JohnC

When does the Kemp vs Lamonica thread start? Or can it be an appendage to this waning tread?

I disagree how you are framing the issue. The central topic was Reid bringing in renegades and not being able to modify them. That was what he was getting at with the family reference. There was no need to go there. In fact, if he would made the simple argument about the players and not bring up the family his argument would have been more clearly made without the populace outraged by the personal issue. As it turned out the issue about the players was sidetracked by the explosive response over the family tragedies.

If the pay scale for elite players takes a quick jump and that higher level becomes the benchmark for those elite echelon of players then the teams will have to adjust with paying less to the lower level of players, or will result in playing more younger players on their first contract. It will also cause teams to keep fewer core and top shelf players.The formula for the cap is set as a ratio of the revenues. If a team is to overpay to entice a premium player then their roster or pay distribution will have to be altered for that team. The issue that will have to be dealt with when the new league/player contract comes up is the allowable length of the contracts. Those 8 year or longer contracts end up hamstringing the teams on the backside of the contracts. Maybe having teams be able to buy-out the contract on the back side of the contract can be negotiated where it benefits the teams and the players. The teams that will benefit when organizations pay crazy contracts for players are teams such as Buffalo who will be in a good position to select some of the good players jettisoned to make room for the star player. An example of that is if Florida signs Panarin for stupid money then a player such as Hoffman will have to be shipped out in order to make room for the rich signing.

You missed my point. The comparison didn't need to be made to make his basic point about how Reid brings in renegade players and then has to deal with the messy aftermath. That's the point!

He was linking the two issues (football and family) when it wasn't necessary to make the point that he was trying to make. He could have just stated that the coach doesn't have a good record in bringing in troubled players and rehabilitating them. Was it necessary to bring up the family history to make the football point? I don't believe that it was a worthy comparison. In general, bringing up one's personal history to illustrate a point regarding one's job performance is very ill-advised and inappropriate.

Two players that Hamilton has not been reluctant to show his disdain for were ROR and Risto. His primary criticism for Risto is his repeated mental lapses. It was his seemingly inability to learn from his mistakes that bothered him very much. And his primary criticism of ROR is that he got tired of the gap toothed player's robotic responses/nonresponses after the games. With ROR the rotund reporter allowed his personal feelings to spill over into his reporting. At least that is how it seems to me. On the Risto trade or no trade issue I publicly admit my indecisiveness on this issue. I just don't know.

I'm not sure if a McCabe deal is made that it will have an effect on whether Risto stays or not. A reasonable replacement can be found from the market for an acceptable price. In my view a Risto deal is all about what you get back. The ROR trade heist will not be repeated because the GM employment status can't afford too many of those glaring setbacks.

If Panerin signs with Florida it is likely that Hoffman gets dealt. Hoffman can score goals but his +/-- is not too good. Last season, he had 36 goals, 34 assists and a -24 plus/minus. This deal still makes sense because the GM is determined to put together a decent second line to take some of the scoring pressure off of the first line.

The questions you bring up regarding Risto are at the core of the trade or not trade issue. It was reported that all the coaching candidates were asked what would they do to enhance his play. The issue that the organization has to wrestle with is whether he can be a more cerebral player to enhance his physical game. Is Krueger the HC who can get that more focused play out of him? I don't know? Another question is whether he is another Sabre player like ROR who has gotten tired of the losing and wants a fresh start somewhere else? I'm sure that the organization with their communications with him have a better grasp on that issue than we do. Then there is the next obvious question of what can you get for him if traded? I suspect that the GM is not going to make another type of ROR deal where he got less than value. This is a tough issue.

(I couldn't bring up the link but I got a sense what it was about from your post.) I was aware that Kessel was a "unique" character but not a disruptive character as you described. My point with my first response was that Pittsburg's GM was scanning the market and was not going to dump him for little. Even if the organization was determined to trade him they were not going to be forced to give him up for little in return. Their GM had a tentative deal with Minnesota for Zucker. Kessel nixed that deal. So he went back to the market and worked out another reasonable deal with Arizona, a team that Kessel wanted to go to. If you compare how the Penquins handled their deal with how Botts handled the ROR deal, both deals for players who wanted to be moved, I would say that Rutherford was more strategic and patient in working out a deal for a player he wanted out.

Why do you say that Pittsburgh's GM had no choice other than to deal him? If he couldn't get back a reasonable return he would have simply kept him. Kessel is a veteran and knows how the system works. He wasn't embittered when the Penguins tried to deal him to Minnesota. He exercised his non-trade clause and let the market evolve until it worked out to the way he wanted it to. There was no secret that if dealt Kessel was only willing to go to Arizona. If a deal couldn't have been worked out with the Coyotes he would have remained a Penquin and continue with his prolific scoring.

