PerreaultForever

Yup, there was nothing aggressive or bold about it. He simply decided he wasn't going to pay Mitts what Mitts would want, Mitts was not part of his plan and so he sold high for the best available option. (Byram's a good player in certain areas, but not really what we need.) To your last line I fear that is likely the "plan". I think if anything, KA will feel more confident with his plan because of lucking out with UPL. and let's face it, he lucked out on that. He was all in on Levi being the wunderkind and UPL saved him from that embarrassment and nobody expected that to happen. He will now hope another guy will do the same for him at center. He will believe his own rhetoric about patience and staying the course. In many ways UPL having a great season may be our long term undoing, especially if he has a drop back next year as young goalies often do.

Nope, it was shutting down my responding to that viewpoint in that conversation. My choice. You can go debate it with him all you want. Nobody shut down anything for you. I am however, shutting down responding to your critique of me and what you think I should do or say. Have a nice day.

That's the contrast though right? He has extensive coaching experience obviously, but like KA this is his first GM job. If you remember their roster end of last season it was filled with rookies and nobodies. They tore it right down aside from goaltending, which is where you start. Unlike Adams he stated up front that building the culture back was step one. So they went out and got solid character veterans to build around. the results speak for themselves, and the contrast to the Sabres "plan" is obvious. So he's a fair weather floater and they were just lucky. Okay sure. Don't stop believing.

Predator's beat Florida at their own game. That team is on a tear. Remind me, who's their leader? Does he love hockey?

Probably because they are cheap (relatively speaking) and they are the only ones who will take the job (because the experienced ones want autonomy from the owner in terms of their decision making). So we get inexperienced yes men who ultimately fail.

Everyone "foists their opinion" on others here, that's what the medium does. You are choosing to judge my way of writing as if you have a superior perspective and/or manner. You can do that, you can do anything the mods allow, but you actually have no right to do it and definitely no authority to make it true. We are all just a bunch of a-holes with opinions. No more no less. You, me, everybody here.

and there's no harm in critiquing that either. I don't stop anybody from posting anything, but it's also my right to say what I want and if I find a rebuttal to my comment(s) to be fanboy crap I will be free to say so and also free to not address it further. Why you decided to get involved in that likely speaks to you seizing an opportunity to attack me personally and if that is what you want to do have at it, but it won't help the Sabres win. Really doesn't matter if you choose 13 years of failure or 4 years of the latest GM as failure, they are both horrible failures and very few if any GMs last past that sort of thing. Biggest problem I have with the chosen argument is that using "youngest team" as the excuse ignores the fact this GM CHOSE to have the youngest team.

Granato finally realizing what has been evident for years. It was 9 minutes too many. UPL joins Dahlin and Eichel in the Sabres honor roll of stick smashers. Well done. They fell apart, but really, as predicted, it was net front that killed them. Oilers battle for pucks in front like any good veteran team does. Also noticed that Byram is quickly learning Sabres D, chasing behind the net and getting caught as the forwards don't cover. Didn't take long for him to get with the program. I thought they'd be better tonight. I really did.

Milk toast and meatballs, it's a volatile Irish Italian mix.

What's your point? You want to squabble just to squabble? You bored? Or do you fancy yourself above others? Come on man, you know what the point was. It's fanboy blind belief vs. facts and results. The actual results. and the actual results are another year of failure. I'm tired of "next year" aren't you? I don't want to hear any more crap about "we are the youngest" when it's a self fulfilling prophecy as we continually make ourselves even younger. There is no other successful team that operates on this sort of model and the results speak for themselves. That's the objectivity and if anyone rejects that, it's just blinders on fanboy speak and I personally have no time for that because there's no speaking to it. That mind is made up and it puts on it's hat and chants slogans regardless of facts. You can't have a discussion with that, it's just impossible and pointless.

In person hearing, repeat offender, I'm going to guess 5 games.

The thing to me is after the whack he picks up speed and hurries off the ice through his team mates rather than turning or facing the music he started. If you want to be a psycho goalie be a psycho goalie not a cheap shot coward. Thanks for posting though. This was fun to see.

