mjd1001

I don't think there is much to do to fix it. Coaches keep working on it...that is it. Sometimes you will have one of the best PK or pp in the league one year..and a bad one the next...with little changed so there is a lot of randomness involved.

I certainly am NOT answering my own question. Read my original post again, I am referencing to what is being reported in most of the mainstream media (whatever side you watch, Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc.) there is very little if ANY discussion at all about specific proposals going forward. If that discussion is happening....it certainly is not happening in a very public way..and that is my point. The specifics of what has to be done need to be out there in the open...certainly that is not the case now..and that is not what the protesters are getting across to the vast majority of people witnessing all this. Are they unhappy...yep, we get that. What specifically do you want done? Not many people know. If I'm missing that, please let me know. Because as far as I know.... Protesters are protesting because they want conditions changed so this doesn't happen again, right? If so, what specifically do they want changed?

It should be for everybody to discuss, isn't that the point? If putting laws into place to prevent this from happening...or doing other things to make sure anything like this doesn't happen again...if all that is just for mayors and police chiefs to discuss...then I go back to my original point...what are the protests about? Id really want to think the protesters care more about changing the system than simply being seen on tv protesting for no reason. This should be all about making sure this doesn't happen again..and that should not be simply left up to mayors and police chiefs.

My point is we aren't really having a discussion about what changes have to/need to be made going forward. Not much ever really changes after these protests/riot run their course every year or so. Sure, there is a lot of 'discussion', if you read my previous post, i kinda said that..but what my point is where is the discussion about changes....what new laws...what new guidelines can we put in place, can we negotiate into law? I'm getting a lot of everything else, but no focused endgame of what will make these situations happen less in the future and how to put that into effect.

Ok, one thing that is missing...or not that apparent..is the endgame for the protesters. I haven't been watching this on tv hour by hour, but I have checked in on the news..and i want to know...what is it the protesters want exactly....the only 2 things I have heard so far "our voices to be heard" and "justice for Floyd/against the officer". now, that may be all well and good and make the feel better, but what changes things in the long run? I don't see anything so far. Who is the leader of the protesters, and what exactly do they want? Are there specific proposals for things that can be put into law to make changes going forward? Do they want more oversight of the police? 360 degree cameras on all police cars like Tesla Sentry mode? I mean, I'm not trying to be a jerk either way, but what is the endgame here? We can't have that 'national discussion' about these issues when that very discussion is only about 'how bad' the issues are or that they 'just exist'. What are the ideas to change it...what are the ideas the protesters have? If there is a problem (and there probably is at least a one problem, if not many) how is it fixed? What are ideas we can discuss going forward and put into place?

Maybe the Sabres are planning for a future in the next couple years that will make them better than we all think possible, it just may take some time (something most of us don't want to give them). Who knows what is going to happen to the Cap this upcoming season and next. If the cap goes down, some teams may have to gut their roster and make a lot more players available than we thought possible. Even if they come up with a 'cap work-around', many teams in the NHL are 'cash poor' and are not going to be in a position to pay out $80 million in salaries..even if they keep the cap the same. So how can this benefit the Sabres? They only have 4 forwards under contract for next season, and 5 NHL D-men. If, IF the Sabres plan to NOT go out and give big dollar contracts to free agents...or throw big money at their own free agents, they could be in very good shape starting in the 2021-2022 season.

I have no clue at all what he is going to be right. In the past there are some players I have had strong feelings about. From the first few games I saw Reinhart play, I though he was going to be a consistent 20-25 goal scorer (good to very good player, not superstar though). Nick Baptiste I was sure would be a good NHL player putting in 20-25 goals per year (I was wrong about him, but I still had a strong feeling about him.). Tage though? Nothing. No feeling at all. He could never make this team at all (like a Baptiste or Bailey) or he can turn into a 30 goal per year guy. Nothing would surprise me.

I don't feel the same way. I know I'm not taking a stand, but next year (in a full season), I could see them finishing with 80 points and getting everyone fired, or I could also see them with 100 points and in the playoffs pretty easily. For years, many lamented not having those big time star players. If, IF, Dahlin continues to develop into a top-10 NHL D-man, Eichel gives you top 10 points and you get 80+ goals from Reinhart, Skinner, and Olofson......then you just need some 'luck' with the middle 6 and you could be there. I'm not saying they WILL be there, but I can see it as a possibility....while they may finish 25th in the league again, I don't think they are doomed to that.

It could work of course, but what level of play are you expecting. If it was a Canadian league vs a U. S. league..it would be interesting. Money, of course, is where it is going to be at. The NHL brings in a really good amount of dollars from the Canadian national TV deal...so that is a plus for the Canadian side of things. They would AT least be competitive with the American league, if not ahead of it. As far as total revenue generation outside of a TV deal..if I remember correctly as of 2017, The Rangers were the highest...but Toronto and Montreal were in the top 5. But after that...there were no other Canadian teams in the top 10 in revenue, not even Vancouver (when translated to the same currency, U.S. dollars) So could it work? Yes Could it be competitive with the U.S. league? Yes. But would it exist as the premium league to the U.S. league? Probably not...and over the long run it may fall slightly to 2nd tier status (eventually).

