JKuczkowski

I am a big supporter of Lindy Ruff. He has been with the Sabres organization (as a player or coach) for more than 50% of the Sabres games in their history (over 40 years of hockey). He has been an institution in Buffalo. Someone Buffalo fans appreciated because he represented the city's blue collar work ethic and toughness. Something we all take pride in.

However, I do see the change as a positive for the longterm success of this team. I believe Ron Rolston has the experience working with younger players and might just be what the young guns on this team need at this point in their careers.

My only hope is that the changes don't stop with Ruff. There are a few players on this team that have overstayed their welcome and it would be nice to see some fresh, younger faces to renew the spark of hope the fans of this team seem to have lost.

I wish Lindy Ruff all the best. I am sure we will see him behind another NHL bench soon.
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Great job Olga. Thanks for the article. I am curious as to how Grigorenko ended up with #25. I know he had been #25 with the Remparts and Russian National team, but the Sabres, for the past few seasons at least, have handed out high #'s to it's new players (Myers #57, Ennis #63, Foligno #82, Adam #72, etc.). The Sabres made the statement they wanted the young guys to "earn" the right to get a new #. Is it because the above mentioned players have decided to stick with their given # that the Sabres have changed their minds on the practice or is Grigorenko a little more special?
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Vanek is on a great pace. I hope he can keep it up long term. The guy takes a beating in front of the net.

One of the highlights of my hockey watching career is being at HSBC for the 2003 National championship game between UNH and Minnesota. What a great show Vanek put on that day. I was hoping the Sabres would draft him and luckily for me they did.
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I was hoping for a little more from Grigorenko up to this point in the season, but am happy the Sabres are willing to bring him along slowly. I would hate to see the kids confidence shattered. He has had some very good chances but has yet to bury them. Great vision too.
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The Kane family is well known in South Buffalo (politically, monetarily). Unfortunately, sometimes the family can come across as elitist and the people of Buffalo have soured on him/them. Getting off scott free with the cabbie incident didn't help. Personally, I have met Pat a few times. My wife's cousin is married to Pat's aunt. I think Pat is a great kid, but I would suspect most people in Buffalo wouldn't agree. He is at least not as appreciated as some of our other locally grown NHLers like Pat Kaleta, Tim Kennedy, Aaron Miller, Lee Stempniak, and Todd Marchant.

If you think having two so-so goalies (Enroth/Crawford) is acceptable then you don't know Lindy Ruff as a coach. Ruff will ride one goalie all season and relies on the goalie to make up for mistakes when the D is caught up ice, as the D is expected to contribute on offense. Ruff loses faith in his backups too easily and I just don't see Regier letting Miller go.
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Looking at this from a non-hockey perspective, I don't think the fans in Buffalo would be very happy about this trade. Even though Miller (aka "Mister Softee") gets a bad rap here, Kane would get twice the amount of backlash. For some reason (punching a cabbie, cough cough) most hockey fans in Buffalo feel Kane is a spoiled brat and don't care for him. Read the comment section of The Buffalo News in a Pat Kane related article and you will get a sense of the jealousy and hate Western New Yorkers have for him. Not everyone here feels the same, but it wouldn't be the great public relations trade most outsiders see it as.

From a hockey perspective, the Sabres have little or no depth at the goalie position. Besides the fact that above average goaltenders are hard to find makes trading away a top 15 goalie (Miller) very unlikely. If the Sabres make a trade it will be from a position of depth, which currently means they are shopping defensemen or young prospects only.
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Darcy regier has expressed interest in Shane Doan in interviews I have seen/heard and I believe they have extended a contract offer to him. Seeing that we are approaching the middle of August and he has yet to sign suggests that Doan is giving the Jamison group every possible chance to work things out in Phoenix so he can keep his family there. My guess is Doan stays in Phoenix or signs in Vancouver (1. they are legitimate cup contenders, 2. their top two centers are top notch, 3. Doan's wife is from B.C.). As for Ryan, the Ducks don't need to trade him. Chances are good that Regier and Murray have discussed a trade for Ryan, however, what the Ducks want in return is waaaaay more than Regier is willing to give up (ex. would you be willing to part with Myers for Ryan? or Vanek for Ryan?). No way we get Ryan for a pile of scraps like Sekera, Stafford, and a first round pick. The one benefit for Buffalo is that the other teams that seemed to have had interest in Ryan (NYR, Philly, Detroit) appear to have other holes they need to fill (defense) or have found a big, rugged winger (Nash). The Sabres will make a move, but it most likely won't be for Doan or Ryan (think 3rd line/rugged center with experience).
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