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Sabres are an attractive option in that it can't get any worse and one can really make a name for themselves in Buffalo if they get us turned around into a perennial playoff team. It's all about Terry allowing the POHO to do their thing, give him full reign and be in the background.

Kevyn's gonna get a promotion, isn't he? President of Hockey Ops? Only in Sabresland.

That's a name being floated. Baker and Fairburn said as bad as the Sabres are, there are people who'd still come here to run the team.

I was willing to be patient but the time has come to make major changes. I pray they are the correct ones.

Brendan Shanahan?

What we really want is for Terry to hire a (please, God) competent PoHO and then spend money but get out of flippin' the way. And if finances are tight because of the new stadium or what have you, sell some minority stakes in the Sabres. There's probably an easy $400MMM right there.

True, I guess this is something I have to say 'be careful what we wish for'

I have noticed there are some posters on this board who had patience with the current regime that are now calling for massive changes. I would think that opinion is also creeping into the general fandom outside of this forum. Just how long can Terry Pegula wait before cleaning house? The more time that goes by, the more it does look like he just does not care all that much.

Start about 19/20 mins

Fairburn is the Athletic Sabres beat writer so he covers the team 24/7. In earlier pods they have discussed the dynamic between Jarmo and Kevyn as being cooperative, not antagonistic as you might expect with someone gunning for your job would be. Jarmo is in Buffalo (not Columbus) at games and practices, side by side with Adams, or right now on the road with the team. So they surmise that there is a handoff at some point being planned. This pod is essentially a plea to Terry to act sooner rather than later. And they go into all the reasons why. You know them already.

Not just talent and roster construction. Culture. Talent is important but culture is even bigger, imo. You don't have to have a McDavid to win. You can bring in talent to this culture and it loses. You let talent go to a better culture and it wins. That starts with a president / GM who can dictate what that culture will be and build talent geared toward that. You see that in Florida (kind of a revision of the broad street bullies). You've seen it, generally, in Boston, the Avalanche (Sakic is the rare ex star player who makes a good exec but he has developed a solid winning culture for going on 9 years now), and a few other organizations. You see it in the NFL. The Ravens, Steelers, Packers, Eagles, and a few other teams for shorter periods (e.g., Rams, Niners, Bills -- though I think Josh Allen is the real factor) have had long standing cultures and team identities in place. While those teams may have down years, they have an identity. If they get a decent QB they are going to be good. Generally, you know if you are going to play the Steelers or Ravens it's going to be physical. So with the Eagles. And the Packers are going to run an efficient, balanced offense, generally.

thanks. i'm unable to devote the time to listen to it. do either of these guys offer sourced information about something being afoot with the Sabres FO?

It's the NHL general managers meeting. They are all in Toronto.

Harborcenter is only 11 years old and was the state of the art when it opened. It was nice enough for the entire league to hold their combine there. To act like it's an eyesore is just expressing frustration. Are you saying better places were built in the last 11 years? I'm shocked!

Honestly the whole thing is a really good pod cast... so its hard to time stamp the 6 or 7 salient points

can someone time stamp where the essence of the thing is?

Good point. I have always thought there are 2 ways to enjoy a season by one of your 'teams'. 1.) Win the championship. 2.) exceed expectations. Falling short of expectations is very frustrating and not fun. For me (and many other fans), a 95 point season where you make the playoffs (and lose in the first round) in a season you weren't expected to be in the playoffs....can be MUCH more enjoyable than a 105 point season where you make the playoffs (and lose in the 2nd round) when you were going into the season thinking you were a cup contender.

Anyone buying the Sabres will be moving them. No one is spending a billion-plus to keep the team here.

Good episode & pod! Why was KA in TOR last night? Shanny still up there? Trade for another goalie 1,2,3, he wants 4!? Job hunting? 🙏🙏🙏

Uh...that's what they are saying. (spoiler alert.)

No they tell you to go get hearing checked!

