JohnC

Yes, I'm serious. Byram is an offensive defenseman. That's who he is. He's not a stay at home positional player, and never will be. If you want that type of defenseman, then pursue that type of player. You can throw out whatever analytics you want and be enamored by them. I'm not as impressed or as influenced by the numbers as you are because they more often than not don't reflect the actual performance of the individual player. It's not unusual that the less than impressive analytics for a particular player are influenced by the other players on the ice. It's my belief (opinion) that the ineffective GM made the judgment that Cozens was a 2C. And if that were true, it would have made the departure of Mitts less impactful with the added benefit of adding a first or second pairing defenseman. Not surprising, the out of his depth GM miscalculated. The moral of the story: going backwards is not going forward.

Ruff then basically benched him in that period. After that public spanking Power played well. That's good coaching.

I was queasy about the Mitts trade for Byram for a variety of reasons. As you point out, the more one sees of Byram, the more impressed one gets. So, let's review this from KA's GM perspective. I have a versatile player who wants to be here but will trade him for an emerging offensive defenseman whose contract situation gives him the option to leave in the near future. Byram's mind-set is or will be after being subjected to a stream of demoralizing losses is: If I play well in Buffalo (a shiithole franchise) I can showcase my talents to all the teams in the league. What the befuddled GM has done is create leverage for this player to either leave for a bigger contract bid up by the market, or at worst, force this farcical organization to keep him in the fold for a higher market price. I don't know how this Byram scenario will eventually play out. I hope we can keep him. But from an overview perspective, the GM placed himself in a vulnerable position (less leverage) with this deal. There is nothing unusual about taking calculated risks for an attractive player. But when you preside over a systemically dysfunctional franchise you are in a weak position to begin with. Playing checkers doesn't mean that you can succeed in chess.

What's worse than being laughed at is being ignored. Buffalo has become the hockey world's invisible franchise because no one cares about it. A generation of losing will do that to you. The biggest problem isn't outsiders laughing at this clownish franchise. It's that most of its local market is apathetic to this lame franchise. Freaking pathetic!

The NMC is certainly real as it applies to Buffalo. That's not debatable. The clueless owner allowed his franchise to descend into irrelevancy due to its systemic dysfunction. Players at the NHL level are intensely competitive people. They want a realistic chance to win. A generation of futility is an astounding ignominious accomplishment. It's gotten so bad that it's as much of a challenge to retain your best players as it is to seek outside talent. The franchise's skunk stench of the Pegula stewardship has so permeated this franchise that few players want to be tainted. And I don't blame them. Mitts was traded for Byram. What happens if Byram decides that he doesn't want to sign a contract here, preferring to ride out his contract to his UFA year. That would mean that we hit the trifecta of shedding Eichel, Reinhart and Mitts for pennies on the dollar. The pursuit of stupidity in the pursuit of losing. Freaking pathetic!

Terry is the owner. He's going to do whatever he wants to do. That's the reality that no one other than he, himself, can change. The starting point is to get someone more qualified sitting in the GM's chair.

I'm not overly concerned where KA is going to be moved to if a change is made at the GM position. The critical issue is getting someone in the position who is better equipped to do the job.

Why do you think that Karmanos would decline the position? It would be a terrific opportunity for him. This team is not bereft of talent. A few wise tweaks that would better balance out the roster is attainable by someone who knows what they are doing. The margin between success and failure is not that great. It can be achieved by someone who is better equipped to handle the duties of the GM than the current GM.

You want to add a declining player whose production is significantly down and take on his additional four-year contract. That is stupendously foolish. We had a 2C player in Mitts. And he was traded for Byram. I like Byram a lot. From a talent standpoint both trading partners got comparable talent back in the deal. (My opinion.) What happens if Byram next year decides not to sign a contract next year because he doesn't want to be stuck in this putrid situation? It will be a reprise of the Reinhart situation. Going back to the Mitts/Byram trade, I believe from a roster building standpoint Mitts had more value and greater versatility. This organization had Eichel, Reinhart and Mitts in the fold. That's a terrific center spine. They all been dispatched for a less than equal value return. An accumulation of bad decisions that has kept this pathetic franchise stuck at the comedy store. It's evident that you and I are riding different horses and going in the opposite direction with respect to the Kadri trade proposal. That's okay. You may be desperate to shake things up but I'm not willing to do it based on emotion rather reasonable calculation. Again, a hard no to your Kadri proposal.

What did the fight that he instigated accomplish? He got his arse whipped and his play dropped for a period of time. Instead of instigating an idiotic fight that jeopardizes your health (risk broken hand or concussion), I have a better suggestion: Hit the freaking net more often when you shoot!

If you believe that I'm arguing for the status quo, then you haven't been reading my posts correctly. Specifically related to a Kadri deal, I firmly say no. It makes no sense for the reasons that you have already stated. I'm open to any reasonable deal. That is not to say that out of desperation I'm willing to make a damaging deal. This organization has been steeped in too many crippling deals that have repeatedly set this franchise back. I'm not subscribing to a Kadri like deal that doesn't help us. Again, absolutely not to your proposal.

