LTS

Yes it will be. But either you go and spend the money or wait for one to develop. Which train are you on? That's what it boils down to around here.

Yes.. Lucic never really supplied much else did he? He managed to put up a few seasons in and around 60. But he often got portrayed as that top line talent mold. Yes, it's not as though there aren't big, strong, talented players in the world, not that I would ever put Neely and Lucic together. I made a point about Lucic, not Neely. My go to prototype power forward, top line talent remains Keith Tkachuk. I am sure there are others (hell, probably should put Mario in there) but to score 50 goals and get 200PIM in a season is pretty special. I think Brendan Shanahan, Gary Roberts, and Kevin Stevens are the only other players to do it and they probably could/should also be considered. But I would never consider Lucic to be anywhere near that talent. It's all good. Don't think that I am sitting here saying that a 6'3 talented forward who can bang bodies isn't a top line player. I'm more saying that a 6'3 forward who can bang bodies is not a top line player and that a 6' player can be and often is just as effective and for a longer time because they don't seem to break down as fast.

Well, to be fair, he'll show up at 3am and hint at an upcoming rant and then when the time comes he'll forget his password or something. Because some people believe that the Sabres could go out and get a Jeff Skinner for less money on the free agent market. Or they believe that every situation that has ever happened in hockey that worked out favorably for another team should have happened to Buffalo. Mostly, it's because people just want to be miserable. Let them be that way.

Well, the bigger guys tend to slow down that much more when they get old. Especially those who relied more on size than skill to really be at the top of their game. Lucic really didn't have a lot of skill. I'd rather have top line skill that lasts, I think that's Reinhart. Reinhart already has more points in a season than Lucic has ever had (65 vs 62). My point was more than the bigger guys aren't the top line players anymore. It's trending away from that.

It wasn't really about who is better, but what's the better situation for the team. Toronto has to face a player who is demanding $11M per year on a team where the two players they are paying that much already (or more) scored less than him. I'm glad the Sabres only have to worry about Jeff Skinner at $9M.

Remember when Lucic was a model top line player? Yeah.. good times.. good times. ?

We were drinking Basil Hayden last week while I was in Little Rock. The bar ran out so we switched to Basil Hayden Dark Rye. Wow.. I enjoyed that.

I'm at the Friday game.

This was always the risk when the Sabres acquired him. It had to be exactly the scenario they hoped for as well. Acquire a guy who has solid 5v5 scoring and pair him with your top talent and watch pucks go in the net. That's what happened. If it continues to happen (and naturally that's what everyone is hoping for) then no one is going to complain about his $9M AAV. It may mean a hard decision down the road, but teams are going to be facing that hard decision both with the impending NHL/NHLPA agreement and the expansion draft for Seattle. Every GM has to prep for that and the potential that comes out of that new agreement. Bottom line, what's even $1M per year for the Sabres to now have the best odds of improving next year. If Skinner walked the Sabres would have had to replace him AND find improvement elsewhere. That would have required some serious UFA signings. And for those freaking out about Skinner's $9M AAV. I'm now waiting to see what the UFA period brings and how Skinner's contract looks by comparison. I'm also glad the Sabres aren't facing a Marner situation. I'd rather have Skinner's contract than deal with Marner right now.

The number of messages I am getting from our technology suppliers about their costs going up is certainly not going to help anything in the short run. The truth is that a rise in tariffs could be an instigator for manufacturing build up in the United States. But, it doesn't happen overnight and during that lag period everyone suffers. There's a lot of ways I could go on this topic. But the one certain way that is wrong is to just fire off a tariff overnight and not expect negative ramifications.

This is a fair question. This is not the best way to respond to a fair question. Don't get angry at someone for asking what could be done. Admit that you don't know and request a response. It might lead to further conversation. This is healthy skepticism. I did not realize it was a joke either. This is 10000% true. This is completely uncalled for and does nothing more than to further fan the flames of an issue that should not be an issue. You did. Others did not. Just because you did does not make the others wrong and just because they didn't does not make you wrong. Sorry, for the delay. I have been out of town and busy as hell with work. By and large I think things around here have gone pretty well but Weave is 100% accurate (I know, I just said 10000%). We seem to be back on track which is good. We're not here to insult each other or poke and prod to see if we can get a rise out of someone. If you want to do that take your energy to the ROR thread, or if you need to do it over political issues, go to CNN.com or something.

