The offseason so far - Are the Sabres better?

[LGR4GM]

43 minutes ago, dudacek said:

This is pretty much where I am on the deal.

I'm going to add that the Sabres ineptitude in no way gives Peterka a free pass to run for the hills that way he did.

If Alex Tuch says goodbye the way Sam Reinhart said goodbye there will be no ill will from me. Same with Ras, same with Tage. Those guys paid their dues, upheld their part of the bargain and earned the right to carve their own paths.

To my eye, JJ was treated very well by this organization and given every opportunity  to be part of the solution. Instead, he pouted and forced his way out of town at the first chance he got — seemingly because he was unlocked from Tage's wing and asked to backcheck harder.

Maybe stuff will come out later that somehow justifies his entitled behaviour, but right now I don't care if this sounds like an old man rant.

***** that guy.

I just keep and will forever wonder if Dahlin or Tage or other leaders on the team said something to Kevyn or Ruff or both. I think it was Dahlin, but someone on locker clean out had this line about everyone needs to buy in to the system or something along those lines and idk if it was JJP but I got the sense the locker room had friction. That alllll said, Peterka is a hell of a player and even if I think we are better, it is marginal. 

[Thorny]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I want to make one thing clear. I think trading JJ Peterka is risky, I think the return should have been better. I still don't dislike the deal and I think Kesselring is a gem in the vein of McLeod and that Doan might at least be a 3rd liner. Still, everyone who is concerned mad or otherwise bothered by Buffalo under Adams trading away another disgruntled (because we ***** lose all the time) player for some hopes, I get that. If the Peterka trade blows up in the Sabres faces, a real possibility, it will be another in a long line of Adams being totally ***** at his job. 

It’s not so much trading JJ I have an issue with on its face. It’s more so that the sabres didn’t make any real moves to improve their team 

Which is utterly flabbergasting 

They traded JJ because they had to and “did the best they could”. It wasn’t the plan. I struggle to see a plan, at all 

And when I say that, I mean “plan to improve”

Short of making a trade because a player asked out, Adams has done…nothing. The Sabres haven’t changed management, coaching, or looked to improve their team this summer 

what are they doing? 

Edited 5 hours ago by Thorny

[LGR4GM]

4 minutes ago, Thorny said:

It’s not so much trading JJ I have an issue with on its face. It’s more so that the sabres didn’t make any real moves to improve their team 

Which is utterly flabbergasting 

They traded JJ because they had to and “did the best they could”. It wasn’t the plan. I struggle to see a plan, at all 

And when I say that, I mean “plan to improve”

Short of making a trade because a player asked out, Adams has done…nothing. The Sabres haven’t changed management, coaching, or looked to improve their team this summer 

what are they doing? 

Since Adams doesn't have his own thoughts, they are building a chimera of a team based off of the coaches, the assistant gms, and the musing of Terry. Which is why Samulesson is still here... but they went and got McLeod... but they also kept Bryson... but got Kesselring... but drafted Mrtka... but traded Clifton... but did nothing else to the forwards. It's just a scatter shot of ideas that don't coalesce around a legit plan. 

[Weave]

8 minutes ago, Thorny said:

It’s not so much trading JJ I have an issue with on its face. It’s more so that the sabres didn’t make any real moves to improve their team 

Which is utterly flabbergasting 

They traded JJ because they had to and “did the best they could”. It wasn’t the plan. I struggle to see a plan, at all 

And when I say that, I mean “plan to improve”

Short of making a trade because a player asked out, Adams has done…nothing. The Sabres haven’t changed management, coaching, or looked to improve their team this summer 

what are they doing? 

Every move this offseason was from a defensive perspective.  JJP trade was a move made defensively.  The other, smaller moves were all about cap space to avoid a Byram offer sheet.  Arbitration itself was a defensive decision.

You can’t make progress if all you are doing is parrying threats in front of you.

[Thorny]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

This is pretty much where I am on the deal.

I'm going to add that the Sabres ineptitude in no way gives Peterka a free pass to run for the hills that way he did.

If Alex Tuch says goodbye the way Sam Reinhart said goodbye there will be no ill will from me. Same with Ras, same with Tage. Those guys paid their dues, upheld their part of the bargain and earned the right to carve their own paths.

