JohnC

Your guess is as good as mine. I got this information from the broadcast when the Sabres played Columbus. The take was that he wanted to play in a higher profile location. Tampa has no financial room for him and Florida plays in an empty building. Could you imagine if he played on a line with Barkov?

This clip was taken from the Buffalo News. It shows the ice breaking through a wall. https://buffalonews.com/2019/02/24/the-ice-book-has-broken-poloncarz-reports/?utm_medium=more_stories

I don't see the Sabres signing one of the top free agents because of the high yearly salaries and more importantly length of contract that will put you in a cap bind. What I do see happening is the Sabres making trades with a team like Tampa that has a lot of cap pressure and some upcoming and emerging talent of young players that they can parlay. This will again be the scenario where you will here a lot of Risto trade talk. The challenge that Botterill has is to bring on board young and emerging players who will grow with our own young players. That's why I foresee a trade deal more likely than a blockbuster big name free agent deal. These type of deals are more likely to occur around the draft. YOLO may have more inside knowledge about Panarin but the rumor is that he wants to play in New York.

Don't bother wasting any energy worrying about which first round pick is going to be dealt. I'm predicting that another one of the first round picks will be dealt in the offseason included with a trade to get a genuine second line forward or center.. It's obvious to everyone that this team currently lacks a credible second line to take some pressure off the first line. That's going to be a big focus for Botts in the offseason. Teams such as Tampa, Winnipeg and Toronto among others will be subjected to a great deal of cap stress that will impinge on their ability to retain players they want to keep. So the trading market is going to be very fertile. There are going to be some good young talent available to deal for who are ready to immediately play. The rule of thumb is basic: If you want something of value then you have to give up something of value. I like Risto a lot. I just wish he would be more cerebral and less visceral as a player. Without question he is going to be one of our most appealing chips for other teams to deal for.

This is part of a rebuilding plan. His contract has one more year on it so they wanted to move on from in advance so they would get more in a deal. He was a good player for them and will be a good player for us.

The ROR deal was a unique situation that was forced on the franchise by the player who didn't want to be here. With trades sometimes you are in a position of strength and sometimes not. You make the best of the situation and don't look back. Essentially the ROR deal as it stands is acquiring both Tage and Montour. (Sobotka and Berglund were throw ins that we had to take.) In addition, with the departure of ROR we got future cap flexibility that will allow us to sign Skinner and put us in a good situation when we scan the market this offseason. I'm a Risto fan. But he has to play with more maturity and discipline. He has a bad tendency to go away from his lane to tussle it up with someone who has goaded him into responding. Being rugged doesn't mean that you can't play smartly. I hope that we can keep him but that isn't how GMs think. Their calculation is simple: Are we better off with him or with the return in a trade? I have confidence in Botts's judgment. This offseason should be fun.

You brought up the trade talk swirling around Risto. The deal for Montour leads credence to that speculation because it gives Botts the flexibility to trade Risto in the offseason and strengthen our second line. The Sabres have some assets and cap flexibility that will allow the GM to reshape the roster and continue the upward trajectory. (Although some of my tough-minded friends see the franchise's current situation in a much darker light.) If our GM can bring in a Skinner type talent on to the roster and with the development of our young players this roster will be more robust and better positioned to move up the ranks. I'm a Botterill supporter. He seems much more thoughtful and calculating than our previous GM.

Is Risto your new cause for jettisoning? He is a workhorse and one of our authentic muscle players. Despite the analytics I would prefer keeping him as one of our core players. That is not to say that I wouldn't be open to deal him or anyone if the deal made this team better. When you say up I say down. When you say stop I say go. When you say fire him I say keep him. You are my guidance.

