Taro T

The way it makes sense is if Allen both likes and trusts him. We know he likes him. Does he trust him in crunch time to make the big catch? This kid doesn't trust him in that situation, but don't have a say in the matter. Personally, would rather they keep Shavers (even though his and Gabe's roles wouldn't be identical) if it came down to 1 or the other.

Beating a dead horse, but "practice repititon" is the concern. Haven't been to a team practice since Krueger made TC a closed door affair. Have been to over well over 100 games since that time and have watched several 100 in that time frame. With that stated, if you do dumb things in practice, you'll do dumb things in games. They do dumb things in games and the people running practices are the same ones that ran them in the past. So, so, so truly wanted at least Wilford, Appert, and Ellis relieved of all duties.

Not takin' the bait. 😉 Will suffice it to say, am getting tired of cramming 10 gallons of stuff in a 5 gallon bucket and then coming back again to do it all over again. Lather - rinse - repeat.

No.

No, the survey was apparently 1-5. 1 - 5 goes F, D, C, B, A. At least when non-English majors are setting up the scale. This one was clearly set up by English majors or some other mathphobes. In some categories a C- was a 3.0 and in others a C was a 2.8. In one, a B- is a 3.2 and a C+ is a 3.5. If the rules to Calvinball could be converted to math, we're witnessing it. 😉 And they didn't "receive the lowest grade possible on this scale." That apparently would've been a 1.0. They received a 2.0. Which was the lowest grade of the 32 rated team front offices, but it was not the lowest grade possible on the scale.

And again, had they simply replaced the coaching staff (or significant parts of it) would be very bullish on the team's chances to have turned the corner. But they've played such a fundamentally flawed game the past 2 years when they theoretically were going to play NHL defense, just have a hard time believing the improved maturity will overcome the rest of what they're dealing with.

Figured that probably was the case, but didn't think of that until after having hit the post button and didn't feel like editing it. Cool.

As @JohnC said, the grades themselves were inflated. There was/is a very strong argment that they should've received failing grades, not the lowest possible grade they could get and still pass.

Seems about right. Get how those outside this fanbase could give them a little credit for draft and develop. But absolutely no idea how they can say there are 6 teams that manage the cap worse than the Sabres. Leaving millions in cap space every year to vaporize into the ether every time the RS comes to a close is NOT good cap management. It's actually amazingly bad cap management.

You should get Tim Russert's book "Big Russ and Me." A lot of old nostalgia of the Buffalo (or more accurately, South Buffalo) he grew up in.

If we're simply talking 1 player and not incremental (or better) improvement from several, it has to be the team's best player. Dahlin continuing to play at a Norris Trophy level is necessary. It isn't sufficient, but it's necessary. Honorable mention would be to whatever goalie decides to actually play like one of the league's 10 best. Both of those happening would go a long way towards allowing the improvements of the others to be that straw that breaks the back of the camel that is the 14 year playoff drought.

Hi @SDS. I have been waiting for more than a couple of years, but this probably isn't the best year for me to take on the additional time sink that this would be. It'd be an enjoyable time sink, but between work and family, especially if I rejoin the hockey league, I simply wouldn't have the time to properly devote to the team. If I could stay at the top of the waiting list, that would be great as I expect my time commitments to be a bit lessened next year. Good luck with it. And thanks for running it.

Another thing it does is it lets the guy you bring in not be DIRECTLY (even though it likely isn't due to him directly, there'll be a direct line of so and so got interviewed and THEN the boob got dropped, so it'll be perceived that way) responsible for one of his fraternity members losing their job. Cut the guy cleanly on cleanout day, then anybody coming in isn't getting viewed as a backstabber or similar.

Even if (just shoot us all now should this come to pass) all three of the "Big 3" decide to bolt, they don't HAVE to rebuild. They'll almost definitely want/need to overspend on a top UFA, but it doesn't HAVE to be a rebuild. (PLEASE dear Lord, do NOT let us get to the point that Dahlin, Thompson, and Tuch all want out of this dumpster fire. That would be beyond depressing.)

During the off-season (and the feeling was dispelled in fairly short order) when Regier and Ruff were brought in and the top GM got canned and the Jack Adams winner got effectively canned by offering him a 1 year deal that effected the desired reaction from said Jack Adams winner. You had a guy who'd never been a GM before coming in. Yes, he'd learned under Al Arbour, but he was part of some very bad teams and he was extremely milquetoast in demeanor. And the new HC had been a former team captain, but had only been an AC with the Panthers. AND one of the local sports radio stations had a personality that at the time didn't just hate the football coach who'd hired and subsequently fired him but also hated the new GM at a minimum. Things also seemed bad a couople of years before that when Muckler traded away or let walk every star on the team not named Hasek or Lafontaine and brought in an inexperienced HC who'd had success in juniors but no NHL coaching experience. Those are the only 2 points in time IMHO that were viewed as bad as or worse than what we've got now. Even the bankruptcy year didn't seem this hopeless.

Appert should've been canned this off-season. That he wasn't and that IF there's a canning of the HC &/or GM too (much more likely to see the former than the latter) we'll see Appert in the "interim" HC role might be one of the few silver linings to come out of this. Him taking over NEXT season screws next season up too; whereas him failing to appreciably improve the team's fortunes getting the job midseason MIGHT actually cause him to get jettisoned too when the season ends. The sliver lining being that since somebody in management or higher up thinks he can do the job, his demonstrating what he can do might actually get them to change directions when this season ends. 100% am hoping the Sabres succeed this year. Not necessarily expecting it and have little to 0 faith in several members of the hockey department. So, IF they can't be good this year and aren't actually moving in the right direction; let it be ugly enough to get things moving in the right direction.

