Would you do it? Would Columbus do it? Would/could the Sabres do it? What, if not just Vanek, would it take to pry Nash away from the Blue Jackets? Does Darcy have the stones to make a deal like this, one that would be one of the biggest deals in recent memory. Star for a star? Curious as to what everyone thinks.

I think this is at least an intriguing idea, to say the least. I am not sure if Nash could be had straight up for Vanek, or what more besides Van the Man it would take to obtain his services, but what a different dimension it would add to this team! 

If you really sit and think about this deal, perhaps with another piece going back to Columbus, it really isn't all that far fetched. Columbus may be looking for a change there, as they have only made the playoffs once in their history. 

Try and be kind with your words. I don't get offended or insulted, I get even.

This team is lacking in so many areas. No legit #1 center. No legit PP quarterback. Major character flaws. A defense that cannot, for the life of it, get out of it's own way. The whole culture needs to change. I am proposing a major shakeup that would rock this franchise to it's foundation. I say, trade Ryan Miller.

Without going into specifics as far as who we would get in return, because that's for the GM's to handle, I have a plan.

Sign Ilya Bryzgalov on July 1st. I am not going to list his statistics here (I am sure Ubiquitous will handle all of that legwork for me) but, trust me, I have looked over his stats, year to year. The cat can flat out PLAY GOAL, and he's cool under pressure. If he hasn't been, he should have been the Coyotes' MVP for 4 years running. This allows us to move our most valuable asset, Ryan Miller.

Trade Miller, to whomever, for that #1 center (plus whatever else we can get our hands on) we've been lacking. You guys are all smart enough. Look over all of the teams, and their rosters, and figure out who would line up for Ryan's services, and what we'd be getting in return. I have always believed that you deal from a position of strength and, let's face it, Buffalo hasn't really had a deep enough roster these past 4 years or so, that we could trade anything of significance and absorb that kind of hit. 

Sign Bryzgalov, and all of the sudden you ARE dealing from a position of strength. Teams may think they have us over a barrel beacuse we'd have 2 number 1 goalies now, but that could be further from the truth. Why? Because there are teams out there that would kill to get a hold of Miller, and there would/should be a bidding war. These teams wouldn't want to let this chance of getting a hold of Miller slip away, so they would be falling over each other to make us the best offer.

What do you think?

Let me start by saying that I believe I am the biggest Sabres fan there is. I have not missed a Sabres game, in person or on TV, in probably 15 years. I work in an industry that runs 24/7, and have worked every god forsaken shift known to man, and still found a way to watch every single game (thank you VHS and DVR). I have grown up cheering for the likes of Sabre stars such as Gil Perreault, Danny Gare, Mike Foligno, Tom Barrasso, Christian Ruuttu and Dominik Hasek, through some forgotten Sabre gems like John VanBoxmeer, Paul Cyr, Hannu Virta, John Tucker and Dave Snuggerud, right on through Drury/Briere and so on. I am/have been with them thru thick and thin, good/bad or otherwise for over 30 years. Hockey is the greatest game on earth, and I eat, drink and crap Blue and Gold. I am justifying my love for this team because I will no doubt be questioned on it after you read what I have on my mind.

This organization, as it stands right now, is a laughing stock, stinks to high hell, and should be embarrassed by the product they put out on the ice and the apathy they have off it. The last straw for me was the laugher on Long Island on Saturday. They were beaten by a glorified AHL team with an injury prone goaltender who gives out rebounds like hookers give out STD's. They were outworked by players who wouldn't be in the lineup on any other team in the league.  

Is this essentially the same team that won their division last year, and emerged as a number 3 seed? On paper, yes. Take away Lydman and Tallinder and add Leopold, Morrisonn and Weber and it's a wash. Really, this defense should be BETTER, not worse. They are THE worst team in their own end I have seen in a long time. What ever happened to the simple play of chipping it out off the glass? Instead, they ALL think they're going to skate it out, reverse the play or make some ridiculous pass through 8 sets of skates that even Maxim A-force-the-pass-ov wouldn't have attempted. The D-men all look like they've never played the position before, and the forwards don't come back and help. Is Ruff telling them not to chip it out because he thinks they're going to be this big, bad Detroit Red Wing, puck possession type of team? Ruff should compare Detroit's roster with ours, and re-evaluate his style of play, because it ain't even close. The passing on this team is atrocious. They are consistently outworked and outhustled. Some of these guys play scared (Hecht!). The power play is a joke and I can't begin to wonder why Brian McCutcheon still has a job.

