JohnC

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/rangers-sign-highly-coveted-free-agent-jimmy-vesey-after-recruiting-battle/ It's an entry level deal that includes incentives. If he earns a spot on one of the top two lines he would be a tremendous bargain. What he signed for is similar to what other teams would have signed him for. The Rangers gave up nothing for this free agent signing. That is another aspect to making this signing a bargain.

The reason why there has been more attention to the Vesey signing is that not many college players who took the free agent route as he did improved as much as he did. JV was a third round draft pick by Nashville who continued to get better while playing in the college ranks. Jimmy Vesey's situation is much different from the Bosworth situation in that Bosworth was more of a self-promoted legend magnified by steroid usage whereas Vesey is more of a self-effacing individual who simply worked hard on his game. What made Vesey so appealing is that he is a talented player who was available to all teams in the league at a reasonable price. In other words he was a bargain priced acquisition in a cap system.

One person who made this observation was Steve Tasker on WGR. He stated that he believed that his knee condition was a factor in not being able to play as well on the right side as well as the left side. Is he right that his knee issue is a factor in the disparity of play between the right side and left? I simply don't know. What I do know is that Kujo clearly plays better as a LT. On the right side he seems to be slower and more sluggish as a player.

He is not a starter in this league. His accuracy level is better but not good enough. As a backup he can carve out a long career and a lucrative career.

A few observations: We have a legitimate franchise qb who can make plays. I'm excited with Clay running down the field and TT connecting with him for big plays. Our offense should make our team fun to watch. Kujo is much better on the left side than on the right side. When he plays the RT side he plays like a left handed person told to only use his right hand. It's the difference between being natural and unnatural. A task beyond his capabilities. My recommendation is to move Cordy Glenn to the right side and keep Kujo on the left. If you have a line made up of Kujo at LT, Incognito at LG, Wood at center, Miller at RG and Glenn at RT we have the makings of a formidable line. For those people who don't want Goodwin on the roster because of his proclivity to getting injured my advice is simple: Be silent! I'm not saying this as a criticism but EJ is EJ. We know what we got. He is a credible backup.

I'm disappointed that Vesey didn't sign with Buffalo but that doesn't mean that there aren't players on the roster who can fill in at forward on one of the top two lines that Vesey was expected to play on. The player I'll be following closely is Tyler Ennis. If he can regain his form and be a regular on one of the two top lines then that will be a bonus for us. Also, Evander Kane has to grow up and stay out of trouble. If he can play a more disciplined game he should be a scoring factor. Kane has a tendency to play a Lone Ranger type of game that hurts his linemates but on the plus side there isn't a player on the team who plays harder than he does. He needs to mesh his game with his linemates and play smarter. If you add in the addition of Okposo and the normal internal improvement of the younger players this team should be a playoff team. I have no criticism for Vesey. He used the system to act in his own best interest as he saw it. There is nothing wrong with that.

His repeated self-destructive behavior is an indication that he has some serious issues that he needs to address. When an adult continues to behave like an undisciplined child there is a deeper issue that needs to be examined.

I'm not a Rex devotee. Never have been and never will be. I'm embarrassed that this mediocre and loud coach is our HC. But in this discussion over Dareus it is unfair to bring him in the discussion because he has absolutely nothing to do with this absurd Dareus situation. Dareus is a very immature and troubled person. He has serious issues that he needs to address before he ruins his career and life. For most people following the league drug rules (fair or not) is not much of a challenge. For him it was too much of a challenge not only to follow but also to skirt. Surprisingly I'm not so much upset with Dareus as I am concerned with his well-being. His extended pattern of immaturity is a foreboding sign that he has serious mental-health issues that need to be addressed.

Goodwin is in camp competing for a roster spot. If he makes the roster it will be because he will have earned it as opposed to winning a roster spot because he is favored by anyone. What's wrong with that? Are you worried that your preconceived position on him won't be upheld? On the Goodwin issue we are not talking about a primary receiver on the team. We are addressing the back end of the receiving corps. As with most positions not already entrenched with designated starters entering camp the players compete for roster spots. So far Goodwin is playing well and solidifying his spot on the roster. Why anyone would object to that is perplexing?

