Pimlach

But Zito might have made better moves to build a team. It’s reasonable to think that Zito would have done better, he is better. Zito would have had a very nice Core with Eichel and Reinhart.

Overall scuffles and even arguments are very rare. Sounds like you have a good routine.

I play golf. I’ve only seen a few tussles and it always seems to be younger guys and it’s happens just like this. I try not to golf on weekends and holidays - that time is for the working men and younger guys. I prefer week days, it’s less crowded and filled with old guys who say things like “it good to be on the right side of the grass” or “everyday is Saturday”. 😂 Some younger guys make golf a ritual - many drink a lot while playing, smoke cigars and sometimes weed, and if they are not serious golfers they tend to be the impatient ones who challenge others.

And that would be me. My wife and brothers ask me all the time why I care about them. It goes back to the AHL Bisons, 1966, the Aud, and a Pepsi with pop corn from the old fashion poppers.

Talking to lots of Sabres fans in Buffalo, young and old. There is almost ZERO excitement for the team and the upcoming season. The players brought in are not moving the needle with Sabres fans, many of which have become only casual fans. Go Bills! is the word.

OK. Just remember that the season the Sabres had 91 points Linus won the Vezina Trophy. (49 games, 40 wins and only 6 losses, 1.89 GAA, 0.938 SV Pct.) The Sabres played with 3 goalies (UPL, Anderson, Comrie) and then played Levi 7 games at the end of the season. Certainly Linus would not have the same numbers playing with Buffalo but it is reasonable to assume the Sabres would have had at least 2 more points with Ullmark in the lineup.

OK and Yes. And in the end the Sabres made the same offer and he left. There really is nothing to disagree with. It happened. Why he left is pretty clear - a low ball offer, and as he said himself he was ready for a change. The offer to Linus was botched, probably because he was thinking that Levi could play immediately. The offer to Muel was botched, the kid played only 57 games or something like that. The offer to Cozens was botched and it put undo pressure on him. The offer to Power was also botched. Tage's offer paid off. Dahlin's was a pretty much a no brainer and set by were he stands among his peers.

You may correct on the timeline, but in the end the Sabres made the same offer, and Ullmark chose the Bruins, and then after the fact he said he needed a change. The order is only significant because we lost him do to very poor work by the GM.

No, not when he was an UFA. Good question @JohnC. Adams acquired Devon Levi and a #1 pick (which became Kulich) for Sam Reinhart, a guy that Boterill did not extend beyond 1 year. Adams traded RFA Reinhart because his plan was to rebuild with players that "want to be here". Adams had his goalie in Devon Levi. It was just four days after the Reinhart trade (Levi Acquisition) that they lost Ullmark in free agency when he went to Boston for the same offer that the Sabres made. There was much turmoil between the Boterill firing and the Adams hiring - Kruger was gone, the Sabres FO and scouting departments were blown up, layoffs impacted long time Sabres rank and file employees, and the Eichel injury and the eventual trade was an on going saga. If Ullmark was going to remain a Sabre then it probably would have been Boterill that extended him, but Bots was gone the year prior. Why do I think that? Because Adams is partial to Levi, the guy he traded Reinhart away for, and Adams thought Levi could jump in and be an NHL goalie. No Blockers were his big thing back then. So during his rebuild Adams let Ullmark go and brought in such goaltending stalwarts as Dustin Tokarski, Aaron Dell, Michael Houser, Craig Anderson, Malcom Subban, Eric Comrie, James Reimer and now Alec Lyon - all with the thought of not blocking Devon Levi from taking the reigns. This season we have UPL, Lyon, and Levi vying for 2 NHL spots. Can Levi vindicate Adams by emerging as good NHL goalie and a true #1?

He is keeping the team here. I know, it’s a low bar. He is winning with the Bills. So there is that.

Quite a few do. I saw the Jays play a MLB game in Buffalo. That was fun. Someday I want to see the Sabres win an NHL game in Buffalo. I have a huge losing streak going. It’s over 10 years. Last season I watched them blow a lead to the Kings in an early season game. I started my boycott that night.

Many GMs start out as scouts, or coaching, or both. Adams was mostly business administration prior to becoming GM. Which is why him having no advisors until this season was a curious decision that probably hurt him.

True. True again. hmmm, yes but really depressing. I want you all to be wrong.

Restaurants and bars were heavily hurt for a while, he had the means to ride it out but chose not to. Probably a good move. Covid didn’t devastate the NFL Buffalo Bills and its massive TV revenue, and Covid didn’t not adversely affect any natural gas businesses (if he was still involved in them). The acquisition of the big boat did seem to change things though. It seemed odd to hear a family worth ~$6B publicly talking about about “maintaining the family lifestyle” while putting the Sabres into EEE cost cutting.