JohnC

The Bills and the rest of the league don't consider Lawson to be an elite lineman. I'm certainly not suggesting that. So he won't get paid as if he is. That is not to say that he isn't a solid player and won't get paid in the category of what a good and solid defensive end makes.

If you are going to over-pay for a player doing so for a versatile offensive lineman is worth the extra cost. The season is a long and grinding season where backups do unexpectedly get to play.

You are astute and perspicacious.?

WGR's Brayton Wilson reported that Erik Cernak is receiving a two game suspension for the hit on Dahlin. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/nhl-suspends-erik-cernak-two-games-for-hit-on-dahlin

Players get better with experience. That's part of the development process. And that's what happened with him, as it does a lot of players. I don't know how you can deny the reality that exists in all sports, businesses and every field of endeavor that when you have an incentive that it does factor into one's performance. You may not want Lawson but I certainly do. And I'm confident that HC also wants to retain him.

Hockey less so than many other sports was late to adjust to the modern world of diversity in the work place. Just like the SEC and many southern schools lagged behind other conferences to accepting diversity at the schools and sporting fields. There are a lot less of those coaching dinosaurs left in the sport but there is still a remnant that do exist but are quickly dying off.

Without question players do turn up their game when a contract is coming up. That happens in all sports. Getting better with experience and having a financial incentive to get better for the next contract are not mutually exclusive.

Not necessarily. Young players do get better with more experience. And players in general get better with good coaching and being placed in a better position to succeed.

Lance Lysowski's column covering the game indicates that Dahlin suffered a concussion. I doubt that he will be playing in the upcoming games. https://buffalonews.com/2019/11/25/buffalo-sabres-tampa-bay-lightning-rasmus-dahlin-ralph-krueger-jack-eichel-zach-bogosian-nhl-news-2019/ The below link is WGR's Paul Hamilton column on the game. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/the-sabres-implode-in-tampa-bay

In a preview to the Tampa game WGR's Paul Hamilton indicates that Dea will be called up from Rochester. Although it is likely that Hutton will be in net it appears that based on the stats Ullmark is moving ahead of Hutton as our #1 goalie. Stamkos may not play in this game, and it is evident that Tampa is getting back on track. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/the-sabres-bring-up-js-dea-from-rochester

I have a different take about the Babcock situation. It's not that his old school dictatorial and mind-game approach were malicious as much his old school methods ran its course and weren't as useful to the younger new age players. It appears that he no longer could relate to the players and the players could no longer relate to him. When Babcock was hired he jolted and energized a long-term struggling franchise. His harsher approach rather quickly took effect and brought order and discipline to a collection of individuals. This changing of the voice in the room is not unusual in the coaching ranks. Trotz had a successful run in both Nashville and Washington. In fact with Washington he won the Cup but couldn't come to a contract agreement. The organization wanted to give him a shorter term on his new contract because they realized that his voice on a longer term contract would grow stale with his younger modern era players. Trotz has done a marvelous job with the Islanders. But don't be surprised when in a couple to few years his tightly disciplined style of play and coaching loses its resonance with the players. My basic point is that there is a shelf-life with coaches and even players on teams. When that happens it is time to move on.

This is a five minute recap of the game taken from a NHL site. It has the highlights. https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/buf-vs-fla/2019/11/24/2019020362#game=2019020362,game_state=final

I hope it will be sooner rather than later. I don't want Plez to continue being distraught and fall into the abyss of despair. The bitter chap needs some positive reinforcement. I'm not sure he will recognize it when it does happen. In two years he is going to be our second line center. I still believe that Millstadt will eventually be a good player. It's just going to take time.

I was only able to see the last two periods in this game. I thought that Ullmark was our #1 star in this game. On this road trip the Sabres have played well against Boston and Florida, two good teams. That's encouraging. Is Vesey ever going to score? He has had good chances. However, I won't criticize him for his effort. He's a consistent high effort player.

I will continue to say it because its the right course to take. Player development and smart deals such as the Skinner, Montour and Joki deals steadily add to the talent base. JBotts is not doing anything differently from a franchise building standpoint that successful organizations do. For those who are arguing to blow up or dramatically alter the roster I say you are destructively misguided. My conviction is still to stay the course and when the opportunities exist to improve the roster through trades then make them. I'm confident that in the not too distant future this approach will prove to be successful.

This was an excellent analysis of where the Sabres are currently at. My assessment of this team and organization matches the writer's assessment. As you well know I have frequently stated that this rebuilding of the roster was never going to be a quick process. Those despondent zealots who out of frustration are advocating for blowing up the roster are like runners who are running a marathon and are past the half-way point who then decide to go back to the starting line and start over again. That's a ridiculous and self-defeating approach to take. Clearly this team has obvious deficiencies with its lines. There simply aren't enough goal scorers who can convert when opportunities arise. On the plus side what we do have that is encouraging is an astute coach who is installing a system with a buy-in by the players. It was disappointing that the Sabres lost against the Bruins but it was encouraging how well they played against a cup caliber team. I believe that this team and organization are moving in the right direction. We should be able to get some forward help through trades this season. I'm looking to enter this offseason with a favorable cap situation that will put us in a good position to make a couple more meaningful deals that will address our glaring deficiencies on our lines. I will repeat what I have been saying for the past year or so to the chorus of snickers: Stay the course and trust the process.

