nfreeman
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Posts posted by nfreeman
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FFS. Fire DG yesterday.
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Bringing in EJ was a good move on paper that should've worked better than it did.
If he's not on an NHL roster next year, then his not working out here was probably more on him than on the Sabres. But at this point we're guilty until proven innocent.
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No. It's coaching.
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22 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
The fans don't give two sh....s about which players score goals as long as their team scores more than the opponent. My point is the KA made an inept forward group worse and that has been born out so far by the forward groups' lackluster performance the last two nights.
So if Byram scores 20 goals next season and the team misses the playoffs again, do you really think the fans will be happy? I doubt it.
Holy straw man batman. Of course the fans care more about the team winning, and of course they won't be happy if the Sabres stink again next year. The point is that when evaluating 2 players who were traded for each other, one of the biggest metrics, perhaps the biggest, is goals. This is especially true where the team stinks both before and after the trade.
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2 minutes ago, Thorny said:
Good because we won’t be overcommitting to playing him on his proper hand
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this is a joke. I get the deal is to send Kyle to a contender
and WHAT a contender!
edit: do they have like 7 former Sabres now?!
Do you mean the trade is a joke? As in the Sabres should've gotten more for KO?
If so, I heartily disagree.
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1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
That's a meaningless stat as it reflects the terrible PP and the failure of most of the other 12 forwards. Casey is 37th in the NHL in EVP with 39 EVP. JJP is second with 34. Casey also lead with 27 EVA. The next closest is Dahlin at 19.
The scoring problems don't have anything to with Casey's departure, but Casey's departure turned a bad situation worse.
Your other question is also meaningless. Who cares how many goals they each score going forward. The question should be is the team better today after the trade than before? My answer is that they aren't better. The offense is going to be worse and I don't think the defensive play will improve either. Outside his injury history, there is nothing "wrong" with Byram the player, except that his in zone play is below average. Granted that makes him just all the other Sabres D. There is a reason Colorado made him available.
Well, you opened the discussion of the "meaningless stat" by noting that the Sabres have scored 3 goals since Mitts' departure. If team goal-scoring is meaningless when they had Mitts, then it's also meaningless to decry the paltry team scoring since his departure.
As for the terrible PP -- are you referring to the terrible PP that Mitts was a big part of (5th highest PP ice time, one of 4 forwards averaging between 2:32 and 2:55 per game)?
The teams, fans and coaches all care quite a bit about who scores more goals.
Your question about whether the team is better now is of course also quite relevant. My answer is that any improvement/deterioration resulting from the trade is marginal -- they stunk and had major problems before the trade, and they still do.
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The Sabres are 29-30-5 for 64 pts and 18 games left. Last year, they finished 42-33-7 for 91 pts. How bad does their finish have to be for KA to fire DG?
11-5-2 gets them to 40-35-7 and 87 pts.
9-7-2 gets them to 38-37-7 and 83 pts.
7-9-2 gets them to 36-39-7 and 79 pts.
5-11-2 gets them to 34-41-7 and 75 pts.
IMHO, DG should get a pink slip no matter what, although I think he's definitely safe in the 87-pt scenario and likely safe in the 83-pt scenario.
Lindy would take this job in a heartbeat and he'd get much more out of this team.
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1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
The Sabres anemic offense has scored 3 goals since Casey’s departure. One goal by VO who will soon be gone and 2 by D.
Still searching for a Sabres forward to drive play.
FFS. They were 23rd in scoring when the great Mitts was here and they still are.
Their scoring problems have zero to do with Mitts' departure.
As between Byram and Mitts, who do you think will score more goals for his new team this year?
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32 minutes ago, Demoted said:
Done tipping in America anymore.
What?
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Just now, Ctaeth said:
I'm not a fan of the trade. I don't think they got appropriate value for a player that is currently playing extremely well at a premium position, is young, and still has rfa years.
KA has repeatedly said he "isn't shopping" Mitts.. as recently as that interview with Fairburn in the Atlantic (it was the day of the game vs. VGK). KA, for the most part, seems like a pretty straight shooter. I don't recall him ever misleading the media intentionally. If he had an offer from the Avalanche that he was willing to accept, he absolutely should have been shopping Mitts to find out if that is the best deal he could get for him. If he did "shop" Mitts in the meantime to all the other teams, he really should be waiting until closer to the trade deadline to let other teams try to outbid the Avs or for the Avs to feel the heat and offer more. IMO, either way you look at it.. he kind of screwed the pooch.
side note: screwed the pooch is an odd phrase, never really thought about that one in a literal sense.
I am highly skeptical that KA could've gotten more for Mitts than Byram. Frankly, I'm pretty surprised he got that much.
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38 minutes ago, Brawndo said:
I do believe this is the first in series of moves.
