All Activity

The thing with Adams is the perfect example why this organization is a joke: The rationale for not sacking the guy was he has one year left on his deal and Terry doesn't want to pay a guy not to work. Then they go out and hire a guy who would be far more credible as the GM as a babysitter for Kevyn. Now they get the worst of both worlds: They don't save any money by letting Kevyn finish up the year and the competent guy they hired isn't the guy in charge. You couldn't possibly come up with anything more ass backwards if you tried.

After a little more research and watching some videos on defenders, I'm adding Smith and Aitcheson to my order. I wouldn't expect the Sabres to take another LHD, but just in case. Based on the combine, I'm also clearing McQueen to join my 1st round with the caveat that he could easily be a regrettable tale of injury bust that this team cannot afford. The chances that he never realizes his potential and retires after only 250 GP spread across 6+ seasons with 3 franchises is... Never tell me the odds! If the Sabres make the pick at 9, in order left-to-right, and grouped: Ecstatic Wookiee arm-waving with: Misa, Schaefer, Martone "Yippy!" with: McQueen (if you're a card player, gambler, scum), Desnoyers, Hagens, Martin, Bear, Aitcheson Here we go again with: Eklund, Smith, Carbonneau, O'Brien, Frondell Double-crossing no good smuggler with: Mrtka, Reschny, Cootes I still think O'Brien is my Sabres sleeper pick. They've seen him a bunch because of Leenders and they need a true distributing center within the pipeline (and on the roster, but the #9 pick is not for the roster, thankfully).

I think 1st round picks won't have a ton of value in this draft for trades. There's too many available and I think this draft is viewed as just okay.

Trading Peterka is dumb. You hit on him in the draft, spent years and significant resources developing him into a nice top 6 player... and then you want to ship him off because he's not physical\defensive enough? In the meantime you're drafting the same type of skill players over and over and over again in the early rounds, developing them... for what? To replace the guys like Peterka that you traded? This cycle needs to stop. This is where a POHO could help. Hopefully Jarmo picks up on this and stops the madness. Who cares if Peterka wants to be here.... he's an RFA and YOU the GM want him to be here, that's all that matters.

Not if the person after Ruff who is the primary influencer (Jarmo?) doesn't undo the core of Dahlin, TNT (and I'd add Tuch, Benson, and Muel... ha! kidding, just seeing if people are reading closely, though I still need him as the oft-injured Muel-PO to R2-D6) and push them all for new futures and a new direction. Keep Dahlin and TNT, and get that goalie, top-4 RHD, and exchange Quinn for a bottom-6 SOB, and you're at least on the path. Still need a top-6 C for whenever Norris is hurt, but... Adams has difficulty doing more than one thing per offseason, so... With regards to changing direction: for example, like going full toughness, instead of Florida's style of toughness (great players like Marchand, Ekblad, Bennett, Tkachuk who also happen to be tough). If someone comes in and ships out Tuch for a D-Lo type, we're ######, yes. But you can absolutely move Lafferty for a D-Lo type.

Player mix, age, coaching, hell, upper management expectations. Its all been lackluster. Ive said several times recently that every player on this roster would be a useful, productive player on a good playoff team. They would be properly supported in their proper role. Here they are asked to do too much with too little support and too little messaging of success from above.

And, I guess I never thought about it very much, but I am now convinced that Darcy’s firing and Murray’s actions that led to his firing are the result of how Pegula wants to run his business. Add Botteril to the mix, and likely LaFontaine, and Terry has chewed through a ton of front office personnel due to his need to be a decision maker. We’re positively ***** as fans.

If you are following direct orders from the guy with the deep pockets, which I believe was the case here, the only other course of action is resignation. Regarding the general tone of this post, well yeah, the anti-tank crew were preaching that all along.

I like a bunch of these deals Lafferty for Forbert would be a good swap, gives us a depth tough guy and Lafferty can go back to Vancouver where he had the most success I have said many times Sammy to Philly for Hathaway or DLO makes so much sense Byram to Chicago makes sense too, and Murphy would be the guy id want back but I think he has a partial no move I think Quinn for Hague just makes all the sense in the world casue Vegas needs cheap scorers, I think they could do better the Ryjo for Hague Hague also will sign in the 4-5 million range, if it was 2.75 Vegas would keep that all day I like Sturm but I think Nate Bastian will be a free agent add, he apparently was one of Lindys favorites on New Jersey

You mean, I couldn't get a #2 overall pick who's gotten better every single year and is going to be on a cost-controlled 3-year RFA contract for 3 years (Reinhart) in exchange for a late 1st round pick and a goalie prospect who is at least 3 years away and I have Bobrovsky and highly-touted Knight. So I gave up a late-1st and a 7th for an immediate top-6 forward who I had for 3 years at a very fair wage. I got the player I want, because Sheevyn's hand is always the one being forced.

No

He wasn’t going to say no if the front office wanted him dealt and it wasn’t going to cost appreciable more or less. The owner wants to play hockey boss with his toy. He’s the primary reason why he presides over a ridiculed and scorned franchise. Aren’t you aware that clowns act sillily? No one in the business takes him seriously.

Once upon a time, Florida sucked, and it was beginning to look dire for their new core. Like...when were they gonna get good? All they had was a lost bubble qualifying round (and one good blip season several years prior with Gallant). And they had, seemingly, a horrible contract in Bobrovsky getting $10M to be non-Vezina level. But when Zito came in, he didn't convince the owner and immediately trade away former 1st (Ekbald) and 2nd (Barkov) overall picks to reset the core. Instead, he built around them with fantastic acquisitions (Verhaege, Bennett for that 2020-21 season) culminating in the Tkachuk trade in 2022. And now players want to go there. By contrast, Adams unloaded Eichel and Reinhart for Tuch and futures.

I think the Sabres consistently have too many players that don't have an extra gear. We see flashes of it from time to time, but mostly they're just overloaded with okay players who thrive when surrounded by players who do have that extra gear. Sam Reinhart, for example, isn't a better player now than when he was here, he's just in a better mix. I don't see Sam plugging back into this roster and the team suddenly making the playoffs, ya know?

And that's where coaching comes in. Good coaches get the most out of their players. They can't get more from them than the players have in them, John Cooper couldn't take the Ducks this season and win the SC, but they can get more out of them than even the player realizes he has.

Getting the mix right is a factor too. Even with good players this team is bad. The personality of it is unchanged for over a decade. Low effort, constantly injured, apocalyptically streaky. It doesn't seem to matter who the players are, who the coaches are, etc. The sum is never as good as the parts.

If your actions are going to cause "suffering" you need to pick a different course of action. And if you can't see that, you need to be removed from your position. Their in the entertainment business. There is nothing entertaining about being made to suffer.

You think we should be trading for more 1st rd picks?

My father in law taught school with Bryan Murray and knew the family. He used to say they were tough and honest people who told it like it was. I don’t think diplomacy was GMTMs strong suit and the meddling was probably too much.

Like letting your best players leave. I can't understand why that isn't working.

I don't blame Regier for being honest about the suffering. How wants to lose on purpose? He was probably already sick of Terry and knew he was going to mess it up.

Who knew George Costanza had bought the team? (Especially considering the OTHER franchises are good to great.)

FWIW, I think maybe 2-3 guys from the current roster will be on the team the next time they make the playoffs.

fwiw, i would dissent from comparing a desire to keep peterka to an affection for "garbage." but i take the point, i think. nothing is working. nothing has worked. like the man said.