JohnC

The worst thing that Adams could have done is to refuse to answer any Jack questions. Not answering the biggest issue hovering over this organization wouldn't stop the questions that would continue to follow him now and in the future. The GM gave a status report of where he is with the issue and where the player is with the issue. There's a fundamental disagreement between the parties on the right way to medically proceed. It's hasn't changed. That's where we are. Overall, I have no problem with the way the GM has handled this issue.

Under this particular agreement even if there is a medical arbitration the organization has the last say. I don't believe that it was always that way under previous CBAs. But in this CBA the union agreed to the change because they either weren't paying attention to this specific clause or because this type of health and treatment conflict has rarely come up. I suspect that in the next CBA negotiations the union will be more attentive to this type of issue.

My understanding is that under the current CBA the organization has the deciding say on the treatment for an injury. The Jack camp can't overrule the organization's decision unless it wants to invalidate the contract.

Sometimes you get involved in a situation where there is no simple or quick solution. There was never going to be a quick resolution to this complicated health issue because the first responsible course of action was to see if over time it could heal by itself. It would have made no sense to resort to either one of the surgeries until this first extended wait and see phase was gone through. As far as the friction between the two sides that was inevitable. The organization wanted to take the more cautious and conventional surgical approach and the player side wanted a less than conventional surgical approach that at least theoretically had a shorter rehabilitation period. It shouldn't be surprising that these two different views resulted in conflict. It simply was inevitable. Overall, KA has handled this situation as well as can be expected. He is not going to give up a valuable asset for pennies on the dollar for the sake of getting ridding of a problem. That is the right thing to do. If it takes another year to resolve the situation, then so be it.

It's not just about winning. Of course that is important. This team has to say the least been unentertaining for a long time. On top of that the extended organizational dysfunction led by the clueless ownership has snuffed out much of the already waning interest. When you are in the entertainment business and don't entertain the customers spend their money elsewhere.

Of all the hockey analysts and commentators covering the Sabres Biron is (in my opinion) the most knowledgeable about the team's players and the rest of the league. Whether the congenial Marty and Duff can mesh as a duo to satisfy the audience is another matter. One area where he excels at (in my opinion) is when he talks about the relationship between players and their contract value/worth. He certainly is adept at evaluating goalies. One thing he has repeatedly said before Ullmark signed with Boston is that he would want to retain him but would not be willing to go beyond what he would consider his worth was. So it seems to me that he agreed with the organization unwillingness to sign Ullmark at the contract he wanted with us.

Attached is a 17 min link of Paul Hamilton on WGR talking about the prospect games. The first five minutes relate to the Bills but after that he talks about the prospect games. And the end of the discussion Hamilton talks about the Jack situation and the appearance that the organization is more receptive to Jack getting the surgery that he has always wanted. In the hockey discussion Ham made some positive comments about Quinn and his ability to play the center position, UPL and Peterka. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy

A while back I was listening to an Instigator Show where the hosts talked about how good he was and how little recognition he got. I went back and watched a number of his clips. His play was remarkably clean and efficient. I just didn't realize how good he is. After watching the clips I do now. I'm not suggesting that Joki will be as good as Teppo. But from a stylistic standpoint there are similarities. Where I somewhat disagree with you is that I think that Joki has more upside to draw from than others do.

The local market is unquestionably more interested in the Bills than the Sabres. They are simply a more compelling story. The Sabres need to become more relevant and entertaining in order for their market and coverage to increase.

Trading Nylander for him is one of the better deals this organization has made over the past few years. His style of play is not so much dynamic as it is smooth and efficient. I believe he still has some offensive upside. The comparison to Teppo that others are making is apt. It seems to me that Granato likes pairing him with Dahlin. I'm fine with that.

Maybe when the team becomes more relevant the air time will increase for the hockey show? The western NY and adjacent Canadian area have been a hockey hotbed. However, the long term irrelevancy of the Sabres has depressed a market that should be very vibrant. I'm confident that if the on ice product improves there will be an increase in the fan interest and coverage of this team. It's going to take time to win the trust of this dwindling fanbase back.

I remember when Peters announced that the show was going to be reduced to an hour a day instead of the regular two hour show. My impression from listening to him after making that announcement is that he didn't seem too happy with that reduction on air.

Where I haver a different perspective from you on this locker room attitude issue is that it is rare that there is as much unanimity and warmth among all the players and even the coaches in the room that you seem to believe exists in most locker rooms. Considering the wide array of personalities and different nationalities and backgrounds it is not as tightly knitted as you make it out to be. That's all I'm saying. No more, no less.

There is no question that he should start off in Rochester. Even his former coach who gloats over him said the best approach to take in his development would be to start off in the AHL in order to better acclimate to the North American game.

The player I see being called up and sticking is Peterka. Moving up in the draft to select him will prove to be one of the better hockey decisions this organization has made in a number of years.

