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Mango

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Posts posted by Mango

  1. 56 minutes ago, JohnC said:

    The issue isn't so much trying hard as it is being wise and smart. The accumulation of good decisions are more likely going to give you good results; and the accumulation of offsetting bad decisions are correspondingly not going to give you good results. No organization in any sport is always going to make the right decisions. However, on balance front offices that are more astute than their competitors win out. 

    What is frustrating about the Sabres and how they have been run is that the system is designed for the less talented teams to have advantages over the more talented teams. This is primarily done through the draft and by having first preference in the waiver system. We still have been mired in the much of mediocrity. That's not acceptable. 

    I'm not a hardened pessimist. I really believe that if our front office makes a number of good personnel decisions this offseason, this team will do well next year. I honestly don't believe that this team is far away from being a good team. The Sabres have been intermittently good. That's not good enough. 

    This is true of every team in each of the big 4 leagues in the United States. It is so generic you could put it on a Hallmark card.

  2. On 4/27/2024 at 4:16 PM, Thorny said:

    Ya I mean if this is the do or die year for Adams, playoffs or canning, might as well let him have the coach he wants the most and that’s Lindy. We should get to see his full intended plan 

    That Lindy is the coach it turns out I also really wanted is a nice plus 

    Adams stuck with Ralph until he couldn’t. He had a faux coach search and kept Donnie. Then for no reason extended him. 

    We just saw Adams plan as intended. This isn’t it.

    I fully believe Lindy was brought in to babysit and in 2 years Lindy will either still be coaching or working as an exec. Will it work? I don’t know. Adams has a new boss whether he remains employed through it is a different conversation. But he isn’t the captain anymore. 

    Between Lindy and Adams the next person to leave the org is Adams.

  3. 3 hours ago, JohnC said:

    I recently watched the Bandits play on TV in a playoff game. The house was full and the fans were engaged. The Bandits won the game in overtime in a dramatic fashion. It's a shame that the hockey fanbase has been subjected to such a lengthy period of mediocre hockey. The organization has to make a concerted effort this offseason to improve the team and give the fans a realistic chance for success. I'm confident the fanbase will positively respond if the organization demonstrates that it is serious about putting out a worthy product. 

    Here’s the crazy part. They have been trying really really hard.

  4. On 4/28/2024 at 2:28 PM, seer775 said:

     

    How? 

    We have a surplus at Top 6 F and a lack of Top 4 D. Top 4 D is more important than Top 6 F. Trade for Dmen makes sense here.

    I'm not one to defend the Sabres organization, but this is one of the times the team did something logical.

    No we do not. 

    We have some kids who might be good top 6 forwards in 3-6 years. 

    At some point the Sabres need to field a capable roster today. Not a roster full of kids who might be more capable tomorrow. 

    Edit: I will add that I think Sabres only had above average top 6 play from Tage, Mitts, and JJP this season. The rest were middling middle 6 at best this past season. 

    I think we need help at the top of the roster too. 

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  5. 5 hours ago, dudacek said:

    I’m starting to think I’m the only person on here who thinks Byram was brought in because they wanted to add a long-term top-4 defenceman and they think he can be that guy.

    And the vibe I’m getting is “they can’t be stupid enough to think ^^^ therefore it must be about contracts, or a prelude to another trade down the road.”

    When the trade happened I called it a boom or bust depending on Byram’s ceiling, because he’s got more upside, but Mitts is better right now.

    But now I’m starting to see it more as the move that defines Adams: if it fails, it will be the one that everyone points to when they are explaining why Adams had to be fired.

    Sabre fans liked the player who was traded, they don’t think he’s going to be easy to replace, they don’t think the player acquired is a good fit, and they’re not sure even if he’s any good.

    Then you’ve got that whole undercurrent of “we needed to get tougher and this didn’t do it” combined with the stronger undercurrent of “you told us to be patient and then you traded away a guy who was worth being patient for, only to tell us to be patient with the new guy.”

    Sounds like a recipe for pitchforks.

     

    I think the "Move that defines Adams" will be compounding decisions not just a trade. It will be the allocation of resources to Tage, Cozens, Power at the expense of somebody like Mitts. Even if Byram works out and we want to extend him we are looking at it possibly costing a Quinn, Peterka, etc. I don't think any of this has to do with Byram and it has everything to do with the contracts he has recently given out and whether they outperform the guys we have to let walk because of it. 

    Before the Mitts trade there were thoughts thrown out there that we could afford to let Mitts walk because of Cozens and Cozens "could" fill that role down the line because he is younger. Then we traded Mitts. Now I feel like I am starting to get the same vibe around some of the talk around JJP. "Well we have Savoie and Kulich who can fill in and they are young they could be better someday". 

    I am hoping Lindy stops the bleeding of real life NHL players in exchange for "could be good someday". 

  6. 17 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

    He actually never said specifically he talked to 10 candidates in 5 days. Only that he spoke with "double digits." He didn't say when.