When a player is hurt he doesn't accumulate stats. So poor stats is a reflection of not playing due to injuries rather than poor play. There is too much emphasis being placed on both sides of the spectrum, either being good or bad. There is also a middle ground where the often injured player can turn out to be a useful player who serves an important role of spreading out the defense because of his speed. Not every player making the roster is going to be an impact player. That doesn't mean that Goodwin can't be a productive player if used judiciously. Is Goodwin a full time receiver? Probably not. But that doesn't mean that he can't be a solid contributor.

Goodwin is never going to be a high volume receiver. But he is the type of player when on the field, even as a role player, affects the game because he is a threat. The bottom line is that Goodwin will demonstrate whether he can stay on the field or not. If he can't stay healthy then the team moves on. The Bills have a qb who throws a beautiful long ball. Out of hand dismissing a receiver whose forte is running the long routes would be a mistake. If Fitz was our qb properly utilizing Goodwin would be futile. That certainly isn't the case with TT taking the snaps.

No one is making the claim regarding his legendary play. That is your typical way of being dismissive. Goodwin has one special trait: world class speed. Is it worth gambling on his durability as an end of the roster receiver? Absolutely. If he can't stay healthy then what is lost by replacing him with another end of the roster receiver? What I find cautionary about him (not exclusionary) is that he trained for the Olympics this past offseason instead of altering his training regimen for football. But I still find it worthwhile to give him a chance to solidify a roster spot. What's the harm in giving him another serious look?

The deal and prior deals kept the team in the region. You have a simple choice. Pay for stadium renovations or not have a team in western NY. The amount that the state and county paid for in this last renovation was substantially less than what other regions paid for with their stadium circumstances. If the amount that the county and state would have been at a prohibitive level then your point about the costs would be more forceful. That wasn't the case here. The stadium needed to be upgraded because there was so much deterioration. The shared deal was (in my opinion) more than fair and reasonable, especially when compared to how other regions handled their stadium financing. http://www.investigativepost.org/2012/12/21/the-bills-lease-by-the-numbers/ http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2012/12/27/3800798/new-buffalo-bills-ralph-wilson-stadium-lease

I don't know why the revenue going to the owner of the team irks you. That has been the arrangement since the stadium was originally built almost half a century ago. Ralph controlled the revenue generated by the stadium (even when renting out the stadium for events). For the past 40 years or more the arrangement has been technically the county owns the stadium but contractually the owner of the team controls the stadium The bottom line is that the county's bond costs (for the renovation) are covered by generated revenues associated with the football operation. A good chunk money covering the costs of the recent renovations came from the state tax on the players' income. So much of the state's and county's contributions were covered by income generated by events/participants associated by activity from the stadium. You may find that problematic but I don't. It's a reasonable and fair deal that satisfies all the parties involved. There is a saying that seems fitting: Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good. Or another way of relating it to this topic is that this deal isn't necessarily a perfect deal but it is still a good deal for all the parties involved.

A number of developers and syndicates have examined the building and run the projected revenue numbers. The numbers simply don't add up to make it a viable project. I would either knock the building down (costly and complicated endeavor) or if possible cut off a third of the building from the top and work with building that is at more a manageable scale. I'm not going to criticize the local developers who already have skin in the game who worry about the increased capacity for office space that would negatively impact their current investments. The same economic and financial dynamics are impacting the Statler building. It is too big a building for any one developer or collection of developers working together to create a project that results in a solvent investment. Maybe the best approach is to just knock the Seneca Building down and auction of the lots to multiple developers for multiple projects. Buffalo is not a Toronto or NYC type of dense metropolis. Projects that have a chance to succeed have to be scaled to suit the mid-level sized town and market that exits in the region. Being smart is better than being big!

Watching that clip I came away with the distinct impression that he is a very thoughtful and unassuming kid that you don't have to worry about getting in trouble at 3 in the morning on Chippewa. No billboard "we want you" campaign is going to influence this smart and grounded kid. The Sabres are taking the right approach in making their professional pitch and then giving him the room to decide on his own.

