Free Agent Frenzy

[thesportsbuff]

Agreed, and with that, I'm taking nfreemans course on how to effectively put an opinion across in a concise manner.

 

So, how about the weather this month. Its turning out to be one of the better July's I can remember. A little humid and sticky but other wise, I love all of the sunshine. :beer:

 

Sunshine only shows up when it doesn't matter. It was out there heating the town up every day during the work week, but then comes the weekend and it's no where to be found. No doubt this week will be another repeat performance followed by another disappearing act.

[darksabre]

Agreed, and with that, I'm taking nfreemans course on how to effectively put an opinion across in a concise manner.

 

So, how about the weather this month. Its turning out to be one of the better July's I can remember. A little humid and sticky but other wise, I love all of the sunshine. :beer:

 

Great weekend for the Fingers Lakes wine fest down at Watkin's Glen. A little hot on Saturday but a good time regardless. Who doesn't like wine?

 

I also feel it's worth noting, that I think wine fests are some sort of secret meeting grounds for middle aged single people. I swear my friends and I were the youngest people there. :blink:

[static70]

Great weekend for the Fingers Lakes wine fest down at Watkin's Glen. A little hot on Saturday but a good time regardless. Who doesn't like wine?

 

I also feel it's worth noting, that I think wine fests are some sort of secret meeting grounds for middle aged single people. I swear my friends and I were the youngest people there. :blink:

Wine fests are a hoot and a great time amongst friends.

You may be right about the secret meeting grounds theory.

I met my wife at one :thumbsup:

[Calvin]

To recap the last 4 pages of this thread: "Connolly sucks." "No he doesn't." "Yes he does." "You're a retard." "No you are."

 

Give it a rest.

 

Everyone here knows the following:

 

TC is talented and, when healthy, productive.

 

TC cannot stay healthy.

 

The Sabres' "top 6" forwards collectively crapped the bed in the playoffs.

 

The Sabres need some new blood on their top 6.

 

Hoping that TC would stay healthy and be a reliable, productive #1 or #2 center has gotten this team precisely nowhere.

 

The Sabres would be much better off if they didn't have to rely on TC, so that anything they got from him would be a bonus.

 

DR isn't going to dump him for a bag of pucks.

 

No one knows whether anything is going to happen between now and the start of camp.

 

Everyone will be happy if the Sabres bring in a strong #1 center or even a strong top-line winger. If TC is traded to make this happen, no one will complain.

 

The rest is just noise.

Perfect summary. This post should be the defining be-all and end-all of any TC discussions in this offseason.

[deluca67]

And now, after the injuries, what do you call him? Soft can still apply -- not everybody on your roster has to be a Milan Lucic. But useless? No way.

 

I'll give you credit for being the only poster on here who's ever formulated an original opinion on Connolly, but that was before he got healthy and began contributing on a regular basis. You need to let go and admit that Connolly is an asset to this team. He's not the core of our problem. Does our Top 6 need a shake up? Yes. That doesn't mean if Connolly isn't traded it's "status quo." What about Stafford? Gaustad? Hecht?

Let's not muddle the issue. If you want to talk Stafford, Gaustad and Hecht I would be glad to. They are three players i would like to see purged from the roster. They have nothing to do with Tim Connolly.

 

No one has ever said Connolly or this team needs to be made up of all Milan Lucic types. What has been said by myself and others is that that type of player with that type mentality needs to be infused into this lineup top to bottom. Specifically to Tim Connolly, no one expects him to through his body around. When it comes to Connolly this has always been a question regarding his dedication. You hear talk about his unwillingness to work on face-offs and he has never been as offensively prolific as his reputation. You stated "he got healthy and began contributing on a regular basis." Connolly is as streaky as a player can be. If he is not scoring he is invisible. That to me is not a "regular basis."

 

Connolly is talented, there is just too much history here in Buffalo for him to succeed. He needs to go to a franchise where there will be no expectations. Only then may his career thrive. Will he ever be the 100pt player people thought? No. It will however allow him to go further without the tags potential, disappointment and frustration weighting him down.

[nfreeman]

ESPN and the NY Post are both reporting that Kovalchuk is signing with New Jersey today.

[Stoner]

ESPN and the NY Post are both reporting that Kovalchuk is signing with New Jersey today.

 

Devils Twitter feed confirmed it at 11:45 a.m.

[MattPie]

Great weekend for the Fingers Lakes wine fest down at Watkin's Glen. A little hot on Saturday but a good time regardless. Who doesn't like wine?

 

Dude, you have to be a moron to like wine. It's fine when you're drinking it, but it leaves you injured in the morning way too often to be a big part of the liquor team.

 

PS: That's a joke. Perhaps not funny, but not seriously intended.

 

I also feel it's worth noting, that I think wine fests are some sort of secret meeting grounds for middle aged single people. I swear my friends and I were the youngest people there. :blink:

 

Beer fests (meaning good beer) tend to be pretty young, that might suit you better. I went to the one at the Philly naval yard a month or two ago and had a great time.

[Stoner]

Sunshine only shows up when it doesn't matter. It was out there heating the town up every day during the work week, but then comes the weekend and it's no where to be found. No doubt this week will be another repeat performance followed by another disappearing act.

