Varada has NOT asked for a trade

[Jim Bob]

http://www.wgr55.com/news/sabresnews.cfm?newsID=588804

Darcy Regier told me last week that contrary to published reports, Varada has NOT asked to be traded.

Now if he'd only sign the qualifying offer.....

[bduff54]

never thought he was very good anyway. i think the sabres may end up being one of the worst teams in the league next year

[Player6600]

Sabres will make the playoffs. Varada is a very good 3rd line player.

[Jim Bob]

Varada is what he is which is a super pest checking line RW who left his scoring touch in the AHL.

[bduff54]

i don't think so player. i think they will be considerably worse than this year.

[Jim Bob]

Originally posted by bduff54
i don't think so player. i think they will be considerably worse than this year.

Why, the Sabres haven't lost any players that were productive last season and have added a back up goaltender that can actually win games and few players that should have fewer attitude problems than the players they are replacing.

Add in the fact that two of the front runners in the division have taken steps back in the offseason and the Sabres should sneak into the 8th spot with any luck.

[Player6600]

I agree with JimBob. The defense is solid, goaltending will be better then last year and I expect Max and Connolly to have better years offensively then last year. They'll be better then the LEafs

[bduff54]

sorry player but better than the leafs? how could you say a 10th place team could be better than a semi-finalisth last year. lets anaylyze.

Goaltending- sabres
Defense- Leafs (kabelr, mccabe, svehla)
Wingers- mogilny, roberts,- leafs
Centres- lets not even discuss that-leafs
coaching- hello- team canada ring a bell- leafs

i dont' see where the sabres could even come close the the leafs

[Player6600]

The Leafs have re-signed Domi, Berg, and Belak and that is why they are worse

[bduff54]

that's it??? the best you can come up with? oh player i am really dissapointed in you.

[Player6600]

They are worse then last year

They lost Cujo and replace him with Belfour. trading Yushkevish was stupid. Now who's going to play the other teams top line and what if they have more than 1 good scoring line. What was the overriding theme in the playoffs for Leafs opponents. Each off those teams only had 1 top scoring line. The Leafs defensively are in trouble. Yes McCabe and Kaberle are top defenseman they are still young and make mistakes. On offense who is Sundin going to play with? Roberts is injured and Mogilny and am are not a good fit.

[bduff54]

ok, so how does that tranfer into the sabres being better than them. and you are forgetting that the season dosent' start for 3 months and quinn will make a trade. and just so you know. Mccauley and Tucker are both decent centres.

[cordellwalker]

Varada being a dick=powerplay minutes for the sabres. now if they can get that to work this year, then we should be in decent shape.

[Player6600]

Our defense is better with Zhitnik, Warrener, Wooley, Campbell, and Patrick. Biron and Noronen will provide us with top tenders and our offense will not be a powerhouse but i'm banking on it being a little bit better.

[starfirestar]

All you Toronto fans are so retarded. Maybe you guys would be better if you took the time to develop players like Detroit did with Federov. Amonte didn't come to you guys, and you guys offered him more money!! Ha! Obviously Svhela is not near as good as Yusketvich. Svhela sucks!! The Leafs suck!! And whoever said that Smelik was a top 4 defensman must be kidding me. He sucks, and thats why we didn't resign him. Look at the Sabres defense. It is fine.

Zhitnik-Tallinder
Mckee-Kalinin
Warrener-Cambell
or
Woolley-Cambell.

Cambell with Woolley could create some good powerplay firepower. Biron is going to be a great goalie, as long as he stays consistent. I have to say that the leafs have the edge in offense. They've got Roberts, Sundin, Mogilny, Tucker.

[Player6600]

I like that I forgot about McKee. We have a good team and I believe last year was an off year.

Star-Roberts is out till the all-star break their offense will be hurting.

[Papaduke]

The Key is goaltending. Biron was abused in the first half of the season because Ruff did not want to play Essensa. Once Noronen was brought up back up Biron got more rest and played better. The Olympic break helped as well. Essensa was 0-5-0 and did not play after the Olympic break. If Noronen made those starts I would feel confident that he could have won 3 of those games putting Buffalo in the 8th place and thus in the playoffs. Plus I think he would have had more starts early on to give Biron a break.
And by the way Quinn sucks as a coach. Team Canada was a farce. It would have only been more obvious if we saw the strings running from Quinn's jacket to Gretzky's hand.

[sabres081]

a lot of people are counting the sabres out there in for a suprise

[PUCKER]

Well i hope they do get Varada signed. Hes a pretty darn good checker IMO.

[Buffalo Historian]

Originally posted by bduff54
never thought he was very good anyway.

I don't like this guy's style of play, plain and simple. Guys like Varada have taken what was the most difficult, skill oriented team sport that there ever was, and reduced it to nothing more than saturday night wrestling. He's not alone either.

I think that's sad

[LALAFONTAINE]

Originally posted by bduff54
sorry player but better than the leafs? how could you say a 10th place team could be better than a semi-finalisth last year. lets anaylyze.

Goaltending- sabres
Defense- Leafs (kabelr, mccabe, svehla)
Wingers- mogilny, roberts,- leafs
Centres- lets not even discuss that-leafs
coaching- hello- team canada ring a bell- leafs

i dont' see where the sabres could even come close the the leafs

Goaltending? Sabres by a lot. Belfour couldn't stop 90% of the shots he faced. Biron stopped as many as Theodore did in the second half. If Biron plays like that the entire year, the Sabres easily make the playoffs.

Defense? Svehla? If you think that's the Leaves' 3rd best defensemen, the Leaves are in trouble. McCabe is very good, but Kaberle is like Kalinin. I'll take Warrener and McKee over all Leaves D except McCabe. But I'll take Zhitnik over McCabe.

Forwards? We've had Mogilny. Not a hell of a lot of depth here. Leafs by a smidgen.

Coaching? Team Canada does ring a bell. That's where Quim pissed off Cublow. Quim vs. Ruff was figured out in 1999.

GM? Quim gave us McKee, Warrener, Miller (aka Wilson), Connolly and Pyatt (aka Peca) for Mogilny. 'Nuff said.

Fan sites? Buffalo easily. That's why the Leaves fans piggyback the Sabes.

[BuffaloSoljer]

First of all, everyone better take off the Rose colored glasses. Toronto is not as good as they were last year. Sundin is past his prime as is Mogilny. Roberts is not only old, he's hurt. The loss of Yuskevitch and Joseph really hurts. Belfour is a washed up burnout, living on the edge. Odds are better that he winds up in jail than takes the Leafs deep into the playoffs.

As for the Sabres, whoever said the defense is solid better look again. After Zhitnik, McKee and Warrener it's thin. Patrick is a fine seventh man, but Kalinin is inconsistent and was benched at times last year. Tallinder and Campbell haven't played a full season and Woolley just stinks. That's why I think the Sabres need to move Zhitnik and try to swing a deal with the flames who are openly shopping 2 young solid D-men (Morris and Gauthier).

Goaltending should be OK and deep if they sign Miller.

The offense will continue to struggle under the Ruff system. Unless he commits to Gratton and Satan on the same line, like the last 30 games last year, they will again be toothless. Barnes is a better winger than C, and if they keep him, should play LW w/ Connolly @ C. There will be no 3rd line scoring as long as that mutt Varada plays. Brown and Pyatt could produce a lot more with a real RW. THey should try Milley, Dumont (even though he's a natural LW) or Kotalik over there to try and get some scoring.

In any event, it will be a crap shoot to see if the Leafs or Sabres make the playoffs this year.