irregularly irregular

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.

Metacarpal. Overuse syndrome.

This ^^^. Be a fan, not a fanatic. Your life will be better for it.

I'd adjust your idea a bit to say that solid team defense combined with solid - hot goaltending will win you a championship. Winning games 2-1 or 3-2 will get you a parade in your hometown. Having a couple of HOF level Dmen is nice, but that's not enough to win the Stanley Cup.

I'm on the opposite end of that discussion. I'm not lowering the ask by even one cent until there are more answers to a bunch of unanswered questions. The unknowns here are where exactly our boy Johnny is at with regards to 1) the injury 2) the recovery and rehabilitation of said injury as of today 3) the need for more rehab 4) the NEED for surgical intervention 5) if surgery is needed (unavoidable for him to play hockey this upcoming season), then which surgery serves ALL PARTIES best. There are probably more questions beyond those, and I want to hear that any and all of those items have been addressed before any trade is made. KA needs that information, as does Johnny and his agents, as do any of the GMs that have an interest in acquiring his services. All of this could be cleared up by this time next week if Eichel presents himself at the doctors office in Buffalo at 8am Monday morning and is ready for a day of testing and evaluation to determine what his CURRENT status is. Until those answers and the pathway(s) going forward are determined, KA needs to sit tight, wait for answers and not have another ROR trade shoved down his throat.

Glad you are back. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Not from me. I say the bar gets moved higher and Jackie Boy might get lonely sitting at home watching hockey games this winter.

That does not get released without Eichels approval. First thing tomorrow morning, if I were in GMKA's shoes, is an email to every GM in the league that resets the negotiations. The price starts at 4 real firsts, as in before pick 12, and don't bother me with any calls offering anything less.

Maybe it's just that Terry has lost his love for the game?

Culture creates winning. Winning sustains and strengthens culture. IMHO

Of all the rumors, lies, speculation and delusional thoughts that have occurred.... this one is at least palatable. I would hope for more. KA is not going to allow another ROR trade to happen. It's just that simple and straight forward. Therefore, I don't see Jack getting moved anytime soon.

Fishing guide, Florida Keys in March - June before hurricane season hits and Seychelles September - December.

Spot on. Jack will be a target for all kinds of extra-curricular douchebaggerie in an effort to get him off his game or out of the game.

Might be an opportunity to move that Skinner contract that is going to haunt us for feels like forever. And yes, I know there is a NMC. A guy can dream, can't he?

Dahlin is good, or better than that. Dahlin is certainly not bad, although he has his moments and is still a youngster figuring things out. In my worthless opinion, stapling Will Borgen (or equivalent player in terms of mindset, ability and age) to his right hip for next season and beyond would be the best move.