msw2112

Rick Martin. That guy could really score goals and had a wicked slapshot. Scored 52 very early in his career. My next favorite is Lindy Ruff. Never highly talented, but loved the passion with which he played (and later coached). He was also a versatile player - he played both defense and wing. He was always a tough guy, a grinder who was willing to drop the gloves, but at his peak, got up into the 20 goal range. It was a shame watching Lindy at the end of his Sabres playing career, as he clearly had nothing left in the tank. I'm surprised the Rangers took him on and that he stayed in the league (as a player) for a couple of years after that. From a pure offensive skill standpoint, guys like Perreault and LaFontaine are hard to beat. As Jack matures, he certainly has a shot to be one of those guys, although his offensive skill probably includes more sheer strength and power than Gil and LaLa.

Your recollection is correct. I saw him play in one game live and he clearly was not ready for the NHL. It's not to say he won't/can't develop, but he played like a rookie who was overwhelmed.

This was about Jonas Johansson and in response to a question whether he could be relied on as a backup when called up....

I was at the game that he started in Arizona. He was terrible. He looked nervous and uncomfortable - he looked like a minor leaguer who was in over his head. Perhaps he will overcome the rookie jitters and became a decent NHL player, but based on what I saw, I wouldn't count on it.

I don't really follow NHL prospects. Most of what I know comes from this board. When I saw that they drafted Quinn, I was pissed, because no list that I'd seen had him ranked in the top 8, and multiple players who were ranked in the top 8 (and that were mentioned on this board) were still available. I subsequently watched the NHL Network coverage of the pick (which I had recorded on the DVR) and all of the "experts" called him the best goal scorer in the draft and had other high praise for him. I think they had him ranked at 10 and we took him at 8, so not that big of a discrepancy. The more I thought about it, I was good with the pick. In comparison, remember how great everyone felt when Middlestadt "fell" to us on draft night? How did that turn out? A few years earlier, it was Grigerenko. Perhaps it is wise to consider why flashy forwards sometimes drop on draft night. It sounds like Quinn plays "heavy," gets into the corners and plays a 2-way game - all while being a great scorer. This type of player might be a better fit than a guy who only puts up a bunch of points but doesn't have the grit and defensive parts of his game. The Sabres undoubtedly need more grit and grind in their game, so maybe it was worth a small reach to add that type of player. Plus, the NHL draft, probably more than any other sport (maybe MLB too) is truly a crapshoot. Outside of 1 or 2 players every year, the rest of the drafted players are gambles. They are usually a couple of years away from being a regular in the league and how they might develop is an unknown. So, I'm fine with the pick, and like the rest of us, will have to wait and see how it turns out.

To put it in perspective, Evan Rodriguez is making $2M per year. He is a little bit more proven at the NHL level, but Thompson clearly has much more upside, given his physical attributes (and you could argue his status as a 1st round draft pick by a quality organization). It's a pretty low-risk proposition. If he develops, you have tremendous bargain. If he flops, you're not paying THAT much over league minimum for a guy to sit in the press box and/or go down to the minors (not sure what the rules are for sending him down based on the contract and/or at this point in his career). I'm guessing that the organization has evaluated him and believes there's a decent chance he will develop into a regular NHL player.

Agreed. Okposo isn't a bad player, he's a decent player with a bad contract. I hope Skinner bounces back this year so we are not saying the same thing about him. When your team is not a destination for players, you have to take chances and overpay in some cases. The Bills were in that boat for years, but now, they are a desirable place to be and players WANT to come to Buffalo and many of those that are on the team want to STAY (see Tre White) - perhaps for less than they might get elsewhere. The Sabres are a far cry from getting to that point, but you have to start somewhere. Perhaps Adams and Krueger will turn it around and guys will want to come to Buffalo again. Back to the original thread, I have always liked Simmonds as a player, but I don't think he adds that much at this point in his career. We should look for younger and less expensive guys to fill the role he was in.

I'm taking this at face value. The Rangers called to see if there was any interest on the Sabres side in discussing a potential deal for Eichel. The Sabres said no. McKenzie heard about it and reported it. That's about it. I don't think the Sabres or Eichel had anything to do with it. I love Jack as a Sabre and don't think the Sabres should consider trading him, but if the Rangers came to the table with #1 overall and a long list of quality/proven players (such as the list quoted in the post directly above this one), I suppose you at least listen.

I realize that we want to be the best, but Tampa will probably win the Stanley Cup and is arguably the BEST team in the NHL. If the Sabres can at least compare to a GOOD team (playoff team, semi-contender), I would be happy with that (in the short run).

Every NHL team fields 4 lines and guys on the third line (to an extent) and the 4th line (without question) have to be high-energy guys. Lazar is just that. He may be a late bloomer and have potential as a middle-6 guy, but if he has hit his ceiling, he is still valuable in a bottom-6 role. Good signing.

I do find it frustrating when a team that was bottom feeder like the us (Vancouver) has drafted and developed well and is playing high-level, competitive playoff hockey. I suppose you could say the same for Vegas, who was an EXPANSION team, but I will write them off as an anomaly, as they have surpassed most other teams - including some good ones. I've given up on this season as far as the Sabres are concerned and am trying to enjoy watching ANY type of competitive sports right now. It's hard getting used to the broadcast with no fans, but the skill and effort is still on display and it's better than watching Downton Abbey with my wife, or whatever other crap she has on.