I'm good with however Krueger wants to rotate his defensemen. Bogo has been out of action for a very long time. So I don't see him playing back to back games. If the erudite HC has a rotation among three or four players I'm fine with it. I'm a Joki fan. The trade to get him was a terrific deal for us. He may be the second youngest defenseman on the unit but he is arguably the most consistent player on the blue line. Players get dinged and trades get made so having a temporary excess of defensemen is a good problem to have. What is the nature of Sobotka's injury? I'm not sure if it has been revealed by the organization?

I hope that the situation doesn't deteriorate into a Frankie and Johnny situation!

It wasn't too long ago that the Sabres had one of the worst and thinnest blue line units. In a relatively short time JBotts bolstered this unit with the additions of Miller, Montour and Jokiharju thus providing some trade ammunition to address other needs. I'm hoping that with a few deals this year and with an offseason where we are in good cap shape that GM can upgrade the forward lines. I'm aware how frustrated people get with the losing but if you stand back and put things in perspective the pieces are steadily being added. What I don't want to see is another ROR type deal that set this franchise back with his departure. The problem wasn't that he was dealt because there was some internal stuff that was happening that forced this deal. The problem was the inadequate return for this valuable asset. That is why I am so adamant that if a good deal can't be made with Risto or any player then bide your time and wait until a more balanced deal can be made.

As usual I disagree with your logic and reasoning. If you can't get a second line forward in return in a Risto trade then I say keep him. Risto is a flawed player like most players are. He's certainly not the greatest thinker on the ice. However, he is one of the few physical players on a mostly soft roster. Also, there are reasons why Krueger gives him more ice time than any player on the team. And there are reasons why he plays the Risto/McCabe combo in critical end of game scenarios rather than the first pairing of Montour/Dahlin in those type of close out situations. I'm not against trading anyone other than Jack and Dahlin. The underlying basis for any trade deal is at the minimum commensurate value back. You may not be reluctant to make impulsive and reactionary deals but I am.

Not that long ago Taylor Hall was an MVP in the league. So obviously he is a premier talent. He has been dealing with injuries and a season that hasn't gotten off the ground for the Devils, a team with grand expectations after securing the first pick in the last draft. In hockey, as in a lot of sports, a change of scenery can revitalize a talented but dormant player. The problem in this case is that he is on an expiring contract so any team that is interested in dealing off a lot of assets for this talented but struggling player is taking a gamble because they don't know if he will be a free agent after this season. The Sabres took a gamble in trading for Skinner but we knew in advance because of his limited no-trade clause that Buffalo was a location he was willing to go to. Would I risk trading a Risto for Hall? No, because of the risk of losing him to free agency. If I give up an asset I want a secure asset back.

Expecting Bogo to be a defenseman to fill in the ranks of a traded defenseman or two is a risky proposition. He is too injury prone. The number of injuries and surgeries he has accumulated makes him a vulnerable (less than durable) player. In my view he needs to drastically alter his style of play from a banger and enforcer to more of a puck moving player. The player who will be moving up to the big club if there is a deal is Pilut. Will Risto be dealt? If the GM wants a second line forward he is the only player on the defensive unit who has enough value to bring us a second line forward. And it might take additional assets beyond Risto to bring in a forward who is capable of scoring.

Is Hall interested in signing with the Devils or are the Devils looking to trade Hall?

Darren Dreger was on WGR's Instigator show talking about trade scenarios and complications. He also talked about the Toronto situation. This is a 14 min segment. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/11-22-tsns-darren-dreger-with-the-instigators

Scandella is playing well. But his value isn't that great because he's in the last year of his contract. Montour is a legitimate second pairing, and maybe first pairing defenseman. Next season he will be a RFA. So because of his contract status I'm not sure how much you will get in return. Bogo certainly doesn't have much trade value because of his injury history and also his contract status. According to Paul Hamilton from WGR he stated that Botts is strenuously working the phones but constructing a fair trade deal isn't as easy as many make it out to be. There is no doubt that Risto has value on the market. But if the return isn't commensurate to the value going out it would be foolish to make a deal for the sake of making a deal. Risto certainly has some value on the market but he also has value on our team. Although he receives a lot of criticisms from some upset fans he is currently our anchor defenseman who gets more ice time than any other player on this roster. As you suggested if a good deal isn't available now then wait until the market is more receptive for fair market deals. If they don't materialize then stay the course.