Quick Hits...

[BamBam]

Eck mentioned the Sabres in his recent post however its nothing earth shattering:

* Robert Esche looks to be returning to the NHL this coming season in either Philly or Buffalo.

Eck's Rumors

 

Like I said...Nothing Major.

 

What did everyone think of Bucky's article today? I often thought of Bucky to be a realist however after reading that I think he's had one to many cool summer drinks this offseason. Nobody is trading for Hecht, Tallinder, Lydman, etc. Jay-Bo is not coming to Buffalo, Darcy will not hire an asst GM, and LQ will never "Not" be involved in shaping the team.

I guess Bucky is allowed a mulligan as its only June. Harrington and Vogel each had articles in the news today as well. Do you think LQ gets the point that everyone wants him out of the "Kitchen"? Ha.

 

Here are a couple of other rumors from Eck: (Of which....for the record...I am not!)

* Sources are confirming at this hour that the Leafs will be playing in Calgary as part of a doubleheader game to follow the Winter Classic in Boston.

 

* Ryan Smyth has several teams who are very interested in him should the Avalanche decide to move him and a return to Edmonton is NOT out of the question. Other teams with interest include, Minnesota and Phoenix.

 

* The Flyers are attempting to pull of a MAJOR trade that has the rumour mill buzzing and the trade could come as early as this weekend. The trade would free up space for the acquisition of Jay Bo's rights

 

* The weekend before the draft has become a very busy one for trying to trade for rights.

 

* There is more and more evidence that the Predators and Lightning may hook up in a deal that would land Tavares in Nashville.

 

* The Penguins have serious interest in the Kings D Jack Johnson who was a former teammate and friend of Sidney Crosby. The Canadiens are also SERIOUSLY interested in Johnson.

[PotentPowerPlay22]

Eck mentioned the Sabres in his recent post however its nothing earth shattering:

* Robert Esche looks to be returning to the NHL this coming season in either Philly or Buffalo.

Eck's Rumors

 

Like I said...Nothing Major.

 

What did everyone think of Bucky's article today? I often thought of Bucky to be a realist however after reading that I think he's had one to many cool summer drinks this offseason. Nobody is trading for Hecht, Tallinder, Lydman, etc. Jay-Bo is not coming to Buffalo, Darcy will not hire an asst GM, and LQ will never "Not" be involved in shaping the team.

I guess Bucky is allowed a mulligan as its only June. Harrington and Vogel each had articles in the news today as well. Do you think LQ gets the point that everyone wants him out of the "Kitchen"? Ha.

 

 

I thought Bucky Gleason made some great points. I only wish he had emphasized adding toughness and grit to the lineup. I would love to dump some of the soft overpaid non-producers, but the market is limited for selling bad players.

 

The main point to me is that the Sabres need to try something different - the current cast of characters isn't cutting it.

[darksabre]

Robert Esche?

 

Sounds like the type of player we would take.

[tom webster]

Eck mentioned the Sabres in his recent post however its nothing earth shattering:

* Robert Esche looks to be returning to the NHL this coming season in either Philly or Buffalo.

Eck's Rumors

 

Like I said...Nothing Major.

 

What did everyone think of Bucky's article today? I often thought of Bucky to be a realist however after reading that I think he's had one to many cool summer drinks this offseason. Nobody is trading for Hecht, Tallinder, Lydman, etc. Jay-Bo is not coming to Buffalo, Darcy will not hire an asst GM, and LQ will never "Not" be involved in shaping the team.

I guess Bucky is allowed a mulligan as its only June. Harrington and Vogel each had articles in the news today as well. Do you think LQ gets the point that everyone wants him out of the "Kitchen"? Ha.

 

Here are a couple of other rumors from Eck: (Of which....for the record...I am not!)

* Sources are confirming at this hour that the Leafs will be playing in Calgary as part of a doubleheader game to follow the Winter Classic in Boston.

 

* Ryan Smyth has several teams who are very interested in him should the Avalanche decide to move him and a return to Edmonton is NOT out of the question. Other teams with interest include, Minnesota and Phoenix.

 

* The Flyers are attempting to pull of a MAJOR trade that has the rumour mill buzzing and the trade could come as early as this weekend. The trade would free up space for the acquisition of Jay Bo's rights

 

* The weekend before the draft has become a very busy one for trying to trade for rights.

