SabresFanInRochester

I think that is when you need to look at Nolan and ask WTF. I know he is trying to get more out of Hodgson, but he is putting him into a position to fail. Not that making him a 1st line center surrounded by Varone and Dolpe would make him shine. I am still there with Hodgson. I will not judge him until there is talent around him. I think he will be an impactful 2nd line winger next year IF Nolan moves him from the 3rd or 4th line to the 2nd.

I think I follow everything what's going on, and that is pretty creepy. And, as founding member of the camp that Chz is a 300-pound trucker, I maintain that Drane and Chz are similar in appearance. A blonde as fine as what Chz is made out to be would stand out at a game. (No offense to the other ladies.)

I did not go back and review all #1000 posts, but I feel pretty confident that no one predicted tonight's lineup: Stewart - Flynn - Foligno Gionta - Mitchell - Moulson Hodgson - Ellis - Deslauriers Varone - Larsson - Dolpe Bogosian- Ristolainen Pysyk - McCabe Meszaros - Weber Neuvirth Please excuse my left wing - center - right wing and left/right defensive configurations. I think you could play someone out of position and see improvement in the lineup. Granted, there are injuries but look at that lineup and tell me that's not tank-mode. Said state of affairs that there are only a small handful of players that I care about in the lineup. And I don't think there is a legitimate first or second line player in the lineup. Okay, I will concede Moulson, and possibly Stewart. So the other four get to play there by default??? I am a season ticket holder and I am refraining from being livid because I hold out hope for the future.

The Right Wing I really wanted to see in a Buffalo uniform was/is Ryan Callahan. I like love the way he plays the game. He is a guy that adds grit and skill. When he was being traded from the Rangers, I was really hoping some how Buffalo could get into the mix. When Tampa signed him long term, I was disappointed. I had similarly feelings when Patrick Kane was locked up long term by the Hawks. I think Callahan plays a big role in Tampa now. I was hoping Callahan would come back to his hometown like Gionta did, but that's a pipedream now. I don't know if Callahan in a couple years would be a good fit, but right now (meaning 2015-2016), I would classify him as one of the best fits for a right winger in Buffalo.

And I think that equals 1 Sullivan

If the media is the main reason players hate Toronto, then I can see why players would hate Buffalo -- The Buffalo News and WGR.

I was shocked to see Toronto on that list. I know Toronto sucks but there was an earlier discussion about Babcock coming to Toronto vs Buffalo, and at that time, I thought Toronto would be much more favorable. One thing mentioned regarding Babcock and Toronto is that it is "home" for him, but it sounds like it's really not the hockey paradise that the NHL makes it out to be. I would have thought the top 5 best destinations would have been Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, New York (Rangers) and Toronto. Interesting. Some one did a marvelous job marketing me on Toronto being a good hockey destination. My original hunch that they truly suck was apparently spot-on.

This thread got me looking. As I Googled DSC, I found Darco, which doesn't do the convenient monthly shipping, but apparently they source DSC blades and sell everything in bulk. Does anyone know Darco? I am thinking about trialing them.

You have no issues with cuts or dings from DSC blades? I will definitely go that route if that's the case. I pay the premium price because a bleeding bald head is especially unattractive... followed closely by an empty wallet.

I wonder if Nolan's considered playing Meszaros or Benoit on forward instead of using a call-up.

I agree. I don't know if it's on Zemgus or something with the team, but since the All-Star break, he's been non-existent. I had been thinking about that for a couple of games now. I hope the All-Star game didn't go to his head, or the style in that game warp his judgement of the real way to play hockey.

Spot on. Great post. That is why I believe TN will be gone at year end. Whether this is intentional tanking or not, mismanages players.

Thank you... That's all.

Good point, and the fact that he has clashed with Nolan, I wouldn't necessarily see him coming back in the offseason unless there is a coaching change. I wasn't sold on Stewart early in the year, but I have warmed to his play over the past couple months.

I was thinking the same thing after Inks's response. I don't know how much more active Murray will be. I could see a winger to replace Stewart, if he in fact moves Stewart.

There is one possible way I would approve Phaneuf on the roster: If it guaranteed that Elisha Cuthbert would have season tickets next to me, I would reconsider.

I hear ya... So that makes putting 5-best together difficult. With Ennis you have 6 wingers mentioned, although for half of them you said they should "get a look." I am really looking forward to this team stepping up as they gel and having a good PP is an area that I think would account for the biggest jump in the win column.

