msw2112

It's still early, but based on returns so far, my hat is off to JBotts. Not only did he bring in talent, he also brought in the right type of character guys to help with the psyche of the team. He also was bold in moving out guys that may not have been good for the psyche of team. Hutton is a huge plus in the character department. I read that O'Reilly is having a good statistical year in St. Louis, but they are near last place and just fired their coach. I don't have time to do the research, but I think that he had good stats in Colorado, but the teams he was on were terrible and improved dramatically after he was dealt to the Sabres. Perhaps it isn't a coincidence. But back to the original premise of the thread, the Goalies this season are definitely contributing from both a talent standpoint and a psychological & chemistry standpoint.

I'm still trying to figure out what happened to that $1.

He's strong, has great hands and elite hand-eye coordination, so with a few years of experience under his belt, his improvement makes a lot of sense. Ironically, his best face off last night may have been one that he "lost" - and then stepped up, took the puck and feathered a perfect pass to Skinner for a goal! I didn't see the game, but enjoyed the highlights on NHL Network. I wondered if that goal made the Sportscenter top 10, as it was a pretty slick move that you don't see very often.

Rico was my favorite player as a kid. I would agree with others that he may not be a HoF candidate due to the relative shortness of his career. If he put up the same stats over a longer period of time, he would likely have had more consideration. Also, he may have been overshadowed by playing with Gil. RIP, Rico.

I really like Kane as a player and I have no idea if these allegations are true, but there's no doubt that he has a history of off-the-ice drama that has now followed him to a third team. The Sabres are trying to build a new culture and I agree that it was the right decision to move on from Kane and to actually get something for him. They now have removed the Kane drama from their environment, they have acquired a 1st round pick (and a good player for Rochester), and have freed up cap space to spend on others, such as Skinner. I am in favor of how the team handled the situation.

I don't know what the Detroit GM situation is right now, but that was the first thought that popped into my head.

Trade looks like a win-win. Pens dump some salary to clear out needed cap space and the Sabres add a much-needed quality NHL winger. As a throw in and as part of the salary dump, the Sabres also got an overpaid veteran D. He can be the 7th guy who sits in the press box and jumps in when there are injuries. They have the cap room to absorb the salary. The Sabres only give up a 4th or 3rd round pick, which, in the NHL, isn't worth that much to begin with. The percentage of hits in the 3rd and 4th round is pretty low. I like it.

Rick Martin. Big slap shot and scored 50+ goals back in the day! As to the most hated, there were a lot of guys drafted in the Scotty Bowman era that had really high expectations but never panned out. I don't dislike them as people, but was just frustrated that they never really amounted to much.

I agree as well. I liked Kane as a player, but he was going to be a UFA and either he was going to leave and we would have gotten no return, or he would have commanded a huge salary to stay. Whether or not his personality was a good fit for what the team is trying to do in the future is debatable, and he has had some injury issues, but the UFA situation is undeniable. Theoretically, we still could re-sign him after the playoffs, when he will be a UFA, but most likely, he will get more money elsewhere and/or elect to play in a more cosmopolitan market than Buffalo. I love Buffalo and a lot of NHL (and NFL) players do, but it isn't for everybody. The Kane situation is quite similar to the situation the Bills faced with Sammy Watkins last season. In the end, the Bills made the right move by trading him. They got a decent return (2nd round pick and the services of a decent CB for 1 season) for a player they were certain to lose in Free Agency for nothing. He ended up getting something like $16 million from the Chiefs, and there's no way the Bills would have been able to match that, given their variety of needs and their salary cap situation. And even if they wanted to match the Chiefs' offer, there's no guarantee that Sammy would have accepted it.

I'm shocked and impressed that Phoenix made the top 10. Although the Coyotes finished the season strong, their attendance is always low. It is a combination of factors: a poor team, an arena that is in the far west suburbs while a lot of the hockey fans live in the central city or east suburbs, and a non-traditional hockey market. I understand Buffalo being on the list with no horse in the race, but Phoenix is a real surprise. Maybe that's why the league has bent over backwards to keep the franchise from moving.

O'Reilly is not having a good year so far, so his play/production so far this year don't justify his hefty salary. That said, the rising tide lifts all boats. The team seems to be getting a grasp of Housley's system of late and the team is playing better hockey (with mixed results in the W-L column). As the team improves as a whole, the individuals on the team are looking better and stats are improving (Eichel, Reinhart, Okposo, etc.) O'Reilly is a good hockey player and as the team plays better, he will play better. If he remains a part of the team, he will eventually get back to his expected level of play and will justify his salary.

Seems like a fair deal for a guy with some upside. He was a 1st round pick for a reason. He has some grit, some speed and some scoring ability. He showed well a couple of years ago and his development seemed to screech to a halt under the previous coaching regime. Let's hope he can regain his form with the new regime. If so, this contract could be a bargain. If not, teams need veterans on the 3rd and 4th lines whose contracts don't break the bank and I think that Girgs and this new deal fit that bill.

While I believe in a free market system in general, the salary cap has its place in preserving the integrity of the league. Without one, in this day and age, we would probably see a disproportionate number of players signing in big markets with good teams. How many Cups would Chicago and LA have won if there was no salary cap? The cap (and the draft system) forces talented players to be more dispersed throughout the league, which creates parity and results in more teams being in the hunt. Less cosmopolitan markets, particularly those that have not had recent success (both of which define Buffalo) are able to compete for Free Agent talent that might otherwise sign elsewhere.

Seems like a solid hire with a lot of NHL experience. Was about a .500 head coach with St. Louis and won a cup as an assistant with the Kings. Probably not someone that would be high on the list for a head coaching position, but seems like a good fit for an assistant. Does anyone know if he has any specialties - PP, PK, Forwards, Defense, etc.? I read a few things I could find online and there wasn't much beyond where he has coached and what his record was.

Now that we have added 3 defensemen in Antapin, Beaulieu and Scandella, we don't need that Shatt.

This looks about right to me.

I have idea what agreements are in place, but I read one opinion stating that we left Carrier unprotected (and protected Ennis instead) based on an agreement with LV that they would not take Ullmark if we left Carrier unprotected so that they could take him. Given the surprise to most that we protected Ennis and not Carrier leads me to believe that this opinion is plausible and that they will probably take Carrier. He's a legitimate prospect - has speed, size and some grit. He hasn't show the ability to finish, but that's why he's still a prospect - he's still developing and the scoring touch may come. Even if it doesn't, he still has the speed, size and grit and teams need guys on the 3rd and 4th lines too. As a side note, I hope they don't take Bogo. I think that he can improve with the new coaching staff and if he becomes a top-4 D, his contract won't be so out of line.