JohnC

I'm in the same corner. It's too crowded for @PromoTheRobotto join in. Just send him to the basement and lock the door. 🤡

What player/s on the team didn't get along with his/their teammates? I don't recall one instance where there was a report or even a rumor of friction in the locker room.

As you point out there should be better PK play. And there should be better blueline play due to the players added and the depth they provide to handle injures. Will our lines play a better two-way game? They demonstrated they can in their end of season run. If Levi plays as well as he did in his highly pressurized short stint, then this is clearly a better team than last year's team. The issue then becomes if UPL and Comrie are on the roster, will they have better years than they did last year. I believe so.

When you overpay for players such as Ehrhoff the franchise stench becomes more tolerable to take. Overpriced contracts are more likely to happen to troubled franchises in order to attract players. That's not going to happen under KA.

Moving Joki is a logical suggestion. But I'm stating a different opinion in that I believe that this staff values Joki much more than the audience here. I don't see a logjam here. What I see is the unit from top to bottom getting stronger. That's a good thing and not something to lament.

I understand your view but respectfully disagree with. The so called "bad team tax" for the most part has recently been dispelled. At least so far, the reason that some good players haven't been added to the roster is KA's determination not to overspend on players, even players he would like to bring on. KA and the organization is very data driven. He's looking for value. He's very disciplined when considering talent relative to cost. KA has openly stated that he is ready to deal to fill needs. He's choosy and tight fisted on this issue. I'm confident that shortly there will be additional deals to upgrade the blueline.

Don't count on it. Granato is more enamored with the player and his upside than the audience here. This audience previously scorned Mitts. That perception has changed. The same alteration in perception will change for Joki. I'm confident that with a little more patience your current dim view will become brighter.

Accepting the fact that he isn't a top two pairing player doesn't mean that adding another third pairing type player to the unit won't be beneficial. What the Samuelsson injury demonstrated last year is that the unit lacked depth. When an injury happened to one of the higher pairings it had a negative cascading effect to the other pairings. No question that most of us want a second pairing talent added to the unit. But if that plan can't be executed then adding a couple of 4/5 players would certainly be beneficial.

He may have a lot of knowledge and passion for baseball but it is not one of the sports that is highlighted on WGR. Hockey and football dominate the airspace. The reality on all sports shows is that a large portion of the responses by the callers are not "intelligent takes". If the host is dismissive or demeaning to the caller, it has an effect on how the listeners respond to the host i.e. the likeability issue. I'm not declaring Schopp to be a good or bad guy. I don't know him. In reality, he may be a warm, engaging and wonderful guy. What I'm commenting on is how he comes off to the listener. For me, (speaking only for myself) he comes off as a condescending fellow. When one is in the communication business, how one presents oneself and how one is perceived by the audience is a central part of the business. I'm simply not a fan of him and his show.

Behind the mike he comes off as a person who is pompous and condescending. I find him to be insufferable. Maybe, outside of his work environment he is a more likeable chap? He's figured out a way to survive in the Buffalo market. I just don't know what the appeal is. I'm stumped.

It's the same story that every GM tells. They all must be reading from the same script. 🏒

Of the three people you just mentioned the one person that I have little regard for is Mike Schopp. He's been on WGR, a sports talk station for a long time. I don't even think that he likes or cares about sports. His longevity on the station has me perplexed.

I'm a Marty Biron fan. He has a lively personality but also knows hockey. He's very clued into the league and has a lot of inside information. He's enjoyable to listen to and is also very informative.

