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I was already pretty depressed as I spent the morning reading about Canada's reluctance to buy F35's, they have already committed to 16 jets, and that could be the all they get out of the 88 that were planned. In the early part of my career I worked closely with the Canadian Forces. How I loved doing my small part to help them transition to the CF-18 as part of their NATO commitment (this was prior to the Soviet collapse). Today, I am completely down about the situation. I thought this was a forever close relationship, one that is vital to the protection of North America and the free world, and now it is in such distress. I would have never believed it could happen.

They saw my ultimatum

I think the idea that players are intimidating others on the ice is some mythical hold over from decades ago when big goons might jump you. No one is going over the boards like "oh ***** it's Tkachuk, I feel so intimidated" in the modern nhl unless maybe you're some type of fresh faced rookie. That said, if I were Buffalo, I might slide Eklund 1 or 2 spots because he is similar to things you have. Eklund right now for me sits in the 9-12 range.

Show me where I've acted like either of them are incompetent. I'll wait.

You say this but if Buffalo hadn't been stupid in 2014-2017 drafting, we'd have made the playoffs.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Karmanos and Sullivan have history together in Pittsburgh? Terry seems to like to pull from the Penguins. It makes sense.

i've always thought @Brawndo was Sam Ventura's computer program after achieving consciousness. But yes. The board should be celebrating.

Full disclosure: I've only watched him a handful of times this year. But isn't invisible kinda the point? You're not expecting hits and you're not expecting offence. If he succeeds, it will be as a Bill Hajt kinda player: calmly break up a play and move out the puck. Leone seems happy with him on that level and that's kinda what he showed the first 2 playoff games.

Anyone else think that as Brawndo went to his car this morning, a black SUV pulled up and a menacing man said, "Get in"? Brawndo did as told. Battista instructed him to get on SS ASSAP and ask the smartest and most loyal fans anywhere what they would think about the arrangement the braintrust is considering. Folks, it's happening. Anyone?

I have more hope for every single other dman in the Sabres org. RyJo has been as unimpressive as a player can be without getting scratched for every game. Not sure what’s happened with him this season but he’s been invisible.

Dudes picked up what I was laying down. If Terry's still in EEE mode, his CFO has to convince him that change, real change, is needed to help the bottom line. And as much as Guelli has his finger on the pulse of the fans (he's surely getting feedback from the poor staffers who have to recruit/retain STHers), he has to convince the aloof Pegula that it's also the humane thing to do for the tortured base.

Further to Montreal and where they are in their rebuild. The Habs have no big ticket RFA’s this summer. They have 3 UFAs (Armia, Dvorak, Savard), who they probably let walk. They have $17ish million in real cap space. They have 7 picks in the 1st three RD’s in the coming draft. Montreal has always been an attractive destination for certain NHL players, and perhaps more so now than recently. My bet is that they will not rely on internal growth as a primary off-season strategy. Maybe I’m just a pessimist, but it feels they may be about to pull away from us.

It should hurt. And then it should outrage us to the point that we refuse to take it anymore and remove them from office. But the complacency in this country is off the charts so I hold little hope that we will muster the courage before it’s too late. ‘And Then They Came for Me’ should be mandatory reading.

This video hurts me. I played it twice, but should not have.

F the jets

I don’t want to overstate anything. It could just be that Montreal had a similar nice year to what we had in 22-23 and it just happened that this year it was enough to grab WC2. However, I would bet on Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, and Martin St. Louis as a hockey braintrust over Kevyn Adams and Lindy Ruff.

Well, Johnson next year should compete for a job. But maybe trade bait for some of the others?

You have brightened my day, because that is probably the best I was letting myself hope for. Probably just deck chairs, but I can tell myself the good things that have be done, have been due to Karmanos and Ventura and the things that are crying to be done are the fault of Kevyn. I’m glad you keep hammering this business angle. Its the most obvious incentive for change.

Why do you think Guelli can save this? please explain.

All we need to do is wait another 3-4 years and we’ll be fine.

Montreal could easily back-slide in 25-26. But I agree with you, we didn’t have the collection of vets in important roles that Montreal does. Earlier this year, Montreal’s GM, Hughes, gave an interview where he specifically referenced learning from the mistakes made by Buffalo, Ottawa, and Detroit. It remains to be seen if they have achieved something sustainable, but no question they have passed the Sabres.

They’ve got Josh Anderson and Arber Xhekaj, I’ll give you that. Not really seeing Gallagher and Armia as upgrades on Okposo and Girgensons, or Laine and Dvorak as the type of vets that Sabres team was lacking. Savard’s retiring. I will say Nick Suzuki looks to be head and shoulders over Dylan Cozens and they are better coached. Their progress will be determined by how good guys like Slavkovsky, Demidov and Guhle can be, just like the Sabres has been by the progress or lack thereof of guys like Power, Peterka and Quinn

Can't we keep them all? How does Florida afford all those great players?