JohnC

What are you talking about? My comments directly related to the discussion. How he played certainly was a critical issue. And that he didn't want to stay here (apparently so) made the situation untenable especially considering his contract status. If a player, especially a young player, is not responding to coaching, then what do you want the coaches to do? Recoil, and not address the issue? In the end, the player got what he wanted, and the Sabres got a fair value return. (My opinion.) This is a case where a good young player was being coached up. He wasn't responding to it very well. So he was traded. You may want to put this issue in cosmic theoretical terms but I'm not. This was an individual case of relationships among the player/coaches/organization. He didn't want to fit in, so he was dealt. On this issue we see things very differently. That's okay.

Criticizing the owner, GM and coaching staff are warranted. No one is going to argue otherwise. But that doesn't make it invalid to be critical of a young player who is being "coached up" because there are inadequacies to how he plays. He's an offensive-minded player while being deficient on the other half of his game. What are the coaches supposed to do when his lax defensive play hurts the team? Be worried about his delicate psyche when pointing out for the umpteenth time that he needs to be more aware of the player he is supposed to cover? The Sabres are a recognized flawed franchise headed by an oddly aloof owner who is clueless. We are all aware of that inescapable handicap. But that doesn't mean that every player can play the way he wants to without respect to how it affects the team. In general, the Sabres have been categorized as a soft team. So the staff is trying to bring more discipline within the group and by adding to the group. It appears that JJP was not responding well to the message that the coaches were trying to convey. As evidenced by how he played, he tuned them out. So for me it comes down to that they dealt a player who didn't want to be here for players who wanted to be here. I have offered plenty of criticisms for the GM and organization. But for me, this is a case where the GM and organization handled this situation reasonably well.

If the owner would have swapped Jarmo into the GM job and made KA the POHO, I would have been ecstatic. With that organizational reshuffling I would have considered this offseason a resounding success. KA's has done a respectable job this offseason with the JJP trade and the acquisition of Lyons. And a Byram trade is looming, or maybe not. Either way it can still work out well. It's just that this stagnant franchise needs a major change in the hockey operation, and moving Jarmo to the GM position would have made sense.

I understand why you feel like you do when smugness is exhibited by outsiders. However, what's more upsetting is not the smugness directed toward this puny franchise as to why it happens. It's embarrassing that when Toronto plays Buffalo in our home arena that there are more Toronto fans. They literally have taken over the building so much so that if you were watching the game and didn't know where it was played you would assume that it was in Toronto. Our franchise has been degraded. And it was done by its own regime.

Isn't the Sacramento stadium a temporary situation until the Vegas stadium is built? When you get to the point where you are comparing your owner with the worst owner in sports (as you describe it), then you are at a bad point. The sad, if not ironic, thing about the Sabres and its financial situation is that if the owner had a serious team, the cash/flow and revenue return would put him in a healthier financial position. Penny wise and dollar foolish. Buffalo and the surrounding area are a terrific hockey market. The owner squashed it by how he has mangled this franchise.

There are no secrets about this franchise, owner and how business is done. When one has better options it’s not a surprise that an alternative pathway is preferred by players and potential staff. No one likes living in the ghetto when one can instead live in an upscale suburb.

Make it 8 more wins to be in a genuine race. I’m not so concerned about scoring goals as I’m about the goaltending.

Did the owner order KA to hire an experienced hockey person to help him? And was Jarmo the GM's personal selection?

That's the reality for the upcoming season. There are a lot of "ifs" that are needed to fall in place for this team to have a respectable season. Will they? Maybe or maybe not? Anyone who says for sure that they are confident that the upcoming season will be a surprising success is selling flimsy hope to you. I believe that for this team to be a fringe playoff team it needs to have consistent good goaltending. Will they get it? I don't know??? This is the team that KA constructed; a team full of "maybes". When you are entering the fifth or sixth year of a rebuild by the same GM and that's where you are at, then as a GM, you have failed. Someone tell that to the silent owner who has retained him! Sometimes patience is a virtue and most often too much patience is just stupid.

Are you giving up on Power already? Just because he doesn't play the rugged style of game that you prefer doesn't mean that he won't be a very good defenseman. In fact, as others have point out that his defensive numbers are solid and not as dire as you portray. I'm confident that if he were dangled in a trade that half the teams in the league would attempt to acquire him. Power is a good example where a player gets diminished when he has the misfortune to be stuck in a lackluster franchise. One should be happy that he isn't one of the players (so far) who is screaming (like Jack, Reinhart, ROR, Ullmark, JJP etc.) to get out of this cesspool situation.

Considering her health status I just don't see that.

It's not a surprise that the hockey decisions are made by the GM. As you note, that's a standard NHL setup. What's different about this situation is the selection of KA to be the GM with the paltry credentials and experience to do such a challenging job. Sometimes a surprising and out of the box pick for a key job turns out to be a home run that surprises the conventional thinkers in the business. But in this case, after a five-year run, his personal selection to head his hockey operation has a record that is not very distinguished. So the owner made an unexpected selection that didn't work out, it happens. The bigger mistake is in his retention after a five-year middling stint. And that's on the owner. Closing the door on Shanny doesn't bother me at all. The owner has the ability to talk to a lot of people in the business from analysts, people formerly associated with other teams, media people etc. It can be done on an informal basis or more formal basis. How many people tuned into the NHL do you think would tell the owner that his current GM is doing a stellar job? I doubt any would. Even I, with a rudimentary knowledge of the sport, recognizes someone who is inadequate to manage a hockey operation. I blame the owner for this longstanding stagnant franchise.

