eman

SMJ: Murray sure as hell looked disappointed to me that he didn't get McDavid. Let me paraphrase him: "It was like getting the call at 6 a.m. to tell you that you've been cut from the Canadian Junior team". Also, correct me on this. whenever they showed the crowd at First Niagara Centre on Sabres lowlights this season, there seemed to be many signs, posters saying "We want McDavid" not so much any Eichel posters. In fact, from the television highlights that I saw, I never saw one for Eichel.

How come no one has mentioned Ron Wilson? He's come close to winning a Cup? Is he available? Works well with youth! See what I did there? :P Torts would be a blast actually. I just like listening to him lose his $#@! with the media. I miss him!

I was not a Murray fan either but I thought this was his best presser so far. I guess he is talking with Bylsma as he wouldn't confirm nor deny it. He said he doesn't like to make the candidates known as it is a job search and likes to keep that confidential. But Disco Dan is on the short list.

Again, me being lazy with the long paragraphs. More learning. I just like to go on long rants (can't you tell) Not sure what BeerMe1 is talking about. I am not posting under any other name. This is me and me alone.

I think the coach in Edmonton will make a huge difference this year. He would have been my choice after Babcock. I think Edmonton will tighten up defensively under McLellan. As will the Sabres choice as coach, huge decision for the development.

I hear you. No more capitals. Basically lazy was the main reason, not yelling. Loving the give and take today. Yup Babcock lied to Buffalo. Do you think Nolan was lied to also? (or LaFontaine?)

Never have I said that Jack Eichel isn't a good (maybe even great) player. Am I happy to have him on the Sabres? Yes absolutely. Do the Sabres have talent? Yes they are assembling what appears top be talented young players (I never said they weren't) Are things looking up in Sabre land? They appear to be, but again, the choice of coach will be instrumental in the development of the young talent already assembled (see Edmonton as to how that can fail)Edmonton is loaded with talent (they finished higher in the standings then the Sabres) and now I believe Edmonton has gthe right coach and that will show itself this season. The same thing can happen in Buffalo, hell I want it to happen here, really bad. I just will bide my time and see what happens and not get mmy hopes to high as one other poster accused me of. It's how I am now. Not saying I won't get excited if this club shows positive progress. I will. Not going "all in" anymore is all I'm saying. I love Lindy Ruff. He was the coach that had us overachieving. I did agree that his time finally ran out though as it does with even the best coaches in the game.

Not sure why the caps lock offends. Just me being lazy actually. Like I said, I am still learning the nuances of The Aud Club. Already got called out for not being on topic with some of my other posts. I am just a student here. some assume caps lock is like yelling at someone 9i assure that is not the case)To me it's "easy reading"!

Again, I don't mind peoples knives out for my posts. Like I said, i am learning stuff also and as Sabres fans, I love all you guys and enjoy conversing with Sabres/Bills fans when I am in Western New York or at games at First Niagara Centre. I am not saying T-Pegs isn't generous, without a question he certainly is and has been a Godsend for the Sabres and Bills. I just want to see us all rewarded at the Pro level for all his efforts and I may be impatient for sure. I am also critical and if we can't be critical, how do we expect to improve? Again, if Tim Murray can mold this club into a serious contender, I will worship at the altar of Tim Murray. I am glad T-Pegs is here and never said otherwise. it is just my impatience speaking.

YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THE NHL MAKES ZERO MONEY OFF OF MONTREAL OR TORONTO OR THAT THAT MONEY IS NEGLIGIBLE? REALLY? TELL IT TO THE HABS AND LEAFS WHO ARE SICK OF PROPPING UP FAILED ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE COYOTES, PANTHERS AND HURRICANES. IT IS A TOPIC EVERY YEAR. I AM GLAD PEOPLE ARE EDUCATING ME ON THE NCAA STATUS THING AS SPORTSCENTRE DIDN'T ANSWER THAT WHAT IF? I HAD MY CONCERNS. NOT SURE WHAT GOALIES ARE AVAILABLE AS FREE AGENTS THIS OFF SEASON. I MISS NEUVIRTH AND ENROTH. I THOUGHT THEY COULD ACTUALLY WORK OUT HERE. I WILL STATE THIS HERE AND NOW. I DO BELIEVE MCDAVID WILL BE BETTER THEN EICHEL (AND HE DOES HAVE WAY MORE TALENT TO PLAY WITH IN EDMONTON THEN IN BUFFALO AND A GOOD COACH NOW) HE WILL PUT UP MORE POINTS THEN EICHEL BUT AGAIN, WE SHALL SEE IF THIS TRUE BUT I AM EXPECTING THAT. AS FOR OVERACHIEVING GOALTENDING, ISN'T THAT WHY ARTURS IRBE IS HERE????? DO CAROLINA, FLORIDA AND ARIZONA GAMES REALLY RAKE IN THE REVENUE TV WISE FOR THE LEAGUE? I MEAN, IF PEOPLE CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO GO THERE, ARE THEY BOTHERED TO WATCH ON TV? EVEN IF THEIR OPPOSITION IS CHICAGO, BOSTON OR NEW YORK? AS FOR TED BEING FIRED BECAUSE OF RESULTS. WHAT OTHER COACH DO YOU KNOW OF THAT HAD HIS STARTING LINEUP SOLD OUT FROM UNDER HIM AND WAS THEN EXPECTED TO 'GET RESULTS"? IT'S LIKE SUPPLYING A HOT DOG VENDOR WITH HAMBURGS THEN SHUTTING HIM DOWN BECAUSE HE COULDN'T GENERATE HOT DOG SALES.

