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Who will be Pegula's first victim ... ?


notwoz

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Posted

Can we afford to get rid of Connolly with Roy done for the rest of the season? Thought our defensive pairings were more of a concern at the moment. Would like to see an enforcer who's bigger than 5 11 and 200 pounds wringing wet though.

 

Even if the entire team was out, and the Portland Pirates had to dress as the Buffalo Sabres, with Sabretooth backing up Enroth - Yes, we can afford to get rid of Connolly.

 

Connolly simply must go, if for no other reason than to show everyone on the roster that you can be as talented as you want, but unless you grit your teeth and start working a little for a living, you're gone regardless who you are.

 

Listing all the obvious reasons why he should be gone simply takes too long, so I won't bother.

 

The fact that Connolly is still here, AND got an extension along with a hefty raise is enough reason for Regier to be fired, re-hired, and then fired once more just to emphasise!

Posted

No he doesn't. He has a no-movement clause. I believe every player over a certain age or x amount of years of experience gets it automatically, so they don't get dissed and be send to the AHL. He could be traded, and i'm sure he'd very much welcome a trade to like a San Jose who is looking for bottom 6 and PK help.

 

 

Yes yes he does since a NMC by default includes No trade provisions. No movement means no trade, reassignment or waiving. Grier can be bought out though.

Posted

It's actually pretty unlikely Pegula will come in and immediately fire the GM. This team is a business like any other and it's extremely rare that drastic moves in upper-management are made so soon after an outsider comes into power. My assumption is that Darcy is given at least the rest of this season at the very minimum, and will likely remain in place to start the 2011-2012 season. Let's also not forget that his operating capacity will change and the reins will likely be loosened in comparison to the Golisano regime. That being said;

It's not a business like any other. Pegula has no reason to view it that way. This is the approach Golisano would take.

 

It's a hockey team.

Posted

It's actually pretty unlikely Pegula will come in and immediately fire the GM. This team is a business like any other...

 

You're right, but what are business' main objective? To turn a profit, to grow, and maintain, if not, increase their following. In the world of sports you have to WIN of you want to meet that objective. That means people have to get cut and the right people hired. This isn't time to sit back and worry about being "respectful" (as someone mentioned in another thread).

Posted

You're right, but what are business' main objective? To turn a profit, to grow, and maintain, if not, increase their following. In the world of sports you have to WIN of you want to meet that objective. That means people have to get cut and the right people hired. This isn't time to sit back and worry about being "respectful" (as someone mentioned in another thread).

 

 

The guy bought the team bc of his passion for the game, not necessarily to make a profit.

 

Apparently the sabres have been losing money for a while something to the tune of $9M a year. This is even with a nearly sold out arena. Winning wont close that gap.

 

So no, this team isnt the same as owning another business and the comparisons dont hold water.

Posted

The guy bought the team bc of his passion for the game, not necessarily to make a profit.

 

Apparently the sabres have been losing money for a while something to the tune of $9M a year. This is even with a nearly sold out arena. Winning wont close that gap.

 

So no, this team isnt the same as owning another business and the comparisons dont hold water.

 

obviously you missed my point. Maybe try re-reading it. But if it's still too hard to grasp, what I was saying was that owning a professional sports team is different from owning any other type business. And trust me, at the end of the day Pegula is still a business man. He may have passion for the game of hockey but he saw this purchase as an opportunity. Also, do you seriously think that winning and profitability aren't related?

Posted

Would like to see an enforcer who's bigger than 5 11 and 200 pounds wringing wet though.

Cody McCormick is the closest thing the team has to an enforcer and he's 6'3", 221 (well, reportedly, so probably a little less than that.) If you're talking about Kaleta, despite what WGR550 says in their ads for his spot on the morning show, he's an agitator, not an enforcer.

 

Yes yes he does since a NMC by default includes No trade provisions. No movement means no trade, reassignment or waiving. Grier can be bought out though.

Since he's on a one-year deal and you can't buy out players during the season, he really can't be bought out.