You point out the core of the issue. Are a prospect's defensive liabilities greater than one's offensive assets. My belief is that you can elevate to a reasonable extent a player's defensive play but you can't teach the elite offensive skill that the highly drafted Edmonton player has. (Skinner is a high end sharpshooter whose defensive skills are not at the high end of the scale. But his offensive prowess is greater than his defensive liabilities.) The issue is whether Puljujarvi can improve his defensive game to an acceptable level. The shame of the Edmonton situation is that they wasted developmental time with him in the NHL when more time and a more conducive learning setting could have been used in the minors. With respect to Tage he is mostly an offensive player. But what I have seen from him is an earnest effort to play a better defensive game. He's not just floating around for offensive opportunities but is in there working. His game is clearly not a balanced game. The issue with him as I see it is that he is not physically mature enough to match up. But I believe in time with his physical maturation he will be a good player for us. Maybe it won't be as a second line player but as a third line player. He also can have a role on the power play. I would be fine with that. An interesting comparison between the Edmonton and Sabre organizations is how they handled their highly drafted and skilled players. I don't know for sure (but believe so) if Nylander is going to be a good NHL player but what I can say for sure is that we handled him better than how Edmonton handled their young talent. Thanks for the link.

No, he didn't offer anything specific other than to say picks and a prospect. The point of the column is that he wasn't handled right and was rushed. He came to the conclusion that from Edmonton's and the player's interest maybe it is best to move him. This is my added commentary to the subject. The advantage of playing in the AHL (for us Rochester) is that the young players get a lot of playing time and development time. That's why although I am impressed with Pilut I'm not against him get the work in Rochester after getting a taste of the NHL. In addition, because we have cap space, picks and prospects the Sabres are in a good position to make deals in the offseason. I am adamantly opposed for the Sabres to give up assets for a rental player/s this year. It might make sense for Columbus to role the dice but not for us.

The below link is an article written by WGR's Brayton Wilson on Edmonton's former high draft pick of Jesse Puljuarvi. This is a player who was rushed and has struggled. He certainly has elite offensive skills but he has had trouble adjusting to the NHL hockey game that requires emphasizing the defensive side of the game. He's still very young and has a lot of upside. But after reading the column it appears that he was rushed. In hindsight, it would have been better to start him off in the minors and let him develop. He's only 20 and has a lot of upside. As was noted in the column this is a player who needs a change of scenery. I wouldn't mind considering him in a trade. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/opinion/interesting-case-jesse-puljuj-rvi

Reggie is an old school coach who believes in team ball and playing the right way. He is not going to allow a player to play outside of his fundamental concepts without reacting to it. Reggie was a terrific hire for a program that has some inherent limitations. I hope this talented player becomes receptive to what the coach is promoting. He will be a better player and person if he listens to him.

Your words are kind and generous. What was a sad cycle was the necessity of the local population of young people who had to leave the area in order to pursue their opportunities that weren't provided by the local economy. This diaspora is spread throughout the country. Fortunately, this dynamic of young people exiting the area has changed because there are now more opportunities. I mostly follow the Buffalo scene through the internet. Fortunately, compared to a decade or so ago and prior most of the news is positive. Now outside investors are coming in and investing in the area. Buffalo is at the stage where it has become to an extent a renaissance city where there are opportunities to take advantage of. I, like you, remember the Bonnie, Canisius and Niagara era of Murphy, Lanier and the Aud. Murphy was one of the most dynamic players I have ever seen. There were stories that Bob Lanier, who went to Bennett HS, wanted to go to Canisius but couldn't get in. I'm not sure that story was true. If he would have gone to Canisius he could have been the dominant player who changed the program's course.

It's a secret society of eccentrics who don't feel comfortable being exposed to the public. Membership is only allowed to the oddball few. You don't qualify.

side issue: Why was Isaiah Reese suspended from Canisius basketball? Academics or attitude? They seem to be playing better.

