LTS

You are right. The Sabres don't have those players, yet. But the point being that teams win with solid top 9 and a producing 4th line. It's not a situation where all 4 lines are so good that someone like Girgensons doesn't have a place. The Sabres need a jump in offense (and better goaltending). If the likes of Thompson (.87), Skinner (.79), Tuch (.76), Olofsson (.68), Quinn, and Peterka can elevate the offense there's no reason to believe they don't have room on the 4th line. I've outlined the Avs from last year. I'll look at past Champs with forwards contributing higher than 55 GP (or if I can recall a significant trade deadline) who had .40 PPG or less. 2021 - Lightning (interestingly had 0 players at a PPG or higher) Pat Maroon - .33 Mathieu Joseph - .34 Barclay Goodrow - .36 2020 - Lightning (4 players above or about a PPG; Point was .97) Pat Maroon - .36 Cedric Paquette - .30 2019 - Blues (zero players above PPG; O'Reilly was .94; majority of team was .4 - .6 PPG) Pat Maroon - .38 Zach Sanford - .33 2018 - Capitals (2 players PPG) Brett Connolly - .39 Jay Beagle - .28 Devante Smith-Pelly - .21 2017 - Penguins (2 players PPG) Carl Hagelin - .36 Scott Wilson - .33 Tom Kuhnhackl - .29 Again, it's not that Girgensons isn't replaceable, it's just that teams that replace someone like Girgensons will be looking for someone like Girgensons. So if you have him, why replace him?

Your insinuation was that he was in their ears and interfering, much like Buddy the Elf, "What's your favorite color?". My reading of the statement is that he's welcome to sit-in and observe on things. There's a big difference in allowing the owner's kids to observe various aspects of sports management, much like an intern might, as opposed to having someone yapping at you all the time and interfering with your day to day work.

Not just the top line. No. No team is that good. But Girgensons had .32 PPG last year. (58 games played) The Stanley Cup Champs had: Aube-Kubel - .33 (67 GP) Logan O'Connor - .30 (81 GP) Tyson Yost - .24 (59 GP) Darren Helm - .22 (68 GP) The Runner Up had: Pat Maroon - .33 (81 GP) Mathieu Joseph - .31 (58 GP) Bellemare - .25 (80 GP) There's clearly room for players of Girgensons ilk on Stanley Cup winning teams. Sure, most of those players are all FA signings or trades, but again... why would you go get a Girgensons, when you have one.

Well, he provided the Boosh reasons. It's easy enough to look and see who else they would have targeted for that role. Well.. with UPL it's really that he needs to play games. He's been injured quite a bit so far right? So, he's got to get to the rhythm of the game. Sure they need him to win, but you have to play first.

How do you read that from the statement that was made? He can be there. It doesn't mean he's Buddy the Elf.

A suggestion for longevity here. Review all the other responses in this thread and then rethink yours. -------------------- I don't see Girgensons going anywhere. I don't think it's overvaluing our homegrown guy either. Every year teams sign JAGs that fill the role of Girgensons. They look for a veteran forward who plays a responsible game. One you can move around in the lineup and contribute reasonably on offense. When you have the player, you don't get rid of him. There's a reason he's still on this team. At 23-27, if you have already earned JAG status you are not displacing someone like Girgensons. You are expecting a two-way offer at best. At 23-27 you lack the experience (because you probably never earned it) to play in all situations. You don't take a young "budding" star and put them on the 4th line. That's not their role. They go back to the AHL until they can displace people on the first 3 lines.

I'm confused. Having a solid plan is "soft" tanking? Is the better play to blow out your budget for next year AND for the following years? Any UFA that would make a difference is going to demand a top end, long term contract. That's why they are in the position they are in. So, you take one shot and hope like hell it works and destroy everything for the following years? I know you are tired of losing, but that's basically what the first GM did in trying to turn around Buffalo.. and it didn't work out so well. It's generally not worked out for anyone. This team has been a perennial cellar dweller. That makes obtaining talent from the outside, the kind of sure fire, can;t miss (but often does anyway) talent, that much harder to sign. The only way using cap space for this season doesn't have a future impact is if the players you bring in are on 1 year contracts. Not sure which one of those players put this team over the top. And yes.. the term tank, in any form, just needs to go. The media gloms onto terms for the sensationalism and to stir controversy. It's the ignoramus' way of summarizing a complex situation. "Oh, they aren't doing everything to win now? Must be some kind of tank. But it's not a real tank, so let's call it.. a soft tank." Even after all that, it's STILL not what the Sabres are doing. Nothing about their plan indicates any intent to lose or even an attempt to not win as much as they can. Nothing in their strategy says they are trying for the best percentage shot at a Bedard... which is already a meager percentage shot.. something we all know here in Buffalo ALL TOO WELL.

True, but it's also about guaranteed money. Lots of NFL players get BIG contracts but never see the full amount. The way the NHL operates as a whole changes the contract discussion immensely. It makes comparisons very difficult. Is this a good thing? I find MSGs broadcasts to be truly awful. I'd like to see the leagues take over the regional networks and build a comprehensive streaming package as well as offering cable networks the ability to carry the channels as well.