 

* There is more and more evidence that the Predators and Lightning may hook up in a deal that would land Tavares in Nashville.

 

* The Penguins have serious interest in the Kings D Jack Johnson who was a former teammate and friend of Sidney Crosby. The Canadiens are also SERIOUSLY interested in Johnson.

 

The articles in the News were clearly stated as fantasy, "if i were _____ for a day" pieces and Bucky has gone to great pains to admit that his solutions for the team are highly unlikely to be put into action.

[nucci]

I thought Bucky Gleason made some great points. I only wish he had emphasized adding toughness and grit to the lineup. I would love to dump some of the soft overpaid non-producers, but the market is limited for selling bad players.

 

The main point to me is that the Sabres need to try something different - the current cast of characters isn't cutting it.

Nothing personal but I am getting tired of hearing how we need toughness and grit. What this team needs is talent. Superstar talent. The only players who might come close to that are Miller and Vanek. While Vanek is a great goal scorer, I would not call him a star just yet. If you look at the talent level of the Final Four teams we are not even close.

[deluca67]

The articles seemed to be just fluff pieces. Nothing that hasn't been discussed on this board for some time now. It would have been nice if they had taken a realistic approach to what they were trying to do. The only people in WNY that don't know what the Sabres needs are appear to be Quinn and Regier. Hopefully in the next two weeks the light goes on in the offices of the HSBC and Status Quo finally gets it. It's not hard, toughness, talent and accountability. Address those three issues and turn this franchise around.

[deluca67]

Nothing personal but I am getting tired of hearing how we need toughness and grit. What this team needs is talent. Superstar talent. The only players who might come close to that are Miller and Vanek. While Vanek is a great goal scorer, I would not call him a star just yet. If you look at the talent level of the Final Four teams we are not even close.

The problem is that "Superstar talent" costs money. If the Sabres weren't throwing away all that money on Connolly, Tallinder, Hect and Lydman maybe the Sabres could do something in free agency and address the problem of a lack of talent.

[PASabreFan]

The problem is that "Superstar talent" costs money. If the Sabres weren't throwing away all that money on Connolly, Tallinder, Hect and Lydman maybe the Sabres could do something in free agency and address the problem of a lack of talent.

 

Robert Esche has lost it!

 

It's tough to put Connolly and lack of talent in the same sentence, but 67 has done it.

[deluca67]

Robert Esche has lost it!

 

It's tough to put Connolly and lack of talent in the same sentence, but 67 has done it.

It's "talent" when he's on the ice. It's "potential" when he's at home or in the press box. I've never been one to buy into the legend of the NHL's greatest 18 goal scorer.

 

Looking at the list in the News and seeing the $4.5 next to Connolly's name is just insane. The Sabres could fire Regier today and that would be the only reason they need to list on the press release.

[nfreeman]

Nothing personal but I am getting tired of hearing how we need toughness and grit. What this team needs is talent. Superstar talent. The only players who might come close to that are Miller and Vanek. While Vanek is a great goal scorer, I would not call him a star just yet. If you look at the talent level of the Final Four teams we are not even close.

I'd agree with this regarding the finalists, but not the other final 4 -- neither Carolina nor Chicago is head and shoulders above the Sabres in talent level.

 

The problem is that "Superstar talent" costs money. If the Sabres weren't throwing away all that money on Connolly, Tallinder, Hect and Lydman maybe the Sabres could do something in free agency and address the problem of a lack of talent.

Partially true, but elite teams are not built with superstars imported via free agency -- as evidenced by this year's final 4.

 

It's "talent" when he's on the ice. It's "potential" when he's at home or in the press box. I've never been one to buy into the legend of the NHL's greatest 18 goal scorer.

 

Looking at the list in the News and seeing the $4.5 next to Connolly's name is just insane. The Sabres could fire Regier today and that would be the only reason they need to list on the press release.

You obviously think the TC extension was a bad idea (I for one do not), but if you want to rank the poor Darcy/LQ/TG decisions, this is about #20 on the list.

[Eleven]

Robert Esche has lost it!

 

He's down four-nothing, and he's blown his cool! He's flipped his lid!

 

Best RJ comment ever; it was simply brilliant. About 1:14 in:

 

I'll never tire of re-posting that.

[Two or less]

Nothing personal but I am getting tired of hearing how we need toughness and grit. What this team needs is talent. Superstar talent. The only players who might come close to that are Miller and Vanek. While Vanek is a great goal scorer, I would not call him a star just yet. If you look at the talent level of the Final Four teams we are not even close.

