GASabresIUFAN

Reese's certainly is. I agree on M and M's but it is sold the same way. I also included Smarties and Maltesers in the Canadian section. I was also sticking to mostly chocolate related products. So your the one. I knew someone ate Paydays and Charleston Chews.

Although I grew up in Buffalo, I spent most of my summers in Canada as a kid and gain a life long affinity for Canadian candy bars like Aero and Coffee Crisp. Obviously there are many cross-over brands like Snickers, Twix and Kit Kat's etc, but in the Canadian section, I tried to limit the choices to one found primarily in Canada. I places a poll for both countries and please choose your 3 favorites from each country. To get things started - My Canadian Picks are Aero, Coffee Crisp and Smarties (so much better then M and M's). I'd haven't tried a Wunderbar or Cadbury Crunch, but they sound good. My USA picks - 100 Grand, Skybar, and Twix. Kat Kit a close 4th. I also like Almond Snicker and Hershey Dark Specials. If someone has never had a Skybar, I suggest finding one and trying it.

I have no idea. I’m just hoping for 2 quality players

Honestly if Jack wants to go and we have full control of where he goes for another year, where does he think he's going. Toronto, NY, BOS? LOL. We going to send him where we get the best return. That means someone that has young players who are former high picks. That puts of the odds of him going to another rebuilding team such as LA, or NJ or Det or Arizona. Sounds great.

I agree. His play this season without Jack and for a team going nowhere was inspired. I think if you ask Mitts, Thompson, Cozens and others, Sam's attitude and play on the ice was a big aid to their development and effort. I'm not sure how this off-season is going to play out. Do both Sam and Jack return, do neither return, do we trade Sam and keep Jack or vice versa? Who knows. However a spine of Sam, Mitts and Cozens seems like a pretty good place to start.

Who said it was easy. What we need is readily apparent. Whether KA and Karmanos can pull it off is another question. It can become easier with by re-signing of McCabe and Ullmark. Acquiring a backup goalie who can play 30-35 and start for a few weeks when Ullmark gets banged up could be difficult, but getting the top 6 physical wingers is going to be costly and who that is I have no idea.

Actually there were 12 extensions 3 years or longer signing during this season, including Demko, Binnington, Hartman, Iafallo, and Laughton.

This I can agree with the bolded with one caveat. Even if you sign him for just a year he is still tradable at the deadline and for a player of his caliber you'll get a very good price. That assumes that the team isn't good again. However if the team has turned the corner, which I believe it has, then I can see both parties working our an extension mid-season. Still your approach is the more prudent approach.

I don't know who is going to be here, but I do understand contract law. Jack has a contract. Risto has a contract. Sam can't sign anywhere else unless the Sabres agree. Might it be prudent to move some of these guys before they gain free agent status or Jack NMC. Possibly, but if they comeback next season with a more stable front office and a competitive team, do you really think they are going to demand to be traded. Winning fixes most locker room problems.

Or the Sabres say forget it and play out your contract.

Hall was absolutely signed to appease Jack and Ralph. No question, but a competent GM would have negotiated a limited NMC especially when giving Hall max $.

Jack has a contract folks. He isn't playing anywhere else unless the Sabres agree to it. It would have to be an Eric Lindros type offer. That isn't happening. Next! Sam is a RFA. His leverage is arbitration and a 1 year deal. Welcome back Sam. Hopefully someone makes an offer sheet. The depth we want is already here. Granato's young forward groups was scoring over 3 goals a game without Jack. Scoring 250 goals plus puts a team in or very near a playoff spot with even reasonable defense and goaltending. In fact with Ullmark in net they played at a 102 pt pace during his games under Granato (and a 96 pt pace under RK). Fix the front office, decide on a coach and then get a physical top 6 winger, a couple of good defensive defensemen and 2 decent to good goalies and we'll have a playoff contending team next season.

Then he shouldn't have signed him. He should have taken that money and found a top 6 RW and a goaltender upgrade for Hutton. If he wanted to make a deal he should have made sure that the NMC was a limited NMC with at least 5 or more options. A real GM wouldn't have boxed himself that deep into a corner.