The below link is a column by Mike Harrington of the News. It points out that the organization is at a stage where it has realistic playoff expectations. Harrington points out because the talent level is increasing the upward trajectory is evident. The franchise has a good pipeline of developing players and steadily they will be added to the mix making for not only a good team, but a competitive team that is sustainable for the near future. http://sabres.buffalonews.com/2016/07/12/expectations-building-for-the-coming-sabres-season/

Don't get bogged down on the Vesey issue. In the not too distant future it wil play itself out. If he signs with someone else the Sabres have plenty of reasonable options at wing such as Ennis or a trade option for a player like Rick Nash. Just to perk you up I have attached a link of Nylander in a puck handling drill. In a year or two he is going to be a gem. http://sabres.buffalonews.com/2016/07/11/nylander-putting-on-a-skills-clinic-with-sabres/

I don't understand why my comments are so perplexing. Vesey has made it clear that he is going to make a decision on his timetable. He is not going to make a decision until after 08/15. Whether the Sabres have the authority to allow him talk to other teams (not sure if they do or not according to the CBA) he has clearly stated that he will make a decision when he is ready to make a decision. Why would a team trade a pick for Vesey to sign prior to 08/15 when Vesey has stated that he won't sign a deal until shortly after that date? I don't understand why people are so frantic over this issue. The August date is fast approaching so let the clock run out and let him make his decision. It's understood the money for the most part is the same no matter who he signs with. But he is also considering what city to live, what players he will be playing with and the team's prospects for a Cup. Vesey has stated that he sacrificed money in the short term to put himself in a free agent status. So now he is exercising his rights as a free agent. Whether anyone likes it or not this Harvard grad is driving the bus. He is the one who is going to select his destination when he is good and ready.

The issue is simply that Vesey has his own timetable and he is sticking with it. It doesn't matter if the Sabres allow him to talk to other teams for the sake of accelerating the decision-making because he is using the CBA terms to make a decision on his terms and timetable. His stance is that he declined signing a contract with the Predators (the team that drafted him and owned his rights) and stayed in school for the expressed purpose of being a free agent and developing as a player. The Sabres gave up a draft pick to acquire his rights. In reality it doesn't matter. Vesey is doing what he wants to do and planned to do. And that is exactly what he is doing.

The league and the union knew that there was going to be an infusion of a sizable amount of new money when the TV deal went into effect. The league suggested that the money be phased in and spread out, as you suggested. The union said no that they want it to go into effect at the time that the increased revenue was up for grabs. So some stars and some of the players in general who were strategic in their thinking accepted very short Heterm deals knowing that when the new revenue was available they would be in good position to negotiate richer deals. Lebron went for a two year deal with a first year option, in reality a one year deal so that he would be able to tap into the new money. played it smart. A player like Curry who signed a pre-new revenue money deal is currently playing for less money than if he would have signed a bridge deal until the new money was available. In reality he signed an under valued deal. The union's position is that time will correct the inequities of the transition from the old deal contracts to the new deal contracts.

I didn't watch Nylander this week but from listening to WGR and some of the commentary the plan is for him to play in Rochester so that he gets plenty of playing time in all phases of the game. As with a lot of these young prospects the organization wants them to get stronger before subjecting them to the rigors of a NHL season. The advantage of having him play in Rochester rather than he going home to play is that he would be readily available to move up to the big club if needed. There is no doubt that Nylander is a gem of a prospect. But he is not as physically developed as was Eichel in his rookie year. Guehle is another young prospect that the organization thinks very highly of. The issue for him is the same regarding physical development. He is a tremendous talent who already may be the best/fastest skater on the team. The issue is whether he is physically developed enough to handle the rigors of a NHL season.

Getting his rights certainly isn't going to hurt but it doesn't necessarily help that much. Vesey is doing the right thing for himself by pursuing all of his options and then making a determination. Chicago, Pittsburgh and Anaheim (and more teams) are interested in securing his services. Jimmy V has to be intrigued going to cup ready contenders and playing with established great players. I like you want him playing with the Sabres. Playing on a line with Eichert or O'Reilly centering must be enticing. But there are other enticements such as playing with Crosby or Maulkin in Pittsburgh and playing with Kane or Toews in Chicago on an already established cup contending team.

For the most part the issue is where does he want to play. But with respect to his contract although it is basically a standard contract there is some wiggle room due to bonuses earned for benchmarks such as goals and being rookie of the year. Some organizations are looser than others in offering bonus clauses. When Lou Lamarillo (sic) was the GM of New Jersey he was very reluctant to offer bonuses to rookies. I doubt that rigidity will apply while he is with Toronto.

TM is less committed to players that he hasn't selected. In many other rumored deals Ennis's name was whispered as part of the deals. I'm a fan of Ennis but my suspicions are that Murray would rather have Nash on his roster than Ennis.