    Well the time between Lindy’s announcement and Granatos firing was 6 days. 

    Anybody employed in season would need permission to interview so we know it that number doesn’t include the 16 teams currently to in the playoffs, or anybody on an NHL staff through the month of March.

    And we now know he didn’t call Berube.

    The more information that comes out seems to indicate the pool of people he spoke to was rather small with minimal NHL coaching experience and those with NHL experience would have to be bottom half of the league teams in the 5-6 days between firing Granato and hiring Lindy.
     

  7. 30 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

    Or they actually started the coaching search before Meatballs was officially fired.   Most football teams over here work like that, have contacts with possible new coach a week or 2 before the other one is fired.

    Right, totally. I addressed that in the "since he was let go from New Jersey" part. 

    And again, what you are saying is fine. I don't disagree. Just say that. 

    But the GM sat there and said he went through 10 candidates in 5 days before they hired Lindy. 

  8. 1 hour ago, dudacek said:

    It makes me smile when the same fans who are passionately for or against a particular coaching candidate they’ve never met are furious because Adams targeted someone someone he knows very well, then simply went out and got him.

    I am not against Ruff. I have said why I think he makes sense since he was fired in NJD. 

    I wish Adams stood up and said "We targeted Lindy for the role because A, B, C. We went into the process thinking he was the best fit and after the numerous  conversations between him moving on from New Jersey he convinced us he pretty quickly he is the one to get this team right". 

    Instead we got "We did a remarkably thorough search. We spoke with 10 candidates in the last 5 days for this role.". This wasn't thorough. We all know that. 

    I think most fans just want a little more conviction rather than getting cute with verbiage and pedantics. This search feels about as thorough as removing the interim name from Meatballs. Just stand up there and say they targeted Lindy from the get go. 

  9. 3 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

    You wonder why some of these guys don’t have credibility. 
     

    If true, either Berube said no to an interview or Adams just BSed everyone and only talked to Ruff.

    Either way I don’t care but the larger optics aren’t great.

     

    There is a chance he is telling the truth even if pedantic. And if that is the case who are the 10 candidates he talked to if Berube is not on the list? Half the coaches in the league are off the list because they are all still coaching in the playoffs and would need permission to interview. 

    So the list likely starts off like this. 

    1. Ruff
    2. Appert
    3. Gallant  (one would hope but apparently nobody called Berube)
    4. Matt Ellis (I am not joking)
    5. Carle (maybe, but also maybe not?)
    6-10: ?????
     

  10. 46 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

    Certainly butter is superior to olive oil in all bread-related matters (although IMHO the garlic bread comes out quite delicious with olive oil).  I'm just trying to extend the average SabreSpacer's lifespan here.

    Since the Kelce's are hockey fans, once Travis retires and marry's Taylor Swift, rumor has it they'll buy the Sabres. Which competing owner do you think Taylor will write a song throwing shade at first? I don't think it will be an owner at all. I think the first thing they'll do is buy out Jeff Skinner and she'll immediately drop a track called "Jesus, Eh? Forget Football I aint no pig SKINNER"

    My second guess is she comes after the Leafs and Bieber in one go. 

  11. 33 minutes ago, inkman said:

    Honestly all the playersin attendance minus Bryson (maybe I’m selling him short, pun intended) are the exact types to elevate their game under Lindy.  Very interesting to note who wasn’t there.  I’m sure it was just logistics with players having some commitments now. 

    Adams talked a ton about it after the firing and a bunch of players came out and were like "yeah, nobody held me accountable". 

    Then when asked about it Ruff went 180 degrees the other way and said "Woah accountability starters with the individual, then his teammates and the locker room. I am the last one who should be holding anybody accountable". (Paraphrasing)

    I am keeping an eye on how the players who were vocal about "needing more accountability" perform under Ruff. I tend to agree with Lindy. If I need to teach you how to hold yourself accountable this team has a "you" problem. And if you aren't picking it up from your peers we have a locker room/roster problem.


     

    • Like (+1) 2
  12. 11 minutes ago, triumph_communes said:

    Some people have a hard time admitting that Lindy is objectively the better candidate for this role bs the others at this time. His track record has always been about getting younger players to hit their prime. The others didn’t. 
     

    Found it interesting that before the presser Biron told an anecdote about how Gratton didn’t want to be the player that Lindy was asking out of him and that’s why he got traded for Briere. 
     

    Kevyn is going to follow directions on the line up. It’s how Lindy has always been 

     

    4 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

    Was wondering when we would reach this stage. 

    I think the ineptitude of Terry Pegula makes Lindy a good candidate for this team. This team is dysfunctional at the owner and GM level. More than a coach we need somebody with the trust of the owner to separate him from hockey meetings. 

    Berube and Gallant may be better coaches, but they would but heads with the organization dysfunction just like every other person who has come into the KBC. 

    I am not psyched about Lindy the coach. I am psyched because he might literally be the only person on the planet to provide a long term solution to the biggest plague for the Sabres and that is Pegula. 