If you don't have the personnel to play a certain style, then you better find another style. (I am talking to you too, Chan Gailey!)

Don't think Mr. Regier is getting away with out blame. He is the one who: gave out some of these ridiculous contracts like Connolly $4.5/per, Pominville $5.3/per, Gaustad $2.3/per and Hecht $3.5/per, traded for a washed up defacto captain in Rivet, who skates like he's in quicksand, and in fact it was his career that was sinking when we traded 2 draft picks for him, and gives Lindy 2 lines of soft, lazy, heartless and uninspired "scoring" forwards, and 2 lines of slow, talentless plumbers. Now, don't get me wrong. We DO have some players (and plumbers) that are keepers (Miller-hung out to dry this year, Myers-he'll be fine, Vanek-not his fault he has that contract, Roy-we miss you more than you know, Leopold-great pickup, Weber-meet the new Rhett Warrener, McCormick-works his ass off, Ennis-starting to play smarter, Stafford-it's about time, Montador-deserves a contract extension, and Kaleta-if he could stay healthy). But we also have some players (Tin Man Connolly, Gaustiff, Butler, Grier, Gerbe, Niedermayer and Pominville) that need to go. Somewhere. Anywhere. Darcy's inability/refusal to pull the trigger on a deal, ANY deal, to shake awake the half year slumber this team is in, is maddening. Dude, "hello, is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me..." Sometimes a trade for the sake of a trade is a GOOD thing. I'll trade you my overpayed slacker for yours, and maybe, just maybe, a change of scenery for both these players is just what the doctor ordered. At the very least, it jolts awake the rest of these lazy bastards from their zombie-like existence, and they start playing hockey like MEN. I am so damn sick of hearing the bullshit lip service, verbal diarrhea that spews from their mouths after every game they are outworked in. "Oh, we have to stop giving points away", "Oh, we can't keep letting these games get away", "Oh, we have to do this, or that, or who, what, where, when, blah, blah, blah-bitty-blah!!!!!" Well, guess what? DO IT THEN!!! DO WHAT YOU KEEP SAYING YOU HAVE TO DO, or shut the hell up. This team is a bunch of walking, talking cliches. 

Larry Quinn is almost a memory, thank the Lord, so I won't waste any more space on that douche.

This season is all but finished and they are on the fast track to a top 5 pick. Maybe it's what we need. Who knows. One thing I do know is that come July 1st, the management (whoever that may be) will have $25 million to spend. Let's hope the next GM doesn't mismanage the owner's funds like the current (mis)management team has. And let's hope by getting Regier and Quinn outta here, that free agents will actually want to play here.

I will still watch the games. I will ALWAYS pull for the team/organization, because I know one of these groups of players, one of these years, will bring us a Cup. I just cannot LIKE the current state of this hockey club as a whole. Let's hope the new ownership lives up to the hype, and brings us back to the top... 

...so I can say "good riddance to the 2010-11 Buffalo Sabres". 

The Sabres have been better lately. Much better. The team I envisioned before the season began, in fact. I, however, was very disappointed in the choice Darcy, Lindy and Ryan made for their backup goaltender. There were some quality guys out there, and instead they brought back Mr. Lalime. Was it at Miller's insistence? Was it because Patty came at the right price? Was it because he is the ultimate cheerleader? Well, I know one thing.

IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF HIS SKILLS TO KEEP PUCKS OUT OF HIS OWN NET.

I've been told not to get caught up in numbers, because numbers don't tell the whole story.

Tough s#)t. Here are the numbers.

Lalime is 9-25-0-5, or basically 9-30, as a Sabre. He has given the Sabres 23 out of a possible 78 points. Translate that over a whole season, and that would be in the bottom 3 point totals in team history. 

Now I realize you can't pin every loss on Patty, but a backup goaltender has got to give his team a chance to win 50% of the time. If Lalime was 19-20 as a Sabre, I would be very happy with that. 5 more wins last season would have given the team 50 wins and 110 points. Now, we all know what they did in the playoffs, but 110 points would have given them 2nd place in the conference. And a different 1st round opponent. Yes, that would have been the Flyers, but things could have been different. They have had playoff dominance over Philly lately, so who knows? We'll never know.

