JohnC

If you don't like what I'm posting about the inept GM and the ragged owner, then don't freaking respond. I don't respond to all your pompous and obnoxious posts. So exercise some self-discipline and direct your boorish attitude to someone else. Who the freak appointed you guardian of the house. There is a simple solution: ignore and address someone else. Your lack of self-awareness how insufferable you can be (not all times) is off the charts. Your brilliance in full display.

Dallas was a genuine SC contender and very likely will be in the mix again next year. Is Robertson replaceable? I'm sure Dallas would rather have him than not. We'll see how Dallas handles the impending cap challenges. As it has been said before by a number of people, good organizations find a way to work within the cap and keep the core together when the window of opportunity is still open. I think they will but maybe they won't. Dallas is a serious franchise that wants to seriously compete. If they can find a way to keep him they will. If they can't do it, they will get a good return for him.

It's likely that Byrum will be moved. So if Byrum is dispatched, then the return very likely be a different style of defender. Power is staying no matter who is brought in or sent out.

Banning was the question. When there is fighting in those sports, rare as it is, the players get thrown out.

Absolutely not!

Are you not aware that Edmonton was in the SC finals without him? They considered him replaceable. I like McCleod a lot. He was a good addition. But he's not at the level or of importance to the team he left than is Robertson for Dallas.

Are you comparing McCleod to Robertson? If so, you are off base. McCleod to them was expendable and not worth the price compared to Robertson who is a primary player. In Edmonton, McCleod was a secondary player and easily expendable.

I agree with you that it is agent manipulation but I’ m not bothered by it. Agents take a variety of strategies to manufacture interest for their clients. According to P. Ham on that radio segment that particular agent is known for his aggressiveness.

Why would Dallas trade Jason Robertson? That would make no sense for them. Dallas is a serious SC contending team. They have a top tier goalie who is capable of keeping their thick team in cup contention. This is a period of time where you go for it, not slide back because of cap stresses. Dallas is a serious franchise with championship aspirations. They are a first rate operation that is not going to act like a third rate penny pinching franchise like the mocked Sabres. Dallas is not going to strip its team of a key player because of the cap pressure. The Stars will make some tough decisions and do what they have to do to work within the cap. Especially while this group is capable of vying for the SC, they are not going to shed any of their essential players and set themselves back while they are on the doorstep is a championship. Their franchise is an adult franchise while the Sabre franchise sits at the table set aside for the children. That’s the reality.

On a WGR segment, Paul Hamilton stated that the talk was agent driven. (As you noted.)

Is fighting allowed in football? Is fighting allow in basketball? Is fighting allowed in baseball? Is fighting allowed in collegiate wrestling? Is fighting allowed in college hockey? Anyone who talks about player safety, especially concerns over head injuries, and supports fighting is being hypocritical. As you point, the deterrence to dirty play is good officiating. Dinosaurs have died a long time ago. It's time to be a little more enlightened on this issue. Anyone who wants to continue to allow fighting should instead go to an MMA or boxing match.

Of all the players on the team, I thought that the referees seemed to single him out for calls that most other players wouldn't get. As you point out, knowing when to do things, where to do things and when to do things is something that he will have to learn. He's a smart enough player to make the necessary adjustment as he gains experience.

There are a number of appealing aspects to Benson. Because he is so young there is a potential that he will become a very good player. But for the sake of argument, if he doesn't reach the maximum of what some people expect of him, he's still going to be a solid player for us who has a grittiness to his game that this team desperately needs. So his lower baseline is still a desirable positive while his potential higher baseline is exciting to consider. Most young players who are developing, such as Quinn and JJP, have liabilities to their game that you have to contend with. That's not the case with Benson. Even with plenty of room to grow his game, I have never felt that he was a liability for us. That's not to say that he was a noticeable producer, but he was not player who hurt you while he was playing.

It’s not going to be long before that deal is going to be perceived to be a bargain. @K-9 is spot on with his post on Power. Listen to him. Making transactions based on unrealistic expectations is self-sabotaging, as we all know.