 

Apparently the sabres have been losing money for a while something to the tune of $9M a year.

Golisano had a standing rule that they needed to at least break even each season and he had happily reported that they were doing well, so I'm pretty sure this is not correct.

Posted

obviously you missed my point. Maybe try re-reading it. But if it's still too hard to grasp, what I was saying was that owning a professional sports team is different from owning any other type business. And trust me, at the end of the day Pegula is still a business man. He may have passion for the game of hockey but he saw this purchase as an opportunity. Also, do you seriously think that winning and profitability aren't related?

 

Oh i see, your shakespearean post was too complicated for me to grasp. as for turning a profit, Forbes and Buff News reported they were losing money for many years despite what Golly said.

 

So lets assume they were just breaking even, but Pegula is going to increase payroll right? he's going to beef up the front office too right? so now these acquisitions will put us at least several million below breaking even.

 

We would have to go deep into the playoffs to recoup that money. You see even if the team is doing great, and you run out to your local Laux and buy sabres gear, that money doesnt go directly to the Sabres, its shared.

 

The team makes $$ from game sales. So to recoup all the money we expect Pegula to pa, the team would obviously have to make a playoff run. But even then all of that revenue is still split up.

 

Cody McCormick is the closest thing the team has to an enforcer and he's 6'3", 221 (well, reportedly, so probably a little less than that.) If you're talking about Kaleta, despite what WGR550 says in their ads for his spot on the morning show, he's an agitator, not an enforcer.

 

 

Since he's on a one-year deal and you can't buy out players during the season, he really can't be bought out.

 

 

Golisano had a standing rule that they needed to at least break even each season and he had happily reported that they were doing well, so I'm pretty sure this is not correct.

 

True Grier cant be bought out, forgot he was on one year deal.

Posted

He needs to fire the entertainment director at HSBC. The place has been like a funeral morgue of late. He needs to bring in an entertainment director like they have at RBC center in Raleigh so they can pipe in music and crowd noise, get some hot cheerleaders, hire a washed up wrestler to scream and get the place rocking.

Posted

He needs to fire the entertainment director at HSBC. The place has been like a funeral morgue of late. He needs to bring in an entertainment director like they have at RBC center in Raleigh so they can pipe in music and crowd noise, get some hot cheerleaders, hire a washed up wrestler to scream and get the place rocking.

 

Haha, you have a point. I've heard some complain that its the type of people who attend the game.

 

We have one of the cheapest tickets by average in the league, could you imagine if they were more expensive????

Posted

Even if the entire team was out, and the Portland Pirates had to dress as the Buffalo Sabres, with Sabretooth backing up Enroth - Yes, we can afford to get rid of Connolly.

 

Connolly simply must go, if for no other reason than to show everyone on the roster that you can be as talented as you want, but unless you grit your teeth and start working a little for a living, you're gone regardless who you are.

 

Listing all the obvious reasons why he should be gone simply takes too long, so I won't bother.

 

The fact that Connolly is still here, AND got an extension along with a hefty raise is enough reason for Regier to be fired, re-hired, and then fired once more just to emphasise!

The fact that the managing partner (you know, the one Regier reports directly to) went to high school w/ Timmy's dad almost certainly had no bearing whatsoever on these decisions.

 

If the boss wants something, he usually gets it.

 

It'll be interesting to see how long TC remains a Sabre after TP takes over. I don't expect it to be for very long.

Posted

The fact that the managing partner (you know, the one Regier reports directly to) went to high school w/ Timmy's dad almost certainly had no bearing whatsoever on these decisions.

 

If the boss wants something, he usually gets it.

 

It'll be interesting to see how long TC remains a Sabre after TP takes over. I don't expect it to be for very long.

 

It's fascinating to me how Pegula is this empty vessel and we are all pouring our hopes and dreams into it. I've done it as much as anyone!