Could Jokiharju be on the move by Friday?
37 minutes ago, Thorny said:As a right shot, he’s sticking out like a sore thumb
Like most GMs, I think KA is more inclined to trade guys he inherited (like Mitts) than guys he chose -- but would they really reduce their limited supply of RHD? It's an interesting question.
Now if they wanted to trade a RHD -- Power, Savoie and a #1 for Tkachuk?
In any case I would love another big move, although I fear it won't matter until a new coach is brought in.
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12 minutes ago, Thorny said:
Definitely unfair to claim negative reaction as reflexive. Plenty of data points to suggest the deal is questionable, looking purely in a vacuum
As soon as I saw LHD my heart sank. It goes against principles I’ve argued against in the past. It’s worrying positionally and due to injury concerns. And relative to giving up the forward who’s HAVING the best season, if that bridges that gap for you
OK -- to be clear, not all the negative reactions are purely reflexive -- but many are.
5 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:Speaking of data points -- that is a nice one!
4 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:Let's say argument's sake, that Byram stays healthy and has a great season next year. How much would it cost to retain him? 6 mill, 7? KA will also have to re-sign JJP and Quinn and has already invested some 27 million in Dahlin, Power, Clifton and Samuelsson, plus whatever he decides to pay Jokiharju to not run away as he is our only marginally competent RHD.
I stand by my prediction, isf Byram plays well, we won't be able to afford to keep him and he'll be traded for other assets.
If Byram plays to his potential, it won't matter what Joki and Clifton do. KA will keep him, probably on a long-term deal.
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My 2 cents:
- I like the trade. I've never been a fan of Mitts', and although he's developed over the years from probable washout to decent NHL forward, I sure didn't want to give him $7MM x 7 years (or more), which is what I think an extension would've cost. The characterizations in this thread of Mitts as "our best forward" and "tough to play against" are insane IMHO.
- Meanwhile, Byram, who turns 23 in June, has been averaging 20-22 minutes per game in the last 2 seasons for an elite NHL franchise. He's averaged 20 min per game in 27 playoff games. He's a great skater, he fights more than most of our D group and he can score a bit.
- There is NFW that they trade Byram after 1 season. If he's good, they'll sign him to a long-term extension.
- I understand the reflexive doubt for any move KA makes -- he's earned it with this atrocious season. But I think @pi2000 is right that this was a good and opportunistic move to sell MItts high and buy Byram low.
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4 hours ago, mjd1001 said:
If they make a coaching change, I'm all for Lindy being the pick. I'm just not ready for a coaching change yet. Other than 'its obvious', i haven't really heard many reasons why Granato should be gone. To me, this team was always in for the 'long build' despite fans not wanting it to be that way. The Defense (top 4 at least) is SO young and inexperienced, a couple forwards had career years last year, and they have had more key injuries this year than last year. That isn't on the coach to me.
Agreed. Its an unpopular opinion, but I totally agree.
Because of the zillion games this season they came out clearly not ready to play an NHL game.
That is an incontrovertible indicator of a team that is the opposite of focused, intense and determined.
And that is partially on the roster but very much also on the coach.
To be fair: I've read several articles about Lindy's firing that cite similar flaws with the Devils this season.
3 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:Is Ruff the better coach? Would he be a logical next-step playoff-bound coach after Granato got the kids to believe in themselves? Are Lego Y-Wings cool?
But no one has answered the question: Even if offered the job, why would Ruff return to this two-bit Jawa-****** franchise?
Ruff just signed a multiyear extension. He can kick back on his Ruff duff for all of 2024-25 and take it easy (meanwhile, Granato also just signed an extension so it'd be very un-EEE). And when Ruff is ready, he should have several bench/assistant options and maybe a HC spot available after any midseason firing. He'll likely be involved with Team Canada again.
Ruff can get more money coaching elsewhere. Rolston, Nolan, Bylsma - not direct from Pittsburgh, but from USNTDP -, Krueger, Granato -- these are not the highest paid coaches in the league. (And it's doubtful Babcock's agent did anything with the Sabres except to negotiate a higher salary from Toronto.)
His last season here the team had already elected to begin selling off parts and was ready to tank. They gave him this center spine to start 2013-14 coming out of the lockout: Hodgson-22, Ennis-23, Grigorenko-18, Ellis -- and then Hecht played center after Ellis was waived (and cleared!). That's not a playoff roster. Big surprise they started out a bit slowly apart from Vanek (who led the league in scoring after 10 games). And Ruff was fired for it.
He's watched the organization run veterans and future stars out of town, alienate the (#1 % US television viewing) fan base, let the arena waste away... and purposefully tank for multiple seasons, only to churn through GMs who flopped their the entire makeup of the team and coaches who shouldn't have ever a NHL HC.
