msw2112

Good move for the Sabres and finally they've done something that makes sense. I like the signing and have zero issues with it, except for the fact that it doesn't improve the team. McLeod was already on the roster. Can they please sign someone who is a positive addition to the roster? Alex Lyon, assuming the deal is actually done, is a fine backup goaltender, but essentially just replaces Reimer, so not really much of a net add (no pun intended).

While it's true that Rayzor could upgrade to a shirt with a collar and tie that actually fit around his neck, that could be fixed without firing someone....If the reason is truly that the broadcasts are too critical of the team, that's pathetic.

Let's hope so. The guy played well last season and turned out to be a major piece of a big trade. If they let this guy walk, they are truly the imbeciles that we all believe them to be. And yes, Bryson continues to be a head scratcher. He's fine as a 7th-8th D-man and has played some decent minutes here and there, but there was no reason to lock him up when they did (early) and how they did (one way contract). I'd be OK with re-signing him at the price that they did AFTER the draft, free agency, etc. If they still needed a 7th-8th D-man at that time, he would have been fine. What was the hurry?

My thoughts: The pre-draft press conference is probably a regularly-scheduled event that every team has, every year. If Adams is up to something behind the scenes, I'd prefer he keep it quiet and doesn't tip his hand in the media in such a way that could cost him leverage in potential deals with other teams. Someone above said "I don't care what he says, but only about what he does." I agree with this. I don't have a whole lot of confidence in Adams either way, but maybe the presence of Jarmo can help. It's a huge disappointment if the entire coaching staff returns. Again, no need to publicly make statements in the media to humiliate guys who may be bad coaches but good people. Just say they're under contract publicly, while, hopefully, privately, he's searching for their replacements.

Based on the market across the league, Tuch today, at his age, is a $7M-$9M player. If he was 36 today, he wouldn't be worth that, but with inflation, the cap going up, etc., by the time he's 36, if he's making $7M-$9M then, it will be market for a player his age. 29 year-olds of his caliber will be making much more than that in 6-7 years. So get him signed today. He's a key player on the roster. He has size, speed, scoring touch, and is a great penalty killer. He's also a leader and a great locker room guy. He's not a fighter, but he'll drop the gloves on occasion to defend himself or a teammate. He even has playoff experience. He definitely was a guy who "wants to be in Buffalo," so let's hope that last season's failures didn't change that.

I respectfully disagree. In the old days, the Aud was sold out every night for years. The team was good and it was the only game in town. People today have so many entertainment options, that the casual fan is not easily swayed. A playoff game in May or June, sure. A Tuesday night, mid-October game against Cal-gary? You and I are excited to be there and see a winning team. The casual fan is not. But give the casual fan music, food options, a fancy show on the video board, some crazy giveaway between periods, etc. they are having a fun night of entertainment downtown. You and I are the same in how we view the team. But you have to look beyond yourself at the bigger picture. (Actually, you don't, but if you want to objectively respond to the original post, you might.) This team is light years away from selling out a "lower tier" game. Even if they team starts winning, they're still going to have a hard time selling out early season games against unexciting opponents, particularly if the Bills are playing well, which is likely to be the case over the next 5-7 years. They need to market the product beyond just the die-hards.

What if YOU are the tourist, attending a game in another city not involving the Sabres (or a team you're a fan of)? Is winning the only thing that matters? I realize that you're not focused on that, but the original post asked whether it was important to "entertain the people in the stands" and whether it was important to entertain the "causal fan." I'd argue that it is important. I sometimes take my kids to major league sports and they care very little about the actual game action. The other stuff keeps them entertained. I'm going to be in Boston over the summer on a family vacation and we're attending a Red Sox game. We're not going because we care about the Red Sox winning, we're going to check out the atmosphere at an iconic ballpark. I've been a huge Sabres fan, following the team more or less since it's inception, so for me, when it comes to the Sabres winning is everything. I don't care about the scoreboard, the music, the food options, etc. - I just want to see a winning team on the ice. You and I likely agree on that. Pegula and Adams have run this once proud franchise into the ground. Whether they can recover it is highly in doubt. So, as to the Sabres, we agree. I'm just addressing the questions raised in the original post.

I think you're missing the nuance. Winning matters if you are attending a game involving a team that you're a fan of. There's no disagreement there. But if you're in Buffalo on a business trip, not from Buffalo, and maybe not even a hockey fan, but attending a Sabres game, does winning matter to you? Or are you more interested in a comfortable seat, the video board, the food options, etc.? When I attend a Bills or Sabres game, it's all about winning. When I attend a Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers MLB game, I really don't care about winning. It's more about the overall experience. If the survey is specifically targeted at Sabres season ticket holders and/or serious Sabres fans, then yes, winning is priority #1.

