matter2003

Simple answer. Yes.

Have you lost your mind? There is literally EVERYTHING wrong with the stadium(Bills) in terms of structural issues, some of which would cost tens or hundreds of mullions to properly address. Makes no sense to try and renovate a stadium with those type of structural issues that are going to cost 2/3 as much as a new stadium would be.

Power says: I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man... Yes I am, yes I am, yes I aaaaammm...

The first half of the season and second half of the season were night and day. The team had a lot of learning to do, had ridiculous injuries, especially with the goalies, and we're missing Tuch and Krebs until after the Eichel trade. Since the All star break this team is 15-15-3. That includes a 6 game losing streak right after the break also. Since March they have a winning record and have played a murderers row of talented teams also, holding their own in many of those games and winning their fair share. The future is very bright. IMHO, if this team played like it did the second half of the year from the start we would be in a playoff race still. The future is so bright for them, just need a few more pieces, excited for Quinn and Paterka next year and a better second option in goal than Tokarski. In regards to Eichel, Reinhart, Risto, etc...they were not leaders who wanted to actually change things here...once they saw things weren't going to be great from the start, they basically just accepted the losing and that was more of an issue than anything else. There is a reason why Eichel's first year was the highest point total they had while he was here. If you want to change the culture of a team and get everyone to buy into turning it around it takes the best players to buy in and lead by example at the very least and a lot of hard work to develop better habits. They clearly were not going to be part of that process and hence had to be moved. IMHO once you are part of losing for a long period of time somewhere it changes you mentally. You become accepting of it regardless of what you normally are like. I just feel that you have to move those players 95% of the time before you can actually start to win because they are jaded and will have a very negative effect on the rest of the guys there because they will be a constant source of negativity and talking about how things are never going to change or have the woe is me attitude. Gotta start fresh with players who haven't experienced it like that before they get ruined. Obviously there are exceptions like Girgensons and Okposo who still bring the work ethic and positivity every night...they are different but the majority of players who have lost year after year in one place need to get moved to be able to have a truly fresh start and change things . Look at what the Bills did the first year...they basically cleaned house and got rid of what were considered the best players on the team. Dareus, Watkins, Gilmore, Woods, Darby, etc.. Reading a management book that talked about how to turn things around at places that has been chronically underperforming it talked about the most important thing was before even trying to start to change things you had to get the wrong people off the bus before getting the right people on the bus. I was known as something of a "fix it" person when I was in retail management, and that was one of the first things I did when I got to a new store. I talked in depth to every employee both as a group and individually. It was easy to see which employees were excited for things to get better and change and wanted to be a part of it and which ones were just jaded and negative about the losing they had done and were happy to continue that way . Those people HAD to go, didn't matter how good they were at what they did. This is exactly what the Bills did the first year, creating an NFL record 71 million in dead cap space the following year to do it, but they made the playoffs for the first time in 17 years the first season Beane and McDermott were here by removing good players who were not going to be a part of the solution. Most media members and a lot of fans thought we were tanking. But if you are not going to be a part of the solution and change you are going to be a part of the problem. Regardless of talent level, if they are going to be an impediment to change they have to go. Sabres are on the right path now for the first time in a decade and this team will be one of the better teams in the NHL within 2-3 years IMHO.

Sign him now before it goes up more next year Looks like all Skinner needed was a coach that wasn't a dumbass

My first memories of watching the Sabres were when I was 6 or 7 and watched the games on WGRZ back in the early 80s. Missed the 70s and what might have been the golden years for this team, I was born in 75 so too young to remember the Stanley Cup Finals

We had Eichel and OReilly and they weren't that good. Eichel might not have been the problem but he was never going to be the solution either.

Quinn and Paterka once they get here

Didn't see Okposo becoming a 20 goal scorer either... Granato seems to get the best out of these guys. It's a strange feeling to watch a coach actually develop the young players on this team after so long where they didn't. As far as Thompson it was a brilliant move to change him to center and give him free reign in the middle of the ice when he noticed he was too compressed along the wall as a winger.

Is this the biggest team in NHL history? I can't recall a team having more than 2 such players let alone 4 EDIT: short answer is no...they aren't even the biggest team this year...Winnipeg has only 2 players under 6'0" on their roster and they are both 5'11", and an astounding 7!! players 6'4" or taller including their starting goalie. When the hell did the NHL become a league of giants??

Umm...you have Thompson at 6'7", Power at 6'6", Tuch and Samuelson at 6'4"... We literally might be the biggest team in the league and potentially one of the biggest in NHL history. Has any team ever had 4 players 6'4" or taller on it?? What are you talking about?

Okposo with 20 goals on the year...who saw that coming? In the 77 games since Granato took over he has 21 goals and 51 points. Not superstar numbers but very solid production especially playing on the 3rd line

Also had a lot of shots deflected as well... Uh, I saw us with 3 breakaways and numerous other grade A scoring chances in front of the net. Defensively we could have been better but there is no way you can be serious in saying that we didn't have the better scoring chances, more scoring chances and could have easily scored 3 more goals to make it 5-5. If you are, you should probably go rewatch the game, because you didn't see it well enough. Advanced Metrics backs this up as the Sabres had a higher Expected Goals For than the Blues did for the game. 3.28 to 3.12 I believe

This game easily could have been 5-5 or even having the Sabres won. So many point blank chances they missed...out shot the Blues 69-41 overall. They outplayed them, outworked them and were buzzing around in the Blue's end much of the game. Nothing to be upset about with the performance, Bennington made some great saves and they got some bad bounces. They'll win 8 of the 10 times they play like they did tonight...it just happened to be one of the two others they don't.

How many times can one team miss grade A chances in one night???

When Power, Tuch and Thompson are on the ice together could it be the biggest unit in NHL history? 6'7", 6'6" and 6'4" for Thompson, Power and Tuch

How many damn breakaways do they need to score???

So this team has 2 30 goal scorers in Thompson and Skinner and potentially 2 20 goal scorers in Okposo and Olafsson?? Who would have thought...

Leafs simply have no answers for the Sabres this year and it's ***** fantastic to watch

That's pretty crazy...10 isn't that many

He means other than he will have like 8 days after he gets out of college to sign him or he becomes a UFA?

When this team doesn't show up they REALLY don't show up. Reminded me of the Oilers game.

Maybe he looks at UPL and Levi and wonders if he is going to be the odd man out with the young goalies?

They hired Steve Urkel to sing the anthem??

They make some really slick plays to get out for their own end but they also turn the puck over a lot needlessly as well in their own end. Hopefully there is less and less of that as they mature.