JohnC Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 The attached WGR Instigator link is about 20 minutes long. Chris Taylor, the Amerks coach, talks about players such as Mittelstadt, Lazar and Tage from a development standpoint. His comments about Mittelstadt were encouraging. He laments the necessity to shut down the league because he felt that not only did those cancelled games hurt the development of players but also hurt the franchise's ability to know exactly where the players were in their development status to make the NHL jump. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/04-07-amerks-head-coach-chris-taylor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 23 minutes ago, JohnC said: The attached WGR Instigator link is about 20 minutes long. Chris Taylor, the Amerks coach, talks about players such as Mittelstadt, Lazar and Tage from a development standpoint. His comments about Mittelstadt were encouraging. He laments the necessity to shut down the league because he felt that not only did those cancelled games hurt the development of players but also hurt the franchise's ability to know exactly where the players were in their development status to make the NHL jump. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/04-07-amerks-head-coach-chris-taylor Any quick summary on the comments about Tage? I have a hard time picturing there being much to that conversation since he basically lost the entire season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, shrader said: Any quick summary on the comments about Tage? I have a hard time picturing there being much to that conversation since he basically lost the entire season. What Chris Taylor did when he coached him at the end of last year and this year before the call up was to put him in situations that he was unaccustomed to in order to make him a more all around player and more adaptable to the NHL game. Instead of playing him on the perimeter and having him shoot from the outside he emphasized playing him around the net to be in position to get the dirty goals where the majority of NHL goals are scored. He felt that he had gotten stronger and was more ready than before because of his physical development. There is no question that Tage has hockey skills that includes his skating and shooting. But those stylish/finesse skills by a tall and lean player don't necessarily translate to the more rugged and muscular NHL game. What it comes down to is that he needs to continue to work on thickening his body in order to be able to utilize his skills. Edited April 7, 2020 by JohnC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 7, 2020 Share Posted April 7, 2020 This article was written by Dan Mennella and taken off a WGR site. It notes that the commissioner acknowledges that the season and playoffs are in serious jeopardy. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/radiocom/nhl-commissioner-admits-season-could-be-cancelled 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted April 8, 2020 Author Share Posted April 8, 2020 19 hours ago, JohnC said: This article was written by Dan Mennella and taken off a WGR site. It notes that the commissioner acknowledges that the season and playoffs are in serious jeopardy. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/radiocom/nhl-commissioner-admits-season-could-be-cancelled As we’ve discussed, i think it’s most likely only a matter of time until it’s cancelled. I’d love to believe it’ll start again, but I just don’t see it. Right now I’m not even 100% sure next season will be able to start on time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 19 hours ago, JohnC said: This article was written by Dan Mennella and taken off a WGR site. It notes that the commissioner acknowledges that the season and playoffs are in serious jeopardy. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/radiocom/nhl-commissioner-admits-season-could-be-cancelled Hockey and basketball are over. Question now is if baseball can salvage an abbreviated season. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 18 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: As we’ve discussed, i think it’s most likely only a matter of time until it’s cancelled. I’d love to believe it’ll start again, but I just don’t see it. Right now I’m not even 100% sure next season will be able to start on time. The biggest issue I see associated with the coronavirus pandemic as it relates to sports is how does one deal with having events, in any sport, with fans in attendance in a large gathering. Even if a vaccine is developed and treatments materialize this virus will continue to be contagious. To compound this issue is that there are people who have the virus yet don't have symptoms. They are still very contagious! There are many experts in the medical field who believe that even if the virus becomes dormant it can still reignite and reprise the mass contamination process all over again. This coronavirus pandemic has not only changed the sports world but it has also changed the work world and how we socialize. There are no easy answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted April 10, 2020 Author Share Posted April 10, 2020 https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/nhl-central-scouting-releases-final-2020-rankings NHL central scouting final rankings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 10, 2020 Share Posted April 10, 2020 14 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/nhl-central-scouting-releases-final-2020-rankings NHL central scouting final rankings. From where the the Sabres are drafting they will come away with a good prospect who will probably be two to three years away from contributing. On the other hand the GM is entering the last year of his contract with a restless fan base that is tired of not having a team in the playoffs. So there has to be some urgency by the organization and owners to demonstrate to the frustrated fans