mjd1001

I'd probably want to cry. This is really the ONLY times the Sabres get a chance to do this. With the fact that they should start to get better and with the changes to the draft lottery next year.. this may be it... EVER. There is likely to be no other chance in any of our lifetimes to 'carry through' on something with only 20 games left and ASSURE yourself of a franchise player. Should the Sabres blow this...they still can (and probably will be) a good team for a while....but for many fans....this will ALWAYS linger. 20 games left. Do WHATEVER it takes. Anything. And there won't be any bad long lasting effects if you do. The Patriots cheated in the NFL, but over the last 5 years for everytime someone complains they cheated, 20 or more people say how great they are. And Pittsburgh..forget about Crosby....go back to the Lemieux draft...that was one of the most historic intentional tank jobs EVER...and you maybe here that 1 time for every 1000 or MORE times you hear how great those teams were or how great Lemieux was a a Penguin. The biggest slap in the face if they don't draft 1st or second will be to the people who maybe weren't 100% on board with this 'tank' thing, but now that they have come this far, they have bought in...saying the 2-3 years might as well be worth SOMETHING.

I would not be happy, but I could DEAL with Hanifin. The problem is...they just might finish behind both Edmonton AND Arizona...then you are talking picking 4th. 4th spot in the draft, you likely aren't getting a player that can help you next year..but one that is a year (or maybe 2) away.

I was looking for others opinions on this topic, how much of a gap do you think there is between picking 1st this year, 2nd, 3rd, and below that. Last year I heard an interview on the radio (Canadian station, not 590 out of Toronto, it was probably an Ottawa or Montreal station as I heard it when driving to Massena, NY) where the hosts were interviewing someone into scouting (may have been an NHL scout on some level) about the difference in talent at the top of this coming draft.) The scout was not saying McDavid, Eichel, or Hannifan will reach the levels of the other players he mentioned. He went on to stress he wasn't even comparing their style of play, but used the examples to show the gap between the top 3 prospects. I remember most of the article because a friend of mine and I talked a lot about it: McDavid would be comparable to a Crosby or a Gretzky, someone who has the potential to win multiple MVPs and possible be known as the best player in the league. Eichel would be comparable to a Malkin or a Messier, someone with the potential to win an MVP (or maybe 2) in their career and not be known as the best player, but a consistent top 5 player. Hannifan would be like a Shea Weber or a Ray Bourque. A potential multiple-time Norris trophy winner, but not someone who can carry their team to the finals year after year (mostly because of position.) He went on to say there are a lot of good players in the draft, but there was a sizeable drop-off after the top 3. Anyone have any thoughts? Would you make similar comparisons (in terms of talent potential, not style)? Or do you think those are way off?

O'Reilly is a very good player, but there is something about him that I'm just not a huge fan of. Unless it was a bargain, and an REAL bargain, I'd rather the Sabres just stay the course with where they are now.

Toronto, as of right now, has 25 games left. If, IF, Toronto would get just 8 of the next 50 points (4 wins 21 losses) which would be very bad for them even...They would end up with 59 points. For the Sabres to tie that number, they would have to get 24 points in the next 27 games. They only have 35 points in the 55 they have played already, and that was with Enroth in net. I really don't think the Sabres will get 24 points from now til the end of the year, and I think there is even less of a chance of the leafs only getting 8 for the rest of the season. Is it possible? Yes, but very, VERY unlikely.

Because it is a message board and that is what is done here. There are thousands of other points brought up on this board that have less to do with the Sabres than if a coach may be helping or hurting a young former first round pick who went from being a 20-25 goal scorer yearly to one that can't even get you 5.