Please, say no to the Princess. I think if Murray is rebuilding a tough team, you don't build with Phaneuf's shenanigans. I think he is a very over-rated, and would not win a roster spot from one of the youngsters, but would earn a spot based on his contract. Meszaros and Benoit are horrible, in my opinion and could be upgraded with the kids from Rochester, but we need them to tank on. Next year, when wins mean something, I don't see a spot for Meszaros, Benoit or Phaneuf.

Interesting that Ennis is the odd man out. He was the MVP last year, as voted by the players, right? I have thought for years that he is the most talented puck possession guy on the team. If you watch him closely on the PP, with space, he makes things happen and has puck control. Much more so than Derek Roy used to have and I hated seeing Roy play Ennis's role. Perhaps the rookies will displace him. And if the team is so much better that Ennis is displaced, I think we made a big step forward.

As a white male, I cannot speak to the mindset and challenges that a black man faces in life. I can say, I am disturbed/heart-broken/embarrassed by society when players are cowardly jeered and taunted either at a live event or through social media. Joel Ward in Boston is the most recent example I can recall, and before that, I thought it was again Ward playing one of the games in Europe, and the host city was chanting a derogatory word in their native language. Sad that people find that funny. I would be VERY curious to know when players get in each other's ear, what kind of things are off limits. I don't know if it was Barnaby or Ray talking about the unimaginable things said to an opponent to get under their skin. I am certainly not dismissing it as being acceptable for a player to use it as a competitive tool to get a personal reaction, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how that helps a fan feel better about themselves. Personally, there's not a place for it anywhere.

I was rolling through your list of players to ditch and you had me until you got to Weber. I think he is playing like a capable defender this year and I love his grit. He doesn't take crap from anyone. If you place him on the 3rd line, I think you're fine. There is room for him and one of the young kids from Rochester. [And as I reread your post, it sounds like you are saying either Strachan or Weber goes. I sign off on what you think, with emphasis on Strachan being the odd man out.] How about PP units? They have lacked the talent to score on the PP the last few years, and that is certainly reflected in the Goals/Game and W/L record. I think there is finally talent to assemble a decent PP unit, but I cannot even fathom what it would be. It seems like Moulson would have the shot from the wing that you want. And Ennis has the slipperiness on the other wing that I love. But that leaves out Kane, and I think you need to have a big body in front of the goalie. And if Girgensons is your center, you didn't utilize Reinhart or McEichel. I think Ristolainen would be a good point man, but I don't know who else fits the mold. Maybe that's where you use a forward to get a little extra offense?

I agree. The tough part is drawing the line between uber-talented and replaceable. Did Dallas think Neal had the ability to be a 30 or 40-goal scorer when he left for Pittsburgh? It's all about who you're surrounded with and how you fit in with them. I don't think Hodgson is uber-talented, but he is being improperly utilized. He is in hockey purgatory. If he is the guy that can light up it alongside McEichel or Reinhart, are you crying because he doesn't aggressively check?

In your opinion, was Vanek a player guilty of taking shifts off and coasting? I think a big part is perception. Maybe Vanek performed so you look the other way. I cannot speak for you. I recall Lindy attempting to turn Vanek into the best two-way winger in the league. That experiment lasted less than a month, if I recall correctly. You can build a system and make the players adapt to it, or you can take your players and make a system that utilizes their strengths, and hides their weaknesses. I think Vancouver did that to Hodgson when they essentially only gave him offensive zone face-offs and hid his defense. Was that wrong, or smart? I was happy to hear Rex Ryan say -- I don't care if we play a 4-3, 3-4, ... That's a coach that gets it, in my opinion. Ovechkin gets criticized for checking out, but with his talent level, you find a way to work him into the system most effectively. I think whatever the Caps coaching staff did with him this year, it's working. So is it on Ovi finally playing a different game, or should the coaches be credited for involving his style into their system. That makes sense to me. <<We are going to bring you in here. Wave and smile to the fans. But you have no control over hockey operations. Have fun.>>

I agree. I am thinking Nolan and Lafontaine were pawns put in place to appease the fans. Maybe Lafontaine figured out his real role, erupted, and left. Was there ever definitive explanation as to what happened with Lafontaine?

Cody just doesn't go out onto the ice and stand there. His effort does not emulate what the coach wants to see. He plays the way he has played the game his entire life. I am not saying I am a huge fan of Cody or think he is top line talent. But he is closer to that than the 4th line. I think the player should be benched to send a message before you put them on a line that doesn't make sense for them. If Ennis starts coasting, can you imagine how productive he would be between Kaleta and Ellis?