The New Nhl

[Riven37]

Well, last nights game was a good game but it had me thinking about the trades up coming this spring, and summer. Now that Shane Doan singed his new $23 MILLION DOLLAR contract with PHOENIX, mke Chris Dury, and Danial Briere smile because these two guys can now ask for $ 7 MILLION each after the season is over, and I know for a feact, these two guys will both be gone next year.

The only way Drury, and Briere can still play for the Sabres if they ask for no raises which we all know that wont happen. This brings me to this New NHL, and how I see it coming to form this year. It appears the days of keeping good caliber players are quickly coming to a close unless you're willing to pay MILLIONS of DOLLARS as did PHOENIX and a few other teams had. What I see is this fewer, and fewer HIGH CALIBER PLAYERS being MADE in the NHL which allows the teams to pay less MILLIONS for those select few like BRIERE, DRURY etc...Personnaly I don't think any man is worth MILLIONS not even in Baseball. It takes good old hard work thinking back on my smmi-pro years to become a good player, and that's in any sport. Remember, an Althlet isn't born he/she is MADE over time. Coming back to my maine point of thought ......Within this NEW NHL is fastly becomin a quick race to LORD STANLEY and that's it....Grabing on to a high caliber player for just one or even two seasons to run that race to Lord Stanley's CUP is what this NEW NHL is becoming about.

YES, be the street coach, and make your thought trades but the Sabres almost made a trade for Marty Biron for Ed Belfour, and Gary Roberts but the CAP held this trade up...THe only MONEY the SABRES HAVE TO play with is Paul Gaustad pay......and that is all.....So, you are now looking at the loss of two high power players, and even more then this.......this season will be Teppo's last season in the NHL. He's goning home to run the family buisness which is making Hockey sticks with his father......Cambell, Vanek, Max, etc...etc...and etc....all will be looking for more money.....REMEMBER this !!!! THE SABRES ARE A VERY,... VERY,.... VERY,.... SMALL MARKET TEAM, and its getting SAMLLER each year.

[colossus27]

his brings me to this New NHL, and how I see it coming to form this year. It appears the days of keeping good caliber players are quickly coming to a close unless you're willing to pay MILLIONS of DOLLARS as did PHOENIX and a few other teams had. What I see is this fewer, and fewer HIGH CALIBER PLAYERS being MADE in the NHL which allows the teams to pay less MILLIONS for those select few like BRIERE, DRURY etc...

Dilution of talent will always be an issue in a league with too many teams. A contraction will help to solve this- Phoenix certainly didn't need a team, for example.

This 'new' NHL had better start getting wise to the fact that specific teams are being hit harder by injuries than other teams. It's not like these guys are injuring themselves. I can't believe that the NHLPA is tolerant of this kind of idiocy- every player in the league loses if revenue (attendance) is down- but then again the league knows, but will never admit, the officiating is usually biased and never better than inconsistent.

[colossus27]

REMEMBER this !!!! THE SABRES ARE A VERY,... VERY,.... VERY,.... SMALL MARKET TEAM, and its getting SAMLLER each year.

Yeah, well, if the Sabres go under or move, every other small market club will be devalued accordingly. Bettman is a total idiot when it comes to running the league, but I don't think he's stupid enough to do that.

The cushy TV contract isn't exactly on the horizon- and with that idiot's stupid rules regarding blackouts and HiDef coverage, the rollout of HiDef isn't gonna help the NHL either. So basically they'll need to deal with the salary issues again.

Any team that folds puts 30-odd NHLPHA members out of work. This will impair the value of each and every player in the league, since supply will then exceed demand. Then there's the saving face issue...how's it gonna look if a 35+ year old team- that's sold out the vast majority of every single home game- goes under?

[FisherRd]

What do the Sabre's injuries have to do with being a small market team? We are at the cap like the big market teams, so "small market" at this point isn't a factor.

Every team has injury problems at one point or another...Ottawa, Rangers, Philly, etc. It has nothing to do with their market size.

[colossus27]

What do the Sabre's injuries have to do with being a small market team? We are at the cap like the big market teams, so "small market" at this point isn't a factor.

Every team has injury problems at one point or another...Ottawa, Rangers, Philly, etc. It has nothing to do with their market size.

I didn't say the two were related.

[FisherRd]

I didn't say the two were related.

I must have misread you. What was your point in reference to "specific" teams being injured? What are you getting at?

[colossus27]

I must have misread you. What was your point in reference to "specific" teams being injured? What are you getting at?

Two teams in the NHL have five or more players on their injured list; Buffalo has five, Chicago has six. Seven have four. As of today, about 38% of the league is missing at least 19% of their roster.

Same old same old, considering playoffs last year. In other words, the same crappy officiating (cough Fraser cough) that we saw in last year's playoffs hasn't changed.

If this was the case in the NFL or MLB, there'd be public riots.

Meanwhile, Buffalo was winning more games when the 'new' officiating was in practice....now that we're back to the same old slugs with red armbands, all of a sudden injuries are a problem.

Might just be my limited perspective, but Buffalo's system is dependent on the league doing their job.

[FisherRd]

Two teams in the NHL have five or more players on their injured list; Buffalo has five, Chicago has six. Seven have four.

Same old same old, considering playoffs last year. In other words, the same crappy officiating (cough Fraser cough) that we saw in last year's playoffs hasn't changed.

Meanwhile, Buffalo was winning more games when the 'new' officiating was in practice....now that we're back to the same old slugs with red armbands, all of a sudden injuries are a problem.

Might just be my limited perspective, but Buffalo's system is dependent on the league doing their job.