To my eye, JJ was treated very well by this organization and given every opportunity  to be part of the solution. Instead, he pouted and forced his way out of town at the first chance he got — seemingly because he was unlocked from Tage's wing and asked to backcheck harder.

Maybe stuff will come out later that somehow justifies his entitled behaviour, but right now I don't care if this sounds like an old man rant.

***** that guy.

Utter horse hockey, so not in line with your other postings I’m sorry. Not sure what it is about players leaving, but the small man syndrome “we can criticize Phantom Menace cause we are fans, you can’t!” line of thought just brings out the most hypocritically biased takes there are 

I’m sorry, you don’t think JJ is smart enough to see *just* what we see? Not even anything more? (*of course he knows more*). We lambast the owner and organization and sign back online the next day because we have no real power

JJ is a professional athlete with an exceptionally short window to maximize his career. OF COURSE HE SHOULD ASK OUT. Are you are a human being, or are you a Sabres Avatar? Knowing what we know, how could you possibly require him to stay, be angry at him for leaving, simply because you selfishly want him on “your” team??? We *know* the environment is bad and toxic. We should want athletes to be free of it. “Pay your dues” in misery, because we are. Lol what sort of boomer hell is this

Separate from bias for a solitary second and look at the league as a whole. The sport as a whole. Imagine you didn’t have a team. All else being equal you want players to play in reasonable environments. This isn’t your average equation. We don’t get to pretend the Sabres aren’t an anomaly when we want to to fit an argument. They are HISTORICALLY bad - that doesn’t go away because you are in a good mood. It doesn’t go away cause it’s Monday. They are an anomaly - even expecting players to behave similarly to how they would approaching these things in other environments is deliberately obtuse. 

No, I have no requirement for JJ to play under a DEMONSTRABLY BAD owner and manager and organization that *does not prioritize winning* simply because I, myself, am here. That’s literally the definition of bias. It’s wrong. The stance is objectively wrong.

You get that Adams has already been GM longer than the average player career, by FAR? These athletes don’t have the time to put up with nonsense (and they shouldn’t) just because us key board warriors do. Would the organization buy out a contract they don’t like? It’s a business 

Edited 5 hours ago by Thorny

[Thorny]

22 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Since Adams doesn't have his own thoughts, they are building a chimera of a team based off of the coaches, the assistant gms, and the musing of Terry. Which is why Samulesson is still here... but they went and got McLeod... but they also kept Bryson... but got Kesselring... but drafted Mrtka... but traded Clifton... but did nothing else to the forwards. It's just a scatter shot of ideas that don't coalesce around a legit plan. 

Adams has his own thoughts they are just hard to specifically divine because they are part and parcel with Terry 

Adams is a bad hockey executive, he’s not a helpless child 

16 minutes ago, Weave said:

Every move this offseason was from a defensive perspective.  JJP trade was a move made defensively.  The other, smaller moves were all about cap space to avoid a Byram offer sheet.  Arbitration itself was a defensive decision.

You can’t make progress if all you are doing is parrying threats in front of you.

Agree, but the Byram plan was clearly proactive - the plan was to string it out as long as possible to have the plausible deniability to avoid spending to cap again 

I really hope people can see that lol 

I miss when “woke” meant “woke”

people need to be Woke, here. I cannot stress the conflict of interest management has with fans enough 

*WHEN* they don’t spend to the cap, and you accept that excuse, let it be known, now: you are a sucker 

Edited 4 hours ago by Thorny

[thewookie1]

 

7 minutes ago, Thorny said:

JJ is a professional athlete with an exceptionally short window to maximize his career. OF COURSE HE SHOULD ASK OUT. Are you are a human being, or are you a Sabres Avatar? Knowing what we know, how could you possibly require him to stay, be angry at him for leaving, simply because you selfishly want him on “your” team??? We *know* the environment is bad and toxic. We should want athletes to be free of it. “Pay your dues” in misery, because we are. Lol what sort of boomer hell is this

I am a Sabres Avatar, these players make millions regardless of where they go so I have zero sympathy for them if they end up on a bad team. You can try and play the moral high ground all you want but I'm a Sabres fan regardless of the situation. And true fans of a team aren't going to care what legitimate or assinine reasoning a player has for leaving; you are either with us or against us at the end of the day. Few players ever surpass that, Ray Bourque being one such example for Boston fans.

