JohnC

They are all part of the same loop.

Rochester is going to be a fun team to follow. It will be interesting to see which of the young players you listed quickly adjusts to this higher league and as prospects develop. What this organization has been smart about is erroring on the side of patience rather than rushing prospects to the NHL. The GM has repeatedly stated that he would rather keep a prospect down on the farm longer so than when the prospect does move up he is better prepared. The organization is managing the system in a coherent and organic fashion. It's so encouraging to see the trend line pointing up.

Salary scales change year to year usually on an upward track. I don't know how long his contract will be for but it wouldn't be surprising if he was in the $5 M plus range. The market will judge what his worth is. When a number of teams are bidding for an essential service the price will go up.

What's the maximum price per year do you think Campbell will get from the market? I would say somewhere between 5 to 6, 5.5 is a realistic number. Do you see KA paying that? I'm not so sure he would. Odds are that the GM is going to go to the bargain bin and get a lower tier goalie for 3 to 3.5 M per year.

Marty is one of the best analysts in the NHL. He has a friendly and non-antagonistic style. But don't get distracted by his affable demeanor. His knowledge of the game and players in the league is impressive. When Marty talks about the Sabres and hockey, I listen.

In Power's introductory stint with the Sabres he handled himself very well. As each game went by you could see his confidence rising and assertiveness increase. To no one's surprise he made mistakes. But it was evident that he not only was not overwhelmed but that he was a positive factor. During this period he was paired with Joki. I thought they worked well together. Is this pairing going to be long term? I'm not sure. I'm less adverse to it than many are. It just seems to me that the quest to find a costly second-pairing player to couple with Power that many are clamoring for is not a price that this GM is willing to pay. I foresee the GM bringing in addition defensive help but it is not going be at the high tier that so many are calling for.

In his rookie season, Power is going to be a second pair player partnered with Joki. Although he will make mistakes due to his inexperience he is going to shine and be a major contributor. He's a player that you don't have to be worried about.

I'll tell you exactly what he brings to the table. He is a RHD who can skate and shoot. He adds experience to a unit that is very young. Miller won't be on the team next year so he would be a good replacement. At this stage of his career PK is no longer a first or second pairing player. But as a third pairing player with his playing time curtailed, he still has something to offer to the group.

The players and their agents know what he is willing to pay if he were interested in them. Why go public on any acquisition option because as a GM he wants to keep all his options open?

Getting PK doesn't mean that you still can't add a defensive defenseman. The Sabres have enough cap space to address a variety of positions and still be in the vicinity of the cap floor.

Thanks for posting the Peters Draft Rankings. After reading a summary on his listed players the one player that intrigues me the most is LW Miroshnenko. Although he had a major health issue that seems to be resolved and there might be complications due to Russian league commitments I would consider selecting him with our second first round pick as a worthy gamble. If I knew he would be there with our third first round pick that would be even better but I don't think he will be there at that later spot. Assuming health he is a top ten player.

Considering where this team is in its roster construction and the contracts that they will have to address in a few years I would argue that it would not make sense to spend at or near the camp this season and maybe the next season. It seems that this GM has an understanding of the cycle of a rebuild and what to do and not do and how much to pay and not pay at particular points in this cycle. No one has to agree with everything that he has done but it can't be denied that there is a rationality and coherency to what he is doing that makes sense.

What has changed after taking on the Bishop contract? Nothing. How about waiting to see if the GM is able to address some of our critical needs this offseason? What if the Sabres are able to sign Toronto's GT, Campbell, this offseason or a comparable talent? Does that change how you view this Bishop transaction that most likely is an inconsequential transaction? As I said in prior posts how much of the cap is used is not a measure of success or failure. Ultimately, the critical issue comes down to making a few judicious moves that addresses some of our critical needs, such as goalie and another defenseman. Let's just stop making dire predictions based on a less than consequential transaction.

What you just stated about PK coincides with Marty Biron said on the Instigator Show yesterday about the player and how he would fit in with the Sabres. He also noted that his contract should be reasonable because it would reflect his drop in status as a player. He felt that it would be a good situation for the player and for the Sabres.

Don't get hung up on the cap number. It has little significance. If the GM ends up bringing in a credible goalie/s and he adds another 2nd to 3rd pairing caliber defenseman to the roster, that is what should be the basis of judging the GM. The Sabres don't need a lot of additions. They need a few judicious additions that will better balance this developing roster. That's what I will be watching for.

You may not be aware of it but you have been elevating my hockey spirits with your goalie posts today. Your posts about Campbell and Bishop indicate that the GM is serious about addressing the goalie position. The Bishop news is a little confusing because I'm not sure if they are interested in him or simply want to acquire his contract.

That's what fans do. There is nothing unusual about opposition fans engaging in back and forth chirping during the game and after it. I agree with you that you have to have a better sense of the situation and the risk of provoking a hostile reaction. But that punch was at a potentially murderous level for someone who was prepared for the hit.

Let me address the highlighted section and clarify what I have been clumsily trying to say. The Sabres are entering this offseason with a large amount of cap space. What I am not arguing for is to irresponsibly spend a lot of money just to demonstrate that you are doing something. That wouldn't be a prudent course. What I am saying is that given what our favorable cap situation is there is no excuse not to make some judicious expenditures/moves this offseason to address some critical issues, such as the goalie position and maybe add another solid defenseman. I hope this clarifies my position.

On another clip that was a little longer that I saw there were some comments by those walking by that I thought didn't show much regard for the victim.

A thug is a thug. A criminal is a criminal. A coward is a coward. A malicious cold-***** punch that has the potential to kill or permanently maim someone. The jocular response by some (not everyone) is also disturbing. That was a disturbing clip.

On many nights there were 4000-6000 people in the building. That means that approximately 2/3 of the seats were empty. That's a frighteningly low figure. When one watched the team playing road games with mostly full or nearly full venues in comparison to our home games the contrast was stark, and it was sad. The discussion about the cap space isn't simply about how high a portion of it was used last year or to be used this year. There was no excuse to have such a void in net when we had the wherewithal to address the issue in an acceptable albeit short-term manner. With respect to how much of the cap should be used this offseason, I simply don't care how much or little they use. That isn't the real issue. Considering what our cap situation is there is no excuse not to address the goalie position in a reasonable manner. I, and even you, often hark on the goalie issue. Addressing that issue isn't going to solve all the issues revolving around this evolving roster. But it is clear that it is the most important issue that will impact the performance of this team.

When you regularly have 4000-6000 lifeless fans in your building you don't need to be clever as much as you need to exhibit some urgency and seriousness of purpose. When you have such an abundance of cap space few people would want to see it unwisely squandered. Just give the fans some hope by making some judicious moves to accelerate the rebuild. If he can't come away in this offseason with a credible starting goalie (as you noted) then he should pass the torch to someone else. Overall, I like what the GM has done during his short tenure. How he has handled the goaltending position has bothered me a lot.

Yes.

You bring up an interesting issue (intended or not??) when discussing players and contracts. How much do you think that the Sabres will spend on their roster? Will it be close to the cap floor, middle of the cap or ceiling? My sense (opinion) is that the Sabres are going to be closer to the floor. I'm not judging what is the right spending range because at this stage of the rebuild with so many young players there is a legitimate case to be made to hover around the floor level.

I realize you have a purer approach to evaluating players that relies on the single issue of talent. However, my point is that every franchise doesn't take that idealistic view because there is a significant financial consideration that relates to the ratio between cost and production. In a cap sport that relationship becomes even more prominent on the business side of the hockey sport. To put it simply: talent and cost are inextricably linked. You can't look at either side of the equation in isolation.