JohnC

The goalie has a strong no trade clause. There are some conditions to it but no goalie who has been involved with a normal functioning franchise is going to come to this shambolic franchise. https://www.google.com/search?q=goalie+dallas+stars+ottenger+contract+no+trade+clause&sca_esv=3cef0c337813fef5&ei=46w5aJfiMLKo5NoPstjS6Ak&ved=0ahUKEwjX39vyoMuNAxUyFFkFHTKsFJ0Q4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=goalie+dallas+stars+ottenger+contract+no+trade+clause&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiNWdvYWxpZSBkYWxsYXMgc3RhcnMgb3R0ZW5nZXIgY29udHJhY3Qgbm8gdHJhZGUgY2xhdXNlMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKSJ0mUOgJWNUgcAF4AZABAJgBVKAB8wiqAQIxNrgBA8gBAPgBAZgCEaAC4gnCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIHECEYChirApgDAOIDBRIBMSBAiAYBkAYIkgcCMTegB4iNAbIHAjE2uAfVCcIHCDAuMi4xNC4xyAdQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

Unless the Sabres bring in another goalie to be our #1 goalie, or at least compete for it, whatever else is done to improve the roster will be wasted. A reasonable argument could be made that if the Sabres had consistent good (not exceptional) netminding last year, the Sabres could have made the playoffs. Counting on UPL and Levi to assume the role of our primary netminder next season is a recipe for another failed season. I don't know who will be available in the trade market or free agent market. I would be very interested at the suggested of goalies who could be available, and the follow-up question is what is the cost? At least for me, addressing this position is our biggest priority.

I, like you, don't know how enforceable that clause is. I would think that if the NHL had a superseding clause that contradicts the individual franchise clause, it may not have standing. If any lawyers on this board have opinions on this issue I would appreciate it.

The Sabre franchise is in a sense a public trust. No question he owns it and has the authority to oversee it as he wants to. However, the community does have a shared stake in it. He didn't buy a furniture store. He bought a sports franchise where the community is invested in it on many different levels. Not so much at a monetary level but at as a community unifying source. It's supposed to be a community shared experience that offers entertainment and joy. That's not what this franchise has devolved to. Fans want to root for their team and be proud of it. What do we have now? The franchise has become a mocked and scorned franchise. It's gotten so bad that not only do players not want to come here but players already here want to get out. All this has happened during his ownership tenure. In the world of sports, especially capped sports, there are up and down cycles. That's now where we are at. It seems that this franchise is stuck. And that shouldn't be a surprise because during the Pegula era that's where we have permanently resided. I'm tired of it.

It should also be noted that when Golisano sold the franchise to TP there was a no move clause agreed to by the new owner if/when he decided to sell.

Florida was the beneficiary of our clown show. It never ends. There was a lot of negative commentary here about Jack's demand to get the helll out of this freak show. He was right. Even years after he departed this franchise is still flailing while he has a Cup with his name etched on it.

Some billionaires are on a different wavelength. Arrogance and hubris contribute to this unique way of thinking.

Correct me if I’m wrong that Reinhart was willing to sign a long term deal but the GM didn’t want to?

Thanks. You may be right. I thought it was KA but not sure.

The degree of his non-communication in whatever form he would prefer, especially when there are so many issues associated with the franchise is unusually low, almost bordering on nonexistent. With respect to his interactions with Harrington or any other media member, it is not too difficult to understand why the members are jaded and scornful covering this long term troubled franchise.

I really don't know where the owner's head is at. There's no communication emanating from him or the organization about what they are thinking and where they are heading. I believe that it was Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News ??? who stated that he hasn't talked to the owner in over five years. That is odd. The Sabres under Pegula are not a normally functioning franchise. The Sabres have become a mocked franchise and a franchise to be avoided by potential staff and players in the league. This owner has devalued the franchise and fanbase by his inexplicable behavior. It's maddening and also weird.

No it is not. There are many countries in the world where early marriages and the bearing of childrem (compared to western countries) is common. And when I was growing up there were more than a few incidents where the guy and girl got entangled in their mid-teens.

