Darryl Shannon's +/-

Furthermore....there is nothing wrong with trading him and making a run with a big contract on July 1

Agreed.....it's impossible to truly know what's going on until the dust settles. And that assumes we'll actually know what went on here. If it was personnel issues, it just speaks to us creating a management structure that obviously didn't work. My frustration out of this thing has nothing to do with the party at fault (we don't know who it is), more that we look like one of the dumbest organizations in hockey. Dirty laundry is being aired in a very public, very embarrassing way.

No - my ideal would be to have a management team that is able to work together without petty squabbles. Patrick is as good as gone too, especially if he believes that Pat was wronged. So now we have a GM who has been said by many to be severely lacking in the people skills department. We've spent the past 3 months or so talking about how the culture shift has been fantastic. I think that this destroys that, and our culture is in the hands of Murray. I also hate that we just hired this guy and have something this divisive this quickly. I think it speaks to us not planning well in the least. Let's assume the issue was over Ted Nolan. This really wasn't handled in the interview process? I just think that it makes the entire organization look pathetic.

Our "braintrust" will be dissolved by the end of the year. No way Patrick stays around if he thinks LaFontaine was wronged. Seems to me that we just took about five steps backwards. So what if Murray won a power struggle, for all the talk about culture that we've had since Darcy's departure, do you really want to celebrate having a guy around who destroyed our entire management structure within the first month and a half of being here? It makes it look like the entire team has zero plan. Which is great.

Knowing zero details, I think the person who looks bad out of this is LaFontaine. This is now twice that he's up and run away from front office jobs before even settling in to get comfortable. I do think that Nolan is in big trouble though....

My opinion is that we see the playoffs in 2-3 years, and this huge stockpile of draftpicks will help us add pieces when we want to pull the trigger. I love the idea of trading Halak and Stewart and continuing our fun. In addition, we have huge salary cap flexibility. I'd be very interested to see if we can help teams by taking on a bad contract or two for next season too. Murray must be in heaven, he has low expectations at the moment, wealth in future assets, and an owner who is willing to help the team. Don't discount eating 1.75M - that may have been the piece that made the conditional draft pick so sweet.

I like the trade if only for the fact that it frees up Murray to be able to spend more time trying to spin Moulson and others. If we waited till deadline day, there would be too many moving parts.

The first instinct I have is that Myers' name being put out there is meant to get GM's on the phone. When they don't want to drive away in a 57, maybe they'll be willing to take a 10?

It may be unpopular, but given where the Sabres are currently, I don't want them touching Kesler. A center who is about to turn 30 is not what this team needs at the moment, especially if you'd have to spend big to land him.

Agreed....defensemen with an offensive pedigree are very prized during this time of year. Almost too much to be honest. Leopold was worth two 2nd round picks, and isn't in the same class as #10.

More points for Stafford and Moulson are a good thing.....

I do love that kicking a guy out of practice who doesn't belong in the ECHL skill wise makes news though....haha. God, I can't wait for the trade deadline and then the draft.

Since the team is full of 4th line talent, I assume it wasn't skill related. I'm betting he took exception to Scott laughing about it, or not hustling, or something similar. Regardless of what it was, any time a coach is angry enough to kick someone out of practice, it does get the attention of others. If reports are true, Scott was not pleased, which is probably exactly what Nolan wants. This is a crucial time for Nolan and the team. Odds are that the team will lose 5ish players come deadline day. If Ott and Miller are gone and usually provide structure, discipline and professionalism, someone will need to fill that void. If we are lacking in veteran leadership for the rest of the year, Nolan may have to be the bad cop more often.

I've never understood the glorification of the bad loser. What's so hard about giving every ounce of yourself for the 60 (or more) minutes of play, but then being an adult after the fact?

I just don't see it.....if LaFontaine really runs the operations side of the house, and he fought this long to get Nolan back into the game, I'm doubting his first hire would be a guy who would can Nolan (or in this case, I guess it's fail to extend him) without a fair shot being given to prove himself. Add in that next year, it doesn't really matter who coaches the team. My guess is the "interim" tag remaining is an illusion that Murray has rights to make this decision going into this offseason. But there's no way to know until this fall.....

I'd speculate that a condition of employment for Murray was continuing with Nolan as coach at least through next year, barring a Rolston like output.

