JohnC

We are talking past one another. My point is simply as an individual stand alone entity the Sabres enterprise from a business standpoint is flailing. You make the point that they should kick in their own money to augment the business generated money. The problem with that approach is all their other ventures (other than the Bills) are in a flat-line status i.e. near death. You were in and around the business of sports. It's a business with cash/flow realities. Right now the in and out cash don't match. And because of the business environment affected by the pandemic issue and the implications for attendance there is going to be even more financial stress within the organization.

The value and appreciation of the Sabres are not part of the equation/calculation because the Pegulas aren't interested in selling the team. The issue is cash flow i.e. dollars in and dollars going out. They don't come close to balancing out. At least right now. What is crystal clear is that the Pegulas are losing a copious amount of money not only on the Sabres but on all their other secondary investments with the exception of the Bills. As an example the Pegulas have control of the arena which for maybe the next year or so won't hold any events. The Sabres are staying within the cap. That doesn't mean that they are not losing money. All the reports that are coming out from a variety of sources indicate that they are from a financial sense a losing venture, just as much as they are on the ice. No one is suggesting that anyone should be sympathetic to the owners. But the numbers are the numbers. The Sabres and all the other secondary investments (minus the Bills) are hemorrhaging money. That's the business reality that is driving the austerity strategy in the hockey organization.

The firing of Botterill was not a hockey decision. It was a financial decision. If you recall he was retained to finish the last year of his contract. The reason why he was let go was because he was not receptive to the owners' plan to dramatically strip the staffing in the organization in order to save money. As you well know the economics of football are different from the more challenging economics of hockey. In football it is nearly impossible to lose money. Even poorly managed football franchises make money. That's not the case in hockey. The Sabres were hemorrhaging money prior to the pandemic and were facing a financial meltdown during the pandemic that will be following the sport into the next season. How the Pegulas have responded to this current precarious economic environment is the same way other industries such as the hotel, hospitality, airlines, retail etc have responded. The strategy is to resort to austerity for the sake of survival and viability for tomorrow.

There is a harsh reality here that needs to be faced. The Pegulas didn't fire Botterill for hockey reasons. They fired him because he refused to go along with the draconian austerity approach that stripped the organization of a large portion of its staff. The emphasis was on cost saving in order to alleviate the hemorrhaging of money. Will this organizational retrenchment affect the team's prospects? Probably so, but not necessarily in the short-term. Whatever deals that will be made will be done within the framework of the player/contract coming in will be countered with the player/contract going out. The focus will be more of a business perspective than a hockey perspective. The operative word for the organization is survival on the balance sheet. What I will be keenly watching this offseason more than the scrambling of the organization (which already is a fait-accompli) are what deals will be made to improve the roster. If there isn't much seriousness in addressing the roster then it will be time be saddened and discouraged. That will result in the fading away as a fan.

Due to the new austerity approach there will be more video scouting and less human scouting. And also probably more usage of scouting services than reliance on your own in-house staff. These type of changes also save on travel costs associated with the scouting process. It's a new reality forced by the pandemic but also how companies conduct their businesses more cheaply. When you lose money you are forced to save money!

For the long haul dramatically cutting staff will damage your product and keep you in a bottom tier status. But as a short term survival mode strategy of austerity it is a reasonable or at least understandable approach to take. The hotel, restaurant and airline industries are stripping down in order to survive for today so tomorrow they will still exist. The Pegulas for sure have made plenty of rookie owner mistakes in the football and hockey business. In football you can make foolish mistakes and still make money. However, in hockey there isn't much profit margin to begin with even in the best of times for this market. This pandemic environment is probably going to still exist when the next season occurs. Right now they are just trying to weather the storm and remain viable. In the sports industry the world of yesterday is not the same as it is for today and tomorrow. They are doing their best to adapt.

After reading this link taken from NHL.com it is clear that this GM removal revolved around Botts not going along with a drastic reduction in the payroll for the hockey operation. The Sabres have been hemorrhaging money and the financial prospects look bleak for the next season because there is a good chance that there will be a limitation of fans at the games. The gas and oil business, the hospitality and the hockey business are all losing a dramatic amount of money. And each of these business sectors are going to take at least another year or two before they can stabilize. From a business standpoint the retrenchment makes sense. Right now the goal is survival. From a hockey standpoint this movement toward austerity is discouraging. https://www.nhl.com/news/jason-botterill-fired-as-buffalo-gm-replaced-by-kevyn-adams/c-317180770

We'll get a better sense of what's really happening very soon. Whenever there is a lot of firings there will be a lot of leaks so we will get a more accurate picture of what actually is happening. My worry is that finances are a big factor in this major reshuffling. What I'll be watching to see if there are deals made to upgrade the roster. That will be most telling.

I think you are on to something that makes this blowup action understandable. My suspicions are that a strategy of austerity in the face of the downward spiraling business climate was not something that Botterill was willing to go along with. It won't take long before the real story comes out. I find the jettisoning of the Rochester staff and the cuts in the scouting department very troubling. This is called austerity. It is not a recipe for success as it is a strategy for $$$$ survival.

I'm not sure what is going on within the organization. Why not that long ago did Kim Pegula state that Botts would be back next year? Then he ends up being fired after there was an organizational review. Why not do the review and then make a decision on the GM's status. What changed? My guess is that the Pegulas felt that they weren't being consulted enough by Botts in comparison to Adams who more openly communicated with them. And another conjecture/guess of mine is that Botts who is more of a cautious and incremental type of guy didn't offer a bold enough plan to upgrade the roster to satisfy the owners.

