JohnC

Fatal Attraction: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=movie+fatal+attraction+scenes&view=detail&mid=7F329D08B0791E64C8857F329D08B0791E64C885&FORM=VIRE https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=movie+fatal+attraction+scenes&&view=detail&mid=5B21DE0CBD090115680C5B21DE0CBD090115680C&&FORM=VDRVRV

I have no doubt that they are willing to receive phone calls for this volatile and seditious player. This is the time where the vultures are circling the carnage. The offers that are going to be made are not going to be close to his on-field value. And as Kirby has pointed out the cap hit would be crippling for the next season.. If this was a team that was rebuilding and cleaning house (such as when McDermott took over) instead of trying to sip the last drop of the Roethlisberger emptying glass it would be a completely different situation. I am not taking an absolute position on this issue because you never know how turbulent and irredeemable the scene is in Pittsburgh. But odds are that this will be worked out. On the other hand I will take an absolute position that if traded he will not end up playing for a McDermott coached team.

There is no debating that AB is one of the best receivers in the game. On the other hand it is very unlikely that the clapping coach is going to bring in a receiver such as AB or an Odell Baeckham type of personality who are volatile and were disruptive in the locker room? This is a coach who wanted no part of Watkins who is not nearly as explosive or self-centered a personality as AB. McDermott at times tiresomely preaches the sanctity of the locker room and importance of character. He would undercut his credibility to shreds if he brought in a player who already has walked out on his team. This is never going to happen. As Kirby pointed out in a previous post the Steelers are not going to absorb the crushing cap hit that a trade would entail. And because of his cancerous and seditious behavior his trade value is diminished. The Steelers will do everything they can to work out an in-house solution to this fratricide.

Botteril, like every GM in the business, is constantly looking to upgrade their roster for the short and long term. If a proposed deal materializes that he believes will help this team I'm sure he would not hesitate to make a deal. However, It's my opinion that I don't see our astute GM making a beneficial short-term deal at the expense of a longer term benefit. The Forsberg link that you attached buttresses my argument to stay with your developing young players and not peddle them off. It's very improbable to the point of being non-nonexistent that another team would deal a highly rated prospect for a non-productive sluggish veteran.

The Broncos can make a deal for Antonio Brown's mom.

Last year the Broncos had an opportunity to draft a franchise qb. They didn't seize the opportunity. It was a big mistake. That major issue still has be be addressed. The GM is responsible for that mistake.

Hughes didn't get the credit that he deserved. Offenses focused on him yet he applied constant pressure. I thought Milano was one of our best defensive players until he got hurt. Best value draftee we have in the McBeane era.

I'm not inherently against any deal that will make this team better. I just don't see any team giving up good young player/s without getting player/s in return. As I have previously stated I don't see Botterill making an impacting deal until the offseason. What I am strongly against is giving up meaningful assets for a rental player/s. That makes no sense to me. Plenzmd can not be muted. He is too loquacious to be silenced.

Why would a bottom feeding team trade away a young asset when it represents a chance for future success? The Sabres have a few young players who have been groomed in the minors and even on the current roster (Tage, Mittelstadt, Pilot etc) who in a year or so will be core contributors. Things are starting to come together. This team was arguably the worst team in the league last year. Look where they are now! And look at the young players in the pipeline who are nearly ready to join the big club. That's clearly dramatic progress. Why deviate from the plan that is working? I don't know who you want to give up? No team is going to trade you a young talented player unless they are going to get back in return multiple young talented players. Why give upplayers such as Mittelstadt, Thompson, Guhle, Nylander and any of our own young prospects when they are close to being very good players for us. I do believe that our GM is not adverse to making a significant deal. But if he does it is more likely to happen around the time of the next draft. It's my belief that any deal that would be made sooner would not alter our position of being a wild-card contending team. So why deal off promising assets if it is not going to change your status and would more than likely hurt your near future prospect of being a serious Cup contending team? I understand why you are impatient. However, I still am resolutely against what you are proposing. Trust the process and stay with the process.

You are astute and perspicacious. ?

