SabresFanInRochester

I agree with you. The troubling thing is the players that you identified as being miscast, could make the difference in this being a playoff team. Shipping them off now would leave questions unanswered regarding 'what if.' With the addition of either Guhle or Antipin (potentially both) upgrading the defense; add improvement from either Bogo or Gorges and the team should be able to compete for a playoff spot. I think trading Kane or Reinhart, will upgrade the defense, but will it create a void in the top 6? I think this is a playoff team just based on the coaching change and the current roster (including Guhle or Antipin.)

I think the coaching change will lead to a more dominant play out of Sam, and I am hoping the same for Girgensons. I think they have more talent than what we saw on the ice last year. I want to make sure we get to see them play with a new coach before we write them off. Might be hard to predict without knowing the coach, but I firmly believe we see a couple players improve due simply to a different system that better fits their strengths. Are there any players who you think will do better under the new coach? Are there any players who you think will suffer under the new coach?

I don't know who is better (Housley vs Tocchet) but I don't want to play second fiddle. I don't want to end up with Tocchet because Florida landed Housley. I want to know that we had the pick of the litter.

How many SS posters are no longer interested in Housley as first choice after learning that he and his wife are Republicans?

Didn't Sam start out on a line with O'Reilly and have success? So now it's, sure, put him on a top line with Eichel or O'Reilly, and he'll produce. Well, isn't that where your top players are supposed to be. Personally, I like Sam. I think he is a smart player and that puts him in the right place. He has above average hand-eye, so he can handle playing on a top line and do the right thing with an unexpected pass from Eichel. He is a responsible two-way player. I see him a little like Drury. You're going to point to the year Drury had 37 goals, and say NO WAY, but most of Drury's numbers were typically more around low-20's for goals.

It's possible that happened. If Jack was just being open and told Vesey that he hates the system that DB uses, and it's the worst time in his hockey life, why would Vesey sign up for that. I know I heard rumblings of such on Twitter during that summer. I don't know what Jack said to either Vesey or Petersen, but it was reported that Jack told Petersen that he "has to do what he thinks is best for him." Not exactly, 'dude - you've got to come to Buffalo!' I am not saying Jack is sabotaging the team, but when you have an honest heart-to-heart with someone, it is usually with an undertone that is not self-serving. Maybe Petersen is shocked that instead of "come to Buffalo" he's only hearing "it's your call." The good news is this: If history repeats itself, Petersen will decide not to sign with Buffalo, and the Sabres will be in next year's Stanley Cup finals!

Very different from the last comment Shrader made. It's not like he said -- hey, I hired some guys hanging out at Home Depot to paint my house and one of them looked like Giorgio Estephan.

Are you trolling me? :nana:

I will react negatively IF Florida announces that Housley is their new coach, and a few days later, we announce 'it doesn't really even matter' as Buffalo's HC. I want to know that JBott signed who he wanted and the only way I will feel success is if Buffalo gets their coach in place before Florida. Yeah, still bitter that we lost Babcock and ended up with DB as a consolation prize.

The Amerks will be fine. They just need structure. A system. I think Dan Bylsma would be a good fit. :ph34r:

What did I miss? I don't recall his position on Reinhart. I am a fan of Sam and think he was not used effectively. What did Paul say? I don't know what is meant by "statistics." What is Paul doing? And regarding the end of the season crusade against the coach... if someone with inside information didn't spill that, there's a chance we'd still be listening to Dan's drivel at a season-ending press conference. I appreciate the fact that someone shares insight as to what the players really think and say. Where else would you get that from? In all my years of watching sports, I have learned that football players cannot express areas of improvement until they look at the game tape. And hockey players need to play a full 60 minutes. I don't want to hear that crap and predictable cliches. Tell it like it is, Paul!

Rumor has it Kulikov and Leino started that clothing line together and Kuli's hoodie design will be released this summer.

Paul Hamilton stated that Kulikov's defensive pairings don't like playing with him because he is unpredictable. I believe he meant out of position, not just aggressive. If a defenseman joins the rush, that's one thing, but if he is consistently out of position, that's an issue. I was a fan of Kulikov and wanted to see him back, but after that nugget of intel, I am ready to close that book. I generally listen to what Paul has to say -- he's behind the scenes and can share insight that most fans would not have. I am not just going off an observation of Paul Hamilton watching Kulikov; I am going off of what Paul said Kulikov's teammates relayed to him. I cannot recall too many things that he has said or revealed that have been wrong.