Goalies I have no clue on. I like your D-pairings, but I think McCabe would be best served with another year in Rochester. I have always thought that Ruhwedel may not be a top 4 D-guy, but he would be pretty good as a 5-6 guy (being good at getting the puck up the ice.) I have reservations on whether Reinhart is truly ready next year. Sounds like Tim Murray thinks he will be here, but then I don't think he will/should be leading your #1 line out there (although honestly, the #1 and #2 lines get almost the same ice time, on a good team the #3 line is even close) If they do draft/get Eichel, he is a center to me. Don't even mess with him on wing at all. I want Hodgson to recover, I really do. But I don't see where he fits in here. I'd take Foligno off that 3rd line, and make him fit in someplace with the 4th line (with that bunch that you have there already) Taking his place will be your free agent of choice/trade aquisition/young training camp surprise guy. Bottom line on forward lines for me is this: Don't worry about who is the #1 or #2 or whatever line. For next year, make your top 3 lines all inter-changeable. The 4th line can be your typical checking/banger line, but even they should be good enough to get rolled out there on a regular basis.

I'm stuck on what is up with Hodgson, especially because it is just THIS YEAR his production has fallen. As for his lack of goals, the obvious thing is it is simply his shooting percentage that is down. Is it how Nolan is using him? Is it a coaching issue? Is there an injury that the team knows he has and thinks is minor, but it is bothering him a lot more? My opinion would be he is just a very poor skater. When I watch him play it is ALWAYS like he is just 1/2 second late to be in the position where he needs to be, and it effects his offense and his defense. The problem with that is, the NHL didn't become a much faster league from last year to this year alone. Can a new coach help Hodgson out? The general thinking is Nolan is one of the best players coachs out there. But, as much as I can't see Hodgson turning it around now, this is a guy who was/is about a 25 goal per 82 game guy with the Sabres before this year...on pretty bad Sabres teams at that.

I don't know where I stand on Myers, I flip flop every day. If I really think about it, I think I would rather he stay....but at this point I just want a move so we have something new to talk about or watch. What I am going to say I know can be applied to just about everyone, but I think Myers is the best example of it. On a bad team, Myers eats a lot of minutes, but he looks average. Surround him with good (or great players) where he CAN be your #1 guy but doesn't HAVE to be..and I think he then plays like the #1 guy. Like I said, that is true with a lot of players, but I think Myers will excel more than just about anyone else with good talent around him. The question for me is....will we see Myers on another team with a lot of talent around him this year? Or will we get to see that on the Sabres with him still here in about 2 years from now?

Just looking at the point leaders and goal leaders this year (top 10 in each category) and a couple things stand out: -about half of the players that are in the league leaders were top 1-2 or at least top 5 picks in their draft. -The other half, for the most part, are first round picks (Pavelski the current exception) That isn't really the interesting thing. Look at guys who are in the league leaders, but not top 1-3 picks (Vorecek, Giroux, Tarasenko, Pavelski, Pacioretti, Tatar) and one thing is very noticable. All of them didn't become stars, or even somewhat reliable point producers, until 4-6 years AFTER their draft year. So, how can we equate this to the Sabres? Armia may be ready for the Sabres next year, same for Grigorenko. But you really can't expect either to be 'stars' or even consistent scorers until they are 22-24 years old. Renhart may be here next year,but I wouldn't expect him to be a reliable point producer until he is at least 20-21 at the earliest, maybe later. There is going to be a large number of young, talented players on the Sabres in the next year or two, but I really don't think you can consider them a team that is going to go far in the playoffs for at LEAST another 2-3 years. This turn-around is not going to be as quick as many hope, but it will happen.

I like the show because of how they arehandling this "tank" situation. I don't agree with them (for the most part I think they would rather have the Sabres win more games) but they seem a lot more tolerant and understanding of the people who think differently than others. Mike Robitaille I like, but sometimes he is hard to listen to about this topic. He has the same viewpoint as they do on HH, and I know he is a former player, but he goes over the top. On the other side of this story, the GR morning show and afternoon show are all about finishing last. I agree with that point of view, but what I don't like (ESPECIALLY the morning show) is whenever any caller wants to say they don't like that point of view, they go crazy, cutting off the caller, interrupting points..etc. That is the HARDEST thing to listen to. I wish the morning show would give their opinion, but don't make it sound like it is their holy crusade to convince everyone else, at whatever cost, that they are right.

