deluca67

The Sabres have to find a way to take advantage of Johan Hedberg being in net. He has dropped four in a row. If the Sabres need to come out flying and put some early pressure on Hedberg, he will crack. His save percentage is about .849 (it is early so if my math is off a little I apologize) over his last four appearances. The Devils PK is not strong. They are running at a 77.4% clip. The Devils take as many penalties as the Sabres do. If the Sabres are going to extend the streak to 3 games, they will need to take full advantage.

$6.6 mil for a 27 year old 20 goal 50 point center who is decent at face-offs and has 1 year left on his contract? IMO, the price tag doesn't match the production. Add that you would have to burn some assets to acquire Stastny, it's not a good fit for this franchise at this time.

This is one of the dumbest things I've read in a long long time. For all it's flaws and over zealousness the idea behind PETA, as it is with the SPCA and the WWF, is solid.

Maybe that's exactly what they need. This team has played so wound up and afraid to make mistakes, a night of just cutting it loose may be what the doctor ordered.

How does the "buyout" work? Capgeek is awesome, didn't know they had a buyout calculator. The Flyers save next to nothing if they buyout Briere.

I'd take Briere if he came with a #1 pick. If you are going to do Philly a huge favor like that the Sabres should be rewarded.

When you are trading away veterans for younger players/prospects of course the team getting the veteran is going to see a more positive return right away. I am glad you brought up Brian Campbell. The Sabres got what they did for Campbell because he was in his UFA year and their backs were against the wall. That is why trading them this year should be the priority. You have to avoid being in the position of losing them and getting nothing in return. I say that with the opinion that contract extensions would be a huge mistake. The Devils trade is a interesting idea. Most don't realize that the Devils have more cap space this year and next than the Sabres do. It's almost double both seasons. IMO, Vanek makes a little more sense than than Pominville, The Devils have Kovy and Clarkson on the right-wing and really only Elias on the left-wing. Adding Vanek would give the Devils possibly the best top six in the NHL. I don't think a move for Miller would be the right move for the Oliers right now. I think they are too young.

You seem to be looking for some magic bullet in a trade that will instantly turn the Sabres around. You have to look at teams and where they are positioned and target certain assets to for return. I can sit here and detail out a trade listing picks and whatever but it wouldn't matter. I can go to Hockey Futures and just pick who ever is rated the highest to add to a Brendan Smith, Matt Read or Marc Staal if that's what you want. Overall it's about moving out the old and going into a new direction. You're not going to get completely equal value for Vanek, Miller or Pominville because there are so many variables like their contracts and the limited number of teams with the cap space available and specific prospects that would fit the Sabres new direction. The players I pointed out would look good in a Sabres uniform and would represent a new direction I could get behind. Of course this is all under the realm of , IMO. I'm sure Philly would love to have Ryan Miller, they just happen to have $7.5 mil or so tied up in goalies at the moment. I listed Florida because they fit the criteria of a trading partner. They have need, cap space and prospects. Where they are in comparison to the Sabres isn't really the issue. If the Sabres make the decision to move assets and do a complete rebuild it becomes about finding the right partners and the right returns. I couldn't disagree more regarding the Lightning. With the forwards they have, some on the older side. I think they would see Miller as the "final piece" and would consider moving Hedman. Miller is not a UFA yet, so I don't think Tampa would consider him a rental. IMO, Miller makes Tampa a instant contender. I agree with Miller and the Red Wings, as I mentioned, Howard is a pending UFA, I don't know if the Sabres would want to trade for Howard with the possibility of losing him. If Howard had a few more years on his contract I think the a possible trade almost becomes a no-brainer. The Staal point is interesting. He has two more years after this season. You can always acquire Staal and move him to Carolina in the future. You can also go in a different direction in a deal with the rangers.

A perfect fit for Jason Pominville is the Detroit Red Wings. They have the cap space both this year and next. A good return would be a package including Brendon Smith. There are many interesting landing spots for Thomas Vanek. Teams like the Flyers and Rangers may be willing to make a splash if they continue to hang around the outside of the bubble. If desperation sets in players like Couturier, Read, Staal or even a JT Miller may be made available. The major issue for both the Rangers and Flyers would be making cap room. A surprise team that could take a run at Vanek are the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have the cap space and possibly a huge hole to fill depending on the Malkin injury. A player the Sabres would want to target is Simon Despres. A D-man with size that has not looked out of place in the NHL at age 21. Pittsburgh also has some decent prospects to add to the mix. Miller is probably the toughest sell. Fasth eliminates the Ducks from the conversation. A Howard/Miller deal with the Red Wings can get very interesting. Howard's UFA status will have to be addressed. Two teams that have the need and the cap space are the Panthers and Lightning. The Lightning is the more intriguing trade partner. Do they think that Miller can put them over the top? If they do, would they be willing to put Victor Hedman into the mix. A perfect fit for the sabres, a young kid with size. At 22 he is already in his 4th season and is tied into a decent contract for the next four years.

I agree with this sentiment. A while ago I compared Sabre fans with the people you see on those hoarders shows. You can get them to admit there is a problem, You can get them to agree to help. As soon as you start bagging the crap up they freak out. Positive change is not in the future of this franchise unless there is a 100% commitment by those who make the decisions to leave any and all options open.

"No end in sight?" That, IMO, depends if the removal of Lindy Ruff was a singular event or if it is step one in a course of action to turn this team around. My biggest fear is that the Sabres will be like many fans who are willing to admit there is a problem but when it comes to making the significant changes needed they will balk at moving certain players because of their perceived status.

The litmus test, IMO, for any player currently on the roster is "Will they be a productive player on this team 3-4 years from now?" Players like Hecht, Regehr, Leopold and Sulzer who have zero chance of helping this team in the future so they should be the first to go.

Let's hope that is the plan and the only reason Regier remains as GM is because the person they have in mind is unavailable to them until the off-season.

There really needs to be a pinned "All things Darcy Regier" thread. Is there any doubt he will be the #1 topic of conversation from now until he his gone?

They should have sent him back to his Junior team. It's just another mistake for a train wreck of a franchise with a growing list of mistakes.

Miller to Philly in a deal involving Sean Couturier.

I agree with the sentiment, unfortunately the players you listed are not really assets.

He's not going to work through that on the bench. Play the kid and if he has completely lost it waive him. Playing Miller every night isn't going to get this team into the playoffs. As I said, play the young kids and lets see what we have to work with going into 2013-14. Did I just hear Steve Ott say that players in this room "need to grab some smiles?" Are you kidding me! :doh:

This franchise should be embarrassed. The Sens have lost Spezza, Karlsson, Michalek and Anderson and are 4-0.

He start last season 8-4 and was 9-2 the previous season. The kid has shown he can play in the league. Without that 9-2 the Sabres don't make the playoffs two years ago.

That's BS, give the kid some regular work and his game will improve.

Many coaches have used the goaltending change to wake up their teams. I would love to see Enroth get regular starts, at least one a week. If he plays well give him a second start.

That was a video game goal by Taveras.

it serves two purposes, you can see Enroth in some game action and it may shake up the team. Right now the Sabres are well on their way to a league leading 12th loss.

Getting rid of both Ruff and Regier must have been to much for Pegula to take. I'm sure he is sitting in a dark room right now sobbing with a half empty bottle of Jack in one hand a photo of Lindy in the other.