Botts is not going to reprise another ROR deal that comes back to haunt him. With ROR there was as much determination for the player to get moved as there was for the organization to get him out of the room. That isn't the case here. The organization doesn't need to get rid of Risto where with ROR they no longer wanted him to be part of the mix. There is no doubt that Risto is a physical specimen. He has all the tools except a critical one: His instinct to anticipate and react to the play. How many times did he fail to stay in front of the net chasing the puck behind his goalie? How many times was he goaded by the offensive player and lose sight of his basic responsibility of net presence? There is no doubt he can be a cruncher on a soft team. But what bothers me about Risto is that after all of his playing time his on ice cerebral approach to the game has not matured to where it should be. Is he a physical palooka whose muscle mentality hasn't caught up, or will ever catch up, with the mental side of the game? Or maybe he just needs a change a scenery to freshen up his approach to the game and be rejuvenated? I honestly don't know.

With respect to the Risto issue I get the impression that he asked to be traded or at least told them that he would be receptive to being traded. The GM danced around the issue as to whether Risto wanted to be traded. If the player wanted to be part of the solution and told the organization that he was committed to the team the GM would be more declarative with his comments on that subject. If I were a betting person my money would be on Risto being moved for a second-line player or be part of a packaged deal that brings in a higher profile player.

The below link is an article written by WGR's Brayton Wilson pointing out some San Jose players who might be available in free agency because their team is cap stressed. He promotes getting Labanc who he believes could be available at a reasonable contract. I'm not as knowledgeable about these second-tier players as others are here. The point in this article is that because of the cap situation teams have good players who will be difficult to retain. The Sabres are in a good situation to bring in two to three good players to bolster the roster and add depth to a thin team. It will be disappointing if that doesn't happen. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/opinion/labanc-offer-sheet

I use the word "a" and "the" a lot. That doesn't mean that it is owned by that rogue. I consider Belichick to be the best coach in the history of the modern NFL. I openly admire him and what he has accomplished.

Not that long ago the Sabres and the Billls were franchises that were fiscally tightly operated. The Pegulas have certainly made mistakes as new owners with their two franchises. They have learned from their mistakes. It is refreshing to have owners operate their small market team in a manner that allows them to compete with the bigger markets. I appreciate them and don't take them for granted. Thank you Mr. and Mrs P.

I'm getting properly knocked around for my misdeeds.

You make a good point that sometimes it takes a few years before completing an assessment on a trade. With the selection of Cozens in this year's draft it is not unreasonable to believe that in time he will become a second line center to fill the void caused by the departure of ROR. If you consider that Mitts still has plenty of room to develop as either a second or third line center and factor in that we could still work a deal to get another second line center then our center staffing looks solid. Will Tage become a second line forward? I'm not sure. But if he becomes a good scoring third line player then I'm fine with that role. There is no doubt that the ROR trade was damaging. But as time goes by I'm hoping that it will be mitigated to the point of it being a less punishing deal. I have not been a critic of the deal because I strongly suspect more was going on with ROR and his relationship with the organization and the other players in the room that we are aware of. It's telling that I can't recall any players coming out and criticizing the deal. Sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

I like the word "precursor" so I stole it. There isn't much else worthy of stealing from him. I openly admit that I lack shame. It's easier to get by when you have no conscious.

The mistake you are making is that the player you targeted as a second line player is not the player that the GM is targeting. He might be after a bigger dog that has healthier legs .

This has to be a precursor to a Risto deal. The GM is determined to put together a credible second line to spread out the scoring. The stage is being set tp add a second line player with Risto being the currency to get that done. I would be interested in some of our experts here who could give an abbreviated sketch of this player. Is he a genuine second pairing defenseman or more of a third pairing type of player?

That's an insult to him. I'm confident that he is much better looking. That is not to say that it is a high bar to get over.

If Plezmd1 reads your post he will be fuming and add you to his shiiit list. I am already privileged to be on that stinky list. In general your views coincide with mine.

Darren Dreger was on WGR for a 15 minute segment. He mostly talked about the free agent market. He doesn't believe that Buffalo is going to be big players on the market. He suggests that they will wait to see how the market shakes up and get involved in the secondary market. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/06-28-tsns-darren-dreger-instigators

We got a number of young prospects who are ready or near ready. Oloffsson, Nylander, Tage, Asplund, Borgen etc. Oloffsson is definitely ready to possibly play on the second line. Some people have given up on Nylander but I haven't. He's only 20-21 years old. The same line of reasoning applies to Tage as to how much is he developed and is he ready to make the step up? I believe so. I think Asplund as a third or fourth center is a year away. And the same time frame should apply to Borgen. Unless Risto is traded (still an open issue for me) I don't see any blockbuster trades. I see a few mid-level pickups that will change the mixture and add some spice to the roster. An irritated faction here get angry when I preach patience and allowing the process to proceed. Tough! That is the best way and the most sustaining way.