apuszczalowski

And how many of those guys have actually shown any more drive or competitive fire then what guys like Roy/Pomminstein/Stafford/etc. showed when they came up at that age? Your assuming because some of them played well when they came up that Doan will be able to mould them into leaders, like some thought Drury's presence could do to the last bunch. As for the other comments by everyone, calm down and don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm just having some fun with the over the top hype around here over getting Doan.......

The former "young players" had the experience of playing with and learning from a "Shane Doan type player" named Chris Drury, "Captain Clutch", and how did that work out for them? Why not just convince Drury to come back out of retirement for the vet minimum and they put him in the press box every night. Little cap hit, and he can be the veteran to teach the younger guys how to "play the game right and play hard" If you are going to get yourself into cap trouble with a $7.5mil cap hit for the next 4 years, it better be for someone who is going to make you a cup contender, not for someone who only gives the a better chance of going further then the 1st round in the playoffs, or "at best, might be able to teach the next group of young players how to work hard" (something players really shouldn't have to be taught when they get to this level.

At the most, less then 1/4 of the proposed 200 rooms would be for the visiting NHL team for 41 nights a year (If all teams that come in to play stay atleast one night in town and don't leave right away, and if each player, coach, and employee of that team is given their own room and don't have to share rooms). I highly doubt that any of the traveling teams coming in to play the Bisons are going to stay at somewhere expensive, triple A teams don't have huge budgets and spend alot on accomodations on the road, so if this hotel is more of an "upper scale" place, like one an NHL franchise would use for its players, I doubt a Triple A baseball team will be spending the same.

[ Didn't he vote Abraham Lincoln into office?And are we talking about the Abraham Lincoln of the "fore Score" Days, or the Vampire hunting one?

Doan doesn't Guarantee Playoffs, signing him Guaran-DAM-tees Stanley Cups! or atleast thats what I am lead to believe, and its an easy 3 steps to the cup Step 1 - Sign Doan Step 2 - ................................. Step 3 - Stanley Cup Champions! He plays physical which means that goal scoring will be increased and the Sabres will go 98-0!

Better Hurry up and get Doans signature on the dotted line now!

I bet Shane Doan would be able to fix all the countries problems and bring the Democrats and Republicans together and they would resolve their differences by "hugging it out" (But not in a gay way)

I hear Doan is the last piece to "Hockey Heaven" and thats why TP was willing to spend so much to get him. He is the key to entering...... I also hear that when hockey heaven is achieved, There ground will open at teh site of the old Aud, Unicorns of Blue and Gold will fly out and start construction on Bass Pro, knocking down the Skyway, and constructing the new Peace Bridge. Every Child in the Land will gather around the arena where they will be given golden hockey sticks and skates and games of hockey will be coninuously played night and day on TPs new rinks outside the arena in the old parking lot. Milan Lucic will be so ashamed of his previous actions he will publically apologise and retire from the game of hockey, Brett Hull will apologise for having his foot in the crease and forfeit the Stars Cup win, and Tom Brady and Bill belicheck will both announce they are secretly in love and retiring from teh NFL to open up a bed and breakfast together. The CBA will never be argued on between the NHLPA and the owners, and Bettman will retire giving his position to Pat Lafontaine. Billion Dollar comanies will relocate all of there headquarters to Buffalo with million dollar Jobs for everyone, Obama and Romney will set aside there differences and will agree to run the country together, compomising on everything and tearing down the divide of Republicans and Democrats. Instead of Snow and rain, the skies will only rain down Stanley Cups on the City, and the City will be the envy of new York and California! But that will only happen when Doan signs in Buffalo, If he doesn't, its Business as usual and "Hockey heaven" is still only a dream of TPs

Depends on the person and what kind of financial shape he is in. Of course most people/athletes wouldn't turn down the extra money, mostly because they have blown through most of the previous money they have earned. Doan (and alot of other hockey players) just seem like they are smarter and better with their money then other pro sports athletes, and alot of these guys have saved and invested enough to live comfortably on. Doan just strikes me as that kind of guy with a good head on his shoulders and doesn't need the money, he is desperatly trying to stay in phoenix when if he was looking for a final payout deal he could have accepted one weeks ago. Money could be the last thing on his mind if it means going somewhere that puts his family closer to other family members and gives him a better shot at winning a cup

