jad1

I guess it was obvious to most that Murray was carrying on two narratives yesterday. One was about the idiocy of the draft lottery (and it is idiotic) and the other was about Eichel, which was unmistakably positive. Won't get into the narrative about the lottery too much, because Murray has consistently gone on record about how much he dislikes it over the last two years. The new twist he added last night was his distaste for being dragged out of his cage to participate in the circus. Again,hard to blame him for this. In the narrative about Eichel, he had high praise for Jack. He said his talent was apparent to anyone who saw him play. He said he's ready to make the leap to the NHL, and he would advise him to make the leap. He compared the sabres depth at center with the Penguins. It was all high praise for Eichel for anyone who took the time to listen. Murray's taken a lot of crap for this rebuild, and he's shone he has the guts to weather the criticism. The guy has laid out his plan and is following it. The Sabres will be greatly improved next season.

If he decides to join that organization because of one guy, he's not the guy you want to coach the Sabres.

It'll be interesting to see if Edmonton becomes more of a destination for FAs and players with no-trade clauses with McDavid in the fold.

Right, because coaches have always had such power in Philadelphia :blink: . Clarke and Holmgren are much bigger control freaks that you imagine Murray to be. If Babcock is looking for more say in the organization, he won't choose Philly.

I'd be surprised if Toronto isn't already desperately offering Kessel and Phaneuf for Edmonton's former #1 picks.

Yes. I believe that IF Murray decides to go after Babcock, Pegula will make him an offer he can't refuse. McDavid OR Eichel will be a key selling point with Babcock, along with the other young talented guys on the team.

Not sure if Edmonton wants the third pick. Their fans would revolt if they didn't get McDavid or Eichel.

So McDavid's career ended tonight. Edmonton is the place #1 picks go to die. The place is a graveyard for talent.

Yeah, on second thought I agree with you. Too many periods of getting out shot 17 to 2 to buy into the idea that this team gave a solid effort night in and night out.

Wheelchair Lebowski?

The Sabres played hard, but they very rarely played well, and that was due to more than just a lack of talent. Arizona finished two points ahead of Buffalo, yet their Corsi number was nowhere near as catastrophic. Every veteran skater not named Ennis under-performed. Every young player aside from Girgensons stalled in their development. The only true bright spot this season was the goaltending. Despite the upheaval at the position, the goaltenders consistently played above their perceived skill level. For this reason Irbe was retained. If Nolan and his staff were able get similar results from the rest of the team, he'd probably still have a job.

The Sabres best young prospects are either with the big club, in the juniors , or in college. It's an in-between season for Rochester.

The Sabres also have first-rate facilites, a massive scouting budget, a top notch talent pipeline, a deep pocket owner, and a strong hockey environment that lacks the insane pressure of Toronto. And if Murray and Babcock are on the same page, there's opportunity to increase his role, all while making him the highest paid coach in the NHL.

I really doubt that there is a gap in communication between Murray and Pegula as there apparently was between Nolan and Murray. The only way for a GM to pull off a rebuild of this magnitude and survive is to ensure the consistent alignment of expectations with the owner. A very basic agreement between Pegula and Murray is that player acquisition and development takes priority over wins. My guess is that they also agree upon key metrics (analytics) to measure progress. If Murray and Pegula weren't in sync with Murray's direction, Tim would have been sent packing too. Nolan didn't seem too concerned with Murray's priorities. His M.O. throughout his career had been to do his own thing and let the chips fall where they may.

Has Nolan ever had a healthy working relationship with a GM? The guy seems to lack situational awareness when it comes to meeting the expectations of his boss.

Yeah. That and LAMP.

So what's the likelihood that GMTM can deal the third pick in the draft for young, established top six forward (O'Reilly?)?

I think it's absurd that there are so many division 1 teams. The company line from THE NCAA is that only a small percentage of teams make a profit from sports. Cool, take the top 40 revenue generating schools and put them in their own division. Pay the athletes and open all revenue streams to them. Fully fund the programs through self generated revenues and booster donations, no tax money. It's time to end the days of the basketball coach being the highest paid state employee. The players can be students or, if they choose, or just employees. Justify all the changes by positioning athletic programs as marketing and advertising ventures for the schools, instead of hiding behind the sham of the student athlete. For the schools outside the top 40, let them continue to develop as student athlete programs. Maybe give the players access to work study programs. Turn the NIT into their championship tournament. The focus of this league would be to create the best student athlete experience for all involved.

Agreed. He philosophically disagrees with the new lottery rules, admits that he voted against them, but recognizes that under a specific set of circumstances, his team can benefit greatly from them. Nowhere does he state that the goal is to finish 9th in the conference. Nowhere does he say the goal is to pick in the top three next season. He merely points out where his team can benefit from a set of rule he fundamentally disagrees with. If the Sabres are fighting for the 8th playoff spot next February, there is no reason to believe that Murray will tank the effort for the opportunity to win the lottery for a top 3 pick.

Nice job. Mission accomplished.

Agreed. Especially since Murray's quote pertains to the fairness of the lottery rules, and not to his overall management philosophy. His comments on dealing UFAs do pertain to his management philosophy, but the OP has chosen to ignore those statements.

The only thing he is missing is an organ grinder and a monkey.

Yes.

Amazing how this s### still works.

Kane is 23. He's part of the youth movement. Zadorov needs to be in Rochester. It's that simple. Unfortunately that's not possible this year.