...

My question is what do we gain from recognizing/admitting/knowing, in hindsight (especially), that the Sabres lost that trade? What do we do with this insight?

Some sanity. Thank God.

Clearly not, because ROR won the Cup and JBot is still here. What are you thinking?

Impossible. The man who made the trade still runs the team, and the ownership who haven't yet fired the man who made the trade still owns the team. Clearly we remain in the Valley of Fail and shall remain there until "things change". Until "things change", this team's attempts to improve are for naught.

Sour grapes lower your IQ. Are you a moderator?

The hyperbole in this post hurts. Ow.

Hey man, why don't you go do something about it then in the real world. Otherwise, the persistent bitching here isn't going to change or do jack-sh%t to what is.

All...summer...long. As I said in the game thread, there is no way the Sabres were in a position to do what the Blues did. In no position to capitalize on what ROR brings. The comparisons are folly and thoroughly ridiculous.

"HOLY F&%K! YEAAAAHHHHH"

Let's get real, the Sabres the past few seasons could not have done what the Blues did.

Now all we need is for Boston to take a penalty.

I love it. The overflow crowd is at Busch Stadium.

YES!

That's some playoff hockey right there.

Wow.

I would agree except there ain't be no goals in the second so far. They need more than a three goal lead.

The Blues are not hitting. They need to lay some hits.

Boston is going with plan B: violence in the second.

We need just one Cup for now. ONE. One Cup win and all of these sins are forgiven. After we figure out how to win one Cup, then let's worry about the moves that herald a dynasty period.

Some team was going to be the first to overpay a prized UFA. I guess I'm glad we did it this year, and kept the guy we know works with our main dude.

Agreed. Eichel and Skinner both have achieved everything in hockey already: recognition as top players, various awards, and, of course, super big contracts. What's left for competitive people to achieve? The Stanley Cup is the only achievement left for these guys. Skinner is older and a little more wise than Eichel, so that's the reason I take what he has to say about the team's potential seriously. Skinner, to me, seems pretty authentic, and my reading of his demeanor combined with the way he plays game tells me the guy wants to win. Both of these guys have the desire, and I bet Skinner would say the desire is as equal in Eichel as it is in himself.

He wanted to go West. If memory serves, the were rumors he wanted to go West and wasn't going to re-sign. Los Angeles, San Jose, Vegas, Anaheim, and even the Florida teams were with the same circumstances quality-of-life wise.

I think there's something to this. A coach and GM should be tight. I think the Pegula's probably agree with that, if the McDermott/Beane relationship is any indication. The Pegulas seem to have bought fully into the "team" concept of top-end hockey ops leadership. Does it reflect on Botterill? Of course it does, but not necessarily negatively. Let's remember Krueger is supposed to be Botterill's hire, although now that I think about it, Botterill wasn't there for the press conference, while the Pegulas were as far as I recall. Anyway, maybe Botterill was tired of working with coaches who didn't want to collaborate and perhaps this is what put Krueger ahead of all of the other candidates. This would compliment the out-of-the-box reasoning that justifies Krueger as an NHL coach. #JustSayNoToRakruItsSimplyKruegerOrKruegs

A metro population nearly twice the size as here, the ocean, the middle-California weather, the area's relative wealth, the selective anonymity. Not to mention the owners didn't want him. No way Kane was going to sign here. He was living in a hotel room here and couldn't be "Kane" without being scrutinized. Skinner signed here for about nearly the opposite reasoning, and many of those probably were a turn-off to Kane, the team's future notwithstanding.