Robviously

I wasn't agreeing with Milbury. I was saying he kept things "interesting" (with "Interesting" certainly not meaning "good"). Go back and look at what I was responding to. The positive things he had to say aren't getting any attention today. They aren't nearly as juicy as the negative things he had to say. It's never a good idea to rely on the media to treat you fairly or with nuance. They love a good story. His words were perfect for them make this narrative and now that's the national story. This is literally why I'm beside myself with him doing what he did last night. It's not like that was his first day as an NHL GM, but it was amateur hour all the way. He should be way more savvy than that.

I do care very much about what he says. He's basically the face of our franchise until Jack Eichel gets here. Last night we found out which of two generational talents will (hopefully) be the franchise player for the Sabres for at least the next decade. It should have felt more like a coronation. Instead it turned into the Tim Murray Show and now the national media is running stories like this: http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/25154487/sabres-gm-tim-murray-on-lottery-results-im-disappointed-for-our-fans Is that fair? Not really, but the media isn't fair and he gave them more than enough ammunition if that's the narrative they want. It looks bad, and we gained nothing from it. There was literally no upside to his comments last night. And who knows if it's all hugs and kisses with Eichel by draft day or if we just got off on the wrong foot with him? It was a really stupid way to handle it and now I do wonder about the guy.

Yeah, that's cool...except for the part where I said on page 1 of this thread that if he helps us win, I don't care what he says. Is it possible to you that maybe I'm just responding to his press conference? As far as I can tell, today is the first day I'm seriously criticizing him for something. You'd think if I had an agenda to turn the board against Tim Murray, there might be more than one data point to support that. Maybe the points I make with what I write in my posts are really the only points I'm trying to make. Like, maybe when I say my opinion of Murray took a hit in the last 24 hours, all I'm saying is that my opinion of Murray took a hit in the last 24 hours. Crazy, right?

Up until yesterday I really thought the team thought of it as "McEichel" and would have been happy with either guy. Now I'm not so sure. It certainly could be all the way up to Pegula. I absolutely hate the idea of trading up for McDavid. Eichel will be the best prospect we draft probably since Perrault. We don't need to let perfect be the enemy of good. If we're making moves, it should be to build around him.

Also depends on the moves they make this summer. If we trade more picks for players, then we'll want to see more immediate improvement.

There's a terrifying thought. I thought I was supposed to be the negative one.

No, I'm being serious. If I "obviously" have an agenda (as you say) then surely you can explain what that agenda is. Seems like the least you can do if you're going to make the accusation.

Totally agree. 24 hours ago I wouldn't have understood this post. I do now though.

Regardless of what Edmonton said, he'd deserve to be fired for making that offer.

What's my agenda?

Everything you just wrote in bold is insane nonsense. I stated very simply above that I'll put more weight on his off the cuff remarks than his prepared remarks. And that's all. I also said previously (in this thread or one of the parallel ones) that all I care about is if he can make us contenders. Hopefully he can. All I'm saying in this thread is that his comments last night make me question him seriously (really for the first time) because he showed such a lack of judgment and professionalism. My opinion of him took a hit in the last 24 hours. That doesn't mean it will never recover. If you want to conjure up a bunch of imaginary stuff about how this is going to turn into a years-long vendetta against Murray for me or that I'll never be satisfied no matter how many Cups we win or whatever, that's totally on you. Like I said, have at it. EDIT: Here you go, champ: Unfortunately, last night was still the wrong time and place for that.

I put more weight on his off the cuff remarks than I do on any prepared statements he makes, yes. As far as "we", I assume you mean "you" and no I don't care what box you put me in moving forward. Have at it. Sounds great. See above.

Never said he slammed him, but he damned him with faint praise. He also made last night all about him and his feelings rather than the team, the city, and the bright future we have. He failed miserably as the face of our franchise last night and the proof is that no one is actually happy with what he said. The BEST thing anyone can say about it is "oh, he was just upset." He just did a terrible job. And, yes, now this does make me wonder just how often he runs his mouth and says something stupid. Imagine how much better that all goes if he took last night as an opportunity to talk up all the young players we already have and how he can't wait to add to that. It would have been really easy to have an insanely positive press conference. And with an 80% chance we weren't drafting first, he should have been ready to do that. He either wasn't ready or just choose to handle this horribly. I'm not sure which is worse.

He said THREE really stupid things: 1. "I feel for the fans...." -- These would be the same fans who celebrated clinching 30th because it meant Eichel. The fans aren't upset; the fans are excited. This is Murray whining and trying to use the fans as cover for that. 2. His whole WJC analogy. Being cut from the team and missing a chance to play for your country is NOT the same thing as landing the lesser of two generational talents coming out in this year's draft. This analogy fails on every level. 3. "We'll make the best of it." -- This is just a sh*tty thing to say. Everyone drafts who is available to them, and the GM is not supposed to mutter "we'll make the best of it" because the guy he daydreams about won't be there.

Here: Satisfaction guaranteed.

Wondering about his competence when he crumpled under pressure and said the exact wrong things with the worst possible demeanor in a completely predictable situation seems pretty fair to me. It speaks to his brains, judgment, and professionalism. There was an 80% chance we weren't winning the lottery. He's the face of the franchise and he should have been completely prepared to say all the right things. He wasn't. This definitely reflects poorly on him.

Let's hope.

I'd say being a jerk to the media after a close loss isn't the same as losing a 20% chance to draft 1st when you know the no.2 pick will also be a superstar in the league. It's a poor comparison. Last night's outcome was predictable and Murray wasn't ready. Every time I've seen Belichek in a situation like that, he's done the smart thing and given a bunch of bland, predictable statements. Which is all you really need to do. You're also comparing a guy who has been a GM for ~15 months to a first-ballot HOF coach in the NFL. Like I mentioned last night, If Murray wants to spout off, he should wait until he's accomplished something in the league.

Being a douche to the media and giving the media quotes that they can distort are two completely different things.

And the odds. Last night's outcome shouldn't have taken anyone by surprise. I would say asking if I'm just complaining because I like to complain about everything actually *is* a comment on my character since it implies I'm not making my arguments in good faith. It implies I'm just looking for attention by being a contrarian or a troll. It's an attempt to discredit my argument because of who is making it, or why they're making it. You can PM me and let me know what else I've been complaining about so much.

They should. They should care that players are suffering brain injuries from cheap shots. They should care that their point system makes no sense to casual fans. They should care that scoring is way down in the league, and that interference is basically back to pre-2005 levels. But they don't. And Buffalo's GM spouting off last night won't make them. Edmonton winning again sucks, but they've benefitted from a league that rewards sucking. Had the new 2016 lottery rules been in place these last 10 years, Edmonton probably would have fewer 1st overall picks now.

I thought Risto was part of the "Magnificent Seven" that year and Nurse was 8th in the pre-draft rankings. Can't really remember.

The NHL doesn't care what Tim Murray thinks. And I really hope Tim Murray isn't dumb enough to think he was making a difference in future league policy with his comments last night. If he is, we're in trouble.

Discretion is the better part of valor. And Tim's real opinion isn't going to help us in any way. Will Murray still be upset by then? Should we just let Kevin Devine go to the podium instead?