Was that first line necessary? I'd address your points but with that line off the top you're not worth carrying on the discussion with. Have a nice day.

You are trying to use a point I made and paint it into a much wider stroke. I never said Skinner was "all the woes" that's silly. He is, however, an impediment to progress. This team would be better without him than it is with him. That line can end it if you like. I'm good with that one.

I understand that, and when they play, they are more like Colorado, but they still have quite a few guys who prefer an open game so they can get caught up drifting towards that when it presents itself. idk I'm trying to be optimistic. It'll probably be a shutdown game and Hyman will kill us in front. But you never know.

So they sort of realized that Dahlin Byram PP configuration wasn't working. It was nonsensical and confused. Still have that 3 quarterbacks and 2 units thing to work with though. Benson is your net front? Okay, put the little 18 year old in front why not. He does go there, but this makes no sense to me at all. It's almost like they want 2 equal units rather than 1 good unit but whatever. No matter who goes where the same basic dynamics apply and if we don't get in front and don't screen and tip we won't get the results either. I actually think they can win this game though. Not that they necessarily will, but it's a bit like Toronto. Edmonton likes to play wide open too so if we get them into that type of game it can come down to goaltending as the only difference. So we have a solid chance.

That's the argument I'm dead against. NOBODY WANTS TO BE NEGATIVE about the team, the team puts us in a position where there is no other option if you have any objectivity at all.

Exactly. Him and Ray sitting down and talking about their fight history for the celebration was a pretty normal conversation. Neither was ever the brightest light but they are functioning just fine like the rest of us. Andrew Peters is fine. John Scott is fine. Actually he's more than fine, he's pretty smart. Go further back if you want. Guys like Rick Dudley are still fully aware in their old age. Don Cherry had a lot of fights in his playing career and while you might have hated his views or thought he was a dinosaur he certainly wasn't a drooling vegetable was he. There is a really really long list of ex NHL tough guys and fighters who are doing very well. One must factor in these guys entire lives and lifestyles if you want an actual meaningful argument.

Well the results around Skinner's career say otherwise. Perhaps we'd surge to the top tier just like Carolina did.

Roger Neilson? I get your overall point though. I don't think he does know how to actually motivate them or lead them and with the absence of a solid veteran core, that's a real problem.

It's BS. You list off a small group of dumbasses and make a claim that it proves it for everyone. Why not make a list of all the fighters who are just fine and not worse than anyone else? The ones who are even NHL executives now. Smart guys. The lawyers. The players agents. On and on it's a much much much longer list. To the self righteous ones out there, just remember you can get CTE from falling off a bandwagon too. Be careful. Wear your helmet 24/7.

No, it absolutely does not mean that. It MIGHT mean that, but there is no necessary direct correlation. One example, Risto got lots of experience here and went from a young player to a veteran, but it was only when he got to Philly that he praised his coach and turned his game around. Just being in the league longer guarantees nothing. If we tread water long enough we simply get to the next round of people wanting out. Not saying that will happen, but the idea that it just takes more time is absurd.

Of course not, but then again, it doesn't take much to tip a scale one way or the other. The locker room argument is long and won't get us anywhere so no point to that (I'm sure we disagree) but you could simplify it by wondering how many points/games can any one player cost you and maybe that's enough.

Granato is well past the date for his expiry. No other team would have given his record a seal of approval. Adams has not been good, but for me he can redeem himself in the off season by firing Granato, hiring Brind'Amour (assuming Carolina doesn't), buying out Skinner, not bringing back Girgs, and trading a few prospects to fill our needs. Staying the course would just be more acceptance of failure. I do believe that we have enough pieces in place that all it would take is a good coach and smart GM.

"if" is an optimistic word but it's also an unlikely result. I've moved way past "if" and although it pains me to say it, on Skinner, Kreuger was right. and Skinner has never even been in the playoffs. Let's ask Brind'Amour.