nfreeman

Whether it's true or not, there is an important nuance here as well: did JB tell TP that JB had decided that ROR needed to be traded, and TP's response was "OK, but make sure you trade him before the bonus is due" -- or did TP instruct JB to trade ROR, and to make the trade before the bonus was due?

John -- this is interesting -- just wondering whether there is any more detail you can give us on this? i.e. if TM, JB and KA need TP's approval to hire/fire coaches or give out huge contracts like Eichel's or Skinner's contract, that is one thing. It's another thing entirely if TP is calling JB and instructing him to hire Housley or trade Marco Scandella.

It has to happen tomorrow, innit? It’s clear to everyone at this point that the train wreck is not going to magically heal itself?

I like Schopp and Bulldog, and I have no issue whatsoever with the use of the nickname "bulldog." (FWIW, there are about a million sports talk radio guys who use nicknames, in big markets and small markets -- one of the most popular sports talk radio shows of all time was "Mike and the Mad Dog" in NYC.) For example I thought Schopp and Bulldog made a couple of excellent points yesterday after KA's press conference -- Schopp said he thought the reason RK hasn't been fired yet is because of the money, which is quite plausible, and Bulldog said that it doesn't make much sense to keep saying the team's performance is "unacceptable," because if KA doesn't do anything about it, he's effectively accepting it, so it's not really unacceptable. What I don't think adds any value is taking shots at Schopp and the Bulldog without providing any examples of dumb things they've said, or taking shots at fans who like Schopp and the Bulldog because said fans are too dumb to know any better.

Any facts to support this? Any statements from people who know him? Anything at all? Or are you just PO'd about all the losing and lashing out? I've never heard a single bad word about him from anyone who knows him. Just the opposite, in fact. This is a person we're talking about here. The default should be that he's a good guy unless it's demonstrated otherwise. I too would like Boudreau to be hired ASAP -- but it has to be done by a new GM/POHO. As you and others have said, we need a real, experienced hockey guy with a successful track record making these decisions. It can't just be TP and KA.

OK. Let's take it down a notch please. He's incompetent but still seems like a good person.

But why hire a multiple-cup-winning coach who can scare the crap out of a dead man when you can hire a guy who had an unsuccessful cup of coffee as an NHL coach and then left the league, the sport and the continent for 6 years? Hopefully, TP has realized that he needs much more than a figurehead.

If the Sabres added 2 guys like Dudley and Quennville I would be ecstatic.

This is a very fair point. Kulikov probably wouldn't have made a major difference, but he was, and has been, a real 4/5 NHL defenseman who has had, on balance, a somewhat better career than Pysyk.

I agree that these are strange times, and that anything is possible. Still, given all we've heard about TP's mistrust of outsiders, I would be very surprised if he brought in someone that he didn't have a long history with and made that person a partner in his business.

I think it would be highly unusual for a GM/POHO to be given equity in the team. LQ did receive this, but my impression that it was more along the lines of a finder's fee for arranging a sweetheart deal for TG in buying the team.

Interesting. Thanks.

@john wawrow has been reasonably responsive when he pops in -- I would guess that he'd answer if it wouldn't breach a confidentiality obligation or other professional ethical obligation. I agree that the tank wouldn't have happened without TP's approval. I'm just curious as to whether TM sold him a bill of goods, as opposed to whether TM was given specific instructions on this particular awful idea that has kneecapped the franchise for a generation. Dudley would be just what the doctor ordered IMHO. And he's a former Sabre, which might be appealing to TP. Let's hope so.

I realize there are limits on how much detail you can provide in this regard, but maybe one specific question is OK: was GMTM instructed by the Pegulas to carry out the tank, or did he advise them to tank, which they then approved?

So, this looks to me like: - the Sabres are almost certainly not for sale - there is a reasonable likelihood that TP has decided to bring in a POHO/other senior-level hockey guy to help run the team Both of those, if true, are good news IMHO.

What exactly in the chart suggests this? I think wealthy people do not buy hockey teams to make money.

TM certainly looked crestfallen when the Sabres didn't get McD, but again -- no one could possibly have counted on winning a 1-in-5 lottery, or for that matter a 1-in-4 lottery.

I refuse to believe that any sentient human decided to tank because they thought a 1-in-5 chance to get McD would pay off. It had to be because they thought Eichel would be worth it.

He wants it to work here. FFS, get him a goalie and a coach/teammates who can produce 5-on-5 offense, let him heal up and the monster we saw last year will return better than ever.

I’ll bet your technique was still razor sharp though.

Well, a cracked rib would explain the slowdown in his play, to some degree anyway.

@john wawrow -- I hope you've been keeping well. We'd sure appreciate your thoughts on whether RK is going to get canned and whether Eichel will be traded!

This has the cold ring of truth. I sure hope it is somehow not the case though.

Huh? The Sabres were 30-39 last year and are 6-13 this year, for a total RK record of 36-52.