Darryl Shannon's +/-

No worries....it's still the offseason. Plenty of time for all of us to work out the kinks. One of Regier's errors was not seeing how loaded his teams were in the 05-06 era and making proactive moves. Paille did score close to 20 goals once upon a time, and if he was dealt around then could have been a better bargaining chip. If memory serves, he was dealt to Boston almost as a favor? I think I remember Lindy and Darcy saying he just didn't have a spot here anymore, and he was thrown away for a 2nd or 3rd rounder?

Paille was on the B's fourth line w/ Campbell and Thornton, and his production in Boston has not been spectacular. That said, he's a good pro who should make money around the league minimum. Not someone we should be upset about losing though as players like him are truly a dime a dozen. His last four years he's had 13,15,17 and 18 points. Torrey Mitchell is a similar guy, and we picked him up as a throw in on the Moulson deal. As for the other points, comparing teams to the Sabres of last year is pointless. That was the worst offensive team since expansion. Does it matter that Paille could have been on that second line? As for Myers....either he makes a leap or he's traded in my opinion. Murray needs to worry about future cap flexibility with all of these prospects, and if he doesn't believe Myers is a cornerstone he needs to make a move.

Totally agree here, and like it or not, the only way those types of guys are able to find their way in the league is if they are set loose from the team that drafted them. I shudder to say this, but if Stafford signs on with another team and is a productive third line winger, you'll have some wishing he was doing that here. As long as he's in Buffalo, we attach the 1st round label to him and expect 30 goals a year.

Completely agree here - I know we get into it with meddling owners on this forum, but this is the interesting case where there isn't an owner to preside over the process. A very risky move was signed off by two guys who very well can be first in the firing line when a new owner comes into town. This is the process (probably) when it doesn't have the full checks and balances in place. The thing that's killing me is would the trade still have gone through if we offered our #2 pick this year rather than next year's first.

Only advice I've heard is to make the bathroom an entertainment room the night before the main event. Have netflix or something like that at the ready, and try to stay comfortable on the throne.

If he is mostly hands off except for big decisions, doesn't he have plenty of time to contemplate things like real estate development? Isn't that a gigantic positive for an area that has seen almost zero private money flowing into it in the past 30 years? I just find it funny that the bulk of the people who complain about him being too hands on in terms of the team are the same ones complaining that he's spending some of his time and money doing things related to not solely winning the Stanley Cup. Just seems circular to me.

I get that it's referred to as tanking, but it's really just good management on a team that just isn't ready yet.

Count me in the camp of dealing with one more horrible year. I want the bulk of our young guys in Rochester or juniors and dominating, with Reinhart and Zadorov moving to Rochester for the playoffs. (Not sure if Reinhart meets eligibility) I'd like to compete for the playoffs next year and then contend for 5-6 years after that. Edmonton is the cautionary tale in all of this. If we aren't on the path of competing in 15-16, I'd want Murray making moves. I think Edmonton has missed out by not moving one of their prized picks for immediate help.

My big concern is that it isn't just this year, trading away our first rounder means that it's the next two years before we can throw our hat in the ring for a franchise saving QB. And I'm not done hoping that EJ's the guy - just looking at the possibilities if he isn't.

What has he been doing since 2002?

If we are in a contract crunch, can't we give a team our worst player and a 6th round pick or something to make room? I don't understand the worry about 50 contracts impacting any real player development. Or we could trade 4 for 2 and take on salary? Pegula has been nothing but willing in terms of taking on money to give us a significant advantage. I think that will always be our ace in the hole - Pegula is willing to burn real money to gain future assets.

Truthfully, anybody posting here could be an assistant coach next year. We have one more year to be horrible, then we worry about structure and such. I still think that the Nolan hiring was one meant to bridge the gap of the tank. Let him motivate and build a culture, then bring in someone who can mold that with X's and O's.

My favorite thing about Moulson is that it seems his goal scoring ability comes from smarts rather than physical ability. It seems like he has a chance to succeed for the bulk of the 5 years he's been signed for, at least in my opinion. I just question why good teams don't seem to want him?

