JohnC

The attached link is a column by AP's Johb Wawrow. This link came from the hockey side of TBD. It focuses on Krueger and what the hire might mean for the Sabres. John W believes that with the additions and better coaching this team should stay in playoff contention up to the end of the season. He believes the team earning 90 points is a reasonable expectation. https://apnews.com/ee7b353f3a5e49da83313f69cab05636?view=getnewpost

I think you grossly misunderstood what I said. No one is saying that he wouldn't be a capable call up player. I even mentioned that in my prior post. What I am saying as of right now he hasn't earned a spot on the big club's roster. Other players are ahead of him. He competed against those players in camp and didn't sufficiently move up the ranks. How else are you going to do it? You compete and let the chips fall where they fall.

I don't think any player is going to sneak through wavers because all teams have to address the roster cut issue during training camp. All teams keep track of all the players on other teams not only on the NHL rosters but also the lower level rosters. They need to for waiver possibilities and also for trade considerations. CJ Smith is an earnest player who falls in the category of a fourth line player. He is more likely to be called up as a fill-in for an injured player or a player who is struggling on the big club. In my opinion he is the type of player who falls in the range between being a good AHL player and barely making the jump to the NHL. I like him as a player but he is the type of player who gets picked up by another team you quickly forget about.

Over officiating is killing the game. The art of judgment is being lost. When a minor infraction happens away from the play and it has no bearing on the play the infraction shouldn't be called. It shouldn't be called not because it didn't happen but because it represents a demonstration of good judgment and common sense. On almost every play the first thing the viewer looks for is to see if a penalty was called to nullify the play. There is so much choppiness to the game that it has lost its coherence. There is simply too much stupid officiating in the NFL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fuVZNWem3Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnjiqAW7nkU

Were you passing gas when you posted? https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Loud+Fart+Sounds&&view=detail&mid=1CB9B02580E8B549EBD51CB9B02580E8B549EBD5&&FORM=VRDGAR

It's a regional sport like baseball. Pittsburgh, Philly, Boston, NY, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Vegas, Dallas, San Jose, Colorado, LA etc. All these markets are in America.There are teams that have tepid fans, and some of that is due to expansion in new hockey markets. So that shouldn't be so surprising. However, the hockey business is as robust as it has ever been. If you don't accept that assessment than ask the players how well they are benefiting from the business.

The WGR link was written by Paul Hamilton after the Toronto game. The most interesting takeaway by the writer is that Mittlstadt has been struggling in training camp. Cozens has clearly outplayed him. Under Krueger everyone has a clear slate. What you currently show is what you show. Previous history doesn't determine your present status. If that is the case it wouldn't be surprising if Mitts ends up in Rochester for more development. I still think that Cozens will be sent back to the juniors but that might be after a short stint with the Sabres that won't burn up one of his contract years. As it stands Johannson appears to be our second line center. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-marcus-johansson-will-get-more-time-center The roster is being whittled down. Ruotsalainen was sent back to Finland and others sent to Rochester. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-send-15-down-including-cj-smith

Whether this rumored deal gets worked or not what is evident is that Botts wants to move Risto. He's not going to be rushed or forced into an unbalanced deal. My sense is that he considers Risto a valuable asset that can be dealt for building a credible second line.

Because we had two first round picks last year that included Cozens and Johnson I would have little reluctance in giving up two first round picks for Laine. The reality is we already have a number of young players fermenting in the system thus those two first round picks wouldn't be depleting the pipeline very much. In addition, Laine is a young player who still has potential to grow as a player. So you are giving up two young prospects for an already productive young player. My point is that you are not mortgaging much of the future when you get in return a young player who should have a long life span.

Don't worry about what others think and say. If you like hockey follow the team. You are not going to get rid of the pervasive snark and cynicism. If the team is making strides that doesn't mean that the torrent of criticism is going to slow. There are people who are invested in their view that this team and organization is not only currently a failure but will forever be a failure. If you get hooked into that depressing mind-set that is a problem of your own making. Following the Sabres has certainly been frustrating. But I see progress. There are some who like to snicker at a belief that this team is on an upward trajectory. Let them snicker. Why let this miserable faction have an affect on you?

I don't blame anyone for being impatient. The mistakes of the past decision-makers not only didn't advance the team but set it back. I believe the Sabres will be improved this year but are at least a year away from being a playoff team. (Would love to be proven wrong.) Our GM is going to make sensible deals to improve the team such as the Skinner, Montour, Joki for Nylander etc. but he is not going to mortgage the future for short term gains.

