Pimlach

Agree. Levi was given the first opportunity, and UPL's play did not come along right away, but eventually it did when given the reps. But the question at hand is how does UPL feel about it? It is all a silly debate and very Sabresque. Adams better sign UPL to a fair contract with enough term to attempt to stabilize the position for the next few years. At the same time he has to create a culture of fairness, that the best players will play regardless of when and how they are acquired.

If the Sabres are truly high on the list of "second favorite teams" then it must be their nice Uni's. Another thing that Knox and Co got right.

The interview process does not guarantee success, you also have to have the right selection criteria and be honest and unbiased. But it helps the organization learn more what is out there than they knew before. Learning more about the people you didn't hire this time around has longer term advantages. Relationships in the business are important. It is arrogance to think otherwise. Are you telling me that Adams, Pegula and company, know everything about Berube, McLellan, Gallant, Woodford, etc. ? They know something about them sure, but the devil is in the details. Whether your hiring the next CEO for Boeing (a critical position that is opening up by year end) or a sports coach, it comes down to vision, details, criteria, and honest unbiased thought. I am ok with Lindy because he is Buffalo, and the team is so down that he can only help. But when I look at the past Pegula era selections for the Sabres GM and HC positions I am not impressed.

You believe that Adams made a good decision by hiring Lindy, and maybe he did. We don't know if it was the right decision since he didn't interview anyone. At a minimum, Lindy should make the Sabres look and act more like an NHL team. That's a start.

Does UPL think that Adams had faith in him? Not all will agree, including UPL. Adams actions in last years off season, and even at the start of last season, indicate that he gave Levi every chance to take the #1 slot. UPL was actually the 3rd goalie to get into the rotation.

Reimer was signed two months after I posted my comment. Still, right now UPL is better than any option that we have, including Levi. We are in a 13 year drought, hanging on to your best goalie should be a priority.

Who is everyone? I can’t think of anyone that wanted that. Comrie was always the guy that was both injury prone and mediocre. UPL could feel that Levi is the long term plan. Adam’s gave up Reinhart to get him after all. Then he handed him NHL ice time.

That came from a bot.

Which team would you root for in a head to head match up? That was the question? I can't think of a response.

Make the playoffs? First ingredient is goaltending. They need UPL to be real and they need reliable play from the backup (Levi/Reimer). Next, the Core has to be the Core. Tage, Tuch, Dahlin and Cozens must perform and lead. Next, they need continued growth from Quinn, JJP, Benson and especially Power and Byram Next, they need the upgraded bottom 6 to actually do what Lindy envisions (shut down line, better at faceoffs, tougher to play against). I think they will challenge for a wild card once again. I sure hope they get a good start and are in position by Thanksgiving.

Farabee is 3 years older, and already has played 334 NHL games with two 20 goal seasons. His NHL production outpaces Rosen in the AHL. I would not give up a lot for him, but it’s not at all certain that Rosen will match Farabee.

All true , so the goaltending has to be as good as it was from January of the past season.

Lived in Baltimore for a year. Spent lots of time at PAX River too. The humidity was terrible in Maryland. Florida summers, ugh. Buffalo area summers are awesome.

Obviously the team must get more production from Tage, Tuch, Quinn (stay healthy), and Cozens. Benson and JJP hopefully take another step. If this happens Dahlin will rack up more apples. Lets not forget improvements from Power, Byram, and Muel. Agree that McLeod is not Mitts, but he mostly has to add defense and faceoffs, if can score 14 to 18 goals that is extra gravy. Zucker may not score 30+ like Skinner can, but if he gets close to 20, and is a better all around player than Skinner, then that its a plus. A big key is that they must get more great play out of UPL and hope that the backup (Levi and/or Reimer) is also steady and reliable. We will be harder to play against with the 4rd lines combination of speed and grit, plus guys like Gilbert and Clifton and Greenway. We finally have some players that will keep the other teams honest. Then add the Lindy factor. He has to fix the PP, and the PK should be good. It is possible that things come together and we make a WC slot. There is still time to add a top 6 forward as well. I am looking forward and fairly optimistic despite all of the "ifs".

I will wait and see how they play together before deciding if they are good or not but I like the new look 4th line. I like the McLeod and Zucker signings too. Overall I like where this is going, especially with a coach who has proven he can coach at this level. Now for the hard stuff. Get UPL on contract. Add an impact top 6 forward, add a physical and steady top 4 defender, and we will have something.

Agree. Lots of busy bodies posting alerts every time they see a stray cat or hear a fire truck.

Huh? I grew up in Buffalo and i spend most of the summer there these days. Why? Because while the heat and humidity in a Buffalo summer exists, it is nothing compared to the Southern States and the Midwest. Not even close. Many (but not all) hot humid days end with cooler and pleasant evenings, especially if you live near the Lake or the River.

Yes. They start late, end early, but they are the best. Especially compared to the South and Midwests high heat and humidity.

Did Adams really use Granato develop the talent? Krueger hired Granato, Boterill hired Krueger. When Krueger was fired Granato was there and given the job, no real coach search. Did Granato really do an any better job developing young talent than several other top candidates would do? He played kids and had trouble getting his team to play a consistent and balanced two way game.

It’s excellent. They have a national award winning pizza, a Detroit style, which is sold in squares. They sell out almost every day because they make one batch of dough for it every morning and when it’s gone it’s gone until the next day.

The Utah Saints ?

The NFL drafts from college and they can own the rights to the player until that player reaches UFA status as a pro. The NHL can draft an 18 year old player and if that player goes to the NCAA they can lose the rights to him after so many years (3 or 4 or something like that). My point is that teams can lose the rights to a player because he stayed in the NCAA, which I view as unfair to the team that drafted him at 18.

The opposite of the NFL, which means the wrong way to do it.

More Lindy influence? Seems like they would (and should) know this already.

Peach fuzz