You are assuming that he only cares about money, and his immediate family with this. A place like vancouver may appeal to him more, He gets to stay out west, play for a team thats been a game away from a SC win, AND is close to his wifes family. I don't think the Sabres signing Doan is going to automatically make this team the team to beat in the East and a SC contender in the immediate future, and I haven't seen anyone who is not a Sabres fan think the same way. Yes it makes them a better team, but they were a 9th place team last year, theres alot of improving that needs to be done. Will he be happy with a ton of cash, moving to the east, and going to a team thats pining all of its SC hope on him changing the entire team around? He could still turn down Buffalo and have it nothing to do with the front offices inability to convince him. They just might not be what he feels is the best fit for him at this point in his career, and money might not be an issue which is basically the only reason to sign here. He isn't coming to a team that was on the verge of a SC win recently, or somewhere closer to all of his family. Hes coming to a desperate team who hopes he can turn around the entire culture and carry them somewehere he has never been able to carry another team to

Canucks sign him, then take a deal with the Leafs to unload Luongo. From what it sounds like, its the Canucks that are keeping Luo from being dealt because right now, they don't absolutly have to deal him so teh price is high. If they need the cap space, he's the chip that gets moved for less then what they want now for him to get the cap space. Right now theres no rush to move him so they can hold out for the other side to get desperate enough to make the move and offer what they are looking for The leafs are one of the only teams desperate enough for Goaltending right now, and he's the best available. Florida is only in because it would be an upgrade to what they currently have and a return "home" for him and his family Its to prevent teams and players for working out a long term deal structured to give them big money upfront with a "hand shake agreement" to retire after a few years so the team takes a smaller cap hit, and the player gets most of his money. You would end up seeing alot of crazy deals for guys over 35 that would be made to get around this if the rule wasn't in place. They figure if you are gonna take the risk of signing a player over 35, there will be consequences if they can't fulfil it. Thats why the Sabres offer is so dangerous and not a smart move. Its not TPs money that anyones worried about, its that $7.5mil under the cap is going to be held for a 35+ year old in the decline of his career, and theres no way of getting rid of the cap hit, unless you can convince some cap floor team to take him (which would be tough cause I'm willing to bet Doan won't sign a deal without a NMC/NTC

Again, the problem with all of this, like all negotiations, is that they never feel any pressure to get something done til the 11th hour. Up til then its just a game of chicken to see who caves first. No side will cave until the last minute, so theres no rush to get anything done til then. They keep putting off meeting to get something resolved, when you would think they would want to just sit down together in a room ASAP and not leave until something is worked out. If they get to a lockout, they will break from talks again and take things slow until the next deadline. if something isn't reached then, it will be slow until the next deadline and so on until one side caves You would think they would want to resolve this quickly and quietly since they just lost a full season to the last CBA dispute and fans were just starting to let that one go and move on.......

Obviously you guys need more guns out there......... Only way to stop gun violence is with more Guns

Why does it have to be one or the other? The chance or lieklyhood of eventually getting buried in the minors due to your outrageous cap hit may deter someone from wanting to play in Buffalo, but may not be something they worry about in New York City. If he goes to NY or Philly, he is on a team thats typically seen as one of the East Cup Contenders and gives him the best chance to get to a Cup, where as if he goes to Buffalo, does he have a better chance of getting a cup? If he wins the cup in the next 2 seasons he may turn around and say he will retire and not have to worry about going to the minors. But out of NY, Philly or Buffalo, which team has the best odds of getting him a cup so he can retire?

Does he want to completly uproot his faimly and move to Buffalo? From what it sounds like, he wants to keep his ranch in Phoenix and if he doesn't stay with teh Coyotes, his first choice is to stay close to home so his family doesn't have to move or be uprooted accross the country for a couple years. Of course he visited some east coast teams (Cup contenders The Rangers and Flyers) to keep his options open, but that doesn't mean those teams are high on his list. He never came to visit Buffalo, and doews anyone outside of Buffalo feel that they are a true cup contender with or without Doan?

