JohnC

Was it a challenge to take a pee? 😃

How did you handle the cold? I'm not trying to be funny but did the mass of exuberant people generate its own heat? Or did many within the masses resort to going to the flask for medicinal warmth?

The majority owner of a sports franchise would never agree to such a condition unless he/she no longer had an interest in running the franchise. In that situation the owners would simply sell the business, or at least the majority stake. That's not the case with the Pegulas.

I'm mildly surprised that Cozens was taken off of the Skinner/Tuch line. I thought that line played well together.

A minority owner in a sports franchise has little say in the franchise operation because the majority owner has nearly complete control on how it is run unless the majority owner wants to yield that authority. (I don't see that happening under the Pegulas. My opinion.) A good example of that is that the two minority owners of the Redskins sold their shares to Dan Snyder, the majority owner, because they had no influence in how the franchise was to be run. This is an example where the majority owner had the authority and the minority owners had little to none. The league made an exception with Dan Snyder's buyout by allowing him to borrow beyond the limit allowed in the league so he could buy the minority shares with borrowed money. The league made an exception in this case because it wanted the conflict between the minority share majority owners to end. However, I wouldn't be surprised if there would be some sell-off of the franchise in order to finance the upgrading of the arena which the Pegulas control. With respect to a future purchase clause to buy it all depends on what the contract states. (As you noted.)

At the draft a couple of years ago when Yzerman returned to Detroit to take over their hockey operation he was asked by a reporter how was he going to get the Red Wings back to the level of the glory days. He succinctly said: Draft and develop. He then walked away.

The Sabres are a thin team with a full complement of players when healthy. The margin between being presentable to being marginally competitive is small. The addition of Okposo, Tuck and Hagg made a big difference in this game.

Just some impressions on the game: Dahlin was the best player on the ice. Tuch is not a flashy player but he is a good and tough player. His quick pass to Skinner for his spin-around breakaway was nifty. As mentioned by others the Tuch, Cozens and Skinner line is a well assembled line. Skinner is playing with joy and effort. He should be given more credit for his passing. The Sabres gave their goalie exceptional defensive support throughout the game. There were few lapses that left the goalie exposed. What impressed me about Dell's play is that there were few juicy rebounds. When he made a stop, he made a stop. He played a composed game with few frantic moments. The Sabres played the proverbial visiting team style of conservative game that makes defense the first priority. They played it hard and tight from the first drop of the puck to the concluding sounding horn. Nashville was the frustrated team on the ice. That's a refreshing change. Once Tage, Krebs and later Mitts get back into the lineup you can see a fuller team developing. And then if you add Quinn, Power, JJ and Samulesson to that mix your attitude about this franchise should dramatically change for the good. Stay the course!

There is no doubt that Adams wanted to rebuild. I'm not arguing otherwise. The core players that were there when he took over were all dealt for a variety of reasons, mostly revolving around the issue of players who had little desire be part of another torturous rebuild. Was the return for them adequate? It was a reasonable return considering the situation. The pathway the GM want to be on is the pathway we are on. Now it is all about the execution of the plan.

Jack made it clear that he wanted out. On top of that there was an irreconcilable issue over what surgery he should have. Reinhart made it clear that once his contract ran out he was going to be a free agent that he was going to bolt. Risto publicly stated that he wasn't going to sign an extension. I'm not debating what should have or could have been done differently. Those are issues dealing with the past, and not the present. No one disagrees with you that the past rebuilding efforts were repeatedly botched. There comes a point where you have to move on from the inglorious past and deal with the present situation. And in my opinion the front office is handling this current version of a rebuild in a more intelligent and coherent manner. Will it work any better than the previous futile versions? I believe so.

If Johnson desires going to a team where he will get an opportunity to play as soon as possible in the NHL it will be with Buffalo. I can't say for sure that if he came out this year that he will make the NHL roster next year. But without a doubt he will be given an opportunity in training camp to make the roster.

It's easy to understand why individuals are so frustrated with this franchise. You have every right to be frustrated with how this archaic franchise has functioned during the decade's long Pegula ownership. The issue now is how do we get out of this seemingly entrenched mess and have a glimmer of hope that the franchise is moving in the right direction? What they are doing is the standard formula for a bottom feeding team to retool and get back to the competitive level i.e. mostly rely on a draft and develop approach to restock the empty cupboard. The futile quick-fix or patchwork solution doesn't work. The Sabres are a testament to that failed strategy. It's simply a recipe for long-term mediocrity that gets you nowhere. As @LGR4GMhas repeatedly stated this NHL home team lacks the talent to compete with the big boys in the league. The best way to address that disparity is for the Sabres to continue to do what they are doing under Granato/KA stewardship. If anyone has a better way than what is already being done, I would like to know what it is. It's going to take time.