Or rolled the dice and won. He'll be 32 next year and wouldn't have been around long enough in Buffalo to be able to reap the benefits of the rebuild. Good for him - glad to see he landed on a good team for what appears to be a halfway decent salary given his production. In 29 games for the Blues he didn't score once. Given his style of play it's hard to believe high levels of production as he ages too.

Thanks for digging those up, wasn't easy to find on my quick look.

Also my interpretation....and the thing I have the hardest time understanding is how people think a GM will just quit a job if they don't have full autonomy. Does anyone have an example of this ever happening? A quick search online shows me Darryl Sutter did it w/ the Flames, but that may have been out of self preservation as the team was floundering and had no hope in the near future. Brian Burke did it in the 90's with the Whalers, but stayed on to assist with a transition to the league office. Not once have I seen that someone has left because they didn't feel they could do their job. In my opinion this would destroy any and all bridges that a GM (especially one starting his career like Murray) would have left. And with limited options at the NHL level, I'm betting that it takes way more than an owner stepping in for a player to make a GM make that move.

My larger point is that any center worth anything is not available through either FA or trade. But 3 1st round picks in next years draft (w/ two assumed in top 5) along with #2 overall this year is a really nice way to build up a squad. Then count random luck w/ our bounty of 2nd rounders, and it's difficult to assume we'll be in the shape of Edmonton. Murray's value should be based on which players he deems are worth trading in the next 4-5 years. If we do this right, we should be trading the promising players who aren't cornerstones to restock the team and keep this farm system rolling. Chicago did this w/ Byfuglien and others.....hopefully we are in the same spot. With a supportive owner and this bounty of picks....this has to be a dream job.

High scoring centers need to be drafted. And we're well on that path. Crucify me, but Darcy was a genius to start this tear down.

The Coyotes are really a nice spot for an executive. If you fail, you can just blame the constraints. Any success and you look like a genius. I think he needed to be back in the game, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him on Long Island/Brooklyn when Snow is shown the door. Isles fans probably have a completely different viewpoint of him than the majority of Buffalo.

If they wanted to get crazy with it, it could be primetime the night before the draft. I'd certainly tune in. There isn't enough movement to really upset the apple cart, in the Sabres case this year it was #1 or #2.

If that comes to pass the original trade may be put up as one of the top 3 fleeces in league history. Even without the first round pick it's an embarrassment of riches. His last move may have been his very best.

If that's the road we're giving him....I hope he's making a decent differential on the farm. Makes sense....thanks for the perspective. And I guess I don't view this contract nearly as badly as I did initially.

I just wonder what made Murray give McCormick 3 years. How quick do you think Cody signed this? I'd be fine if we nursed him along on a year by year basis. It's my ignorance, but if this is a 2 way deal, is this just a nice way to say that you'll earn more for the 25 games you'll be up w/ the big club each year? If so, I'm fine with this deal. If not, it seems like a foolish signing.

If there was ever a role for a guy like John Scott, the next three years would be it. Young players that you are mortgaging your franchise on who need to be protected from those who aren't afraid to be tough when they are the biggest guys on the ice. Sign a guy like this, dress him for 15-20 games and make sure bad things don't happen. As long as the league refuses to punish certain players and teams, I think this is a necessity. As of right now, Stewart is probably the best fighter on the team and he might be gone by opening night. And I'm not advocating for Scott, I'm thinking they need to find the next John Scott for this role.

To me, having tickets is a nice way to keep in touch with family and friends and take in a sport I truly enjoy watching. While the dollars are astounding when rolled up over the years, part of me compares this to having the same seats in NY, Chicago or Boston where we in Buffalo can have the same view for 1/2 to 1/3 of the price. I know I'm in the minority here, but I don't view no cup as a failure. I think it's pretty cool that I can say I was in the building for RJ's Sabres hall speech, for Lindy's return to Buffalo and Nolan's return to the bench. And even more simply, I go to be entertained. I trudge through snow and brave the wind tunnel on Main street so I can watch hockey in person after working in the real world. Because sports can be and should be fun and a release from the everyday norm. As long as I know an owner isn't purposely mailing it in for profit, I'm on board to watch hockey.