I was aware that we are in accord. Sometimes it seems that the fight crowd is more interested in dropping gloves than scoring goals. We need more Zucker type players who battle around the net and score the hard goals. That’s where the focus should be.

Bennett is a tough player because he plays a hard game checking players all over the place. He's a full throttle player whenever he hops over the boards. The fighting is a distracting sideshow. I'm aware that most people don't agree with me on this issue. As far as I'm concerned, fighting should be banned, or the instigator should be given 25 minutes in the box and be required to sit there until the penalty time is finished. I'm confident that this is a minority view. If you want to watch fighting, then go to a MMA match.

Strenuously disagree!

Instead of getting fixated on the issue of fighting the bigger concern is the relatively softness in play. That becomes glaringly evident on defense from the forward and blue line players. There has to be a better balance between finesse and more physical play. Last year’s additions of McCleod and Zucker were positive additions because they provided an element of physicality that was lacking. To state the obvious, we need to be better in that aspect of the game. And to do that we need to add some players where the more rugged style of play is how they usually play. When one watches playoff games the contrast in style of play becomes starkly evident.

I'm aware that it is unlikely that Oettinger gets traded. But sometimes the dispatching of a coach goes beyond an "incident". When a coach has been with a team for an extended period sometimes the voice in the room gets stale and losses its potency. And it's not unusual that not only a coach has worn out his welcome but also the coach has tired dealing with the less receptive group. My point here is that I'm sure that there was more going on between the players and the coach that we are aware of. Especially in hockey, reshuffling the deck can be refresing to the group and to the departed coach.

I know. Simply aspirational and indicating what our biggest need is. In my view, stabilizing the goalie position will have the biggest bang for the buck when it comes to making moves.

The one player who would be most impactful for us from Dallas would be Oettinger. I would offer #9 pick, UPL and Rosen. If they would require either Kulich or JJP instead of Rosen, I would be queasy and say yes..

I don't want to trade JJP. But if you gave me the choice of trading either JJP or Benson, I would deal JJP. There is a tenacity to his game that this team desperately needs more of. What is his scoring upside? You are more upbeat about his production numbers than I am. For me, his importance to the team goes beyond the goal numbers. We need a couple more Zucker/McCleod/Benson types to this loose/soft roster makeup.

I mentioned Zucker in a previous post. It's going to be interesting to see if McCleod signs a contract here. I think he will.

The attention that is placed on players who don't want or do want to be here is misplaced. I don't care what line of business you are in, no one wants to be part of a failing enterprise. Let's put aside the internal discussion about our players and what their preferences are. What team is most cited to be on players NTM clauses? Our dysfunction is not a secret. You can't hide your record. It's bad enough that outsiders don't want to come here but it's gotten to the point that it has become a concerning issue that key players here will opt when they are in a position to do so. This is not a novel situation; this disorder has been going on for a long time. Eichel received a lot of criticism when he vociferously expressed his desire to get out of this manure pit because he didn't see an avenue for success. As time has passed, no one can say that he was wrong in his assessment about this turbulent organization. How do you get out of this treadmill run to nowhere? There's no quick solution. There is a segment here who believe that you have to become composed of fighters. That's fanciful nonsense. The solution is to have competent staff making a series of smart decisions that accumulate and build up to a critical mass of good decisions that reshape this roster. My position is well known about my feelings toward KA, our embarrassing GM. He's simply a dolt. On the other hand, I'm encouraged about the addition of Karma to the staff. I don't know how much influence he will have in decision-making but I'm sure it will be beneficial if listened to. I don't foresee any blockbuster deals being made. However, I do see the Sabres soon making a series of medium range deals that will somewhat reshape the roster and make it more coherent. And it is my strong opinion that upgrading and stabilizing the goalie position will be the most impactful decision that this flailing organization can make.

You should expect a mountainous bowel movement very shortly. Be respectful and give the air refresher an extra spray.