Few people would disagree with the notion of exploiting your strengths at the personal level. But when looking at an issue at a competitive level you have to seize opportunities as they exist. It's about matchups. When the opposition knows you have a strength then and adjusts to take it away then you have to adjust. Bill Belichick is the greatest coach in the game. His strategy is basically take away what you do best. More often than not the most appropriate response is to not force the issue but get out of your comfort zone and adjust to the what the opposition is doing. In chess you have to react and think ahead. If you become too mechanical and force what you are going to do because that's what you are accustomed to doing you will eventually succumb to your own stubbornness. The point I'm making is that Allen has to add to his tool kit so that he is better equipped to go to his options. Don't misunderstand what I am saying. I understand the personal growth and playing to your strengths. But working on your weaknesses so that they are not weaknesses gives you more options to respond when needed.

The bigger issue with Allen is not only the aversion to checking down but actually making the shorter and second and third option throws. His mechanics seem more off-kilter with those types of throws than with the downfield throws. I'm sure part of the problem has to do with recognition because of his inexperience. However, because he is smart and coachable he should get better at that part of the game. This offseason he should watch a lot of Brady game tapes and observe how Brady masterfully keeps those first down chains moving.

The Sabres were the worst team in the league last year. Did you expect a Cup hoisting ceremony this year? When it gets to the point that you find both the team and the facility unpalatable it is time to take a break from the stressors in your life. I'm surprised you support the Bills because they are also in rebuilding mode. And not to be forgotten they play in an antiquated facility. Oh, I forgot, it's not about the game but about the pregame food and beverage at the raucous tailgates.

The below link is a WGR interview with Matt Larkin of The Hockey News. It is 22 min. long. He talks about the Sabres and his view on them and where they are at. His thinking about the team where it is at and heading is the same as mine. Larkin has some interesting thoughts on Risto and what he can bring in a trade. He also discusses prospective trade deals coming up with the upcoming trade deadline. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/2-22-matt-larkin-hockey-news-schopp-bulldog

The below link is a WGR interview with Ryan Kennedy from Hockey News. He talks about the Sabres and where they are in their development. He also talks about the free agent market and the trade deadline. I'm very much in align with his assessment of the Sabres and the course they are on. This is a 12 minute segment. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/02-22-ryan-kennedy-hockey-news-jeremy-and-sal

Are you also going to blame Housley for climate change and your fired- up hemorrhoids?

What's to complain about? They played a cup contending and loaded team as well as they could. They played hard and battled all the way through. What more can you ask for? Tampa has multiple potent scorers while we don't. This is a game where Housley and the GM should be pleased because as you described it checked all the boxes. It's understandable that when a team doesn't play well that it deserves criticism. But when it plays to its abilities then it should be acknowledged. Hutton was our best player and kept us in the game. The Sabres played a tight game all the way through with few breakdowns. I was more than pleased with how the Sabres played against a very superior team. .

The attached link is a WGR interview with Chris Taylor, the coach of the Amerks. This is a 16 min. segment. He talks about some players and how he is approaching his job as an AHL coach. The advantage of keeping players down on the farm rather than bringing them up is the playing time. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/02-21-amerks-head-coach-chris-taylor-instigators

I caution you for safety reasons to stay away from the hockey territory. It has become a war zone where angry people are encouraging discordant people like me to walk in the area where the mines are located. I haven't stepped on one yet but although I walk with caution the odds are stacked against me. The imbibing Plezmd is leading the very aroused mob. So if my voice is no longer heard then you know that he has succeeded in silencing me.

I say this without rancor but draft talk is one of the most fun topics during the football interlude. We have a few very well versed people on college prospects who add a framework to the amorphous musings by the rank and file. What adds to the discussions are the included links from the self-anointed experts. The benefit that comes from the draft discussions is not the original postings but the subsequent postings from people such as Gunner, Bandito, Kirby and YOLO with his Buckeye bias. There is no one more knowledgeable about Alabama prospects than NYC Bill. My point is that although sometimes the original topic may be off kilter the follow-up commentary is what enriches the draft topics.