Yes, last night he "only" gave up 2 goals. Well, he should have only given up ONE! The way that 2nd goal came about has been a theme with this guy since he got here. He has no control of himself or the puck when he is in the net. He flops around too much. His anticipation of the play is almost non existent. He seems to be a step behind, or a second too late way too often. He gives up that "deflating" goal much too often, and I could probably count on one hand the times he made that one ridiculous save that gave Buffalo a favorable momentum turn.

I don't care how good a guy he is. I am sure he's the nicest guy you'll ever want to meet. I don't care. I'm sure Jhonas Enroth is a great guy too. Marty Biron is a great guy. I'd imagine Johan Hedberg is a swell SOB, as well. I want my back up goalie to STOP the damn puck. Just like I want my $7 million a year "sniper" to shoot it. (And he IS, finally).

I think the Patrick Lalime era needs to come to an end. If Miller is going to be battling his knee injury for any length of time this year, and his being on the sidelines again could be an indication of that, then the reigns need to be given to Enroth. Even if Miller declares himself ok to go, Lindy should scale his playing time back a bit. Let the kid play. Either that, or Darcy needs to go get himself another Mikael Tellqvist. 

One way or another, I have ZERO confidence when #40 mans the pipes. I wonder how his teammates feel.

How do you feel?

This is not the season I envisioned for the Buffalo Sabres. While I felt they didn't have a Stanley cup caliber team, I didn't expect THIS. Horrific play in their own end, uninspired performances by some of their "core" and uneven, distracted goaltending from the reigning Vezina winner have led us to this. A 3-7-2 start, which actually looks better on paper from what it REALLY is: 3-9, and in the basement.

So, with this in mind, where DO we go from here?

1) Is a shake up trade in order? Well, if any of you have read posts from me before, you know I am not enamored with some of the personnel on this "team". The goaltenders are not going to change, so we won't even go there. Instead let's start with the keystone cops, otherwise known as our defense.

JORDAN LEOPOLD, TYLER MYERS, STEVE MONTADOR and SHAONE MORRISONN aren't going anywhere any time soon. The only reason I put Montador on this list is because he has been arguably our best rounded defenseman thus far. He is in the last year of his contract, and I wouldn't be shocked if he is kept around for a few more years.

ANDREJ SEKERA has been good at times, and has also looked like the Sekera we all know and hate. He is prime trade bait, because he has the talent to get it done, but CAN he on a consistent basis?

CHRIS BUTLER is a guy that when he's confident, he's a steady, simple defenseman, and there's nothing wrong with that. He has decent size, and I would love to see him be more physical, but he can get it done. Another piece of trade bait.

MIKE WEBER is a guy that I put in the Rhett Warrener type mold, and a guy I personally wouldn't move anywhere. Except into the lineup. He skates well enough, is very physical, but can make that one bonehead mistake that ends up in his own net. But his pluses outweigh any minuses for me. Too new and unproven to consider trading at this point, IMO.

That brings us to the captain (at least on paper), CRAIG RIVET. Is Ruff trying to push him into retirement? Is he going to strip the captaincy away from him? Can this guy even play at the NHL level anymore? One thing I do know. The guy can't skate anymore and he has a bum shoulder. He is a warrior, but warriors have to retire at some point too. Either that or they get killed. I wish he would just ride off into the sunset and save some dignity. He is definite trade bait, but only at the deadline for a team looking for a veteran that they hope has enough gas left in the tank to help push them into the playoffs. Of course, that team could be us, so he may not go anywhere. There is also the scenario that a continued benching leaves him demanding a trade outta here. Maybe that's what Lindy and Darcy ultimately have up their sleeves.

That brings us to the disjointed offensive ranks.

