Obviously not. The callers to WGR are a mere sliver of the total fan base, so if you think that's who Sabres fans are you're pretty mistaken. Those are Sabres fans who call talk shows. This is not to say the info coming from WGR is poor, just the callers are, and many times it's difficult for the show hosts to hide their impatience with those callers.
Do you know how big hockey is around here? How many kids and adults play in some sort of league? That in itself raises the understanding of the game and cognizance of what should or should not be done to escalate chances at winning. The general social atmosphere around here involves discussing hockey, discussing what the Sabres do. Nearly anyone interested in the team learns about hockey organically. Few people don't want to share what they think or know.
I would consider this to be a sophisticated hockey market. Therefore, you can get away with a tank, like we did. You can explain what a re-building process is and it will buy the organization "time" because, generally, Sabres fans understand why things are they way they are and understand how the game works.
Between what WGR talks about, the Athletic and the News, not to mention the entirety of the interwebz, we get a lot of solid information and education on hockey (just like anything else). People around here eat it up. We all know advanced stats exist, we all know they need to be used as a tool to aid in winning.
The fans, in general, recognize:
Murray was an attempt to be contenders within a short amount of time.
Nolan was re-hired because fans love him and we needed to tank.
Bylsma was a superficial hire based on availability, name recognition, with no real respect for the fact that he didn't earn his ring.
Botterill was, perhaps, the first thoughtful hire by the Pegulas.
Housely was a disaster that no one expected.
So, now, do they retreat to the "we just need to get into the off-season to please them all" camp? Because if they go this route, the odds are good we're going to want this guy fired after a while, or that, like Martin's record (and Ruff's), he might get you to the big dance once, but you won't win it. The goal was to win Cups...with a "s".
Or do they take a chance on someone new who is ostensibly on the "cutting edge" of hockey game management? Whose future in the NHL is yet unknown, but, like a first round pick, whose potential is unlimited?
What do you think the fans would appreciate more?
