Some blah blah blah as Olympic hockey starts

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again - If you would’ve told me the Sabres would be in the spot they’re in now back in September, I wouldn’t have agreed with you, but would have been pleasantly surprised to say the least.

The question now is - what do they do from here?  Did I read correctly somewhere that Darcy has made a trade at/near the deadline for 11 years in a row now?  I guess that shows he’s working the phones at least.

I’m not even going to try and predict or suggest any trades or roster moves.  For me, it’d be an exercise in futility at best.  Darcy does everything in stealth mode.  I can’t recall one move he made that was predicted by any of the hockey sites out there.  Dude keeps it close to the vest…

Now I can say there are a few players who I wouldn’t mind leaving in a trade, but none would be a surprise to any of you.  They’re all the same guys we bring up all of the time - Roy, Stafford, MacArthur, etc.  

In my mind, there are really only four untouchables in the entire organization - Miller, Myers, Vanek, and Luke Adam.  The first two were obvious.  The third is a guy I’m not giving up on yet, and the fourth might be a bit of surprise to some, but is a kid I think has through the roof potential.

Quick question - how many draft picks do the Sabres have for both the 2010 and 2011 entry drafts?  I know they’re not loaded like Boston is, but I think they have all of their picks, plus a few extra 3rds or 4ths.  Am I correct?  I’m not really sure.

Back to Darcy.  I’ve defended him and the ownership more than I’ve cared to during his tenure.  Hearing “the Sabres are cheap” has chapped me over the years, because I just don’t see it.  But this year, it might be a little different - I may not be willing to put up my dukes for Regier & Co. if they don’t spend a little more.

According to capgeek.com, and from this page here, the Sabres have the ability to pick up a player in the 5 million dollar a year cap hit range.  I’m leaving a little wiggle room there, and not going right up to the 6.3 number.  Also, I don’t know if that number will be the same come March 3rd.

A five million dollar man is exactly what I’m looking for (I don’t want it to be a rental though).  Plenty of teams would love to dump some cap space, and Regier has the resources to make a move.  A player in that salary range should be a decent addition to your organization.  Either way, it’d be a shame if they don’t use that space to get better.  

I heard the following point made by the fellows on the WGR morning show.  They (and sorry for not giving exact props to whomever made the comment) said how much of a difference it means financially to the organization to add home playoff games to the season.  What a great point, and yet so simple.  I’m angry with myself for having forgotten that.

If memory serves me correctly from the last two playoff seasons, each home playoff game added about 1.5 to 2 million dollars to Galisano’s bottom line.  That’s a nice chunk of change for an owner.  That’s all freebie money - players don’t get paid during the playoffs.

So, it’s pretty simple to me.  Spend a little loot.  Just a little more.  It’d only take about one extra playoff game to get the money back, and could even pay off more with any kind of an extended Cup run.

On to some other stuff…

Lindy Ruff might be my favorite coach of all time in Buffalo history, for both the Sabres and the Bills.  Hold your horses there Marv Levy-lovers; I only said “might.”  Anyway, I think the fact that he is on the Canadian coaching staff is a testament to his coaching ability.  If he were ever let go here, it would take him two minutes to get another head coaching job in the NHL.  

Speaking of Ruff, I wonder how much say he’ll have as we approach the trade deadline.  I know the world is a smaller place now, but I also kind of figure he’s pretty busy with that Olympic stuff.  GMs around the league (I assume) are probably in the midst of organization evaluations (i.e. - are they buyers or sellers?).  I wonder if it’s better for Ruff to be surrounded by the world’s greatest talent, or working side by side with Regier.

By the way - that Canadian team is sick.  

Just wondering…how many guys like Vanek are there who aren’t in the Olympics because their country didn’t qualify?  Could you put together a decent team from that list?

Tip of my hat to Brian Burke.  He’s not liked by many, but he’s got all of my respect.  Losing a son like he did a week before running the USA in the Olympics while concurrently running the Leafs - wow.  That’s too much for one guy to handle.  Good luck Mr. Burke.

A segue from the Olympics.  Would the NHL be best served using no touch icing?  I think so.  If you did that, then you could square out the corners more in an NHL rink, and make them a little wider.  I never want to move away from the 6 X 4 nets, but something has to be done about scoring.  I think tweeking the current rinks could help, if done the right way.

Is there another player on this team in more need of a break than Rivet?  He needs a “comeback” after the break, as does Goose.  This is a better team when the two of them are healthy and at full strength.

Am I the only one who thinks it’s dumb to have a total trade moratorium during the Olympics?  What if two teams wanted to make a trade with players that weren’t in Vancouver?  Why should that not be allowed to happen?

What does the NHL have to do to get back on ESPN?

How come Empire was never replaced?  Why isn’t there a local/cable TV channel that covers the Sabres, Bills, and UB exclusively?  I just get the feeling the Sabres would do better if they had their own or shared network, rather than pimping out games via MSG.  

Why is it so hard to make good ice?  

Anyone else think Dominic Moore wishes he would’ve taken that original offer by the Leafs of over two million a year?  He wanted 3 or 4.  I hope he fired his agent…

I’m all for the Portland Pirates moving to Albany.  I’d like to see it go a step further west, and make it back to Rochester.  Buffalo/Rochester is a relationship that never should have ended.

Why is it not okay for Ralph Wilson to sell a home game to Toronto, but it’s okay for Sabre season ticket holders to sell their tickets to Leaf fans for four home games?

How come I really don’t hear of any current Sabre doing some charitable work in the city of Buffalo?  I know Rob Ray and Patty were once in a lifetime people, but is it so much to ask one dude from this squad to really step up and make a difference is some peoples’ lives?  Don’t give me donating tickets or suites either - I want to hear about someone doing face to face people work.

I’d love to see the Sabres bring back Jim Lorenz for a game or two down the stretch.  Make it a three man booth, with Jeanneret and Neale.  The three of them would probably be more entertaining than any game itself.

You really read all of this?  Didn’t think anyone would make it this far…

Peace.  Go Sabres…