Mango

Let Lindy bring somebody he knows well from the Devils. Then let’s get this ship righted, move Lindy to the FO, and a new HC comes in. It’s definitely going to be Jerry Forton. Former club coach of Niagara University hockey and UB soccer.

I’m starting to lean into “don’t do a thing until they fire the GM”. I took me until around the trade deadline last year. I’m already there now. If you thought the failure to even attempt to negotiate with Mitts was bad, it will certainly get worse.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sabres-gms-comments-on-no-palm-trees-and-taxes-miss-mark-in-buffalo/ Am I the only one who wants to see McD locked in a steel cage with Kevyn Adams. From the article: “ McDermott started his (postgame) press conference by thanking New York state governor and Buffalo native Kathy Hochul — who is responsible for the same taxes affecting Bills players — for helping clear the roads to allow players and fans to get to the game. Then, he recalled what he heard about Buffalo early in his Bills tenure. "When Brandon and I first arrived, being at the combine, someone saying, 'You know, it's going to be hard to get players to go to Buffalo,'" McDermott said. "I didn't say anything but in my mind, I was saying to myself, 'We'll see.' When people get a chance to be in this environment and play in front of these fans, I think it makes a huge difference. This is a place where people love their professional sports teams, they love sports overall. It's a true connection to me that I've experienced in eight years (where) the team and the fans are one."

Suzuki and Stutzle were both more productive for at least a couple of seasons before they got that deal. Cozens had one good s again and one meh season. It almost reminds me of Skinner-lite or a pass rusher who hit double digits the first time in a contract year.

Regarding Cozens, this is Adams fault. His contract makes it difficult to field a roster with a 7 year/ $7M 3rd line winger. I have to wonder how those contract negotiations went. Just looking at Mitts deal who outperformed Cozens in a contract year. Something like 3x $4.5M had to have been on the table right? Did Adams call Dylan’s agent after 3 too many manhattans? Im struggling to think of another comp for both term, compensation, age, and production for Cozens.

Some posters watching box scores: “Cozens has been better lately because point per game” Lindy Ruff: “Go be a rotational player on the third line and think about what you’ve done.”

Im glad your mom made space for you to stay in her basement.

Question, if McBeane and Allen walked away, do you trust Pegula to rebuild the franchise? I would bet my mortgage and 401k on no and I wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep. We saw Pegula sans McBeane at OBD and it operated A LOT like the entire history of the Sabres under Terry. McBeane are a perfect example of a broken clock is right twice per day. Terry Pegula single-handedly ruined NHL hockey in Buffalo. Take the “what have you done?” BS and shove it up your….

Th egg should go the Bills route and hire a tandem from another org. Let Lindy grab somebody from the FO and an assistant from NJ and let’s get this thing moving.

This! If we could clone Thompson, Tuch, and Greenway we would be in a waaay better spot. (Defense be damned) Top 6 would have Thompson and Tuch on both lines and the bottom 6 would have Greenway on both lines. At that point I think we’d be a playoff team and 2 defensemen away from being real competitors.

I think the first couple of years Donnie got these guys to be really good at plying around their flaws. But to be a good hockey team they need to get better at them and we’re seeing that struggle. Being a good coach is often about finding the balance between the two. But ultimately poor roster construction will make that job much harder because most of the big clubs roster is good at the same thing and also shirty at the same thing.

This is probably pay a good practice for every market. For example, I grew up playing hockey so I get it. But I wish I could watch basketball and know what’s going on, but I don’t. I try, it’s a cool league but I don’t know what anybodies responsibilities are.

My quick $0.02 is that 2 years ago Granato got the most out of the skill sets if this roster. But they still were short of an NHL level squad, and well short of a quality playoff team. Last year it was time for them to grow up and play like adults and they failed. Under Lindy there is no running from failure. It’s Cozens job to be better. The roster doesn’t have much depth. So if Cozens (or anybody else) fails it’s on the player for not being up to snuff. Also, the more I think about the staff sticking around because Lindy “didn’t know the squad” was a worse decision than it seemed at surface level. It gives these kids a whole staff to run and hide from the HC’s messaging.

Declined because…palm trees

“We’re not a destination, nobody wants to be here” is bulletin board material coaches use from taking heads to get the team going. WTF is the org supposed to do when the messaging comes from inside the org? Somebody should ask Lindy about that? WTF do you do as a coach when the call is coming from inside the house?

Honestly, my biggest hope this afternoon is that they pepper Lindy with questions about Adams comments about not being a destination, roster composition, hold his feet to the fire about his assistants, and comparisons between other orgs he worked with and the Sabres in terms of backend support. Not exactly fair to Ruff but it’s time to push the clown out of Buffalo. Let Lindy pick his own GM. Ruff has made Buffalo his home for longer than Adams has been alive. The destination comments have to really grind his gears

My hot take is that Pegula wants to sell the Sabres but wants to hide behind a Lombardi before he does it. He will be run out of town if the Bills falter (like the Sabres) in the post Allen era without a Lombardi and he sells the hockey team. In that scenario he’d be considered one of the worst things to ever happen to Buffalo. But with a Super Bowl trophy…..

I think he’ll sell shortly after a SB so he can hide behind the good credit. I think that’s been his plan for some time.

I watched a bit of the Sirens last year. I also watch a bit of the Liberty in the WNBA. I’m in the capitol region these days so I’m close by and I really like both their teal jerseys

I don’t think he’s toxic. And I don’t think he’s controlling like a Jerry Jones. His just a really bad organizational leader who doesn’t understand that what made him successful before (natural gas) was staying in his lane (geologist). I actually bet he’s a super nice guy. Probably really approachable with an open door policy. The problem is that nobody underneath him is really in charge of anything in strict defined roles. When I mentioned “not knowing Terry”. I just don’t want him playing favorites. The best thing this org can do to model the Bills would be to find a GM/HC pairing outside of Buffalo to bring in together.

Adams being repurposed in any way is an organizational failure. Kick rocks. Move back to Raleigh, or where ever. Be done here. Fill the FO with dozens of people who have all worked together before with some success and have never ever met Terry Pegula before.

Bring back the guys in the upper deck with the weekly signs across the wall. I’ll start, “TERRY PEGULA IS THE WORST THING TO HAPPEN TO HOCKEY IN BUFFALO” ”TERRY, SELL THE TEAM OR STAY HOME” ”TERRY PEGULA RUINED MY FAVORITE HOCKEY TEAM” “PEGULA SUCKS”

There is nonody to bench them for. Not just skill wise. But this is the youngest roster in the league, that means benching Cozens, etc puts a younger player in the ice. Lindy has pulled the safety net. These kids will pass/fail quickly. In regards to Cozens, I think he either needs to be a legit 2C or 1W in a hurry or he has no place on this roster. If I could get even a middle 6 vet for him and a prospect or two I’d probably pull the trigger. Keep the current “kids” in Rochester and let them bake. Fill the big team with more Greenways until the Amerks are actually ready.

Ever notice that Beane and McD are always VERY QUICK to give Pegula flowers? I’m sure they’re both incredibly grateful to him and to be here. But they’re not dummies. They are both united in handling Terry properly to make sure the org runs smoothly. The difference down the street is that they came into this org together, at about the same time, with a prior working relationship.

I think it’s a roster construction issue. You bench the kids who are part of “the core” and you end up replacing them with even younger kids. At some point they have to sink or swim and given the freedom to fully sink/fail. In regards to Cozens, I think he needs to either very quickly become a 2C or a 1W and push Tuch to the second line. Otherwise he has no place on this roster. He’s my first piece to move.