Was KA the GM who declined to give Reinhart the early extension when he had an opportunity to do so and the player was willing to sign? I think that was the case but memory is foggy on that issue.

Yes, he posts on the board under the name @Pimlach. He's a tad grouchy and at times when he reaches his tolerance level for foolishness, he becomes pugnacious. Be alert and aware. He's prepared to rumble. ☺️

15 years. Old enough for the male to impregnate and the female to have a baby. That's when the daddy and momma become grandpa and grandma.

I'm not making any conclusive judgment on Ruff just yet because in my view the cause of this franchise's institutional failure is above him. Until the bigger issues associated with the ownership and GM are addressed, I don't see much hope for meaningful change. Another example as to why this franchise has failed is exhibited in how Ruff was selected after a charade hiring process. A fraudulent process for a hollow organization. It's sad.

What's even more enraging than the institutional foolishness is that it has been going on for a full generation without a meaningful change of course. It makes no bloody sense to me.

If anyone doesn’t understand how aberrant a Pegula owned franchise is should read your description of the KA rise in the organization. It demonstrates how abnormally managed and plagued this franchise is. It goes beyond being described as pervasive incompetence to outright weird. Unimaginable level of stupidity.

The problem isn’t so much the Sabres giving up on the player as it is the players giving up on the franchise. If you don’t know what I’m talking about refer back to the Jack and Sam departures/escapes. It’s not surprising that when a player feels “stuck” he works to get “unstuck”.

The quality of ownership varies in the NHL. However, I can't think of one owner, individual or corporate ownership, that would have retained KA after half a decade of wretched performance. Terry Pegula is in a class of his own. It's embarrassing.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=6087856 When Golosano sold the team to Pegula there was a clause that stated that if the new owner wanted to later sell the franchise, he couldn't sell it to anyone who would move the franchise. Is that clause enforceable or can it be worked around? I'm not sure. But even if he wanted to sell the franchise to someone who wanted to move it, it would from a PR stance be awkward for him because he's invested locally in the community with the Bills and Bandits. The best thing that TP could do for this franchise and fanbase is to sell the team and walk away with a tidy profit. Since he bought the team, a generation ago, he has manifestly proven that he is inept and incapable of learning from his mistakes. I'm tired of his foolishness in the hockey business. He may be exceptionally talented in the oil and gas business but in the hockey business he's proven to be an incurable failure. I'm tired of his foolishness.

There was a game in which Ray was broadcasting in which he showed on a replay how far away JJP was from the player he was supposed to cover who easily scored. JJP was so lackadaisical in his coverage that I thought Ray was going to lose it when he commented about it on the replay. It was a blatantly irresponsible play. I like Byram a lot. But if you deal off both JJP and Byram, the return should be pretty good. Maybe enough return contributing to a large extent in reshaping this roster for the better. Is our GM up to the task of getting a good enough return? I'm not confident about that. As others have stated, what happens if Dahlin, Tage and Tuch say I have enough! The owner created a toxic franchise, and the understandable result will be that players no longer want to be around the revolting stench.

I’m adamant on my position on not trading Power regardless of the return. I believe that in the not too distant future m he will be an anchor defenseman. I’m tired of seeing our players on other teams thriving somewhere else.

I very much do comprehend the difference between doing something and having something work. That's my issue! When you have made decisions for a full generation and nothing has worked during that extended period, then don't you think that it's time to change your approach? We're at the point where we are going in never-ending circles. So there is no need to continue on with this futile back and forth. I say this with no disrespect intended but your responses make no sense to me. Your reasoning is so contradictory that it is incomprehensible, at least to me. But that's okay. I'm sure my responses make little sense to you. We are riding on different buses going to different destinations and our paths will not cross. So be it.

I doubt that KA will trade Power. And it would be the right decision. The next issue is what can he get in return for Byram? If you can get a solid return to improve the team and better balance the unit, then do it. The player that I have my eye on is K'Andre Miller from the Rangers.