Mentally.. yes. This morning my ribs still hurt.. and sneezing is not fun. But I'll live. That's a bummer. It's great that we have so many sheets right around us. I'm less than 30 minutes from 10.. across 5 different arenas.

i survived! Somehow I blocked a shot with my right foot.. twice.. both times not how you are supposed to block a shot. Got the inside of the ankle bone and the outside.. the inside still stings and is bruised nicely. But that's not the worst pain.. nope. The worst pain? My ribs. As my brain said, dive on the ice to clear a loose puck... and my body, after the fact, told my brain, "You are not smart, and this IS a pain that is going to linger." So my ribs.. yeah.. they hurt. I'm old.. I misplayed so many pucks.. but it was awesome to be on the ice!

Buffalo fans endured the Bills being absolutely horrible for 20 years.. Buffalo fans bounce back. I suspect like all fans. I can't speak for those fans, but I know I looked at Amerks season tickets today... soooooo

I step on the ice for the first time in... 3 years? tonight. If I don't post on here tomorrow and then for the next year it won't be because I stepped away again. It'll be because I did not survive. But damn.. am I excited. Also certain I am going to feel how old I am.

As long as the service doesn't block known VPN IP addresses, yes.

Here's his twitter account: I wanted to make this thread next level.

Well at least one person tried to understand the actual role and event versus testing their comedy chops. https://www.zippia.com/video-coordinator-jobs/ https://www.nba.com/suns/news/feature_elvisinthebuilding_100816.html I would imagine the NHL life ain't much different.

Damn fun to watch. He's definitely a player you turn the game on for just to see what he does. I thought Ben Roethlisburger was similar when he started. He certainly did not have the speed but I seem to recall him barreling through people.

I'm just going to disagree here. I almost don't want to make a counter-argument, but I suppose I should. Tom Brady is an exceptional quarterback, I would consider him the best ever. But I would not consider him anything unique. He's accomplished unique things but much of that is related to the team around him, his coach, and other factors. Megatron? Perhaps you know something I don't? He was a great wide receiver, but nothing unique. Deion Sanders? I'd love to know why. Barry Sanders - possibly.. but we'll never really know what he could have been. But then, to say there will never be another is just wrong. First, Josh Allen hasn't accomplished much. He still shows potential. Imagine, we're all giddy about his potential but if you talk about the potential of the Sabres prospects people get all doom and gloom. Anyway, he's been good, but he's hasn't won anything yet. And even then.. there will be another like him, perhaps someone even better.

I don't think it's right to call Allen a unicorn. He's a player who, in the past, most executives overlooked because of some preconceived notion of what a "QB" is. Much like other players who have altered the path of the position throughout the past. There are other Allen's out there, and you'll see teams try and find them and they will be successful because right now there are youth football coaches looking at kids the size of Allen and thinking... perhaps he'd be a better QB than LB?

For those who stream, Fubo and DirecTV Stream are the only streaming services that have MSG. Fubo does not have ANY Turner Broadcast channels, so no TNT. So I will miss 4 Sabres games this year unless I get another service that has TNT. The cheapest option I know is to get Sling. You can also get Spectrum TV (in this area) and you'll get it all. You may also get boned pretty good on costs (cable box charge, broadcast surcharge, etc.)

These are the kinds of things that make that band so awesome. I saw them once, in Buffalo, back in like 1994. They were amazing.

I'm not predicting anything. But I am a Vinnie fan. I think the quote from Granato say a lot about him. We think stars are the ones who have to hold teams accountable but a player who knows their role and plays it can demand accountability. There's something about his game I really like and it predates his time in Buffalo. Eventually he will begin to lose playing time, but there are others that will first... starting with Bjork as mentioned above.

If you can get him for the right price, you get him. If he earns a spot on the team, perfect. If he doesn't because you have better players and you can flip him for a better haul than you gave up, you do it. You go after talent even if you have talent, if the price is right.

You don't know data is bad until after you use it and then analyze the results. You don't your model is good until it is proven. Getting something right/wrong once doesn't constitute a pattern. Decisions are made on the information and knowledge had at the time. They are judged on the information and knowledge gained after that fact. Claiming a decision was bad is easy. Claiming the person who made the decision was incapable of their job is a bit of a stretch without looking at why they made the decision and reasonably inferring they ignored non-debatable facts. Of course a pattern of bad decisions is another story.

Fair, but the question also remains. Would those fans have still felt the same if they had access to the same information the front office and scouts did? If they were immersed into the event itself so that they had a seat at the table it's quite possible they might have chosen differently or have been influenced to have chosen differently based on conversations/directives (not saying directives happened, just allowing for the possibility). Thus the real inability to completely analyze that DIY GMs and Scouts are more effective.

That's the Internet of today. Everyone questions the experts, because everyone is an expert. They read something on the Internet that made them so. Poor Holiday In Express, undermined by the Internet. But,there are plenty of fans who can play in the space. I mean, fans second guess coaching, they believe they know all locker room intricacies, etc. It's the nature of fans I suppose.. or at least a significant subset of them.