A few weeks back I ran into Pierre McGuire at the morning skate, and dropped him some questions to get a national perspective on the Sabres and hockey. To say it went over fairly well with the readers is an understatement. So, I got the ears (eyes) of Yahoo! Sports' very own "Puck Daddy," Greg Wyshynski. If there are other folks, you'd like to hear from, email me: nick@wgr550.com

PART I: The Sabres right now

Q: Without Thomas Vanek, is there any chance the Sabres have enough offensive talent to stick in the four through six race out East?

A: Where his injury really hurts is on the power play. You just can’t replace a guy with 15 goals on the man advantage, when that’s almost 30 percent of the team’s total power-play goals for the season. If nothing else, perhaps losing Vanek is one of those glorious kicks in the ass a team’s depth players need in order to boost their offense. Ales Kotalik had power-play goals in two of the first three games without Vanek. That’s a start.

Q: My boss will slowly feed my arm through a wood-chipper if I don't ask you for some sort of inside scoop on the Sabres at the trade deadline. Buyers, sellers... in the check-out line?

Obviously, the Sabres would trade Maxim Afinogenov for a day-old Big Bite from 7-11 at this point, but he's in the same situation as so many other Sabres that would be on the block -- he's fragile, and that brings his value down. That said, it looks like the Sabres are going to be competing to the end for a playoff seed. So one would imagine they'll be buyers -- but only for expiring contracts, me thinks.

Q: In the past, we've seen Pascal Leclaire and Chris Osgood have better statistical seasons than Ryan Miller and Miikka Kiprusoff. I don't think many would debate that the latter two are better goaltenders, so what's more important: a defensive system or a top-notch goaltender?

A: Well, you’re talking to a Devils fan. So the obvious answer is that the most important thing is to have a defensive system with a top-notch goalie …

Seriously, though, I think having a world-class keeper is more important than anything, the Red Wings’ success be damned. In the Sabres’ case, I think the maturation of Miller has been the team’s best story, even better than Vanek. He’s gone from an above-average goalie that everyone assumed had one skate out the door pointed towards Detroit, to the face of the franchise and an elite keeper who is winning games on his own. It’s a crime that there isn’t more Vezina talk about Miller; anyone who’s watched him this season knows how good he’s been on most nights.

PART II: "Fun" with the NHL

Q: Which current third jersey is the worst in the league? Which team is most in need of a primary jersey overhaul?

A: The Atlanta Thrashers’ third jersey looks like someone chewed up a box of Crayolas and then puked all over a high school track warm-up suit. Or like Reebok actually ran out of money before they finished it.

Most in need of an overhaul: Colorado. I don’t feel there’s anything iconic about that logo and sweater that prohibits any alteration. They’re stuck with a dopey team name that restricts creativity, but anything’s better than a giant ‘A’ on a log flume.

Q: Honestly, we're a little jaded in Buffalo considering "No Goal" and John Leclair scoring a playoff goal against the Sabres through the outside of the net. Is Gary Bettman okay for the NHL?

A: The honest answer is that he gets more blame than he deserves, because some of the League’s bonehead moves (a goalie trapezoid, for example) aren’t his call. Ding him for the lockout. Ding him for the mis-marketing of the game, and for the constant stretching the truth about its health and future. Just don’t blame him for everything.

The answer I want to give is that he’s some sort of nefarious space vampire who has traveled to this planet to feed off of our optimism and gleeful nostalgia until there’s nothing left but empty vessels of apathy and bitterness.

PART III: Covering hockey, and hockey in the media world.

Q: What's the worst trade rumour someone's jammed into your email box? Got anything worse than "Vanek, Roy and two No. 1s for Patrick Kane and Kevyn Adams" two years back?

A: Oh, I don’t know … once in a while we get the “Malkin to the Kings!” crack pipe chatter.

It wasn’t a trade rumor, but I had a guy who was convinced that he knew Chris Chelios was retiring before a specific Red Wings game earlier this season. I know: Chelios, retiring, real shot in the dark right there … but what made this memorable was that the guy presented this elaborate, Da Vinci Code-like series of coincidences that had him certain it was going to happen even though no one else was reporting it. And I nearly threw it on the blog, because the dude was that convincing, with this Roswell crash sort of devotion. But in the end, it was about as accurate as Vanek, Roy and two No. 1s for Patrick Kane and Kevyn Adams.

Q: Hockey seems to have a more dedicated "blogosphere" -- punch me in the throat for using that term -- and dedicated Internet fanbase than many other sports. Is there a reason NHL fans are more drawn to "new media" than other sports?

A: Sure. It’s called “neglect.” The mainstream media followed the TV ratings and dedicated its resources to football and basketball and baseball, assuming that since hockey fans don’t watch their sport on the boob tube that they’re not out there going to the game or buying merchandise. Which was wrong.

So as coverage lapsed, fans needed another outlet for discussion and for news. The blogosphere provides more in-depth analysis, breaking news and interesting hockey talk for their teams in the U.S. than most of the U.S. newspapers do.

More importantly, the Web brings smart hockey fans together. By “smart,” I mean fans who get the references and understand the lingo and are able to hang in a debate without trying to change to subject to the NBA. For a lot of us in the U.S., that kind of hockey fan isn’t someone who we see every day of our lives. But go to a message board, go to a blog, go to a podcast, and there they are.

It should be noted that the fact that the NHL and many teams have embraced new media has helped nurture it. Hopefully that trend continues to reach places like Edmonton, where bloggers are currently treated like lepers with bad facial hair and cancer.

Q: Can hockey realistically make a ratings jump with its current national television package? I appreciate Versus' coverage, but if NBC keeps sandwiching its hockey with cartoons, infomercials and squirrel racing...

A: I don’t appreciate your elitist tone towards rodent racing. As I type this, I’m wearing a vintage Rocket J. Squirrel jersey.

The networks don’t matter much in regards to ratings. The ratings sucked on ESPN 10 years ago, and they still sort of suck today. What matters is reinventing the way the game is presented on television. HDTV is an important first step, but until we can tune into a game and go, “Wow, that really got close to what we experience in the arena,” then no one will be compelled to watch hockey on TV that isn’t already watching it.

PART IV: The Sabres and the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Q: Will the Team USA goaltending look any different than Rick DiPietro, Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas?

A: That depends on DiPi’s health, of course. I’ve read Jon Quick’s name mentioned here and there. You want a dark horse? Robert Esche, who has a sterling international hockey record and played really well for the U.S. in the 2008 world championships.

Q: The Sabres have a nice number of American boys, and dual citizen Jason Pominville skated for the States in the world championships. Does he, or any of the other American skaters on the Sabres (Drew Stafford, Paul Gaustad, Tim Connolly) have any shot at wearing red, white and blue in Vancouver?

A: Jason Pominville is a lock, in my opinion. As much as I like Stafford, I’ve gotten the sense that Paul Gaustad would likely be the second Sabre to make the team. Again, based on nothing more than what I’ve read and what some in the know have said.

One Sabre, two Sabres, three Sabres … we’re still getting our asses handed to us by Russia or Canada. I’m as patriotic as the next guy … but can also read a roster. And ours doesn’t look like theirs.

Email: nick@wgr550.com