So what! One ex-teammate criticized him. Not every high profiler player, especially on a losing team, is going to be beloved. In the real world of the locker-room there are factions within the room, as there are in every work place setting. I'm not suggesting that Jack was a perfect teammate or captain. He had flaws (like everyone else) that related to being an intense player who wanted to win on a losing and bottom-feeding team. He showed his emotions when frustrated because he cared. That intolerance for losing shouldn't be an attribute to skewer him for. On the contrary that attitude should have been exhibited even more so from other players. You might remember in a game against Toronto at home when the visitor fans were taking over the arena when their team seemed to control the play. Jack's response was to make a dynamic play that resulted in a goal. For a short time he silenced the boisterous visiting crowd. Whatever faults he has I'll take that unbridled passion over an attitude of resignation. As I have repeatedly stated I'm not against trading him if the return is substantial. But it seems to me that people are wanting to dispatch him for pennies on the dollar because they resent how he has handled this very challenging situation. @Thorny or someone else some time ago put up a link cataloging Jack's goals . The number of dynamic plays was stunning. Jack hasn't played for some time. Sometimes we forget how good he is.

I'll take this ear over the prior eras. Your last paragraph aptly points out why I have the position that I do. When you refer to the Gordie Howe era you looking back more than a half century ago. As time passes by things change and for the most part for the better. As I said before my preference is a minority view: Fighting should not be part of the game. It's archaic and goes against the spirit of player safety.

There is a good chance that Jack might not be able to play for quite awhile. So there is no need to be forced into making a decision regarding him. Situations that have deteriorated and appear to be irreconcilable between the parties involved can dramatically change over time. That doesn't mean that it will change but there is the possibility that it could change. What I have been saying is that regarding the Jack saga there is still plenty of time to allow this situation to play out before foreclosing any option.

The Neanderthal era of hockey is long gone. Thankfully, fighting for the sake of fighting is mostly nonexistent. As you point out what you should want out of your players is hard hitting and play. The goon hockey of that Punch era won't and shouldn't be tolerated in this era of skill, speed and toughness. I'm aware that I am in the minority on this issue but if I had it my way anyone who instigates a fight would be suspended 10 games for a first time offense, suspended 20 games for a second offense and then banished from the league for a year for a third time offense. It's dangerous and its stupid. If you want to see some contrived fighting it would be better to go to a Wrestlemania match.

Your points are well taken. WGR's Paul Hamilton commented that when Granato took over he demanded that the players practice harder and smarter. If a drill resulted in sloppy passing or play he would stop the drill and have it done over. The critical issue wasn't the length of the practice as it was the intensity of it. The players played harder and the staff coached harder. I'm really eager to see how this rebuilding team responds to this coach now that he is in control. A coach can't control the talent level on the team but he can control the effort level. This should be a much more energetic and entertaining team than last year's team under Krueger.

Why are you requiring that he be stripped of his captaincy? If he regains his health (and that is an open question) he will continue to be our best and most dominant player. The time not to have bestowed the captaincy on him is when he first entered the league. That was an organizational mistake, and not his. The more favorable time to bestow the captaincy on him is when he is the most dominant and productive player on this team. And assuming that he fully regains his health that is the caliber of player he is. What I find odd is the cavalier way many fans are demanding that one of the best players in the league be dispatched without much regard for the return. A segment of the fanbase (not all) act as if this is a necessity for this woebegone franchise to regain its honor after perceiving that their star play disrespected the organization. What the hanging crowd isn't aware of is that this befuddled organization is not held in high regard by the league because of the shoddy manner this franchise has been operated. As I said in prior posts I'm open to moving him if the return merits it. However, I would be more than happy to retain him if it is in the best interest of the franchise. I'm simply not foreclosing the retention options as many are.

I agree with everything you said. And I would like to add that this is not an easy situation for this talented and passionate player. Because of his serious injury he has been sidelined for an extended period of time. Added to that stress is the unknown and dispute over what the best course of treatment should be. It can't be easy for this young player to face the possibility that he many never be the player he once was or even put himself at risk where his physical well-being will be in jeopardy for the rest of his life. So I'm not going to be as harsh in judging him and his responses to the situation as the majority of people are. I'm very be open to retaining him if the situation develops where that becomes the best option for the team and the player.

Putting aside the team's record under Granato there was a clear line of demarcation between the team's performance under him compared to under Krueger. And that demonstrable change occurred with a minimal opportunity to practice. One failed coaching effort was more about the team being forced to conform to the coach's archaic system while the more successful coach focused on putting the players in the best situation to succeed. Very often when people try to demonstrate to others how smart they are they end up demonstrating how obtuse they are. Granato is the right coach at the right time for the Sabres. In making the coaching selection KA made the right choice.

One of the things I like about Granto, especially compared to Krueger, is that he is more open-minded. An example of that was his willingness to move Reinhart to center and play the younger players. If something didn't work he would try something different. Krueger is in general a very smart person, obviously so. On the other hand Granato is a much more creative hockey person compared to Krueger who was too rigid and ideological with his hockey views.

Just because it is out there doesn't mean that it is true. The best player on the team is a competitive person who desperately wants to win. There is no doubt that he has exhibited his frustration with this long-term franchise malaise. Do you think that he was the only player exasperated with the organizational dysfunction and constant losing? So were Reinhart, Risto and unnamed other players. Reinhart was dealt because of his impending UFA status and his refusal to contractually to commit to the team. So trading him made sense. But Jack is in a different situation in that he is contractually locked up for the long-term. As poisonous as the situation may seem now there is plenty of time to see if this relationship can be salvaged. Don't misconstrue my position on Jack. If the organization can make a bonanza deal for him I would be all for it. But if not, then wait until he heals and see exactly where things stand at that later point.