are 23/24, just entering their primes...and they've been on horrible teams with no talent around them. Joel Armia? He is what, 20 years old? He just finished his FIRST season on North American ice, and looked damn good in the playoffs too...just as Girgensons did a year ago, when he found his way to Buffalo. Sam Reinhart and 1 of next year's 3 first round picks, could make 2/3 of a first line. So, why wouldn't you be excited about finally having prospects who can make a legit 2nd line? I don't share the same feelings, I am very optimistic...and I don't know how you can sit there and say that none of these kids are skilled enough to be a top-6 forward in the NHL 3-5 years down the road when they're good? You do realize how long it takes for some prospects to pan out, right? Even if 1/4 of our prospects make it to the NHL, that is still (almost) enough to ice an entire team. These kids are highly regarded. Just look at someone like Carrier, who was the #18 skater and fell to the 2nd round because of injury...but a great drafting/developing team like St. Louis took a chance on him...that speaks volumes about his skill. Same thing with Hudson Fasching, who was drafted by the Kings...and had a tremendous freshman season at a powerhouse like Minnesota, where he was one of their leading scorers on the top-line. JT Compher was Michigan's leading scorer as a freshman, and was a 2nd round pick. (TWO freshman on NCAA powerhouse top-lines.) I could go on and on all day about these kids, but I can't make you believe something you don't want to believe. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know everything, because I don't, none of us do. But, like many here, I watch a lot of these kids. I study these kids. I read everything written about them. This is my hobby. This is something I have done for 20-25 years now. I played and I coached...I can see skill in a good hockey player when I see one. I believe in somebody like Tim Murray, who built a Stanley Cup team in Anaheim, and single-handedly made the call to draft Corey Perry at #28 overall...how'd that work out? I also believe in Craig Patrick, who has seen a rebuild result in a Stanley Cup as well. These guys know what they are doing...and I trust them to do their job to the best of their abilities. Some of these kids won't even make it to the NHL, some won't even wear a Sabres jersey in a real NHL game...but when you have numbers like this, the expectation you'll develop a good number of them is pretty high. No other NHL team has ever built a team this way, not with this many numbers and high draft picks. This is not Edmonton, who never surrounded their young kids with guys like Brian Gionta and Matt Moulson. These kids will be brought along at their own pace. The college kids have a lot of time to develop until they will be ready and expected to suit up and produce, same with the high school kids...and that's fine. But, when other team's fans say to me, "Man, you guys are going to be stacked someday," and they can name off more of our prospects than their own team's...that says a lot about what's going on here in Buffalo. People recognize it. We are the #1 rated prospect pool at many different outlets and scouting services...and that is the main reason there were so many scouts in attendance last night to watch these kids. I hope you can find a way to get behind them, because for once, we have a lot of optimism and hope. This is exactly what they did in mid-to-late 90's and again in the early-to-mid 2000's...when they had two of the best teams, in Buffalo and Rochester, that we have ever seen before. All the kids grew together in Rochester and won the Calder Cup, then they all came to Buffalo and went to the Stanley Cup finals. First it was - Vaclav Varada, Curtis Brown, Wayne Primeau, Jay McKee, Steve Shields, etc. Then it was - Paul Gaustad, Jason Pominville, Jiri Novotny, Ales Kotalik, Dimitri Kalinin, Ryan Miller, etc. Now it will be - Johan Larsson, Mikhail Grigorenko, Rasmus Ristolainen, William Carrier, etc. Obviously I did not get to see the previous teams players play in junior, because I was much younger and focused on playing my own hockey...but I would venture a guess this Rochester team is much more talented than anything we have ever seen before...but that doesn't mean they will win a Calder Cup like 1996. What it does mean is, the Buffalo Sabres have more talent in the farm system than they ever have before...and like we have seen with the previous Rochester teams I mentioned, that is nothing but a positive thing. I hope you can find a way to get behind them and support them...because this is going to be a lot of fun. First though, you need to realize and understand that this is a process...not everyone is Nate MacKinnon.

