irregularly irregular

Or they start collecting 1st round tickets for the Bedard lotto. Never say never.

Although it looks to be an incredibly weird draft with all kinds of drama involved, I have to say thank you to all those who have dug in and provided a months worth of awesome reading. It's been fun for me to watch the lists come together as everyone has made their arguments for how to build this team and provided their insights on players and strategies that best fit the teams needs. I have no idea where KA is going with this draft, and I'm not sure even he knows how it's going to play out. I do agree with those who say how important this draft is for the Sabres. I see these 4 picks in the top 41 as the icing on the cake that when combined with the remaining 2022 picks filling the pipeline or being used to maybe plug a hole or two in the roster.... wow! This is going to be a fun few weeks as we watch the 2022-23 Sabres being put together. My $0.02 on the draft is that it is only one part of the recipe for the upcoming season(s). It's going to be a crazy draft, so don't lose your mind over getting or missing on any particular player. There is still free agency and a potential trade or two that need to be put into place. We have to wait and see what the roster looks like on the eve of training camp before we know what the Sabres have created for us. Let's all hope for that #1 GT somewhere along the line. Thanks again to everyone and GO SABRES!!!

Start saving your money. Once we see how the roster shakes out, I'll be back to take advantage of your overstuffed piggy bank.

I fully agree with that sentiment Tom. My previous post should not be construed otherwise. This coming season is the pinch point of wanting the team to get better and wanting the youngsters to get good enough to contribute in the NHL. Most here seem to agree with the idea of "bubble team". I just don't want KA to be in too big of a hurry and press forward with expensive help that also carries a long term. That's the kind of XGMTM move none of us want to see again. Let the kids grow and when they are ready they are ready, and not before. At the same time, a winning environment would certainly be a positive for everyone involved. Like I said, a pinch point that may leave some fans less than thrilled.

Ideally #3. That would allow UPL to cook in Rochester until he is ready to force his way onto the Sabres roster. Realistic assessment is he would be the #2 and we hope his games are limited while he stays healthy. I don't want to block the young talent from making it to the NHL, so I like the concept. At the same time there has to be a reasonable #1 (or #1 and #2) that can carry the load until that young talent is ready for the show.

It's taken me a few minutes to talk myself into replying to your question Woody. But here it goes. It's over. The trust and belief are gone. It's been over, but now you have a defining moment to put a point on it. Make a total and clean break right now. Your life is not about the past, it is about today and the future. Today you got kicked in the gut and got a clear and vivid picture of what the future will bring. Of course it is painful, not easy or convenient. You work in medicine, you know what giving bad news to a patient and/or their family is like and the intense pain they feel. It hurts like hell right now. But you also know that the pain will eventually subside when given time to heal. Or you stay and try again only to have the pain get worse, metastasize and consume more of you. My prayers are with you. I know that your brothers and sisters at SabreSpace are with me in that regard.

Thank you SF. You summed it up perfectly. Yes Eichel left the Sabres carrying with him an unquantifiable stench. I freely admit he was not ever a favorite of mine. I had hoped that he had turned the corner for the better 3 seasons ago, but that season was not confirmed in the following years. I was happy to see him go and with a decent return to make it all the easier to say goodbye. So he is gone and no longer someone we should be putting so much energy and angst into. He's gone. Forget about him. Is John a coach killer? Again, he's gone, so who cares, since it will never be a Sabres coach that he will be or won't be accused of getting fired. Only time will tell what John's legacy as an NHL player shall be. I hope he stays healthy, has as long a career as possible and whatever team he happens to be playing for at the time looses every game they play against the Sabres. or possibly the vapor?

Here are my $0.02 on this subject. Does it really matter? Do you have any control over the outcome? So sit back, enjoy the ride and hope for the best possible outcome while expecting the most likely outcome. And yes, Tom Webster nailed it.