Why should I care if JJ has a short time period to succeed? Is he paying me money? He can want out all he wants but that doesn't mean I'm going to give him a pass because the front office and ownership are inept. Why not fix it, why not work to improve the circumstances by some means. It's not like we have the access he'd have to the team upper-echelon.

If you ask to leave, you are an enemy to this team, it's fans and that's all there is to it. NO matter the caveat.  

[JohnC]

18 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Utter horse hockey, so not in line with your other postings I’m sorry. Not sure what it is about players leaving, but the small man syndrome “we can criticize Phantom Menace cause we are fans, you can’t!” line of thought just brings out the most hypocritically biased takes there are 

I’m sorry, you don’t think JJ is smart enough to see *just* what we see? Not even anything more? (*of course he knows more*). We lambast the owner and organization and sign back online the next day because we have no real power

JJ is a professional athlete with an exceptionally short window to maximize his career. OF COURSE HE SHOULD ASK OUT. Are you are a human being, or are you a Sabres Avatar? Knowing what we know, how could you possibly require him to stay, be angry at him for leaving, simply because you selfishly want him on “your” team??? We *know* the environment is bad and toxic. We should want athletes to be free of it. “Pay your dues” in misery, because we are. Lol what sort of boomer hell is this

Separate from bias for a solitary second and look at the league as a whole. The sport as a whole. Imagine you didn’t have a team. All else being equal you want players to play in reasonable environments. This isn’t your average equation. We don’t get to pretend the Sabres aren’t an anomaly when we want to to fit an argument. They are HISTORICALLY bad - that doesn’t go away because you are in a good mood. It doesn’t go away cause it’s Monday. They are an anomaly - even expecting players to behave similarly to how they would approaching these things in other environments is deliberately obtuse. 

No, I have no requirement for JJ to play under a DEMONSTRABLY BAD owner and manager and organization that *does not prioritize winning* simply because I, myself, am here. That’s literally the definition of bias. It’s wrong. The stance is objectively wrong.

You get that Adams has already been GM longer than the average player career, by FAR? These athletes don’t have the time to put up with nonsense (and they shouldn’t) just because us key board warriors do. Would the organization buy out a contract they don’t like? It’s a business 

Criticizing the owner, GM and coaching staff are warranted. No one is going to argue otherwise. But that doesn't make it invalid to be critical of a young player who is being "coached up" because there are inadequacies to how he plays. He's an offensive-minded player while being deficient on the other half of his game. What are the coaches supposed to do when his lax defensive play hurts the team? Be worried about his delicate psyche when pointing out for the umpteenth time that he needs to be more aware of the player he is supposed to cover?

The Sabres are a recognized flawed franchise headed by an oddly aloof owner who is clueless.  We are all aware of that inescapable handicap. But that doesn't mean that every player can play the way he wants to without respect to how it affects the team. In general, the Sabres have been categorized as a soft team. So the staff is trying to bring more discipline within the group and by adding to the group. It appears that JJP was not responding well to the message that the coaches were trying to convey. As evidenced by how he played, he tuned them out. So for me it comes down to that they dealt a player who didn't want to be here for players who wanted to be here. I have offered plenty of criticisms for the GM and organization. But for me, this is a case where the GM and organization handled this situation reasonably well. 

[Thorny]

Anakin remains loyal to the sabres. If not, you’re the enemy 

[Thorny]

14 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Criticizing the owner, GM and coaching staff are warranted. No one is going to argue otherwise. But that doesn't make it invalid to be critical of a young player who is being "coached up" because there are inadequacies to how he plays. He's an offensive-minded player while being deficient on the other half of his game. What are the coaches supposed to do when his lax defensive play hurts the team? Be worried about his delicate psyche when pointing out for the umpteenth time that he needs to be more aware of the player he is supposed to cover?

The Sabres are a recognized flawed franchise headed by an oddly aloof owner who is clueless.  We are all aware of that inescapable handicap. But that doesn't mean that every player can play the way he wants to without respect to how it affects the team. In general, the Sabres have been categorized as a soft team. So the staff is trying to bring more discipline within the group and by adding to the group. It appears that JJP was not responding well to the message that the coaches were trying to convey. As evidenced by how he played, he tuned them out. So for me it comes down to that they dealt a player who didn't want to be here for players who wanted to be here. I have offered plenty of criticisms for the GM and organization. But for me, this is a case where the GM and organization handled this situation reasonably well. 

