JohnC

Montreal or Winnipeg seem like a probable destination.

I completely agree with you. However, toughness has little to do with fighting. When you watch the playoffs you don't see much fighting but you do see a lot of hardnosed play from the beginning to the end. That's what we need more of.

I retract my previous comment. I'm getting off that same horse and quickly riding away on my own horse. Switch to MMA or wrestling. You'll get plenty of blood that gets your juices going.

Success is predicated on talent and not thuggery. If you don't understand why the Sabres are a bottom feeding team then you haven't watch the games closely enough. We simple don't have enough talent to match the opposition. Thuggery doesn't compensate for its talent deficit. Adding more talent to a this roster does. What's obvious is obvious. Old time hockey is part of the dinosaur era of hockey. That pugilistic period is long gone. Get with the modern times and stop pining for the game that no longer exists.

I'm sticking with what I said and how I said it.

I'm not good at lip reading. What's he saying? 😉

If LA is the destination for Reinhart then Turcotte should be one of the players coming back.

The horse you are riding on is the same horse that I am riding on.

What expansion draft debacle are you referring to? The loss of Borgen who is a third pairing defenseman? If that has you in a state of despair then you are simply too fragile. Too many people are coming up with these exotic draft day scenarios. It's an example of one's imagination running amok. The Sabres are going to use the first pick in the draft to select Power. It will be an obvious decision that is also the right decision.

I'm not going back into the WGR vault and go through their shows. I clearly remember more than one media person who covers the Rangers say on the Howard Simon Show that the Rangers are adamant that they will not include Lafreniere in a trade package. One NY reporter stated that the Rangers have a number of talented young players on their roster and their system is loaded with high end prospects. They are receptive to working out a deal with those players. But they have some no touch players. And Lafrienere falls in that unattainable category. Could the Rangers' stance change? Maybe. But I wouldn't count on it.

The Sabre perspective is not the same as the Ranger perspective. As I said in a prior post all indications (from outsiders and those who follow the Rangers) is that they are not willing to put Lafreniere on the trade table. Is that a good decision by them? That's their call. My preference is that Lafreniere be included in a Jack trade. On the other hand the Rangers have many good young players on their current roster and their farm system is loaded with high quality prospects. Would it make sense even if Lafreniere was not included in the package to acquire 4 or 5 players with at least three of them ready to play in the NHL? Maybe?

I disagree with the poster's memory. I have heard at least a half a dozen analysts and media people involved in hockey say that the Rangers are adamant that they won't include Lafreniere in a trade deal. On WGR I have heard hockey media people who cover the Rangers say on the radio they don't believe the Rangers will include Lafreniere in a trade package for Jack. Of course opinions from a variety of sources don't conclusively prove anything one way or the other. But based on the opinions of people who cover the sport and affirmed by people who cover the Rangers the belief is that they are firm in their stance that they are not dealing Lafreniere.

Bingo! Compared to what other teams will lose we aught to be thankful. It's rare that having less talent can be advantageous. This is one of those occasions.

Whether we are talking about one or the other as targets for trades these two players represent the caliber of young talent that we need to get back in return. In a Jack, Samson and Risto deal it is critical that we get back at least three to four upper-tier young players back.

Is there much of a difference between Rossi and Zegras? I realize that Zegras is more ready now but when Rossi gets to the NHL will he be in the same talent range as Zegras. I'm starting to believe that Minnesota might be the team that Adams works out a Jack deal with. They got some nice young pieces in their portfolio.

Is Marco Rossi a potential #1C?

This is a critical offseason for the Sabres and the owners. It can't be disputed that this franchise has been stumbling since the Pegula reign. And it is evident that the fanbase has steadily eroded to point of also losing the next generation of fans. That's a frightening thought. Odds are that a few of our high profile and core players will be dealt. How this franchise manages these trades and rebuilds the roster will go a long way in either giving hope or further despair to the exhausted fanbase. The critical issue right now is not so much about the upcoming wins and losses although that is an important issue. The issue is whether this current staff can run a professional operation that will be able to compete with the other well run organizations. This franchise has deservedly lost a lot of credibility. It's way past due to show that it is capable of getting back on track. I'm hoping this front office will make enough right decisions this offseason that that will lay the groundwork for future success.

Attached is a 12 minute link of an interview with Steve Shields on WGR. He works on the Michigan hockey player development staff. He mostly talks about Power, and at the end of the interview he talks about Eric Portillo, a goalie prospect for us. I want to make it clear that I don't want to come off as a zealot on drafting Power. There are also compelling reasons to draft other highly rated prospects such as Beniers and Ecklund. My belief is that in the long run Power will prove to be a stellar player for us. And those who think differently may eventually turn out to be right. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy

I used to be a harsh critic of Ralph as an owner. On the other hand I credit him for the way he handled his estate that led to the Bills remaining in western NY. And because of that I do not criticize him while he RIP. In the end his balance sheet is more good than bad. Very often a story-line is not necessarily black and white. You may not be aware that here are also shades of gray in the box of crayons.

Does the first letter in his name start with B? And is the second letter is O? And is the third letter R? I'm ready to make a guess: By the process of elimination it must be Miller.

You are not being cryptic. You are being redundant.

I don't doubt that TG had higher offers to buy the team. He said that. But whether he would have been allowed to do it under a commissioner who was determined to keep the franchise in Buffalo is another matter, as you point out. Tom Golisano bought a team whose finances were very entangled and an indecipherable mess. In relatively short order he cleaned up the books and put the organization on a strict budget. Not only did he put the finances in order he paid vendors what they were due although he wasn't obligated to do so because of the bankruptcy rules. That was the right thing to do and the honorable thing to do that a lot of business people would not have done so after purchasing an enterprise in bankruptcy. The end result is that TG sold the restored franchise to the Pegulas and walked away with a tidy profit. Good for him. As a hockey fan I very much appreciated how he handled his hockey business, a sport that he had little interest in.

Attached is a 26 min segment on the Instigator Show with NRD NHL Rumor Daily. In the segment there is much talk about what is swirling about the Sabre trades. He also predicted that Seattle will take Borgen in the expansion draft. The guest is a anonymous. He said because of his anonymity people in organizations are more willing to talk to him. He also felt that Minnesota and the Rangers are very interested in a Jack deal. He said that although the Rangers are not inclined to deal Lafreniere or Kakko they have a rich system to provide a lot of good young players and prospects. Good hockey talk that matches some of the discussions on this board. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/the-instigators-with-andrew-peters-and-craig-rivet

I wouldn't give up our first for Zegras because there is a potential for getting another top shelf young player and keeping the pick. As an example if a deal is made with the Rangers maybe Lafreniere might be included or if a deal is made with LA maybe Turcotte or Byfield could be included with us still keeping the pick. With a little more thought I would be receptive to swapping picks with Anaheim to acquire Zegras. But from Anaheim's perspective it would make little sense. So it is very unlikely. At this point if you asked me if I would trade Jack to Anaheim for Zegras and 3OA I would say yes. As I have stated before the more I read about Power from a number of sources the more I am committed to taking unless there are some unexpected enticing offers which I don't expect.

If you are arguing giving up our first pick for Zegras without getting Anaheim's pick I say absolutely not. That wouldn't make sense at all. If you are suggesting exchanging first round picks while getting Zegras I still say no. The best approach is to select Power and then see what you can get for Jack. If it doesn't reach the level of fair-value then just keep Jack. Let's keep it simple, be smart and take Power. Overthinking an issue is not the smartest way to act. @dudacek, you are starting to chase a goose and it is getting away from you. Why get invovled in a goose chase when the obvious thing to do is right in front of you?