JohnC

What would be your offer? Then it would be easier to comment on your proposal.

Should I call you Hairy? 🤡

There are up and down cycles for franchises. Smart managers know exactly where their team is on the spectrum and the direction it wants to go. It has to establish a course of action to get where one wants it to go. It is not surprising that our organization decided to tear down and thus spend less money after jettisoning of the original core. What's foolish is spending more money than one needs to when cleaning out the cupboard thus handcuffing yourself when you are about to get to the stabilizing and upward trajectory point. One doesn't haven't to agree with everything our GM has done. But taking a broader perspective you have to be impressed by how he has cleaned out what he needed to clean out, and then worked to augment the talent that was already on board. And included within this issue is the judicious and wise manner in which he has spent on contracts.

It's not about age. If you don't have unsightly hairs coming out of your nose and ears and you don't need to have your eyebrows clipped and you don't have a need to constantly pee at night, then I consider the person to be a young assss punk!

No, I am not overreacting to the critical comments about Joki. What I have seen is the same BS reflexive commentary that Mitts was subjected to. Now the narrative for Mitts has changed to the positive. Based on Joki's recent play I suspect that narrative will swing in the more positive direction. The reality is that he has been a consistent player for us. Little has changed in his play other than some skewed perceptions are now altered. I have constantly stated that the organization needs to bring in another defenseman or two to buttress the unit. What it doesn't need is a Joki subtraction that will increase the need to bring in more defensemen. It's simple arithmetic that some people don't seem to understand: When you have a minus you need to add, not subtract to get to an acceptable level.

Name 3-5 players that you believe could be on the roster within two years. And then name one or two of the longer developing prospects that you believe will come to fruition as NHL players.

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show Attached is a WGR link with Don Granato on the Jeremy White Show. It is a 17 min segment. What's interesting about his comments is the emphasis that he is going to keep with his emphasis on internal improvement. There is also a Paul Hamilton segment within this link.

After watching this game, I come away suspecting that Dahlin is hurt. He is not playing with the same verve that he usually has. To his credit he appears to be gutting it out and giving all that he can give. In some ways by not playing with his usual offensive abandon, he is playing a more disciplined and structured defensive game. I give him credit for his dedication to the team. He's a leader that his teammates certainly appreciate.

You are looking at the trading of the old core with too small of a lens. You need to have a broader perspective. It's not only about who you got back, although the additions of Tuch and Krebs are a plus. You also have to look at the trade that dealt the old core and how those departures affected the roles of the players who remained. Without question, the dynamic of the team has changed dramatically with multiple players stepping up and filling the vacuum. The Jack team did have a different vibe from this Dahlin/Thompson/Tuch team. In a team sport the internal dynamic is a significant factor in winning. You may have not noticed it but there was and is a change in it for the good.

The GM was masterful in handling the trading of the old core (Eichel/Reinhart/Risto). If Levi turns out to be as good as many believe him to be, those three transactions combined will be the impetus for the acceleration in the rebuilding of this roster.

What really impressed me even more in this game about the first line is how hard and gritty they played. I thought Thompson played really tough on both ends of the ice.

The attached link is from NHL.com. It gives a short encapsulation of this game. You can also get the highlights of the scores. https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/buf-vs-tor/2023/03/13/2022021061#game=2022021061,game_state=final

Oldsters like us just shake our heads at the youth of today. They are not bothered by our attitudes toward them because they are too preoccupied by their devices. I just noticed: I sound old and out of step. Get the hell off of my weed infested lawn!

If the next singer you showcase for the audience is Frankie Avalon I'm going to have you sent to the old folks home. 🤡

Are you aware that the youngsters here don't know who Bobby Vinton?🤡

Some quick thoughts on this game: My first star goes to Anderson. My second star goes to Tuch. If anyone wants to reverse the order I'm fine with it. The biggest surprise in this game is that Tuch was able to get back to his energetic and tough play even after a long injury layoff. His presence is felt by the rest of the roster. When he is playing this team is confident. Beyond the scoring our first line played a tough battling game. The Thompson and Skinner passes to Tuch for scores were nifty. Skinner has turned out to be one of our best passers. Cozens showed persistence on his goal. His young wingers are playing with confidence. Peterka is showing why the coach stuck with him even when he seemed to be in the doldrums. I thought the tandem of Lyubushkin and Stillman were solid. Joki played well. He led the team in minutes. He played one second short of 27 minutes. Many fans don't have much confidence in this player but the coach certainly does. I'm putting the Joki critics on notice that I'm tuning you out. Watch the games and stop regurgitating your preconceived negative notions about this player who is getting better. I'm really encouraged on how the Sabres have played in this game and the Ranger game. As a unit they are playing a tighter and tougher style of play. The Sabres may or may not be in the playoffs. If we string a few wins together we may be able to get back into the race. Regardless, you have to be encouraged at the intestinal fortitude this young team has. Great win. Entertaining game.

I've listened to Granato and KA on more than a few times this year. It seems that you have captured their mind-set about this team, season and philosophy. They believe in their rebuilding approach and are invested in it. It appears that they are sticking with it. Is it a demonstration of fortitude/resoluteness or is it a demonstration of inflexibility and stubbornness? Time will tell.

You are not the first person to be penalized without a reasonable explanation. Join the club that I am also a member of. Life is full of little dings. Don't let the issue linger---just brush it off and keep moving on.

The both of us watched the Ranger game and for the most part came away with similar observations. How the Sabres played in that game was demonstrably different from how they usually played. There was much more attention and determination to play a more defensive brand of hockey. The forwards in this game were more inclined to be responsible in their defensive assignments. That type of two-way play, instead of looser up and down play, can do a lot to cover for the goalie/s. So if the goalie position is not upgraded in the near term, then the style of play has to be adjusted to cover for the goalie.

I not saying this as a criticism but as an observation. It just seems that the GM laid out a rebuilding plan and is reluctant to deviate from it. So, he's going to continue on continuing on. If you are going to bet money on what the GM is going to do---bet on him continuing on with what he is already doing.

Especially for goalies, intermittent play is not as revealing as a fuller body of work. Maybe he can be a solid backup? Based on this season I just can't say. My sense (guess) is that the GM has not written him off.

I'm not sure what you mean by "twitches" but the goalie situation in general entering next season makes me queasy. It seems that too much is being on foisted on the shoulders on Levi.

What's a shame about the Comrie situation is that because he got hurt early on and has had to contend with injuries this season, he didn't get a fair enough trial to demonstrate what kind of player he is capable of being. The book on him as a Sabre is still unknown.

I don't know what the organization's plans are for the net next year. And I doubt that the person who tweeted that the organization is going to keep the status quo (minus Anderson) entering next year doesn't know either. But if that is the plan, then it would be even more of an imperative to bring in a couple of defenders to upgrade the blueline unit. Also, if the tweeter turns out to be accurate, there will be a need to require a greater emphasis on team defense (including forwards) as was exhibited in the Ranger game. Right now, with or without the tweet, there seems to be too much reliance on the quick development of Levi. That bothers me.

With respect to the highlighted segment: That's exactly what I have been saying all along. The solution is to add players and not subtract them in order to replace the subtraction.