The injuries aren't a result of officiating in my opinion. Gaustauds was a fluke, a broken hand from a blocked shot (Spacek), a broken finger (Paille), a concussion from keeping your head down and from the result of a perfectly legal hit (Connely), Kotalik's bum ligament, etc...I can't think of one injury that is due to a cheap shot or poor officiating.
I'd like to say it's because Buffalo has a small but fast team, but even that rings hollow due to Guastaud, Paille, Spacek, Connelly, and Kotalik (I forget who the 6th is) are all our biggest players size wise.

[colossus27]

The injuries aren't a result of officiating in my opinion. Gaustauds was a fluke, a broken hand from a blocked shot (Spacek), a broken finger (Paille), a concussion from keeping your head down and from the result of a perfectly legal hit (Connely), Kotalik's bum ligament, etc...I can't think of one injury that is due to a cheap shot or poor officiating.
I'd like to say it's because Buffalo has a small but fast team, but even that rings hollow due to Guastaud, Paille, Spacek, Connelly, and Kotalik (I forget who the 6th is) are all our biggest players size wise.

Connelly's hit was purely clean- no doubt at all w/that- and while you don't want to wish that sort of thing on somebody, that was a pretty stupid thing for him to have done.

BUT...

I've been to seven games this year. I've seen at least five knee-first checks (a la Samuelsson or Kasparaitis) w/no penalty called either way.

I've seen players boarded/charged from behind, landing headfirst into the boards.

Recall Briere's getting plastered by Ovechkin- he was maybe a foot or so from a vertical- broken spine or career ending concussion was a possibility there. We all know the outcome there.

And think- this is only what we, as Sabres fans, are seeing...

[FisherRd]

The hit on Briere was obscene, I agree. The good news (and we may disagree on this, at least somebody will...) is that the GM's just expanded the instigator rule to 5 instigator penalties before a suspension (up from 3).

I believe that will help some. At least it is a recognition that if you take a goon out of the game the stars are going to get mauled. IMO, in another year or 2 we'll start seeing more Danny Gare type players where they score and fight. Think "talented Adam Mair". Think younger Guerin, younger Tkachuk, "talented Brad May", etc...

To me, that's the end all be all. I love my hockey, and I like a couple of average Joe's duking it out over a real incident. The act of sending 2 goons out that have no real problem with eachother or any real gripe is pretty lame IMO (I still stand up and cheer like everyone else, but it's missing the intensity).

[Riven37]

you all missed the point .... I wasn't talking about injuries...read the post again but read all of it....Its about the market....and the changing of the NHL...



Here's something else...did you know that the NHL commission voted down ( Thrusday in Florida )to give teams a 1 point increase for winning the game...NHL wants points to go from 2 point per win to a 3 point for winning....!!!!....This will help those 1 point wins for the lossing teams....NHL is changing, and there go the sport !!!!

[colossus27]

Here's something else...did you know that the NHL commission voted down ( Thrusday in Florida )to give teams a 1 point increase for winning the game...NHL wants points to go from 2 point per win to a 3 point for winning....!!!!....This will help those 1 point wins for the lossing teams....NHL is changing, and there go the sport !!!!

Given the glacial pace the NHL changes rules, I don't think you've got anything to worry about. Look at how long it took them to get rid of the stupid 2-line pass=offsides rule.

As for the '1 point for a loss' I don't see why a team should get a point for a tie. It was a stupid idea and still is.

[ryanbiggame]

Well, last nights game was a good game but it had me thinking about the trades up coming this spring, and summer. Now that Shane Doan singed his new $23 MILLION DOLLAR contract with PHOENIX, mke Chris Dury, and Danial Briere smile because these two guys can now ask for $ 7 MILLION each after the season is over, and I know for a feact, these two guys will both be gone next year.

The only way Drury, and Briere can still play for the Sabres if they ask for no raises which we all know that wont happen. This brings me to this New NHL, and how I see it coming to form this year. It appears the days of keeping good caliber players are quickly coming to a close unless you're willing to pay MILLIONS of DOLLARS as did PHOENIX and a few other teams had. What I see is this fewer, and fewer HIGH CALIBER PLAYERS being MADE in the NHL which allows the teams to pay less MILLIONS for those select few like BRIERE, DRURY etc...Personnaly I don't think any man is worth MILLIONS not even in Baseball. It takes good old hard work thinking back on my smmi-pro years to become a good player, and that's in any sport. Remember, an Althlet isn't born he/she is MADE over time. Coming back to my maine point of thought ......Within this NEW NHL is fastly becomin a quick race to LORD STANLEY and that's it....Grabing on to a high caliber player for just one or even two seasons to run that race to Lord Stanley's CUP is what this NEW NHL is becoming about.

YES, be the street coach, and make your thought trades but the Sabres almost made a trade for Marty Biron for Ed Belfour, and Gary Roberts but the CAP held this trade up...THe only MONEY the SABRES HAVE TO play with is Paul Gaustad pay......and that is all.....So, you are now looking at the loss of two high power players, and even more then this.......this season will be Teppo's last season in the NHL. He's goning home to run the family buisness which is making Hockey sticks with his father......Cambell, Vanek, Max, etc...etc...and etc....all will be looking for more money.....REMEMBER this !!!! THE SABRES ARE A VERY,... VERY,.... VERY,.... SMALL MARKET TEAM, and its getting SAMLLER each year.

small yes, but they have a VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERYVERY VERY VERY BIG FANBASE, there not going any were there, and what team are you batting for anyways? :)