JohnC

If I'm not mistaken there was no inheritance tax from the sale of the Bills because the proceeds from the sale went into a charitable foundation thus avoiding the inheritance tax on that sale altogether. Jack Kent Cook upon his death had the Redskins sold with the money going into a scholarship fund that also resulted in his estate not paying an inheritance tax on the sale of the team.

Your analysis is clearly thought out and laid out in a way that a layman can understand. You did a terrific job is pointing out the monumental challenges associated with building a new stadium. As you noted in the real world you have to deal with real world issues/problems/complexities/costs that can't be ignored. Because there are so many complexities associated with building a downtown stadium or a stadium anywhere on land own by others it wouldn't be surprising that the simplest, cheapest and quickest approach is to build a new and less than exotic new stadium on the site where the current stadium is. The downtown and waterfront sites are steadily being developed and as you noted the infrastructure challenges for a new stadium in those locations make the hurdles even more daunting and costly. When all the plusses and minuses are added up the simplest approach from a building standpoint and the most cost effective approach is to build a new facility at the same location where the current stadium is located in Orchard Park. Staying within your means is not sexy and glamorous but when it comes to the owner's contribution and public funds it makes the most sense.

Don't get cocky! Mother nature will kick your ass on her own schedule. When you don't prepare and assume the best you will get beat up by the vicious whims of the weather gods. Be humble and stay prepared. And don't forget to keep your Buffalo option open if need be to escape the turbulent perils of the bayou.

Since we have come to a consensus that Cirelli won't be traded (LOL) let's go to another trade option. For the astute talent scouts on this site would a straight up Nugent-Hopkins trade for Risto be a fair deal? A change of scenery could be invigorating for the both of them who are getting tired of their current situations. https://www.nhl.com/player/ryan-nugent-hopkins-8476454

I agree with your post. The deal wouldn't happen because the Lightning think so much of their young player. If he is good now how good do you think he will be in another year or so? While Cirelli is an untouchable for Tampa, a Cup contending team, Risto, who plays for a lower tiered team, is being shopped.

I understand your well reasoned position. However, I'm with @BillsFan4 on this deal. If Cirelli can be a top three center for the loaded Lightning he would be a solid #2 center with us with the potential to be better in the near future.

@Kirby Jackson I hope you are doing well dealing with the rain and flooding. May I offer you a suggestion that you might not have considered to deal with your annual weather plight? Go to your boss and ask him/her if you could telecommute from Buffalo. You can easily handle your accounts in western NY with up to date tech gadgets and be able to watch Jim Cantore reporting from the bayou while you are safe and sound in western NY. With your luck you will look out your window in a historical winter snow storm and see the peripatetic weatherman hanging onto a lamp post while being bounced around by the ferocious winter wind and snow storm. How is your dog handling the stressful situation?

With respect to the highlighted segment you nailed what the issue is for a Cirelli for Risto deal i.e. what is his upside. If you believe that there is an upside (as I do) then you make the deal. If you don't then you don't make the deal. I would make the deal straight up and then believe that this team has the pieces to assemble a credible second line. Addressing the second line is the most important issue facing the organization this offseason.

I'd take Cirelli on a one on one deal for Risto. I wouldn't do it for Johnson. I just believe that Cirelli because of his age has so much more upside. If he is playing at a high level now how much more upside is there to tap. I would be willing to trade McCabe and a little more for Johnson but I wouldn't make a deal including Risto for Johnson unless I got back one of those highly prized prospects. The Sabres have talked to Tampa about deals over the past couple of years. One of the sticking points is that the Lightning are not willing to give up any of their top prospects. That makes sense for them because they are in a tight cap situation they have players in the near pipeline who are ready to move up.

Although it is not an unusual occurrence missing on a highly drafted player is a painful setback. At least with Nylander we were able to get a decent return on him. Our GM is fully committed to the development process without seeking to short-circuit the process. That is one of the reasons that I like him. I thought he was really smart in keeping Chris Taylor who was good with working with the younger players in Rochester.