I get it... but Matthew... its over... make your tee times... nothing changes until Pegula sells or brings in competent management. Everything else I agree with... Why would we let Adams make trades? Why would we not want the new GM to be able to assess this team... Why is Adams here? etc..

If you check out youtube, there are videos on 'practice facilities' showing a lot of this. -Florida, Salt Lake, Seattle. https://www.nhl.com/news/utah-arena-practice-facility-crazy-nice There are spacious locker, training, equipment and meeting rooms, of course. There is natural light in the rinks, and there are glass walls and collaborative spaces in the offices. The flow creates what Tourigny calls "constant collisions," people naturally running into each other, coming together. There is a recovery lounge, including massage chairs, an infrared bed and a sensory deprivation room. There is a hydrotherapy area, including a pool with reverse currents and an underwater treadmill. Guenther said he has used it -- not for rehab, just to try it out. Apparently, the guys, being guys, have had swim meets. The weight room alone is 8,000 square feet. It's so big, Chris Armstrong said, a player asked, "What other team are we sharing this with?" It has a strip of black artificial turf long enough to run 40-yard dashes. Just off the weight room is a barber shop. That's right. A barber shop. There are two barber chairs, and the team will bring in a barber a couple of days a week. "I was visiting another team, and they had one in their facility, and it was just another great point of camaraderie," Chris Armstrong said. "You've got a guy in the chair, a couple guys waiting, a couple guys in the doorway, and they're shooting the [bull]. Hey, this is another congregating point, another reason to stay here longer and be more invested in what we're all doing." CNBC did the segment a couple months ago saying how pro sports teams all over the world are adding these things (pools, Massage areas, private parking facilities with services to take care of your car as you take a golf cart to practice) Its not all hockey facilities that have them, some colleges (Nebraska), and some Europen league soccer teams. Its all in an effort to attract the best players and coaches. Seattle has multiple videos of theirs where it is open Kraken family members, and even some public events. As for the pools, Utah has a smaller one. The Lakers along with other NBA teams have ones that are larger. The Lakers even have the facilities open for community events. This is what new, rich, (generally) younger owners are doing. If you watch enough of the below videos, Youtube AI should figure out you are watching this stuff and recommend a lot more like them.

The problem with the Sabres revolves around talent and roster construction. The origin of those deficiencies has to do with the GM and staffing in general. The caliber of the facilities has nothing to do with this failed franchise. Pervasive organizational ineptitude, starting with the non- talking owner , is the sole reason why this franchise has been sunk for a generation. It should be noted that the players who worked their way out of this sad-sack franchise cited a chance to win and not the quality of the facilities as the reason to get out of dodge.

The failed culture in Buffalo remains the same. It won't change with an addition here or there or simple coaching change or exchanging a few players. Even the seasonal pattern remains the same as it has been in previous seasons. They lose 3 in a row. They win 4 of 5. They lose 8 of 9. They sit in last place in the Conference (3rd from last in the entire NHL). Owners don't seem to understand that they have to change the entire FO if they want a culture change. And exchange some bad culture players for good culture players. If Pegula doesn't have the energy or knowhow to run the team, then at least hire a reputable President who can then go out and hire a GM & HC. Or at least hire an older, winning hockey mind who can be a consultant and review the team. As it is, as long as this FO stays, the team will suck. He might want to check into hiring someone like a Dean Lombardi to be President. He led the Kings to two Stanley Cups, was fired, and has been a Senior Advisor with the Flyers the past few seasons. Pour out the $$$$ for him or someone akin to that who knows hockey, has experience running an NHL organization, and can restructure the entire front office. When that happens the new Pres, GM, and HC can change an entire culture by determining what kind of team identity you are going to build and staying focused on that from the top down. I just don't see any other way to transform the Sabres than to do this. I think this is true in all team sports. It's pretty much a no brainer for that. But Pegula seems unwilling to do so. One has to wonder if he's so caught up in the Bills Stadium and tied up so much liquidity that he has to resort to short changing the Sabres.