JohnC

What's interesting about the Calgary speculation is that it has been going on for a long time. And as you point out to add another layer to the rumored lengthy interaction between the two teams is the number of players that could be in the trade mix. I'm a Reinhart fan. I believe that while he has had good stats his importance to the team goes beyond his numbers. I consider him to be a glue player who enhances the players he plays with. I hope Reinhart has a long tenure with the Sabres.

What players are being speculated on our side of a deal?

As this link demonstrates the rural areas are getting hit hard. And they have the least medical resources to deal with this plague. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/why-north-and-south-dakota-are-suffering-the-worst-covid-19-epidemics-in-the-us/ar-BB1arLSq

The attached link is an article on Arttu Ruotsalainen by Lance Lysowski from the Buffalo News. It discusses Arttu 's development as a player indicating that he is more ready to play in the NHL. It points out that he showed well in the prior camp but he needed to improve his skating before he would be able to solidify a position. My sense is that he will start in Rochester in order to adjust to the smaller rinks in North America before being brought up. https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/faster-more-dynamic-arttu-ruotsalainen-showing-he-could-earn-spot-with-sabres/article_9ccab7a0-2038-11eb-9e9b-1b826ab77921.html

A few years ago our blue line was half staffed with AHL players. Now the unit has some depth with players vying for positions. As you indicate now is the time for him to show whether he can take the next step into the big league. Even if he doesn't make the final cut it wouldn't be surprising that sometime during the season he will earn a call up. Another player whose rights have been retained is Pilut who currently is playing in the KHL. What's obvious is that the depth has increased and the talent upgraded. Progression is certainly better than regression.

I misread your response. I thought you were talking about this upcoming season.

As you indicate having an abundance of good players on a unit, especially in a most likely compressed schedule, is something to celebrate and not lament. You don't consider Staal as a genuine second line center?

With all due respect I prefer to follow the advice of Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx over your fringe view. If more people followed the basic public health protocols advocated by an overwhelming percentage of the medical professionals in the public health sector instead of following the rogue views of a small minority in the field this pernicious contagion would be better controlled. The intermingling of politics with science has proven to be damaging. It is killing more people than is necessary. I strongly disagree that your words, thoughts and opinions are relatively harmless. The advice you are advocating for is a contributing factor as to why our country has an abysmal record in handling this pandemic compared to a country like Canada. I'm not in the medical field like you. But I have enough judgment to look at the preponderance of evidence from the best medical minds in the world to come to an easy conclusion that your views are very aberrant.

The lockdown issue is not the real issue. By following the basic public health guidelines such as social distancing, wearing a mask, washing one hands and when called for quarantining infected people you can prevent the spread and avoid the more drastic action of selective lockdowns. It's not surprising to the public health experts that there was a surge of infectious cases after the motor cycle gathering in South Dakota, political rallies with large number of people not wearing a mask and tightly packed in a crowd and even the White House where the basic public health protocols were not followed. There is no magic solution with this highly infectious virus. Even when an effective vaccine is developed the most effective manner to deal with this plague is to follow the public standard health guidelines. There are basic proscribed protocols for infectious viruses that are called for in order to contain (not necessarily eliminate) the spread. What has damaged our ability to deal with this pandemic is the politicization of public health protocols like wearing a mask when appropriate. This is what happens when you ignore the basic protocols. https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/09/politics/ben-carson-coronavirus/index.html

Your opinion is a distinct minority opinion. You are not part of the norm when it comes to the medical community's position on this medical issue. Even Trump's medical experts other than the kooks that were brought in don't support what you are espousing. I agree with you that not everyone agrees on everything. You want to know why? Because it is an impossibility. There are still people who believe that Martians live on the moon.

For someone who is involved in the medical field your response is extremely thoughtless. States and local authorities for the most part make decisions on public health issues. The federal government doesn't have unfettered authority to impose national public health rules. There are states that have seat belt laws and there are states that don't have seat belt laws. Where they do exist are those Nazi-like requirements? There are states that have motorcycle helmet laws and states that don't have them. Where they do exist do those laws reflect Nazi-like inclinations? Most local public health authorities don't allow people in restaurants without shoes or shirts? Are those Nazi-like rules? Most local public health authorities require the people who cook in food establishments to wear some sort of hair net to prevent hair getting into the food being cooked. Are those Nazi-like rules? Most public health authorities require the restaurant staff to wash their hands after using the bathroom. Are those hygiene requirements a reflection of Nazi-like government thinking? You can believe whatever you want to believe on this issue. That's your prerogative. However, for someone who claims to be involved in the health sector your response is very reckless and disappointing.