College basketball hasn't fallen apart with players being allowed to bolt after one year and in the past when they didn't have to at all. I assume the only reason these players (like Grigorenko) aren't allowed to play in the NHL is because when they are in juniors, they aren't technically part of the union? It seems like protecting jobs for vets on the way out to maximize paychecks.

Another viewpoint to the echo related to athletes - the athletes themselves may not want it to occur as it could negatively impact their earning power. Eddie Curry (I think) had a heart condition that was found out and there was a lot of noise made about whether or not his team could allow for a DNA test to be performed. A routine echo that may find this structural defect may be something the players themselves don't allow?

If Pegula were sitting on his money like Jeff Loria and doing nothing, I could understand this complaint or point of view. Essentially, by complying with league rules he got free money delivered to him and/or the team. If he passed up on said free money, I could see some pointing to that as a fault in Terry as an owner. "He's so clueless that he left x million on the table...." In the meantime, he's probably going to finish his project downtown before the Canalside area is fully functional. Those dollars could be what financed a portion of that building. Lastly, as for Murray being a scout and not liking to be in contact with an owner, my personal view is that with promotions comes responsibility, much of which isn't loved. By taking on the role of GM, it's his job to keep Terry updated to the exact level he wants, be it through LaFontaine/Patrick or directly to the boss. Saying that he's gruff or doesn't want to do it doesn't fly anymore in my opinion, that bridge was burned the second he agreed to become a general manager.

I'm failing to see the problem in an owner talking to a GM on a daily basis? In my opinion a balance needs to be struck so one doesn't look like an absentee owner, to the other end of the spectrum where one doesn't want to be seen as meddling. Becoming familiar with the plans of the guy running your team and understanding his vision in an ongoing manner should help to evaluate him in his job, right? Does spending 10-15 minutes of your workday chatting up the guy signing your paycheck really stunt your effectiveness?

Ted Nolan in the postgame presser can now chide the MSG production staff for a lack of consistency.

Sorry, I must have gotten crossed up and read Pysyk and Girgensons in addition to Vanek as the hypothetical. As you state it, I think that is worth the risk. If it's Vanek, Ennis, Foligno for Seguin, I still think that's a little top heavy from our end, but it's better in my mind as we aren't dumping two recent young first rounders. Also, catching up with another point, Seguin type players are available in the top 3, almost every year. Looking at the past, for the first overall pick you have to go back to DiPietro and Stefan to be disappointed. For the second pick, Legwand and Zyuzin. Third picks fall of a little bit, with Turris, Horton, and Svitov being questions. I think it's very, very difficult to screw up if you're in the top 3, and even harder in the top 2 as we appear to be locked in for this year and next. Add to this multiple other draft picks that we already have an will be acquiring, and the next 1-3 years will be fun for building a team.

Absolutely, they gambled and won. I'm trying to be fair in my own mind, looking at the deal as it would have been presented to Darcy at the time. There were very real, very dangerous red flags that came along with Seguin at the time, and it appears we were being asked to mortgage the future for his talent. It's a horrible comparison because Milbury was involved, but Yashin being dealt to the Island was the same type of risk, and that set a franchise back for probably 5 years. I'm biased in that I'm on board with the rebuilding plan as currently being sold by management. Acquire multiple high selections, draft well and let them pan out or fizzle. In addition, we can acquire 2 Seguin like talents in the next two years for free. Well, almost free - we need to watch waiver wire pickups playing the power play for us.....but I think you get the point. Haha.

During the offseason there were reports of Seguin needing to be put up in a hotel with a guard during the playoffs so he wouldn't wander for entertainment. That's a huge risk that wasn't worth it in my opinion. Pretending Vanek, Pysyk, Girgensons gets that trade done, if it doesn't work out how bare is the cupboard? And it sounds funny, but is it bright to bring in a guy who had these problems in a town where bars close at 2am rather than 4?

If Vanek is looking to be on a perennial cup contender, there are plenty of better places to look than Boston. Their window slams shut the second big Z hangs up the skates.....and that day is coming. As for the trade, I think we got more value out of Vanek being dealt for a high #1, high #2, and whatever return Moulson gives us. If we traded 2 other young assets, the cupboard would be pretty bare for people who could step in next year. I'm laughing thinking of the general outrage of if Girgensons were traded to Boston and playing meaningful 3rd line minutes there.