JohnC

There is not one NHL hockey analyst who would consider KA a good GM. Is the current owner committed? I don't know, he's not talking. How do you overcome this self-handcuffing situation? I don't know.

That's the conundrum. How do you enlighten a less than pedestrian GM to be creative enough to make some impactful deals when during his extended tenure he has shown himself to be less than competent? A dullard is a dullard.

You are misinterpreting my comments. Power right now is a legitimate second pairing defenseman who should get better. In my view, Benson is currently a third line player who in time may or may not grow into a second line role. I'm not ruling out that possibility. If he attains that higher line ranking it will be at least a few years away due to his physical stature as a youngster. If he eventually does become a second line player, I would be ecstatic.

The model for upgrading should be the Washington Capitals. Adding a few solid mid-range experienced players who round out the roster and provide veteran presence to an error prone young group. Adding a Zucker like player and a tough big fellow like Greenway, in addition to a veteran defensive defenseman, would make this roster thicker and tougher to play. Last offseason was the time for our timid GM to act. It's not an issue of being bold as it is about being smart about what your roster needs are and the resources $$$ required to get some beneficial deals done.

There isn't a team in the league that wouldn't want to have. The bias against him is due to the fact that he is not a banger. He's not and never will be. As he gets stronger and more experienced, he is going to be an anchor player for the Sabres for a long time.

I guarantee you that I was not in the chorus criticizing Sammy. I'm not arguing that you are wrong. On the contrary, I hope your view of him prevails over my view. I have said it on more than a few occasions that even as a youngster he puts a lot of players to shame by the hard way he consistently plays. You rarely see a lull in his play. Right now, he is one of my favorite Sabre players.

There is no question that Power is not a finished product. He's young and needs to get stronger. I'm confident that in the not too distant future he is going to be an upper tier blueliner. The Sabres have a recent self-destructive history of giving up on talented young players such as Eichel and Reinhart (for a variety of reasons) only to see them flourish on other teams. It would be a mistake to act out of impatience instead of allowing him the time to fulfill his potential.

Absolutely not! Power played well in this game. Watching the highlights doesn't necessarily give you a fair representation of how well he played in this game. Again, a forceful no to your trade demand.

As I said in the prior posts, I don't see it. If proven wrong, I would be ecstatic. If that doesn't materialize, I'm certainly not going to be dismissive of a good third line player. Good teams have productive good third lines. TBD.

I disagree that he would be a top two-line player on a good team. I just don't see it. Based on his style of play, he seems to be more of a grinder than a finisher. However, as you point out, he's very young with more upside to tap into. I would love to be wrong. TBD.

The issue isn't whether he is telling the truth or not. He's giving an opinion that I consider to be unrealistic. You make the point that he is writing to attract more attention. That's true and shouldn't be surprising.

Benson is one of my favorite players because of how he plays. (As you point out.) In my view, even when he is more developed, I don't see him as a top two-line player. I'm fine with that. Being a good third line player who can give you an adequate amount of scoring is what good teams have. The Caps, in contrast to the Sabres, did a good job of assembling a fuller roster over the past two seasons. And their record reflects that. That's what a smart GM is expected to do.

That's the problem! What action are you referring to. Nada is nada!

I am a fan. Fans express their opinions. What do you expect: behavior that is suitable for a library.

He chose to be an owner of a freaking sports franchise! What did he expect, the public to be passive and silent regarding the stewardship of his failed franchise. It's also not simply a privately owned business where the public has no input. It should not be forgotten that his teams play in publicly supported facilities. I said it before and I will say it again, his sphynx like behavior as an owner is weird.

Yes! There is a low standard that must be upheld. Raising the bar will have you designated you as a subversive. This unruly bunch will not tolerate such elevating behavior. 😄

Pegula's philosophy is that when things are not working well, continue on. The mindset is that eventually there will be a breakthrough. A classic example that being stubborn is being stupid. The perpetual cycle of foolishness.

I don't for the life of me understand the invisible posture our owner has taken with his franchise. Everyone has their own personality. It's obvious he's not comfortable as a public figure and speaker. I get that. But his sphynx act as an owner of an irrelevant franchise indicates an unacceptable apathy. He has an obligation to either in person or through his communication office show his diminished fanbase that he cares and do what is necessary to get this franchise back on track. His behavior is both maddening and weird.

With a few more OT loser points and a few more OT wins this season would have a different feel to what has turned out to be another lost season. There were at least three stupid and excruciating losses (two to Colorado) that would have changed how this season could have been perceived differently. I'm not making excuses because your record is your record. And you are what you are because of this organization's lassitude and incompetence.

How about giving the opposition some credit. Every play the opposition makes is not going to be neutralized. He was positioned where he was supposed to be. In general, Samuelsson played solidly. He played the way he needed to play.

The standard isn't very high to be a member here. You must be a very bad dude for the moderators to be reluctant to allow you into this discordant forum. You don't have to answer these questions but have you done much prison time and do you have tattoos plastered all over your face?

What this game demonstrates is that the difference between winning and losing is miniscule. Overall, I thought we played well. This team too often puts itself in a precarious position due to its sloppiness in getting the puck out of its zone. Washington's goalie was impressive in not only making some tough stops but also not allowing enticing rebounds. Dahlin is wracking up a lot of minutes and played to exhaustion. The JJP/Thompson/Tuch line played well. I liked how JJP played. If our sleepy GM could add another Zucker to this roster it would immensely help. His ability to constantly be around the net in the offensive zone is impressive. As @Archie Lee stated, Joki and Samuelsson played well. UPL has solidified his role as our primary goalie. The Sabres tendency to allow the opposition to catch up when we take the lead gets me in an agitated state. A win is a win. Some sloppy passing but the effort was there throughout.

After the game, the owner gives the GM an extension. And then the owner proclaims that we are staying the course. https://www.google.com/search?q=crying&oq=crying&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i433i512j46i433i512j0i433i512l5j0i512j0i433i512.1902j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#vhid=aiGslJyr4M270M&vssid=_12l8Z4PgIJesiLMPwIjvqQE_182

Terrific post. What your post demonstrates is an example of basic organizational competency and professionalism. There was no blockbuster move that altered the makeup of their roster. They simply made a series of solid moves that revamped their roster. Compare that to our Micky Mouse organization? While the Sabres go backwards the more normally run organizations move forward. How can you not be upset with so much stupidity!

I suggested him as an interim option. I want KA out as soon as possible. Thereafter, there needs to be an exhaustive legitimate search for a permanent replacement. Another reason why I want an immediate replacement (even on a temporary basis) is that the organization needs to be jolted in some fashion to show that there will be accountability, although belatedly. The Pegula job search charades need to stop!