...

Maybe. It's also possible, as the article we discussed the other day suggested, the Pens are trying to force the Sabres to make some sort of deal for a higher round pick.

Draft pick compensation is an issue with the Penguin's GM? No way.

I heard a rumour...

F@&king Chicago.

Yeth, that wath a great sequenth.

Hmm, undecided if that was interference. Nope, definitely not interference. He was well outside the blue paint. Crawford didn't need to touch him.

Your point is fine, you just re-state the content of the article, which is clear on its surface. What's not clear is how much hardball the Pen's GM wants to play. Example: Bylsma wants to come here, say, and Buffalo wants to hire him, but Murray says no way he wants to trade that first for a "package" with the Penguins. Now, NJ wants to hire Bylsma, Bylsma is lukewarm on that destination, but NJ is willing to deal a first for some package with the Pens. What's to say the Pens hold out and tell Bylsma we won't let you go to the Sabres but we'll let you go to NJ? Obviously, the article makes no implications either way. You can read it to mean "awe, shucks, it'd be real dandy to somehow acquire a first as part of a Bylsma deal, but Dan is a swell guy and we're not going to hold him back regardless..." or "we're going to hang a first round pick over Bylsma's head, the team willing to give up that first round pick for Bylsma and one of our over-rated bottom 6 players is the team we'll allow him to go to; it's business, not personal, Dan..." I don't think the "awe shucks" angle is the angle we should expect out of these teams.

F*ck no. If they want a first round pick for Bylsma? What? That's insane. I'd rather Richardson than give up a pick for Bylsma.

I get your point, as a comparison to what Shero did. There's the un-quantifiable "chemistry" factor that we have no idea, yet, what it will be for the Sabres. Meanwhile, I think it's safe to say Shero bombed on that and was more a Regier-style manager. With regards to Bylsma, I think TBphD detailed the reasons why I had said in prior threads that Bylsma would be a Hunter S. Thompson-esque choice: there are way too many variables left unanswered with his coaching. For every positive, there seems to be a relatively equivocal negative, or at least a reasonable, albeit ignorant retort (and I don't mean stupid here, just ignorant because fans don't have all of the facts usually). He's like the first round draft pick that fell from top 5 to the mid-round because of "questions". If the variables swing more toward the positive for the Sabres, then, they hit a home-run. If the complaints are valid, well, then we may as well have re-hired Ron Rolston.

Really? I think Tampa and Anaheim would be better to watch than the alternatives.

Figures the Ducks would fall apart after I pay them compliments.

This series has turned me on to the Ducks. Love their physical game and precision. Don't know if Anderson is an average playoff team goalie or really good because he's playing against Chicago.

They do look tired. I would be alright with the Ducks winning this series because Crawford has revealed himself to be an ass on the ice.

Wait, so lets pretend all of the layers of players are identified and their roles detailed. Then what? Are you going to write some letters, or send some faxes? Are you going to put up a billboard? What use other than fodder for more theories and complaints would this knowledge serve? At least Don Quixote attacked the windmills and travelers once he thought they were a threat.

I see no reason to not take Murray's word on this. His WGR interview and the Babcock Toronto presser fill in the holes rather completely. This is going to be a long-ass summer if we take every BS utterance seriously.

You can't lay hindsight at the feet of the Sabres over this. They wanted Babcock and had as good a chance as any team in landing him, as far as anyone knew at the time. Normally these coach searches fly under the radar, so normally we aren't aware of the process, and therefore have no real baseline to reference when it comes to evaluating whether "they're doing it right" or not. I think it's safe to say that the odds are in the Sabres favour they will have a coach by September, if not July 1. And, goodness but I hate to say it, I really do, but I'm kind of hoping old Claude becomes available. I think he and Richardson as a coaching team would be exceptionally interesting.

Thanks. He seems pretty solid. I love how, at this level, you can not make a mistake because every player is so engaged with the game. Anaheim, especially, seems tuned into where the puck is, and where it's going, without fail.

A bit late to the Anaheim party, but is that Anderson as in formerly from Ottawa Anderson?

Crawford is going to get himself pulled. He's been beat easily a few times now.

This West game is pretty good.

Why not a Bylsma/Richardson tandem?

Well, Kruppstahl, I guess nothing. Any suggestions?

What do you mean? I thought...aww, now you should be all hurt.

tiff FYI. Just helping.

Sounds to me like someone mischaracterized Murray/Pegula's reaction...perhaps a reaction in the moment, but, if Murray is being honest (which I have no reason to doubt), they go right back to business.