I don't really care about losing Drury or Briere

[THATHURMANATOR]

I think if this were about 5 years ago I would have been right there with you all Freaking out and predicting doom. I just can't get like that anymore. I really don't care. The team will be fine.

[Crisis]

I'm exactly the same way.

The only thing that bugs me is where they went.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I'm exactly the same way.

The only thing that bugs me is where they went.
I don't even care about that.

[BlackMetalNinja]

I'm going to call you Apathetic Thurm from now on :up:

[OpIv37]

if you really think the team will be fine after losing both their captains, you're insane.

[Typ0]

I could see them leaving and it doesn't bother me so much either...but the way it was handled does bother me and now I'm worried that Vanek is out there making phone calls trying to get out of town.

[RockStar36]

Not to sound bitter or anything but I really hope Briere fails in Philly and they continue to blow like last year.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Define fine.... They will absolutly make the playoffs this year. That is a guarantee.

Why cry like *****es? It just looks bad.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Not to sound bitter or anything but I really hope Briere fails in Philly and they continue to blow like last year.
Honestly I am not really all that mad at little Danny. The sabres obviously didn't want him at all and he got a great contract in Philly. How can you blame him. The flyers having Briere and Biron are making it harder for me to be mad.

For some reason I am really rooting much harder for Drury to fail. It seems like he was much less responsive to re signing here.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I could see them leaving and it doesn't bother me so much either...but the way it was handled does bother me and now I'm worried that Vanek is out there making phone calls trying to get out of town.
See this is where I feel people are too naive. Whoever offers these guys the most money is where they are going to go. They could care less if there was no one left or if they were going to the worst team in the league. If someone offers Vanek a big deal and we match it he stays. It is that simple.

[BlackMetalNinja]

if you really think the team will be fine after losing both their captains, you're insane.

If anybody really thought you wouldn't see this in the worst terms possible, they'd be insane...

[THATHURMANATOR]

If anybody really thought you wouldn't see this in the worst terms possible, they'd be insane...
I guess I can't blame him for being upset but why bother.

[Typ0]

See this is where I feel people are too naive. Whoever offers these guys the most money is where they are going to go. They could care less if there was no one left or if they were going to the worst team in the league. If someone offers Vanek a big deal and we match it he stays. It is that simple.

it's not that simple thurm. In the sports business you are dealing with people with huge egos. You want them to have huge egos. Once a professional sports player becomes a veteran you have to treat them with a great deal of respect or else every single player in the league knows and doesn't trust you. That is where our team is at...the players aren't going to trust them. So when DB comes out in public and says the sabres ***** slapped him every player in the league heard that...and these guys are like a coallition how they stick together. There is no way this bodes well for our current locker room and it was all semantics in the way it was handled that would have changed that. It just adds resonance to the situation with PECA yet again...with Peca saying he deserved the $$$ for all the players in the league and Darcy yelling about how he's not going to be held hostage by a player and he's taking one for the league. Well guess what...when it comes right down to it it's the players that make the league work and this kind of stuff sure makes bflo look like a **** hole.

[OpIv37]

If anybody really thought you wouldn't see this in the worst terms possible, they'd be insane...

you know, obviously we weren't happy with the way things went in the playoffs, but I think we just threw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater- this team was 5 wins from the Cup in 2006 and 7 wins from the Cup this year- there is no need to tear down and start over. But that's what's happening.

I just don't know how anyone can justify the way this went down.

[BlackMetalNinja]

I guess I can't blame him for being upset but why bother.

Yes, I just don't understand those that are directing their anger at Drury or Briere themselves, and those that are acting like it's some sort of huge surprise that we didn't sign either of them. It became more and more apparant that this is how it was going to go down for the past few weeks.

Oh well, done and over now, gotta move on whether you like it or not.

[OpIv37]

Define fine.... They will absolutly make the playoffs this year. That is a guarantee.

Why cry like *****es? It just looks bad.

Not good enough.

We made it to the conference finals two years in a row- we should be looking for the missing piece to get us over that final hurdle and get a championship. Instead we're starting over.

**** that.

[BlackMetalNinja]

you know, obviously we weren't happy with the way things went in the playoffs, but I think we just threw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater- this team was 5 wins from the Cup in 2006 and 7 wins from the Cup this year- there is no need to tear down and start over. But that's what's happening.

I just don't know how anyone can justify the way this went down.

I can agree with that... I like everybody else would have loved for these guys to have been resigned awhile ago. I completely disagree with the Sabres approach of not negotiating during the season, but what's done is done. It's the same thing I tell you in the Bills forum. I'm not happy about it, but I'm not going to dwell on it, because for me, that would take the fun out of sports. I have to accept that certain things are out of my control no matter how much they may displease me.

[Typ0]

I guess what I'm saying is this is just further indication that things we've suspected for years are actually true...being outsiders we never really know what's going on inside. We can only go on the indicators and the indicators keep piling up that we aren't a player friendly team. It's a good thing we know how to get young talent or we'd have nothing.

[BlackMetalNinja]

Not good enough.

We made it to the conference finals two years in a row- we should be looking for the missing piece to get us over that final hurdle and get a championship. Instead we're starting over.

**** that.

Alright, fine, but under this theory, we resigned both guys, plus Vanek, thus spending a ton of money in the process... how are we going to get that extra piece with no cash? We also likely would have lost some other of our current pieces in the process if we had to pay as much as Briere, Drury, and Vanek were likely to make.... and that's even with having signed them in advance for perhaps slightly less than what we ultimately got.

