JohnC

As you point out, there are no guarantees how players are going to perform. If, hypothetically, Levi outshines UPL, that is not a problem. Internal competition makes players better, not worse. That's exactly what you want. A number of people are making the "what if" argument about another player beating out a more richly signed player. That's not something to stew over; it's something to celebrate. The better player earning more playing time than the less productive player. Benson was the surprise player in last year's camp. He earned his spot and based on his play showed that keeping him on the NHL roster was the right decision. If Kulich or any other prospect demonstrates in camp and in the exhibition games that he is better than another competing player, then that's a situation that should be celebrated.

I don't get overly concerned with the AAP as I am with the length of the term. If you look at the goalie position it becomes apparent that there is a lot of player movement even for players who have big contracts. My point here is that you are never stuck with a player that doesn't work out or your roster situation changes. One way or the other you can move a player with an onerous contract when the situation calls for it. Skinner is an example of it. There was a buyout. Sometimes an organization has to retain some salary when moving a player or accept a player in a trade in order to balance out the contracts. Those are a few options the organization has when the situation calls for a roster adjustment. There is never going to be a perfect match between a player's contract and production. Sometimes you are going to get a player outperforming his contract that will be balanced out with players underperforming their contracts. In the end, the real issue is the makeup of the roster and their overall performance. In general, the GM has done a decent job in handling the contract side of his responsibilities. KA is more inclined to give a young and upcoming player an extended contract sooner rather than later. In my view, he's done it in a responsible way where it is a reasonable gamble. My recommendation to you is not to get so hung up with the contracting side of the business and instead focus more on the talent and fit side of the roster.

You are right that the arbitration proceeding in itself, regardless of the outcome, often leads to resentment on the part of the player. There's the human element of a player witnessing their organization arguing why you are not worth what you are asking for. It's easy to claim that it's simply part of the business, but what you feel is what you feel. Some players understand that this process is part of the business, while others who are more sensitive take it personally.

If any player regresses, regardless of position, it becomes more challenging to move the player. UPL's contract is reasonable. Maybe it is a year longer than many would have preferred, so what! It still falls within the boundary of being reasonable. As you well know, goalies regularly get moved before their contracts expire. So I don't understand why there is so much lamenting. It just seems that it has gotten to the weird point where people complain when a player hasn't gotten signed, and then when a deal is worked out, there are complaints about the size and length of a contract. I guess you can call it: reflexive cynicism, a byproduct of a legacy of losing.

I don't think the GM will. (My opinion.) Unless a contract or two is subtracted, I don't see a Zegress level contract added to a Pegula owned team. At least right now.

How else are you going to make a salary argument if you don't use other player stats as comparisons when making a case for a particular salary range? It's the way it is done in all sports when negotiating in an arbitration setting or when negotiating with management outside of an arbitration structure.

Quinn has been subjected to a couple of unfortunate injuries that have kept him off the ice for extended periods of time. However, if you watched him in his small sample size of games it is evident that he has the potential to be a good first or second line forward. If I had the choice of keeping either JJP or Quinn, I would without hesitation take Quinn. Not only am I happy that we have him, but I'm also excited to see what he will do this season. I'm confident that he and Power are going to take a quantum leap forward in their games this season.

If Benson is in a proposed deal: Absolutely not. If Quinn is in a proposed deal: Absolute not. If JJP is in a proposed deal: Absolutely not. There can be a reasonable trade to work out for a Zegress trade. None of them should include the three players you mentioned.

If they insist on Benson I emphatically say no. End of conversation. I would be willing to give them Krebs, a high-end prospect or two (Kulich, Johnson, Rosen) and Joki. I would not give up next year's first round pick, a second would be okay. My sense is that KA is more inclined to not make a deal for a second line forward but instead stick with his plan of building from within.

Great point. This team needs to get greater net presence. It's current inability to do so demonstrated that the makeup of the team was inadequate and too inclined to play at the perimeters. I thought that Benson and Greenway were two of our best inside players. That's not good enough. I'm hoping that Lindy will instill and require a different mindset in that critical area of the game.

Did you read my post? I said the opposite. It's well known that you do attend local hockey games, and also football games.

Absolutely! But the biggest difference is that the product is not only better but also the team over a sustained period has been one of the top teams in that particular sport. For nearly half a generation, the Sabres have been in a state malaise due to its own organizational incompetence. As a result, the arena is often half full with a sleeping and too often agitated crowd. If the Sabres become a serious team in this league instead of being one of the most irrelevant franchises in the sport, the arena will be full and the place will be rocking and rolling. A half a generation of ownership/organizational incompetence has suffocated this market to near death. However, I do see the tide turning in a positive direction.

I'm not commenting about the facility because I'm not as familiar of it as others are. (You certainly are.) What I can say as a distant observer, as demonstrated by a Bandit playoff game with Toronto, the arena was bursting with a raucous and frenzied audience. The full house was rocking all game long. The fans were having a great time. If the Sabres can turn things around and become a serious team, that arena will come back to life. When that happens, you will not be hearing so many complaints about the less than comfortable accommodations in this weathered facility. What it comes down to is the product.

