JohnC

The attached link is by John Tonin writing for the Whitehorse Daily Star. It states that because of the later starting date for next season that Cozens could play for the national junior team and also play for the Sabres when the season starts. It is likely that there is going to be plenty of player shuffling with the lower half of the roster. It will be interesting to see if Cozens, Tage and Mittelstadt all make the roster and are given meaningful playing time. If two of the three make the jump then that will give the organization more cap flexibility to bring in outside help. https://www.whitehorsestar.com/Sports/cozens-selected-to-national-junior-camp?view=getnewpost

I disagree with your characterization that it is being gutted. The coaching staff in Rochester will be replaced. It might not be right away because it is still up in the air when the AHL will start. Without a question the scouting department is being thinned out but that doesn't mean that the scouting function won't still exist. There will be more reliance on video, scouting services and the remaining staff in that department. The Pegulas did what many large enterprises do: They had an outsider do a review. What was determined was that there were scouts who weren't sufficiently out in the field and issuing useful reports. Or another way of saying this is the production didn't match the cost. There is nothing unreasonable with doing a company analysis and then acting on the report. Adams is the new GM. So it shouldn't be surprising that he is going to bring in his own staff. The advantage he has is that there is no rush because of the unusual pandemic schedule that has stretched things out and given him more time to make staffing decisions. As far as the debate over what many people characterize as the austerity strategy I really don't give a damnation. For at least the short term this organizational reshuffle doesn't matter much. What matters the most are the hockey decisions regarding what players to keep and what players to let go and what players to bring in. That's where the attention should be.

What's so surprising about the Pegulas having a cash crunch in a world-wide pandemic health crisis that has crushed a number of business sectors? You don't think that other hockey franchise owners are not or soon will not be dealing with tremendous financial stresses because of this unexpected health calamity? Why do you think that the league is going to great lengths to put on a post shut-down playoff system in the midst of an uncontained epidemic? It's trying to salvage a fraction of the revenue that has been lost because of the public health issue that is affecting all sports, pro and college. What you are doing is isolating what is happening with the Sabres without considering the context for not only the NHL but for all sports and businesses. What was the normal business environment for hockey yesterday doesn't exist now and very likely will not exist for the next year, and maybe even beyond. The expected normal money stream has been dramatically cut off. What other than what they are doing in tightening their belts do you suggest that they should be doing? Magic and wishful thinking don't work in the real world of hard currency.

Those directly involved have been open-minded and receptive to expanding the fan base. But it is not unfair to say that a segment of their fanbase have not been so receptive to expanding it to others.

The tough and complicating issue isn't dealing with those individuals who have tested positive but how you deal with those who have come in contact with those who are infected? If you have a player or two or staff member who has test positive then how many people do you quarantine because of their proximity to the rest of the team and staff? That's the challenge here. The protocol recommended by the health professionals is to quarantine everyone who has come in contact. That makes it difficult to carry on the operation.

The bottom two thirds of the players are going to be reshuffled. On the other hand the core players are going to remain. I like players such Larsson and Gergs but they are not primary players. They leaving is not debilitating because they are replaceable. The issue is can they make a deal or two to bring in genuine second line players to take some pressure of the Jack line? I'm open to trading Risto and throwing in the first round pick if a good deal can be secured to accomplish that procurement.

What's so surprising? The white racial backdrop of this sport has been a part of its environment since its inception. It shouldn't be unexpected that the dead enders and resisters would express their ignorance to the positive changes happening in the sports. Some people are comfortable in moving into the modern world and others are reflexively grabbing their guns and heading to the ramparts because they believe they are under siege. I'm not shocked by the display of ignorance. Quite the contrary I'm surprised to the extent the officials and participants of the sport have embraced the change to a more inclusive sport.

There is certainly going to be some reshuffling of the players on the expiring contracts. They are not the primary players i.e. first and second line players other than a player such as Reinhart. You may consider having so many players with expiring contracts as a negative but I do not. It gives the organization the flexibility of who to keep and who not to. And it gives the organization a better ability to bring in some different players to alter the mix and team dynamic.

I wasn't able to bring up the BN article but I am familiar in Krueger's approach toward running an organization. The one approach that is antithetical to everything he stands for is the autocratic top down power approach to running an organization. His philosophy is predicated on collaboration and empowering people to maximizing their talents. He believes in building an organization where there is an ethos and direction that everyone has bought into, from the top to the bottom of the staff. If you want someone to be impowered you want someone who is enlightened and competent to be the most influential person in the organization.

If you check the investment section on the Wikipedia link it indicates that they have sold some of their oil and gas assets and have also kept them. From a business standpoint their strategy for their multiple business enterprises is to hang in and survive until the health and business environments improve. They are following the same basic business strategies of most businesses to tighten up and adapt to the new world challenging reality. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Pegula

By improving on the penalty kill and having more consistent goaltending from the two goaltenders on the roster this team could have had 8-10 more points this season. I'm not making excuses because your record is your record. However, by tightening up play in one specialty area, the PK, with the players already on the roster there is room for internal improvement before even adding talent to the mix. This team doesn't require a major remake. It needs a few judicious pickups to add to the mix and it needs some of its young players beginning their NHL careers such as Cozens, Tage and Mitts to be ready to be phased in. It's probable that not all three will be ready to contribute but if two of them do it will give the decision-makers more flexibility to bring in outside help.

If the Sabres would have had consistent goaltending at a #1 solid level the Sabres would definitely be in the playoffs under this pandemic playoff system and maybe under a full season of play. The Sabres definitely need to add pieces to upgrade the forward players but consistent solid goaltending actually provides more bang for the upgrade in a position.