I'm not that upset by it.. -Botterill? I thought he was going to be back anyway. -Core set? Depends on what you mean by 'core'. Eichell, Reinhart, Skinner, Dahlin, and Oloffson is your core..then I get it. -Girgensons and Larsson back? I have NO problem with that if their salary is reasonable. They, with Okposo, make up an average-to-above average 4th line. -Sabres might keep Hutton? Eh, whatever. if he plays 25 games or less, oh well. -going to lose Montour? once again whatever..if he stays good, if not...oh well.

So far close to it..yes. I'm talking about what we are seeing and hearing now. On one side people who want to keep extending unemployment benefits on and on and on with keeping things 100% closed down and not even trying to reopen anything until cases are down close to zero...and on the other side people who refuse to wear a mask even though it might be a local law and are threatening (and shooting/killing) people who try to enforce those laws. So far, up to this very point..we probably have taken a middle ground...but there are more and more voices on the extreme of both sides that are shouting louder and louder to be heard....and not just be heard but to take the law into their own hands if they don't get what they want.

I agree. There is no compromise. More and more people want 100% of what they want...and will not budge or compromise on it. For example...re-opening the economy.....Some want things locked down until a vaccine is developed..others want everything open right away with no restrictions or masks? How about a slow re-opening with reading the data that comes from that and having a plan to move forward? It seems like the 'common sense' middle approach doesn't exist...it has been killed as collateral damage in the crossfire between the 2 opposing sides unwilling to compromise.

I just wish leagues would change the definition to 'player of the year' or something like that. If there were 2 awards...one for 'player of the year/best player' and the other for 'player who may not be the best, but who is the most valuable to his individual team', I know I would care for the 'player of the year' award much, much more than the other.

I have visited in the last week(for a snack or a quick drink) 7-11 stores in Lockport, Niagara Falls, and Amherst. All have had hand sanitizer at the front near the register....some brand i never heard of before...and it is a little pricey...but it is there (including today at the store in Lockport I was at this morning).

FYI, I'm not sure if anyone is having a hard time finding hand sanitizer, but... I travel for work and am out in retail stores almost everyday. most 7-11 convenience stores have a pretty good amount of sanitizer for sale, for the last couple weeks now. Supermarkets and Walmart is still hit and miss. Get there early enough and you might find it, but not for sure.

I don't see a major cap problem here like some do...it all depends on how you fill the holes you have. It is up to you right now whether you want to pay/overpay Sam, he is not on the books for next year yet. Jacks contract is fine. Okposo and Skinner are overpayed for what they looked like this year....but not much more than what most other teams have in bad contracts (almost everyone has a few). Montour? like Sam above...don't 'calculate' an estimate for him against the cap until you work something out...and if you don't like what he is asking..then don't sign him. This team might be a disaster against the cap if a bunch of bad decisions are made in the offseason...but right now they have more flexibility to stay out of trouble (or get back into it) than most teams.

That is the main problem I might have with the trade. I wasn't, and still am not totally against trading him. The team wasnt' much, if any better with him on it (at least as far as results go). The problem I have is...there were too many reports, too many rumors....on message board, twitter, and news reports from mostly credible reporters...that said if the Sabres paid his bonus they could have gotten a much better return. I have to think that one of those reports/rumors were true (particularly that Carolina came up a lot)...and getting less in the trade than you could have gotten if you had paid the bonus...that is as much on ownership as on the GM.

Agreed. Right now we don't know what things will be like in the future. Next year at this time, things might be 100% normal, the way they have been for years. Or, next year we might be dealing with no Bandits and Lacrosse league..maybe no AHL...an NHL with less teams, a good percentage of college sports teams no longer existing....The truth is probably someplace between those 2 scenarios....but nothing would surprise me now.

As long as the Bills and Sabres are still here, I think most people, including myself, would say no, he stays. However, that is really the biggest and only criteria where I would keep them here. I have said for the last few years there are things about them I don't like, how they run the teams. I just don't think they are that good yet as sport team owners. If you told me you could get rid of the Pegula ownership and replace them with somene else, and the ONLY thing you knew about the new owners was that they would keep the teams in WNY, then I would say yes, make that move.

I posted something a few days ago very close to what you are saying. I like the discussion, I like thinking about and projecting 'possibilities' as far as how well the team is doing, but I have lost most of the rest of my 'love' or even 'like' for these teams. All things being equal, I want the Bills and Sabres to win. But I truly, truly just don't care that much anymore. Except for the few members of these forums who seem to always be looking to prove themself right all the time...I like the discussion more than the actual games....and I really don't feel any kind of need to support the teams anymore (or most pro sports teams, pro athletes, drivers, etc.)

