...

He looks a little like Briere.

Should have gone for under 2 seconds. Love Murray.

This means a Myers trade is less likely.

Here we go, boys and girls! A year in the making...

That would have to mean the Islander's pick increases slightly in odds, then, no? That wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

Goodness, no. Not to sound like a typical Sabres' fan, but I would prefer Moulson or Ott over Spezza.

On point one I agree completely. Myers is primed, now, to either break out or...not. His value is at its bottom, but won't drop (much) if he doesn't break out next season. Detroit is being rather overt with their interest. On point two, I would give him only the next season to see where he's going. If it's clear he's maxed out on his potential, then, trade him at the deadline. If he starts breaking out, then, you have to keep him.

I guess I'll make this comment here, since it's THE thread and all... But, folks, I wouldn't worry about how this changes the previously accepted function of the draft, which is basically to help bad teams acquire players who will help them, eventually, become better teams. What will happen is that in June of 2016, they're going to have another board of governors meeting and reinstall the system that was in place before this current lottery system. Because, you know, the generational talent will have come and gone and Buffalo will not, hopefully, be in a position to tank again.

It's always the Germans...their problem is they over-rate themselves. They try and cast off their raw humanity, instead of trying to make that work for them. They see themselves as the ultimate machines, when, indeed, they'll always be humans. If they embrace their emotions, and let them become spiritually invested, why, then they are likely to succeed.

No, no. See, you guys didn't read the contract, especially the clause that starts with "NO TRADE". You're stuck with me. Try trading one of the Canadians.

I think right away they'd have ~ equal or greater odds, no? Nevermind...I forgot the third pick was St. Louis.

Way to close the thread early.

In before tank.

"Turmoil" was spelled S-A-B-R-E-S last year. Actually, you can wind that back to the end of xx-13 season. I'm no expert, but I would have to think organizational stability and focus would account for, oh, half or more of those 26 points, before you factor in its affects on the players.

Heh, heh, she sthaid protein, heh, heh.

The only player this will affect will be Hodgson, the rest of the slackers are gone.

Again, what are they going to do with those slots? Why not over-pay Scott, or give Matt Ellis a $7 mil x 2 contract? That's the opposite of saying they're going to get a couple of good players. So, the middle is they find more McBains and D'Agostinis. To me, that's as large of an assumption as swinging high or low. The Sabres record was actually better in the seasons with the B2Bs, so, yes, I don't get why that's being factored in myself.

I think the stats guys would be happy to answer this, but I would guess that it's pretty difficult to tank so hard on a consistent basis. You'd be better off trying to actually win than tank if you can tank so well.

Unlikely, sure. Incredibly unlikely, not so sure.

I think JJ brings up a great point. It's simple: the Sabres are going to have to spend some money to get to the floor. I don't see people here saying they should overpay John Scott for a season or two. Rather, I see people day-dreaming about the better FAs. So, you get a decent FA or two to fill the gap between the RFAs and the floor, and you populate the team with the kids who last season were trying not to lose. I think it's pretty easy to imagine that next season's team could vie for a wild-card slot. Which is not a prediction they will, but there's nothing saying the players themselves will be in on the tank.

It seems some of you think a mid-round first this draft is better than a player plus a late-round first next draft. Am I reading this right? I did see the suggestion once or twice within the past several pages.

Just got back from Smoke on the Water in Tonawanda. Pricy for what it is, but exceptionally good food none-the-less. Had the brisket sammich and the fried perogies. Very good. The wife had the Cuban sammich which was outstanding. Love the seasoned fries, too. As a bonus, their Sam Adams is on tap, and we were sat on the back porch overlooking the creek.

Had a fantastic time at the Bison's game tonight. They came back from a 3-0 deficit to win 5-3 by the end of the top of the ninth. We were with a large gang of parents/kids/friends from school and the fire works were icing on the cake. I haven't been to a ball game since going to see the Blue Jays in TO when I was a teen. Even my kids were following the game. I often wondered how that team survived - I can see why it appeals to folks. The stadium has all of the goodies and most seats are good seats, and cheap. It's not something we would do routinely, but I think the Bison's just earned at least one summer appearance from us going forward.

You're a bad man. Bad.