Can UPL play at a Vasilevskiey level for a large portion of the season? I don't think so. But what I'm more confident of is that his baseline level of play should be at a consistently solid to good level. I'm basing that projection on what I saw from him last year for an extended period of time. Can I say for sure that he will do that? No. No one can. What I also expect is better team defense based on the improvement from the reconstituted lower lines. I also expect that with Samuelsson back in the lineup and with the addition of a more comfortable Byram, better blueline play. This is a good group. It's far from being a muscular group but it is an excellent skating group with enough grit coming from Samuelsson, Clifton, Dahlin, and to a lesser extent Power. In general, this is a more well-rounded group whose collective play should help the goalie in net. With Lindy behind the bench there should be more consistent responsible two-way play. That's another factor that should help our goalies. As far as who will end up being our primary goalie between UPL and Levi, assuming it comes down to that. Let them compete and determine their role. What's likely is that injuries will become less of a spoiling factor because of the added depth. To put things in perspective, compare our goalie and blueline situation a few years back to what it is now? Both of those groups have significantly been upgraded. (My opinion.) I'm fairly positive (not excessively confident) about the upcoming season. TBD.

When Lindy was first announced as the coach, he went on WGR. He talked about the same issue you just noted about squeezing out points when you are not playing your best. He observed that in a long and grinding season it was impossible for a number of reasons for a team to play at its highest level. He pointed out that getting single points when your play is lacking add up over a long season. That can be the difference between making the playoffs or not.

It would never happen because Toronto would not permit it. As it is, Terry P has more than enough on his hands with the two franchises that he owns in western NY.

Looking over your four categories what is striking is that all four categories are attainable. Nothing you listed can be considered unrealistic. Making that judgment indicates to me that this team has accumulated enough talent to expect it to be a reasonable expectation. I'm expecting the Lindy factor will bring things together. In my view, if we get the UPL caliber goaltending (from whomever) that we got last year, that should be the most influential factor.

If Levi ends up during the season supplanting UPL, that would mean that UPL faltered. That would be a setback for the team. It really doesn't matter to me which one eventually becomes the primary goalie. As I said in the prior post, if we get the caliber of goalie play that UPL provided in the second half of the season, from whomever, that could be the difference between making the playoffs, or not. I'll take all the loser points we can get, especially on the road.

He's what you call multifaceted good.

@Taro T, you are our designated arena expert. I took it upon myself to bestow that honor on you. Your crown is being shipped by UPS. It will soon arrive. Since you possess so much knowledge on the arena you should be able to answer some questions about it. Since Pegula has exclusive rights and control of the arena, is he solely responsible for upkeep and improvements? And does his company get all the revenue when the building is leased out for concerts and events?

There certainly was a determined faction that wanted to jettison UPL before the season started last year. However, the majority of criticism towards KA relating to the goalie position is that he did not have an adequate backup plan if UPL proved not to be ready. That specific criticism was warranted. The goalie position is tough to evaluate year to year. One year a goalie looks like a future star. The next year, that former star becomes a flameout. I have said it a number of times (and so has @Taro T) that if UPL plays at the same level that he did last year, the Sabres should be playoff participants. It should also be noted that over the past few years this cautious GM has put together a good assemblage of blueline players. I'm aware that some critics want more muscle added to the group, but in general it is a talented young bunch. We shall see.

You are right that the organization is in a better situation than before( Ullmark period) if they end up losing UPL. There will be more cushion to absorb such a loss. But there is a follow up position to take. Without question, the Sabres are now in a better situation if he remains with the team, even if Levi or Reimer prove to be credible goalies. This constant churning of players that we have invested in developing has had this franchise spinning its wheels. This cycle of futility will continue when you continue doing things that have kept you stuck as a franchise. If this team can get the level of goaltending that he provided us last year, this team could/should?? make the playoffs. (My opinion. )

Considering how this franchise has been run, adding a person who holds players accountable is a good start. What's normal for most franchises wasn't the norm for this faltering franchise. It's about freaking time! Do I know that he will turn things around? No. What I do know for certain that if they didn't bring in an experienced coach who has a history of being in control of his players, this team would continue to be a meandering and mediocre team competing against serious teams.

The interview process was a sham and a charade. If Lindy was the GM's preference before this insincere and hollow search was announced, then simply pick him. I don't appreciate having smoke blown up my derriere.

I understand your perspective. We are all familiar with it. But the calculation for determining success is simple and understandable: your record. If the GM was right on UPL, then that is to his credit. But being right in judging a player doesn't tell you much how he is doing overall. Assembling a roster obviously is not an easy endeavor because of the multiplicity of factors that go into it, especially the limitations that the GM has to work with regarding resources. But being right on an individual player assessment is not a persuasive argument for judging someone on how well he is doing his job. I believe that the GM made the right decision in hiring Lindy. And I believe that he has had a good offseason in addressing the structural imbalance of his roster. Let's remember that the correction being made on the roster relates to the deficiency in the roster that he assembled the prior year. And it's inarguable that the correction that he seems to have made this offseason is a correction that he could have made last season.