Randall Flagg

Do we know who the people are that gave the advice?

What is Shanahan's role/job description in Toronto?

Whether or not there are stats on timeouts, the root of the discussion would be whether or not timeouts can settle a team down, which can most bluntly be summarized by the game returning to a manageable state in which goals aren't being scored on you right away. We didn't take the timeouts, and kept getting dismantled and scored on by Ottawa, within seconds. The goalie and the team were obviously out of sorts by the time goal number 2 was scored, much less number 4

I don't know why he hasn't been able to re-evaluate his or his scouts' pro-scouting abilities, given that we're three years in and still acquiring the same kinds of bad players that contribute to our offensive woes in the same way. Will he suddenly be able to use all of this cap space this summer to acquire players that play a kind of game we haven't seen here in forever, but is all over the NHL today, rather than more plodders that are only capable of passing to point men and for reasons that won't be replicated in Buffalo have even strength goal numbers in the mid-teens? I'm not particularly confident

Where would we be if he didn't have *checks notes* Randy Sexton, and other non-yes-men, challenging him like he was so proud of in brushing off the idea of a President of Hockey Ops?

I forgot he cost that kind of money. We gave value for Frolik and didn't get any retention from them?

Here's my take on all of this. It's understood that there were no desperate Blues teams when we traded Marco, and we were unable (or refuse) to retain salary. Without knowing Jason's track record, I could accept that the Canadiens (and a GM that has widely been considered a joke by fans for years) just got a second rounder in addition to what we got, oh well. The Scandella trade, after all, wasn't a deadline deal, even though his contract expires. It was a deal to try and unclog the defensive position. For months we played with so many defensemen and so few forwards that we were going 11-7 WHILE sitting legitimate NHL defensemen, WHILE defensemen in Rochester were ALSO playing forward at the same time. This is where the problem lies, IMO, not necessarily that we got beat out in value (even though I buy that Jason mis-timed the market and should be embarrassed by this). He got stuck trading a guy that was unexpectedly one of our best D, because he didn't like what he could get for more valuable pieces like Risto, and had pushed how far he was willing to take this roster imbalance into an area where it was detrimental to the Sabres' defense at all professional levels. Fine. We finally got our D-to-forward trade. But it was for Michael Frolik. I trashed Scandella last year and was as surprised as anyone by his resurgence this year (and Joki hasn't looked the same since the trade). It is unquestionable that even with roster issues, Scandella brought this team far more than Frolik did. There is a time where a given fan base can accept that the player they get is okay defensively, but whose stick repels pucks and who cannot do anything but get crushed and lose pucks if he tries to do anything but wring them around the boards in the offensive zone. But this is the 50th Botterill forward we've brought in that can only play this game, and it is beyond tiresome watching his collection of middle six guys that are so incapable of making basic plays with the puck. Frolik is the quintessential Jason Botterill forward. Any small amount of value he brings is redundant, and he is a continuation of what the Sabres are literally the worst in the entire NHL at, quantitatively - doing things in the offensive zone to create offense. Watching MTL have the cap room we don't have with this mediocre team that allows them to get a 2nd rounder in addition to the 4th that we got, for fewer games of Scandella, is the cherry on top of the most bizarre roster construction I've ever seen. Given that the NHL media clowns (who do everything they can in their segments to absolve their WJC buddy Botts of any responsibility for this roster) have been telling us how Jason has been looking for the move we need for 10 months now, and that there may be corroborative evidence from posters who may know people, I am genuinely worried that NHL GMs don't take Jason seriously, view him as a joke that they can fleece such that it's not worth dealing with him if you're not getting YOUR stolen goods, and as such he is completely incapable of doing what he needs to do to get this team right, which almost certainly involves at least one significant trade for the right top six forward. How else can you explain that we've been looking to move defensemen since June, have only managed Scandella, have looked foolish in the wake of that, and continue to sit with too many organizational defensemen despite THREE of them changing hands with the teams we're supposed to be trading with in ONE day yesterday? I'm worried Jason buried himself and isn't being given serious trade offers that we can take because of it. No GM WANTS to enter the season with such a large group of D and such bad forward depth, do they?

