klos1963

I doubt he would want to come back.

Yes, ask around. I was listening to a broadcast recently, I think on TSN. They were discussing him and mentioned how is he thought of as a solid coach well regarded. I'm not saying I agree, but have no reason to disagree.

He is very highly regarded throughout the league. Certainly wouldn't be a glamorous pick, but it wouldn't surprise me.

He's certainly a big name signing.

We'll probably never know, but how often do we hear of negotiations with high end players. I'm not putting Tavares in that category. My guess is agents tell the Sabres not to bother. I may be wrong, I hope I am. Let's see how we do on this list of UFA's this off season. Let's sign Skinner first. https://thehockeynews.com/news/article/the-top-30-unrestricted-free-agents-of-2019

They are two terrible team contracts - maybe okposo might have gotten that contract elsewhere , but Moulson was way overpaid. Jury is out on Pilut.

Not meaning to disagree with bulk of your post. But Okposo and Moulson are/were here in part because they were offered crazy contracts. Not sure Erod Pilut and Nelson are high end free agents that were in high demand. Players will come here, but I think the stars need to align a bit to get top end players.

Did the Sabres know he had a problem? Just wondering why he is ok now , did we try to help him?

I don't know enough about LA to argue, but they do have quality goaltending , which helps a lot. Just because the Sabres don't know how to build a winning team doesn't mean LA is in the same boat. Hopefully we can get there someday.

Who has the best goaltending right now? St Louis? No real shutdown goalie playing right now.

Yep, Buffalo is not an attractive destination right now. It's not horrible, but certainly not one people would have as a preference.

Are you certain he has an offer from LA,? just read on TSN Pierre LeBrun says he's heading to LA for his interview. Can't imagine the offer precedes the interview.

Different players or same players at different stages of development. Different coaches too. Obviously. Not every situation is the same, not every coach is either.

My guess is that the Sabres offered more money, plus enticing him with Eichel and Dahlin. Signing Skinner would probably help his decision too. He's probably weighing those pros with the cons of having no real goaltender vs LA with Quick and just moving cross country is a big deal. Say what you want about 'the seasons' in Buffalo, but the weekend forecast for mid April of 40 and rain probably won't thrill Mrs McLellan.

It's a big decision. He's been on the west coast for over 10 years and a move to Buffalo from California might not be an easy call for him, despite the contract offer. This doesn't strike me as an issue, especially with his son being involved in the Frozen 4 this weekend. It's a big weekend for his family, he has no reason to hurry. He will have a job very soon.

Would seem to be a wise thing to do.

Did you ever think that McLellan hasn't made up his mind yet? That negotiations are still ongoing? It's not that farfetched a thought.

The Bills are showing signs of stability, a foundation for a solid team and sound football management. I wouldn't say the Pegula's are doing a great job, but they appear headed in the right direction. This season is important, the team needs to challenge for a playoff spot.

Just read an old article about the sale to Pegula. TG turned down an offer that was $70M more than what Pegula's offered , because the other buyer was going to move the team. Under terms of the deal, Pegula is not allowed to move the team, not that he would. http://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=6087856

I believe this was from the spoken word, not from his heart. But a long time ago. Yes he got a sweetheart deal from the league, the NHL didn't not want to run the team anymore. He wansn't trying to sell the team, but was made an offer he couldn't turn down. I think TG goes down as a pretty respectable owner that helped stabilize the franchise and had some exciting moments on the ice.

Would you pay Marner more than Eichel? Not asking if he's worth it, but how would that go over. More money plus losing draft picks.

Of course for this to be effective, Marner would have to sign the offer sheet. Doubt that would happen.

Shoot the messenger instead. Save us all from him.

I don't believe this is true. From what i recall, he purchased the team to get them out of limbo and make certain they stayed in Buffalo. He was interested in winning, but was also very concerned with the bottom line and those 2 thoughts often conflict. It was a good thing that he purchased the team and they had great success under him, it's probably also a good thing that he sold the team, because I don't feel he was the type of owner a sports franchise needs for long term success.

We have had practically no success at all under Pegula, what makes you rank him above Rigas and Golisano?- quite a bit of playoff success under those 2.