nfreeman

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.

And that's that.

All true, but hiring the right guys for coach and GM can get us most of the way there, and faster than perhaps most of us now think possible. It sure woulda been nice to get Babcock though. Very nice. How can you say this? Draisaitl looks terrific based on eye test, physical tools and numbers. Reino shows flashes but is also invisible for long stretches. Yes, wrong position and poor coaching are (we hope) valid reasons for his stunted development, but we should remember that those are just hopes that may or may not be borne out under a different coach. It's at least as possible that Reino just isn't that good. And in the meantime Draisaitl is indisputably a much better player. Interesting. Why? Not arguing, just curious as to your thinking here.

Welcome 1974! Don't forget to fix your avatar...

I agree on the forwards. If the worst is true of KO, and if the Sabres do swing a deal for a defenseman, I could see them protecting 4-4-1 instead of 7-3-1.

TB -- you are probably right that Zemgus and Larsson get protected (along with Carrier and Foligno, I'd guess). Still, I'd guess that LV would take Ullmark or DesLauriers before taking one of the fat contracts. I don't think they'll sign Gionta before the draft.

#HammyMath. No NHL team would give MM $3MM next year. Not one. Separately: I've come to the conclusion that LV is not going to take Ennis, Moulson, Bogo or Gorges without being bribed to do so. Every NHL team is going to expose players on crappy contracts, and there will be plenty of options for LV to choose better players than those 4. If the Sabres don't offer LV a sweetener, they'll take Ullmark, Zemgus, Larsson or another young, low-priced Sabre.

Well, a Bills game would be optional. I wouldn't expect a major effort to get a block of tickets and sit together -- more like just have a tailgate for whoever wants to double down on Sunday. The Sabres game and meetup would be the main event. In any event, we won't know if it's possible until the NHL schedule comes out.

I'd like to join but it's tricky coming from out of town -- will definitely try. For the 1st game, can I suggest November rather than December, as better weather makes for easier travel for the out-of-towners? Also, a Sat. night game on a weekend with a home Bills game on the following Sunday would create the possibility of a lengthy binge including a tailgate. (e.g. Sat. Oct. 28, Sat. Nov. 11 or Sat. Dec. 2). Just sayin'.

Just finished binge-watching Season 3 of "Catastrophe" on Amazon. It's an outstanding comedy you can watch with your significant other. Highly recommended.