You give a very apt comparison in describing his play as a Sam Reinhart for the back end. I consider that as a high tribute to the 21 year old defender. If Risto had the thinking capacity of Joki he would be an all-star defenseman.

I think you are jumping the gun in not only rating Quinn ahead of Joki but believing that it is ridiculous to do so. Joki will soon be a top 1 or 2 pairing player with more upside to draw from. Right now as a youngster he is one of the more consistent and smartest defensemen on the ice. I agree with you that Quinn was a good pick and in the not too distant future will be a more likely second line winger but the possibility of being a first line winger. But let's not get ahead ourselves.

I don't know how this season is going to unfold because of all the uncertainties caused by the virus. What I can say is that the franchise made some roster moves, including the dramatic Hall acquisition, that should make this team more competitive and a more serious playoff contending team. I am comfortable in saying that the owner and the organization did make moves to make this team a playoff team. Even with the reshaping of the roster there are not guarantees about the outcome.

You are right that the $500 M is not accurate. I thought I was quoting you but obviously not. I'm not sure where I got that figure from but it is clear that it is way off the mark. So for that large mistake I apologize. The Pegulas paid $165 M for the franchise and they also took over managing the arena, bought two lacrosse teams (Buffalo and Rochester) and the Rochester AHL team and control of that arena. All those enterprises are currently closed down and not generating income. They also put money into upgrading the locker room and training facilities in Buffalo. So it wouldn't surprise me if the added costs brought the figure to somewhere around $200 M plus. With respect to the manner in which the Rigas' ran their business it was clearly run much differently than most operations. Their hockey books were grossly intermingled with their other businesses and funds were used for personal reasons. There is nothing unusual that expense accounts and business accounts are tapped into for personal expenses but it was at such an extreme level that it resulted in criminal charges and convictions for papa Rigas and one of his sons. Their hockey ledger sheet was indecipherable leaving a trail of a lot of unpaid contractors. To Golisano's credit when he bought the team out of bankruptcy he cleaned up the books and ran the operation as a professional business operation. And although he didn't have to because of the organization's bankruptcy status he paid off contractors he was not obligated to do because it was the right thing to do. With respect to the highlighted segment my point is that the Sabre franchise has been financially hard hit as many franchises are because of the virus, and this financial stress is going to last beyond this upcoming season and entering the next season. Where you and I diverge is that I believe that it is greater than you believe it to be.

Few people could have foreseen the disastrous affects of the pandemic. Ask the airline companies if this virus era was actually an opportunity in disguise in order to re-calibrate their business model? Ask the hotel and hospitality industry if this Covid era is a blessing in disguise? Ask the energy industry if this period of time is a hidden golden opportunity? The Pegula panoply of businesses associated with their hockey team and hospitality business very much linked with his hockey operation are not showing paper losses, they are showing actual dollar losses. Right now the dramatic decline in business has resulted in revenue losses that don't come close to matching expenses resulting in actual hard currency ($$$$$) losses. This is not your typical paper loss which business use to camouflage their profits. It is actually losses that put your business in jeopardy unless drastic action is taken to buy yourself some time through this repressive business climate until better times which could be more than a year away. Terry Pegula paid $500 M to join the hockey business. Do you think that he knew at the time that all his varied businesses would be swimming in stupendous losses because he would contending with a world-wide pandemic? You bring up the issue of non-hockey money. What you don't bring up is that much of that money is predicated on people being in the arena. There is no concession money, no parking revenue, the in-house store that sells products associated with the team is closed. There is no or minimal advertising money coming in. The prior Rigas operation was a criminal enterprise where the family was intermingling their cable business and other business finances with the team finances. Members of the family went to jail because the manner in which they handled the finances for the team and other businesses was a scam. The first thing that the new owner did, Golasano, is clean up the books and established a hard and tight budget . That corrupt era has nothing to do with the Pegula era.

