JohnC

Usually, when a new HC takes over there is a major cleaning house of coaches from the previous regime. The new coach usually brings in mostly a new staff. I'm just curious as to whether the coaches who worked under Granato were forced on him or whether he wanted to keep the staff in place. Just curious. Now that Ruff has one year under his belt, he should have a better grasp of the different personalities and have a better feel for what each player's strength and weaknesses are. I just didn't get the sense that this was a well coached team because the players seem to make the same mistakes. (That's my opinion based on watching the games without resorting to analytics.)

Is it Ruff who wants to keep this coach on or is it the organization mandating it? There were reports that there were overtures to some coaches who simply didn't want to come here. That's a commentary onto itself about how this franchise is perceived.

If a team wants to hand out a number of maximum deals, then what is the problem. If teams are too eager to hand them out to less than elite players, then they will eventually be encumbered by those foolish contracts. By giving out too many of those rich contracts it won't take long before those contracts limit their options in pursuing other players. The Sabres are limited in the players who want to come here not because of the large number of players with NMCs but because it is a widely acknowledged dysfunctional franchise. What player wants to be stuck in a ghetto franchise where post-season play in a fantasy? The NMC contracts have teams listed on them. Well run teams and serious franchises are usually not on that list. There is a simple solution: Run a competent and serious franchise where winning is a priority. Buffalo is in an ideal location for Canadian players who live in the Toronto and southern Canadian area. It should be an appealing destination for many players. It's not because few people desire to be stuck in such a chaotic system. I'm confident that if this franchise turns it around that this clause issue will not be much of a factor in our pursuit of players. The Sabres should be more worried about their top players wanting out than top players not wanting to come here. The solution is to start acting more competently and win more. shiiiiiit teams and organizations have never been an enticing place to play for players with the special clauses and without them. This oddly run franchise is its own worst enemy. Note: I'm not an irredeemable pessimist. I see this leaky ship floating better. In general, our offseason has been solid. But it's still not good enough. More urgency demonstrated by action should have been shown. That's why I'm still disappointed how this offseason has transpired. If our placid GM should come up with a second-line caliber of forward before the season starts, I will be more upbeat.

We don’t know for sure what the full reality of their Sabre play will be. That’s for sure. However, you deal with the hand you are dealt with and make the best of it. I have been a critic of KA. In this case, I believe he handled this situation well.

I can make the case that in the Peterka trade that our roster/team got better. If Kesserling becomes a good pairing for Power and Doan adds an element of grit and responsible two-way play to a lineup that needs an improved defensive game, then those player changes will better round out our roster. And if you consider that both Quinn and Benson should be able to improve their offensive numbers to offset JJP’s offensive numbers, then the deal makes sense for us. In order to get something, you have to give up something. And that’s how I view this trade. On initial appearance it seems to have worked out for each of the trading partners. TBD.

Do you know who else does’t want to deal with an openly unhappy teammate? His teammates. Do you think the coaches will find a disgruntled player more receptive to their coaching? It was already reported that he had difficulty dealing with Ruff’s hard style of coaching. If Kesserling turns out to be a suitable partner for Power and Doan adds an element of grit to the lineup, then this trade will work out for both teams. I didn’t want him to be traded. However, he did. So goodbye to him and welcome to the new players who are happy to be here.

It's an opinion and doesn't come from a link. The returning defenseman hopefully improved the unit and we got a player who plays hard and two-way game. If the unhappy player didn't want to be here, then so be it. I wish the departed player the best and am happy to move on from his unhappiness. The last thing that this team needs is an unhappy player in a constant battle with a coach who isn't satisfied with his all-around game.

An argument can be made that in the JJP trade we sent out the best player in the exchange. On the other hand, a good argument can be made that the trade made this a better roster by addressing other areas of need.

The player made it abundantly clear to the organization that he didn’t want to be here. He wasn’t willing to sign an extension and was willing to ride out his contract another year to be an UFA. So he got dealt for a reasonable return. And it should be noted that shortly after the trade he quickly signed a new deal with Utah. I’m more than satisfied with the trade.

What bothers me about UPL in your excellent description of his game is his mental fragility. The critical trait for goalies is the ability to handle adversity. There is no question that our overall defense was inadequate, lacking structure that included too many lapses. He reacted to the poor defense in front of him by getting into bad habits, such as lunging and flailing when the play was scrambling around him. As you noted, when he plays a more composed game with an economy of movement, he is very effective. Entering this season, I consider him to be the most important player that will determine how the season will play out.

The topic is simply being addressed from a wider perspective. (As you point out.) Multiple players can offset, make up compensate (whatever word one chooses to use) the goals differential. And the differential can also be calculated from the prevention side of the equation. It basically two sides of the same coin. If a strict rule of comparison is going to be applied in this topic then it shouldn't be permissible to add to the discussion of the players received in the trade (Doan and Kesserling) contributing to preventing goals if the trade didn't happen. Sometimes in the discussion of a topic the discussion strays from the strict stating of the topic. That's the nature of discourse i.e. it gets broaden. I don't see what the problem is.

