JohnC

This may be outside of this particular topic thread or maybe not (so I apologize for that indiscretion) but I would like to seek opinions on what it would take to acquire a player such as Rust?

If the Sabres should ever become a good and relevant franchise, I don't know how I would handle it. It would be so disorienting from my present normal. 😄

The GM made a dumb, undiplomatic and clumsy comment about the appeal of the area in his comments about attracting talent. What he should have said, and has said it indirectly recently, is that persistent losing has created greater challenges in attracting players. The irony is that Buffalo should be a destination franchise because of its location being near Canada and southern Ontario stretching towards Toronto where a lot of players and their families come from and still reside. And the second irony is that he and the owner have contributed to creating their own ghetto franchise by the inept way that they have managed this franchise. It didn't have to be this way. The solution is simply a greater application of competency. That would be medicinal.

Go back to drinking. Sometimes falling off the wagon is better than being on that broken wagon.

I agree with you that traded or not there needs to be more additions. Another way of looking at this issue is if you have to lose 50 lbs. you have to lose 30 lbs. first. You do what you can do to move forward.

Bryan is looking out for his own interests. There is nothing wrong about that. On the other hand he is currently contractually bound to the Sabres who have to act within their best interests. It’s simply part of the business.

Making a bad deal due to impatience is what bargaining teams want you to do. If you are not getting fair value back, then just hold on to your asset until you get a fair return.

The goaltending issue that I'm pointing out is not letting Adams and Ruff off the hook. It's the opposite of that. It's the most important position in hockey, just as pitching is in baseball and the qb position is in football. If that position isn't adequately staffed then even if good players are added to the roster, their talents will be squandered. If you don't think that I have been harshly critical of KA's roster construction and other decisions then you have not read my comments about his lackluster performance. I have said it many times that KA is a checkers player in a chess match. He's in over his head. I blame the owner for this weird hire for the most instrumental staffing hire for a hockey franchise. And I blame the silent owner for the fraudulent/nonexistent HC search when Ruff was hired. I hold the owner mostly accountable for this third-rate franchise that he has personally structured. So if you think I'm leaving the main character/s off the hook for this debacle of a franchise then you are very much off base.

I think he does. He's gambling that there will be enough internal improvement to be on the fringe boundary for a playoff team. The big issue is the goaltending. Is it good enough? He may think so. To put it mildly, I'm very queasy about that critical issue. Unless that positional issue is addressed, all the other roster machinations will mean little. It's a gamble where the house has the advantage over the novice at the table.

It's an ugly reality that players don't want to come here and even worse players here want out. The blame for this plight is internal. When you shoot yourself in the foot you don't run well. My worry is if the situation isn't turned around soon then players such as Dahlin, Tage and Tuch say enough. Get me out of here. In my view, I agree with you that there hasn't been much of a roster change. The biggest altering impact is not going to come from the recent roster alterations. It will be the caliber of our goaltending this upcoming season. That's the biggest issue for me and question mark for me. If the play from that position isn't elevated, then all the other actions don't matter. That's how I see it.

It appears that last year's lower line remake is being disassembled into another this year's remake. Step forward and then step back. It's called the cha cha strategy. Back and forth and back and forth.

If Byram is as good as he believes to be then possibly his best contract enhancing strategy should be to take is a bridge deal. He then will have the opportunity to demonstrate his current and future market value. The cap is going up so that should also increase his future value. The advantage for Buffalo is that if he plays well, he helps the team. And if his potential future salary becomes too big to handle, then his trade value also increases. What it comes down to for the GM is that a Byram trade either returns a commensurate asset or he is retained and helps the team right now. I have been a harsh critic of KA. But in his handling of the Byram situation he is doing it deftly.

I don’t walk away from the wounded. He’s in a self-induced state of manic-depression. I’m trying to uplift him. He’s resisting. I will not walk away from this challenge until I consider him to be a complete lost cause. He’s not there yet but he’s getting close to that line.

I’m older than you are Mr. Youngster. You have become a frantic fan who buys a ticket just to boo. Freaking calm down and cool off. You are loosing your marbles over a bloody game. You need to tune out for a tad to get your stressed out batteries recharged.

