nfreeman

Good luck @Marvin. I hope you avoid the grim reaper. If not, I'm sure it won't be pleasant, but I will say that I know a number of very smart, very successful people who have been laid off. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but it usually works out for the best. Either way it sounds like you have very marketable skills.

More important to whom? Maybe to Sabrespace, but I highly doubt it matters to KA or TP. That would be ridiculous and just another type of cheapskatedness, not to mention stupid -- "yes, we're spending a ton of money, but we look like we've made a bunch of really savvy deals, so it doesn't matter that the zillions of dollars we're spending aren't producing wins." No one writing the checks would think like that. Wanna call them incompetent? It's sure hard to argue at this point. But if you want to call them cheap or obsessed with getting a good deal at the expense of having a good team -- I can't agree. YMMV, of course.

I do not believe that being economic and efficient is a priority for TP or KA. I think that was the case during the uncertainties of the Covid era, but it is no longer the case. I think the buildout of the front office and the fat contracts given to multiple young players indicate that the franchise is ready and willing to spend. While I will not be a-tall surprised if DG is retained, I think that decision will not be based on cheapskatedness. It will be based on (i) TP's desire not to look like a clown organization that keeps firing people and (ii) KA's belief in DG. Still a crappy outcome though.

I totally agree, and this is a roster construction flaw that KA is accountable for. Still, I don't think DG is the right guy.

Much of this is reasonable, but I can't get past, or forgive, the countless number of games this season in which they just came out in a coma. Over and freaking over they were not mentally ready to play at the opening puck drop. To me that's on DG. But I appreciate your response and that YMMV.

I am not OK with it. I will say though that KA choosing to keep DG on after a season like this, if that's how it plays out, should be treated by TP in the same way as KA choosing to hire a new coach -- and as you say, they both need to be fired if it doesn't work. Really? Please explain. Not being argumentative -- I would just like to hear your reasoning. To me they are crying out for a new coach. It's an interesting question as to whether better assistants would've made a difference this season. I think a team's attitude and mentality usually reflects that of the head coach. I agree -- but it's a bummer that this is our last, best hope. And I don't think we can be confident that this outcome isn't at least 50% likely. Has Lysowski issued a prediction on DG? In any case I would be shocked if eating DG's salary affected this decision.

Gee, I wonder how this is going to work out?

It's not impossible, but it's fairly unlikely that a hockey trade like that is made in a deadline move. No playoff team is going to part with a legit top-4 defenseman or top-2 center as they get ready for the stretch run. So that leaves the lesser teams, like the Sabres, who are in roster construction mode. Sometimes those teams make big moves at the deadline but more often it's during the summer. Overall I'd rather keep Mitts and see how he and the rest of the team do under a real NHL coach next season. Again though it depends on the return.

Let's not kid ourselves here. Mitts has progressed from potential washout to reasonably good player, but he's not a guy a team can't live without. (And that was the rare and difficult Sabrespace triple negative -- hello @PASabreFan.) As always, it depends on the return.

What? Are you seriously suggesting trading JA? If so -- this might be the dumbest post in the history of this board.

FFS. Just do it already. They're well into the death spiral. KA should be the interim coach until the end of the season -- if nothing else, it's punishment for delivering this atrocious season to the fans -- and then hire a real NHL coach this summer.

Cook's drop was bad, and I think his 3rd drop of an easy TD this season, but in the KC game the Bills scored a TD 2 plays later -- so there was no damage. Even so, the Bills' screaming need is for more downfield receiving weapons. Diggs' drop was the real killer. He might be my favorite guy on the team, and it's likely he was hurt in the last 6 weeks or so of the season, but his production fell off a cliff in that period. Most importantly, the team leaders who are getting paid huge salaries -- like Diggs -- need to make those plays. That game came down to 2 or 3 plays that KC made and the Bills didn't make. MVS caught the long bomb for KC, while Diggs dropped his, and JA missed Shakir in the end zone with 2 minutes left. If even one of those plays had gone the other way, the Bills might've won, and if 2 of them had gone the other way, they probably would've won. Such is life.

Bottom line IMHO is that the Bills scored 7 pts in the 2nd half and lost by 3, that to beat KC tonight given the state of the Bills’ D it was necessary to score in the 30s, as is usually the case vs KC, and that Mahomes was better than JA when it really mattered. Losing 3 playoff games to the Chiefs in the Allen-Mahomes era is a huge debt that probably won’t ever be repaid in full. I still respect and admire this team though.

Yet another freaking nailbiter. Still, the D has stepped up and gotten the ball back twice in the 4th quarter. Time for JA to seize the moment.

Holy mackerel this is a huge game. I wish I felt more confident. I think it's gonna be a nail-biter.

Holy mackerel there is a potentially historic Bills game on Sunday. This is like Kelly vs Marino or Kelly vs Elway in their absolute primes, except the Bills have an overdue bill to pay. And maybe the most famous person in the world is probably going to attend. The Bills will need to play better than they played today to beat KC.

I read today that Miami has won one playoff game since Marino retired in 1999.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty close with the Sabres to the point that I got to with the Bills about 2/3 of the way through their streak of suckitude -- I'm only casually interested and don't make a point of watching the games, although I might flip it on if I'm home and not doing anything and they aren't getting smoked again. I'd expect that I'll be much more invested if and when they become a real team again, but not until the results are there. I certainly don't give a crap about who they draft or which B-level free agent or trade they make next summer. Hiring a real coach would probably get my attention. As for other NHL games, I'm less interested there too. At this point I'll turn on a game if I'm hanging out with my son, who's more of an NHL fan than I am, but not otherwise. I prefer the NBA, and most of the time when I want to check out a random game, there is a good NBA game on. Great job, KA!

I think a dome probably would've been the right call for the new stadium, and definitely would've helped demand for December and January games. Agree on Vrabel. The Pats are probably going to hire him, and are probably going to be good if they do.

Me too. He has a certain confidence that I think gives his team a swagger. He's turned the Dolphins into a legit team after years in the desert, and he turned Tua into a major star. I like him as a rival to McD and as part of the Bills-Miami rivalry. OTOH, he was close to despondent in his post-game interview last night, which isn't good for Miami's morale going to KC.

Soft. (but high-potential.)

The story I remember is Drury working out in the weight room and seeing an unnamed teammate performing an exercise at less than 100% effort/technique, at which point Drury said something like "if you're not going to do it right, you should just go home."

This, this, a thousand times this!

I'm fairly patient with most of the players, but not the coaches. When I watch the team -- especially the very frequent comatose starts to home games, plus the terrible power play -- it just screams bad coaching to me. I'd sure like to see a real, experienced NHL coaching staff brought in before they make any major trades. And I know everyone loves KO, but I think the team's results during his captaincy are pretty damning. This team is dying for a Drury to show them the way.