KA may not be hesitant with his thoughts but he certainly is frozen when he tries to act. It shouldn't be a surprise that when the top of the organizational chart reeks with mediocrity, the results are less than mediocre. A vicious circle that the owner is willing to endure.

You are working too hard to be pessimistic. You are assuming the negative when the goalie issue is still an open issue. I, like you, have my doubts about UPL. Were there better alternatives in the market? Not sure about that. My hope is that the team's better defensive play contributes to the better play in net, whoever is there. Hang in there, you are working too hard to be dour. 🙂

That should have been a priority when he was first drafted. It would have helped in his development, and it would have made the team better by solidifying the second pairing that gets a lot of playing time. And other related issues are who is going to be paired with Dahlin and if Byram is traded how will the pairings shake out?

Much of the team's success or not is predicated on better defensive player by the blue liners and lines. Will the goaltending beupgraded? If the other units play better, it will. I'm not assuming that there will be a dramatic defensive upgrade but expect better play on that end this season. Will it make much of a difference from a record standpoint? I think so. There's no reason not to believe that individually and collectively that Quinn, Benson and Power will not be better. The biggest issue for me will be how UPL plays. If he surprises us in a positive way, then this team should be at least respectable. In general, you seem to lean toward the negative while I grudgingly lean toward just maybe this team is on a more positive route. And another open issue is how will the Byram saga play out? I don't know.

I thought the Hockey Guy gave a fair assessment of the roster. He made the same point that is often made that improvement is dependent on young players such as Kulich, Benson and Power to take a noticeable step up. As is often stated in this forum, success is predicated on a lot of "ifs" falling into the yes column. It seemed to me that he appears to be confident that a Byram deal will be made this offseason. And as I believe/hope that he believes that Samuelsson is salvageable and can be a contributing defender probably starting off as a third pairing player and working to regain his confidence. TBD. I thought his comment about how negatively players outside the organization view the Sabres makes it difficult to attract players. The only way to change that is to win and become a more respectable franchise. Just my reading into his comments, maybe overinterpreting???, it seems that he doesn't have much regard for KA.

Most people would agree with you that KA did well with the McCleod trade. There always will be dissenters but the general view is that it was a good deal for this team. The hope is that he can make some more immediate help deals.

Would you have preferred that Mitts wasn’t traded for Byram and then have McCleod and Mitts vying with one another for the 2 and 3C spots?

I don’t want to make excuses for Samuelsson’s lack of play but I attribute much of it to him being plagued with injuries than to lack of effort after garnering a big contract. TBD. I’m more upbeat than most on Power. TBD. As far as a Byram, I’m for keeping him if a trade return is not sufficient. In my view, the GM is handling this situation well. On UPL, I don’t know.

I just think that you are being closed minded on Samuelsson playing as a good third pairing player who will be versatile enough to move up the pairings when needed. It wouldn't be stunning to me if he ends up as a first or second pairing player. I'm not trying to alter your hardened opinion of him but to be willing to reconsider your assessment if his play warrants it.

No with stripping a team for a player who is going to require a$12M plus on a long-term deal. To get a player like Johnson it would take dispatching multiple young players such as Power, Kulich and Benson plus picks. That makes little sense to me, especially for a team that is thin to begin with. Good franchises that are competently run usually end up doing what they have to do to keep their best players. Buffalo doesn't fall in that competently run category.

That's the central issue. Players elect to leave teams for a number of reasons. He was an UFA and under a contract status that allowed him to have choices. If he were determined to leave, the team had no control to keep him. What the GM didn't do is come up with a reasonable option just in case he did choose to leave. What happened shouldn't have been a surprise to the organization because he was an UFA who hadn't signed. What compounds the loss even more is that the GM hasn't adequately filled that hole since he left. (As you point out.)

As you point out there is value in a player who can move up in his role when needed. In a injury riddled game that versatility is an asset.

You make a keen observation about McCleod. When you watch him play there is nothing eye-popping about his game. However, what he does provide is responsible two-way play on both ends of the ice. There is a consistency to his game that masks his effectiveness. Just using this comparison to make a point but you can watch a JJP make an end to end rush ending with an impressive laser shot that ends in the net. But to go along with the highlight play is a lapse in the defensive zone where the player he is responsible for is left unattended to put in a rebound. The point I'm making is not in comparing the two players but how one player's consistently steady play can get lost and not appreciated as much as it should be in a game where there are some highlights. The Sabres are still a very young team. What he provides to this team is maturity in play that that this team needs more of. KA did well in trading or him. Both McCleod and Zucker are the type of players that this roster needs more of. Both players are good examples for the young players to follow.