    EDIT: Other orgs don't have to save the on ice product from ownership. The Sabres do. So while this may not solve coaching, it could very well solve for ownership. 

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  13. I wish somebody would be blunt about asking about team spending. 

    "Kevyn, you mention you have the resources. This team has been bottom half of the league in roster spend 7 of the last 9 years. You have 60% of the scouts and 50% of the analytics and player development personnel compared to the top teams in the league. When you say you "have the resources" to win are you saying that having half the support staff compared to other is by your own design? That this is the ideal set up to win the most hockey games possible"

    1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

     

    Kevyn has a new boss. 

    • Like (+1) 2
  14. 2 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

    People say “how many times did he make the playoffs in Dallas and NJ?” But what was the state of Dallas when he took over and the state of the devils when he took over?” He built both lowly clubs up to get into the playoffs. 
     

    You could take prime Scotty Bowman and put him behind the bench of the SJ Sharks the past two years and say “ Well he missed the playoffs the past two years.”

    This roster is ready to compete (and Adams better improve it this summer) so it is a different situation Lindy is walking into.

    Despite the Appert succession plan rumors I really believe that Adams just hired his new boss. Because if this goes exceedingly well Lindy will still be employed by the org in some senior advisor/POHO role. And if this thing fails, Lindy will be leading the search for a new GM and Adams is out the door. 


     

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  15. 1 hour ago, shrader said:

    The winning percentage of the modern guys, Lindy included, gets inflated a bit by shoot outs and the newer OT rules. 
     

    But anyway, I’m assuming these count tie as a half, but do you know if that’s the case?

      I would assume W% is just straight win/loss otherwise it just becomes a weird variation of P%

    For reference here is the P% of the same guys plus a few some wanted:

    Craig Berube .584
    Gerard Gallant .576
    Pat Burns .573
    Darryl Sutter .570
    Al Arbour .564
    Jacques Lemaire .563
    Dick Irvin .557
    Pat Quinn .556
    Lindy Ruff .552
    Mike Keenan .551
    John Tortorella .542
    Paul Maurice ..536






     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  16. 2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

    Innocent question: If the Sabres miss the playoffs again next season, does Ruff stay and Adams get fired?

    I think the short answer is “it depends”. 

    The long answer is that if somebody is getting fired it will 100% be Adams first. And Lindy will likely either hire his own GM or move to some POHO or Senior Advisor role. 

    And if this is successful Lindy likely eventually moves into a POHO or Senior Advisor role and picks his replacement. 

    I think Adams neutered himself. 

  17. This is a "fine" hire. I am not super excited and not unhappy with it. I think we definitely could have done worse. Outside of actual coaching I like this because I hope it sets the tone for a POH and push Pegula a little further away from hockey meetings. Either everything works great, Adams completes this roster, we are competitors, and Lindy eventually retires in some senior advisor role. OR the roster crashes and burns, Adams is fired and Lindy is moved to President of Hockey Ops and hires a real life NHL GM and runs the org. 

    Both of scenarios are upgrades to the current. 

    I will say it for the 100th time, but any hire for HC has to meet the center of a venn diagram between 1. Best candidate 2. Willing to take the job 3. Terry is willing to offer the job. And under that criteria I think Lindy is likely in the top tier of candidates available. 

    What I am upset about is that there seemed to be no legitimate coaching search. Granato was fired 6 days ago. It feels like Adams didn't even effing try and put together a stack of candidates. Either that or nobody wants to work here. Probably a little bit of both. 

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  18. On 4/18/2024 at 11:32 AM, bob_sauve28 said:

    NHL

    While the NHL does test for cannabis, there’s no punishment for a positive test. However, if a player tests abnormally high, a player will be looked at for treatment like it’s a health matter.

     

    https://boardroom.tv/cannabis-policies-major-north-american-sports-leagues/


    I haven’t looked into for the NHL. But the threshold for a positive test for USATF is literally “Don’t be high at the event”.

    I would imagine the NHL is similar at this point. 

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  19. On 4/19/2024 at 1:58 PM, LGR4GM said:

    Notice how I am not at all in the Sabres Sales mongering rumor thread, that's because I think the topic isn't worth discussing. You should follow my lead and stay out of threads you don't care about. 

    Nothing says "I don't care" like bringing up a conversation you aren't having just to tell everybody it is a topic you don't care about. 

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  20. 22 hours ago, _Q_ said:

    Statement from Pegula said that no other sports teams are up for sale.

    In the last 7.5 moths Pegula told Rochester that

    - Dissolving PSE would be a change in name only and wouldn't effect the operation of BCA. (August 28,2023)
    - Backing out of the lease didn't have anything to do with his commitment to Rochester. Both teams would be staying. (April 2, 2023)
    - He is selling the Knighthawks but only because he doesn't want 2 NLL teams so close to each other (April 18, 2024)

    Based on that it seems like the Buffalo Sabres are very likely open to hearing offers. 

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