 

Tomorrow could be really interesting. My fear is that a lot of hopes start to get dashed. "Listen, Buffalo is a small market and we're all in for an education about how such an organEYEzation will struggle to attract and keep talent around while turning a profit. That's the big thing in my mind -- making the franchise financially viable. Oh yeah, I loved it when Darcy extended Tim Connolly and we'll start working right now to ensure Timmy's skills are here through the end of his career."

Posted

He needs to fire the entertainment director at HSBC. The place has been like a funeral morgue of late. He needs to bring in an entertainment director like they have at RBC center in Raleigh so they can pipe in music and crowd noise, get some hot cheerleaders, hire a washed up wrestler to scream and get the place rocking.

 

I watched some of the Hawks game yesterday. Eleven's perspective aside, what happens during the anthem there is incredible. I really doubt Buffalo has this kind of enthusiasm in it. Going back to day one, the fans here have always been somewhat reserved. Miller made that enormous glove save yesterday, and although it sounded fairly loud for 10 seconds, you could see in the crowd how few people could off their lard ######. I don't know that anything can really be done to get this crowd into games other than a perfect storm of talent being put on the ice. It happens once in a while. Has the arena ever been wilder than after Derek Plante's goal? What did fans love about that team?

Posted

It's actually pretty unlikely Pegula will come in and immediately fire the GM.

 

That doesn't mean he cannot be reassigned duties like scouting or something more administrative.

 

While a share your sentiment concerning management for the duration of this season, the trade deadline will be handled much more actively than in the past. There is almost sure to be 4 to 6 players moved out of here.Miller is going to have to be patient while the team is effectively rebuilt in the next 12 to 18 months from the top down in my opinion.

 

Wow, while I would love to see that kind of Montreal from a couple years back turnover to the roster I doubt that much happens in one week.

 

Although a solid 2-3 moves with Dracy's reassignment isn't too much to ask with of course a well stated vision and future plan for the team. I would ask the players who want to stay and were not traded to prove it and that could make the last 20+ games/playoff push some interesting hockey.

 

Now once they are officially eliminated from playoff contention I expect there could be more than 4-6 player changes between the team we have today and will see next season.

 

Even if the entire team was out, and the Portland Pirates had to dress as the Buffalo Sabres, with Sabretooth backing up Enroth - Yes, we can afford to get rid of Connolly.Connolly simply must go, if for no other reason than to show everyone on the roster that you can be as talented as you want, but unless you grit your teeth and start working a little for a living, you're gone regardless who you are.

 

The fact that Connolly is still here, AND got an extension along with a hefty raise is enough reason for Regier to be fired, re-hired, and then fired once more just to emphasise!

 

+1,

I especially like the idea of firing re-hirng and firing again good ole DR, imagining one of the rehire jobs being cleaning the urinals in the locker rooms. :rolleyes:

Posted

Even if the entire team was out, and the Portland Pirates had to dress as the Buffalo Sabres, with Sabretooth backing up Enroth - Yes, we can afford to get rid of Connolly.

 

Connolly simply must go, if for no other reason than to show everyone on the roster that you can be as talented as you want, but unless you grit your teeth and start working a little for a living, you're gone regardless who you are.

 

Listing all the obvious reasons why he should be gone simply takes too long, so I won't bother.

 

The fact that Connolly is still here, AND got an extension along with a hefty raise is enough reason for Regier to be fired, re-hired, and then fired once more just to emphasise!

 

 

The real message is that if you pull a Connolly you will be traded, maybe to someplace better maybe worse....

 

but youll still get paid regardless.

 

 

Its not a motivating factor. I mean what if Connolly gets traded to a playoff contender? wheres the motivation?

Posted

 

 

Wow, while I would love to see that kind of Montreal from a couple years back turnover to the roster I doubt that much happens in one week.

 

Although a solid 2-3 moves with Dracy's reassignment isn't too much to ask with of course a well stated vision and future plan for the team. I would ask the players who want to stay and were not traded to prove it and that could make the last 20+ games/playoff push some interesting hockey.

 

Now once they are officially eliminated from playoff contention I expect there could be more than 4-6 player changes between the team we have today and will see next season.