Share this wise post with Plenzmd. He is hardheaded and foolhardy.Because of his impatience and impetuousness he is willing to risk derailing the franchise. Maybe he will listen to you because he goes out of his way to disregard what I have to say. That stubborn guy can be mulish. It's important to develop your own. https://www.wgrz.com/article/sports/tage-thompson-hitting-his-stride-for-the-buffalo-sabres/71-ff3b18c0-3817-42ea-98c1-7a347f2e66c4 https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-pilut-played-well-after-sitting-two-games

Absolutely not! Hell no! I will not yield and submit to this foolishness. When you are on the road to success why veer off course. Nylander is going to be a top two line forward for us in the not too distant future. He is going to be part of the core that will make the Sabres a cup contending team. It would be foolish to deal this budding sterling to another team. If a major deal is to be made it is not going to happen during the season. It would more likely happen in the offseason. So stop acting as if your pants are on fire and acting out of desperation. Trust the process because it is working.

Nylander is playing well in Rochester. He arguably earned a spot on Buffalo's roster out of camp based on his play. But it was thought that for his development getting more playing time in Rochester would be more beneficial. I believe that he will be called up sometime this season. If not I'm confident that he will be with Buffalo next year with a secure position. Hopefully it will be on the second line. https://www.diebytheblade.com/2018/10/1/17925656/buffalo-sabres-rochester-amerks-send-alex-nylander-and-brendan-guhle-to-the-ahl

I agree with you that there are not going to be many quality linemen available on the market. To make the situation even more problematic there are many teams who will be vying for those same players on the market thus jacking up the price. On the other hand although I have already acknowledged that I consider Cordy Glenn a good player his trade to Cincinnati put this team in a position to make the next trade up for Allen, our future franchise qb. The Bills had not had a franchise qb for a quarter century since the retirement of Jim Kelly. I would not hesitate to make that deal again. We gave up an asset to get a more impactful long term asset. Because of that deal this franchise is in a better situation.

There's is no disguising the fact that this isn't a complete team. That's the stark reality that is evident to all who watch the games. We currently don't have a #2 center and also #2 line forward players. On the other hand I do believe that by next year Casey Mittelstadt and Tage Thompson and Nylander will grow into authentic second line players. Although the production numbers aren't there when you watch Mittelstadt and especially Tage you can see the potential. Getting them the playing time is more important/valuable than replacing them with more productive veterans who don't have the upside. The fastest way to activate that potential is to play them. My ambition is not for this team to be above average. That can be done with some expedient moves that in the long run will prove to be detrimental. My ambition is for this team to strive to be a cup contending team in the not too distant future. That high ambition can be attained if the process is smartly played out.

Hockey more than any other sport makes deals, especially at the trade deadline. However, teams are reluctant to give up high end talent unless the player is about to be a free agent and the team knows that it can't sign that player. So a deal is made for the sake of a deal even if it is an unbalanced deal. The Skinner trade is an example of that type of deal, and it must be noted that it was made in the offseason. I just don't see our GM making a deal for a rental at the cost of giving up young assets. Botterill, as with every GM in the game, is open to make a fair value deal. For him, I'm sure it has to fit in with his team's trajectory of young players growing together with the hope that in the near future the team will be competing at the highest level. That means trading for a young player who is currently productive and still has an upside. That's the ideal. But the reality is that few teams are going to give up their talented young players. My point is that market we would be most interested in is very limited. What talent on Rochester is so enticing to other teams? Nylander? He is a player that this organization is invested in developing and hopefully will be a forward on the second line for us. As far as I'm concerned he is a "no touch" player because I see him playing in Buffalo this season. I just don't see a significant deal being made in the horizon. Hang in there and trust the process for the simple reason that it is working. In my estimation the Sabres will be fighting for a playoff spot right up to the end of the season. I'm more than satisfied with the current situation. I'm not willing to hurt the near future for a short term gain. As much as you dislike that approach I'm still advocating for staying the course.

How many scorers did the Sabres have on their important team? He was one of two who could put the puck in the net. You keep pointing out that you wanted him gone but what you don't say is what you could get for him. I'll repeat what I have already said about his market appeal: Because of his troubling behavioral issues his market value wasn't as high as you are making it out to be. You have to consider what the return is for a player who is an actual asset for you on a team with minimal assets. The Sabres had a #2 center in ROR. The organization traded him for a variety of reasons. It knew full well that when he was dealt that his replacement was not going to be as good as he was. But a deal was still made in order to reshuffle the roster and the salary structure and move up a younger player (Mitts) to take his role with the future in mind. That was the plan and that was what was executed. The gruesome process of bottoming out is over with. The worst team in the league last year is now competing for a playoff spot. At the half-way point the Sabres have earned 50 points. That is freaking progress! I don't know why you continue to dwell on the gut wrenching past when the present is competitive and entertaining and the future is bright.