Have you read my posts on the owner and GM? You have become a hysterical zealot on the Sabres. Everything this GM has done this offseason has not been wrong or at least defensible. If one can't be fair in making a judgment on individual transactions, then what's the point of even commenting because the automatic response is going to be critical even if the transaction makes sense. If you allow me, I would like to offer a suggestion that will help you cope a little better. Try taking an ice bath and cool off the raging furies that you have built up. But don't overdo it because your lower aperture might freeze up causing a clog. That's not a good thing if you eat a lot of processed foods. 😃

This is a trade that most likely benefits both teams. We dealt a good young player for two players that not only can help us but will help alter the mix to toughen up the unit. Even if JJP is arguably the best player in the transaction that doesn't mean that the Sabres won't benefit more from the deal because we addressed a greater need area. What's still hovering over this team is the Byram issue. If he is traded and the return is a top two-line player, then the JJP trade looks even better. The irony is that there was a loud call to toughen up the roster. The JJP trade helps in that area. Trades are not an act of charity. You have to give up something of value to get something back of value.

JJP less than interested two-way play was on display for everyone to see. What is a coach to do when after a number of “discussions” about one’s inadequate play over the same glaring deficiency is a coach to do? Just because a player is soft doesn’t mean that a coach shouldn’t be hard. When you hold a recalcitrant player accountable the other players see that. And usually the rest of the players in the room nod in agreement that what needed to be done got done. There is nothing wrong about kicking a player in the arse when the ears are not working.

I have a different take on JJP's "reported" attitude problem that is less lenient than your interpretation regarding the player. More than a few reports indicate that the source of the problem was that JJP was too lax when it came to his defensive role. So the coach got on him for that deficiency that even we laymen saw. What's wrong with that? Whether you call it hard coaching or good coaching, I have no problem with a coach addressing a problem with a player's play. That's what a coach is supposed to do. It seems that the player was not receptive to that type of authoritative style in coaching. My response is: TOUGH. There is no question that consistent losing is demoralizing for the players. The issue then becomes how do you change that toxic environment? You create an environment where the coaches and players hold themselves accountable. And when he was held accountable, he reacted poorly. So this talented offensive player was traded for players who addressed some weaknesses and had a more positive attitude about playing in a responsible way. The problem with the Sabres is not necessarily about the talent as it is about the attitude and "how" one plays. The bottom line is that this trade was the right thing for the departed player and it was the right thing for the team to do to alter the mix on the roster.

You have to accept the players you have and recognize who they are and what they can do and not do. None of the three highlighted players you noted would fall into the category of being gritty and muscular players, and most likely never will be. That doesn't mean that they won't be good players. You need to create a balance. If they don't provide certain physical attributes that doesn't mean that you can't add players who do add those complementary attributes. I believe Power is going to be a very good defenseman. Maybe not the type you want but an effective one. And I'm also hoping that Quinn gets fully healthy and becomes the goal scorer that was expected of him. Our GM jumped the gun by giving Samuelsson such a long-term extension. In my view, a minority view for sure, is that I believe that he can be a good third pairing player who can be moved up the ranks when needed.

Let's summarize the transactions and the aftermath. The Sabres are better on the blueline, and that is before knowing how the Byram issue turns out. In general, I would say that the Sabres are grittier than last year's version of a team. The issue that hangs over these player maneuvers and renders them helpful or not is the state of our goaltending. Is the addition of the new goalie going to be helpful? Will UPL become an adequate to solid #1 goalie? Will Levi eventually force his way onto the Sabres and relegate UPL as expendable? If the Sabres get consistent and solid goaltending, then at least we can hope for a credible playoff race. If not, then we continue to be stuck in the abyss. For me, it's not an issue of being confident or not about the position. I just don't know. So entering the season I find myself as being queasy about this team's prospects.

Is the level of spending due to the boundaries that the owner has established? I believe so. And have the cap boundaries been loosened this off-season? I believe so. And to what degree? As you noted, we shall see.

Great clip!

Making a mistake with a non first round pick is not something to be exercised over. There are plenty of other issues to draw one’s attention to.

I thought he responded well to the questions asked. He wasn't evasive or defensive. He gave clear and succinct answers to the questions. I thought his answer regarding Docker and why he was not signed was reasonable and made sense. He pointed out that his arbitration comps would be higher than how they valued him. I have been critical of him as a GM but I don' see why this clip should provoke any criticism. I'm not going to read too much into this interview and come away with any negative or positive feelings. It was a standard presentation that most GMs do.

I'm confident that you have more growth potential to work with. However, no need for any demonstrations. I'll take your word for it.