Darryl Shannon's +/-

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.

Could a trade be made with a promise of a trade back after a specified amount of time? If the NHL changes their rules in regards to recapture I'm going to be furious though.

Karabacek's body of work on youtube is tremendously underwhelming. Basically him cycling the puck and falling down. He needs a hype man.

The problem I have with it is, what good comes from publicly devaluing your own assets? Not only from a trade value point of view, but more so from the angle that you aren't able to move that player. People don't like working in environments where they are publicly shamed. We saw this earlier when he was dismissive of our UFA's this year. Are those players trash? Absolutely. But a little bit of finesse is a good thing if you are a boss, at least in my opiniion. I think all this does is give Murray very little leash if things start to go poorly. This act only works if you get results. Otherwise, it gets stale quickly.

If he was dangling 3 2nds for a late first in this years draft, he should be taken to task. And I personally don't need to know what he's offering. Part of me is concerned that too much transparency is a bad thing.

I'm too lazy to figure it out, but I wonder what percentage of UFA's have been bought out since 05-06

I have seasons and would much rather have a tear down like this than the mediocrity we've seen from the Bills over the past 15 years. I respect this organizational approach because it maximizes our chances of being good again. In my opinion it's bold to take the path we're taking. You can lose your entire fan base, especially if the Bills become a good team. I only ask that when I show up that I'm entertained and don't openly see players phoning it in. Watching Vanek at the beginning of last year bothered me a lot more than seeing John Scott actually attempt to skate a semi normal shift. I fear that unless Ehrhoff is moved that we will see the same thing out of him next year. The very end of the Rolston occupation was the worst that I have ever seen. It felt like work to drag myself to the arena and watch a team go through the motions for 60 minutes.