irregularly irregular

Metacarpal. Overuse syndrome.

This ^^^. Be a fan, not a fanatic. Your life will be better for it.

I'd adjust your idea a bit to say that solid team defense combined with solid - hot goaltending will win you a championship. Winning games 2-1 or 3-2 will get you a parade in your hometown. Having a couple of HOF level Dmen is nice, but that's not enough to win the Stanley Cup.

I'm on the opposite end of that discussion. I'm not lowering the ask by even one cent until there are more answers to a bunch of unanswered questions. The unknowns here are where exactly our boy Johnny is at with regards to 1) the injury 2) the recovery and rehabilitation of said injury as of today 3) the need for more rehab 4) the NEED for surgical intervention 5) if surgery is needed (unavoidable for him to play hockey this upcoming season), then which surgery serves ALL PARTIES best. There are probably more questions beyond those, and I want to hear that any and all of those items have been addressed before any trade is made. KA needs that information, as does Johnny and his agents, as do any of the GMs that have an interest in acquiring his services. All of this could be cleared up by this time next week if Eichel presents himself at the doctors office in Buffalo at 8am Monday morning and is ready for a day of testing and evaluation to determine what his CURRENT status is. Until those answers and the pathway(s) going forward are determined, KA needs to sit tight, wait for answers and not have another ROR trade shoved down his throat.

Glad you are back. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Not from me. I say the bar gets moved higher and Jackie Boy might get lonely sitting at home watching hockey games this winter.

That does not get released without Eichels approval. First thing tomorrow morning, if I were in GMKA's shoes, is an email to every GM in the league that resets the negotiations. The price starts at 4 real firsts, as in before pick 12, and don't bother me with any calls offering anything less.

Maybe it's just that Terry has lost his love for the game?

Culture creates winning. Winning sustains and strengthens culture. IMHO

Of all the rumors, lies, speculation and delusional thoughts that have occurred.... this one is at least palatable. I would hope for more. KA is not going to allow another ROR trade to happen. It's just that simple and straight forward. Therefore, I don't see Jack getting moved anytime soon.

Fishing guide, Florida Keys in March - June before hurricane season hits and Seychelles September - December.

Spot on. Jack will be a target for all kinds of extra-curricular douchebaggerie in an effort to get him off his game or out of the game.

Might be an opportunity to move that Skinner contract that is going to haunt us for feels like forever. And yes, I know there is a NMC. A guy can dream, can't he?

Dahlin is good, or better than that. Dahlin is certainly not bad, although he has his moments and is still a youngster figuring things out. In my worthless opinion, stapling Will Borgen (or equivalent player in terms of mindset, ability and age) to his right hip for next season and beyond would be the best move.

There is only one way to go, which is up. The first thing you must do when you realize you are in a hole is stop digging. In order for that to happen, everyone must be working to move in that one direction to get out of the hole. I'd only add that the list also includes from ownership all the way down to the janitors cleaning the locker room. They all have responsibilities that must be fulfilled if this team is going to change course and be the team we all want to see compete each and every year for the cup.

Possibly, although I hope not. I think that Sam is professional enough to give it everything he has for at least 1 more season with the Sabres. Hall took the payday, made minimum effort after the calendar changed to 2021 and then hung KA out to dry at the trade deadline. That's not the Sam we have seen for the past 5 seasons.

Voted yes. The 2 caveats are: Getting Samson to sign his 1 year contract and buy in to having a great season in anticipation of his big payday, wherever it may be. Moving Risto (+/- pieces to make the trade work) for a NHL 1B goalie to pair with Linus. The biggest question is who is coaching this team.

my team

That f...ing toilet is still clogged up? Damn it, someone call the plumber 'cause this thing just won't flush and the stench is overwhelming!

And there is the unenviable task KA is faced with. Does he hold out for more and not trade Jack before the season.... season goes in the crapper and Jack says he wants out.... Jack's trade value now drops far below what was being offered before. I agree with Weave that the trade has to be sum of its parts. Wookie is also right in that there is no trade happening were the best player is not Jack.

I agree with the bolded, but I'm not going to go 100%. I'll just say with a high degree of certainty. Everything else that you wrote is indeed plausible. I think it would take something really special to get KA to agree on a trade before the season starts. What are the chances of other teams coming up with really special when Jack is coming back from injury? That said, it only takes 2 teams to start a bidding war. I'll go out on a short limb here and say that Jack only gets traded after training camp starts. Other teams have to see that he is healthy and capable of playing high quality hockey before they are taking on a $10M contract and giving up what has to be a very significant return. This will not be the ROR trade, part 2.

Jack will be back. He is going nowhere until he proves he is healthy, fully recovered from his injury and playing like the Jack that we know he can be. He will determine his place on the team by how well he plays, how well he handles the difficulties he will face (ie- not pouting, always skating hard and not giving up on any play) and how good of a teammate and veteran leadership he provides. The first month will set the tone. I'd be excited to see the 2019-20 version of Jack back in the blue and gold.

Exactly this. I was having a conversation this weekend with an old friend who is a life long North Star and Wild fan. When talking about the Sabres, he called them the anchor of the NHL. As in anyone and anything associated with them sinks to the bottom. Think about it for a minute and you will agree. Nothing for the last 15 years has worked like we hoped it would. Not one trade, not one draft pick, not one coach or GM, not nothing. It's fast approaching the point where even the diehard fans won't be able to keep the arena filled and the bills paid. Pegula's have lots of $$$, but not that much. It either gets turned around and soon, or the Buffalo Sabres will cease to exist.

Tradings all done. Now who do you think wins it all? I really don't know and also really don't care! I know it won't be the Sabres. I mostly started this thread to get you guys to stop bitching and moaning about anything and everything to do with the Sabres. P. S. extra credit is what do the Bills do with pick 30? That will give us another few seconds of not bitching and moaning about the Sabres.

I was intimating that Kevyn's mom started that rumor.