The rumor was that they reached out to 2 coaches about joining the staff and that an actual offer was made to one that would have replaced Wilford. Both apparently turned the Sabres down. The source of the rumor typically is very credible so personally expect the rumor is fact. No indication of why the coach that was offered Wilford's job turned the Sabres down, nor any indication what role the other coach they'd spoken to would have had. Don't have a link to it.

50/50 shot his latest philanthropic endeavor would be helping to support/expand/improve a children's hospital in a location he has ties to or a Canada goose eradication program. He probably chose wisely. 😉 In all seriousness, it's good that he does have worthy causes that he literally supports very generously. Darn shame that this area's manufacturing base has taken such a hit through the years as we could use many more billionaires like him with ties to the community.

Not all that surprising. Jokiharju was a better PKer by the eye test than he was at 5v5 too. And a lot of why Power and Henri are good at the PK are some of the same reasons that they both stink at 5v5 defensively. When down a man, you have to play to an area and not lock onto an individual attacker. You try to move them to the sides, but if not, you're still trying to take up space keeping the attacker from the puck and using an active stick to take away the passing lanes. They don't change how they play when they're not outmanned. So, when what you ALWAYS do is the right thing to do in a specialized situation, it makes sense that they're actually better than average in the specialized situation. And what that's a dumb way to play in general, it makes sense that they're actually worse than they should be for their skill level.

Yep. The only set piece to the formula is you have to be getting at least above average goaltending when playing the top teams to be able to move on. Whether it's because you truly have a world class goalie (Bobrovsky, Vasilievsky (sp?)) or just a tandem that plays like them for 20 or so games (Ward & Gerber); you have to have very good goaltending to truly succeed.

Would've been shocked if either didn't get invited. And honestly expect both to make the team/play if they're healthy when the Olympic break hits.

There's competition and depth, provided everyone stays healthy. As soon as injuries start to hit, you are forcing youth back up into taking on too big a role at too high (minutes wise) a level against tougher competition. This team needs at least 1 more (and ideally 2, but no way we see that now IMHO) veteran that can legitimately play in the top 6 to make this work with even a bit of adversity thrown against them. In a vacuum, any of the players you mentioned could bump up into the top 6 without missing a beat. But there'll come stretches when 2 or all 3 of them need to bump up. And that puts a lot of extra pressure on them and the healthy vets that are still trying to do their jobs and be ready to cover for the youthful ooopses that necessarily happen. And, yes, realize you agree that the Sabres need another vet.

Not sure why Albany didn't draw better. Their college team, ever since the Thompsons played there, has been solid to great and it really seemed like the area was going to become a hotbed. The team has been entertaining too. Built a bit like the Sabres with a lot of offense and youth and not much idea of what to do on their own side of the restraining line. But unlike the Sabres, they had a nice playoff run 2 years ago. Too bad. Wonder if they'll get another crack at a franchise again. Could see it happening but wouldn't have money on it.

The bolded, counterintuitively, is one small reason to have hope that this season going kerplewy again (and as it stands, that's the most likely outcome with the current coaching and roster) it won't see Dahlin, Tuch, and Thompson all clamor to leave. Fixing the coaching, and had read here earlier that ALL of the coaches contracts are up after this season, while keeping this roster mostly intact with all having an additional 50-80 games under their belts could see this team have the necessary huge jump in the standings NEXT year especially if the goaltending finally gets solid (either via growth or additional move). With all the coaches getting changed out, it's POSSIBLE (not likely, but possible) that Adams might have a change in title as well and have a lesser role than the final decision maker on the 50 or so contracts. Not even remotely sold on Kekalainen (personally expect the majority of his success was due to having a true star directly under him in Zito), but trust him and Karmanos more than Adams. Bring in a couple of leadership vets who've been through long playoff runs consistently to go with the added experience and a coach that can actually get better play out of his players and that team could be poised to make the 20 point leap to 103 from 83. The canary in the coalmine for that is does Tuch sign an extension. If he does, though this season could be extremely frustrating, it won't necessarily lead to yet another rebuild. If he doesn't, expect all of the "big 3" to want out, and we get reduced to hoping that the supporting pieces have matured enough and whatever the Sabres get back for Dahlin and Thompson and Tuch's cap space round it out, and they pull a Columbus next year with an improved coaching staff. And, am still hoping for at least 1 more move at F, and ideally 2 but realistically that isn't realistic, to give a bit more depth and one of the 3 goalies (most likely UPL or Levi) finds a top 10 or so game, to make everything said above moot. This team COULD make the playoffs, if a whole lot of stuff breaks their way. But with this coaching staff wouldn't put any money at all on it happening. But what a truly frustrating off-season this has been that the expected improvement based on the moves made will result in 4-6 points better than last year; when they really needed to be trying for a 20 point improvement.

Then fork it, let him take Malenstyn's spot as the 13th F. Or put him in Danforth's spot in the top 12 (not necessarily on the 4th line, but in the top 12 bumping somebody else to there) and bring Danforth back in as soon as somebody inevitably breaks. How often are ALL 12 guys Ruff wants to have in the lineup going to actually be IN the lineup. Really want them to have 12 NHLers available when even 2 or 3 guys break. They haven't had that in, oh, about 14 years at least. Again, am only willing to give up a 4th for him, so if he doesn't force his way into the top 12, no great loss. AND, he's not the 1st choice. But would rather have him in the lineup than Rosen and he's close to the next man up right now.