Actually, my point was that it will take longer than most people expect. In casual conversations at work and when out with friends this is what I am hearing from MOST people: -Reinhart will be with the Sabres next year and one of their best players. -McDavid or Eichel, if the Sabres draft them, will be with the Sabres and should be an immediate star, 25-30 goal guy. -As soon as you bring up Pysyk, and Risto and Zadarov get another offseason, the D core will feature a top 4 that is near the top in the league. -This team should be in the playoffs for sure next year, and by the following season it will be really, really good. When I said 4 years for a legit cup contender, I was trying to say it will take LONGER than a lot of people expect. When you look at a lot of the top young players in the NHL now, most don't make much of an impact AT ALL until they are at least 20 or older. Most don't become stars capable of carrying a team into and through the playoffs until they are at LEAST 22, 23, or 24 years old. Most of the Sabres prospects are years away from that. For those expecting to see a good team next year, and a dominant team in 2 years.....I think they are going to be dissapointed. The key for the long term is don't rush things. Give Armia the full year in Rochester. Let Grigorenko and Pysyk stay in Rochester the rest of the year. And, Reinhart may be better off for the long term if he starts next year in Rochester and plays half, or even the entire season there.

I really think this team will be a serious cup contender in the near future, but I have been saying for almost a year now it is going to be LONGER than a lot of people want. -I'd LIKE them to compete for the playoffs next season, but I think it may take at least 2. -I'd LIKE them to be serious cup contenders (a top 6-8 team) in 2 years, but I"m thinking it'll be more like 4 years before they get to that point. Any players the Sabres draft this year (McDavid, Eichel, Hannifan), plus Reinhardt, add Zadarov, Armia and Grigorenko....if, IF they turn out to be stars in this game, they won't be complete players you can rely on as 2 way stars in the playoffs for at least 3-4 years. Things are going to be fine with this team eventually, but I think we may be looking at the 2016-2017 or 2017-2018 seasons before this team is a legit contender to go a few rounds in the playoffs. If management tries to rush things quicker than that..it will be harmful for the team overall.

I agree with you on the discussion part. I really want a trade to be made...maybe not a 'blockbuster', but some move involving a player good enough to be at the NHL level....just to give us something new to talk about or watch when the Sabres play. I'm at the point where I want a 'trade for the sake of a trade', but it would really be for the sake of SOME entertainment value.

We made it out there a couple weekends ago, got there right at opening so we got in right way, but when we left a bit more than an hour later, there was a line out the door. I was impressed with what the place looked like, but the food was so-so at best. A couple of our dishes were "OK" but not great. Someone in our party ordered a veggie burger and it was cold. Not 'luke warm', but actually cold...room temperature or less. Compared to Pearl Street, I actually think the food at Pearl street is better than what we were served at 716. The other issue I noticed is that the place wasn't exactly spotless. Not disgusting dirty, but being one of the first people in the place, It looked like they could have wiped down the windows and run a vacuum over parts of the floor a bit better. We might go back, but it won't be for a while...to see if they get things 'together' and running a bit better. I want the place to do well and for people to enjoy going there, just there is a lot of room for improvement.

I really don't understand why almost every time Ruhwedel is mentioned, it is in a negative way (not that you are doing that here, but it happens often.) From what I saw of him with the Sabres, he was not a tire fire even in his first few games, and the games I saw Rochester play on tv and in person, he seemed pretty good. Kinda like a guy that would be decent as a #3 or #4 guy, and a pretty damn great guy to have on your #5 or #6 pairing.