What happened to Puljujarvi? Was he rushed and ruined?

That volatile guy is vindictive and profane. He should be incarcerated.

I have openly stated that on the Risto trade I go back and forth. Is he a physical talent that needs better coaching to maximize his performance or is he a player whose physical talents will tantalize you but his play will be undercut by his lack of cerebral play? I just don't know? There is another aspect to a proposed trade that goes beyond matching talent for talent. Can a trade of a bigger talent for a lesser talent still upgrade your team because it better balances out your roster? Is it smart to shed some excess talent on a defensive unit to improve an area where you have a major deficit on the second line, especially at center. My sense (guess) is that the GM is going to trade Risto. He is biding his time and is willing to wait. He rushed in the ROR episode and it turned out disastrously. Not because he traded him but because he rushed to do it and hurt his leverage. The Risto and even possible McCabe trade possibilities are intriguing. This offseason has been productive and there is still more to come.

@plenzmd1 is incapable of instructing me on anything. All he knows is to yell and abuse me. I reflexively resist everything he has to offer.

Thanks for the opinion. It seems to me that a third line center on a very good team would fit in with being a second line center for the Sabres. The person who was commenting about him stated that his stats have steadily improved showing an upward trajectory for the young player. My sense is that the GM is wants to trade Risto but won't take the plunge unless there is a good return. The ROR deal haunts him and should spook him from making another precipitous move. The McCabe issue of should he stay or go is another interesting issue that will have to be addressed. If the GM stays pat the pairing of McCabe with Risto makes for an interesting combo.

The squat man can also swim. He not only has a good stroke on the golf course but he has a nice stroke in the pool. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=buffalo+bills+swim+contrest+between+kyle+williams+and&&view=detail&mid=F196FDCF616810AC0E7AF196FDCF616810AC0E7A&rvsmid=3D6445F10635330BCBA53D6445F10635330BCBA5&FORM=VDMCNR

I don't appreciate your condescending comments.

@Gugny. You bastard! You tricked me into learning something I didn't want to learn. Now my claim that I didn't know loses its credibility. Now I know the horrible things that others say about you are true. You have just moved up past @plenzmd1 on my shiiit list. And he was at the top.

Not that long ago I was listening to WGR and one of the hosts was talking about what a prospective Risto trade could get you. The host was proposing a straight up trade with Tampa for Anthony Cirelli. The host felt that the young center was on a steady upward trajectory as a very good second line center. For those who are far more knowledgeable about players in the league what say you? (I believe he may have a no trade clause so if that is so it might be a complication.)

I appreciate your generous support. However, I don't know what the F***k you are talking about. I am a happy simpleton and out of your depth. You are very profane. Someone needs to report you to the authorities. I would do it myself except I don't know how.

No one can accuse me of tagging. There is a simple reason for that: I don't know how. Sometimes willful ignorance entitles one to make the claim of innocence. I will ignore anyone who tries to teach me the disreputable act of tagging. So just leave me alone and keep your knowledge to yourself.

You have sometimes been accused of not being sober-minded. You now provide evidence to support that notion. May I gently offer you some words of advice?: Pace yourself. It is not a sprint---it is a marathon.

It is assumed that Kirby already had a bar room stocked with cases of beer. He needed to rush to the store to get bread, milk and Hershey bars before the onslaught of frantic neighbors getting ready to hunker down.

Were you able to stock up on supplies before the storm hit or were people cleaning out the store shelves before you were able to go shopping? Take care and be safe.

Growing trend in how Pittsburgh and Buffalo are building their defense Odds are that either Risto or McCabe or both could be traded for second line help. But if the GM decided to keep both defensemen because the return on each player wasn't satisfactory that wouldn't necessarily be bad a outcome. The top two pairings could be Dahlin/Montour and McCabe/Risto. The third and fourth pairings could be made up from some combination of Pilut, Miller, Jokiharju and Bogo. Overall, that would be quite a strong and deep unit. The benefit of having depth on a unit is that you have options.