 

Hawks, Pens and Wings i agree, but Canes? I think we're a player or two away from being as good as Carolina. Once you make the playoffs, you can ride a hot goalie. If Carolina can ride Ward, no reason why Ryan Miller can't steal a few games.

[nucci]

Hawks, Pens and Wings i agree, but Canes? I think we're a player or two away from being as good as Carolina. Once you make the playoffs, you can ride a hot goalie. If Carolina can ride Ward, no reason why Ryan Miller can't steal a few games.

OK - 3 out of 4. Just trying to make a point that we need more pure hockey talent than toughness on this team right now.

[silvermike]

I'd agree with this regarding the finalists, but not the other final 4 -- neither Carolina nor Chicago is head and shoulders above the Sabres in talent level.

Partially true, but elite teams are not built with superstars imported via free agency -- as evidenced by this year's final 4.

You obviously think the TC extension was a bad idea (I for one do not), but if you want to rank the poor Darcy/LQ/TG decisions, this is about #20 on the list.

 

I was looking down the list of top scorers. By points, the top seven are all playing for the teams that drafted them. #8 is Jerome Iginla, who was drafted by the Stars but never played for them and was traded to Calgary before he signed a pro contract. Rounding out the top 10 are Marc Savard, the only UFA on this list, and Nicklas Backstrom, a lifetime Capital. The next ten are similar, with only Cammalleri not playing for the team that drafted him, and no UFAs, since he was a trade.

 

This is, of course, not to say that free agency is pointless - it's just not the place where you can reliably get a superstar. You need to draft them and keep them, and then use free agency to fill the gaps. Get the veteran who has a knack for big goals, the third liner who keeps the heat on the opposition, and the puck clearing defenseman. But those big-time UFAs are almost never going to be the answer on offense. Every player to lead the league in points or goals was acquired through the draft or a trade since 1980.

[deluca67]

You obviously think the TC extension was a bad idea (I for one do not), but if you want to rank the poor Darcy/LQ/TG decisions, this is about #20 on the list.

Money spent vs return? I can't think of any decision that has hurt the Sabres more. That $4.5 million on this years budget is a huge albatross. The only way that deal helps the Sabres is if another team is willing to pick up the contract this off-season and give the Sabres something in return.

[nfreeman]

Money spent vs return? I can't think of any decision that has hurt the Sabres more. That $4.5 million on this years budget is a huge albatross. The only way that deal helps the Sabres is if another team is willing to pick up the contract this off-season and give the Sabres something in return.

What if he has a 30-50-80 season? Doesn't the deal help the Sabres in that scenario?

 

And you really can't think of any decision the Sabres have made that has hurt more? e.g. the decision to jerk Drury around after they had a deal agreed with him? The decision not to try hard to keep Grier? The decision to give Tallinder, Max and Hecht big contract extensions, but to let JP go? Are you joking?

[deluca67]

What if he has a 30-50-80 season? Doesn't the deal help the Sabres in that scenario?

 

And you really can't think of any decision the Sabres have made that has hurt more? e.g. the decision to jerk Drury around after they had a deal agreed with him? The decision not to try hard to keep Grier? The decision to give Tallinder, Max and Hecht big contract extensions, but to let JP go? Are you joking?

30-50-80? I am trying to keep the conversation realistic. I'm not going to count on a guy with a career high of 18 goals and 55 points to suddenly jump up to 30-50-80.

 

Drury and Grier left because they wanted to. The Sabres matched the contract the Sharks gave Grier but he decided to play close to his family. The whole "jerking Drury around" is nothing but bullzhit.

 

The other moves did turn out to be poor decisions. In order for those poor decisions to be on par with the Connolly contract those extensions would have to be given this year. All three players were at a different level when given their contracts. They declined and the contracts now look pathetic. Connolly's season was exactly what he has given pretty much the last 5 years career. Injured for a part, looks really good for a portion and a long stretch were he disappears. And the Sabres gave him a raise. That's the joke. It's the same as if they were to give Max a new contract and a raise.

 

We all know what's going on. The Peca/Connolly trade is a huge black mark on the resume of Darcy Regier and he can't let it go. The #1 flaw of this front office is the inability to admit they made a mistake and move on. Connolly is the poster child for that.

