phil_soisson
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Posts posted by phil_soisson
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On 2/29/2024 at 10:16 AM, matter2003 said:
Enough with the "too small" comparisons...
STOP THE FALSE NARRATIVE THIS TEAM IS SMALL!!
Sabres are tied for 5th in the NHL in average height and 9th in average weight. They are one of the biggest teams in the NHL now. A few small skilled players won't hurt them.
Even so, they play small.
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11 hours ago, HumanSlinky39 said:
Winning makes places a destination.
"Losing is a disease".
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3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
My friend @Taro T once pointed out to me that I was once one of the most positive voices on the board and that over the last few years, I’ve become quite negative. For that, I apologize. I am not, in general, a negative person. I am quite the opposite.
However I looked at my posts recently and I have let my frustration and anger with Adams and the Sabres grow to the point that it’s ruined my enjoyment of watching the team. Not that the frustration is misplaced. However, it’s ruined the game for me, so it’s time to take a step back. Time to concentrate on the Braves and fantasy baseball.
What makes me so frustrated is how different the management of the two Pegula teams are. Beane fires Dorsey and then trades for Douglas. He swings for the fences on occasion with the Diggs trade and with Von Miller (he missed here). He moves up and down the draft to get the players and assets he needs. He is proactive with his team and I have no doubt in my mind is that he’ll find a way out of the cap issues this season and Bills will be younger and probably better next year. The Bills missed the playoffs from 2000-2016 (17 straight seasons). Beane and McDermott arrive, and they make the playoffs in year 1 and 5 of 6 seasons with 4 straight division championships.
I compare that to Adams who is reactive, takes little to no risk, and therefore has nothing to show for his efforts but his job. Like Beane, he correctly cleaned out the old core. Like Beane he drafted well, but that’s where the comparison ends. Since the clean-out, he hasn’t made one proactive move, and his reactive moves have borne little to no fruit. If Beane was the Sabres GM. He would have acquired a quality goaltender as soon as Ullmark walked. He would have added defense in trade last season as soon as we were down 2-3 starters on D and he’d have fired the assist coach in charge of our special teams this year.
All that said, the Sabres have a ton of assets to work with, but it’s time for Adams to step up and learn from Beane. This will be the 13th season without playoffs in a league where 50% of the teams make the playoffs every year. If there is a 14th year, Adams will be gone.
So taking a step back and just looking at the organization there are things I like still.
1) Goaltending - a source of weakness since Ullmark left, could be a strength as early as next season, assuming UPL can continue to perform at this year’s level and Levi can make the jump back to the NHL. He is currently playing very well at Rochester.
2) Defense - Dahlin is currently the only top 4 D on this roster. R Johnson may be that someday, but that someday is not today. Clifton, Samuelsson, and Jokiharju are all 3rd pairing guys. Power, although, young and talented and being paid to be a top 4 D, isn’t there yet either. As a unit, they are just ok. I think the pieces will fit better if Joki is traded and upgrade by a legit top 4 RHD. The good news is that Mule is better than he played this year, Clifton has been good in 2024 and Power and R Johnson have more to give. The question is when (if?) they reach their potential.
3) Forwards - An outsider looking at the Sabres has to wonder how a team that played with such spirit last season; playing hard from the opening puck drop until the final horn blew, completely lost their edge. On paper this may be the most talented roster the Sabres have fielded on offense since 2006. There are 6 Sabres forwards capable of scoring 30+ goals a season in the NHL in TNT, Tuch, Skinner, Cozens, Quinn, and JJP. Mitts and Greenway have 20+ goal potential. Benson’s upside is hard to gauge at this point, but 25g, 65 pts seems reasonable. So where did the offense go? Bad coaching? Injuries? Lack of effort? Why also won’t they commit to two-way play? Once these talented guys figure out the effort questions and the 2-way play question, the sky is still the limit for this team.
4) The pipeline. On paper, we have one of the deepest pipelines in the NHL. We have 4-5 top-notch forwards (even without Benson) and at least 2-4 future NHL D headlines by Strbak and Novikov (not including R Johnson). We also have a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft.