[Typ0]

Alright, fine, but under this theory, we resigned both guys, plus Vanek, thus spending a ton of money in the process... how are we going to get that extra piece with no cash? We also likely would have lost some other of our current pieces in the process if we had to pay as much as Briere, Drury, and Vanek were likely to make.... and that's even with having signed them in advance for perhaps slightly less than what we ultimately got.

or worse...what would we be doing in three years if we had those contracts and several young and up and commers?

[BlackMetalNinja]

or worse...what would we be doing in three years if we had those contracts and several young and up and commers?

Well I've made that argument several times over already, but only about 3 people here seem to agree with me at all on it.

[THATHURMANATOR]

If we signed Drury and Briere we would have had 0 cash for Vanek and Roy. And think about when Campbell, and Miller are up. Tough to keep them all. Why not keep the younger guys?

[OpIv37]

Alright, fine, but under this theory, we resigned both guys, plus Vanek, thus spending a ton of money in the process... how are we going to get that extra piece with no cash? We also likely would have lost some other of our current pieces in the process if we had to pay as much as Briere, Drury, and Vanek were likely to make.... and that's even with having signed them in advance for perhaps slightly less than what we ultimately got.

The Rangers found a way to afford Gomez and Drury. Even if we had kept one of them, we could have bumped a few guys up, accepted a weaker 4th line and still been able to add some size and grit to the D.

[OpIv37]

If we signed Drury and Briere we would have had 0 cash for Vanek and Roy. And think about when Campbell, and Miller are up. Tough to keep them all. Why not keep the younger guys?

Vanek- I agree.

Roy- I'd rather have Drury or Briere.

[Typ0]

If we signed Drury and Briere we would have had 0 cash for Vanek and Roy. And think about when Campbell, and Miller are up. Tough to keep them all. Why not keep the younger guys?


ok...so you go in a different direction. That can be done without dissing Drury and Briere though.

[Typ0]

and they decided to go in a different direction months and months ago...and they aren't even decent enough to make a statement to the fans when these players leave.

[BlackMetalNinja]

The Rangers found a way to afford Gomez and Drury. Even if we had kept one of them, we could have bumped a few guys up, accepted a weaker 4th line and still been able to add some size and grit to the D.
One of our "keys to success" was our ability to roll 4 very good lines consistantly... under your plan, we'd be relying very heavily on 2 lines. And we could not have been able to "add some more size and grit to the D", we'd have had no money left.

We'd have been looking at the same team, minus a few role players, and we'd be in jeopardy when it comes to signing very important parts over the next 2 years...

[THATHURMANATOR]

Vanek- I agree.

Roy- I'd rather have Drury or Briere.
Yes

For the short term of course but Roy is only what 24 and at this point in his career has accomplished as much as Briere at the same age.

[THATHURMANATOR]

and they decided to go in a different direction months and months ago...and they aren't even decent enough to make a statement to the fans when these players leave.
What team would do that? This isnt dreamland.

[OpIv37]

One of our "keys to success" was our ability to roll 4 very good lines consistantly... under your plan, we'd be relying very heavily on 2 lines. And we could not have been able to "add some more size and grit to the D", we'd have had no money left.

We'd have been looking at the same team, minus a few role players, and we'd be in jeopardy when it comes to signing very important parts over the next 2 years...

ok, so you're saying we relied heavily on 4 lines- well now we're down our top 2 centers. So we need at least two more to have 4 solid lines again- where the hell are we going to get them?

Also, the 4 line strategy kinda broke down in the playoffs so it may not be the way to go. Ottawa beat us and they certainly don't have 4 solid lines. The Rangers gave us a hell of a fight and they don't have 4 solid lines either.

[Typ0]

What team would do that? This isnt dreamland.

they will say something today or tomorrow...they should have been ready yesterday.

[Typ0]

I"m not looking for the same hokey feel good crap mikey is either thrurm...If you know you aren't going to get it done at the numbers the players are going to get then tell the players as soon as you know that don't string them along...and tell the fans the truth too.

[BlackMetalNinja]

ok, so you're saying we relied heavily on 4 lines- well now we're down our top 2 centers. So we need at least two more to have 4 solid lines again- where the hell are we going to get them?

Also, the 4 line strategy kinda broke down in the playoffs so it may not be the way to go. Ottawa beat us and they certainly don't have 4 solid lines. The Rangers gave us a hell of a fight and they don't have 4 solid lines either.

Well you're right, Ottawa and the Rangers each had one incredibly good line that did 90% of their damage. I guess my main point is even had we resigned them both, we'd have lost a little something elsewhere (granted that's not as damaging), and we'd have no money left to get anybody else or to resign our guys the next few years. So how does THAT make us any better then what we've been either?

[BlackMetalNinja]

they will say something today or tomorrow...they should have been ready yesterday.
Press conference is scheduled for today I believe...

[Typ0]

Well you're right, Ottawa and the Rangers each had one incredibly good line that did 90% of their damage. I guess my main point is even had we resigned them both, we'd have lost a little something elsewhere (granted that's not as damaging), and we'd have no money left to get anybody else or to resign our guys the next few years. So how does THAT make us any better then what we've been either?

we couldn't afford the numbers these players garnered it would have destroyed the health of our farm organization. It looks to me like we knew that months ago so why ***** slap the players with low ball offers after not even talking to them until the last minute? What point did that make?

[Typ0]

Press conference is scheduled for today I believe...

how does the saying go? A day late and a dollar short I believe.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I"m not looking for the same hokey feel good crap mikey is either thrurm...If you know you aren't going to get it done at the numbers the players are going to get then tell the players as soon as you know that don't string them along...and tell the fans the truth too.
Sure that would be nice but what is the difference? How would that change anything?

[THATHURMANATOR]

how does the saying go? A day late and a dollar short I believe.
I think we were a lot more than a dollar short!!! LOL