Pronger to Anaheim

[bruceleeroy]

just saw it on tsn's website sorry if it is already out there but i didnt see a thread for it.

[frisky]

Pronger to Buffalo didn't ever seem a realistic possibility in this dimension. Maybe in an alternate universe.

[Stoner]

No one thought he was coming here.

[Kristian]

Question is - is ANYONE coming here? They're in enough trouble signing the players they already have.

 

Where would the extra funds to sign additional players come from?

[apuszczalowski]

No one thought he was coming here.

I have been reading posts here lately?

 

I think there actually were people here who thought it was possible

 

But then there are others who belive Buffalo can plug rookies in to spots filled by veteran leaders and we will repeat another 100+ season. :rolleyes:

[X. Benedict]

Chris Pronger and Niedermayer on the same blueline is just sick.

What an amazing combination. Both those guys can play 30 minutes

a game too.

[nfreeman]

I have been reading posts here lately?

 

I think there actually were people here who thought it was possible

 

But then there are others who belive Buffalo can plug rookies in to spots filled by veteran leaders and we will repeat another 100+ season. :rolleyes:

 

While I was one of those daydreaming about getting Pronger, I think all of my posts included a clear statement to the effect that it was just fantasizing and there was no way it was gonna happen.

 

Now, mr. negative, I'd like you to start including a statement in all of these critical posts to the effect that if we have another good season, and we don't miss McKee and Grier that much b/c Darcy finds replacements within or outside of our system, you will post loud, clear and often that he was right and you were wrong.

[scottnc]

But then there are others who belive Buffalo can plug rookies in to spots filled by veteran leaders and we will repeat another 100+ season. :rolleyes:

 

For some reason I think I've heard this before... in about 100 other threads...

[apuszczalowski]

For some reason I think I've heard this before... in about 100 other threads...

I have said it about 100 times????

 

I'm sure PA has said it a few times too, I don't want to take all the credit.

 

And yes, if the Sabres do end up pulling off another great 100+ point season and another run at the cup on a shoe string budget, I will start giving Darcy credit and it will start to change my mind that maybe he does have a plan and knows exactly what he is doing. I do not want to see this team fail, but I can't see us having another great year on a shoestring budget. I will gladdly admit I was wrong if Darcy pulls off another great year with bargain bin signings at the end of FA and using the rookies in the system to replace veteran leaders.

[Stoner]

Look out, Apus, you are in danger of getting "Czechmated."

 

nfreeman, I think the problem you are going to have in defending your position is that you no longer have to address just dimwits like me and Apus. Now two players have said essentially the same thing. How do you discount their concerns? I really think a clear statement by Tom Golisano would go a long way toward addressing the concerns. I guess he had his chance in that letter, but the only noteworthy things to come out of that were that "most of the team" would be back, and let's hope we get luckier next year. So far, The Plan seems to be in effect.

[apuszczalowski]

Look out, Apus, you are in danger of getting "Czechmated."

I wouldn't want that to happen. But why is it I would get "Czechmated" for posting something negative, but if I reiterated a thousand times something like "It's ok, Darcy has a plan and will get a cheaper replacement in a deal with someone, remember the deal he made for.............." I wouldn't?

 

And what does Grier or McKee know, they were just trying to get bigger deals from the Sabres, when they said they wanted to stay a Sabre it was just a negotiating stance. Darcy will go rumaging and steal someone away from another team. Maybe Biron to Washington for Ovechkin and Washingtons first next year. Are we going to be hearing the same thing next year when Drury and Briere flee the HSBC for bigger deals?

[nfreeman]

APus -- what, exactly, is a "shoestring budget"? If the Sabres' payroll was $30 million last year and goes up to $34-$35 million this year, that is a 15% or so increase. Is that a "shoestring" budget? Is TG to be blamed for keeping the payroll at that level? In any case I appreciate your going on record with a commitment to give Darcy credit if we pull off another great year with cheaper FA signings plus rookies -- since I think that is exactly what the plan is.

 

PAFan -- you are right that now 2 players have questioned the Sabres' commitment. I'm not sure what Grier's beef was since the Sabres matched the offer that he got from SJ -- which was higher than I thought we'd go to keep him, btw.