Honestly, the roster is close to being a playoff roster. If Adams brings back the entire top 9 I outlined above, I doubt we’d have much room to complain based on talent. But the question for me is what would Beane do if he were the Sabres' GM. First, he’d probably fire the entire coaching staff. He certainly would get rid of the assistants except Bales who has done a good job, especially with UPL. Second, he’d probably find a way to trade Skinner to save the cap and change locker room. He made similar moves when he arrived with Bills. He would also dump all ineffective players including KO, Z, Krebs, Bryson etc… Third, he’d trade this year’s no. 1 pick (and other assets) for the proven D he needs (like he did for Diggs). I can then see him trading our 2nd rd pick and other picks to move up in the draft to grab a player he likes who has slipped on draft day like Kincaid last year. Lastly, he’d probably add a veteran goalie as insurance if UPL backslides or Levi isn’t ready. Beane likes to pair rookies in rotation with vets. This is easier in the NFL but works with goalies as well since Levi can easily be returned to Rochester if he isn’t ready even next season.
I value your insights and emotions, positive or negative. As regards your own emotional well being, and the empathy you display, thank you for putting out an apology.
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8 hours ago, pi2000 said:
Still the youngest team in the league, have some patience. They're learning right now, trust the process.
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Please! The baby was thrown out with the bath water 13 years ago.
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11 hours ago, FrenchConnection44 said:
Season for either team can hardly get screwed up more. They need a new coach. Maybe a new one in Rochester as the apparent great NHL talent is hardly setting things on fire. I’d go to March 1 or so, maybe a week later. That’s it.
Fans need an assurance Adams will act. They need to be wooing a veteran coach to come in. I’d even hire a new coach now before all of them are off the market. And let him sit upstairs in an advisory role. Let him evaluate the team from a distance.
Sabres FO also need to up their developmental game as a whole. Set offseason standards for the players that if not met will cost them playing time. They need to know they better come into camp stronger and in phenomenal shape and ready to compete. And might as well let the players know now that things will be different next year.
And after he fires Granato, Adams needs to meet with the team. Express his belief in their talent but his disgust with their play and work ethic going back to last off season, through an uninspiring training camp into the season. Let them know that next season starts with work ethic now. And the next coach will not tolerate this kind of inconsistent play and weak effort.
And tell them to quit whining about the fans. They have put trash on the ice that isn’t worth the price of admission most of the time. And that the fans make a lot less than they do. And that while the players haven’t been here for the past 13 seasons, the fans have and the players need to understand that. That if they right the ship the fans will see them as heroes.
Sorry, I think Adams needs to be gone too. If he wants to manage the Harbor Center, he can stick around. It's the only way to get the stank off of this team, and even that may not be enough.
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Make it stop!
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7 minutes ago, Pimlach said:
It’s painful on the radio. You never know where the puck is let alone who has it. Terrible. Play by play should not be a lost art.
It's what Pegula does.
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20 minutes ago, Sabres73 said:
Yes, fans of the Buffalo Sabres care.
Sanctimony!
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8 hours ago, Buffalo Super Fan said:
Another loss this Buffalo Sabres team needs a blockbuster trade to its core 6 forwards in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo
I wouldn't trust Adams to trade a baseball card.
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8 hours ago, Thorny said:
The Buffalo Sabres will inevitably, eventually make the playoffs
it will happen
A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it’ll shine out the clearer
On a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
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8 hours ago, GoPuckYourself said:
I have to believe Pegula has checked out, how can there be 0 changes when your team is this terrible at everything? We haven't even got rid of a single assistant coach, nothing? Adams stated that behind closed doors Pegula is very much involved in all operations and if thats true this is really sad. How do we have 0 changes other than Robinson who never plays?
Please sell the team. Pegula his a curse!
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What kind of assistants come in to work for a losing HC that has thrown his staff under the bus, so to speak, as some condition that he maintain his own position? Yes men! The whole notion reeks of dishonor. That's how players will see it, as well, regardless of how they may guard their public sentiment.