End of November will be 7-8 weeks in the season. just assessing the style of play they will go to. Not their record of wins/losses. we should be able to see how the PP looks. Puck possession, goaltending, are the panicked or composed, speed etc. not looking at wins/losses at that time or really for next season. Just looking for improvement is all.

Nolan picked up Rolston's abortion and then was told to finish last (remember the tank?) That is why they were last. It was part of 'the master plan". Or so I am told

Oilers had bad coaching. Mac T and whomever the last guy was. I thought Eakins would have worked out better though. this is why it is imperitive on Murray to get the coaching right.

LGR4GM: You're reading too much into my post. Yes I do like Jack Eichel and feel he will be a very good player. Will he be better then McDavid: NO!(and that is why McDavid will go 1st in June and not Eichel.) To your argument, could you tell me how many Conference winners have won the Cup in the last decade? (as opposed to the 8th place finishers) So maybe you don't want to shoot for the moon and the stars. No, I never at any point felt the Sabres would make the playoffs last season as I was aware that the tank was on. I am not aware of what happens to Jack if he stays for another season in Boston. This question was brought up on SportsCentre here and no one answered it so pardon my ignorance on that. I agree with you that the jury is out on Murray and we will see if his future bodes well for this club. I believe that it does. I don't like the way he went about it but I am not the GM. I felt we had good goaltending with Neuvirth and Enroth. Maybe Lindback will be good also. The NHL has teams in Florida, Carolina, Arizona and perhaps Vegas in the future so I don't give a damn "what the NHL likes". they are feeding off the cap money from good Canadian clubs like Montreal and Toronto so screw them for that. I hope I have made things somewhat clearer. I do get off on a rant but I'm starting to feel like a Leafs fan. I want a winner in Buffalo before I die!!!!! That is all.

I don't find any with opposing opinions as attacks. i enjoy conversing with everyone on here to get varying opinions. We are all Sabres fans concerned with the product on the ice and we all inevitably want success for this team. I learn things on here and some of the best laughs I have had have come from being a part of The Aud Club. I do look forward to the upcoming season as I always do. Yes I am more optimistic about this year then in the past but it is with guarded optimism now. I wish all of you well and keep up the great dialogue. Again, come the end of November the picture will be clearer. I am expecting improvement though. I am sure the rest of you do as well and that is a good thing.

My whole deal with Nolan: He should have been given the opportunity to finish his contract with a good solid young lineup as I believe he coaches youth well. that is all: Give the man a fair shake then release him if the results are not what you expected. Is that so wrong???

bottom line is this: I will be happy as a clam to be completely wrong about all of it. If Tim Murray becomes a God here I will surely bow to him. If the Sabres win a Cup i will get the logo, Cup and date tattooed on my skin (my daughter will attest to this) (and i am not a tattoo guy) I was so excited when T-Pegs bought this club as i thought: we now have an owner who has deep pockets and is a Sabres fan. i bought into the whole "Hockey heaven" talk. But as of this writing, that is all it has been, talk.

just saying: we have "won" nothing yet: Not the draft lottery, not the best available coach. By the end of November, we'll have a better idea of what we truly have (developmentally speaking- they may not be winning but we'll see what type of hockey we are playing) i wouldn't be so quick to dump on the Leafs (and God knows I hate them) I believe Mike will make a big difference there. that club can score (which it did under Carlyle) their D just needs tio improve. Het SDS, give me some credit; I did say Babcock wasn't coming either! I really did (and took the subsequent heat for it)

LGR4GM: Edmonton wasn't such a wasteland when Gretzky and Messier were there. Stanley Cup final ratings were big time! With that young talented lineup, it could be the 80's all over again! Ask the L.A Kings how finishing 6-8th works if you have hard work, dedication and some great goaltending. (and they came out of the big bad Western Conference) Are we getting Jack Eichel? What happens if he does decide to go back to Boston College for another season (I would say it is highly unlikely but it is possible) Does he re-enter the next draft or do the Sabres hold his rights. I believe he goes back in the draft but i could be mistaken there. Now whose argument isn''t all that correct? I don't wish to argue with any of you , really. The bottom line is this: we are all Sabres fans who are desperate for winning hockey here (at least i am) I want nothiong more then for this team to hoist a Cup in my lifetime but as i hit 50 this year I question their tactics from time to time. Is that wrong of me? To expect more from a team I choose to spend my money and time on? I will gladly, (believe me gladly) accept the fact i am wrong and take all the crap thrown at me should this team turn it around and become a serious contender. Tanking is not my way of proven success. just because it worked for Pittsburgh. You need a sharp GM and a great coach and a great team of scouts to keep your organization competitive. Winning your Conference is hardly a given to a Stanley Cup. that is how I would like to see this organization formed. Hell, i really like Jack Eichel as i have said in previous posts. he looked great at the World's and i hope he plays with gusto to stick it to all who think he's the consolation prize. to me tanking is the easy way out while subjecting your fan base to a brutal product in "the hopes" of possibly getting a great player. Hey Randall Flagg: Keep telling yourself that........