This doesn’t really have anything to do with where the conversation was at or what I was saying.

But i do throughly disagree. You are just regurgitating a narrative that he was somehow so bad defensively he was essentially a net neutral player. No one thought this before we traded him - cause it’s not true. The offensive value he provided far outstripped - and that’s the hard to find skill in the league. You work around it, you don’t trade those players 

“But that doesn't mean that every player can play the way he wants to without respect to how it affects the team.”

Is that supposed to be our canon now? That he was running around selfishly ignoring coaches and going into business for himself on the ice? lol take a nap 

Edited 4 hours ago by Thorny

[dudacek]

18 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Utter horse hockey, so not in line with your other postings I’m sorry. Not sure what it is about players leaving, but the small man syndrome “we can criticize Phantom Menace cause we are fans, you can’t!” line of thought just brings out the most hypocritically biased takes there are 

I’m sorry, you don’t think JJ is smart enough to see *just* what we see? Not even anything more? (*of course he knows more*). We lambast the owner and organization and sign back online the next day because we have no real power

JJ is a professional athlete with an exceptionally short window to maximize his career. OF COURSE HE SHOULD ASK OUT. Are you are a human being, or are you a Sabres Avatar? Knowing what we know, how could you possibly require him to stay, be angry at him for leaving, simply because you selfishly want him on “your” team??? We *know* the environment is bad and toxic. We should want athletes to be free of it. “Pay your dues” in misery, because we are. Lol what sort of boomer hell is this

Separate from bias for a solitary second and look at the league as a whole. The sport as a whole. Imagine you didn’t have a team. All else being equal you want players to play in reasonable environments. This isn’t your average equation. We don’t get to pretend the Sabres aren’t an anomaly when we want to to fit an argument. They are HISTORICALLY bad - that doesn’t go away because you are in a good mood. It doesn’t go away cause it’s Monday. They are an anomaly - even expecting players to behave similarly to how they would approaching these things in other environments is deliberately obtuse. 

No, I have no requirement for JJ to play under a DEMONSTRABLY BAD owner and manager and organization that *does not prioritize winning* simply because I, myself, am here. That’s literally the definition of bias. It’s wrong. The stance is objectively wrong.

You get that Adams has already been GM longer than the average player career, by FAR? These athletes don’t have the time to put up with nonsense (and they shouldn’t) just because us key board warriors do. Would the organization buy out a contract they don’t like? It’s a business 

 

I see no evidence whatsoever that JJ Peterka prioritizes winning or is facing the end of a short career window, or has undergone anything near the amount of suffering you’re referring to when you say “historically bad”. There is no martyrdom happening here. There wasn’t even a “well, he tried.”

My goal is for the Buffalo Sabres to rise out of this purgatory and it’s a job I expect everyone wearing that crest to be working toward for as long as they are here. To me, the hypocrisy would be excusing those who don’t. 

I’ll say it again: ***** JJ Peterka.

 

[Flashsabre]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/oilers-add-three-coaches-move-paul-coffey-from-bench-to-advisory-role/
 

I don’t understand this article. What do they mean by “Oilers changed coaches”? Didn’t know that was allowed😝😁

Edited 4 hours ago by Flashsabre

[Thorny]

13 minutes ago, dudacek said:

 

I see no evidence whatsoever that JJ Peterka prioritizes winning or is facing the end of a short career window, or has undergone anything near the amount of suffering you’re referring to when you say “historically bad”. There is no martyrdom happening here. There wasn’t even a “well, he tried.”

My goal is for the Buffalo Sabres to rise out of this purgatory and it’s a job I expect everyone wearing that crest to be working toward for as long as they are here. To me, the hypocrisy would be excusing those who don’t. 

I’ll say it again: ***** JJ Peterka.

 

I’m not saying martyrdom. I’m not the one speaking with delusions of grandeur. Loyalty! 

The Sabres are not a real franchise. If a draft pick immediately after getting selected said “no bueno” they’d be right to say it 

I cannot stress this enough. You are all so utterly desensitized: I get it, it’s understandable. I have to pinch myself to make sure i dont allow it to creep in. We will talk about the absurdity of ownership and a paragraph later say “and now, how about that 4th line.”

