BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Following Staffords rookie season in 2007, the Sabres lost co-captains Chris Drury and Danny Briere to free agency. Last year, long-time coach Lindy Ruff was fired. What occurred during a 24-hour stretch this weekend has become the topper, leaving Stafford shaking his head in disbelief after returning to practice Sunday. "I thought I had seen it all," Stafford said. "But, I guess, theres always room for more surprises. And this ones definitely a shocker." On Friday, Stafford had difficulty keeping his emotions in check after star goalie Ryan Miller was traded to St. Louis. A day later, he was blindsided upon learning of Pat LaFontaines abrupt resignation as president of hockey operations. "Its tough," Stafford said. "Its another challenge, a little more adversity that youve got to put on top of the pile." As if the Sabres (18-34-8) needed any more distractions during a season in which upheaval and dysfunction have been common threads for the NHLs last-place team. At 2-13-1, Buffalo got off to its worst start in team history. Leading scorer Thomas Vanek was traded to the Islanders in October. The Sabres opened 0-8-1 at home, before enjoying their first win on Nov. 12. Three days later, general manager Darcy Regier and coach Ron Rolston were fired. Now this. Miller getting dealt along with captain Steve Ott, were widely anticipated moves because both were in the final years of their contracts. LaFontaines departure was a surprise, coming a little more than three months after his arrival was hailed as a positive turning point for a struggling team. "Its a lot for our fans to swallow in a short amount of time," Sabres president Ted Black said. "It creates uncertainty. And its something that fans are going to be upset by." Black failed to divulge any further details regarding the resignation except to reiterate LaFontaine wanted to resume his previous role working with the National Hockey League. Black called the resignation a disappointment, but denied speculation that there had been any discord between LaFontaine and front-office staff or owner Terry Pegula. LaFontaine has not returned messages, and on Sunday, his cell-phone mailbox was full. Whats clear is that his departure marks the latest setback for a franchise that has had difficulty establishing a winning course in the three years since Pegula bought the team and vowed to build an immediate contender. The Sabres are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for a third straight season, and in the midst of a rebuilding plan that began with the purge of numerous high-priced veterans last year. Black said the objective has not changed, and the teams transformation will continue under general manager Tim Murray. "Pat was here for three months. It is one person," Black said. "I dont know if that impacts the greater mission or will deter us." Murray was hired by LaFontaine in January, and now assumes much of his former bosss responsibilities. It was Murray, who negotiated the Miller trade. And he is also fielding offers to make further deals before the leagues trade deadline on Wednesday. Next on Murrays priority list is negotiating a contract extension with interim coach Ted Nolan, who was brought in by LaFontaine for a second stint in Buffalo. "We want Teddy to be our coach going forward," Murray said. "If he wants to be here, I want him to be our coach." The question is whether Nolan wants to stay, something he left open following practice Sunday. "Right now, its not about my contract. Its about the situation thats happening," Nolan said. "Its about whats transpired in this organization, what happened to a very dear friend. And well leave it at that." So much for the momentum the Sabres were supposed to be enjoying with their first three-game winning streak in preparing to play Dallas on Monday. "We traded our franchise player, we traded our captain. Thats tough enough as it is. And then all of a sudden the situation with Patty," Nolan said. "Right now, I have to put my personal situation behind right now and really concentrate on those 22 guys here." Informed of Nolans comments, Murray said, "Im not going to beg anybody to come work here." Murray said its his objective to continue rebuilding the Sabres, which is what he was hired to do with or without LaFontaine. "I cant make choices for him. He makes his own choices," Murray said. "Im not one to dwell on what-ifs and sentiment and all that. But Ill forever be grateful that he hired me." Dennis Eckersley Indians Jersey .com) - One point guard will return, while another will sit when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit American Airlines Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks. Cory Snyder Jersey . The England international had both goals in TFCs season-opening 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/. This week they discuss the Philadelphia 76ers, Gregg Popovich, Royal and Ancient Golf Club and Bill Belichick. Greg Allen Indians Jersey . This has become the Raptors mantra as they embark on a new era with a new regime and, in the not-so-distant future, a new image. Vic Davalillo Indians Jersey . Which is to say, the top of this years draft class is not as dynamic or exciting as the 2013 class of Nate MacKinnon, Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones and its not as strikingly promising as the highly-anticipated 2015 slate of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin.UFC Fight Night 30 emanates from the Phones 4u Arena Saturday afternoon in Manchester, England and features a main event pitting together two former training partners . