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Al Smith - Player Liaison to Ownership😊

People can be better than that though. If you (general you, not you specifically) think the play of the team gives you the green light to be an A-hole, you should seriously consider being a Boston fan instead of I hear that’s a thing around here.

And you have to at least see what both sides get if/when they dump. The Colorado side is written but not ours.

Which GM regularly has his team in the playoffs? Which GM regularly has a team that is usually a Cup contending team? It was rather quickly recognized that Mitts was not working out in Colorado. The GM then took a corrective action in short order. That’s how a smart and flexible GM works. Maybe you should reconsider your assessment?

Byram is worth more than Mittelstadt

So, the Avs dumped Casey and looks like the Sabres may be dumping Byram. Begs the question - who is the dumbest GM in the NHL ?? Looks like a tie.

I am sure some of it is coaching, including the lack of continuity in terms of system and style, but someone from outside of the current organization needs to identify the player personnel issues and get them fixed. Some of the questions seem to be: Do we have a starting caliber goalie on the roster or in Rochester? Do we have a true 1C? How do we fix the defensive pairings? Who needs to go and who and what type of defensemen need to be added? How do we get some forwards with toughness so we don't lose all of the physical battles and not have to have our top players stand-up and get battered? What improvements are needed for the bottom six? Realistically, how long is this going to take to fix?

YOU !!

Having a player ask out shouldn’t be a major problem for a franchise. There could be numerous reasons for such a thing. The issue with the Sabres is it has become systemic and rewarded. The issue here is that instead of investigating the real issue, the owner/GM team double down on their EEE and woe-is-us ways. The instant Eichel asked for a trade, the owner should have asked why. Why is my bordering-elite, bond fide 1C All-Star captain wanting out? And then address that issue. The issue being Adams got hired on the premise of beginning another reset around a new core. Naturally a player entering his prime, watching the general ineptitude and keyed in with players/friends around the league is going to say “enough”. But instead of thinking in terms of hockey and building around one of the most talented young cores in the league, Pegula chose EEE and futures, and being the laughingstock of the league.

Until we are relevant in the league again; I'd rather not have to hear about more incredible success stories of players leaving Buffalo and their careers exploding. That's all. Unless the player asks out, then I only wish ill will against him.

It was another thread in here where I listed out what has to happen for Boston to turn it around very quickly. I wrote out a bullet about Minten making the jump he’s capable of to a nasty 2/3C. 3 who can jump to 2. But then I looked at his numbers and figured he just doesn’t have the offenee. However, if he does do that…. Dang. I do like the player a bunch.

Yes indeed, Mitts was not good and Lohrei couldn't handle the ice time or pressure and completely fell apart. Minten looked promising. Got him from the Leafs in the Carlo deal. Remember that name. I think he will be quite good.

Which is also kind of the problem with Byram isn't it? He's not a complimentary piece to Dahlin or Power, he's a similar piece. As was Jokiharju (although a lesser version). We need the Braydon McNabb, Jake McCabe types that we didn't keep around. Even Borgen was more of a complimentary piece, although again lesser in his case. I suppose they thought that was Samuelsson, but he's not, and they messed up Risto and there was all that, but we definitely need some solid D and RHD would be best.

I dunno, I feel sometimes like I feel more sting cause I have to put up with the likes of the Jets flaunting their competence in my face Willy nilly

I understand and respect that. I think we understand each other - even though we disagree. With no data to support this, I think it's possible out of town fans may feel less sting. Maybe because we can't participate financially by going to games? For example, I would get season tickets the first day I could if I moved back. Maybe your response would be; then you'd be more pissed. So some of it could be things like that. Not that I'm ignorant to the fact there's many posters outside the Buffalo market just as upset as ones in it.

The Titanic was all fun and games until it hit the iceberg.

I agree with @Thorny that the degree of negativity around here an inevitable manifestation of the team's performance. I agree with @7+6=13 that it has made this a less enjoyable place to be.

That’s a great point. John used to be on the opposite end to all my posts now he more less does my speaking for me

I'll add that the irony is that posters like John C (I know him from when he used to post about the Sabres over on the Bills' side) and myself were among those who tended to be optimistic, and gave ownership a lot more rope, so to speak. It took a lot to prove that all they could do was hang themselves.

Yup That is what we want it to be The few fans who still support the team feel they need that to keep going

Well I'm not particularly happy that you think I'm the only annoying person here. That's not the goal. I'm not discussing different opinions in general terms. For example poster A wants to trade Byram, while poster B would like to sign him to an extension. I'm saying that hypothetical discussion will move away from that debate and get hijacked into vitriol for KA, TP and all manner of tangents that make some posters not want to come here. It's a problem and I'm not preaching. I'm just offering another perspective. Indulge me for a moment. I moved to Charlotte NC 29 years ago at 21. There's a massive amount of Bills and Sabres fans here. Maybe this will resonate with some of you. When I arrived in Charlotte there were two places that got the Bills games and often the Sabres too. This is before it became common to have your own dish. For those that got together during those years TBD and subsequently SS became a connection to home. We would regularly tell a person that didn't know, man you can go to SS and every article mentioning the Sabres populates. It overjoyed people that I know. The discussion today about SS is they don't come here anymore. "It's too negative". "Go to this guy on YouTube or this guy on X if you want Sabres discussion without the I don't even care if Buffalo loses the team". I mean you can blame it on Terry for forcing it but if it matters to anyone of you major posters (couldn't find a better term) - it's become a place primarily for venting and so much less content. I suppose if that's what you want it to be, carry on. I miss the place that is still a daily click for me, but I exit threads and leave so often because it's exhausting where they go.

Shockingly, tho, on Day One the owner said part of the problem with the team was "in this room." The room being the Buffalo News editorial board meeting room. I was already figuring out the guy was a numnut.

There isn't much else to discuss, no. You point to posters like Taro, LGR, and Tom Webster. I appreciate their posts, as well. Taro and I agree on a lot. I post on a different board for some of that, because we are the minority here on those subjects. I don't annoy folks by picking fights on those matters. It would do no good. Further, I don't have the critical insight and acumen to add to their level of hockey insight. When there is something to discuss, like a draft pick, or a trade, or a significant move, folks will chime in. When there is no reasonable response to continued failure, folks discuss that. The new impetus has to come from ownership, because the discussion is reactive to what they do or do not do.

You are disagreeing with the idea the posters are blameless. The posters are blameless for the negativity. They are accurately reflective of the situation Your calls for the board to be more positive or be less negative are tantamount to asking the board to be blatantly biased and unreflective of our situation just to pretend things are better than they are You strategy stinks. It’s the bury yours heads in the sand strategy: might as well pretend things are good because they aren’t going to actually be