No doubt that Dom is #1. I also would put the Briere trade higher. That trade, along with the acquisition of Drury (we gave up more value for Drury) resulted in one of the best 3 eras for the franchise (along with the 75 Finals era and the 99 Finals run with Dom). We've been terrible ever since (when we let Briere and Drury walk).

I'm one of the people who have been saying "give the new regime a chance" because we really have no idea how well they will do. No sense bashing them until/unless they botch it. I also agree with you that we don't have a whole lot of control over the situation either, so we have no choice but to let it play out. My family was a season ticket holder for many years, but we are all living out of the Buffalo area now, so we really have no control. Current season ticket holders have some power - the power to walk away until they are satisfied with the course of the organization. As a glutton for punishment, I'd probably stick it out and see if this was one of the times the broken clock was right. Great metaphor.

I'm not familiar with Appert either, but his background sounds a little bit like that of Ron Rolston. For a minor league team that the big club wants to use for development purposes, this may be the right kind of hire. Time will tell.

I have no idea whether Adams will be a good GM. That said, how do you know that Adams and RK don't have a clue to how get value for Montour? RK seems like a pretty bright guy who has worked in professional sports for many years and Adams is an unknown, but has been successful in the roles he's had with the Sabres so far. Plenty of inexperienced people in many industries turn out to be very good at what they do. Some are smart, some work really hard, some just have an innate ability to be good at certain things, some are a combination thereof. (And others are dumb, lazy, lack the intangibles.) I believe it's premature and unfair to make that statement without any track record one way or the other. Let's hope you are proven wrong.

Also just the fact that, this past June, when his rights were expiring, he didn’t sign him. Technically he wasn’t Sabres property again until today. Thanks - I wasn't aware of that - and it makes sense.

Why don't you think Botterill would make this signing? I'm guessing, but perhaps it's because he's taller than 6 feet and weighs more than 200 lbs - not the small, speedy type of player that Jason favored?

I don't live in Buffalo anymore and have not visited in a couple of years, but my old favorites were Gabriel's ("the") Gate and the Cole's/Brennan's restaurants (they used to be under the same ownership - not sure if that's still true). The Anchor Bar and Duff's are great for nostalgia, but their wings are not as good as the others. I tried Elmo's but don't recall anything that stood out to me. I spent all of my time in the city or the Northtowns and have not been to any of the places in the Southtowns. The only times I saw Big Tree was on gameday and I was tailgating and not in the restaurant eating.

I agree with others - I really like the anchor and think it would make for a great primary logo, but I get the "S" tribute to the original team. I don't love the name - I like the story behind it, but it just sounds silly. Overall, I think they did a pretty good job.

I have always been a big Lindy fan, going back to his playing days. Good for him and I hope he is successful - although perhaps not at the Sabres' expense. How about a Sabres-Devils Eastern Conference Finals in a couple of years, with the Sabres winning in 6 or 7? A guy can dream.

Given his age, has apparent love of the sport, his apparent love of Buffalo, and his apparent love of the Sabres, I don't think a fancy title or even a huge payday is necessarily what Dudley is looking for. Just call him a consultant and pay him hourly for his time & contributions. At $500-$1000 per hour, which is what big-time corporate lawyers, accountants, and consultants make, he could make a few bucks to pad his retirement savings without tying the Sabres to a huge salary commitment and he'd be available to advise, mentor, etc. as needed. He can live at home in Lewiston and not have to travel other than to Downtown Buffalo on occasion. If things don't go well, there isn't a fat contract to pay out. If things do work out well, you could add a bonus to his comp. If titles were more important than I am suggesting, you could pad the title a little and go with "Senior Consultant" or "Executive Consultant," "Executive Advisor," etc.

A very well-known business book discusses the concept of "getting the right people on the bus." I have mentioned this in another Kim-related post on the Bills site. After struggling with the management and staff they inherited with the Bills, then striking out with Rex Ryan, the Pegulas finally got the right people on the bus with the Bills. They can step back and let Beane and McDermott and the staffs do their jobs. They have yet to get the right people on the bus with the Sabres. Time will tell whether Krueger, Adams and the 2 newly promoted scouting guys are. The most successful managers, once they have the right people on the bus, empower those people to do their jobs and get out of their way. Let's hope that a) the right people are on the bus now; and b) Kim can empower them to do their jobs and get out of the way. Getting the right people on the bus, empowering them, and knowing when to get out of their way are business skills that Kim may or may not have. We'll find out soon enough. I should add that this is a Rick Dudley post and my opinion is that he would be a good person to have on the bus....

Wayne Gretzky was famous for operating from behind the net. He's also the NHL's all-time assists leader by a wide margin. Not sure how this necessarily translates to the Sabres or the PP (nobody in the league currently or on the Sabres - or potentially ever - is/was as talented as the Great One), but this theory still made me think of him.

I don't get this. I thought Taylor and staff did a pretty good job. They weren't over the hump, but they did turn the Amerks into a playoff team. While it's true that Olofsson and Lazar were among the few Amerks to "graduate" to the Sabres, it looked like Middlestadt and Tage Thompson were making progress as were some of the defensemen. I don't think that the Amerks were provided with all that much to work with and did pretty well with what they had. I also saw Taylor as a potential successor to Ralph, if they decided to kick him upstairs. I guess I was wrong. You have to wonder if this is a hockey move, a cost-savings move, or both.

I'm ok with retaining Botterill. Some people here like him and others don't. Regardless, Kim could have issued the message more diplomatically. Not a good choice of words to a disgruntled fanbase.