Shayna Goldman made the point that the free agent market isn't as rich as many believe it to be. That is due as much to expected contracts and terms for those players who will be in the market-place. She singled out Compher whom she liked a lot. She felt that a lot of teams would benefit with him on their roster. The issue that makes him a tough sell is the money he will want. She also pointed out as many have that a priority for KA has to be the blueline. It's more likely that priority will be addressed via a trade. Shayna Goldman's perspective on hockey is very much undergirded by analytics. She appears on Sabres LIve. She has an engaging and lively personality and is able to support her views through data. She and Marty Biron are an enjoyable duo to listen to. Marty Biron has a very bubbly enthusiastic personality. However, don't let his ebullient style of presentation override the fact that he is knowledgeable, knows the players and the teams in the league. He's very clued in. Needless, to say I am a Marty B fan. (Sometimes using a Google Chrome browser will allow you to bring up a WGR link. And sometimes it doesn't work. It seems that I'm only able to copy the link off of Google Chrome.)

On WGR's Sabre Live show Shana Goldman talks about the free agency market. She offers some interesting suggestions at the end of the interview. This is a 14 minute interview. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/sabres-live

Within this WGR link is a segment with Mitchel Brown who has a twitter account that focuses on hockey. In this 13 minute segment he discusses the Benson pick. Also, within this link there were other hockey segments. After listening to the Mitchell Brown segment I'm so excited! There is also a Paul Hamilton segment where he discusses the Quinn injury. (If you can't bring up this link try using a Google Chrome browser.) https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

Post first round draft you have proven to be astute and perspicacious. 🍺

I agree with your comment about the GM's conservative trait. As @Doohickie stated this GM is very deliberative, detailed and thoughtful before making decisions. He's not the type of GM searching for blockbuster deals that make a big splash. He's more inclined to steadily make incremental improvements than big roster moves. In my view, that is why he has been so successful. He's not looking for a short cut in the rebuild process. He has a blue-collar mentality where you chip away every day.

Most people agree with you that it would be advantageous to bring in another player to pair with Power. The issue then becomes who is available and what is the price? KA is very conscious of the contracts (price and term) that he brings in. So far, he hasn't found a good match yet. There's still more time to work out what he considers to be good value deals. We shall see.

How do you know that he hasn't done what you suggested? Just because deals aren't completed don't mean he hasn't tried to make them.

Are you suggesting that just because a good player is on a less than fully successful team, that the player's performance is diminished? There are a lot of reasons why teams are not successful that have little to do with how an individual performs. A better way of framing this issue is: does the play of a particular player make a team better than if he weren't on the team? With respect to the players you listed the answer is yes.

It's more likely that this fixation on acquiring a player such as Pesce at any cost is a Sabrespace reaction. The GM has worked hard to re- stock the depleted talent pool in the system. He's not now going to go against everything he has done since taking over. One undercutting problem with Pesce is if he is acquired, it would make no sense to do so if an expensive contract wasn't in place or planned to be offered. Dahlin will soon sign a rich contract and Power will be in the short line waiting for a deal. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying. I would love to acquire Pesce. But I don't see KA acquiring him for what @sweetlousuggests (Ostulund/Rosen and 24 1st). It goes against how the GM has operated during his tenure. I wouldn't be surprised if KA makes a deal for a defenseman or two during this draft or before camp begins. But I'm more inclined to think that if he brings in blueline help, it won't be through a blockbuster deal where he has to give up major assets to do so. As I see it, it's more likely that the GM adds 4/5 caliber bluelines rather than a 3/4 blueliners to this unit that clearly needs a boost. A good topic of debate would be: Is it better to add two 4/5 blueliners or one high cost 3/4 blueliner to the roster? Which approach strengthens the team more?

There may be more action on the second day of the draft.

Do you have an idea of what the asking price is for Saros, assuming he is being shopped?

https://www.frootbat.com/product/4818200/Johnnie-Walker-The-Jane-Walker-Edition-Black-Label-12-Year-Old-Blended-Scotch-Whisky-750ml-Bottle/United-States?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs8q5z4Xn_wIVjc7ICh37XwHLEAYYAyABEgK0d_D_BwE Sip it slowly. This is expensive stuff. He can have a medicinal effect and also give you a nice glow. 🍷 How about Krebs centering with Mitts and Greenway on the wings? Or how about Mitts/Krebs/Kulich?