I can see that as being a 'loose' plan or hope at this time, but when it comes to make the decision I don't think it will be the case. Too much is uncertain and almost all of it leads to less revenue: -When will the season start? Will games this season be permanently lost? Will the season have a late start or games lost next year. Every one of those is a loss of revenue. -Merch sales and concessions, that is a lot of money that is already lost. That number will continue to go down/be a loss for every fan that doesn't attend a game again next season. Plus parking, plus other items. -Advertisers. Even IF they could start next season on time and the buildings were full, some companies are in bad shape and will cut back on advertising. Do you think every ad on the boards or the ice in every Arena around the league...that every single one of those companies will keep spending the same or more money next year? Then add in game over-the-speakers ads, banner ads, ads in the buildings, local ads (including restaurants and small businesses) that may buy a 30 second spot during the local broadcast. ANY reduction in that will be a reduction in revenue. -Ticket sales. Once again, how long before we can have people in the seats, and will it be the same? Some fans may not want to come back at all. What about paying for improvements to the Arena (extra cleaning, more space in restrooms/concessions). I have heard from more than one source that entertainment venues AT FIRST may only allow people in every other row, or every 2nd or 3rd seat must be empty. That may be how they start this. -National broadcasts. Not as big of a slice of the revenue pie as in the NFL, but will some major advertisers stop (or ask for reduced rates) because they have less money to work with? -Finally, we all hear there are a lot of teams losing money, and relying on revenue sharing. How many teams that were 'barely' making money will now move to the 'losing' money side of the ledger, and how many teams that were losing are going to get a lot worse? I'm sure I'm missing a lot of things. Bottom line is, there is going to be lost revenue, and maybe a LOT Of lost revenue. I can't see the actual cap being the same without the league asking for major concessions on player salaries. When revenue goes down....or even when your visibility of potential future revenue goes down, you have to cut expenses. Player salaries are the largest expense by far. The only hope I think the players have medium to long term as that all this stimulus money (and maybe a lot more being created by it being funneled through the banks instead of directly to small businesses, letting banks use that trick of 'fractional reserve baking to loan out even MORE than they are getting)...that this money creates so much in the system that all the dollars have to go somewhere. If that happens a lot of people will 'get their money' but that money might be worth a lot less. Of course, economists have been saying that is possible for decades now and it never really happened (that type of inflation) but if M3 money supply skyrockets this year by close to $6-$8 Trillion, then maybe (but that is an entirely different discussion) Who knows, maybe Bettman knows of a potential 'bailiout' for entertainment purposes. The pro sports leagues can argue its not about the owners and the players, but how many other 'jobs' are tied to their existence. In Canada, I'm sure a lot of citizens wouldn't mind some money supporting their teams....and in the U.S. with just one bill giving over $2,000,000,000,000 so far....finding 'money for all those tied to the entertainment industry...a 'bailout' of $20,000,000 to each us team would be just 1/1000 of one percent of what was spent in that one single bill? I hope not. -

I thought about after reading your reply. I really don't miss the actual games that much....The Sabres/NHL, the NFL, baseball, etc. I miss them a LITTLE, but not a lot. What I do miss is the discussion about them, thinking about the matchups, pondering how an offseason move will translate to the stats and win-loss record in the upcoming season. The actual process of 'watching' the 7:00pm hockey game or 1pm football game I don't miss. Why? Because for the most part in watching a game, 98% of what I'm going to see, I have already seen something very similar. I'm not a regular fantasy football or baseball player, but as time goes on and I have seen more and more games i my life...very little I see in a a game is new. The only thing that really changes are the names involved and the results (and coaching trends) so I tend to follow sports now more like a fantasy player (keep me updated on scores and stats, with an occasional highlight) so I don't have to sit through 3 hours of a game where nothing exciting happens in 2.5 of those 3 hours.

I'm actually the opposite. I am getting by better than I thought. Would I like them back? Sure. Are a lot of other things gone like movies and dining out and everything else, sure. But I don't wake up or live my day to day live missing watching sports all that much.

Well, if you knew you were getting someone as good as Forsberg, then yes. The problem is, if you get another 'top-5' pick in return...are you getting Forsberg? Or Pat Faloon. If you are getting that 'haul', you didn't know what Forsberg would turn into. With tht in mind...No, I wouldn't do it.

Jack, VO, Reinhart, Skinner, Kahun, Lazar, Mitts, Cozens and Johanson....I'm ok with the best 6 or 7 of them being in the top 9. But I think this team needs to add 2 or 3 more quality players to the top 9. Girgensons, Larsson, Asplund, Okposo...I'm good with 3 of those 4 being on the 4th line. The question is..who are those 2 or 3 more forwards for the top 9, and what are they going to cost you? What I don't want is to overpay for a free agent just to fill the spot...or to sign/trade for a player that if EVERYTHING goes right they will be an improvement, but with the odds you are likely not getting what you want from them. I don't know the solution, the bad part is the most likely way to success is patience....waiting...not 'doing whatever is possible' to fill those holes right away.