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son of a B%%%%%%%%%%%%

heeerrrrreeee we go!

So according to this simulator as the numbers are being picked, the updated odds of each teams chances of getting first pick are broadcasted. I did a draw where after 3 numbers the Sabres were 28% favorites, and the 2nd place team was 7%, yet after the fourth ball was drawn it was a team below both of them that won the lottery. This should make some interesting TV drama as the lottery unfolds. Similar to watching world series of poker on ESPN and odds are updated as the hands go along, one team could be very ahead after the 3rd ball only to get upset by a team below them. I hope that team being upset isn't the Sabres. Like we need another situation where we are an almost lock of getting a first pick only to be spoiled by a damn lottery ball.

Keep in mind Eichel is a right handed shot. So moving him to RW is an option: Possible Line combinations Kane (23)- McDavid (19) - Eichel (19) Ennis (25)- Reinhart (19) - Frolik (27) Moulson (31) - Girgensen (21) - Gionta (36) Deslauriers (24)- Larsson (22)- Stewart (27) Imagine putting Kane, McDavid, and Eichel on the same line. There would be smoke coming out of the ears of Sabres fans across the land.

OReilly for sure. Lucic would be nice to have, but I think ROR will be a better all around player, have a greater affect on his linemates, and be more of an offense threat on the ice than Lucic. Honestly, I think you can bring in a Christ Stewart type player and get the same return as Lucic yet cover the RW, which is a position the Sabres are short at. Whether they do that or not, we shall see.

So now that the lottery combinations have been released, this process makes a bit more sense. The NHL has a list of four digit combinations from 1-14 that each team is assigned based on their finish and percentage of winning the process. So it's like a true lottery. Based on how low you finished is how many four-digit combinations (or in essence lottery tickets) you get. Whoever wins gets the first round pick. After that, the remaining teams will fall into place based on their finish worst to best. Below are the Sabres numbers. Being last, the Sabres have almost an entire page of 4 digit combinations. Arizona has about 3/4 a page, and it gets shorter as you go down. So you can print the page and literally be watching the lottery live to see if the Sabres numbers hit. A bit nerve wrecking, so I can see why Murray says he just can't wait until it's over and done with. (Interesting to note...if the numbers end up being 11,12,13,14, they will draw again) GOOD LUCK SABRES!!!! http://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/NHL-Lottery-2015-Look-Up-Table-Alpha-by-Team.pdf

Kane & Toews? Malkin & Crosby?

If Sabres get 1st overall pick they draft McDavid. Murray then trades the following: Mikhail Grigorenko Marcus Foligno Nikita Zadorov Hudson Fasching Islanders 1st round pick 2015 Sabres 1st in 2016 (Potential lottery pick if they don't make playoffs) For Jack Eichel Sign Free Agents RW Michael Frolik, RW Chris Stewart, and D Justin Schultz Possible Line combinations Kane (23)- McDavid (19) - Girgensen (21) Ennis (25)- Eichel (19)- Frolik (27) Moulson (31)- Reinhart (19)- Gionta (36) Deslauriers (24)- Larsson (22)- Stewart (27) Defense Risto (20)- Gorges (30) Schultz (24)- Bogosian (24) McCabe (21) - Pysyk (23) Weber (27) Too much for Eichel? Not enough? Too much youth? I think our top two lines would be set for the next 5 years, and they would all grow together. Plus farm hands such as Baptiste and Compher would eventually replace Gionta & Moulson. I think with a little tinkering it could be pulled off. But would we want to...

What are the chances if the Sabres draft 1st and get McDavid that they try and trade up to get Eichel too?

If your referring to making moves in order to put a winning product on the ice faster, I'm on board.

Ennis, Girgensen, Reinhart, McDavid..in no particular order

I believe Murray when he says he felt this team had enough talent to not be the worst team in the league when the season started. When they were 13-16-2 by mid December he was right. After going 3-20-1 over the next eight weeks is when he pulled the Kane trade. That's when Murray bailed on the season. Gotta admit, that one's on Nolan.

Murray felt this team had enough talent to not finish in last place when the season started. After a 13-16-2 start, many agreed. If the season had gone in the direction that he envisioned, Murray admitted that he would have been open to extending contract talks to upcoming FA instead of trading them. Once he saw that the team wasn't going anywhere but down is when he started selling the farm. Whether you believe him or not is another story, but it kinda makes sense. I sensed through the press conference that although Murray felt Nolan had the right to punish players a certain way it seemed he wasn't 100% on board with Nolan's ways. But Murray let Nolan push the players buttons how he felt they should be pushed, yet he held him accountable with the result. Obviously Murray felt Nolans ways didn't work. Furthermore it's obvious Murray felt young players weren't being developed as he had hoped. We all know player development is huge for Murray. With everything being said, due to the recent strong play of the team at seasons end.....Murray STILL went into the players meetings with an open mind with no preconceived notion on whether Nolan should be fired or not. It was after the player meetings that he made the decision. Hence the hastily called news conference. After a GM meets with his veteran team leaders and comes up with the conclusion to fire the coach, something was said in those meetings that swayed him toward that decision. Many of the Sabres players after the season ended said in the media that Nolan was a nice guy, but I didn't see anyone stick their flag in the sand and say Nolan needs to stay on. No one has come forward and said Nolan's firing was total BS. I thought that was interesting.