Lehner's gone, or even better... he stays. More contracts are moved to get under the cap. Another year of injuries. John doesn't become Jack again and only puts up 50 points. It could get ugly and the Sabres could be sitting in a good spot.

Great 3rd period by DU. Changed the tilt of the ice and took advantage of their opportunities.

Formerly known as Minnesota State-Mankato. Historically a good program from a weaker league and the team has been particularly strong the past few seasons.

My thoughts exactly. Maximize every opportunity to make the team better. I hope is that KA not having a history in NHL management will help him to not have the problems that sunk the boats of TM and JB.

If I were the new owner, my first move would be to hire PA as Hockey Czar. That way he could explain to me every day why the team he is in charge of and totally responsible for in every aspect, isn't meeting my expectations as an owner.

Too many unknowns at this point in time. The additions and subtractions that we see the Sabres make later this season will certainly make a difference. Maybe a huge difference if the pieces fall into place. Ask this question again in 45-60 days and the answers may be significantly different.

Of the 100 things DG has had to work on, fix, break, improve or eliminate this may very well be number 95. Quite possible he simply hasn't gotten there yet.

Understood. See highlighted area for clarification.

Interesting stuff. Shed a brighter light on what really happened over the past year or so. What jumped out at me the second I saw the thread title was that Friedman got paid by being the first to interview Jack after the trade was announced. Those of you questioning were all those rumors were coming from should ask Pat Brisson how many times in the past couple months he happened to have a nonchalant chat with his old buddy. Friedman has been carrying lots of water as of late.

Anchorage. Grew up on Chautauqua Lake.

Weave is spot on with his advice. Those bears are more scared of you than you are of them. I live in AK and we deal with them every year. Bear spray is the backup plan. Make noise and let the bears know you are there. A surprised bear is a problem. A bear that knows you are there will be gone before you ever see it. Regarding firearms, using a 9mm pistol will only make you the target of a pissed off, wounded, surprised bear and that is not what you want. If you feel that you need a firearm, a shotgun loaded with slugs Is the better option. Not easy to carry but it will be the best option if you have a real bear problem. #1- Make noise and let the bears know you are there. Make sure you are not leaving food out and attracting the bears into camp. #2- bear spray . . . . . #3- shotgun . . . . . . . . #4- pistol, especially if you are not extremely comfortable with them.

There is a middle ground here somewhere. Eichel, the Sabres, the NHL and NHLPA will all have to moderate their positions. Everyone accepts some level of risk and some level of responsibility if this is going to move forward.

Yes, you are correct. Usually the team just has to swallow the costs and move on. I think we can all agree the situation with Eichel is different than the usual LTIR or cast-off player getting his contract fulfilled. I believe it is extremely unlikely that Eichel is traded before he is proven to be healthy and the Sabres receive acceptable trade value in return. I believe it is even less likely that Eichel will have ADR surgery while still a Sabre, unless steps are taken to significantly reduce the teams financial risk. In order for Jack to get what he wants, he has to give something up. How bad does Jack want that surgery? It's got to be badly enough to be willing to take the Sabres off the hook for the bill(s) that will result.

Negotiating 101: In order to get something, you will have to give something up. For Jack to get his desired surgery and protection from the potential fallout, he is going to have to give up something very precious. I'm now seeing a contract renegotiation as an avenue of discussion.

I'm on the opposite side. I don't like to use the word hate, but I really do not like that some games are worth 2 points when others are worth 3. My preference would be 5 x 5 for a sudden death overtime period of 10 minutes. If there is no winner after that, it's 1 point each. The whole hockey game turning into a skills test is not appealing to me.

Sorry Bun, can't do that. John Boy is a valuable commodity and maximizing return is vitally important for the Sabres going forward.

The short answer is yes, you are wrong. There are 2 reasons why. First, unless you are holding out on us, there is no way you know all of the pieces and parts that part of this mess. Secondly, many of those moving pieces and parts are way beyond KA's control.