I was on a little prop-jet maybe 10-15 years ago, going from NYC to Boston. I was in row two and I SWEAR, the guy in the first row diagonal to me was John Malkovich. I stared at that dude for the entire flight, trying to figure it out, until the door opened and he literally jumped the divider and ran. It was either Malkovich and he didn't want to be confronted, or it was this random dude that was put-off by my staring. If anyone plays roulette, you know the board shows the last 20 spins. The entire board was RED, and it still kept coming up with RED. Unreal. I was glad I walked away because my progressive betting system is a double of the bet until you win... I had watched four or five spins where I didn't bet but I would have lost if I had. I think I tapped out (due to an empty wallet) after a couple hundred dollar bet -- Could have bought many a buffet for that.

Shrader -- I will apologize. I called you a racist based on your comment. I was asserting your comment to the "we all look alike" comment that has since been discussed on here. I obviously do not know you, and would not be able to make that judgement on you after one comment. What I said was supposed to be funny, but there was so much PC that came out of it, I was frankly, shocked. I didn't realize that there would be such a PC response. For the PC crowd, enjoy:

Playing the odds doesn't always work. I remember in a casino, I bet on black 7x in a row, doubling my bet each time, because red appeared for 6 consecutive spins. Black had to come up, right? (Random odds says it has nothing to do with the spin before, but it just had to come up, right???) I ran out of money, and walked away from the table, but saw red come up 4 more times as I departed -- never did see black come up.

:worthy: I guess he is -- I never thought of him like that.

Handled quite well. I would hope to run into you for that type of reaction, and not get the reaction that I also saw on here. I knew that there was a movie or clip where that very scenario was addressed but I couldn't place it yesterday when I made the initial twitter comment. To find it today and see that it is spot on... But the elephant in the room somehow is me, not Shrader for saying it. Still cannot figure that one out. Just this past week, I was walking up to this guy from behind, and as I started to come around him, he looked like "Mike." So as I walk around him, I said "Hey Mike, what's up, bud?" As I finished my sentence, I realized it wasn't "Mike." I would have said something to address it but his response of "hey buddy, how have you been" just made it even more awkward, and even more humorous. Major difference from Shrader and Aud's situation was that we are/were both white. Culprit is that my vision sucks, and I didn't want to fail to acknowledge "Mike" for fear of being rude. Hey, George, I am assuming that your co-worker is black, since you compared him to another black man. And, I am assuming that you are not black. Can you confirm my suspicions? Funny, George spent the rest of the episode defending that he wasn't a racist, just like you are.

Now I know you're lying... this was a great Seinfeld episode. And it fits exactly what Shrader said. I am not saying Shrader is a racist, but he made the same comment that a HIGHLY regarded, and successful sitcom had based an episode on. Why am I the bad guy for simply pointing that out? If you do not see the parallels between what he said and that episode, I am speechless.

Shrader, you made the comment. I just brought it to the surface. This Seinfeld episode spells out your next moves, so you can clear your conscience. Next steps: Take a picture of said co-worker for placement on your desk. Seek out new diversified friends to prove you're not racist. Make a blanket statement that you don't see people based on color. Take your exterminator to dinner.

shrader made a comment that one of his office mates looks like Doug Whaley...

Post it on Twitter... #Imaracist #theyalllookalike

I think we have a lot of big bodies to fill that role. As you pointed out, winners: Carrier, Baptiste, Fasching, Bailey, but also, Kane, Foligno, Deslauriers, Larsson, Okposo. And you point out Girgensons. I don't think all of them have to make the team, but I think it shows we don't need a roster overhaul, which means I don't think we will see a complete teardown to build the team he wants. It doesn't bode well for Moulson, or Ennis. And not exactly like Nylander fits that mold, but I think it is too early to tell with him. That would be like Chicago saying Patrick Kane doesn't have the size to get in and forecheck so let's get rid of him. It's been my belief that the team will be better with a new coach. So I never felt a rebuild was necessary. If Antipin and Guhle are added to the defense and are serviceable in the top 4, That is a HUGE ask, but if some of the pressure is taken off Risto and McCabe, they will get better too. Sprinkle Bogo and anyone else in as the 6th defender and I am happy. I think the above described team makes the playoffs. I look at some of the other playoff teams this year and their rosters are nothing special. Coaching killed us this past year.

I find it interesting that J-Bot commented on the challenge he is going to have filling out the top defenders. That every team is always looking to get better. What I find interesting is that was one of Murray's biggest criticisms. Why couldn't Murray make the defense better? According to J-Bot, there is not a lot of available talent out there. I am ready to move on from GMTM. I still firmly believe the downfall of GMTM was not the lineup and/or record, but the attitude and demeanor in which he interacted (or didn't interact) with people.

Alright, this is a great opportunity for Botterill but wouldn't you be a little bummed to eliminate Washington, and only have Ottawa to beat to get into the SC Finals. He is 8 wins away from winning a Cup, and he is going to dismiss himself and go to Buffalo. Could you do it? On second thought, is there something that says you only have to play in half the games or something like that to be considered on the team. Maybe this series win allows him to be considered part of the crew. Does anyone know the logistics?