There is no one that is untouchable on this offense, as far as I'm concerned. You want to package VANEK, HECHT and a 1st for a Bobby Ryan or a Dustin Brown? I'm in. How about CONNOLLY for a used zamboni? JK. Or am I? The only players of any value on the offense are probably VANEK, ROY, POMINVILLE, ENNIS and, packaged with the right ingredients, HECHT, GAUSTAD or STAFFORD. At this point I'm not above trading any of these guys, at the very least to wake this team up. These players have to be shown, one way or another, that none of them is untouchable. They're too comfortable and I think some of them think it's still 2005 or 2006, when they were on top of the hockey world. Wake up boys! You're only as good as your last game, or last 12 games, for that matter.

2) Is a coaching change in order?

LINDY RUFF didn't just become a bad coach overnight. Do I agree with the ridiculous lines he puts out there sometimes? No. Should CODY MCCORMICK being playing anywhere except the 4th line? No. He is not the next Cam Neely. He gives 100%, every game. I will not deny him that. But the kid should not be playing with skill players. I understand why RUFF puts him, a kid with size and physicality, with the soft, heartless players like CONNOLLY and HECHT. Maybe he's hoping that MCCORMICK's work ethic rubs off. Well, not so far.

Lindy has shown that he is a good playoff coach and his regular season record is nothing to sneeze at either. It has been suggested that his message has grown stale. Guess what? If multi-million dollar athletes need to be motivated, then there's something wrong with the athletes, not the coach. The paycheck should be motivation enough. But, coaches have been fired since the dawn of time and if that's the message upper management wants to send, then they have what seems to be a great replacement in KEVIN DINEEN, who I absolutey loved as a player. But, I have my suspicions that as long as DARCY's the GM (and I'm not sure how I feel about that, either), that LINDY's not going anywhere.

3) Do we keep benching players, such as our captain?

Hell to the yeah we do. RIVET's benching should have sent a message. Did it? Well, they lost 2 in a row, so the message may have been sent, but was it received? Perhaps TYLER MYERS should be shown a seat for a game. Perhaps JORDAN LEOPOLD or JOCHEN HECHT should be watching the next game or 2 from the press box. Maybe the whiz-kid, TYLER (Afinog)ENNIS should be banished to the sky box, so he realizes that it's not about how many opposing players you STICKHANDLE through.  That perhaps it's not a good thing to give the puck away 14 times a game. Too much was expected of this kid this year, I think. Sit him for a game or 2, let him think about it. About how it's supposed to be a team game, not a damn stickhandling exhibition. Keep benching 'em, LINDY. It's really the only power you have. Take away the ice and take away the ice time.

So, where DO WE go from here? Your thoughts?

Usually I wait to give the team a chance to work out a few kinks. I don't think the problem lies with working out a "few kinks". 

This team is in serious need of an enema...or a heart transplant. Since there seems to be a waiting list for heart transplants, I'll go with flushing out the crap.

This "team" has picked up where it left off last April. Which is playing uninspired, heartless, gutless hockey. Save for a few changes Darcy tried to pass off as "upgrades", this is essentially the same team as last year. And we all know how that ended up.

I am not going to pick on Myers, because he will come around. You don't just turn into a bad hockey player one year into a career. He'll be fine. He's too talented and too smart.

I am not going to pick on Vanek, either. He gets a TON of criticism. On some nights it's warranted, and most nights it's not. If you ever watch that man stand in front of the net, and take beating after beating from some nasty opposing defensemen, then you have to give him some respect. He tries. Hard. And he cares. Alot. And he plays hurt. This goes a long way in my book. Yes, he makes the big bucks. But don't blame him for that. Blame Mr. Regier and Mr. Quinn. Because, as we all know, when "those who shall not be named" left in the summer of '07, the Oilers had the Sabres over a barrel. Darcy and Larry's mis-management and mis-judgement led them to having to accept a ridiculous contract, or risk a lynching down in the plaza. Had they kept Briere, they may have walked from Van the man, and we'd be 4 first rounders richer. Who knows how that would have turned out, but it's out there to ponder.

I will never question Kaleta's heart. His intelligence, yes. But never his heart. He is playing for his hometown team, and would go through a wall to keep his job.

Montador deserves a contract extension now. 'Nuff said.

Roy has been our best skater. And it pains me to say that. 

Stafford makes me look foolish. So far.

Leopold, Morrisonn and Niedermayer (although the latter has shown me NOTHING) are too new, and will get the benefit of the doubt.

So, with all that said, here are my opinions on who needs to be flushed from the system. 