I was bored at work, so with some time I decided to look at how things are going through just about 3 months. Projections hardly ever come true, but it does give you a good snapshot of how things have been so far. We are now far enough into the season for it to make some sense (more than 1/3 of the way). Some of this I did at the end of the day yesterday, some last night at work, so some of the stat projections may not have included the latest games. So, for anyone who is interested, here is how things look if you project out some stats of key players through 82 games based on this year so far: Sabres as a team are on a pace for 68 points. Most years that does NOT get you the worst record in the league. Ennis: 19 goals, 36 assists, 55 points, -19 Girgensons: 22 goals, 22 assists, 44 points, +5 Gionta: 10 goals, 17 assists, 27 points, -14 Stafford: 13 goals, 29 assists, 42 points, -37 Moulson: 18 goals, 21 assists, 29 points, -18 Flynn: 13 goals, 13 assists, 26 points, Even Stewart: 7 goals, 10 assists, 17 points, -37 Foligno: 15 goals, 12 assists, 27 points, -18 Hodgson: 5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points, -37 Some other league notables: Tyler Seguin: 64 goals, 44 assists, 108 points Crosby: 27 goals, 74 assists, 101 points Ovechkin: 39 goals, 29 assists, 68 points, +12 Vanek: 13 goals, 38 assists, 41 points, -3

I don't know....I don't think I like this, as others have said, bring up someone that is a bit older....not because it would be better for the Sabres now, but to keep Grigorenko in Rochester. Is he playing so well that he is forcing the move? The more and more I think about it, I like the Detroit way of handling prospects. Give them a couple YEARS of developement in the NHL. Maybe some higher picks don't need that much time, but it doesn't looke like it hurts them. Is there any player in the NHL that has spent a few years in the minors where everyone said "they was WAY too much time in the AHL?"

There is a price for everyone technically. There would be a price for Crosby (just one so high very few people would offer it) With that said, I cannot see myself taking a realistic offer for Risto or Girgensons. Ennis is another matter. I Like Ennis. He is probably the best offensive player for the Sabres now, but for a winning team, he would be a great 3rd liner or a good second liner. For the right price, I would listen to offers closely. I'm getting anxious though. We pretty much know the Sabres aren't making the playoffs, so I would like a trade every 4-6 weeks just for something new on the team to follow.

No, that is not all I took form the article, just there wasn't much to add from my point of view on the article. Since the article DID bring up the topic of OneBuffalo, I thought it would be a great time to make the comment I did on the website.

I just hate the design of the onebuffalo.com website. It is supposed to be a collection of twitter feeds and some youtube videos, but the way it is laid out is awful. When you load it up, it is just hard to follow/look at. I guess its not a big deal, but It would be better if they simply loaded the most recent items at the top and wen down from there, or purely left to right. The way its set up..just a mess.

I guess I'm repeating myself here, but I think it comes down to the Sabres SHOULD play a preseason game in Rochester every year. As far as regular season games, as others have mentioned, most people in Rochester can hop on the Thruway and be in Buffalo in about an hour for a Sabres game. I have lived in/near other Cities where it can take almost that long to get from one part of their actual city to the other, and people in the suburbs of the city can take that long just to get downtown to the arena. Plus, in my opinion, the NHL preseason games are the best of any of the major sports. You can go to a preseason game and pretty much be almost as entertained as you would at a regular season game.

This was brought up in a conversation with Ted Black on Hockey Hotline a few weeks back. Basically, he said it really wouldn't/couldn't happen going forward. One issue is Season ticket holders and the seats they are guaranteed. Another is the revenue it would generate (not just for Pegula, but for the league). I THINK he also mentioned about the HDTV and broadcast capabilities, not just for the Sabres but for the other team involved. I think it would be great if they could have one game a year in Rochester (regular season.) Seeing how that really won't happen though, I think it should be automatic to have one preaseason game there a year at least. Also, maybe, MAYBE if the Sabres have their own network in the works in a couple of years, but I'd love to have all Sabres and all Amerks games available on TV for both audiences.

Its the beginning of December, haven't visited harborcenter/716 yet but I'm thinking of. For anyone who has recently, 2 questions: How busy is it? If we go on a Saturday for lunch (around 11-noon) or an early dinner (4-5pm), is it crowded or is there a wait? Also, what is everyones overall opinion of the food and service? Thanks.

Not that it will happen, but what if the Sabres beat Montreal again for the second night in a row, would your opinion of this team change? Meaning, does anyone stop thinking about last place and start to think this team can flirt with a playoff spot? If it happens, it will be the 5th win in the last 6 games. Just wondering if that would change the expectations anyone has for the team this year?