I can't say that Krueger will have more power than Adams but I'm comfortable in saying that Krueger will have more influence in personnel decisions with Adams than with Botts.

The Italian kiss of death. ? https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=godfather+movie+michael+kisses+fredo&docid=608041642351529202&mid=C5052E6A345E85DF24F9C5052E6A345E85DF24F9&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

I suspect the philosophical disagreements within the organization that had much to do with the firing of the GM related to the conflicting philosophies between the coach and departed GM. It's telling that there were statements that Krueger and Adams have a good relationship. I'm confident that Krueger is going to be the coach next year. The bigger issue hanging over this franchise isn't whether Botterill remained or not. The issue that will more profoundly affect the franchise is whether this organization can make some smart deals this offseason that will enhance the roster. My suspicion is that the owners didn't believe that Botts was bold enough to pull it off.

With confidence I can say: I know nothing! https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=catch+phrase+sgt+shultz+i+know+nothing&&view=detail&mid=FF75AB3BB69E4CF9B920FF75AB3BB69E4CF9B920&rvsmid=48EF9390F79269AAAF5848EF9390F79269AAAF58&FORM=VDQVAP

If Adams is the GM is it for one year or was he given a contract? This is just my quick reading/speculating of the situation is that Krueger and Adams were aligned while Botts had a different approach. My sense is that Krueger will have more influence with Adams than he did with Botts.

I don't think it does anything harmful to Krueger's status. In fact it might make him more influential regarding personnel matters. I'm speculating like everyone else with what happened here. My guess is that Botterill was asked about what his strategy was to make this team more relevant in the league. If he said he was staying the course then he gave the owners an answer that they were not satisfied with. What I would like to know is if Kevyn Adams is the temporary acting GM or if another GM will be sought?

Laaksonen is 20 yrs old and is at least two to three years away for vying for a NHL roster spot if his development trajectory remains on course. He represents the typical time frame for a prospect. In comparison Dahlin was a contributing player in the NHL when he was 18 yrs old. That goes to show how much of a prodigy Dahlin was as a prospect. Entering his third year with more physical development/maturity he should be ready to be an elite player not only on his team but also in the league. You don't have to know much about hockey to recognize when watching the games that Dahlin and Jack both stand out and are above the rest of the players on the ice. It will be a dam shame if the GM doesn't aggressively act this offseason to rebalance and upgrade the roster. If he doesn't do it entering the next season I will be pushing K-9 aside in the first row of the mob calling for the GM's scalp. The future is now. No more excuses.

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This conspiracy theory about the 75 yr old man came from a right wing lunatic source that the president amplified in order to distract and confuse the issue. Those individuals like some of the posters here who are promoting or considering this Martian like theory are nuttier than a fruitcake. You are wasting your time trying to have a coherent discussion with people who are zany enough to spout such weird stuff. People have different perspectives on the Buffalo demonstration incident. I can understand and respect the conflicting opinions on this matter. For those who are fixated on the phone and its ability to sabotage the police communication system they fall in the category of the lunatic fringe who are not worth responding to. You can't rationalize with the irrational. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/501784-trump-claims-75-year-old-man-shoved-by-buffalo-police-could-be-part

The attached link by WIVB's Brian Choynacki is a run of the mill article on Olofsson that doesn't add much to what is already known about the player. It's a typical manufactured offseason hockey column. But while maybe not intended it brings up the issue of the reliance on the younger players on the roster and their ability to develop. Dahlin and Jack are young players but clearly are in a lofty category of their own. The more important issue associated with team success is whether along with Olofsson other young players such as Yoki, Kahun, Tage, Cozens, Mittelstadt and a little down the road Arttu Ruotsalainen can improve enough to internally upgrade the roster. The GM has predicated his job future on these developing players. Is his bet on them going to work out for him? I think so but I'm not sure???? https://www.wivb.com/sports/victor-olofsson-bright-piece-to-sabres-future/?view=getnewpost

I saw the DA's press conference where he pointed out that because of the age of Mr. Gugino that the act fit all the elements of the particular law forcing him to charge. I strenuously disagree with his decision because even if all the elements of the transgressed statue are met what isn't met is the circumscribing element of intent. In my opinion there was no intent to hurt the individual and without question there was no criminal intent on the part of the officers. The law is not simply the law. The law also involves judgment and the notion of common sense. If you are driving 26 MPH in a 25 MPH zone technically there is a violation. But common sense dictates some leeway. It's obvious why this incident was elevated. It got caught up with the maelstrom of the Minnesota police murder. As I stated in a prior post what happens if this case goes to trial and the officers are acquitted or more likely there is a hung jury. Who benefits? The community is even more fractured and enflamed and the police are more embittered and feel under siege. Judgment and common sense go hand in hand in the application of the law. There was a better way to handle this optically problematic issue. In my judgment it should have been directed toward a fully transparent disciplinary proceeding within the police department.

The person who was behind the officer who pushed the older fellow immediately called for medical help on his radio. That is clear from the tape. I'm not sure if he was a supervisor or not but he directed the pusher to continue to move forward. The optics of the police line continuing to move forward while the individual was lying on the ground was awful. But in my view he was quickly attended to. On this incident I have already stated my position. I don't believe that the officer/s should have been criminally charged. There was no intent to injure. That is not to say that they should have pushed this confronting older fellow because of his age and physical vulnerability. As I stated in prior posts this matter should have been handled internally as a police disciplinary and judgment issue.

If his associates on the call forever refuse to shake his hand again it won't be because of corona concerns. It will have something to do with concerns about fecal contamination.

I'm not saying this to disparage your comments. But I have no clue what you are saying.