Pimlach

The coach lost confidence in all of them except for 26, 23 and 25. I agree that Boosh's agent probably pushed for a trade and Adams put the "want to be here" policy into effect. The hopeful news is that R. Johnson and Novikov could be legit NHL players and will pass Bryson and Clague. Until then, we are back to very thin with Stillman at 7, and Bryson/Clague and 8/9.

What the Hecht?

Boosh is a third pair 6/7th defenseman that should have more value than a 4th round pick. Boosh just logged 68 games in an injury riddled season. Colorado had 11 defensemen play at least 20 games last season. E Johnson played 63 games for them, the 4th highest on their team. An injured Boosh played more games than Erik Johnson, our new 3rd pair guy. To think that we won’t need quality depth at 7 and 8 is laughable. The President’s Trophy winning Bruins had 8 defenders play at least 20. The Sabres had 8 defenders play 20 games or more (plus Pilut (17) and Stillman (18)). When ErIc Johnson gets a rest we get more Stillman or more Bryson/Clague. This is not good depth. None are better than Boosh but they all make less money. Ryan Johnson will probably get a call up too. This is about giving away a player for cap room as if a trade is coming. But it’s probably just a salary dump.

I just went to Sabres Live archives on Audacy and listened to Doc Emerrick talk about RJ. He last comments are quite powerful and they sum up the RJ and WNY relationship.

A fabulous highlight from that 91 point season.

Possible. I figured they stay with Boosh and R Johnson would be a call up, if needed. Ryan Johnson should get some AHL time, just like the immortal Brad Park did.

Make mine a nice single malt scotch!

Would prefer Bryson for a 4th.

Odd. If there is not other moves with it then they gave him away. I thought he was good when healthy. He provided muscle. He played hurt for much of the season and that slowed him down.

Woke up thinking about him. What an impact he made on so many.

None of the above

RJ is one of the best ever. Hall of Fame. Acknowledged by his peers around the league. Loved by the Sabres fan base of several generations. He made it fun. RIP RJ.

Cozen could be a "star" - in the mold of the two-way, all around players, like Bergeron. Benson is possible.

Sorry to hear this story Rico, thankfully he is getting help. I am no expert, many will probably eye-roll my take, but it is probably social media that leads to peer pressure at school. When I was 16 we just wanted to lift weights to gain muscle, get bigger, and get stronger, not to get lean and ripped to levels that required proper diets and are difficult to sustain. The kids today live in a obese world and when they see super lean and ripped popular people on TV and in movies, they want that. Getting lean and ripped is mostly about a good and nutritious diet. Quite often these movie stars do it for short term and under strict supervision. The intense competition for jobs is actually subsiding in many fields. College admissions and tuition are a complicated mess. Economic pressure is very real due to these insane tuition levels and high levels of inflation. When I think back to when I was 16 my financial goals were short term and achievable - a used car to fix up and make look good, a good stereo, sporting equipment, etc. You can build your confidence and personal management skills by achieving a series of smaller goals. Best wishes to him in his recovery and hoping he gets the tools to move forward from this.

... but still should be honored.

I wonder if he would have fared better if drafted by our current staff? He had everything from a tool’s perspective.

Yup, and Kenny Hodge went from 8 to 88, and Brad Park went from 2 to 22. That happened and Gretzky came in with 99.

It used to be until the franchise fell into disarray. Winning first, then playing for a supportive and effective organization - that is the top criteria. After that, how a player fits into the area. A player that is a party animal might want a bigger playground.

I recall the NHL started using larger numbers about the time of the WHA and the absorption of some WHA teams into the NHL.

I took my Dad too. He was 88 at the time.

I enjoy Bisons games on a nice summer day in Buffalo. I did get to see MLB in Buffalo when the Blue Jays played there. That was a treat.

They had problems with Kane and Bogo, apparently dumping them on Buffalo was not nearly enough.

People who spout on Twitter.

The problem was our culture change. People complained about watching a sporting event with no winner. NFL Football put in the dumbest OT rules ever just to get a winner.

This thread makes me long for the days when all players wore numbers 1-30.