Let's start with the Tin Man, Tim Connolly. Million dollar skills, ten-cent heart. I love this description of him, and I've used it before, because it fits him like a smelly glove. Yes, I know, Timmy has 3 goals or whatever it is, and he's one of our so-called "top 20 centers in the game". LOL. This guy is Miro Satan with better hands, that's all. If he had the heart of, say, Ryan Kesler, he'd be a perennial all star. The Sabres will be better once he is gone next summer. Addition by subtraction. He is soft and he plays scared. Great regular season, point per game player. But only when the rest of the team is playing with any sort of intestinal fortitude, to hide his lack thereof. I cannot wait until this guy is shown the door.

Does Paul Gaustad really warrant his salary? REALLY? If it's faceoffs you want, they should have kept Mike Zigomanis (hey Darcy: oopsy daisy on dropping the ball on that one...I know, I know, it was the "fax machine" ). Overpaid and underproducing. What exactly DOES Paul Gaustad do when he's on the ice? He's too slow to ever hit anybody. He has hands of stone. After he wins his faceoff, he's either on his knees or he's skating to the bench because his "job here is done". That warrants that kind of money??? I think no....Wait. Oh, NOW I know. Every team needs a player with two O's in either his name or, in this case, his nickname! That's so the fans can yell "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE", and we can pretend we have this bad-ass, booty kicker that we all wish he was. YES, PEOPLE, that's sarcasm. He is another example of bad money management by Mr. Regier.

When will the Andrej Sekera experiment end? He has one or two exciting end to end rushes every game, only to pull a "Zhitnik" on us, and give the puck away. He is a liability in his own end and, with skills like he has, SHOULD BE making up for his defensive deficiencies with some "O". But, alas, he's not. Oh well, I guess that's deserving of a million bucks a year, too. 

Can we ever have a friggin' backup goalie we can count on? Patty's a great guy, I know. Good in the dressing room. Yep. Good buddies with Ryan Miller. Right on. He is 9-22-5 as a Sabre. YIKES. That's a great locker combination, not a great record for a professional goaltender. I did not support his resigning, even after the team won their division last year. So don't think I'm picking on him just cuz the Sabres suck thus far. The guy looks like a flounder on the deck of the SS EasyGoal. Totally out of control. But he's a good guy, for sure. I want a DAMN Stanley Cup, not a team of "good guys". 

Nathan Gerbe is the second coming of Jody Gage. Bring up Luke Adam instead.

I love the Sabres, and always will. I have supported this team since I could say the word "hockey", and always will. I currently am one of the unlucky ones being held hostage by the DISH Network/MSG fiasco. To leave DISH and sign up with someone else, I have to pay an early termination fee. I had to sell my beloved $1,000 guitar for PEANUTS in order to pay for this. And you know why? SO I COULD WATCH MY BUFFALO SABRES. THAT'S HOW MUCH I CARE ABOUT THIS TEAM. And that's why I bitch. That's why any of us bitches. We want a championship. In the worst way. 

And the bottom line here is this. They have some good, and they have some GREAT pieces to build around. But they need more heart. They need more players willing to stop pucks with their faces. Willing to finish every check, every time. willing to fight to get to the front of the net for a rebound, for cryin out loud!

IMO, until changes are made with some of the overpaid, gutless dead weight, we will not have a team of championship caliber. Period.

We are on the eve of what should be an exciting day of the year for me. The start of hockey season. I have bled Blue and Gold since I could walk. I live and die with this team every year, every game, every goal and every shift. I have not missed a game, either in person, or on TV, in 15 years. When my son Noah was born, the Sabres were playing the Islanders that night. Guess what, I taped the game, and watched it when I came home from the hospital that night. My wife still doesn't let me live that down. But she understands (now that SHE'S hooked on hockey). Well, I am almost beside myself right now, all because I have DISH network.