No. Terry Pegula is a scourge, and he’s ruining the team. Terry isn’t the Sabres, he’s not the crest, and we’ve all been here way longer than he has, and we’ll be here when he’s gone. That they are a fraudulent organization under Terry isn’t just something we say: it’s true. We move on and talk about other stuff because we are hopelessly fans. Anyone turning down membership outright is absolutely right to do it

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Thorny

[JohnC]

3 minutes ago, Thorny said:

This doesn’t really have anything to do with where the conversation was at or what I was saying.

But i do throughly disagree. You are just regurgitating a narrative that he was somehow so bad defensively he was essentially a net neutral player. No one thought this before we traded him - cause it’s not true. The offensive value he provided far outstripped - and that’s the hard to find skill in the league. You work around it, you don’t trade those players 

“But that doesn't mean that every player can play the way he wants to without respect to how it affects the team.”

Is that supposed to be our canon now? That he was running around selfishly ignoring coaches and going into business for himself on the ice? lol take a nap 

What are you talking about? My comments directly related to the discussion. How he played certainly was a critical issue. And that he didn't want to stay here (apparently so) made the situation untenable especially considering his contract status. If a player, especially a young player, is not responding to coaching, then what do you want the coaches to do? Recoil, and not address the issue?

In the end, the player got what he wanted, and the Sabres got a fair value return. (My opinion.) This is a case where a good young player was being coached up. He wasn't responding to it very well. So he was traded. You may want to put this issue in cosmic theoretical terms but I'm not. This was an individual case of relationships among the player/coaches/organization. He didn't want to fit in, so he was dealt. On this issue we see things very differently. That's okay. 

[dudacek]

Just now, Thorny said:

I’m not saying martyrdom. I’m not the one speaking with delusions of grandeur. Loyalty! 

The Sabres are not a real franchise. If a draft pick immediately after getting selected said “no bueno” they’d be right to say it 

And ***** that guy too.

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Since Adams doesn't have his own thoughts, they are building a chimera of a team based off of the coaches, the assistant gms, and the musing of Terry. Which is why Samulesson is still here... but they went and got McLeod... but they also kept Bryson... but got Kesselring... but drafted Mrtka... but traded Clifton... but did nothing else to the forwards. It's just a scatter shot of ideas that don't coalesce around a legit plan. 

They did add Norris and Doan while dumping JPP, Lafferty and Cozens.  They also continue of the merry-go-round of depth goaltending waiting for a prospect to emerge in Lyons, Reimer, Anderson and Comrie.  

There is no plan.  It's just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks.  The got lucky (so far) with McLeod and Zucker last season, but the team still got worse.  This year the spaghetti are Kesselring, Timmins, Doan, Lyons and Norris.  I'm sure one or two will work out and I'm equally sure the team is likely headed to a bottom of the Atlantic finish again. 

Edited 4 hours ago by GASabresIUFAN

[thewookie1]

3 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I’m not saying martyrdom. I’m not the one speaking with delusions of grandeur. Loyalty! 

The Sabres are not a real franchise. If a draft pick immediately after getting selected said “no bueno” they’d be right to say it 

The Sabres are a franchise as long as they are here and with a team in the NHL registry; no matter how beat down or violated it may become. If you want to hold this absurd belief then leave us be and find a new team because obviously your loyalty isn't to the crest. 

[Thorny]

8 minutes ago, JohnC said:

What are you talking about? My comments directly related to the discussion. How he played certainly was a critical issue. And that he didn't want to stay here (apparently so) made the situation untenable especially considering his contract status. If a player, especially a young player, is not responding to coaching, then what do you want the coaches to do? Recoil, and not address the issue?

In the end, the player got what he wanted, and the Sabres got a fair value return. (My opinion.) This is a case where a good young player was being coached up. He wasn't responding to it very well. So he was traded. You may want to put this issue in cosmic theoretical terms but I'm not. This was an individual case of relationships among the player/coaches/organization. He didn't want to fit in, so he was dealt. On this issue we see things very differently. That's okay. 

I’m talking about the reaction to him wanting out 

he wasn’t traded due to not responding to coaching, my friend. He was traded because he asked to be 

5 minutes ago, dudacek said:

And ***** that guy too.