Since the current owner took over, the Sabres were not a normally run franchise. They became a boring comedy act.

He was not a real GM before being hired, while he was the GM and after his ignominious stint is over with. He's an earnest good guy who was ill-equipped guy for the challenging job that he took on. To put it kindly, he never should have been hired for that role. This boondoggle is on the befuddled owner.

You pointed out that Kadri is having a Zucker like year. And you also pointed out that he had 4 years left on his contract. You may not be aware of it but those are persuasive arguments not to pursue this fading player. Even if Calgary took back much of his salary, the four years remaining on his contract makes this deal very unappealing. There is nothing wrong spit balling for solutions. But in this case, you are spitting in a gale force wind pushing against your face. I recommend that you get your hankey ready because it will need to be wiped dry.

When he was involved in the business side of the hockey operation (that involved managing the youth hockey business) he had no involvement with the NHL franchise operation.

Ruff is not the problem. Adams should be reassigned back to the business side of the franchise. Changing KA's assignment would not be a punitive act; it would be a merciful act.

Hard no for me. How is acquiring a 34 yr old who has 4 years left on his contract for $7 M per year a good idea? His trade value in a few years means he will be even less productive with a high-cost per annum still remaining. The bigger concern is not what will you get back but who would want to trade for him at that point. You would be stuck with him and his onerous contract/value wise. Your logic in your post is illogical. On the one hand you say he is having an overpriced Zucker season and then say we should seek another overpriced veteran like him whose production is poor. If you made the same contradictory argument in the courtroom the judge and jury would look at you in askance. Being desperate and exasperated doesn't mean that you have to be foolish and self-destructive. Please stop with the nonsense.

I predict that the Sabres will win tonight. Desperation will be a factor. A few words of caution: I have been wrong six consecutive times. Caveat emptor.

Can you sing? https://www.google.com/search?q=record+album+covers+sinatra+with+hat&oq=record+album+covers+sinatra+with+hat&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l3.23445j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=j0VL_h9e0vkIHM&imgdii=BvWKhvmJKhVe7M&pvs=0

You may not be aware of it but that picture is of @Pimlach when he was young. He was called the "Buffalo Stud". The young ladies not only swooned over him but they also had posters of him on their bedroom walls. He got so exhausted playing the manly part that he had to leave the area to get more rest. 😁

Why do you say that Cozens isn't fit because of his less than stellar offseason workouts? What are you basing that view on?

Let me add to my brief and less than illuminating response. Especially in the covid period, he was hemorrhaging money with his hockey and hospitality businesses. He responded by demanding an austerity strategy that was going to cut a lot of staff and gut the scouting department. The GM, Botterill, was not on board. So he was fired. I have little criticism for the owner for taking the severe cost cutting measures in an economically challenging time. I also would have had little problem with the KA hire to replace Botterill if it would have been on a temporary basis until he could find a more competent GM. This is the point of demarcation where the organization lost its way. That's not to say that the hockey people prior to the GM change didn't also make a series of bad decisions. The owner made an inexplicable and indefensible decision to hire an ill-equipped novice to manage a complex operation in a highly competitive field. That boondoggle decision by the owner has kept the franchise stuck in mediocrity. And so in my mind, the blame for the laughingstock state of this franchise is on the owner. The Buffalo area hockey market that includes southern Canada and parts of Penn. is a good hockey market. He has killed it with his foolish stewardship that has lasted for nearly a generation. It's maddening and sad. It didn't have to be this way.

Agree.

If you have been going to Bills' games for 18 years you are aware of the end of the Wilson era where there was little hope. And then the difference when Pegula took over and eventually hired McBeane to run the operation. Since then, in the Josh Allen era it has been a joyful and entertaining experience. Nothing but rabid full capacity crowds. The model is there for the owner to follow. Hire the right people and step out of the way. It's a commonsense formula that successful franchises follow in all pro sports.

During the covid period, he was certainly hemorrhaging money in his hockey and hospitality businesses. He went on an austerity budget with the hockey organization and got rid of lot of the hospitality businesses. There is nothing unreasonable about how he responded during that period. However, he wasn't alone dealing with the challenging cash/flow situation. So was everyone else in the business. Insisting on a spartan budget for the organization that resulted in a lot of job losses was an understandable response to that catastrophic economic environment. That tumultuous period has been over with for at least three years. What has kept this organization sunk are the accumulated bad hockey decisions made by the GM, the person he hired. Paradoxically, if he would have hired the right people to run the hockey operation, not only would this team be more competitive but also his cash flow would be more robust with the added attendance and customer expenditures. What he has essentially done is kill the market for his product. That's not only bad business but also dumb business. As the saying goes: Penny wise and dollar foolish. $$$$$$$