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks for this weekends event. Last weekend at UFC 166 my #TeamLynch went a perfect 13-0 and while #TeamJC went a respectable 7-6 in his picks. Let us know which side youre on! Tweet either #TeamLynch or #TeamJC. Also feel free to leave your opinions in the comment section below. Lyoto Machida vs. Mark Munoz James Lynch TSN.ca (@LynchOnSports) Its a rarity in MMA when a replacement fighter in the main event presents a more intriguing matchup than the initial opponent. This is the case with Saturday as "The Dragon" drops to middleweight for the first time in his career, replacing the injured Michael Bisping. The Japanese-Brazilian is coming off a very controversial loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163 and despite landing more strikes during the fight, it was Davis ability to get the takedowns throughout the contest which evidently earned him the judges decision. Facing a former NCAA Division I wrestler in Munoz, the 35-year old could face the same problems. The "Filipino Wrecking Machine" meanwhile, is coming off a dominant performance over Tim Boetsch at UFC 162, which saw a much improved clinch and wrestling game. The question for Machida is will his speed and power still resonate at his new home of 185lbs? I think it will. What we do know is the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has found ways to defeat dominant wrestlers in the past, as displayed in his victories over Dan Henderson, Rashad Evans and Ryan Bader. Expect Machida to shine in his middleweight debut, as hell outpoint Munoz over the five-round affair on route to the unanimous decision victory. Machida via unanimous decision Jordan Cieciwa TSN Radio 1290 (@FitCityJordan) Well this one has me stumped. There is a lot of pressure on Machida as he makes a new home at 185lbs. Never mind the fact that these two have done half of their camp leading up to this one together. This is going to be a very strange night for sure. Mark Munoz has a lot to prove. He is now over a year past his elbow injury and bout with depression. Hes been putting in work at his camp, and by the accounts of his friends and teammates looks great. The question is, does he have enough of a rounded game to catch Machida. I think he does. Ever since the most elusive fighter started getting tagged, he has looked more and more human. 185lbs is Munozs home, the weight cut for this will make it tough for Machida to maintain that speed he needs to get his angles and be effective in his counter striking game. Machida no doubt has the ability to defend the take down. My concern is the championship rounds, and the grinding. Will he be able to take those rounds from Munoz. I expect Munoz to be in control of rounds 4 and 5, meaning he just needs to win one more. Munoz via split decision Melvin Guillard vs. Ross Pearson Lynch A pair of scrappy Ultimate Fighter alumni go to war in the lightweight division as 46-fight veteran Guillard battles English fan favorite Pearson. Heading into his last fight with Mac Danzig, "The Young Assassin" was facing potential unemployment in the UFC with a string of losses and responded with a "Knockout of the Night" performance instead. The 30-year old credited the win to his new home at Grudge Training Center in Colorado, under the tutelage of striking guru Trevor Whittman. For this camp, Guillard opted to move back to his home in Florida and train at American Top Team, a stable that includes fellow UFC lightweights Gleison Tibau and Jorge Masvidal. Pearson meanwhile moved back up to lightweight at the end of 2012 and boasts a two-fight win streak that saw him dispatch George Sotiropoulos and Ryan Couture. Fans can expect fireworks as both fighters arent afraid to stand and bang. Guillard has the edge in power and wrestling, while the TUF Smashes coach has the edge in submissions and technical striking. With that said, Pearson hasnt won a fight by submission since defeating Ian Jones in 2008. If Guillard can keep this fight on the feet and avoid becoming over confident, he should win this fight. Expect the TUF 2 competitor to land more power shots during the three-round affair and earn the unanimous decision victory. Guillard via unanimous decision JC Trevor Whittman can be credited with this fight being booked. Its his work with Melvin Guillard that landed him a big KO victory and saved his job. The question now becomes, how good did Guillard get and can he strike with the ever improving boxing of Ross Pearson. I dont think Guillard has mastered the striking enough yet to win this fight standing up. Pearson looked fantastic against George Sotiropoulos and Ryan Couture. I see this fight ending early, two fighters with something to prove, and the love of an aggressive striking match. Guillards speed will take some getting used to, but once Pearson times him, look out, KOTN. Pearson via 2nd round TKO Ryan Jimmo vs. Jimi Manuwa Lynch Londons Manuwa looks to keep his perfect record intact when he squares off with former MFC champion Jimmo. Since his UFC debut in 2012, the BAMMA veteran has finished both Kyle Kingsbury and Cyrille Diabate to improve to a perfect 2-0 inside the octagon. Jimmo is 2-1 in the UFC, and most recently won a lackluster three round decision Igor Pokrajac at UFC 161, which didnt impress fans nor UFC president Dana White. The Canadians resume stands at 18-2 and hasnt been knocked out since his MMA started in 20007.ddddddddddddManuwa hasnt had