I mean, is this situation not what Hamburglar exists for? If a goalie with Hutton's 2019-20 track record is starting and has a first period like this, you have to be able to put him on the bench, you just have to. I get not throwing JJ to the wolves, but the dude should be in Rochester insulating UPL while Hamburglar, who has handled NHL spot duty, deals with trying to hang onto a game to save the season. Its a mess

I guess I understand not trusting Johansson, and keeping Hutton out there. I guess. But where tf was the timeout after the third, or fourth, goal? I have more to say but I'm sleepy

The kicker for that trade with Toronto - we had just finished last and traded it for a pick the next draft that only could have been as good if Toronto would be in last place the following season, when traditionally now picks have more value than next year picks - not ten minutes later Detroit or someone pulls off a similar trade, their pick in the sixth round this year for another team's FIFTH the next. overall meaningless, but a sign of our tendency to kill ourselves a million little ways

The funny thing is we are in the same position we were in before dinner w.r.t. Toronto

Same here tbh. Genuinely hate to see a man failing at what he does to provide for his family

Montour has won a handful of those tonight, not sure if you've seen ?

Hutton has no idea where these pucks are hitting them and is taking five seconds to figure out where he put the rebounds. I've never seen anything like it. i think we can win this game but that would require Hutton to flip some switch. ***** do it man, this is our season

We take that point stuff for granted but I haven't seen it before him in my time as a Sabre fan. He does it so well and without the gaffes that sprung breakaways last year

My biggest worry. I need to see a rock solid, significant trade from Jason this offseason or I won't believe he is capable of making moves we need going forward.

Oh I'd probably add to Montour to get Trocheck too. But I wouldn't do much more than that

He was real good when I first began following them but he was definitely just a normal 2nd pairing meh guy by the time it was time to move on from him

IMO Montour is for Sabres fans what Lydman was for my dad fine, not spectacular, for long stretches on a good team, plays similarly on a bad team and it makes people fed up, then he gets traded to a better team and is viewed as fine but not spectacular again

"Tkachuk chases after the puck in the corner...Risto swampds him out on the boards....Pilut collects the puck behind the net, up to Reinhart...."

The Ottawa games have been frustrating this year. Jack scored four in our only win, which was cool, but if he didn't absolutely go off that night, we were losing that game. Then, we lost the next two in regulation, outscored 8-3. They know how to slow us down and keep us out of the slot. They displayed an ability to make Jack a non-factor. Hopefully we can break through tonight.

That's where I am too, because I really liked Vince up until this news came out (that teams were calling about him). I was full-bore on go and get him for whatever it takes, but now it's more cautious and measured. If we do get him at some point I'm definitely gonna watch a lot of games and put something together

In fact, in the Columbus game, when down 2-0, I posted during the exact moment that the tide of the game switched, that we "receieved the shift we needed" and that we were winning the game. It was a successful, grinding shift from GLO. You can just tell that it's happening. They settle down anti-Sabre chaos and create the environment for Jack and co. to pounce

Needlessly making your list of "things we need to fix" in the offseason longer than it has to be reduces the likelihood that you can complete the list and ice a good team. Our fourth line is elite defensively by any metric, against strong opponents, and is actually contributing a surprising amount offensively. For the last decade prior to last season, Sabres fourth lines would get out-shot and out-scored and out-chanced by a 65/35 ratio, and it would tax the entire lineup trying to hide the major anchor it provided. Now, we have a tool that we can use against elite players that absorbs the toughest minutes against the toughest players and still outscores their opponents while on the ice, and can give the puck to Jack's line with the other team reeling and with Sabre possession rather than forcing Jack to spend half his shift and energy going to get the puck back first, with reeling teammates and inspired opponents. This has absolutely has a positive effect on the Sabres as a whole, and their skill players (who, coincidentally (not really), for the first time in their careers (jack and sam) are actually winning all even strength battles, from advanced stats to actual goals scored. None of the players that are making this happen were brought in by Jason, and only 1 of his ~10 depth acquisitions over the last three seasons have been capable of sustaining this type of performance in this type of role, so I'm skeptical that Jason could build a line from scratch for this job that does half as well. It's hard to do, and we have it right now, so keep it. There's literally no use adding a whole new thing to the already-long list of things to do to get better this summer.