12 Questions For Christmas - #6

Regehr, Ehrhoff, Myers, and Sekera all were either just acquired and/or signed new deals within the past year and Leopold is pretty critical to the defense when healthy. Therefore I can’t see any of them being moved unless it’s for the right player. That leaves Weber and Grags or the guys in Rochester as the most likely to be packaged with someone in a trade. For some reason I don’t expect to see anyone moved by the end of the season. Next off-season, however, I would expect changes, depending upon how the team finishes the year.

I still can’t believe we managed to find a team that wanted Chris Butler. Not that he’s completely horrible, just not very good.

is that most of them are the same type of player; a puck moving offensive d-man. I’ve been saying that since the beginning of the season. Regehr and Weber are pretty much our only defense first defensemen. Having puck movers is great but having too many at the expense of not really covering the d-end soundly enough isn’t doing us any favors. I think we need a lot more size and play-making passing up front. Therefore I can see one or more of our d men not being here much longer. I think it could be Grags or Sekera that goes and that they’ll be included in a package with one of our numerous little men; most likely Gerbe or Ennis. Unfortunately b/c of the poor defense Buffalo is showing and the constant injuries to these 2 lil’ guys I don’t think Buffalo will be in the drivers’ seat when the trade comes. I think we’ll have to settle for a best available offer instead of demanding a really great trade that immediately upgrades our forward corps.

I don’t think Sabres mgmt. had any idea how much the team would miss Tallinder and Lyuman once they were gone.

I think management feels they have a Cup contender in the team that takes to the ice each game. Of course, we fans know better, but we don’t matter to the players and management likes to keep its head in the sand.

In an ideal world with a wheeler dealter GM, there would be many changes to the roster.
Some of the posible trades could involve Myers, Sekera, Ennis, Boyes (he would be a hard sell, though), Roy, Enroth, Stafford and Kaleta. I’d give them all up for a first-line center. We have a plethora a good players in the pipeline; there is no good reason we have to continue with the same underperforming players year after year waiting for them to develop.

All I want for X- MAS is to see Miller traded and FIRE RUFF AND RIEGER and bring BACK NOLAN

There are so many people currently clamoring for Ruff’s head now, as if terminating him is going to be the key to hockey “Valhalla”. For those, please check on the last 10 games or so regarding teams that have fired their HC…the records indicate that they are doing about the same as prior to terminating the HC. Firing Ruff offers a simplistic solution to what is a very complex problem. Also, for those saying that the current injuries are an “excuse”…it’s not an excuse, it’s a reality that has to be considered when overall performance is assessed.
Many people think that Pegula is a blind “homer” who just happens to have money. I disagree. In many ways, running a hockey business is no different than running a natural gas drilling business. They are both “businesses”. Performances in both are assessed, non-achievers are terminated, etc. There will be an accounting at season’s end, and anyone perceived as an impediment will be dealt with in one way or another
Just my thoughts, disagree if you must.

Can anyone tell me the last time a team traded away some good young players & prospects for a veteran, and it landed them the Stanley Cup? Then continued to provide returns year after year?

Teams win or lose with their core. And I can’t see the Sabres landing any forward that would immediately become part of that core.

Keep MAGs, he’ll get better.