a fight go past the second round in his 13-fight career, but as previous opponents have learned, Jimmo has a tendency to turn a fight into a three-round stalemate. We should see that change in this matchup as Manuwa is more dynamic and should outpoint the New Brunswick born fighter over the three-round contest. Manuwa via unanimous decision JC If Ryan Jimmo treats this fight the way he did his last go with Igor Pokrajac its going to be a short night and Jimi Manuwa is taking home a win to move to 3-0 with the UFC. Dana White was pretty outspoken at UFC 161 about the disappointment in the Pokrajac vs Jimmo fight. That may prove fatal for Jimmo. Manuwa has a habit of sending people to the canvas quickly. If Jimmo tries to push the pace to please the boss, its going to go bad, and go bad quickly. Jimmos been knocked out before, and Manuwa is the guy to do it again. Manuwa via first round knockout. Norman Parke vs. Jon Tuck Lynch Two high-level grapplers go to war in the lightweight division as Robert Drysdale trained Parke battles 29-year old Tuck. Much like the welterweight tilt a few weeks ago between Damian Maia and Jake Shields, when two ground specialists like this clash, it has the potential to either be an entertaining tactical ground matchup or a complete snooze fest. Because both fighters are looking to make a name for themselves in a wide open lightweight division, hopefully fans will enjoy a potential "Fight Of The Night" encounter. While the "Super Saiyan" is undefeated boasting a perfect 7-0 record, he hasnt faced the level of competition his 20-fight foe has encountered. Interestingly enough, Parkes two losses have come by way of submission. So who wins? Despite Tuck being better on the feet, Parkes experience should aid in him landing a submission victory sometime in the third round. Parke via third round submission JC I think this is one of those fights where the matchup is a little off, and its going to favor Norman Parke. Jon Tuck has an impressive record at 7-0, but hes matched up with Norman Parke at 18-2. Thats a huge experience gap that cant be over looked. Both guys have submissions at their disposal, and I think this fight was set up to display some grappling talent and make the card a little more exciting with the experience gap. For this to go any other way than a Parke submission would be an upset. Im going to go with the upset. Tuck has the ability to win this with a knock out. I think the fighter out of Guam will do just that. Score some solid strikes and win this in electric fashion. Tuck via second round TKO Nicholas Musoke vs. Alessio Sakara Lynch Italian fighter Sakara returns to the octagon after his controversial DQ loss to Patrick Cote back in November, to face promotional newcomer Musoke. A loser of four-straight fights, its no secret the 32-year old needs to win this fight and convincingly if he wants to move back up the middleweight ladder. His opponent, the 10-2 Musoke is mainly a wrestler, but does have a decent ground game with four submission victories on his resume. This bout should come down to experience and not only does Sarkara have 30 bouts under his belt compared to 12 for the Swede, hes also fought tougher competition. Add in the octagon jitters for "Nico" and this should be Sakaras fight to lose. While Musoke doesnt have a knockout loss on his resume, expect Sakara to find his range in the second round and finish the UFC newbie. Sakara via second round knockout. JC This fight is a bit of a head scratcher. Its a large experience gap, and feels like the UFC may be feeding a win to the struggling Alessio Sakara. Nicholas Musoke comes into this fight with just 13 fights to his credit that is half the total of Alessio at 25 fights. To make matters worse, this is his debut in the UFC octagon. I imagine this will be Sakaras chance to make a statement in the UFC again. Look for him to end this quick and with something spectacular. He has a head kick win or two under his belt. Look for one of those here. Sakara via 3rd round knockout Phil Harris vs. John Lineker Lynch Similar to last week at UFC 166, the flyweights once again take center stage as the opening bout on the main card, as Englands Harris takes on 23-year old Brazilian Lineker. This is a classic striker versus grappler match with Lineker having ten knockouts on his 28-fight resume, compared to Harris who has 13 submission victories over his 33-fight career. While the 30-year old Harris has the experience and hometown advantage, Linekers striking is far too superior for his foe and expect a spectacular finish in the first round. Lineker via first round knockout JC The main event is getting kicked off with a little speed and a lot of skill in the flyweight division. This fight puts John Lineker up against Phil Harris. Both are accomplished grappling specialists. The edge in this goes to Harris for wins in that department. Lineker has been known to knock out opponents with some fairly heavy hands. If Harris doesnt respect Linekers power, this will end quick. If he does the smart thing and uses his height advantage to stay away from the power, this may get to decision. Im hoping Harris is smart, and fights the grappling fight. Harris via unanimous decision Undercard Picks: Lynch: Iaquinta, Craig, Sexton, Miller, Hettes, Kuiper JC: Hallman, Craig, Andrade, Miller, Hettes, Kuiper Also be sure to tune into the "Weigh-In" on TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg every Saturday as myself, Jordan and "Big Marv" Timog go toe to toe discussing the hottest topics in MMA. ' ' '