apuszczalowski

I think that's the problem and has been the problem around here for a while. Too many bottom 6 guys and not enough top 6 guys. Ideally you want your top 6 guys to force players into bottom 6 roles instead of bottom 6 guys getting pushed into top 6 roles. I would rather see them get someone that can push Casey down to the bottom 6, or back to Rochester for a bit the looking for more guys to round out the bottom 6. Has there ever been a player who was ruined by staying down in the minors too long?

While sometimes true, I dont think it applies in this situation. If the Sabres were losing because they just didnt have the talent to compete, that would be one thing, but they arent looking good I their losses and it's not because of talent issues. Theres more questions about effort by the players and issues with lineups then just three being a lock of talent on the roster. And talent wise, they arent that far off most teams in the league talent wise. Islanders lost a big piece talent wise and they are just as good or better. Montreal was supposed to be a bad team lacking talent and they are playing really well. Carolina dealt away chunks of talent too.

Eichel definitely wasnt the best player in the draft the year they got him. And he is t going to be one of the 'Generational Superstars' like Sid. I also wouldnt put him in the Elite category with guys like McDavid, Matthew's, Ovi, Malkin, Stamkos, Tavares, etc. He is definitely a great player though with lots of talent and probably at the top of the next rung of talent which is at least what you would expect for someone draft in the top couple spots of any draft. I have always felt that talent does not and should not determine who gets a 'C'. Guys can have tremendous talent but not be 'C' material. Vanek was almost always one of the most talented players on the Sabres when he was here, but he wasnt what you would want to be the 'C'. Jack has never struck me as the type of player who would be a great leader even with being the most talented player on the team. He says the right things to the media usually, but I Never got that vibe he would lead a lockerroom, at least not at a young age. Now I also believe that it really doesnt matter who has a 'C' or 'A' on their Jersey, it's more of a symbolic gesture and doesnt matter at all. A true leader doesnt need the letter to lead in the lockerroom and will do it with or without anything extra on the Jersey.

It's a weird trade. Oilers get what they need, a salary dump so they can bring back Sekera this week from IR. They dump a pending UFA that's lost his starting job. Usually a move like that would require a pick also to sweeten the deal, but the Flyers instead just send back a younger goalie who was down their depth chart. I guess if the Flyers feel Stolarz is garbage and worth less than a 7th rounder it makes more sense. From what i read before the trade happened, the Flyers wanted a veteran goalie to back up Hart and wanted Talbot for more then this year. With their other goalies on IR and being UFAs at the end of the season, they were looking to acquire Talbot and give them some extra time to possibly get an extension worked out. Looking at the league, its littered with goalies who looked great as backups for a year or 2, then got moved or signed as UFAs by another team to be a starter only to fail. Talbot, Lack, Hutton, the Carolina goalie they picked from Chicago, half the goalie depth chart of the Flyers. Seems like the better goalies come from the draft and get developed over the years in your system.

Sending him to Edmonton will seal his fate as a draft bust. Has anyone lost a trade with Edmonton recently?

They haven't looked like it recently, they just lost today to the Senators........... Good thing is that the Sabres always seem to play to the level of their opponent alot. They look good or surprise many against teams that are near the top (Calgary), then get beat in games against teams they should beat easily (Chicago)

No way they strip the 'Golden child' of the 'C'

Almost every player is 'tradeable', it just depends on what your willing to accept in return Pommers could have teams willing to trade for him, but I doubt the offers are going to be higher then a late pick, or a salary dump, same with KO If the Sabres want to move some of the underperforming veteran guys currently on the roster, they will either have to accept less or include them in deals taking back salary. In order to get players who may help the team now or next year, they are going to have to be willing to give up picks or some of the guys in Rochester I get the feeling it is going to be a quiet (depressing) deadline for the fans. I don't get the impression that JBott is willing to spend to try and make the playoffs this year. They viewed the season going in as a development/evaluation year, they don't appear to be the type that is willing to break away from a plan. Some of the dead weight may be moved for picks or reinforcements in Rochester, then possibly bring up a few guys to fill the openings and let them show what they can do at the NHL level. Then they look at next year as a playoff year making a few moves this offseason to add to the roster. The rest of this season will be looked at as if they make the playoffs, great, if they don't, its fine because that would have been a bonus from the original goal this year.