This is an interesting topic. I have a mixed response. Having grown up in Buffalo, when it comes to the Bills and Sabres, it's all about the product on the field/ice. I don't care at all about the rest of the entertainment experience (provided I can do the simple things like get a beer or take a leak during the game without missing 30% of the game waiting in line). I always arrive prior to kickoff/puck drop and stay until the game is over, regardless of the score. Even in a blowout, it's interesting to me to see how the backup QB performs or if the rookie winger scores a goal. That said, I have lived outside of Buffalo for quite some time now and have lived in big cities with most/all of the major pro sports teams. I have no interest in season tickets, but frequently come across tickets to games. For those games, I'm just as interested in the food, entertainment, music, betting, cheerleaders, and hanging out with the people I'm at the game with, etc. (or more) than the game itself. I have no problem arriving late or leaving early. For example, I went to an Arizona Cardinals-New Orleans Saints game. I really didn't care who won the game, but made a small internet wager on the game, just for fun. Whether I won my bet was more interesting to me than the game itself. Having a comfortable seat was important to me. If I'm at a Bills game, I hardly use the seat. I've been to NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB games around the country and enjoy the event as a whole, but usually don't really care who wins. Every been to a mid-season NBA game? They're snoozers until the last 5 minutes. Or a MLB game before the pennant races start heating up? I find it hard to focus too much prior to the 8th or 9th inning. Over the years, I've turned down many free NFL tickets (mostly Cardinals and Bears) so I could watch the Bills on TV. I'm just not invested in those teams, yet don't want to miss a minute of Bills action. The tailgate/pregame (and/or postgame) is often more interesting to me than the game itself.

When Joki is on his game, he's better value than a 4th round pick. He seemed be playing better since the 4 Nations. I assume they were sitting him recently to keep him healthy for a potential trade. I suppose the Sabres wanted him off the roster, both as a player that doesn't fit what the team is trying to do and also as a salary dump, so they took what they could get. Better than nothing.

Didn't Victor Hedman, another highly drafted bigger defenseman, also have an up and down start to his career, before becoming one of the top D-men in the NHL?

Here you go: New GM: Lindy Ruff New Coach: Seth Appert New Star Player: Jordan Greenway Some would call it promoting from within. Others would call it reshuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic. It's tough to be a Sabres fan these days.

Or maybe he's extremely driven to be a part of the solution....Sure the Sabres are a train wreck right now and have been for several years now, but it doesn't mean that every move that the team or a player on the team makes has to have a negative connotation. Adams has not performed well overall, but the Greenway acquisition, and now extension are, in my opinion positive moves. The Sabres paid just a tiny bit above market, but locked up a solid veteran player who played well for Granato and for some reason, appears to be even better under Ruff. He's an excellent penalty killer and chips in a bit offensively, has great size, some grit, and reasonable middle-to-bottom 6 skill.

Unless they have a handshake deal saying "I'll trade you to a contender so you have a shot at a Cup, but you'll re-sign with us next season," I don't see the point of trading the likes of Greenway and Zucker. The team needs veteran players who can play and lead and has a shortage of them. These two guys are among the few that they have. As many have stated above, the likelihood of a mid-round draft pick (or really any draft pick outside of the 1st and maybe 2nd round) making an impact at the NHL level is minimal. The Sabres already have plenty of draft picks and development prospects. They're better off waiting for the offseason to re-tool the roster and making player for player trades at that time. Contending teams looking to add for a playoff run are typically not giving up good players, they're dealing future assets (draft picks and prospects) for "now" assets. The Sabres don't need any more future assets.

I didn't follow it that closely, but I think that Connor was injured or sick. I agree that the decision on on Matthew (much easier than trying to spell that last name!) had to be supported by the coach, but only the player can truly evaluate his own body, pain tolerance, etc. I agree that's it time to move on. I didn't have much interest in the tournament to begin with. It really is a manufactured product versus an authentic best-on-best. As much as Russia deserves to be sanctioned as a country, not having Russian players (and stars from other countries) involved makes it such that it's not really best-on-best. Plus, the teams were only playing together for a few days before the tournament started, so in my opinion, it's a bunch of all-stars being thrown together at the last minute, versus a true team that's had time to develop as a unit and have chemistry. That said, the players took it seriously and played really hard, so it did turn out to be more entertaining than I thought it would. I sometimes drift to the message board to procrastinate from doing my job, and this is the topic of the day, but time to get back to the grind...