Rob Murphy? Isn't he the Syracuse coach who started the whole "Shut It Down" slogan when they won the Championship? Lol. On a second thought...Kevin Dineen just signed on as an assistant for Chicago...I really liked the idea of him in Buffalo. Any ideas as to why Ted Nolan has not brought in any assistants? Wouldn't that have been smart for development camp? Seems really odd that we have not heard anything about it, maybe it's just me.

I think I am going to this tonight, as I was screwed out of my Phish ticket at CMAC and it's a mess out here right now. I just wish my Father were here to go with me, and if he were, he would be going with OR without me. Lol. He would also be as ecstatic as a little kid on Christmas morning, as they are building exactly how he had hoped they would right before he passed away. But it's hard, some of his last words to any of us were, "This is so hard to watch (2008 playoffs) because I know I will never see the Sabres play another game, let alone another game for the Stanley Cup...but I hope you do." Well, here's to hoping I do too...here's to the future of the Sabres...and here's to you, Pops! :beer: (I think this is our first time back there without my Father...so this could be a little emotional, I've never been without him.)

The list is actually pretty impressive given they have something like 7-8 first round picks in camp. Other names like Fasching, Bailey, Baptiste, McCabe, Compher, etc, are very intriguing and impressive. How can we have a "better hit percentage on our 1st rounders over the last few years," if we don't even know the hit percentage of them yet, so far? There is PLENTY of time for Grigorenko and Armia to develop into top-line studs. Girgensons, Pysyk, Ristolainen and Zadorov have already showed they have enough promise to hold out hope...and Reinhart is Reinhart. (Don't forget these are growing/developing KIDS!) I don't understand how you could think like that or make that comment...it is super-duper far too early for that, in my opinion. EDIT: Honestly, from 2008-2015...I think our "hit percentage on 1st rounders" will be damn impressive within time.

That's a hard question, because it all depends on him and how he looks in camp. However, he is the #2 pick for a reason and would have been even if it were another team in that spot. I see no reason to send him back unless he looks completely lost, and we all know that just is not going to happen. I also see no reason to bring in guys like Brian Gionta, and NOT have Samson Reinhart around that guy every single day, like a shadow. I think quite a few of the kids should be up in the NHL with those coaches and trainers...but there's no need to rush it. (I do know one thing for sure...Rochester is going to be a lot of fun to watch this year, I kind of want season tickets.)

Don't forget Jordan Samuels-Thomas who is 6-4, 195 lbs.

Sorry, but neither of them will EVER touch this man...he is, always has been and always will be..."Cleveland." (IMO anyways) http://www.vintagecardprices.com/pics/2076/97686.jpg (Lebron might come close...but Manziel? Lol, not a chance in hell.)

It is getting so out of hand, that a new store just opened up out here in the Finger Lakes (Canandaigua)...it's called...The Sock Nook! lmao. (I won't lie, I did purchase some pretty cool Bills and Sabres socks the other day.) Another thought... During trade deadline day, whomever the WGR person was who was in the room with Murray and Devine, said there was a very good player they were targeting and trying to get...but it was ultimately deemed a draft day move. He said it was a player everyone would know, it'd be a "blockbuster." I never found out who it was, and obviously the move has not been made yet, especially on draft day...could it be Evander Kane? (Idk who else it COULD be.)

Like I tweeted earlier, Gionta is 35 years old...I can absolutely see Patrick Kane being the 2023 version of Brian Gionta. He could be the Doug Gilmore or Joe Juneau acquisition of the 2023 trade deadline...to put the Sabres over the top for a cup run. (Yes, I realize he is a totally different player than Gilmore AND Juneau...I'm talking simply about veteran acquisitions.) EDIT: And if those guys were still pretty darn good late into their careers, especially Gionta, I see no reason Kane wouldn't be.