the proof will be in the pudding come October. Yes, I am angry at the direction this organization took. All of you who think the Cup is coming in 4-5 seasons are the same group who felt we were getting both McDavid and Babcock. didn't happen. Feel absolutely free to call me out when it does. As those who called me out when I stated we wouldn't be guaranteed McDavid and Babcock was never going to come here. If you have been a Sabres fan for several decades I cannot believe I was the only one to see that coming.

@ SabresFan In Rochester: I am not upset with Babcock. i really wanted him here. i do think he is the best coach available absolutely. My bar is set low because look back at the past 8 seasons of Sabres hockey. Do you blame me? really? I am a realist my friend and i do not enter the season with Rose coloured glasses anymore. Now it is time for the Sabres braintrust to show me, as a long time fan, that they are worthy of the praise others are heaping on them for doing the right thing with the tank, for axing Ted Nolan etc. and to PlenzMd1: so they paid Ted for 3 seasons and axed him after 1. he should be kissing T-Pegs feet? They set him up to fail. Is that a nice way to treat someone but hey at least he got paid? if that is how you view this organization then maybe you can't see why Babcock took a pass. (and perhaps others in the future)

Bottom line. NO BABCOCK, NO MCDAVID. No one is saying the Sabres have won anything except blind believers. Second best IS WHAT ALL THE MEDIA are saying, myself included. (except Whiner Line and they make me laugh with their insanity) Check the previous topics and bloggers who did think The Sabres were going to get both and were deserving of both. It's there. I am a Sabres fan but I have not liked the way this organization has treated some people. T-Pegs for all his dough hasn't accomplished anything on the ice yet. He hasn't proven to be a wise owner yet. Thats the fact also. Will it come? Forgive me for being skeptical but I'll believe it when I see it. Sure it's great to be optimistic before the next season starts. We'll speak again come November and we'll see what's shaping up. The coaching choice is going to be enormous for this club.

The way they sold out his starting lineup by seasons end. Both starting goaltenders? Tim's obvious tank may have embarrassed the NHL also. Do you find it somewhat strange that Edmonton got the first pick again???? Maybe the draft lottery was rearranged as Edmonton tried to win their last few games and weren't so blatant with the tank. This will not embarrass the Commissioner whereas in Buffalo it was so blatantly obvious to anyone with a brain what they were doing. Do you remember that 10 game stretch early in the year when Buffalo won 7 or 8 of those and slowly moved up the standings and were showing hard efforts? All of sudden, that effort stopped cold and they plummeted back down to the cellar. That was the real Ted Nolan coached club. Then they had the fire sale because Ted was utilizing the existing talent and was getting results. Do you really think LaFontaine didn't leave because he wasn't on board with this tank process? That is why he left and he didn't want that for Ted. Tim Murray has not accomplished a damn thing yet. I am not sold on this man right now. i will give him every opportunity to prove me wrong.What goes around comes around.

To those that are "upset" or angered by the way Babcock supposedly treated the Sabres. All I can say is this, KARMA IS A REAL BITCH TIM MURRAY! Another poster berated me for using "the karma thing" about my rant on the way this organization treated Ted Nolan. He told me KARMA has nothijng to do with it. I beg to differ, no Connor McDavid, no Mike Babcock. I would say KARMA is playing a role whether you want to acknowledge it or not. Maybe Mike Babcock didn't enjoy the way this organization treated Ted Nolan either and decided to play them to his advantage. Hell if this club craps on it's coaches why would I want to go there? Just food for thought. we'll see in the next 2 seasons where this organization is headed under Tim Murray.

Luke would be my choice now that Babcock is out. He has plenty of experience with the young players and I'm not keen on some of the other names I've been hearing. No Bylsma (I think he was way overrated- that Cup team he had in Pitt was a Michel Therrien team that Bylsma inherited in short order, and it was his only Cup with the NHL's best player & Malkin) No Carlyle, no Terry Murray (that one actually scared me) Blashill will end up the Wings new coach so he's out (otherwise I'd really like him) Guy Boucher perhaps. Not sure he is on the Sabres list after Boucher's extensive Toronto interviews.Might as well go with a youthful coach with the experience of coaching youth. Most important decision Murray's going to make. Enough of brutal hockey in Western New York.