Alaska John

Agreed. Coaches can do only so much to address this effort issue. It's up to the leadership among the players to get everyone working hard, together, and to call each other out when the production is not there. Ruff's a good coach but he's an old man, and the current players don't know how hard he played back in the day. Ruff was probably playing with/against the fathers or grandfathers of the kids down in Rochester. Having Ruff say things does not mean these kids are listening. I think the player with the personality to be an effective captain is Tuch. Dahlin is injured and can't play to his normal standards, and the kids see what he's doing now and thing THAT'S the standard.

I was pretty much done with the Sabres last year, when they followed up a season just barely missing the playoffs, with a complete collapse. So they do their thing, they show up and skate around and screw up and lose. And every so often I check in to see if they're still sabreing, and yep they still are, so I check back out for a few weeks. I do this a few times and then it's December and they're in a hole too deep to dig out of. I was willing to put up with the Bills going through long stretches of mediocrity, still watching the games and paying attention to the players. I'm just not willing to do it with the Sabres.

If Adams can figure out a way to trade himself to another team, even for a bag of used pucks, that would open up a slot for a competent GM to step in.

Great news today. The Sabres didn't get outscored on their own power plays. They finally scored a PP goal, but then gave up a shortie, so it comes out to even. Which is better than they've done in some other games this year. But, kvetching aside, when I checked the standings today, the Sabres were in second place in their division and in a playoff spot. This with a 4-4-1 record. I don't think playing .500 hockey will be good enough to make the playoffs, but it was so nice to see them that high in the standings. And the Sabres have a three game win streak. Whoo-hoo!

Amazingly there are seven Eastern Conference teams below the Sabres in the standings.

I watched the highlights of the Sabres' only win of the year, when the Panthers started a terrible goalie and played without key players who were injured. The Sabres scored but many goals were soft. Now I just check the scores to see their latest loss, and I shrug. Like others I haven't been able to root for another team, even though I left Buffalo nearly 50 years ago. And so I just ignore the NHL regular season, except to check the scores and shake my head.

I said a week ago the main question for the Sabres is whether they'll win a game before Thanksgiving. Looks like you and I think alike. Yeah, sure. But it looks like the bridge is out already. Pegula is simply not investing in the club to the extent it's obvious he's trying to win. Not paying for players, not maintaining an effective front office.

Well the theory has been that the Sabres have been stockpiling young talent, and it's supposed to be ready this year. I'm not saying it's a sure thing, anything but that really, but that's the plan.

The true question is, do the Sabres win a game before Thanksgiving?

I realize the Texans just beat the Bills, but what have you got against Houston?

Dominik Hasek is 6' 1". I don't know if anything else needs to be said.

Good observation. The Bills are going to line up with two TEs and at least three WRs, all 6' 4" or taller. None of them are blazing fast but the Bills are building for mass and power. Maybe the memo went out to all or Pegulaland.

I have suspected for some time that Adams was reluctant to trade any of the players he considered blue-chip prospects, not wanting to see them blossom in another city. So he sat on too many of them, creating a logjam and blocking needed development. Finally he broke loose. I honestly hope Savoie does great in his career. After you trade a player, he's a sunk cost, he's gone, and there's no point in fretting over the loss, unless of course you got completely hosed in the deal. This deal looks like it could be a win-win.

It's interesting that the Oilers with their cap problems went out and signed Jeff Skinner, who it appears got a $3M contract (more in line with his actual value than what his Sabres contract called for). Trading us McLeod helps with their cap, and maybe Adams squeezed a little to get Tullio thrown in. He's a minor leaguer so far but could help in Rochester.

Dahlin has turned out to be an excellent player, maybe not (yet) the superstar we envision. So far Power has no power. He needs to be reminded that playing physical hockey is required. Bowen Byram was also a very high draft pick and I think he might be more useful than Power this season -- although maybe Power will figure things out and use to his advantage the parts of his game that are exceptional.

Watching the NHL playoffs I saw that the winning teams usually were bigger, stronger, and tougher than the teams the Sabres put on the ice year after year. I think Adams finally realized that too. The shorter, quicker forwards the Sabres have been drafting are not the only solution. So I'm pleased to see the Sabres adding grit and size to go along with the scorers. As for the scorers, the hope is that the Sabres already have those guys on the roster and just need to scheme up an offensive system that frees them up. Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jack Quinn, and Dylan Cozens all had down years last season. Was the problem with them, or with the Granato scheme? Blending in the young guys has to be done selectively so the Sabres don't revert to being pillows. I watched the Panthers style of play and how for three games it stifled the Oilers. That was team defense that led to sufficient offense. And then the Oilers coaches did their job and figured out how to attack it, setting up that great Game 7. I don't think the Sabres players or coaches were good enough to play the Panthers system, or to play the way the Oilers did to figure things out. Zippy skating will get you only so far (did you see how McDavid became invisible late in the series? Even the great players have to be part of a system that works).

You're absolutely right. The Sabres started that season on a roll and then collapsed after the Lucic assault. I think the Sabres all looked at each other and said, boy we suck if we can't stand up for our great goalie on a play like that. And it's been mediocrity and disappointment ever since.

2006 playoffs, losing to Carolina in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference playoffs when almost all (or all?) our defensemen were injured or sick, and we went into the third period up by a goal. Lost by one, and then the Hurricanes played the lousy Oilers for the Cup and won easily.

If you put together a roster of former Sabres still active in the league you certainly have a better team than what they've got now. I think ZG makes that castoffs roster a little better. He'll be a solid add to the Lightning who are desperately trying to win one more before their core ages out.

So happy for all four former Sabres, particularly Reinhart and Okposo.

You have to factor in taxes to calculate affordability properly. I've lived all over, ending up in Alaska up to two years ago. When we decided to leave Alaska, I thought about moving back to WNY where I grew up. The housing costs were very competitive but when you add in the property taxes and income taxes and sales taxes, suddenly it became unaffordable. It's too bad. I always wanted to live in East Aurora when I was growing up in West Seneca, but I couldn't make the numbers work.

Can someone please remind me what happened with Brandon Hagel? I have read the Sabres were unable to sign him at the time they needed to, and he went his separate way, bouncing around for a bit until really coming into his own the past couple of years. Did he just not show enough for the Sabres to make him a good offer, or was he just mis-handled by the Sabres talent evaluators? Thanks for the info.

OK, the Leafs suck, love watching them lose, yada yada yada. I feel the same way. But at least they make the playoffs. Until we do too, this is all a little embarrassing.

I keep thinking guys Benson's size can't hold up in the NHL. But I just realized Benson (5' 10") is taller than Marchand (5' 9")! I hate Marchand but I'd love him if he was on the Sabres. He's a pest like Kaleta but has much better skills. And other teams just hate playing against him, and they throw their defensive plans out the window to try to stop him. (I watched the Bruins-Leafs game last night, and Marchand was simply the best player on the ice, better than any of the Leafs. Geez I hate typing that...) Anyway if someone can convince Benson to find and channel his inner Marchand, that would be great.