I just can't get over his German accent.

I'd probably opt for a 300 level this time. But you never know. As always, it depends on when and what conflicts I have. But as always, I am interested.

And neither am I, which brought me to my question. What is the qualification?

It's an interesting question. What qualifications does it take? Do you need to be indoctrinated into the major political systems before you can be qualified? At that point are you anything more than just a party stooge? What if the man is a leader who just happens to be trying to bypass something he'd breeze through anyway? I don't know the guy, but dismissing him outright seems rough. If he can manage the people under him and knows how to lead he could very well be a successful president.

Not sure why you (and many others) think this. There is not a single player on either the Blues or Bruins roster that played this way in the regular season. The way the game is played in the playoffs is entirely different. There's no reason to think that there would be no change in the way the Sabres play.

Ahh, given the quote you answered talked about Tampa... It came across as though perhaps you didn't know Yzerman wasn't there.

I was all happy to read that Mark Kelso won't be on the broadcast anymore and Eric Wood is replacing him. Then I sifted through pages of other "stuff". I don't really care about football, but I will put the game on the radio when we're driving to my son's hockey games. We both cannot stand Kelso, so, hooray!

I have a lot of friends from Boston. I always root for Boston to lose unless they make it to the Finals. In this case, I want them to win because I don't mind being happy for my friends now that the Bruins have basically been giving me the finger all of the playoffs. They are the kind of friends who would be the same way were the roles reversed.

You are describing Detroit now. Yzerman is there, they are young, they are famous for the best Swedish defenseman ever, and they are historic.

Just got off the phone with a co-worker who is in Tulsa. They're a threat level 6, OKC is level 9. He said most schools in the state are canceled today. No telling what will happen.. that's the insanity of it all.

There's a kind of chicken and egg scenario with these things. Most executives aren't willing to green light a higher exposure to these kinds of things too soon but once it happens and with the proper marketing these sports would turn into money makers. They might not get to NFL level money making, but they would be popular. The population has certainly shown that it can be influenced into supporting something through good marketing. At the same time, the increased exposure will encourage even more growth and development at the youth levels and this in turn spawns an increase in talent for the next generation of the sport. You'll see this in women's hockey. You can watch the participation in the Fire on Ice tournament, held in November in Rochester, as a good gauge of this. Last year I believe they had just over 100 teams from the US and Canada in age levels U10-U19. It's steadily grown and it's getting to the point where it's at capacity. I think hockey is the sport most poised to join basketball as being successful. Of course there's no women's football league (that I know of) and most women gravitate towards softball at some point rather than playing hardball.

This is a great point. Leadership gets everyone on the same page and pulling together in the same direction. Talent is what pulls the oars. The Sabres, I believe, have talent, that in the absence of solid leadership have been left to pull when they think is best, how they think is best. It appears that may be about to change.

Ya never know. It would probably be tough to do that once you are known. Once he's the coach he's gotta be way more guarded in anything he says. That said, I could sit down and listen to guys talk hockey all day long. During the WJC in Buffalo I was at the Us/Finland game on New Year's Eve. There was a group of about 6 Canadians sitting behind us and they were just going on and on about players, Juniors, this and the other thing. It was awesome to listen to. The fact that a game was happening was just a backdrop for them. The fact that he did it is awesome. It does make you think though, sometimes you are standing next to someone who is about to become that much more important in your life and you never know it.

That's how this usually works out. The Sabres have a value and Skinner has a value. They tell Skinner go to market and if you can beat it, congratulations. That's how it should be. I liked what Skinner brought to the team, but while Skinner is out talking to other teams I am sure the Sabres will be talking to other players. Players who can replace Skinner. If he walks, he walks. If, in the end, he's not replaced then I am fine with that as well. You can't control where a UFA will sign, the best you can do is offer an over payment and hope for the best. In almost all situations, that ends up being a bad choice on both sides. A team that may have short term success but then have to find ways to jettison a player and if that short term success doesn't happen, that player got paid but gave up their shot at the Cup. The right pieces at the right price. That's how it works.