It’s the great part of being a fan: it doesn’t need to be logical. In fact it arguably requires one to check their objectivity at the door, if one wants to fit in. This thread is evidence of that 

Edited 3 hours ago by Thorny

[dudacek]

9 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I’m not saying martyrdom. I’m not the one speaking with delusions of grandeur. Loyalty! 

The Sabres are not a real franchise. If a draft pick immediately after getting selected said “no bueno” they’d be right to say it 

I cannot stress this enough. You are all so utterly desensitized: I get it, it’s understandable. I have to pinch myself to make sure i dont allow it to creep in. We will talk about the absurdity of ownership and a paragraph later say “and now, how about that 4th line.”

No. Terry Pegula is a scourge, and he’s ruining the team. Terry isn’t the Sabres, he’s not the crest, and we’ve all been here way longer than he has, and we’ll be here when he’s gone. That they are a fraudulent organization isn’t just something we say: it’s true. We move on and talk about other stuff because we are hopelessly fans. Anyone turning down membership outright is absolutely right to do it

 

And ***** Terry Pegula too.

[Thorny]

5 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

The Sabres are a franchise as long as they are here and with a team in the NHL registry; no matter how beat down or violated it may become. If you want to hold this absurd belief then leave us be and find a new team because obviously your loyalty isn't to the crest. 

[Thorny]

6 minutes ago, dudacek said:

And ***** Terry Pegula too.

[thewookie1]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

If the shoe fits; I can be furious at ownership and the front office but I'll always put the Sabres over any players' desires. We aren't paid to root for the team; we have personal connection and desire to see the team succeed. Even if from a purely logical basis it may be logical to ask out; that doesn't mean it magically make player's decision fine. 

If fandom was purely logical then there would only be band wagon fans following super teams 

[dudacek]

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

 

It’s the great part of being a fan: it doesn’t need to be logical. In fact it arguably requires own to check their objectivity at the door, if one wants to fit in. This thread is evidence of that 

There is nothing illogical about saying JJ Peterka is selfish. His actions in this instance are a textbook example of this: he put his own interests first.

There is nothing illogical within the context of fandom to dislike a player who puts his own interests above that of the team.

It is entirely possible to both understand something and dislike it at the same time.

[Thorny]

Botterill “no, I won’t fire those men, I don’t believe in cutting costs” 

Adams “‘no, I don’t mind trying to win while intentionally handcuffing ourselves, just keep expectations low, thanks

one of these is far, far more loyal to the crest and one is far more loyal to a paycheck.

you aren’t supporting the Crest by sticking with them as Terry burns them down: you are actively harming them. I use the republic comp cause it’s true. 

6 minutes ago, dudacek said:

There is nothing illogical about saying JJ Peterka is selfish. His actions in this instance are a textbook example of this: he put his own interests first.

There is nothing illogical within the context of fandom to dislike a player who puts his own interests above that of the team.

It is entirely possible to both understand something and dislike it at the same time.

It’s not illogical to say he’s selfish: it’s illogical to say “f*ck him for doing it”

Because we, like him, know the organization is a bad place to be 

If your bias as a fan extends SO FAR so as to be able to hold it against him, in THIS case..yes, you truly are lost 

Edited 3 hours ago by Thorny

[thewookie1]

Just now, Thorny said:

Botterill “no, I won’t fire those men, I don’t believe in cutting costs” 

Adams “‘no, I don’t mind trying to win while intentionally handcuffing ourselves, just keep expectations low, thanks

one of these is far, far more loyal to the crest and one is far more loyal to a paycheck.

you aren’t supporting the Crest by sticking with them as Terry burns them down: you are actively harming them. I use the republic comp cause it’s true. 

That doesn't even make a lick of sense; we are powerless in this whole situation.

I can't tell Terry to spend money, sell to a local owner who will keep them here, or the like. If I had that sort of power then it makes some sense. But I and neither can any of us do so. 

Just now, Thorny said:

Because we, like him, know the organization is a bad place to be 

Whoop-de-*****-doo, toughen up kid; there are far worse situations to be in then with a cheapish NHL team making 750k, soon to be 7mil, a year to play a sport. We don't get paid, and many of us could only dream of his job. I'm going to pat him on the back and say good luck because he can't put up with the same pain us fans go through year after year.