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1 hour ago, sabremike said:
The clown show on the ice wasn't even the most pathetic thing about this organization today:
OJ has cancer. https://www.local10.com/news/local/2024/02/09/oj-simpson-diagnosed-with-cancer-undergoing-chemo/
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6 hours ago, Sabres73 said:
But the thing is, they did play very well. If you follow sports you're aware that sometimes you play well and still lose. It happens. Saying it's just a cliche is just lazy.
13 years, but they did play very well. Gee, I feel better. The bar is so low with this franchise.
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Bills Mafia
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4 minutes ago, Thorny said:
I’m not arguing for the status quo.
Point taken. Not making the playoffs would also be a suitable definition of status quo.
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11 minutes ago, Thorny said:
Haven’t read the thread yet so I’ll edit this as necessary after I do but a big blowup is the last thing we need. Any sort of tear it down, long form build back up would be literal poison. Adams isn’t going to shift from his plan but if and when a new GM is brought in, it absolutely cannot be someone talking the long game. And it can’t be someone that only views the current results as a means to facilitating something better in the future: talking sustained, contender type success is utter hubris for this franchise at this time. The focus and goal needs to be one thing, I somehow nailed this 2 years ago and have been saying it since: just make the playoffs. That needs to be the goal: nothing else matters.
We are trying to facilitate step 5 before ever firmly getting our footing on step 1. We are the receiver turning our head to look down field before the ball is caught.
I disagree; the only thing that could be worse is the status quo. I think the irony is that this team has regressed so much, that even after thirteen seasons of futility, the majority of fans would be open to a tear down with the right President, GM, and HC (collectively) in place.
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40 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:
I'd counter by suggesting that, of late, he's been completely absent. (For perhaps obvious and good reason.)
All the more reason to have had an experienced, seasoned, savvy President of Hockey Operations running the organization, instead of a Harbor Center Director.
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1 hour ago, Marvin said:
One issue that puzzles me. We have effectively season-long slumps from our top 4 forwards (Thompson, Skinner, Tuch, Cozens) and our top 3 defencemen (Dahlin, Samuelsson, and Power). Yes, some of their problems are injury-related, but finding an answer to this question would help in deciding what to do. For instance, maybe they just over-achieved the last couple of seasons, in which case we should sell high on at least a couple of them. Maybe it just happens (e.g., there is an abbreviated Buffalo-Winnipeg game on YouTube from 1985-6 where the HNIC announcers mention that the Winnipeg Jets were plunging in the standings because their top 3 marksmen, Hawerchuk, McLean, and Steen, all had an off-year), in which case a new voice gives a new positive vibe (head coach). Maybe the lack of different skills on the team has been exploited by the other coaches.
I place the initial responsibility on the assistant coaches. The next comes with a mix of the head coach, players, and general manager. I would attack this problem in that order if possible.
I don't think it's possible; Granato doesn't have the stones to can any assistant coaches. He'll accept his firing with responsibility when it happens, along with the contract extension he got. Which brings me to another point: Pegula, and/or his agents, mind boggling habit, whether it's the Sabres or Bills, of giving big money contracts to players with scant bodies of work, or coaching/management extensions using the same rationale. This in turn gives rise to moving them, or firing respectively, later rather than sooner, so as to minimize the initial mistake of throwing good money after bad.
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1 hour ago, oddoublee said:
I don't know if a 100% blowup is necessary with this team - but a shot across the bow would be hard to argue against.
Head Coach - let him finish out the season. But behind the scenes, they should be strongly evaluating what they want out of a head coach - and create a list of people who fit their defined criteria.
Current Players - IMO, I believe Cozens is their best trade chip. I like him. He will do well. But I believe Mitts is better - more well rounded - and at a perfect age. If Skinner can be moved at a 50% retention - they should do it. So fun to watch him score goals - but he plays irresponsible hockey. He is not a good playing role model for the young players. EJ and OX will be gone next year - so be it. Devon - KEEP HIM IN ROCHESTER. Let him have a year, or two, where he is the leader and getting all the reps on a contending team. He is not going to get that in the NHL. Is he better than Comrie? Sure, by a little. But not enough so that he should skip the proper development stages.