From what it sounds like, He is looking/wanting re-inforcements and moves being made, JB wants to evaluate what they have more and wants PH to do what he can with the current roster. After a comment like that, I don't expect the Sabres being busy buyers at the deadline...........

What about Ottawa? Theres been a couple trades recently in the league where they were basically undoing a previous trade made

I hate defending the Leafs, but to be fair, isnt that a pretty hypocritical post to make coming from a Sabres fan?

Isnt that a shot of the Detroit water supply system?

Who knows, Matthew's deal may start a trend for players wanting to test FA. It can depend on the player though. Some players care more about the security then the money and want the term, others want the chance to cash in and will take the risk of a short term deal to get a chance to negotiate another one later on. One of those options only works for the top/elite players in the league. The average player usually wont want to risk potentially losing a large sum of money because they didnt live up to their short term contract. The upper tier guys like Crosby, Matthew's, etc. typically dont have to worry and can take that risk. But if your someone like say Sam Reinhart, your probably gonna take the term over Matthew's style deal. As for basketball, they also have one of the weirdest systems in place when it comes to contracts and caps. They have trades that if you compare what's being moved it looks extremely lopsided, but it's done so teams can open up room for future roster moves. I would not be looking at trying to emulate the NBAs system or hoping they do as a fan of hockey. The league always seems to be the same few teams leading the league, being able to build super teams, while the average team has no chance year in and year out. The players also seem to run the show and theres obvious tampering going on. You have guys like Balls father running to the media saying what team his son will go play for (basically letting the league know ahead of time where their interests are), and many other who its widely known that they will be signing in certain places once they are a FA (its widely known Leonard of the Raptors wants to sign with an LA team this offseason), etc. I have never heard Crosbys mom going to the media and telling them her boy will only play in Montreal if traded, or it widely known that Eichel would only sign in the North east when he hits FA.

Watching NHL network, or get a Canadian feed for Sportsnet might make him smarter/a better coach.......

Not that their choices have been great recently, but how many times can we keep blaming it on the coach? The best coach we have had since Lindy was the guy who replaced him and they brought in to begin the tank....

Yeah, just listen to him, he never wants to rush to make a decision and wants to evaluate every decision thoroughly. I believe he referred to seasons as being evaluation years for them. Sometimes as a sports GM you have to strike when the iron is hot. Not taking advantage this year of the winning streak and trying to make the playoffs is a bad move just because your plan had originally had this year as a development/learning year.

ROR is a good player. He may not be a lockerroom leader, and was run out of here because fans felt he was a cancer because he wasnt happy with losing. Many thought players should/would be all for tanking to get a better draft choice and then could just turn it back on when they obtained that player. I dont blame ROR one bit and could Imagine just how tough it must have been having to play for teams who's goal isnt to win games.

I dont think so, he is the type that believes patience and taking his time making a solute sure in things is better then making a decision based off of recent events. This thinking has already drove up the price for Skinner

Someone needs to tell Phil it's ok if he needs to take care of his family and go back to Minny to be there for him while his wife pursues her government dreams. Buffalo is full of caring people who will put the good of their country and government ahead of some silly sport...........

Maybe Ottawa could try and trick Colorado into thinking the SJ pick is really the one they included in the deal????

I didnt like the Hutton deal, he has never been a full time starter and played more then around 50 games a year.

If they keep playing like they did before the break, scalpers might pay you to take them away if you wait til faceoff to buy them. If you care where you sit, I always go through the Sabres first, then go to stub hub if I am looking to sit anywhere or get them cheaper. I used to do Ebay for Bill's tickets when they were close to being eliminated from playoff contention (so around mid to late October) and got tickets real cheap for a bunch of games.

He has a taste for eating babies?

This idea that you have to be patient and preserve picks and you will be good for a decade is BS. The problem with Murray wasnt that he tried to rush things and made trades, his problem was that he just made crappy deals. He overpaid from a position of strength and wasnt very good at maximising assetts for talent. Throw in poor coaching choices and it makes it worse. The good franchise that are competitive for decades are ones with good coaching and great front offices. You have to get the best return you can for your picks, whether it be from the draft or in trades, use Free Agency and the trade market to keep your team competitive. Just sitting on prospects and waiting for them to develop and take over the roster isnt going to build some dominant roster that will stay competitive for decades.

Trade to Edmonton for McDavid......