All Activity

I know this is a popular sentiment but if he hires the right person, he doesn’t have to get out if the way. He is as involved either way the Bills, if not more, but Beane and McDermott know the fine art of making their boss feel heard without letting him make bad decisions. These are all multibillion corporations now led by alpha males and a few females. They all meddle.

Personally, don't believe Pegula doesn't care about winning. Believe he actually cares deeply about it. But considering none of the avenues he's taken to get to a place where the Sabres are winning, and he's taken several different ones, with many nearly 180 degree direction changes included; believe it's more accurate to say he doesn't know how to go about icing a winning team. And nobody he's had in charge of it was able to do so in the time they were given before he pulled the plug and changed direction. Heck, he's even had the same individual change direction (Regier from Golisano's "the only directive is you must make a profit each year" to let's spend to the cap and bring in the highest profile FA's that will come here, to "suffering" and Adams go from "get the guys Kreuger and Eichel want" to "EEE"). At some point, he needs to not only get the right person in charge but also give that right person the time to get the team he wants. The good thing is, at this point, there is so much youth around that can be converted into good current hockey players (maybe not great, but good) and there is a base (Dahlin, Tuch, Thompson, a few others) that can currently be augmented that the right person shouldn't need anywhere close to 5 years to get back into the dance (it should be doable this coming season) and they should be able to be true contenders in 3-4. The bad thing is, since showing Regier the door, the results say he hasn't come anywhere close to finding the right person yet.

Most of the time I want him to do less, not more. Hire better FO leadership and get out their way - do that Terry.

Kreider was an extra winger who would not have played, and barely played, without injuries. He was there for leadership. Thompson and Tuch have a lot to prove as 3 zone players to make Olympics. Thompson on wing helps his chances. If the top two are Eichel and Mathews, there is no place for Thompson as center. Also no place for 30 percent on draws. Hopefully, he will be full time winger next year. Better for him and the Sabres.

I’m not expecting any changes except maybe to the intern to the assistant janitor of the Sabres locker room. Sad, very sad that Pegula doesn’t care about winning.

Glad I never got the gambling jones. There has been some intimation that gambling has been an issue for him and the openness which they discuss it still feels weird to this old codger.

I’d be more interested in discussing this if I thought you’d actually watched him play.

Just because he is the Sabres 2nd best defenseman(your words, not mine), doesn’t mean he should be locked up long term. Instead, maybe it is an indicator of just how bad the blueline group is…and how desperate the clown show FO should be in terms of a makeover.

It's funny to keep reading things like Friedman saying he "expects changes" but he can't say if they are big or small so they might just be reserved parking spaces.

No one smashes a stick like Markstrom. That was not even one of his better ones. I think the guy is a wannabe axe murder.

Aren’t you the poster who said the Sabres would not only make the playoffs, but win two rounds? 😂

Because he's the Sabres 2nd-best defenceman and at 23 with only 246 NHL games is likely to get better? (To be clear, I wasn't saying Byram should be signed to that contract, only that the math seems to fit, based on that $5.3M value this year GA posted.)

They all do.

I loved Beane calling out the fantasy schmucks on WGR. Now he needs to tell Schopp to sign up for Gamblers Anonymous.

And with due respect, I still don't think he's any great shakes. He benefited from being in a fairly thin WR room (and the team not having a good option for "the X") and from having an All-Pro QB. If the guy weren't such a character (the walk-in outfits, the life hack videos on Instagram), his offseason departure would have been far less newsworthy than it was.

And the timing of that meeting fits in perfectly with what has been talked about here.

Except Byram isn't a good defender. He's mediocre so why keep him long term?

Again?

I'm pretty sure he's available, at least according to Wiki: "His involvement with the Nunavik hockey program ended in 2017." Do you really thing he's interested in the step down from Nunavik youth to the Sabres? Why not? They're already on the payroll.

Yikes! 6'6" 19 years old With agility, reach, and details, Kleber’s a formidable defender. He angles opponents to the outside and times his pokes just as they expose the puck. He has the range to switch between high, low, and off-puck coverage with ease. He’s physical, yet rarely chases or ends up in the box. -EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide

Except Bill Belichick had excellent player personnel people like Scott Pioli during their Super Bowl run. Bill on his wasn't that good.

I fear that'll quickly become the, "Wait, wait. Stop doing something.... Just stand against the wall."

No one thought Hollins was anything before last season. This year we have Josh Palmer and a healthy Curtis Samuel. And it's likely we will add one more free agent. Don't panic. Beane knows what he's doing.

Do I need to start a Pegula do something already thread?