Peter

Mole hill meet mountain. It is funny how he cannot resist the snark. He took what I presume was intended as an attempt at humor (and interpreted as such by everyone in the world -- outside of the Buffalo News building). I have little understanding as to what Battista does. In the end, it does not make any difference. Tim Murray is the GM and is in charge -- not Battista.

One thing is for sure. Tim Murray knows the player well. He must think that he is worth bringing in.

Bucky has had a vendetta against the Sabres for so long (Harrington also has had an ax to grind). Neither one of these guys comes anywhere close to the standard that Jim Kelley set. It is clear that Bucky has "taken sides" - he did so a long time ago. Regarding PLF, one thing that sticks out to me is that the Islanders have erased all mention of one of their greatest players. Whether PLF was an unpaid assistant and only in that role for 40 days, one wonders what a guy could have done to cause an organization to go out of their way to to act as though the guy never existed. On the other hand, the Pegulas have a reputation for being wonderful people to work for. Ask people such as Lindy Ruff or Steve Ott (people no longer with the team) what they think of the Pegulas. The Pegulas were the ones that went out of their way and had the idea to hire PLF. You do not go and hire someone to be an executive with the team (someone who was not on anyone's radar other than the Pegulas) with the desire to screw the guy over. Nevertheless, the guys from the News always have the knee jerk reaction to "choose sides" against the Sabres and its ownership -- because it fits the narrative that they have been pushing for so long. The Pegulas even kept Darcy around when guys like Sully (and the rest) were clamoring for them to fire Darcy on day one. Given their track record of showing loyalty to people such as Darcy (when they could have fired him as their first move to garner PR points with the News and others), one wonders what could have happened to cause this to end so quickly (as with the Islanders). Perhaps, Paul Hamilton's comments about the public and private personas are correct. Given the above, I am going to give the benefit of any doubt to the people who have put their money where their mouths are both in terms of the hockey team and the community. On the other hand, we know that guys like Bucky and Harrington and Sully are not going to give them the benefit of the doubt because it simply does not fit their narrative. Just my two cents.

FWIW - I was impressed with the fact that Drew Stafford stood in front of a puck to prevent an empty net goal in the dying moments of the game last night. I realize a lot of people do not like him on this board, but what he did at the end of the game shows that the guy cares.

Especially when you turn 50 . . . .

Funny, wasn't Darcy criticized for that approach way back when.

Still interesting.

Interesting phraseology.

I agree. The guy has been great for the community and has put his money where his mouth is. We are lucky that the Pegulas own the team. They also are willing to ride out the rebuild rather than applying band aids like a lot of other teams. I have no problem with him not finding it necessary to speak with Sully, Bucky, Harrington et al who always seem to be driving their own narrative. As for Nolan, I am not concerned about whether he would want to remain as coach. The Pegulas gave him another lifeline. The guy has got to be smart enough to realize that he has burned enough bridges in his life and that, other than Latvia, there have been no teams (NHL or otherwise) that have been banging down his door.

This seems to make sense. The fact that this happened the way it did and the timing leads me to believe that there is credence to the suggestion that there is a difference between the public and private PLF. The Miller/Ott trade had to happen also. We could not afford to lose them for nothing. If either really want to re-sign with Sabres, nothing prevents them from doing so in July.

What you say makes sense to me. If this is all about the Miller trade and PLF wanting to keep him, PLF is just plain wrong. There is no way we could take chance that we get nothing for him or Ott (as much as I would have liked to keep both). Miller tipped off his intentions when he sold his Buffalo home last year. If either Miller or Ott want to return, there is nothing stopping them from signing with Sabres in July. Unfortunately, the best option we had now was to get something for both of these guys now. PLF should have realized this. Moreover, PLF was the guy who chose TM over every other guy he interviewed. At least, he lasted longer than the 40 days with the Islanders.

TM did say that he wanted guys who wanted to play for the Sabres. Perhaps, this is not exactly how he meant it.

Wonderful post. Thank you for sharing.

I hope so.

It was very surprising to me that our stellar Buffalo media did not ask that question. I suppose I should not be shocked. There were so many questions that were not asked. I was stunned when they asked whether there were any more questions and there was silence.

You certainly got my attention with the Graham comments. Interesting

You are correct. People are free to express themselves anyway they want - even if it makes no sense.

I would not trade the Pegulas for any other ownership. Please stop with the Pegula bashing.

Tim Murray seems like a great hire. I also like the fact that he seems like a no nonsense guy who will not put up with the BS from the Buffalo News guys. He has been groomed for this day his entire life. As an aside, except for Paul Hamilton, Tim Graham, and John W, most of the guys who cover the Bills and Sabres are horrible. To think how far the quality of the Buffalo News has gone down since guys like Jim Kelley and Vic Carucci. Bucky, Sully, and Bucky/Sully protégé Harrington are horrible. I also absolutely love the Craig Patrick hire. Great addition to the Sabres. Miracle in Buffalo.

Unfortunately, to the extent that he wants to be close to his kids, that factor weighs in favor of NJ. Personally, I hope he returns to the Sabres.

Bulldog is ok, but Schopp better hope that WGR never does what he wanted the Sabres to do with Lindy - the same with Sullivan and Gleason. These guys would have a very difficult time getting a job that comes anywhere close to what they have now. Lindy, on the other hand, will have a multi-million contract somewhere else if he wants one. It infuriates me that the lemmings let these guys lead them by the nose.

Lindy Ruff is a class act. He is one of our own. As far as I am concerned, it was not time - at least not time to fire Lindy. This has been like killing one of our own. The whingers (e.g., Sully, Bucky, guys on WGR, and some fans) got what they have been clamoring for. I think that we will all come to realize that the problems with this team did not lie with the coach. In any event, that is my abbreviated two cents. Thanks Lindy for being a great guy, a great coach, and adopting Buffalo as your hometown. It is going to be very strange to see him coach another team.

Much too young. RIP.

Well done

Notwithstanding what the announcers on Directv said, it was Campbell who skated right by him. What a bonehead move by Campbell.