Dish's contract with MSG ran out last week, without warning. That means no MSG in my house. I will probably miss my first Sabres game in 15 years tomorrow night, and who knows how many more after that. I am quickly becoming DISH's worst nightmare. I e-mail them at least 5 times a day and connect to their live customer service chat on my computer, and between me and my wife, we are relentless and ruthless. Of course they blame MSG, and vice-versa. You know what? I don't care who they both THINK is at fault because, as far as I'm concerned, they're both just hurting me and about 15 million other Sabres, Devils, Rangers, and Islanders fans. It seems that everything I am doing with regards to badgering Dish and MSG is falling on deaf ears. I actually got HUNG UP ON by a customer service rep today. Two days ago I was blatantly lied to when one customer service rep told me FLAT OUT that MSG would be back on the air by tonight. It seems that the two sides are more worried about who looks better in the public eye, with their commercials, public service announcements and newspaper ads. Frankly, I'm sick of the "he said, she said" pissing match between these two companies. JUST PUT MSG BACK ON THE AIR!

Mike Gilbert of the Sabres recommended that anyone with DISH should switch providers. Would he and the Sabres like to pay my cancellation fee for me??? I've tried watching games on the computer, and it's like watching old 70's TV through my car window while driving through a car wash.

So, while the rest of you with Fios, DirecTV and TWC enjoy the games tomorrow and Saturday, I'll be shut out, along with 15 million others who have DISH network. Thanks for NOTHING, DISH and MSG.

This is going to very long, because I have a lot to say. So, I apologize in advance.

I have to admit, I have a helpless feeling in my stomach when I think about the upcoming season for the Buffalo Sabres. No, they won't suck. They'll make the playoffs. They may even challenge for the division. But they will not win the Stanley Cup. What they have and haven't done this summer pretty much cemented that all up.

I never expected the team to win the division last year, but about 1/2 of the way through the season, I had a feeling that the team was for real. Not "go all the way" type of real, but a feeling that this team could actually do some damage in the playoffs. I fully expected them to beat the Bruins (though I admit that facing Tuukka Rask gave me some nightmares). My best friend, who is a lifelong, die-hard Bruins fan, felt that the Sabres were a better team and that they would handle the Bruins, "no problem". Boy, were we wrong. The shortcomings were obvious. The frustrations were plenty and, once we were put out of our misery by a bigger, grittier, dirtier team who clearly WANTED IT MORE THAN 90% of our players, Mr. Quinn and Mr. Regier, through gritted teeth and bloodshot eyes, said the changes were coming. Boy, did THEY EVER STRETCH THE TRUTH ON THAT. But that's what we get when we're dealing with Larry Quinn. False hope, lies and arrogance.

Yes, they brought in some players that bring with them a ton of leadership, good skating and a lead-by-example work ethic:

A) Rob Niedermayer. A gritty, honest 3rd or 4th line grinder with size who still has some wheels and will kill penalties with the best of them. Rob, who can play both the wing and center, has a cup ring and 109 games of playoff experience, and gives an honest effort every night.

B) Jordan Leopold. A skilled puck mover that will help on the power play and shouldn't hurt the Sabres in their own end. A solid signing. He brings with him 54 games of playoff experience, half of which came on that great run the Flames had in 2004. If Lindy goes for defensive pairings that utilize one puck mover and one stay-at-home type, I would pair him with Rivet or Montador.

C) Shaone (shawn) Morrisonn. Think a tad nastier Jay Mckee. I had this guy pegged before July 1st as a guy who was perfect for what the Sabres needed. While he will NEVER be an offensive threat, he has good wheels, great size at 6'4" and fantastic shot blocking ability. According to Craig Laughlin (Capitals color man), Shaone makes a great first pass and, besides one quick playoff exit in 2008 with the Caps, has never been a minus player in his career. Would be an imposing presence paired with Myers.

BUT, it's the players that are still here, ones Darcy could have traded, that is the major problem I have with this team. It's one thing to bring in players. It's another to not ship any out, or to ship the wrong ones out (Tim Kennedy).

A) Tim Connolly. Darcy Regier recently stated that the Sabres had 2 of the top 20 centers in the league.

I ALMOST DROVE OFF THE FREEWAY.

(Getzlaf,Savard,Krejci,Toews,Stastny,Duchene,Brad Richards,Ribiero,Zetterberg,Datsyuk,Kopitar,Backes,Mikko Koivu,Thornton,Marleau,Pavelski,Sedin,Kesler,Backstrom,Lecavalier,Stamkos,Crosby,Malkin,Jordan Staal,Eric Staal,Mike Richards,Carter,Drury,Gomez,Spezza,Zajak) That's 31, but who's counting. There is room for debate. So maybe the Sabres have 2 of the top 35 centers in the NHL. Well, Darcy never WAS good with numbers, was he? 