According to WGR550 http://www.wgr550.com/Nolan-has-a-statement/21361796 “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kim and Terry Pegula, Pat Lafontaine, my coaches and the Sabres management, players, medical, training, arena and public relations staff for all of their support over the past two seasons. Above all, I want to thank the fans and the beautiful people of Buffalo! THANK YOU BUFFALO!!! Yours in spirit, Ted.” Hmmm...If Teddy wants another NHL job its wise of him to play cool on this one. But you know he is burning inside right now and wants to publicly rip Murray. Pretty telling (but not surprising) that he mentions LaFontaine, but no Murray. Wasn't Murray the one that offered him the 3 year deal and changed his title from interim to full time after LaFontaine left??? Interesting. I don't think this will be the end, nor end well when its all said and done. I think the truth will come out at some point about what really happened this year between Murray and Nolan. The question is when. Bottom line, Murray said he entered player interviews with an open mind about Nolan's status. Although he deflected blame on the players, its obvious what he got out of the interviews was the need for a change. That's more on the players and less on Murray. And with Gorges article in Buffalo News that outlined how some players didn't come in to work with a professional attitude, sounds to me like he was one of the guys that felt a change was needed.

The Sabres are going to bring in a veteran coach, one with teeth and a resume that screams stanley cup contender. The top two choices will be Babcock and Bylsma. Both have cups on their resume and will be high profile. Babcock is the leader due to his past working relationship with Murray and Murray's need for the next head coach to "get him". Plus Babcock's resume is the best of anyone out there. Getting Babcock would be a coup for this team. Babcock would bring a cup to Buffalo within 3 years. This team would also be a hot sport for FAs and on national TV all the time. Bylsma would bring almost the same result. I think the fall back plan would be Richardson. As much as the press plays out the Richardson/Murray connection, Murray has to get this one right. Richardson has no NHL coaching experience, and Murray has already made it clear this is a can't mess up hire on his part. There is too much at stake to have an AHL coach come in and lead a teamwho really needs a guy who the player will instantly respect. Richardson is not that guy. But I think as a last resort he would go there if he couldn't find a veteran HC that he could hang the hopes of a stanley cup on. ..and word is the Maple Leafs situation is a mess that many coaches may steer clear away from. I mean, they have serious cap issues, lack of defense, an elephant in the room in Dion Phaneufs contract, and their farm system is mediocre. The Sabres on the other hand have a billionaire owner, top rated facility, money to pay a top coach, and arguably the best farm system in the league that is only going to get stronger with either McDavid or Eichel and two additional picks in the top 32 in one of the strongest draft classes in recent history. Yeah, I say we have the edge. LOL

i agree. I think there will be players on this current team that are moved. it's going to be a different look next year....for the better.

From what the future looks like, who isn't excited about that. The Sabres have ended a 2 year "suffering string". No more reasons to finish last. And we acheived our goal of acheiving a once in a decade talent. The team has talented players, and I expect the Sabres to be active on the trade front as well as Free Agency. We will finally be able to hire a big name coach. That's exciting news. TM will finally be loading this team up to be playoff contenders. I don't think that's been part of the plan since 2011. It's nice to be back to normal. Although this time, I think we are on the cusp of something special that may only be a few years away.

Ennis? Most left shots play LW. That's the case with Deslauriers & OReilly. DAmigo played RW and he's a left shot. If you could put Deslauriers at RW then yes he's an upgrade over Kaleta and you can move Foligno into the LW. Foligno is still young and did improve. I don't see them playing OReilly at RW. He's a lefty and has always played LW or C. We are stocked at Center, so I don't see him playing there.

it's based on the talent you have. There are productive third lines in the NHL, Buffalo just hasn't seen one in a while. I don't see McDavid or Eichel starting top six. That's too much pressure. Name a LW on that roster who Foligno should be a starter over? I can't. He might be part of a trade, who knows.