 

As far as Briere's comments last week, I found those pretty disturbing, although mostly b/c as 50% team captain I think he has a leadership responsibility to keep the team oriented towards winning -- not questioning management. Contrast his comments with those of Drury:

 

"I have all the faith in Darcy and [managing partner] Larry Quinn," Drury said. "I do think, come September, when we're together again, we'll have a darn good team."

 

As far as a statement by TG regarding his commitment to keeping a winning team, I suppose this would be OK, but I also think it would be used as leverage by the agents of all of our RFAs as we try to lock them up. If I was in need of reassurance, I'd take much greater comfort in real efforts (hopefully successful) to lock up Briere, Drury, Connelly, Max, Miller, Tallinder, etc. between now and September.

 

In this regard I will also note that if no such efforts are forthcoming I will ask you and APus to make room for me on the angry fan bandwagon. But until that turns out to be the case, for me this organization has earned the benefit of the doubt.

 

Go Sabres.

 

Go Sabres.

[Bmwolf21]

APus -- what, exactly, is a "shoestring budget"? If the Sabres' payroll was $30 million last year and goes up to $34-$35 million this year, that is a 15% or so increase. Is that a "shoestring" budget? Is TG to be blamed for keeping the payroll at that level? In any case I appreciate your going on record with a commitment to give Darcy credit if we pull off another great year with cheaper FA signings plus rookies -- since I think that is exactly what the plan is.

 

PAFan -- you are right that now 2 players have questioned the Sabres' commitment. I'm not sure what Grier's beef was since the Sabres matched the offer that he got from SJ -- which was higher than I thought we'd go to keep him, btw.

 

As far as Briere's comments last week, I found those pretty disturbing, although mostly b/c as 50% team captain I think he has a leadership responsibility to keep the team oriented towards winning -- not questioning management. Contrast his comments with those of Drury:

 

"I have all the faith in Darcy and [managing partner] Larry Quinn," Drury said. "I do think, come September, when we're together again, we'll have a darn good team."

 

As far as a statement by TG regarding his commitment to keeping a winning team, I suppose this would be OK, but I also think it would be used as leverage by the agents of all of our RFAs as we try to lock them up. If I was in need of reassurance, I'd take much greater comfort in real efforts (hopefully successful) to lock up Briere, Drury, Connelly, Max, Miller, Tallinder, etc. between now and September.

 

In this regard I will also note that if no such efforts are forthcoming I will ask you and APus to make room for me on the angry fan bandwagon. But until that turns out to be the case, for me this organization has earned the benefit of the doubt.

 

Go Sabres.

 

Go Sabres.

While Briere's & Grier's comments do bother me, I presonally put more stock in what Drury says - I feel like he is more of THE leader on the team, and has been in that role (on this and other teams)for a long time.

 

I take the words of a departing player (Grier) with a grain of salt; he was on his way out the door, and was probably pissed that we took so long to come around and match the offer (which was more than I would have given him as well.)

 

If it does appear that they are going to operate on a shoestring budget (to borrow a phrase from apus) and let everyone, including our core players, walk when they get too expensive, then make room for me on the angry fan bandwagon. (I'll need a little more room on there, since I am kind of a big guy...hope I don't take up too much room...)

 

Maybe I am still optimistic about how well we played with a bunch of young, unknown players last season, and to come within 20 minutes of playing for the Cup with an AHL defense, to let a slow start to free agency get me all fired up and start calling Darcy "a thumb-twirling idiot who thinks he can wave a magic wand and make things better", or calling TG "a tightwad cheapskate who ought to dip into his own personal finances to sign more expensive players."

 

I just refuse to get negative on the 4th or 5th day of free agency bc/ they chose not to overpay for a no. 3/4 defenseman and haven't gone into a Bobby Clarke John Ferguson Jr drunken spending spree, throwing too much money at overvalued free agents. (Clarke has been surprisingly quiet thus far - I don't know if he doesn't know what to do or if they are in that much cap trouble that he can't make any moves.) Should they have looked at negotiating with McKee last summer or during this season? Maybe. Should they have tried to lock up Grier before San Jose scooped him up? Sure - even though I don't like him and wouldn't have paid him nearly what San Jose offered, if you wanted to keep him for veteran leadership, whatever - fine, they should have gotten him taken care of sooner.

 

And FWIW, I would love it if they would start announcing that they locked up guys like Briere, Miller, Tallinder long-term, well before they hit the open market. I have faith that is what they are working towards right now.