[wonderbread]

30-50-80? I am trying to keep the conversation realistic. I'm not going to count on a guy with a career high of 18 goals and 55 points to suddenly jump up to 30-50-80.

 

Drury and Grier left because they wanted to. The Sabres matched the contract the Sharks gave Grier but he decided to play close to his family. The whole "jerking Drury around" is nothing but bullzhit.

 

The other moves did turn out to be poor decisions. In order for those poor decisions to be on par with the Connolly contract those extensions would have to be given this year. All three players were at a different level when given their contracts. They declined and the contracts now look pathetic. Connolly's season was exactly what he has given pretty much the last 5 years career. Injured for a part, looks really good for a portion and a long stretch were he disappears. And the Sabres gave him a raise. That's the joke. It's the same as if they were to give Max a new contract and a raise.

 

We all know what's going on. The Peca/Connolly trade is a huge black mark on the resume of Darcy Regier and he can't let it go. The #1 flaw of this front office is the inability to admit they made a mistake and move on. Connolly is the poster child for that.

 

 

One of the best points you have made in a while. Good post thanks!

[carpandean]

30-50-80? I am trying to keep the conversation realistic. I'm not going to count on a guy with a career high of 18 goals and 55 points to suddenly jump up to 30-50-80.

30-50-80 is what his numbers this season project out to for an 82 game season. I have no doubt that if Timmy can stay healthy, he will be a 70+ point player (and probably 25+ goal.) My problem with the contract is that "if" that follows Timmy around like an anchor. He was very healthy pre-lockout, so maybe he can turn it around health-wise, but he's played just 63, 2, 48 and 48 games over the last four seasons. For 82 games, $4.5 million would be a very good price, but for 48 games, it's way over-priced. On the simplest level, taken "per game" that's equivalent to a $7.7 million for 82 games. Unfortunately, the impact of missing half the season is even worse than that. It leaves a hole that has to be filled by someone who isn't capable of filling that position (e.g., Hecht), because having him on the roster keeps the team from finding someone else for that position.

 

Basically, someone who feels that his contract is a good deal probably feels that there is a 70%+ chance that he plays most of the season (75+ games), while those that hate it probably feel that chance is less than 30%. I don't know what number I would assign to it, but given his history and the cost of him being out should he miss half or more again, I don't think it was a wise move. I hope that he beats the odds. I will, however, still feel that it's like winning the Lottery: it paid off well (ex-post), but wasn't a wise bet at the time it was made (ex-ante.)

[nfreeman]

30-50-80? I am trying to keep the conversation realistic. I'm not going to count on a guy with a career high of 18 goals and 55 points to suddenly jump up to 30-50-80.

 

Drury and Grier left because they wanted to. The Sabres matched the contract the Sharks gave Grier but he decided to play close to his family. The whole "jerking Drury around" is nothing but bullzhit.

 

The other moves did turn out to be poor decisions. In order for those poor decisions to be on par with the Connolly contract those extensions would have to be given this year. All three players were at a different level when given their contracts. They declined and the contracts now look pathetic. Connolly's season was exactly what he has given pretty much the last 5 years career. Injured for a part, looks really good for a portion and a long stretch were he disappears. And the Sabres gave him a raise. That's the joke. It's the same as if they were to give Max a new contract and a raise.

 

We all know what's going on. The Peca/Connolly trade is a huge black mark on the resume of Darcy Regier and he can't let it go. The #1 flaw of this front office is the inability to admit they made a mistake and move on. Connolly is the poster child for that.

TC had 18 goals and 47 points in 48 games last year. I'm certainly not going to pretend he doesn't have a highly distressing injury history, but I also think he stayed healthy last year after he came back, and that 80 pts isn't unrealistic for him for next year. And you can't seriously compare Connolly, who was the Sabres' best forward in the 2nd half of the season, to Max, who has fallen completely off the table.

 

The "Darcy can't let go of TC because of the Peca trade" theory is nonsense. Darcy needs the Sabres to win this year or he's going to get canned. He's a grownup and he understands this. He's not going to commit a big chunk of money to TC or anyone else for any reason other than thinking it will lead to a winning team.

 

As for Drury and Grier -- yes, they chose to leave. That doesn't mean the Sabres couldn't have kept them if they had handled it correctly. You can certainly refuse to believe this, but I'm not sure why you would.

[Mbossy]

Peca -Injuries

16-Apr-09 Missed 1 game (undisclosed).