I don't believe that is going to happen. VO has been playing hurt. He hasn't been the same player since his injury.

Before I comment which player is he considering?

Do you know which of our best players the Sabres will get rid of this offseason? None. You are right that the organization did get rid of its best players this offseason. Both Reinhart and Risto were dealt this past offseason because both players made it clear that once they reached their URFA year they were going to leave. So they were traded and got reasonable returns under the circumstances. And Jack made it clear that he not only desperately wanted out but that he wasn't going to submit to the surgery recommendations that the organization wanted. The return for him was reasonable. I want to make it clear that I have no criticism of any of these core players wanting to get out. They understandably wanted to be free of this franchise's disfunction. This was a situation where the organization and the players needed a reset. And that's exactly what happened.

It's like running a marathon with the moronic strategy of starting the race only to get to the quarter marker and then reversing course to run back to the starting line. It's just plain freaking stupid! I understand the frustrations of the fanbase. But as exasperated as the fans are the current course of action that this franchise is taking is the right course of action.

It doesn't matter how great a player is in order to have team success. In hockey you have to have a supporting cast to have success. You can build around a super star with roll players in basketball but it doesn't work in sports such as hockey and football. Trading Jack was the right thing for him and the organization. It was time for this franchise to recalibrate. It seems to me that the franchise is now rebuilding the roster with more talent spread around. The process is going to take time.

Be cautious. https://oilcity.news/community/2022/01/10/never-trust-anyone-on-ice-fishing-conditions-guide-says-ice-slow-to-build-this-winter/

Few people would argue with you that the franchise has been poorly managed during the Pegula era. The record is the record and is a reflection of the extended ineptitude of this organization. But let's not forget that the Pegulas also made a lot of mistakes with the people they hired when they took over. Finally, they hired the right people and allowed them to run the football side of the business. The rest is history. If people had the ability to change the current owners what would they want done differently? They would want the organization strengthened from the front office to the coaching staff. And they would want a coherent rebuilding plan that would be adhered to instead of this constant churning of staff and plans. We got that now! Granato is the right coach for the roster full of young players. And without question the front office and scouting department have been upgraded. What is needed is a little more patience to allow this rebuilding process to work. The mistakes of the past are the mistakes of the past. Now it is about the future. We need to stay the course.

To your credit although you didn't have him on top of your draft board you have been more than fair in assessing his play in college. And to your credit you have been more than fair in breaking down his game and how he has evolved as a player. You are an example of an evaluator who is open-minded enough to not skew one's later views in order to fit one's original evaluation. That should be acknowledged and saluted. 🍺

If the injury doesn't get worse and he is more of an asset than a liability then I have no problem keeping him on the ice. From a standings standpoint this season means little. If by playing it will help his development from a long-term standpoint than it would makes sense to continue to play him.

I agree with your observation. When he was hurt and out of the lineup Granato stated that because of the nature of his injury he couldn't practice shooting while rehabbing. I'm not really sure what the specifics of his injury are but it is apparent by his reluctance to shoot that he is still hindered by the injury. I wouldn't be surprised if it took an offseason for him to be fully healed.

What is your source that it is a foreign owned company for more than a decade? From what I gathered it clearly is not. There may be some foreign owned shares but it is a fraction of the shares of the company.

Newspapers around the country having been falling by the wayside in this digital age. The media business in general, especially local news broadcasting and papers , has been subjected to a lot of financial stresses resulting in a lot of consolidations. Compared to the struggles of most paper/media outlets the NYT is doing relatively well in making the transition to functioning in the digital age. The NYT may not be a good investment for investors but it is a viable enterprise. That in itself is an accomplishment.

You give a fair representation of the status of this team for now and the next couple of years. Assuming the organization stays on course, next year this roster is going to have an infusion of at least half a dozen young players. Not all of them will quickly adapt to the elevated play of the higher league. But what all of these players will have is an upside that bodes well for the not-too-distant future. It's unlikely that there are going to be major trades that will bring in any impact players. Improvement is going to be predicated on internal talent within the system. What is encouraging is that we already can identify a half-dozen or more players ready to make that climb up to the higher league. (If one adds Tuck to that list it definitely is more.) It is not outrageous to believe that in two years the Sabres will be in a better talent situation than the Bruins, and maybe even the Penguins, from the talent standpoint that we have more upswing players than they do with their older players who are more in the down cycle of their careers. Hopefully, this organization (ownership) needs to have the fortitude to stay the course.