that they are serious in doing everything possible to upgrade the roster. If the GM could use that valued draft pick and maybe include a player or two such as Risto in a deal to construct a genuine second line then I'm all for it. Without question Eichel is an elite player, and soon Dahlin will also be in that lofty category. Unless more talent is added to the roster their talents will be squandered. The future is now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 10, 2020 Share Posted April 10, 2020 Attached is 13 min. interview with Dylan Cozens on WGR's Instigator Show. Although there is nothing special about the interview what is apparent is that Cozens is mature way beyond his young age. Whether it will be as a forward or center or which line I can't say. But because of his age he won't be able to play in Rochester. And sending him back to the juniors will do little for his development. I have little doubt that he will be on the Sabres next year. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/04-09-sabres-prospect-dylan-cozens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davefan66 Posted April 10, 2020 Share Posted April 10, 2020 Sabre’s/ Devils 1994 playoff game with 4 OT’s on NHLN now. Replay tomorrow morning at 1AM. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cripple Creek Posted April 10, 2020 Share Posted April 10, 2020 20 hours ago, JohnC said: The future is now! Common man, ease up and show a little patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 10, 2020 Share Posted April 10, 2020 5 minutes ago, Cripple Creek said: Common man, ease up and show a little patience. I have been patient and am patient. However, where we are on this long and torturous road calls for a heavier foot on the accelerator to get us there a little quicker. Would I give up our high first round pick for a relatively young second line forward? Yes. Would I trade Risto (who I like a lot) for a second line forward in order to get a player who would upgrade the second line? I'm certainly receptive to that type of deal. I'm not calling for a ROR type deal that created a major void. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't trade a good asset to get another good asset to better balance out the roster. The GM is on the last year of his contract. At this stage of his tenure I'm sure he is more concerned about the present than the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted April 10, 2020 Author Share Posted April 10, 2020 They’re showing the 2006 Sabres semi final round against Ottawa starting Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChevyVanMiller Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 Your Easter moment of Zen - Sam and Jack on a bicycle built for two. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 There is no better playoff rivalry in NHL history than what Colorado and Detroit provided from 1996-2008. The series record is 3-3 all time and it provided some of the nastiest fun hockey you will ever watch. During this time of being stuck at home I have caught up on watching the history of this rivalry and it was the best pressure hockey you will ever see. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Just watched game 1 Sens-Sabres in 06...to me the greatest game in Sabres history..and they were completely dominated. Damn, analytics nerds, including me, would have said this win was no where near repeatable.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 On April 12, 2020 at 10:53 AM, ChevyVanMiller said: Your Easter moment of Zen - Sam and Jack on a bicycle built for two. Which one is Rob and which one is Rex? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 How happy are you guys with Jack Eichel? Because if you aren't happy with him, since we are in quarantine............... I would like to talk about a trade? I will be fair and try not to make this a stupid one-sided trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 2 hours ago, njbuff said: How happy are you guys with Jack Eichel? Because if you aren't happy with him, since we are in quarantine............... I would like to talk about a trade? I will be fair and try not to make this a stupid one-sided trade. We'll throw in Botterill and when he gets there he can trade us back Eichel for Tage Thompson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 5 hours ago, njbuff said: How happy are you guys with Jack Eichel? Because if you aren't happy with him, since we are in quarantine............... I would like to talk about a trade? I will be fair and try not to make this a stupid one-sided trade. Why would anyone be unhappy with Jack? He not only is the best and most important player on the team but he has demonstrated that he already is in the elite strata of players in the league. He and Dahlin are the type of special talents and untouchables that you build around----not shed for a collection of good players. If you want to talk about a trade or trades then it would be more realistic to talk about what would be a fair return for a high first round pick, or the return for players such as Risto, Montour or even Reinhart. It was widely reported that the GM was willing to trade Risto in the offseason and in-season. Supposedly he was not satisfied with the return. If that is the case then a good question to discuss is what would be the return if the package included Risto and a first round pick? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted April 14, 2020 Author Share Posted April 14, 2020 (edited) https://theathletic.com/1746933/2020/04/14/several-of-the-sabres-longest-tenured-executives-are-fired-in-widespread-pse-job-cuts/?amp#click=https://t.co/xONIjudV4R Quote The firings in Pegula Sports and Entertainment came at an astounding rate Tuesday, including some of the Buffalo Sabres’ longest-tenured executives. PSE has fired 21 employees and multiple sources tell The Athletic the list includes John Sinclair, the vice president of tickets and service; Chris Bandura, the vice president of communications; and Jennifer Van Rysdam, the vice president of live events. The terminations impacted numerous departments, including the Academy of Hockey at Harborcenter – and sources stressed these were terminations, not furloughs. Pegula Sports and Entertainment has been examining cost-cutting measures for some time, and some of the firings may have come this summer regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the pause created by coronavirus cancellations apparently accelerated the timeline. “There is no way to adequately express how difficult these decisions were for Terry and me,” said President and CEO Kim Pegula. “It is not something we took lightly, and we are fully aware of the hardships that exist across our community and country right now. We feel for all the employees and families who will be affected, and we hope that we can all return to full strength in the coming weeks and months.” There are also 104 furloughs being implemented throughout PSE and its sports teams. More than three dozen employees across PSE and Sabres executives will take temporary tiered percentage pay cuts. These include management, hockey staff, broadcasters, as well as contracted employees. Salaried workers paid at lower levels will not be part of the salary-reduction group, PSE said. The Buffalo Bills continue to operate at normal levels. “We are also hopeful the steps we are taking now will help us preserve the health of our companies and ensure we are here to provide the jobs and entertainment on which our community depends,” Pegula said. Edited April 15, 2020 by BillsFan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said: https://theathletic.com/1746933/2020/04/14/several-of-the-sabres-longest-tenured-executives-are-fired-in-widespread-pse-job-cuts/?amp#click=https://t.co/xONIjudV4R Every sector of the different businesses the Pegulas are involved in are in a depressed state. The energy sector is depressed. The hospitality sector that he diversified into is almost completely shuttered. Even his sport franchises (especially the hockey operation) are in a precarious financial state contending with the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus. The attached link of an article written by Stephanie Apstein for SI discusses the complications and challenges associated with playing pro sports in a virus environment. https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/04/10/sports-arent-coming-back-soon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Good to see that Tim Graham has taken the baton from Bucky/Sully and will try to drive the best thing that's happened to Buffalo in my lifetime out of town. Aholes. He was drumming up anonymous workers to B word for an upcoming article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 On 4/13/2020 at 9:59 PM, njbuff said: There is no better playoff rivalry in NHL history than what Colorado and Detroit provided from 1996-2008. The series record is 3-3 all time and it provided some of the nastiest fun hockey you will ever watch. During this time of being stuck at home I have caught up on watching the history of this rivalry and it was the best pressure hockey you will ever see. What have you been watching? That was some fantastic hockey. I really hope they do a 30 for 30 on the Detroit-Colorado rivalry someday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 7 hours ago, bbb said: Good to see that Tim Graham has taken the baton from Bucky/Sully and will try to drive the best thing that's happened to Buffalo in my lifetime out of town. Aholes. He was drumming up anonymous workers to B word for an upcoming article. Terry Pegula is a self-made billionaire who worked his way up and built his own business. He made a stupendous amount of money in the energy sector, and then started diversifying into the sports and hospitality business. It doesn't matter how benevolent of a boss you are. When you are forced to retrench by severely cutting your staff and employees in order to deal with an unexpected calamity you make tough, heart wrenching decisions in order to survive for the present to exist for the future. The Pegulas shouldn't be surprised that some of those workers who are affected by the cuts will be resentful. Their negative responses certainly are understandable. Their lives are upended in a time of few options. When you are the boss and have to make tough decisions the negative blowback goes with the territory. You can be the smartest business people in the world. When you don't have any options other than what you are doing then you do what you have to do. It's tough a tough time for everyone. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 8 hours ago, bbb said: Good to see that Tim Graham has taken the baton from Bucky/Sully and will try to drive the best thing that's happened to Buffalo in my lifetime out of town. Aholes. He was drumming up anonymous workers to B word for an upcoming article. I'm certainly no defender of Timmy, but there's a distinct stench eminating from the Sabres management suite over the past two years. I think its a legit question as to whether Kim has the management chops to run an organization the size and complexity of PSE. With each passing month, I'm becoming more suspect of that proposition... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 2 hours ago, BillsPride12 said: What have you been watching? That was some fantastic hockey. I really hope they do a 30 for 30 on the Detroit-Colorado rivalry someday YouTube. I was trying to get some old Devils games, but couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I watched almost all the old Detroit-Colorado rivalry during that same timeframe (1995-2008). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 49 minutes ago, Lurker said: I'm certainly no defender of Timmy, but there's a distinct stench eminating from the Sabres management suite over the past two years. I think its a legit question as to whether Kim has the management chops to run an organization the size and complexity of PSE. With each passing month, I'm becoming more suspect of that proposition... The associated businesses she is involved in is facing an economic freefall brought on by a once in a century health calamity that most sectors of the national and world economy are now being overwhelmed by. The energy sector, the hospitality sector, the airline sector, the real estate sector, the entertainment sector, the technology sector, the travel sector, the tourist sector etc are all being strangled. What she is doing as the head of a multi-faceted organization in retrenching due to shut downs and resulting dramatic drop in customers is the same thing the business leaders are doing in the other hard hit sectors. What else do you expect her to do? If you have some suggestions I would be interested to know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 1 hour ago, Lurker said: there's a distinct stench eminating from the Sabres management suite over the past two years. Can you be a little more concrete? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Attached is a WGR 18 min. link with Chris Peters a ESPN draft analyst. He talks about the prospects in this draft and the prospects in the Sabres' system. He felt that where the Sabres are drafting they should come away with a good prospect. Although that prospect will not be immediately NHL ready. He commented that Cozens going back to the juniors last year enhanced his development. He felt that Cozens will be with the Sabres next season, assuming there is a season. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/04-15-espns-chris-peters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 1 hour ago, JohnC said: What else do you expect her to do? If you have some suggestions I would be interested to know. Step one: Turn the organization over to professional management. Amateur hour isn't working. This goes well beyond the current Covid-19 issue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 1 hour ago, Lurker said: Step one: Turn the organization over to professional management. Amateur hour isn't working. This goes well beyond the current Covid-19 issue... The Pegulas own the business. They have plenty of professional staff to run the operation. They run it as they see fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 1 minute ago, JohnC said: They run it as they see fit. That's the problem. They're not particularly fit for the pro sports business... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 On 4/14/2020 at 10:53 AM, JohnC said: Why would anyone be unhappy with Jack? He not only is the best and most important player on the team but he has demonstrated that he already is in the elite strata of players in the league. He and Dahlin are the type of special talents and untouchables that you build around----not shed for a collection of good players. If you want to talk about a trade or trades then it would be more realistic to talk about what would be a fair return for a high first round pick, or the return for players such as Risto, Montour or even Reinhart. It was widely reported that the GM was willing to trade Risto in the offseason and in-season. Supposedly he was not satisfied with the return. If that is the case then a good question to discuss is what would be the return if the package included Risto and a first round pick? Or maybe he is unhappy being a Sabre? Just remember, if Wayne Gretzky could get traded, then anyone can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 8 minutes ago, njbuff said: Or maybe he is unhappy being a Sabre? Just remember, if Wayne Gretzky could get traded, then anyone can. He is not unhappy being a Sabre. The captain is certainly disappointed at how the team has performed but as the captain he is fully invested in the team. Wayne Gretzky got traded because of financial considerations. It was a different situation altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 1 minute ago, JohnC said: He is not unhappy being a Sabre. The captain is certainly disappointed at how the team has performed but as the captain he is fully invested in the team. Wayne Gretzky got traded because of financial considerations. It was a different situation altogether. I realize Pocklington was a mess, but you find a way to keep the greatest team's sports player ever on your team. It really started with Paul Coffey though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 4 minutes ago, njbuff said: I realize Pocklington was a mess, but you find a way to keep the greatest team's sports player ever on your team. It really started with Paul Coffey though. Messier also departed. My point is that for a lot of these high profile departures the underlying cause was due to financial considerations. The Jack situation is completely different. As the captain he is invested in the team and is very happy with the coach he is playing for. Although he has understandably expressed his frustration at how the team has performed he has never indicated a desire to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Attached is a 17 min WGR segment with Nathatn Paetsch , a player and coach in Rochester. If you skip to the 15 minute point he talks about Mittelstadt and his play. He made some positive comments about him. When Biron asked if he would be with Buffalo next year he was at first reluctant to answer (which is understandable given his role in the organization) but did state that if he put in the work in the offseason that he could. He also made some positive comments about Borgen. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/04-17-amerks-defenseman-nathan-paetsch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 The Gretzky trade had a bunch of factors, none of which exist with the Sabres/Eichel situation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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