In general our views come close to coinciding. Skinner is a talented goal scorer who was on the market. Did they pay a premium to sign him? Probably so. But when your nondescript franchise has been struggling for nearly a decade it's not surprising that you have to pay extra to not only secure his services but also do what is necessary to jolt the organization and fanbase and make the team more competitive and appealing to other players who will be sought in the future.

This link is a SportsNet link written by the staff. Whether one is talking about the resumption of play in the NHL, NBA or NFL playing in a pandemic environment is a complicated situation to deal with. There are so many unknowns with no easy solutions. https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/lightning-temporarily-shut-facilities-due-positive-covid-19-tests/

The Skinner deal isn't necessarily a bad long term. As far as the term it was within or not that far off the time frame of a 30 plus free agent goal scorer on the market. One can argue that the economics of the league have dramatically changed with the pandemic era but when Skinner was traded for a fourth round pick and then signed it made sense at the time, and in my opinion even now. If the Sabres have a dearth of scorers with Skinner on the roster then the Sabres would be an even more barren goal scoring team without him.

My hats off to you for having the conviction and fortitude to fight this improper and contrived police behavior. As you pointed out it was not only an inconvenience but also an expensive endeavor. As you noted many victims of this type of abusive police behavior don't have the time and resources to fight the system. The bad officers on the force are well known within the department. Until there is a change of attitude and culture where the bad cops are held accountable and weeded out this systematic problem is going to continue to exist. I am a strong union advocate. However, the police union's unwillingness to address the bad cop contamination is a major reason why there is so much difficulty in solving this ugly problem that smears the dedicated majority of the force.

What was the court outcome? If the arresting officer testified what was his claim beyond the traffic infraction?

As with a lot of corporations and business sectors the owners are faced with a very challenging fiscal environment driven by the pandemic epidemic. As Brian Burke pointed out there will be other teams who will be tightening their budgets and shedding staff in order to respond to the business climate. Buffalo has received a lot of criticism because this scaling down of the organization was done so publicly and crudely. Botterill wasn't receptive to the new business model so he was let go just after the announcement that he would be retained. I'm convinced that if he would have gone along to the plan he would have retained his job. It's going to be a very long time before the next season begins. So there is time to stabilize after enduring this tumult. Regardless what the negative optics are or the financial stress that the organization is subjected to what really matters are the hockey decisions this newly reconstituted front office/including the HC make this offseason. Will this roster be upgraded enough when the next season begins with empty stadiums? Will there be enough smart deals to address are well noted deficiencies? That's what I will be watching for.

The pandemic era has a major influence on the revenue lost from the this year's playoff system because the games won't be played in front of crowds. At least with the staging of the playoffs the league will able to recoup some TV money. I'm a Sabre hockey fan. This team didn't deserve to make the playoffs. If they franchise want's to qualify for the next playoffs they need to make it an imperative to upgrade the roster.

There is no question that Risto has more trade value than Montour. Montour is a solid player who can skate and shoot on a team that has additional similar type of players on the backend. But clearly he lacks the physicality that Risto possesses. One attribute that this team lacks is physicality. If Risto is dealt then it would lack it even more. But that is not to say that the Sabres couldn't bring in another rugged defenseman on a cheaper contract and who although not as good as Risto will help to fill that physical void. I'm not suggesting that it is a necessity to trade Risto. If you can't get an equal value in return then he should be kept. The problem with the O'Reilly trade is not that he was dealt because there were extending circumstances to that situation. The damaging flaw in that deal was the lack of value in the return. If the former GM couldn't get more back then he should have kept ROR and told him to suck it up. As many have stated this roster needs to be rebalanced/restructured. The forward lines beyond the Jack line need to be upgraded. If you want something of value you have to give up something of value that another team wants.

Ralph clearly values Risto and his rugged play. However, if the Sabres are able to get a second line forward who can put the puck in the net I believe a deal will be done. This roster needs to be better balanced, and the Jack line needs support. This team needs outside additions for immediate help. In order to get an asset you have to give up an asset.

Mike Kelly from the NHL Network was on WGR's Schopp and the Bulldog show talking about the Sabres. This a 23 minute link with some good hockey talk. The most interesting segment was on the discussion about Risto and his trade value. The view of Kelly seems to be that it isn't as great as many people believe it to be. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/6-17-mike-kelly-the-point-hockey

I'm not sure that they added much to what was going on with Buffalo. They are surmising just like we in this forum are surmising. However, this was enjoyable hockey talk to listen to. Both of the participants in the podcast are honest enough to acknowledge that they don't know what the changes will result in. In that sense they are just like us.

The person in the organization whose influence has increased is Krueger. Without a doubt the organization has to a degree been hollowed out. What's telling is not the coaching dismissals that happened in Rochester but the firings in the scouting department. When all is said and done owners can dramatically redesign the organization/companies they own. That's their prerogative. The argument shouldn't be framed as what is the best way to run an organization. The argument should be framed how do we get a franchise that has for years been flailing and alter its meandering course? If a stripped down organization is more nimble than a more staffed and bureaucratic organization then that is a good thing. When all is said and done what matters is the results. If the tandem of Krueger and Adams can make enough smart deals that will upgrade and better balance this roster then how this organization is structured becomes less of an issue. I'm less interested in how the flow chart is designed than I am interested in the roster decisions that are made in this critical extended offseason.

The reason why Botterill got fired was not primarily for hockey reasons. Apparently, he was not supportive of the approach to dramatically slim down the staff. So he was jettisoned. The owners then went ahead with their austerity program and installed their in-house GM. When all is said and done the most substantive/meaningful issue here is not the thinning and hallowing out of the organization. What matters are the personnel decisions that will be made this offseason to rebalance and upgrade the roster. Whether you have a thick or thin organization or a horizontal or vertical organizational chart the most important issue comes down to the hockey decisions you make. That's what I'm waiting to see.