I’m not calm about our goalie situation, especially about UPL. I’m hoping he can revert to his play a couple of years ago and not to his erratic play of last year. You may be calm but I’m not. Because of our goaltending situation I’m queasy and in a state of agitation.

Justin Bailey was an intriguing prospect. If you just considered his physical talents and measurables, you would be impressed. However, for whatever reasons those physical traits never translated well when playing. The problem wasn’t effort or work habits. It just didn’t work.

My hope is the defense plays a more structured game that helps the goalie go back to playing a calmer and less lunging and frantic game that he did a couple of seasons ago. We need our goaltenders to be consistently solid.

I don’t think the HC will have much patience with UPL this season if he falters. Too much is at stake to quickly fall way behind. There will be a quicker hook this season where Lyons replace him and Levi will be called up. That’s how I see thing’s playing out.

I’m not worried about compensating for the loss of losing JJP’s production. Benson, Quinn and Norris collective production should more than make up for it. In addition, adding Kesserling and keeping Byrum should improve the blue line unit and lower the goals against stat. The issue that hovers over this team is the play of UPL. (As most everyone has already noted.) Two years ago, UPL gave the appearance that he could be a #1 NHL goalie. Last year, he regressed and created doubts about him. Will he regain his confidence and form next season? I don’t know? If he does, then we should be in the playoff race all season long. If not, the fanbase will be further eroded with apathy being the prevailing view toward this franchise.

I agree with your comments about the level of spending is no guarantee for success. We are in accord. However, this owner, himself, has made some critical hires in staffing that have been less than mediocre. The unimpressive results shouldn’t be surprising. The Sabres during the owner’s 15 year tenure has been a dismal failure. It’s not a surprise that this franchise is most likely to be on players’ no trade list. This is third-rate franchise that Terry P presides over. If a sense of urgency is not exhibited now, then when?

I do remember that Polian did criticize the owner’s daughter’s football acumen within the organization. Wild Bill was a terrific GM and also very volatile. I distinctly remember that Polian and Littman had ferocious clashes about spending. Supposedly, Littman told the owner that he had enough of the GM’s belligerence and either he or the GM had to go . Littman had the longer association with the owner, so Polian departed after the football season.

If the owner wants an ironclad guarantee about his return on his sports investment, he should instead put his money in CDs or bonds. No one is suggesting that he should be a profligate spender. However, when you act like a chicken-shiiit owner it isn’t surprising that you get chicken-shiiit results for a generation and still counting.

Your last sentence indicating that you don’t expect the Sabres to make such a move captures why the Sabres are not considered to be a serious franchise. The irony is that making such a money $$$ decision will ultimately result in a loss of revenue.

If the Pens say no to any retention on the cap hit, you would then say no to the deal? For the sake of argument, if Rust was a factor in a playoff run and possible qualification, the revenue return would more than compensate for not getting a Pitt’s retention. Ultimately, a nickel and dime approach to business will end up losing dollars.

If Pitts wanted to move on from him and his contract, then the compensation for him should be reasonable. A 5 mil per for the next three years for a second line forward is not outlandish, especially when the cap is going up. However, if you are a penny pinching and not serious franchise, then he is a player you would not be interested in.

Both your views make sense. I lean towards Rust because it sure would be advantageous to have another veteran presence in the room when facing a tough spell. Last year, when we were subjected to the losing streak, the team couldn't handle the adversity and lost its confidence. The team never recovered from that season sabotaging spell. It just seems to me that if the GM could add another second line forward to the mix, (whoever it might be) it will provide a lot of line flexibility.

I’ve said this for a long time that the owner is the primary source of the degrading of this franchise. The organization is structured the way he wants it to be structured and he has also made the major staffing hires. In addition, he has established the financial parameters/restrictions that the staff has to work within. As you point out, even after making debilitating blunders during his ownership tenure he has had more than enough time and opportunities to get this lost franchise back on track. He’s a stubborn rich fellow who doesn’t have the self-awareness to know what he doesn’t know. I haven’t been an advocate of making blockbuster deals that strip away a lot of our young talent this offseason. However, a little more activity by our GM this would have been beneficial. The lack of urgency is troubling. When you are in a race and are ambling along while your competitors are running hard, you will continue to be a back of the pack competitor.

How he treated and disparaged the owner’s daughter was a factor in the owner souring on the GM. But if my memory is correct the GM’s combative relationship with the owner’s long time financial advisor for his businesses was a major factor for his departure. And as you seem to indicate there were multiple reasons for the GM to leave.