He's seen team leadership doesn't want anyone with an alpha personality who is going to stir things up (and Ruff has chilled as he's gotten older; but he's still got some fire).
He saw his former player, AHL affiliate coach, and now Devils bench coach get fired by the organization -- not for incompetence or leaning too heavily on AHL veterans, but because he and his staff's salaries during the pandemic shutdown prevented the owners from money for yachts and such.
If Ruff wants to get to 900 career wins, he deserves somewhere better than this mess to attempt to do so.
3rd bold: are you saying that Travis Green coached in Rochester? I think he coached in Utica, but not Rochester.
2nd bold: this is complete speculation and IMHO silly. Krueger was very much an alpha personality, as is Babcock, who they tried very hard to get.
1st bold: he'd want to come here because he wants to be an NHL head coach, and after getting fired 3 times and winning a total of 2 playoff series since 2007, he's pretty close to being out of options.
The team has a lot of talent -- now maybe even in goal -- and Lindy knows that Buffalo can be a great place to play and coach. Also, he has 4 kids and wikipedia says his primary home is in Clarence.
As for the money, I'd expect TP will pay more than he'd collect for not working.
You want to right a wrong? You want Buffalo to love the Sabres again?
Here is opportunity.
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2 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:
Post of the month for this part alone.
I'm not convinced about the rest of it, but I'd be willing to give Ruff a job with the Sabres - can hockey teams have a 'bench boss' like in MLB ?
I'm certainly open to a different veteran coach with a successful track record, but I don't know which guy meeting that bill is available, willing to come here and better than Lindy.
I am not OK with bringing back DG.
Would you rather bring DG back, or make Lindy the HC?
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- Popular Post
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53 minutes ago, Buffalo Super Fan said:The Buffalo Sabres should reach out to Lindy Ruff right now as the next Sabres head coach and fire Don Granato immediately in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo
It's quite a day indeed when I find myself enthusiastically endorsing a post generated by discount AI.
But I would swap DG out for Lindy in a heartbeat.
BTW: Lindy got the Devils to a franchise-record 112 pts last season and their first playoff advancement since 2012. Then he lost 2 of his top 4 D last summer and he lost his #1D (Dougie Hamilton) for the season on Dec. 1. His best player, Jack Hughes, has missed 16 out of 61 games with injury, they've only gotten 28 pts out of major acquisition Timo Meier, and they've gotten crappy goaltending all year. And they're 1 under DeLuca .500 with 21 games left.
He can still bring it. In fact, I freaking guarantee that if the Sabres fire DG and bring him in, they will make the playoffs next year.
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7 hours ago, tom webster said:
I know, I’ve shared my frustration with management and how this season has unfolded ad nauseum. I also get that it’s a long shot. I just don’t think it’s necessarily over.
I will not be satisfied with a valiant run to ninth place. I blame KA for mishandling the last two years. I’m not wavering in my belief that they could have done a lot better but UPL has been a revelation and they are not as bad as some would have you believe
This right here is perfect.
6 hours ago, Brawndo said:Buffalo has the second hardest strength of schedule remaining including the Western Canadian Road Trip with a stop in Seattle.
I just do not see it happening.
I have a hard time believing that the GM of a team that finished one win out of the playoffs last year, would willingly enter this season with the third most cap space. I still believe GMKA is operating under an internal cap.
5 hours ago, tom webster said:I go back and forth on the internal cap. Trades that came close only to fall apart, usually because of NMC or free agent choices would seem to indicate that he was given freedom to go higher. On the other hand, they just might be good at getting their story of “trying” out to just enough people.
Interesting. I can see either possibility being true. I'm also not sure there was a guy out there in the $4MM to $6MM range who was willing to come here on a short-term deal and who would've made a difference.
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This thread has turned into a microcosm of SabreSpace and I'm here for it baby.
@dudacek with a scintillating, hope-restoring post.
@Thorny with a series of passionate posts about not settling for being a bunch of losers, escalating to an alarming degree but ultimately not quite going off the cliff.
@Hank with a fair and friendly but still kinda aggressive contribution.
@Sabres Fan in NS with the kind-hearted generosity towards the team and the board.
@Brawndo with the good info.
@GASabresIUFAN with the good numbers.
Even if the team lets us down again -- and I hope nobody here is really counting on them going 16-5 to close out the regular season and squeak in, although I know some are -- the board lives on gloriously.
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24 minutes ago, Thorny said:
I agree with this in totality.
But I’m no hypocrite: if we make the playoffs, ALL bets are off. It’s about the results.
Buckle in
Well, sure, but that seems extremely unlikely.
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Not a damn thing IMHO.
Once again they are a day late and a dollar short — and once again they are putting up empty numbers against opponents who are not bringing their A games in the 2nd half of the season against yet another crappy Sabres team.