The individual analytics that Plez used for Risto when he was playing on an expansion caliber team do not reflect the actual talent and his potential. Right now Risto is the anchor on that much upgraded unit. In addition, because of the increase in talent it has allowed him to expand his offensive game. Risto represents the hope of this franchise in that younger players getting better and growing together. If one compares our defensive unit of a few years back to the current defensive unit (which will get even better) then one would be optimistic about the upward trajectory of this unit and team. When the plan is starting to work that is not the time to get frustrated and impatient and deviate from what is working.

I understand your position but I still resolutely say no. I agree with you that the Sabres are very unbalanced in scoring. The obvious reality is that this is simply not a complete team. The Pittsburgh model of spreading out the big boy talent won't work here because even with their secondary lines they have more talent. My hope is that Tage and Mitts and others can marginally increase their production with the contribution from the defensemen to spread out the scoring a little more. The Sabres are a team that is going to fight for a wild-card spot up to the end of the season. That's what they are and that's where they are at. This team has made a quantum leap from last year to this year. I'm not totally satisfied yet I'm not complaining. Don't take the expedient route and the expense of the future more rewarding route. We are not there yet but we are not that far away from being a serious team. Trust the process and you will be rewarded.

You are exaggerating what the Kane return could bring because he was a player who was entering his free agent year and was also a player who had character issues. We got what we could for him and retained cap space. The market wasn't as rich as you think it was. You may not be enamored with Risto but the organization thinks highly of him. He is our anchor defenseman who gets more ice time than any player on the team. I don't understand your lamentations about hope? The Sabres were the worst team in the league last year. They were dreadful and unwatchable. Now they are serious wild-card playoff contenders and for the most part entertaining to watch. The competition to get in the playoffs will probably go to the wire. If that isn't progress then I don't know what is. Be patient and you will be rewarded. Trust me, I will not lead you astray. ?

Nope, I'm not panicking and selling off assets. For what you are offering you are not going to get a #2 center unless it is a rental. I see Mitts being our future #2 center. He won't be an authentic #2 this year but I believe he will be by next year. The Sabres are going to be vying for a wild-card playoff spot. That's the caliber of team they are right now. In my mind they are positioned where they should be. Be patient and let players such as Mitt and Tage develop. I'm counting on them to make a significant leap next year. Trust the process.

Under no circumstances should the Jack line be changed to help fix another line. You just do the best you can with the secondary lines and hope that they can at least marginally contribute with added scoring produced by the defensemen. I thought that Tage played well in this game. In a year or so when his body fills out he is going to be a productive weapon for us. Let's hope that Mitts will develop more fully after a full season. This is far from being a complete team. I prefer not mortgaging any of our future assets for a short-term gain. Trust the process.

The Bills knew exactly the caliber of middling player they were getting when they signed Bodine. And he garnered a contract commensurate with his very average talents. It has to be remembered that Woods's career ended after a post season physical indicated that he had to retire from the game. That was a surprise to him and the organization. So the Bills signed a veteran center who provided a reasonable short-term replacement. His contract is far from being onerous and its duration was very short-term with a relatively cheap out after the first year. Considering that he started this was a cheap contract. This was a case where you seek the best option available when there are few options. The attached link indicate what his contract is and the cap implication.: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2018/3/23/17157166/russell-bodine-buffalo-bills-contract-details-show-hes-essentially-a-roster-lock-2018

This team needs an addition or two of tough between the tackle runners. A younger version of Ivory would be useful. McCoy's dancing and prancing running style is not going to work. At this stage of his fading career I envision him more as a spot receiving back than heavy duty back. His days as a workhorse back are over with. The less he is used the more effective he will be. This offseason has to be dedicated to rebuilding the offense and putting Allen in a position to succeed. It starts with the line!

I consider Cordy Glenn to be a good player. However, the trading of Glenn to Cincinnati to move up in that draft helped enable us to draft Josh Allen. I'll take that deal every time. As it stands the Bills have their franchise qb (something they haven't had in nearly a quarter of a century) and they enter this draft with a full complement of draft picks and a large amount of cap space to work with. There certainly was short-term pain with the loss of Cordy but in the long run it unquestionably worked out for us. You can come up with your mind-bending fanciful deals to get our qb. But making fanciful deals doesn't bring fruition to deals in the real world. There is no question that losing Glenn hurt us on the line this season. But because of that deal we were in position to draft Allen. Because of it this franchise is better off now and in the future. You may not be aware of it but in the real world when making deals you give up something worthwhile to get something even more worthwhile.