That Aud Smell

I heard Fitzgerald has a chance of becoming a player in the NHL. I also continue to think that Baptiste may carve out a role as an effective 4th liner on a good team.

I think that's right.

I am confusion. Really? I'm asking. Maybe I'm too influenced by the NFL, where it seems like you could have a 4th year RB who just went for 1500 total yards, but you can only get like a conditional 4th rounder for him.

from a valuation standpoint, wouldn't the Sabres or anyone else need to, though? ROR's worth the 3OA?

I am generally in agreement with these sentiments. Um. Okay? More seriously: If you're deviating from an overall plan, it's not worth it to purchase 2-3 more wins for a team that will finish in the bottom 5 or 6 of the league. Btw, I have no way of knowing whether adding Vanek would constitute a deviation from the plan, nor do I know that the Sabres are destined to stink. Maybe they'll be good. I can get down with this, too, I guess. I'm fairly wishy washy on the subject.

And by the way: No need to put Graham on a pedestal. One: He’ll likely do that himself, thank you very much. Two: He’s got skeletons of his own.

For those who can’t/won’t click: Just sending a friendly reminder to my old buddy @ByMHarrington that he bullied me & tried to intimidate me from breaking stories b/c he was upset I kept beating him, while @ByTimGraham (who he attacked via text for being a “bully”) encouraged me, praised me and supported me. *** Lest there be any doubt or debate regarding that chinless derp hack.

lol

I think that might be the longest post I've ever seen here.

I can see that.

It perhaps makes sense that Kane and Risto would be on a similar ... wavelength.

Re Panarin: What's CBJ's roster structure such that they would not do what's necessary to get him signed to a deal? I mean - isn't he one of their 4 or 5 core must-have guys? Or nah? I also question whether this is the sort of thing JBOT would do. Seems more like a FGMTM move.

Oh, man - 1000 internet points to that guy.

Yes! The NHL's Paul McCartney worked out with a Quebecois strongman. (Hugo Girard!)

I posted to the same effect -- WC's was more pithy and to the point (and therefore funnier):

okay - that's funny

I don't get the sense that Risto's huge on carefully conceived approaches to things.

Bringing back in Vanek at this point in his career does not seem like a safe bet. I'd wager that he'd be unable to keep up with Eichel, anyway. Some people seem to think Vanek could parlay past glories and cash in one more time. That is a more than uncertain proposition, in my eyes. DAMMIT ALL.

Risto work hard. Risto strong.

^ Yeah - I am sure he's just busting chops. His Twitter profile appears to feature a cartoon depicting the Sabres playing the Red Army (?).

it still might be the best YouTube video ever.

So, this was mostly a salary move by San Jose?

NHL coverage experience with the college newspaper, maybe. TBN seems to be doing two things of late: Aligning itself with the moneyed classes of WNY and throwing expenses overboard as fast as it possibly can.

What do you see in that job description that is inconsistent with the strategy I inferred — that TBN wants to go young and cheap (and perhaps even fungible) with its beat reporters? I read the job description as consistent with that approach. In any case, and as was noted upthread, a 2017 graduate Tweeted that he’d taken a beat Sabres gig with TBN, if only on a probationary basis. As for Moritz, I suspect that TBN will not give more seasoned (more expensive) writers any preferred gigs; assuming Sabres beat coverage is preferred. More likely, they’d look to limit her opportunities, frustrate her ambitions, and hope that she quits on her own (so they can hire a kid with a shelf like of 2-5 years to replace her). Or maybe she just didn’t want the gig — maybe the travel is an obstacle for her.

Is it? I’d thought it was a rule that the US Federation had enacted: That US born players can’t go to Europe to train full time until they turn 18. But I think you must be right, as I reflect on the matter. FFS: We need to pressure Europe to let our up amd coming Pulisic’s in at age 16. Developmentally, that’s when young players can make that big leap — the opportunities to do so here in the US just aren’t there. As Pulisic noted, ~16 year old star American players have their development retarded by becoming the focal point of their teams. I was saying that the policy that prohibits other US players from doing what Pulisic did is the problem. Elite US players have to become more technically proficient in order for the US to take a permanent step forward. I doubt that can happen here in the US.