It would probably take more pressure off Derek Roy if the Sabres would just go out and get that #1 center that we all know they need (Marc Savard-imagine him setting up Vanek all night long), or at least go out and get a #2 center with skills AND A SET OF STONES (Jordan Staal, David Backes).  But, first you have to BELIEVE that we need a #1 center. All of us fans know that we do, but obviously Darcy has different opinions. Well, he's wrong.

Tim Connolly is not a bad player by any stretch of the imagination. His last four years, he's been almost a point per game player. Over a full, healthy season, he would be a 20 goal, 50 assist guy every year. His puck skills are SICK. He could stickhandle through spaghetti...standing in a phone booth. He has a cannon...when he chooses to shoot the puck, that is. A friend of mine who knows a Sabres employee said that he was told "what you see Tim do on the ice during a game isn't even the half of it!" Yikes!

The problem is, he's not a big game player and, in no way, shape or form is he A WINNER. If I have to have a Derek Roy on this team, then I do not have room for a Tim Connolly. Essentially they are both #2 centermen of the same ilk. Skilled and soft. If our top 2 centers have to be skilled AND SOFT, then I want Marc Savard on this team, not Tim Connolly.

B) Drew Stafford. This guy is the 2nd coming of Michal Grosek. Million dollar size and skills, ten-cent aspirations and drive. Michal Grosek could have been a perennial 25 goal scorer in the league. At 6'2", 216 lbs., Michal was a solid chunk of player, built like a giant V. His shoulders were so wide, he probably entered every doorway sideways. He had good skating ability, underrated puck skills and could drive to the net with the best of 'em. Problem was, he NEVER WANTED to drive to the net. Heck, he never wanted much of anything after his one and only 20 goal season with the Sabres in 1998-99. He came of age during the playoff run of '98, scoring 6 goals, 10 points and adding 28 PIM in 15 games. The following season he popped in 20g, 30a and 102 PIM. He was 24 years old and power forward elite-ness was his for the taking. But he thought it would come easily for him. It didn't. He bounced around the NHL and AHL on 4 teams for parts of 6 more seasons before he was gone... for good. What a waste.

Drew, this is your fate. A total waste, unless you put down the guitar and start playing like the 13th overall pick you were in your draft year.

Is it possible that, with the 13th pick, we overrated Drew? NO. I see the skills that kid has. He has the best puck skills on the team next to Tim Connolly. Some of the things he can do with the puck can bring you out of your seat. His physical game, when it's there, is phenomenal. But, just like Grosek and another waste of size and skill, Ales Kotalik, IT HAS GOT TO BE PRESENT every shift, every game in order for him to be successful. Finish your checks...EVERY TIME. Not when you feel like it. EVERY F-IN TIME! When you finish your checks, you are INVOLVED in the game. And it's when you are involved in the game that you create havoc, and shine, and score and play like the Drew we all know you can be. This is the last year of your contract. You have 2.3 million reasons, and tens of thousands of Sabres fans all over this country, to play like we know and, more importantly, YOU know you can. Or you will just be another in a long line of "could-have-beens" that the Sabres have had in their 40 years. 

 It's not all doom and gloom, though. I love the look of the defense (here's hoping that Weber can make push...and push Butler onto the unemployment line) and we have a future Norris trophy winner in Myers. Ennis is a potential Calder trophy candidate and a much better version of Max Afinogenov. We still have the best goalie in the game, and the Sabres are a bigger, grittier team that should have more accountability on and off the ice.

My point is this. Players were brought in, and I am in agreement with those moves. 75% of the returning players are fine in my book, too. It's the players that are still here that should have been shipped out, that I have issue with. Is it possible that Sabres management believes that the Niedermayers and Morrisonns will help out the Griers, Montadors and Rivets when it comes to motivating the Staffords,Butlers, Sekeras and Connollys? Or does Darcy have one more, pre-training camp move up his sleeve to rid himself, and us, of a few of these overpriced slugs? I can only wish.

Hey, supposedly they're dumping the slug jersey. Why not send a couple of these slugs on skates outta here too!

As always, Go Sabres.