nfreeman

Very nice.

Of course it's not his job to save the world, and of course he is free to market his angst, just as he's free to market photos of his dog's morning bowel movements. However, the rest of the world is also free to react negatively to his marketing efforts. My point was simply that if he is working through his issues, a less self-absorbed way of doing so -- and thus a way that would've incurred a more positive reaction -- would've been to have done so by helping other people. There are certainly many other methods he could've chosen that would also have been less annoying.

If any Sabres STHs have the ability to get good seats for this and are interested in helping out fellow SSers, please speak up. I know I'm interested. Thanks.

Good man.

I'd expect that everyone here has had to eat a poop sandwich from time to time at work. That's life. I'd also expect that no one here has gotten paid over $25MM to play a game for a living. That's a freaking miracle. So, when those 2 worlds collided for him, if Ville wanted my advice on what to do, I would've told him to voice any complaints/angst he had very quietly and only to wife/inner circle, and always qualified by "I know how lucky I am, but..." Or, if he really had/has depression (and I think 11 could certainly be right about that), then tell the world, but do so in the context of trying to help others deal with their depression/other mental health issues. That would take some guts and be admirable, or at least reasonably OK. Doing what he did -- i.e. telling the world how tough it was for him in connection with selling his artwork online -- makes him look like a self-absorbed DB, IMHO.

Well, it does kinda seem like the ultimate ZFG move.

How's the Enroth crusade going?

Well, it doesn't seem possible that the story can ever be truly confirmed. 11 -- did your source actually witness this interaction? Or was he repeating a story he heard? If it's the former, and if 11 believes the source to be an honest person, that's good enough for me.

I agree that it's likely that Kuli's salary demands will be too rich for the Sabres' blood (and for my taste as well, BTW), and that it's accordingly highly unlikely that he's back here -- but I also think the scenario in which he's unsigned in late summer and forced to take whatever someone will give him like Franson did is reasonably likely. I'd gladly have him back on a 1-year, $2.5MM "prove it" deal.

It's perfectly reasonable to be disinterested in a person's religion, or in religion generally, but there's a slippery slope -- well illustrated in a number of threads on this board -- between disinterest and antipathy.

I don't really think we've seen peak Sam. And I think there's a good chance that peak Sam will indeed emerge if he plays center, which is why I'd like to see it given a real try (and I too liked what I saw when he played center last year with Kaner on his wing). My point is simply that although we think there's a good chance that Sam would spread his wings and fly if he is moved to center, there is certainly a good chance that DDB was right about playing him at wing, and that Sam can't play center in the NHL. And if Sam is indeed best at the NHL level as a winger, I don't have much optimism that peak Sam at wing is a quantum leap ahead of what he's shown to date. I do think that Sam does have an excellent hockey IQ, and I'm pretty optimistic that JBott will choose a good coach that will figure out how to get the most out of him.

Good call on waivers. I also agree that the Sabres (or other teams) offering a sweetener to Vegas in exchange for taking one of the bad contracts is quite possible. However, if the Sabres and Vegas don't make a deal on a sweetener, I would still, if I were McPhee, take Ullmark with the idea that he's an asset that I could flip for a draft pick a week later, and then find a backup GT elsewhere on the cheap, as opposed to being stuck with Moulson, Ennis or Bogo.

Or maybe not much of a role on da wing. As far as that goes, my takeaway from JBott's remarks on Reino yesterday was that Botteril didn't have a firm view on where Reino should be playing, but that Reino's versatility makes him a valuable contributor. So I wouldn't be a-tall surprised to see Reino at C.

It's worked well for both Pittsburgh and Chicago.

Bogo's got all of the physical tools the job requires. He looked like his confidence was shot last year. He needs the defenseman whisperer. If the next coach can resurrect Bogo into a viable top-4 defenseman, and if Antipin is the real deal, the Sabres' blue line could look about 500% better next year. Is there a coaching candidate out there who knows something about defensemen transitioning the puck out of the defensive zone and up the ice quickly? Maybe one with red hair and about a million NHL points and games played?

If I'm McPhee, I'd still take Ullmark before I take Moulson, Ennis or Bogo, on the theory that I can stash Ullmark in the minors and/or trade him for a draft pick. Those outcomes are still much better than being stuck with one of those crappy contracts.

Well, that's the $64 question, eh? I can see -- and would like to see -- Reino excelling as a 17-18 min per game #3 center, with, say, Foligno and Ennis (or Bailey, or Baptiste, or Rodrigues, or Kane) on his wings.and plenty of PP time. I can also see the team overall being stronger 5-on-5 with Reino in that role. But I have to admit that it's wishful thinking -- and that I can also see him not excelling in that role -- at least not relative to the 23-27-50 guy he probably is pretty consistently as a #2 RW. Good stuff. Thanks. I'll also point out that the Penguins gave up zero when they signed Ruhwedel, who played 13 respectable ES minutes (zero PP or PK shifts) last night in a 2nd-round Game 7 win.

Yup. Respectfully, I can't agree with the description of Zetterberg's game as "quiet." He was a major difference-maker at all times.

He certainly seemed like an earnest guy. I definitely liked "up-tempo, puck possession, north-south." We'll see.

We're all a little cold and dead inside, but we're all here because we know the right guys can awaken the force. Maybe the hockey gods have decided that we've paid a heavy enough price for the Black Sunday and tank crimes against the game. Maybe JBott will be the one to pull the sabre from the rock encasement. It could happen.

Agreed on PF and Aerosmith, but not Nirvana. (No opinion on Metallica.)

Well, it seems like there's quite a bit of optimism/trusting in scouting reports in here that hasn't been shown at the NHL level, but I sure hope you're right. Yes indeedly. Wouldn't that be sweet. If XGMTM turns out to have been right about this and about Lehner, it will go a long way toward preserving a respectable legacy for him here. I'm thinking either a cabana or a suite.

My chicken sandwich ran out of chicken less than 75% of the way through. Unacceptable. OTOH, Shrader's info about Costco hazard protection on tires is gold, Jerry, gold.

Not that it really matters, but I just listened to the interview with Rutherford on WGR. He said that the Sabres contacted him about JBot AFTER they canned XGMTM.

It's although worth noting IMHO that his MBA is from the U. of Michigan, which is a pretty high-end institution. He's almost certainly got a good brain. I like the hire.