Dr. Who

Meanwhile, the inexplicable and the dumb are completely in their wheelhouse.

"For some reason there's a love affair with doom and gloom" is your overall interpretive conclusion as to the motivation behind folks speculating: that's your own bias regarding the nature of the board, which you've expressed quite often. The question of whether the Sabres are better is in flux, so obviously some figured in what they thought likely (a trade of Byram), and others held off, and based judgment on what is true right now. I don't see that kind of variance as proof of an odd desire to "paint the worst picture," though it is true that a self-destructive madness can overcome a group when conditions turn in a certain direction. I hardly think that is what is happening on this board. In my judgment, the current roster is not a playoff team, so the offseason is a failure if it remains more-or-less what it is now. You can make an argument that the team is marginally improved overall. I'm not certain that is correct, but it is not ridiculous. What happens in the next week or so will be much more telling, so pausing on making pronouncements until there is greater clarity is actually the most prudent course.

You'd have to turn Byram into futures and picks, and use that as part of the package to get Robertson.

It's not for "some reason" as if it were unfathomable and irrational. There is a long history of ineptitude, which quite naturally produces skepticism. There is also inconsistency. Don't block the young players. Then when they hit on one who doesn't want to be here, you end up trading the unblocked. Handedness didn't matter on D, and now it does. They were all finesse, and now we have discovered the need for grit. I like the current shift, but the GM does not inspire confidence. The change is not coming from principle, unless it is someone else behind the altered criteria, which is quite possible. If Byram is not traded, the D is fine. I think he's probably going to be traded, but it's not as certain as it seemed a few days ago. They should bring in veteran competition for UPL, and let Levi season another year. I rather doubt that is their plan, though. They need to bring in a top 6 winger. There's cap room to do it, but most folks are rightly concerned that we won't spend, because TP has been cheap. You can conjecture various reasons, but the cheap part is undeniable, or should be.

I would agree with the view that you probably need to add to get Robertson, but this is a solid plan.

I really can't imagine KA pulling off those kind of deals, especially in a compressed timeframe. I agree. I'd love to find a way to get Robertson, though.

AI can't really think. It's autocorrect on hyperdrive.

Not really a problem, because Muel will spend 60% of the season on IR.

I don't really want to take a chance on Pettersson, if that's who you're contemplating at that price.

You should ask if it isn't neglecting an initial premise. Perhaps TPegs needs to sell the team.

The battle of the bots. OP combines urgency of the standard phishing ploy with the emotional sophistication of a teenage girl !!!!!!!!! Saw a conversation on Substack between a writer and ChatGPT. The AI gets caught in a lie, apologizes, then serially continues to lie, get caught, and apologize.

Maybe. Perhaps the post was performative. You've got to admit "while Scrabble tiles marinates in juniors" is pretty damn good. (And what is it about Byram that his name just begs to be misspelled?)

Swap firsts, okay. But there's no backbone or creativity.

Yacht insurance is expensive.

Is Taylor Swift dating an Edmonton Oiler now?

KA as GM is defined by do you want to be here. I don't think he's capable of playing that card.

Of course, Adams should not be in charge, but the arrogance and obtuseness begins at the top. It's difficult to sustain hope when that is an obvious brake on future success. If TP is unable to learn a modicum of humility after 14 years, no amount of rational calculation regarding talent and roster construction is going to mean much. One is reduced to random luck, miracle, or change in ownership as what could conceivably pull the franchise out of its lamentable ways.

Well, if that's the price, you do it.

I suppose the sense of it is that if we are too young/emotionally fragile to handle the pressure of the race to get into the playoffs, we're unlikely to step up in the post-season. No doubt, there could be some surprises, but in general, I surmise we have been too young to expect the team to raise its level of compete sufficiently to not be embarrassed. After such a prolonged wait, you'd like to be able to accomplish something once the team crosses the mythical border into playoff land. Anyway, the hope that players that are edgy, uncomfortable to play against, etc. will be part of the profile for who is drafted and brought in is a reflection of that judgment.

He's angry with Staal's behavior on a social issue several years ago -- Staal refused to wear a rainbow jersey while a member of the Panthers. I don't believe that has anything to do with his hockey acumen, which I do not know one way or the other.

He's going to draft D in the first for sure then, or trade out of the round.

What I find offensive, really, is the presumption by certain folks that there is somehow an irrational zeal to be disappointed and angry with the franchise. It’s such a ridiculous position, since only someone deeply committed to the team would continue to care about it and follow what is happening to them after the last fourteen years of misery. To those who malign the fan base for protesting the truly historic ineptitude of the Pegula ownership, the reaction to this hire is provisional, because there is no basis for trust in the leadership that has been consistent in failure, if not always in the tactics pursued. At least this is undeniably an outside, veteran voice that is connected, and mature. It’s been lacking from the inception of TP’s time as captain of the ship he’s run aground. Most everyone is hopeful and glad to see at least a glimmer of responsibility. The complainers who repeatedly blame the fans should note that when there is a reasonable action, the response is affirmative. No one is eagerly waiting for the opportunity to bash the move.

That would just be sadistic, too mean even for an imbecile.

Incompetent professionals under contract are routinely fired; sometimes competent ones, to be fair, though that isn't KA. Saying he is under contract is near to a tautology, which is indeed boring. One can surmise multiple reasons of the sort you propose. TP is comfortable with KA. TP doesn't want to pay another poor hire not to work for him. The likely answer is that KA is a figurehead who accommodates Pegula's prejudices. In my view, a team associated with a community is a kind of trust. A bad owner may treat it as a private property, like a personal vehicle. It's nobody's business what he does with his yacht. However, it is actually unjust to continue modes of action that consistently have bad results when the recipient of that action involves an entity greater than the private. At minimum, he has alienated a generation of fans, provoked indifference in many younger folk, and provided very little return to those who invested in season tickets. Anyway, I suppose you think everything is reasonably answered by Pegula's right to do what he wants with his toys.

There's no plausible argument that justifies KA still being the GM. Whether TP cares or not, and to what degree, only God accurately knows. What is unquestionable, is that he is historically inept as an NHL owner, because you are what your record says.