He said that at the trade deadline this year, he never said that they would never trade for guys that would become UFA's at the end of a season during the offseason. All he said was that he wasn't looking to make a deal for a rental at the deadline this year And they are a desired location to go to because they are the biggest American hockey market and one of the largest, most attractive locations in the league. Your comparing the city of New York to the City of Buffalo, its not like the Blue jackets are getting away with doing things like this successfully

Other teams may tell him that they can't match the offer Buffalo has for him, but that doesn't mean the rest of the league is out for him. If the guy cared about the money, he would have agreed tot eh Sabres deal already. He cares more about where he plays the most, thats why he wants to stay in Phoenix. He may accept much less to stay there, or be willing to take less to play somewhere closer to home instead of relocating all teh way accross the country to somewhere he has no connection with

I think theres just as good of a chance that Iginla can be moved as there is of Doan chosing another team to play for then Phoenix.I never said that Calgary has Iginla on the trading block and is actively shopping him for picks and prospects. But for the right price, any player can be moved. Doans been a FA available to sign anywhere for over a month and a half now, being offered a deal about double what anyone else is offering and he continues to wait for the ownership situation to be finalised, continuing to move his self imposed deadlines. I only threw out the idea of making a push to try and get Iginla out of Calgary....

I disagree on this, I think the longer it plays out, the less likely he is to come here. The selling point to him right now from the Sabres is the contract. If the money and years haven't already made up his mind to come here, he ain't coming unless he is completly out of options. The only thing keeping this dragging on is the ownership situation in Phoenix. He desperatly wants to stay there, but doesn't want to re-sign until its official that the deal is done and they have an actual owner. If the announcement is made that they will not be sold to Jamieson and he doesn't sign the Sabres contract at that time, he won't be a Sabres unless everyone else in theleague turns to him and says they are out.

You assume that the guys coming up are going to be quality guys and will make an impact at a young age in the NHL though. Your assuming these players become Vaneks, Pomminsteins, and Ennis', rather then Staffords, Roys, and Kassians Your also hoping the new CBA doesn't restrict the cap space, but right now, no one knows what the new CBA is going to look like and what will happen to existing contracts

Because Doans contract is for a player over 35 and its a guaranteed cap hit. If his play severly declines, your stuck with a huge cap hit and would have to get rid of guys to open up space to make moves while your stuck with a declining player taking up a large chunk of your cap. Atleast with Iginla, your giving up pieces, some of them can also be picks or guys not currently on the roster for a younger player whos cap hit can be lowered later on. To get him, you don't have to necessarily give up roster players, Picks and prospects can also be moved.

TP was able to convince others to waive clauses and agree to a deal, and its not like Doan is begging the Sabres to come to Buffalo either so I see that being a washFeaster can tell the fans and media he's not available, that doesn't mean he wouldn't move him for a decent offer. I seem to remember hearing the same thing out of Columbus about Nash for a while....

Thank you for that wonderful compliment, I would have been fine if you just called me brilliant, the really brilliant was a sweet touch, lol

And thats just the Bills section of TBD, PPP section is a much darker place!

And you know this how? Its a very realistic possibility, the Flames have been rumored many times to be willing to move Iginla for the right price, and most people agree the Flames should deal him while they can get something for him and rebuild properly. Iginla is much closer to being deserving of a $7.5 mil a year deal, and he isn't over 35 so if you gave him that deal for a longer term, this is a contract you can bury or get rid of later on when he is declining. Its not going to be a cheap deal for Buffalo to make, but it would give them a much better chance to win now then grossly overpaying for a guy with little playoff experience. Realistically, for a rebuilding team like the Flames, iginla can probably be had for a group of prospects most likely someone like McNabb included, and a couple of high draft picks, and hes a player who has more years left to play then Doan. The biggest roadblock for me with Doan (the one that makes me turn around in the other direction) is the "over 35 rule" for his contract. These are the kind of contracts you need to be very careful with cause they handcuff you with your cap. Doan at a reasonable contract (less then $5mil cap hit for those 4 years) is a no brainer. Overpaying for Doan know isn't going to help "Hockey Heaven" or change the view of the team (only putting a good consistent winner on the ice will do that) its just shows desperation, and a willingness to overpay which might attract some players who are looking for a big payday. What happens next year if they don't win the cup? They are going to have to move players in order to free up cap space to re-sign some players and will be out of the running for some top FA's because they will have less cap space. The Rangers where able to get out of cap problems because they didn't give huge contracts to gives over 35. They could bury the bad contract to Redden in the minors, the contract to Drury is lessened with his retirement, and they have been lucky enough to have some very good players develop in their minor league system to go along with one of the best goaltenders in the league. But what has all the spending gotten them? Great regular season and not a sniff of the Stanley cup. Its funny that so many think that Doan is the key to turning the Sabres into the Cup Favorite, when his playoffs experience includes getting past the first round only once. He is basically Chris Drury without the playoff Stanley Cup Experience, and not even Drury was able to get this team into the SC Finals