Weave

I think Chad was blaming a poisonous situation, not necessarily the guys in the locker room. It's interesting that we've now had 2 goalies call out the team, and 2 coaches call out the team. We've demonized both goalies. We've demonized the first coach. None of them were wrong.

And there is kind of the point. That talented, hard working person maybe a complete POS in a lot of ways, but, you want success, you figure out a way to get the maximum benefit out of being in a team with those people.

I honestly don't think there is a core here. Maybe one evolves in time, but pick 5. Whatever. It's all the same right now.

Meh. I've got people I work with that I don't like. You figure it out.

I don't think there is a core. Just a few individual pieces all out for themselves. This is a mess.

If Jack has matured he should be able to figure out how to make it work. #2 centers that put up 60 points and set faceoff records are pretty damned rare and valuable.

I'm on his side. I don't blame him for not coming back unless there are substantial changes. This organization is a show. It is a bad joke that we don't think he is good enough for this team. This team is so bad that a bottom 1/4 of the league goalie doesn't want to come back to it. Pretty damned sobering if you ask me.

Even Chad Johnson doesn't want into this environment. Quite a hockey heaven that has been built here.

These guys grew up in constant competition. And guys like ROR thrived on the competition and beating everyone else. Throw a guy that feeds on winning onto a team that had no expectations at all for 3 seasons and you get today. He didn't lose passion because of coaches. He lost it because the one thing that motivates him (winning) hasn't been expected of this team since 2013.

It all starts with an organization wide decision to lose on purpose for two seasons. Add two more seasons with no expectation of winning because the team was totally gutted and had to be restocked. And then add a 5th season with no real expectations because we are implementing a new system and evaluating everybody. 5 seasons where noone in team management has said with any real intent that they expect this team to compete for a playoff spot. The problem was a decision made at the very top. Without that decision we don't get to a point where players are done for the season at Christmas. Thanks, Terry. A once proud franchise is reduced to this ######. But let's run ROR out of town.

My gut says Risto is one of the players that haven’t bought in to the coach.

This has been an issue ever since we bottomed out. Frankly, its been an issue since the Tankfruit showed up. The red flag was taised when the team wouldn’t listen to Bylsma or vets like Gionta, and it is continuing under Housley. They need to ship whoever it is that is leading this as far away as possible. Whoever it is.

Here’s another gem from clean out day. This time from Housley. So much wrong in the locker room. Housley: "I look at Colorado, there's a group of players there that got together and said, we need to change, we need to do things differently, we need to listen, we need to be coachable. It's a huge commitment to change the direction of this franchise." We need to be coachable. Now there is a damning statement.

I doubt the return for ROR is equal to his actual on ice value, but I’m cynical that we’ll ever see another real hockey trade again. And this team doesn’t have enough talent to afford to downgrade O’Reilly or anyone else. He’s right and we are killing the messenger, but he also might need to go. I’ll be disappointed. He’s a helluva player and the consequences of this organization accepting losing for an undefined period of time have ruined him for Buffalo.

beerme hasn't been around in a long time.

I don't think "former Sabre" etc. etc. has anything to do with giving Phil the benefit of the doubt. I think it comes down to 1 thing really. Most on here are emotionally invested in Phil because he was our 1st choice. the only one who was clamoring for DB was GODD. Noone else was emotionally invested in the choice so it was easy to want him off the island early.

As a stop gap and insurance in case Ullmark isn't up to the task of 50 starts, I'm OK with it, but not as a projected starter. the veteran backup role is a short term one anyway. But, as said above, he's likely not moving back away from the west coast.

I didn't see last nights game so I can't speak to it. I don't think he was terribly involved against Tampa. I think he showed flashes of talent, but he still struck me as a perimeter player.

I think his biggest problem is between his ears and 2 games in absolute garbage time where he is arguably at his most motivated is a terrible bellweather for what he'll bring over the course of a season. He needs to be among the top 9 players in training camp or he goes back, and doesn't come up until he's the best performing forward in Rochester. I don't think he'll have it in him.

But he did not want to stick around for a tear down. It certainly didn't work out as he hoped. I think he was looking for a Marian Hossa type situation that never came to be.

Planned losing for at least 2 seasons? I'd lose a ton of respect for both if they would have been OK with staying for that. He did. I'm glad that didn't happen.

IIRC He said he's going to need to drop something huge like 30 or 40 pounds next season.

That is how I remember it. they didn't want to stick around for a complete overhaul.

Pi was never not nuts.