...

Ha! I would like to second this choice.

Picking this up from one of the draft-day threads, I agree with this concern. I wonder if Murray is trying to find a player who has SOME skill and yet can be the Sabres' muscle if needed. Looking at the roster projections above, I'm not seeing an effective deterrent against the dirty hockey that seems to have taken hold in the top teams in the East. Perhaps my lack of familiarity with the new guys? To add: ...or maybe Deslauriers is that kind of player who didn't quite let it come out last season. Or maybe Zadarov has some of that in him?

I don't know what line you're referring to. I'm in D.C. and not able to watch the pressers until I get back. However I am reading a lot and the facts seem to indicate that there are varied and valid reasons to want to come play in and for Buffalo as there are for any team in the league.

Does Murray ever bring up Hodgson in a positive context? He'll mention Myers, Ennis and Foligno as a group a lot when referencing what might be a young core, but hardly ever do I hear Hodgson's name. I think Murray has a higher opinion of Myers than some folks here believe, and wouldn't be shocked if Hodgson was billed as "not a good fit for the future".

Murray has threatened the tank. Tank folk may have to rely on Islanders for a low first rounder...

Can we finally bury the "no one wants to come to Buffalo" falicy now? So tired of reading that.

Mmmmmmmm, I'm inclined to think they over-paid, and that Foligno is prospering from the Sabres need to insure they're over the floor. Like I've said many times, here's hoping Foligno proves me wrong.

Murray isn't rushing his prospects. He's going to do this rebuild right.

Not every player is going to be a knuckle-dragging beast who eats pucks, breaks bones, and spits goals. If Moulson were NOT the type of player Murray respects and appreciates, WOULD MURRAY HAVE GIVEN HIM 5x5? Why does this question need to be asked, it's so obvious. Matty Mo has skill, is capable and obviously willing to to teach, makes the organization look good (in several ways), he does go into the dirty areas (I can't believe anyone who watched his game would question that), and most importantly, WANTS to be here.

He's still pretty young. Now's the time to sign THE contract, and Buffalo is probably willing (or at least able) to offer THE contract. At the end of it, he'll be on a contending team, ideally a centerpiece, and they would need to re-sign him to THE contract V.2 to keep the momentum going. It could work out. I can not believe for a moment you wasted time typing the name Butler.

His skating is an advantage, but his maturity level, mental make-up and wisdom, put him far above Grigorenko. Indeed, that puts Girgensons well above most of his teammates. That said, I still believe that the BS Grigorenko went through was much more helpful to him than it appeared. The boy got a heavy dose of reality, and at the end of the season was still trying to do something with himself. My outlook for Grigorenko is still pretty high, and seeing his FB entry only helps with that. If he doesn't get a spot out of camp, we're going to see him get called up at some point next season. I bet he'll look a lot different than he did the last time we saw him in a Sabres sweater.

Moulson, by far, has the most exciting eyebrows I have seen on a hockey player. I would pick him first of the three. The little I know of his personality, and we all know his skill(s), makes me think he would have the most to give as a teaching teammate.

My wife tried this with us sometime over the winter. The results were the same.

I've only had one cup of coffee.

So I want to add Stastny to that list. He uses a wood stick. Get 'em.

I think he's a physicist.

My neighbor, God love him, even he sees precisely what Murray is doing, and loves it. He's pushing 70, though, so, he's a bit olde skoole.

Geez, I hate being first in these polls. I never really know what I'm doing, I just go for the shiny silverware. I expect Buffalo to be in on pretty much any worthwhile UFA, but, whether any are landed, who knows. I suspect Moulson might be more apt to return than Ott. Orpik will be offered crazy money only a fool would turn down.

I think we're in the same camp, fundamentally.

You have no sense of humor. I meant it lovingly.

I like the tweets. I like the information folks like 26cb and tank provide, even if it sometimes is redundant, and tank can be a big jerk. Frankly, I come here for my aggregate Sabres and important/interesting NHL news and believe that how ever that is occurring, is satisfying. What's nice about this forum is the combined threads, where you get a whole bunch of discussion surrounding a topic, sometimes tangents, sometimes new topics emerge, but the conversational nature and semi-unpredictability is appealing. I understand this makes it more difficult for a noob to "get into" the forum, but, IMHO, that is what helps keep the poster/post-quality very high. And, all of you, you're all high-quality internet posters fer shure. If the forum were forced to accommodate new people in a manner that breaks up the conversational threads, then I would wager we'd start getting a lot more nuisance people here. During the season, especially an interesting season, you're going to have your first page full of relatively fresh topics. So I think discussing this now, when the season is over and the hockey scene is pretty one-dimensional, doesn't lend itself to fully appreciating what kind of community it is we have here. Let's re-visit this in November. The only suggestion I would make, other than those implied above, are to encourage new threads when a topic starts to steer into one. That way, the original topic stays intact, and the tangent can take a life onto its own.

You just wait...this will be you come October 1:

Are you submitting your curriculum vitae for a moderator-ship?

The fun; you missed it.