Had they drafted well (obviously a big caveat) and kept their draft assets and prospects they would have had direction and likely would have built a better team then we have now. The good news is that Jbot drafted better then his predecessor and we actually have a prospect pool and young player to build around. This would be a proper new direction. It will be better if both Jack and Sam stay, but I think the youth movement can succeed with just one of the 2 "stars." It's surprising to me how many posters he want to burn it down again.

What did anyone expect from a guy who had zero qualifications for the job? Don't forget he gave Hall the NMC and $8 mill. Also don't forget that he is a TP yes man. The bad news is he isn't getting fired. The good news for the Sabres is that they have to hire a consultant or team President to educate the guy.

Can you give a link. I couldn't find that part of the rule.

Yep. I doubt Asplund is left unprotected in expansion now.

Wait, more interesting prospects from recent drafts?

That's a topic for another thread and I agree in general. Karmanos was the first piece of that puzzle. Choosing a coach obviously influences the roster decisions and we need more scouts and scouting. Getting someone like Davidson or Rutherford as President or advisor to KA will also help.

Jack vs the Knife. I'm curious about how dangerous the surgery is and what the recovery period is. I also am not sure what kind of leverage the team has over a player to keep him from doing what is best for his health. I can understand that Jack and the team might want to have delayed the surgery if he couldn't make it worse during the season, but once he was out, way delay the surgery? This controversy is missing some details. That said Jack is under contract and it isn't playing for anyone else unless the team agrees. He can holdout, I guess, but what did that do for Peca? His only leverage is the NMC that kicks in after next season. Like Sam, that gives him a chance to heel and see the direction of the club and gives the Sabres time to evaluate offers and the team's progress as well. Obviously everyone would be happier with a resolution sooner than later, but because of the how this season went, the resolution probably has to wait. I was against moving both Sam and Jack, but looking at the Oilers who moved on from Hall (No. 1 overall in 2010) and Yakupov (No.1 2012) when that first attempted rebuild failed. However they kept their version of Sam, Ryan Nugent Hopkins (No. 1 2011). My thought here is with the move of Sam to center, the development of Mitts and Cozens, we could actually trade Jack like Edm traded Hall and possibly improve the club long-term. Adding someone like Berniers in the draft will also help. As I've said before Sam showed more leadership in the second half of this season on the ice then Jack has ever shown.

Again it depends. If the team is good he'll re-sign again to be a corner stone of a winning team. If not you an always trade him at the deadline. We'll probably get more this summer, but if he has a blow out year at center then his value could skyrocket. I maybe wrong about this but Sam could go (or be forced) to arbitration. If Sam asks for arbitration then the Sabres can ask for a one or two year deal. If the team forces arbitration, then Sam can elect a one or two year deal. If they aren't close to a deal, I can see Sam asking for arbitration based on his goal scoring this season and the Sabres can then ask for a two year contract. This would give the Sabres more breathing room to discuss trades during the off-season or at the deadline and also give Sam more breathing room to determine the direction of the club. Its going to be an interesting summer.

I guess, but only if we get an Eric Lindros type haul for Eichel. The only true advantage I see in removing the 2 best forwards from the team is the cap savings. Winning cures all ills. If KA and his team can make the right decisions by getting good goaltending and a couple good defensive D, then this team with Jack and Sam is good enough to make the playoffs. Jack, Risto and Sam are all right to be pissed and ashamed as to where this team is, but they also bare some of the responsibility. Honestly, after Jack went down, this was the first time Sam showed real on the ice leadership IMHO and it made a difference.

Sorry but Jack isn't going anywhere and either is Sam. Jack needs to prove he is healthy and Sam needs to prove he can be an effective NHL center for a full season.

That is where the neck injury occurred. He was starring up at Josh Allen's pedicle.

How much was bad goaltending? How much was injuries to guys like Borgen and McCabe? How much was do to youth? I’d also like to see the numbers split into RK vs Granato especially for Dahlin and Jokiharju. If I’m reading your numbers correctly Bryson was the best of the young D.