In the not too distant future Cozens is going to be our #2 center. The organization might keep him up for a short stint like they did with Reinhart but he will probably be sent to the juniors for further development. https://buffalonews.com/2019/09/20/buffalo-sabres-nhl-dylan-cozens-2/?view=getnewpost https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-cozens-shines-toronto

TSN's Darren Dreger was on WGR's the Instigator Show for an 18 minute segment on hockey talk, Talked about Risto and Winnipeg's situation with Byfuglien https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/09-20-tsns-darren-dreger-instigators

I never said any team dominated the other. A lot of fluky things happen in games. However, what I did point out is that what tipped the balance to our favor was their kicker missed a chip shot in the PAT and a routine field goal kick for a NFL kicker. (The kicker was quickly released.) That was the difference in this game. In the next game the Jets got demolished by Cleveland. I'm aware that their starter didn't play but injuries are an inescapable part of the game. As I said in prior posts I not sneering and diminishing any win under any circumstances. As a Bills fan I'm not in a position to do so. But what I am not going to do as many others are doing is inflate what we have accomplished so early in the season.

The below link is a mailbag response to questions by Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. He talked about some of the players who are fighting for roster spots. The most interesting section for me related to our GM and the job he is doing. I agree with his positive assessment. I know that a lot of people don't agree that our GM has done a good job. https://buffalonews.com/2019/09/18/buffalo-sabres-ralph-krueger-victor-olofsson-tage-thompson-curtis-lazar-sam-reinhart-casey-mittelstadt-nhl-analysis-2019/?view=getnewpost

With respect to the Mosley absence I disagree. It made a difference on the Jets defense. It's not worth quibbling over because in my view the major reason why the Jets lost and we won was because their kicker was grossly inept. If he makes the extra point and the reasonable field goal kick they would have won that game.

It doesn't matter where the Jets were ranked before the season started. The true rankings become evident as the season unfolds. The Jets' defense shut us down when Mosley played. After he got hurt our offense came to life. The Bills won the game because their kicker failed them in converting a routine extra point attempt and field goal attempt. He was cut shortly after the game. I'm not trying to diminish our victory against the Jets. Being a Bills fan I'm not going to sneer at any win under any circumstance. But what I'm not going to do is over-react to barely winning a game against a team that doesn't appear to be as good as many people predicted prior to the start of the season. Is there a big difference between being 1-1 vs 2-0 and entering the third game against an average team? From a league and even a hometown perception I would say so. As I said before I'm not diminishing our good start even with a fluke first game win. And make no mistake about it the Bills were fortunate to win that opening game. Although I'm not going to get carried away with this early unblemished record I am happy about it.

The reality is that we did get lucky in the Jet game. The kicker missed an extra point and what should be for a NFL kicker a routine field goal kick. The kicker was soon cut. I'm not complaining about good fortune because we have had so little of it for a very long time. At the end of the season the wins and losses get tabulated with no description on how they were garnered. A win's a win and a loss is a loss but for anyone who watched the Jet game we were very lucky to win that game.

The Bills were very fortunate to have beaten the Jets. We won because their kicker missed an extra point and a routine field goal attempt. Shortly after the game he was released. A win is a win and good luck is good luck. However, that was a game we should have lost. The next week the Bills handedly beat the Giants. They are not a good team. They were already a bad team even before entering the game with a very depleted receiving unit because of multiple injuries. I am not going to be bothered about anyone criticizing us for winning the first two games. We are 2-0 and hopefully will be 3-0 against the Bengals, another mediocre team. If we beat the Bengals and lose to the Pats in the next game I still won't be dissatisfied with a 3-1 start. I'm not worried about how others perceive the Bills. Why be so sensitive?

Jeremy White on today's WGR show stated that he head the same rumor. As the Cmac tweet indicates the injury occurred in the Columbus game. There has been no official word from the team.

This link is a column written by Bill Hoppe for the Buffalo Hockey Beat. This link was taken from the hockey side of TBD. It indicates that Matej Pekar was sent back to the Juniors. In a couple of years he will be in the NHL. http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-send-prospect-matej-pekar-back-to-junior-team/?view=getnewpost

What I have learned is that if you are rebuffed when you make the call then try again. Some reps are willing to work with you and others are hardliners. The call centers are not working from the same script. It's irritating but it is worth it. But as I said in prior posts I am getting tired of this annual charade.

Keep trying. Start off by trying to get a discount on your NFL Ticket and then request other discount options. Let them know that you are aware of a lot of people getting additional discount. I usually request to go directly to the retention rep instead of trying to bargain with the general rep.

The point of my prior posts was that because he got hurt after out of necessity being thrust on to the field that break before getting back again in worked out in his favor from a developmental standpoint. When he then played he was better prepared than when he played before getting hurt.