msw2112

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...

I'm a big fan of the Tkachuk brothers and how they play the game, but Matthew's decision to play was a selfish one. A healthy Tage Thompson would have brought more to the lineup than a lame Matthew Tkachuk, who played less than half of a game when he knew that he was injured. The other way to look at it is that he gave it his best shot, putting Team USA ahead of his own personal health, but I don't think he was being honest with himself and the coaching staff. In a game like last night's where the margin between the two teams was razor-thin, losing a player for more than half of the game (and he wasn't close to 100% when he was in there) could have impacted the outcome. Given the opportunity to play and show why he belonged, Thompson would have hit the ice like his pants were on fire.

It's not likely that Tage will play, but if he did, I think he'd be an asset to Team USA. When Tage plays with intensity, he's a great offensive player and he has one of the best shots in the league. His combination of size and skill is hard for defenders to deal with. The biggest issue with him on the Sabres is that his effort is inconsistent. Put into a championship game, playing for his country, with all of the accomplished veterans that are on the USA squad, there's no way Thompson would float around the ice. He'd go full-tilt, hustle back on defense (if asked to do it) and would contribute. The Sabres lack the type of environment (meaningful games, influential high-end veterans, etc.) that would bring out the best in Thompson. Eichel lacked that in Buffalo, and like Thompson, was the best player on the ice at times, particularly offensively, but also floated and didn't backcheck. Those problems are non-existent for Eichel in Vegas and on Team USA, where he plays a complete game and has been lauded for it. Obviously, I don't want to see any USA forwards injured or ill, but as a Sabres fan, I'd certainly like to see Thompson get on the ice tonight.

The article is a bit odd. The title indicates that both teams regret the trade, then goes on to say how poorly Mittlestadt has been while then saying how good Byram has been. The author does more or less indicate that it's odd that the Sabres would have regret, given how well Byram has played.

I'm bummed out/disappointed that the Sabres suck, but it doesn't really impact my life that much. For me, it's a little bit more than entertainment, as I played hockey and grew up attending and watching Sabres games (with my father, grandfather, brothers, and friends), so there are some sentimental ties to the team that I wouldn't have to an actor or movie, but I still enjoy my life, my job, and my family and just accept that my favorite hockey team is terrible.

I wonder what Lindy thinks about it now....

I agree with what you are saying. In my post, I said that Buffalo is a great place to live "for a lot of people." I did not say it was a great place to live "for all people" or "for everyone." I also went on to say why some NHL players might like playing in Buffalo based on where they are from or where they are in life. The quote in the article was one NHL player saying that other NHL players love playing in Buffalo, so for those that do love it, I was speculating as to why. But, yes, in sports, winning tops everything else.

Buffalo is a great place to live for a lot of people. Most hockey players come from northern US states, northern parts of Europe, or Canada. Buffalo being a smaller US market has a similar feel to where many of these guys grew up, so they feel comfortable. Southern Ontario is very close by, and Quebec not far, so it's close to home for these guys and it's easy for their families to come and see them play. The winter weather is familiar, so a non-issue (as it might be for NFL players). Since Eichel's departure, most of the guys on the team seem like good guys, and Granato, Ruff, and Adams (and even Pegula too) seem to be good people who treat the players with dignity and respect. They have a nice locker room and with Harbor Center, great facilities. Regardless of why, the Sabres pay their players pretty well, overpaying for many. As stated above, being a small market, hockey is big and the players enjoy some level of celebrity that they may not have in other markets, and I'm sure this doesn't hurt for the single guys on the team. For the married guys/guys with families, it's a great community to raise a family. Great real estate is affordable and commutes are short. For all of these reasons, I can see why players like to play in Buffalo. The only thing that's an issue - and it's a big one - is the losing. Aside from all that, the comments about Ruff are pretty sobering. I've always been a huge fan of his, both as a player and a coach, but I wasn't high on re-hiring him this time around. The game may have passed him by a bit. When seeing him in the bench, he just doesn't look as engaged/confident/in tune with the game has was in the past. The results so far seem to support this notion. That said, the 4-game winning streak is nice and let's see if they can build on it. Nobody would be happier than me if they can turn it around with Ruff at the helm.

Maybe the success Kulich has had recently is behind the decision to give Rosen another look. It seemed like their development cycles have been tracking each other's the last few seasons. For what it's worth, despite being picked several spots later in his draft that Rosen was in his draft, I've always thought Kulich was the better prospect. And I agree with those above that unless there's an injury forcing Rosen to get called up to play, let the kid enjoy his All-Star experience and call him up in 3 days. If he ultimately sticks with the Sabres this season or next, Rosen is not likely to be seeing any more All-Star experiences in his career. If his NHL career pans out, he'll likely be a middle-six winger and those guys are not playing in All-Star games.

I saw the game and have read the posts above and have several thoughts. For those who don't like long posts, the key points are in bold: 1. I buy into the notion that the other players on the ice may not have seen the hit. Based on what I saw, they looked confused after the whistle. It didn't look like they know what happened. 2. I'm not familiar with the Devils player who made the hit and whether he's a dirty player. I don't know what his intent was on the hit - intentionally dirty, clean aggressive hit, or accidental. 3. Regardless of #1 and #2, I still think the Sabres should have responded. If not on that shift (giving them the benefit of doubt that the guys on the ice didn't see it), then on an upcoming shift. Even if you don't go after the same guy, fight SOMEBODY. Not only send a message to the Devils, but also to the Sabres own team and own fans. 4. Sure, retaliation COULD HAVE cost the team the game. It doesn't matter. This team is very far out of the race. PLUS, the benefits of team chemistry and firing up the team/crowd likely outweighs the downsides of taking a penalty. If they retaliated, maybe the Sabres and Devils player both go off, with the Sabres getting an extra 2 minutes for instigating. Well worth it. 5. I did not think the hit on Kulich was dirty or intentional. The other player was Lazar and he wasn't even looking at Kulich. It was just two guys playing aggressive but clean hockey making contact near the board and Kulich fell awkwardly. I don't think that one warranted any kind of response. 6. I did not see or hear the press conference, but I understand why Ruff might have been sending mixed messages. Either he consciously told them not to retaliate and he's defending his decision, or he wanted the guys to retaliate and is pissed about it, but doesn't want to air that dirty laundry in the media. He may want to address it internally. 7. The season has been a failure so far, but have to give some kudos for 3 straight wins, including against decent competition. Better than running for the bus.

While I'm not a big fan of fracking, I largely agree with the comment above. Snyder is a giant a-hole and the NFL couldn't wait to get rid of him. Pegula is a good guy who has done a great job with his football franchise and a lousy job with his hockey franchise. When he ultimately finds the right management team for the hockey team, that team will be fine. It's been a long wait and the wait continues, but he'll eventually get it right, even if by blind luck.

It's not that bad. He can sing and leave. He's not being forced to stay and watch the game.