:cry:

Sadly, I wake up from that dream of Regier being gone along with those 4 to 6 players and flip on YNN only to discover not only is Darcy still here, but Connolly received his 2 year extension and the wife and I will be forced to watch Pomminstein miss the net 98% of the time for the next 3 seasons..... :sick:

Posted

It'd be nice, yes, but you can do that without following a model like Boston and bringing in dirty punks.

I agree ... I look at Boston and with the Kaberle signing, the GM came off as sounding TK is the offensive PP specialist that I thought they're paying their 6'9" captain for. Bruins fans I've talked with feel as tho that team is no better than last year's surprise.

Posted

It's not a business like any other. Pegula has no reason to view it that way. This is the approach Golisano would take.

 

It's a hockey team.

 

This is very true and has been studies by economists for years. For example, Golisano didn't bail out the franchise because it was the best possible investment for his $ at the time... he likely did it because of the positive PR it would generate and (hopefully) because he cares about WNY.

 

From a classic New York Times article by sportswriter Leonard Koppett(1973):

"Club owners are not ordinary businessmen. To begin with, profit in itself is not the owner’s primary motive. Any man with the resources to acquire a major league team can find ways to make better dollar-for-dollar investments. His payoff is in terms of social prestige. . . . A man who runs a $100m-a-year business is usually anonymous to the general public; a man who owns even a piece of a ball club that grosses $5m a year is a celebrity. His picture and comments are repeatedly published in newspapers known in every corner of his community. . . . This does not mean, of course, that ball clubs don’t seek profits . . . but the driving force is to be identified with a popular and successful team . . . and that motivation leads to important variations from ‘normal’ business behavior."

Posted

I watched some of the Hawks game yesterday. Eleven's perspective aside, what happens during the anthem there is incredible. I really doubt Buffalo has this kind of enthusiasm in it. Going back to day one, the fans here have always been somewhat reserved. Miller made that enormous glove save yesterday, and although it sounded fairly loud for 10 seconds, you could see in the crowd how few people could off their lard ######. I don't know that anything can really be done to get this crowd into games other than a perfect storm of talent being put on the ice. It happens once in a while. Has the arena ever been wilder than after Derek Plante's goal? What did fans love about that team?

 

If you are talking about this season, agreed. But that is because Marcy did little in the offseason but let chemistry get away on D without signing at least on of either one of those two D free agaents. An did not sign a desperately needed goal scorer. Most of those recommended to be on the chopping block are on that list. Stafford being the lone exception and now Neidermeyer has been added and Shaone Morrison has not impressed me either. The only really positive add was Leopold.

 

So except for this recent run, most of what we have seen this year has not been exciting hockey and not reason to jump up and down. Sabres fans are not stupid. At this point bringing up young guys may not be a bad idea and dumping much of the dead wood now would be nice including Rigor Marcy.

Posted

The real message is that if you pull a Connolly you will be traded, maybe to someplace better maybe worse....

 

but youll still get paid regardless.

 

 

Its not a motivating factor. I mean what if Connolly gets traded to a playoff contender? wheres the motivation?

 

Why would a contender want Connolly? Surely not for his PP production?

 

Trust me - If a team is a contender, it's GM knows enough about hockey NOT to trade for Tim Connolly.

 

*edit

 

If you mean a team on the outside looking in, with a chance of still making the 8th or 7th seed, but most likely to finish 10th or 11th? Well, that's pretty much the Buffalo Sabres, so I doubt a player would prefer one over the other.

 

Except of coure, there's the odd possibility that the coach on the other team doesn't like loafers, which means the Sabres win out in that category, as our coach seems to have an affection for them, regardless what he says.

Posted

Does anyone have the time of the Pegula press conference tomorrow?

Thanks.

 

Just got an e-mail from GR - they'll be covering live at 11am.

Posted

Just got an e-mail from GR - they'll be covering live at 11am.

 

I'd have to believe Buffalo TV will carry it live.

 

If not, there's always sabres.com.

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