deluca67

I'm not sure Darcy has it in him to trade Vanek and/or Miller period.

With centers so hard to come by, it seems foolish to relegate Ott to the wing. He can play Center, The Sabres even list him as a center. Center is a position of great need, by playing Ott on the wing the Sabres would be needlessly creating a hole on their roster. Put Foligno on one wing and Stafford (he's going to be here like it or not) on the other. Let them bang around the other teams top lines. Force other coaches to play keep away. Scott, IMO, is a complete non-factor. As I said above, play Foligno with Ott. Cultivating Foligno's physical should be on the Sabres priority list. They have a young bull in Foligno who needs to be taught how to use to his 6' 3" 225 lb frame to the Sabres advantage.

This looks like it can be really fun. http://buffalozombiemudrun.com/

I think the issue with Foligno is that he was the only guy doing it, he may have had a lack of confidence that his teammates had his back. If Kaleta can stay healthy, Ott steps into the role as a the team leader and additions are made to the roster with players who have that toughness engrained into their personality, replacing those players who skate scared (Darcy's words), ideally the end result is players like Foligno, McNabb and Weber feeling comfortable enough to let their natural aggression take over. Ott is not void of offensive talent, he has enough, added to what he brings to the rink every night be effective anchoring a third line. I don't need a 50-60 point player in that position, not when I can get 35-40 points and 250 hits and 55%+ face-off percentage. The priorities for this team are/should be character, grit and toughness.

Didn't someone make the point of the Sabres misusing players? Ott was 12th in the league in face-off percentage at 55.7% on 535 attempts. If this team turns it around, it will be with Steve Ott as the third line center which is where he needs to be to be most effective. Off the charts physical, solid face-off numbers and modest offensive production. The blue print for a third line center.

A better way to describe it is "talent with toughness." Dustin Brown should be the blueprint the Sabres are using when putting together their roster. Here is actual top six forward, 25 goal 55 point, team Captain and one of the biggest hitters in the game. The closest thing the Sabres have to Dustin Brown is Steve Ott. Problem is that Steve Ott isn't a "top six" forward. Ott is a 12 goal 35 points third line Center. Ott is more of a Jarret Stoll than a Dustin Brown. Which is splitting hairs I guess since I would love to have all three players in a Sabres uniform.

This is so true and way too sad.

The Sabres will have to sign Enroth first. If I were Enroth's agent I look for some guarantees. I would push for a guaranteed 30-35 starts or some type of financial compensation if the Sabres fail to use Enroth. If not, I would look elsewhere.

Before injuries hit Roy was a solid 25-30 goal, 65-70 point player that can play at both ends of the ice. That's with his maturity issues. A healthy Derek Roy playing at home could be an impact player. The animosity towards Anderson because he is receiving kudos for playing well is silly. I for one was hoping his stellar play would continue and carry the Sens further in the series against the Pens.

The best part of Enroth's performance is that Ryan Miller will finally get to see what a Gold Medal looks like. :thumbsup:

Why? This just doesn't make any sense. The Sens have a really nice foundation to build on. They have $22 mil of cap space next season to play with. Add the right pieces and the Sens can go from playoff contender to Stanley Cup contender. A couple of perfect fits for the Sens would be Pascal Dupris and Derek Roy upfront and Mark Streit on the blueline. Who doesn't?

I know I'm old because I remember a time when making the playoffs were a formality. 4 times in 11 years is an embarrassment. I have to say, if Miller or Vanek signed a contract extension with the Sabres I would seriously have to question their desire to win.

I was just thinking the same exact thing.

This is funny and sad. You would hope a player in his position would be spending his money more wisely.

Imagine, back in 2001-02, if someone would have posted that something didn't seem right about the Rigas family, would fans have had any different reaction than they are having to your questions regarding Pegula?

Two quick thoughts. 1) Why would either ever sign with the Sabres. 2) What are the Sabres going to do with older stars that are just playing out the string? Leave the past in the past.

No surprise here, they already have the jerseys made. John Scott is roster filler, nothing more nothing less. :yawn:

Thanks! I tossed a couple bucks on Orb in the Derby after reading your writeup. I missed on the tri-fecta by one horse. I played Orb, Revolutionary and Oxbow boxed for two bucks.

I find this story to be very inspirational. No matter how bad a day I am having, I can just think back to this story and say, "hey, at least I didn't tear my ######."

Won $155 today on the Preakness, threw $10 down on Oxbow. It's a good day.

The word "scapegoat" makes it seem that Stafford is being criticized unfairly, I just don't see that as being the case.

Words can not express the horror! http://www.tmz.com/2013/03/25/x-pac--tear-wrestling-bronco-buster/

I wonder, if Ehrhoff had to do it all over again, if he would have signed with the Islanders. If you are a free agent and you want to win and the choices are the Islanders and the Sabres, you have to pick the Islanders. They have a nice group of young talented players, and despite some bad contracts, they have much more cap space available than the Sabres going into next off-season. As franchises go, with John Tavares and players like Okposo, Moulson, and others, they are in a better position going forward than the Sabres are.

Why do I see visions of Terry, Ted and Darcy lying in bed holding each other like the Strauses as the Titanic sinks? Nothing has been built since the Lucic hit. Regier panicked and made a couple of moves, there certainly wasn't a rebuild in that time. The Regier theory is to have talented forwards, a mobile defense and a tough guy or two to protect them all. That is what we have watched primarily over the last 17 years.

This is very well said. A lot of what you have said connects with my frustration over the Hodgson/Kassian trade. Kassian was a draft pick that went against the Sabres grain. With Kassian & Foligno it looked like the Sabres front office finally understood what this team needed and the direction this team needed to go. Many tried to make it about a skills competition between the two, it was never about that for me. It's not about building a team of goons as some try make it. It's about finding those inherent qualities of toughness and physical sacrifice that, IMO, has to be a part of each player's make up. I have never bought into the John Scott theory that adding a singular tough guy makes everyone tougher. I do buy into the concept that your Captain should be a reflection of the team's identity.