nfreeman

Well, Wawrow could certainly be wrong, but his article on this states: https://www.yahoo.com/news/bills-mccoy-sued-ex-girlfriend-following-home-invasion-220816396--spt.html

Why are we assuming GMTM (who presumably was all in on the tank as a condition for getting the job) would've been the GM? Funny -- I was about 2 posts above this one when the same thought occurred to me. At this point, I'll just hope for the argument to morph into a debate over Taro's (incorrect) assertion that Dahlin is tankfruit -- which will only happen if the Sabres are good this year -- because if they stink again, even Hoss and WC will probably give up the ghost.

But you can't cherry-pick Eichel out of the entire tank context. Of course if you had a playoff bubble team and you could push a button and get Eichel, anyone would do so. But that's not the question. The question is whether it is wise to burn your team to the ground to get Eichel -- and in answering that question you have to consider how easy it will be and how long it will take to rebuild from the ashes. And when you finish DFL in Eichel's third season, when most pro-tankers were telling us at the time of the tank that by now the Sabres would be in the playoffs and poised for greater things -- it kinda looks like the anti-tankers were right.

BTW: I had to hit "page down" EIGHT times to get from the top of Flagg's post to the bottom. I pity the fools who make him defend his PhD dissertation!

After that poop-show of a season, it's hard to be confident in any of them, and that includes Eichel and JBott. But I'm cautiously optimistic. This.

But what is the point of distinguishing between the 2? Wasn't the point of the tank to end up with a good hockey team, with the pro-tankers believing that tanking to get Eichel was the best way of getting there? Would the pro-tankers have been happy with finishing DFL every year for the duration of Eichel's career? The question answers itself. And it's worth recalling that the anti-tankers wisely and correctly opposed the tank because it bore an unacceptably high risk of miring the team indefinitely in the land that good hockey forgot.

If this is directed at my assertion that a cup 9 years post-tank doesn't mean that the tank was a success, Imma make like Larry David and flip it around on ya: if they stink for 9 years post-tank, and then have success, and you regard that as proof of a successful tank -- then it's the pro-tankers (or some of them, anyway) who will never admit that the tank was a failure.

No.

Well, to be precise, if the Sabres don’t emerge as league contenders until 2022, then IMHO the tank was a failure because it cost 9 years of everyone’s hockey life. There were quicker routes available that featured much less misery and many more playoff games along the way.

The tank commenced in 2013. If the Sabres aren’t league contenders until 2022, I don’t see how anyone could think the tank was a success.

I don’t really want to relitigate the tank, but I will emphatically disagree with the assertion that it has worked so far. As for the Bills, I think the D will be much improved and there is reason to believe that both offensive play calling and QB play will be improved too.

I fell asleep halfway through it last night but just polished the rest of it off. Awesome.

Hoss — are you a defender of the Sabres’ tank for Eichel? Just curious as to your position and reasoning.

I think the Bills will win between 7 and 10 games, with the final result driven mostly by QB play and TOs. While I have high hopes for the Sabres, it’s hard to see them jumping from a well deserved DFL finish to DeLuca .500 or better. So IMHO it’s most likely that the Bills have a better season.

A full year’s worth of TP and paper towels? I try to keep 1-2 months’ supply on hand. But you sir are a professional. I’m going to Sam’s Club tomorrow.

The Athletic’s piece on Reino was indeed excellent, but it was largely premised on what I think is a false assumption: that it is either #1RW or #2C for Reino. The #2RW slot, which I think is the right one for Reino, was not analyzed. I want Reino at #2RW with Casey and Sheary. Sheltered minutes, 2 vets, 2 guys with speed, 2 guys who can pass and 3 guys who can score.

Good post, but the bolded is simply not the case. Guhle has looked well over his head more often than not at the NHL level. I wouldn't be surprised if Guhle played a lot in the NHL this year, but I wouldn't be surprised if he spends most of the year in Rochester either.

Wasn’t that Gaustadt?

IMHO, if we want Reino to become Bergeron or Toews, and not Roy or Stafford, a short-term deal is the way to go.

FWIW, I don’t subscribe to much online print content, but IMHO the Athletic offers the best professionally-produced Sabres and Bills content available anywhere.

If JBott is indeed holding firm to $4.5MM x 2 years, then he is doing it right and I am encouraged about his judgment and therefore the Sabres' long-term picture.

Here's a terrific piece from The Athletic about Jackie Boy: https://theathletic.com/449782/2018/08/07/buffalo-sabres-jack-eichel-decision-making-improvements-2018-nhl-season/ Discuss.

So Coleman was chosen #15 overall 2 years ago, had 69 yards in his 1st game, 104 yards in his 2nd game and then broke his hand. Then in his 2nd year, he caught 5 passes for 53 yards in the opener and then broke his hand again in week 2. He then missed 2 months and had a few good games and a few lousy games after returning. The WGR guys had an interview yesterday with one of the Cleveland reporters, who said that in addition to the injuries, Coleman exhibited a pretty good amount of meatheaded behavior -- late for practice, bad diet, buddies with criminal elements, etc. So he could use the trade as a learning experience, or he might not. But the potential is there.

I agree with most of this, but the fair comparison isn't really the 2 FNGs vs ROR -- it's the 2 FNGs vs ROR plus whatever 3rd-liner would've played had the trade not occurred.

Season premiere tonight!