The Sabres will obviously be looking to fill RW with free agency. They are pretty bare in the cupboard, and alot of their prospects at that position are too young to bring up. I think a name that sticks out is RW Michael Frolik. 19 goals, 23 assists and 42 points in 82 games. At 27 he still has a good 2-3 years left in his prime, which paired with a scoring line should bump up his numbers. Another player I could see them bringing back at RW is Chris Stewart. After coming on strong he ended up with 14/22/36 in 81 games. What I like most about him is his toughness and ability to protect our star players. He's a guy that can get you 15-20 goals on a line with Eichel or McDavid who will boost his stats and protect our superstar in case someone starts crap with them. You need that kind of player on your team. It's no secret that Murray loves Ryan OReilly. Although they are pretty stacked at LW, OReilly is better than half of them. He is young, can score, has a solid two way game, and is said to be a phenomenal team player. You give up a guy like Grigorenko who Patrick Roy used to coach and loves, along with another LW and maybe a pick, and OReilly could be had. Finally, I don't see anyone on the farm system coming in and stepping up at goalie. Lindmark did a great job, which I beileve was more about Irbe than anything (since the Sabres kept putting no names in net that would play lights out games at a time). Whoever Murray hires as HC in will want assurances that he will be given the tools to succeed, and there is no reason not too this season. The tank is over. (Correction: I see a player like Cam Talbot more of a fit. After a great season in NY he won't see a starting job for a while. He'll be looking for his own gig. Better stats than Niemi and younger. With a great goalie coach like Irbe he will only get better) Sabres have plenty of cap space to bring all of these guys in (and might need to just to reach the floor) Adding those guys to the mix, your looking at: FORWARDS Kane - Ennis - Frolik/Hodgson Moulson - Reinhart - Hodgson/Gionta OReilly - McDavid/Eichel - Gionta/Stewart Deslauriers- Girgenson - Kaleta RESERVES: Foligno - Larsson DEFENSE Ristolainien -Gorges Zadorov - Bogosian Pysyk - Weber RESERVE: McCabe GOALIE Cam Talbot, Lindback Thats a playoff team with talent

Not sure why someone would start a thread if they didn't agree with it's angle, regardless of what some chick says or whatever. I personally really like Tim Murray. I believe he does what's best for the franchise. Like another poster said he is a straight shooter that doesn't BS the fans. I believe he has a great hockey sense and knowledge, and he is one of the few GM's that really looks at the big picture instead of scraping by year after year in order to preserve his status. I really believe he is building a winner for the long run, and that's exciting. He obviously didn't get along with Nolan and that's unfortunate. But as GM you have to be on the same page with your coach, and since he didn't hire Nolan he deserves the chance to atleast hire your own guy. Some of the reasons the OP listed contradict each other, and it seems as if Murray was expected to just sit on his hands and do nothing. Not sure what the purpose is to start a thread where you throw a bunch of s&*t at the wall and hope something hits home. A GM is hired to make decisions. As a fan if you respect the GM then you respect the decisions he makes. So far i don't think Murray has done anything to lose confidence in his ability at GM, and I'm really excited to see who he brings in to lead this team into next season.

A great piece that focuses on the debate of "tanking". Some of what was done by Eddie Johnston reminded me of what the Sabres did this year, including juggling talent with the AHL and trading starters for picks or a player that didn't play until the next season. Really interesting to hear from Lou Angotti, who was the Penguins head coach at the time, as well as Tom McVie, who coached the Devils which was the team they were racing against for Lemieux but New Jersey "won too many games" and lost out. McVie admits the fans in NJ never forgave hm for that. I remember Ted Nolan admitting in a press conference earlier in the season that who dresses and who starts is something that was discussed with TM and was a group decision. Sounds reminiscent of what happened in Pittsburgh in 84. BTW, Johnston is looked upon as a genius, and a GM who saved a franchise from leaving in the mid 80s. In fact, it was Lemieux who ended up saving the team out of bankruptcy and through his leadership in the front office led them to the cup with Sid the Kid. So in essence, the tank of the Penguins in 84 saved the franchise twice. I wonder how much Lemieux applied from what the Penguins did in 84 to get him in order to secure Sidney Crosby??? Obviously the Sabres aren't in the same financial situation that Pittsburgh was. But the desperation for a franchise player in order to raise the team from the depths of losing is identical. Final note, Nolan played with Lemieux in 85-86 the year he scored 48 goals and 141 points that season. I'm sure he witnessed first hand how much a single player means to a franchise.

With the Bills hiring Rex Ryan, it's obvious the Pegulas like a splash. While I like Ted Nolan, this team has an owner with deep pockets and a plan for greatness that after last night is officially on the upswing. While Nolan has shown to be a solid coach, he doesn't have the type of experience and credentials that other candidates out there have. I really see the Sabres going hard after Mike Babcock. He has won a cup, arguably is one of the best coaches in the league, and has ties to Murray from their days in Anaheim. With the type of talent that Murray has lined up (and I'm sure there is more to come in FA as well as the addition of McDavid or Eichel) there is no reason why a coach like Babcock would not want to come to this situation. A young team with a ton of young talent and a GM and owner hell bent on a Stanley Cup is heaven for any coach. The addition of Babcock would instantly turn the image of the franchise around. Add McEichel and i'm sure a few other FA that the Sabres will be looking to add (I still think TM will go hard after OReilly) this is going to be a completely different franchise next season. Babcock will also be a bigger draw for potential free agents. I don't think Nolan carries that type of clout...yet. Guys like Ristolainen, Reinhart, and Girgenson will be a year older and more experienced, not to mention Kane. Babcock will be a kid in a candy store, and he will be set up to look like a genius even though I could coach a team with the talent TM will have next season to a better record than last place. Feel bad for Nolan cuz I think he is a victim of circumstance once again. But this time I don't see him out of work long, and it's fair to say another young team will hire him in a heartbeat, which in all honesty he deserves.

http://nhllotterysimulator.com/#/ simulate who you think will win. I got the Sabres 5 out of the first 10 tries. That's 50% I'll take those odds

YYYEEEESSSSS!