To be fair, I suppose we can infer that UPL might be a real NHL goalie. But I’m not going any further than that as far as making any determinations about the team as a whole.
I still want a new coach and some new players.
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We should’ve traded Mitts and Rosen for him when we had the chance. Can’t believe we let that one slip away.
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34 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:
Here is one I think of all the time but never post. Major businesses that just can't get their web sites correct. There are a lot of them, but Marriott is one. Their in house booking/reward site is Bonvoy. Most parts of the page load painfully slow, but try to book a hotel by selecting the 'map' feature where you can see all their hotel brands on one page in relation to each other? Its like you are back on dial-up internet. Not just a little slow, but really really bad.
Can't understand how a major company like that can make their 'gateway' to their product so hard to uses.
Oooooooooohhh. I too have been very annoyed, multiple times, about that mapping feature on the Marriott website. It is freaking terrible.
Separately: while I appreciate the feedback on the thread merging, locking, etc., I don’t think it’s quite the catastrophe it’s being painted as here. I hope everyone can appreciate that the mods donate their time on a volunteer basis and make moderation decisions in good faith. No one is seeking any personal gain here.
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14 hours ago, inkman said:
If there was only a way they could kick start a rebuild…
14 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:Mark of a team that's quit on the season and has guys waiting on the trade deadline. They've lost their way with the temporary coaching change as well. No wonder Tkachuk wants out.
Nashville rebuild on the other hand, moving along quite nicely.
7 hours ago, French Collection said:I would expect some major moves there. The new ownership and management team have no ties to any of these players.
Like Buffalo, they expected to be in the hunt this year.
Here's a generalization with, IMHO, quite a bit of truth to it: this is exactly the kind of situation in which a Canadian NHL team -- mostly due to the much higher pressure facing Canadian teams relative to US teams -- frequently panics and trades a great player instead of patiently working out the issues.
If this is real, it's an opportunity. I sure hope KA seizes it.
4 hours ago, Pimlach said:So you guy all want Brady Tkachuk for the next 4 years at $8.2M????
In year 5 he will be gone, and if we cannot get this team to Cup contending status in 2 years he will be a miserable distraction in Buffalo (aka Hockey Hell).
His family is hell bent on getting him and his brother together someday, or getting him to St Louis (home), or another contending team.
This guy is a huge prima donna. Figures he is not wanting to finish the contract he signed with Ottawa.
3 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:There can't be many teams that have prospects and picks like Buffalo, but if a player has any say in where he is going to be traded, zero chance Buffalo is on that list. I would imagine that Buffalo is near dead last as a destination for anyone in their prime.
I doubt he'd be happy about being traded to Buffalo, but the Sabres need to take steps and no move is without risk. If they bring him in and the team becomes a Cup contender, he'll probably be happy here.
OTOH, if they don't bring him in, and they continue to stink, guys like Dahlin and Cozens are going to want out pretty soon and then we'll be starting rebuild #4.
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38 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:
That seems cheap.
There's a reason it seems cheap.
There is zero possibility that Mitts is the best NHL player going to Van in a Pettersson trade.
8 minutes ago, Brawndo said:TNT, Kulich, Rosen, Samuelsson, and 2024 1st.
It would be expensive and since he can sign an extension July 1st, a new contract would have to come with it
Now this is more realistic.
Even so, I don't particularly want to pay a huge price for Pettersson and then make him one of the highest paid players in the NHL. He's a very good player, but he's not what the Sabres are dying for, which is leadership, toughness and determination (and good coaching).
I'd much rather pay through the nose for Tkachuk.
4 minutes ago, inkman said:I don’t think Casey has the rep outside of Buffalo he has here (budding star player). What’s he to the rest of the league? A 60 point guy? Maybe he has enough of a resume to be the centerpiece. I’d think it would have to be Tage, Dylan, Rasmus or Owen.
This.
Just now, Porous Five Hole said:This would be insane.
Elias had 102 pts last year to Tage’s 94. And Tage will make about 5MM less than Pett’s new contract. So why would Buffalo have to throw in the equivalent of three additional first rounders PLUS an NHL defenseman on a reasonable long term contract?
That offer doesn’t make any sense.
And TT has perhaps led the Sabres in their enormous and disappointing step back this season, with 33 pts in 48 games (56-pt pace) and generally comatose play, while Pettersson is on track for 101 pts as the Canucks lead the NHL standings.
TT deserves $5MM less than EP.
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Casey Mittelstadt traded for Bowen Byram
in The Aud Club
Posted
I'll repeat what I said during the stick salute boycott fiasco: TP hates being embarrassed, and Mittelstadt saying this is embarrassing.
That's 2 embarrassment strikes against KA in fairly short order. If the Sabres limp to the finish line and end up with, say, 78 pts -- that might be strike 3 for KA, or at least for DG.