 

There's actually some pretty strong scientific evidence that it's not your imagination that it rains more on the weekend. The theory is that pollution builds up during the week when more people are working and driving and contributes to rain on the weekend.

[spndnchz]

 

Beer fests (meaning good beer) tend to be pretty young, that might suit you better. I went to the one at the Philly naval yard a month or two ago and had a great time.

 

I picture people falling into the water left and right.

[static70]

ESPN and the NY Post are both reporting that Kovalchuk is signing with New Jersey today.

Ok, so this was the big signing that was supposedly holding everything up. Now, what does Regier do? Does he stay on vacation or actually sign a UFA or does this signing actually affect the trade market?

 

I have to wonder if Darcy approaches LA with something, anything.

[spndnchz]

NJD need to move someone, they're over the cap. They do have until the season starts.

 

Kovy's deal is 17, that's seventeen years.

 

word on the street is over 100 million.

[Stoner]

JHC, how bad does this make Darcy look? His comments about Kovalchuk around the deadline and his "joke" at the development camp are embarrassments to the franchise.

 

The only thing he can hang his hat on -- and I'm sure we'll hear it on this board in a matter of moments -- is that NJ didn't win a playoff series, JUST LIKE THE SABRES, SEE IT'S NOT THAT BAD IS IT SABRE FANS?

 

All Kovie did was come to a new team and a new system and be more than a point a game player through the end of the playoffs and be defensively responsible, too (+9).

[nfreeman]

JHC, how bad does this make Darcy look? His comments about Kovalchuk around the deadline and his "joke" at the development camp are embarrassments to the franchise.

Nonsense.

[spndnchz]

As a reference, OV's contract was around 13 years 124 million.

[shrader]

NJD need to move someone, they're over the cap. They do have until the season starts.

 

Kovy's deal is 17, that's seventeen years.

 

word on the street is over 100 million.

 

I can't wait to see the terms on that because if it is actually a 17 year deal, most of the league is going to be very mad about that one. The cap games with this contract are going to be absurd and it will probably be the contract that does in the current CBA.

[SwampD]

JHC, how bad does this make Darcy look? His comments about Kovalchuk around the deadline and his "joke" at the development camp are embarrassments to the franchise.

 

The only thing he can hang his hat on -- and I'm sure we'll hear it on this board in a matter of moments -- is that NJ didn't win a playoff series, JUST LIKE THE SABRES, SEE IT'S NOT THAT BAD IS IT SABRE FANS?

 

All Kovie did was come to a new team and a new system and be more than a point a game player through the end of the playoffs and be defensively responsible, too (+9).

 

yes

Nonsense.

no

[darksabre]

some kid out there is being born today that will get his driver's license before this deal expires. that just seems absurd to me.

[Stoner]

some kid out there is being born today that will get his driver's license before this deal expires. that just seems absurd to me.

 

As a Sabre fan who has known nothing but Darcy, of course it does. I'll say the absurdity rests with the franchise that hasn't won three Cups.

[static70]

Per Ecklund: (E5)

 

Gagne is on his way to Tampa, details and link to follow.

[korab rules]

Per Ecklund: (E5)

 

Gagne is on his way to Tampa, details and link to follow.

All offense all the time in Tampa this year. They will have to win games 8-7.

[static70]

All offense all the time in Tampa this year. They will have to win games 8-7.

I wouldn't have posted it because of Ecklund, but people tell me when he puts that E5 rank with it, it has a good chance of happening. So, I just put it out there.

 

He also says Buffalo is interested in Frolov and mentions Sharp to LA, but those didn't have any rankings. I found this one in my email box from another sabres forum.

[korab rules]

I can't wait to see the terms on that because if it is actually a 17 year deal, most of the league is going to be very mad about that one. The cap games with this contract are going to be absurd and it will probably be the contract that does in the current CBA.

+1. The league needs to hire much smarter lawyers to draft the next CBA.

[darksabre]

As a Sabre fan who has known nothing but Darcy, of course it does. I'll say the absurdity rests with the franchise that hasn't won three Cups.

 

This has nothing to do with Darcy. This has everything to do with making bad money decisions on commodities with unknown longevity. Players aren't cars that you can just keep fixing and make them run as long as you want. I know there are a number who have played 20+ but how many of them were ever signed to more than 4-5 year deals at a time? Gordie Howe certainly never signed a 17 year deal. What would have happened if Buffalo had signed Lafontaine for 17 years?

 

I just think it's ridiculous to agree to spend that much money for that long on something that is so unpredictable as the human body.

[jpgr909]

I look at the Kovalchuk signing as potential good news if some aggression can be shown. If I'm not mistaken, the Devils are now pretty fairly over the cap, even with the ridiculous contract terms. So they can't keep everybody and there are some pretty good names on that roster.

 

He also says Buffalo is interested in Frolov and mentions Sharp to LA, but those didn't have any rankings.

I'd rather have Gagne than Frolov, the latter being very talented but about as consistent as a warped slinky. But regardless, if Sharp is in play, that should be the target, though I'm not fooling myself into believing we have a shot. That said, though, the advantage we'd have over LA is being in another conference. I wouldn't want to trade one of my key Cup guys to an upstart team in my own Conference that's looking for experienced, veteran leadership...at least if I can help it.