nfreeman

OK, but these are generalities that do not address my point: that it is impossible to know how much a trade offer for ROR would've improved if the Sabres had paid the bonus, and that in that situation, most if not all NHL owners would've instructed their GMs to either save the $7.5MM or keep ROR. The Colorado situation isn't applicable because there was no $7.5MM bonus deadline. You are of course free to decline to put the time in and find facts supporting your theory, but all that does is weaken your position.

There's one huge difference: the outcome in a buyout is known, while the outcome in paying the bonus and then trading the player (i.e. whether you'll be able to get a better trade) is unknown. Can you cite any examples of paying a big bonus to a player and then trading him? And your first sentence is an excellent example of why many people here have had issues with you -- and why you are likely to find yourself in time out again soon.

I’ll say it: concern is creeping in.

While I think the necessity of trading ROR is a legitimate question (one which I do not agree with your answer, but still legitimate), the above is where I think you are on pretty shaky ground. I think it’s very unusual for a team in the Sabres’ situation with ROR’s bonus to eat the bonus and then trade him. I think at least 26 NHL owners, and maybe all of them, would instruct the GM to either keep him or trade him before the bonus is due.

I don't think anyone is saying that TM was a better GM than JB. It's fair to evaluate JB and his moves, including the ROR and Kane decisions (and the execution of those decisions) without reference to TM. It's also reasonable to think that JB has been a better GM than TM was but still has made mistakes -- some serious and consequential -- and overall hasn't performed as well as one might like. (NB that I don't think this, but I don't think it's an opinion from outer space.)

OK boys. Let's take it down a notch here.

Ooooooooooohhhh. Huge point for Liger.

Well, to jump over a team with a 4-point advantage, the Sabres need to "gain" 5 points so they aren't relying on tiebreakers. Since the team you're chasing is a playoff team, that means you have to assume that team is going to be playing at an above-.500 pace -- so they are probably going to win 5 of those 8 games and will therefore earn 10 points. When you add those 10 points to the 5 the Sabres need to pass them -- you've got 15 points, or 1 less than the 16 the Sabres would earn with 8 straight wins. As you said -- it's not exactly right, but IMHO it's pretty close -- and the more teams you have to pass, the closer it gets to troof.

My rule of thumb in the “Sabres are X points out of the last playoff spot” is that to take that last spot, 2 straight wins are required for each point they are behind. So if they are 2 points behind, they need 4 straight wins to supplant the current holder of the spot.

If I may: - Lehner was a disaster last season, no doubt in part due to his personal demons. Even so, I'd guess 90% to 100% of NHL GMs would've made the same decision that JB made. And it's nonsense to blame JB and Howie for not saving him and/or getting more out of him. - The debate tactic of "If X had happened, you would've said Y" is weak sauce. It can't be proven or disproved and IMHO doesn't advance a position. - I've already given my opinion on ROR multiple times, so will forbear here, but as to Kane: he's having a very strong season and seems to have landed in the right place. Good for him. I would've been OK keeping Kane, but understood the decision to move on from him. I also think Skinner is better than Kane -- but I'd sure rather have Kane on his contract than KO on his. - As to the broader questions of whether JB and Howie have the right stuff: it's too early to tell IMHO. Certainly there are reasons for both optimism and pessimism. I think it's worth remembering that people tend to improve at their jobs with experience.

From reddit:

When is naptime? And where's the jello?

As I've said previously: a SabreSpace council of elders would have done a much better job GM'ing the team over the last decade or so than the actual GMs did.

Mark Recchi.

Side note: Myers, who is 2nd in ice time among the Jets’ D, is probably playing his last game as a Jet in Buffalo. He is a UFA this summer and my understanding is that the Jets like him but don’t have enough cap space to keep him. I think he is expected to get a pretty rich UFA deal. Let the record reflect that Myers is a right shot D, and that Bogo and his cap hit are probably disappearing on the day before Myers becomes available...

I'll take the 2 points, the 2ndary scoring and the bounceback from Linus, but it's worth remembering that Detroit is 1 pt out of DFL. I continue to think something is wrong with Eichel. He was pretty much invisible today other than that sweet feed to Bogo that Howard made a great save on. And there's no playoff drive without peak Eichel. KO quietly has 5 goals in his last 15 games. (And only 1 assist, so let's not get carried away on this.) Let's see what happens tomorrow against a good team that is going to be PO'd and playing hard.

I think @dudacek was referring to a scenario where Scandy is traded to a team making a playoff run, and then the Sabres use the proceeds of that trade to bring in a middle 6 forward via a 2nd trade. I'm a bit skeptical that this will happen but it's certainly possible.

Most likely outcomes IMHO, in order of likelihood: 1. Someone else gets hurt in the next 14 days, eliminating the need to make a move (because I think after the trade deadline there is no roster limit). 2. Hunwick is waived 3. Beaulieu is traded for a low pick as @jame suggested. 4. Scandella is traded for a decent pick.

Well, in fairness to @LGR4GM, it's pretty likely that that line gets the least 5x5 ice time. OTOH, Erod will probably get enough ST time to be in the top 9 among the forwards.

The Benn hit was the one I was thinking of -- thanks. I would certainly take a guy like Wilson -- i.e. a guy who can score, skate and protect his teammates -- but they are few and far between.

No one is trading for KO or Pommer.

I unfortunately can't make it due to family scheduling conflicts. If anyone would like to buy one of the seats in TW's group, pls PM me.

I think it did come up in the context you are referring to, i.e. Howie's wife, and in a thread about whether Howie was on the hot seat. However, the conversation was limited to the question of whether her political allegiance helped Howie's job security -- not the merits of the underlying views -- and even then people objected to it not being in the politics club. There was certainly no poopstorm relating to various political issues like we had in this GDT last night. That kind of stuff belongs in the politics club.

Separately: to return to the discussion about the PP -- the Sabres had only 2 of them. In the 1st one, the 1st unit was unable to gain the zone and set up. In the 2nd one, Eichel was again set up at the right point, not the left half-wall. So I think the approach has changed.

I don't think Jack gets run very often -- it did happen once recently (vs Minny I think) but that's the only one I can remember. And before his injury, Jack frequently looked to me like he was turning into the dominant star-level player we've all been hoping for -- so I don't think there was an issue with him being run and it affecting his play then either. Having said that, I certainly wouldn't mind a bit more toughness in the lineup. I just think it's not what's really ailing this team right now.