 

12-Mar-09 Missed 4 games (jaw injury).

 

17-Oct-08 Suspended by the NHL for 5 games for physical abuse of officials.

.

09-Mar-08 Missed 1 game (knee injury).

 

03-Jan-08 Missed 5 games (concussion).

 

23-Dec-07 Missed 2 games (strained pectoral muscle).

 

23-Nov-07 Missed 6 games (groin).

 

10-Oct-07 Missed 2 games (groin).

 

09-Apr-07 Missed the last 46 games of the regular season (fractured tibia).

 

18-Oct-06 Missed 1 game (lower body injury).

 

07-Mar-06 Missed 6 games (hip injury).

.

02-Feb-06 Missed 1 game (sinusitis).

 

11-Nov-05 Missed 4 games (mild concussion).

 

02-Mar-04 Missed 2 games (left leg injury).

 

31-Jan-04 Missed 3 games (chest injury).

 

03-Jan-04 Missed 1 game (groin strain).

 

14-Nov-02 Missed 5 games (left knee surgery).

 

02-Nov-02 Missed 10 games (left knee surgery).

 

30-Apr-02 Missed the last 2 games of Round One against Toronto (sprained knee).

 

17-Oct-01 Missed 2 games (mild concussion).

 

29-Aug-01 Signed by the New York Islanders.

 

I can see your point, he's much less fragile than Connolly.

 

edit: forgot this :rolleyes: and this: Peca post lockout .4 pts a game, Timmay .89 pts per game, done with you.

[nfreeman]

30-50-80 is what his numbers this season project out to for an 82 game season. I have no doubt that if Timmy can stay healthy, he will be a 70+ point player (and probably 25+ goal.) My problem with the contract is that "if" that follows Timmy around like an anchor. He was very healthy pre-lockout, so maybe he can turn it around health-wise, but he's played just 63, 2, 48 and 48 games over the last four seasons. For 82 games, $4.5 million would be a very good price, but for 48 games, it's way over-priced. On the simplest level, taken "per game" that's equivalent to a $7.7 million for 82 games. Unfortunately, the impact of missing half the season is even worse than that. It leaves a hole that has to be filled by someone who isn't capable of filling that position (e.g., Hecht), because having him on the roster keeps the team from finding someone else for that position.

 

Basically, someone who feels that his contract is a good deal probably feels that there is a 70%+ chance that he plays most of the season (75+ games), while those that hate it probably feel that chance is less than 30%. I don't know what number I would assign to it, but given his history and the cost of him being out should he miss half or more again, I don't think it was a wise move. I hope that he beats the odds. I will, however, still feel that it's like winning the Lottery: it paid off well (ex-post), but wasn't a wise bet at the time it was made (ex-ante.)

Good post, and I can't disagree with any of it. My point was simply that the Sabres have made many, many worse blunders in the last 3 years than the TC extension.

[shrader]

The "Darcy can't let go of TC because of the Peca trade" theory is nonsense. Darcy needs the Sabres to win this year or he's going to get canned. He's a grownup and he understands this. He's not going to commit a big chunk of money to TC or anyone else for any reason other than thinking it will lead to a winning team.

 

I'll offer up one name to make that theory look even more absurd: Slava Kozlov

[PotentPowerPlay22]

Nothing personal but I am getting tired of hearing how we need toughness and grit. What this team needs is talent. Superstar talent. The only players who might come close to that are Miller and Vanek. While Vanek is a great goal scorer, I would not call him a star just yet. If you look at the talent level of the Final Four teams we are not even close.

 

 

I couldn't disagree more with your opening statement. The team has a big deficit in the toughness category. I would expand the criticism more broadly to include a lack of heart and desire.

 

The team's with heart and desire almost always have the determination to display toughness and grit. The Sabres had way more games showing a complete lack of heart and desire than games where they did show it. Did you watch last season?

 

There were way too many games without the effort. "Superstar" talent is virtually useless without the workers and grinders. The team needs players willing to work and sacrifice night after night. Currently, they don't have the necessary effort. You could put Crosby or Malkin on this team and it would still struggle because of all the floaters who take nights off.

 

It's time for the overpaid softies to leave town!

[inkman]

It's time for the overpaid softies to leave town!

Well, that's not going to happen. On the other hand, I was thinking about the screenname 'MentallySoftPussies'. I believe it fits this team a little better.