Your response is the best encapsulation of Reinhart and his game in this thread. It is fair, accurate and concisely stated. Not much can be added to it because it addresses the issue and says all that there needs to be said about the topic.

I don't need to see the specific details of the books. What is well known is that hockey revenue is more predicated on attendance than the other pro sports. And it was reported that the Pegulas lost a lot of money before the virus hit the sports world. The national TV and local team TV deals are certainly not going to be as lucrative as before the plague. Last year was a shortened season with less revenue and it is not guaranteed that this is going to be a full schedule. Staff has been dramatically cut and expenses tightened up to adjust to the severe economic climate. The coaching staff was asked to take a salary cut and then asked to take another cut in which they refused. You don't have to be a business guru to recognize that the financial stresses of the hockey business are evident as it is with a lot of businesses.

The Pegulas were hemorrhaging money on the Sabres before the virus started circulating. The prospects for profitability this season are miniscule to nil. Right now the strategy is to maintain solvency in order to survive for the long term with better prospects. The financial stress is real for the Sabres and the league in general.

Anyone who shuts down a thread because of a Seinfeld clip nakedly lacks humor.

I'm not advocating that his hockey aspirations forever be snuffed out. What I do know that it is not an unusual practice for someone who is offered a scholarship and then gets involved in some type of bad behavior that doesn't necessarily have to be criminal behavior to have their scholarship offer revoked. There is a code of conduct that needs to be met even when you haven't officially entered the program. When a player enters the pro ranks, even at a low level, that player/person is a representative of the organization. If the organization doesn't believe that the player properly represents the organization's values it has a right to separate itself from the person. Young people make mistakes and get involved in bad behavior. There is nothing unusual about that. However, this was a pattern of behavior that exhibited a level of cruelty against a special needs student that was pathological in nature. This wasn't an incident. It was a recurring pattern of cruel behavior against someone who was defenseless. I don't wish this kid ill will. I hope that he gets the help he needs to understand what he did. From the story that I read I didn't get the sense that he was genuinely remorseful. He may have complicated his pathway to his hockey aspirations but he will still be allowed to play the game in the KHL. He will have more opportunities to pursue his hockey career than will his victim have opportunities in life.

My sense is that the Sabres are going with Hutton as the backup. Many people assume that Hutton will be dispatched for another goalie. I just don't see it.

Condolences to you and your family for your loss. Having a loving relationship with a parent/s is a blessing that not all family members have. The lasting tribute to your father is that he instilled not only love but also values that you now pass on to your own family. Best wishes.

Some people disagree with my belief that it was Krueger who was most influential in his signing. If that is the case then the signing at that price that most of us feel is high is a reflection that this is a player that the coach was determined not to lose. And as I stated before it is a priority for this team to improve its PK, a unit he plays on. The Girgs signing is a reflection of how this staff valued him in contrast to Larsson who stated that he had no communication in the offseason from the organization. The coach is trying alter the style of play of his team from a more finesse brand to a harder style of play. The coach, staff and the owners wanted him to stay. So they gave him an offer that quickly sealed the deal. I agree that it was higher than expected but the people who are making the decisions believe that he is worth it. He got what he got. I'm not bothered by the contract.

As @LGR4GM pointed out in his post the Sabres had a list of players they targeted and they worked down that list. Your analysis gives the impression that you can just walk into a store and take whatever you want off the shelves at the price you want it for. Filling the roster in the frenzy of the opening of free agency isn't as neat and tidy as you make it out to be. You made a list of players that we could have had without noting that those players on your list don't necessarily correspond to the players on the Sabres' list. The one player that you seem to have an issue with is Thompson, especially for the contract he signed for. It seems to me that the staff has made an evaluation on him projecting where he will be as a player in the near future. The organization is making a judgment that this young player is now more physically ready and will play up to and hopefully beyond the value of his contract. As I said in a prior post if you take a more overview perspective in judging what has been done this offseason instead of focusing too much on each individual and "what if" transactions you would be more positive about the body of work. There is a saying: Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good.