Future Players - Vets are good to have. But they have to be Vets who can produce. OX and EJ are no different than Gionta. You can only lead so much if you cannot produce on the ice at a high level. This team needs 2-3 players - aged 29-33 - that can produce. A veteran mix of players that the young players can role model themselves to ON THE ICE. Probably have to overpay by 15-20% - but that is the cost until you become a proven winner.
GM - I would keep KA for one more offseason. But the management of Devon - and his inability to close on producing vets via free agency is a red flag. Not talking about 35 goal scorers - talking legit bottom 6 players that can slide into the top 6 when necessary. We are lacking that...
"...behind the scenes, they should be strongly evaluating...". Who is "they"? The deep state? I suspect "they" is, and has been, the problem.
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55 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:
Nothing will happen.
They had a decade to fix things and they still haven't
It's hard to quantify who "they" is, other than the owner, considering the spotless record of incompetence, be it from the futile succession of coaching or management.
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57 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:
There don't seem to be any answers on how to fix this team because I really believe they are pretty awful from top to bottom. Obviously it will be impossible to trade people like Cousins, Mule, Skinner, Power and Thompson but what about the rest? Bring in a new GM who has no bias towards any of these players and trade as many players as possible. Target teams with needs and bring back players who are older and can compliment existing talent that is here.
Would anyone really care if anyone on this team was traded? Dahlin is on a straight line to exit like Eichel, book it. Nobody on this team should be safe and they can bring in that new GM and coach to reset the whole organization. Wait until some good, veteran coaches are fired and let everyone know that absolutely nobody is safe. I have fellow season ticket holders who also have not watched a game in weeks and can't even stomach watching them any longer.
This idea of blowing it all up would be the only thing that could bring a sense of fandom back back to me in October since this will be the last year I will be a season ticket holder. I did not watch again last night but the end has to be near for Granato, I mean, it just has to be.
Granato should have been gone at Christmas. Adams is a horrible GM. His best qualification is Terry likes him. They both need to be relieved. It's so embarrassing what this organization has become since Pegula arrived.
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17 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:
I can't remember ever losing interest in the Bills, even during the 17 year drought. I don't even remember losing interest in the Sabres during the tank years because I always knew something really great was right around the corner.
Coming into this year, i thought that the waiting was over and this was going to be step 1 to plenty of years of consistent playoffs. Here we are, halfway through the season, and I got nothin, I mean...nothin. Even if this team went on to win its last 10 games of the season, being a STH after all these years is beyond dead. I have obviously been extremely down on this team over the years, but the last few weeks are different. I will never watch the beginning of the game, and unless Buffalo is up by 2 goals, the tv does not go on at all.
How does one go from being one of the biggest fans that I know...to really just writing off the sport all-together? Maybe I haven't, but right now, this is new territory. I have 6 center ice tickets for the game on Friday and none of my kids even want to go. The last 3 games we have attended have not only been losses, but games where the team has been booed off the ice.
I fear that coaching is not the only issue with this group. What if all this talent that we thought was on the verge of being stars are just decent hockey players and are way further away than we think. That is a scary thought to me and if it truly is the case, it may be years until I am back. I love this city more than anything and the only two teams I have ever cared about in my life are the Bills and Sabres.
I really hope that I am wrong, but something just isn't right with this group and I don't think coaching will solve all the issues. A coach should not be responsible for getting these guys heads right every other night. If that drive is not instilled in you as a player already, you will never get it to surface. Add more players around you will similar drive, this is what you get. This group has sucked all the fun out of watching for me and I never thought I would see the day where it just makes sense to shut them out. It's the only way I know I will not get frustrated, and I don't need that emotion if I can simply choose to shut it down.
Hell, I am the person that made Lincoln Station in Chicago a Buffalo bar. If this team can do that to me, what damage has it done to the casual fan.... Go Bills, Go Sabes
You sound strangely like Ryan O'Reilly. Pegula's ineptitude, disappearance, and silence have metastasized the cancer.
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67 (Class of 74), 50 years ago. Couldn't get tickets for the Sabres first ever home game, but did go to the Braves first home game the following night. Amazing times!
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Will this group get better?
in The Aud Club
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If Cozens found something, what exactly did he lose? His drop off from last year is titanic; what we see in totality just may be a player who is wildly inconsistent.