mjd1001

This team can still make the playoffs. They aren't that far out of it. They are getting (hopefully) some injured players back. But I'm very close to this being the earliest in the season that I stop watching the game on a regular basis...why? They aren't likely to make the playoffs, but even if the do, it shouldn't be so hard. Its not fun watching a team trudge through the mud, shoot themselves in the foot (use whatever analogy you want) so often.

I think why you need to make the full scale changes you say, and why they need to be done now, has a lot to do with a situation like Tuch. Unless the owner wants him here no matter what, then you want to make your front office changes BEFORE deciding what to do with him. What if you bring in a new guy, and this guy doesn't want 10% of the cap tied up in an aging winger for the next 7 or 8 years? Yeah, its one contract, but you sign Tuch long term, and that is one more thing you are saddling the new guy/new front office with. If you want to get the best new GM/new front office here, its going to be tough. One thing you can offer them is as much freedom with the roster as possible. You DON'T want to have a freshly signed, 30 year old winger to a huge contract as a welcoming gift to that person because the owner, or the 'last guy' wanted him. Of course every single day that goes by, the Tuch decision gets closer and more difficult. Which is exactly why you need to purge this front office NOW, not wait to the end of the year when a lot of contracts are up so it saves Pegula a bit of money. And if Dahlin and Thompson want out, they want out. There are 16 teams that make the playoff every year with the 2 of them. The idea behind another new rebuild with a new front office is to become one of those 16 that make the playoffs (and eventuall more than that). Its not a requirement to do that. As much as I think both of them can be really good, overall it isn't fun watching this team play, even with them on it.

I don't care about the standings. Year after year after year, to get to the playoffs you need about 95 points. Worry about playing to that level (or better), the rest of the teams above you will sort themselves out. 85 points by April 1st. Again, it doesn't really matter to me at all where they are in the standings now, who is ahead of them, how far ahead they are...if you can get to 85 points by April 1st. After that you have 7 regular season games left. Sure, I'd love MORE than 85 points, but you will still be 'in it' and close enough that those last games in April will decide your season.

As per my post above, I just want him off the team. Is there a chance he could find his game and turn into a good goalie for someone else? Sure. There's also a chance that never happens. And right now I think the team benefits going forward having one less goaltender on it, that being UPL. If you give him away with no return at all except having an extra roster spot, I'm okay with it. I wouldn't consider that being taken to the cleaners. Not moving him, having him play games where he's below average, having three goaltenders on the roster, paying him the couple percent of cap space that you're paying him..... Everyday that continues, I consider that being taken to the cleaners.

Agree. If they can trade UPL, I don't think 'waiting it out' to get the best offer is going to make much of a difference. I think his worth on the trade market is pretty low, and that isn't going to change. The value in moving him is not in the return you get, but in any potential cap space relief, just getting rid of one goalie when you have so many between Buffao and rochester, and not having to use an extra roster spot in Buffalo for 3 goalies. If you could Move UPL and get that cap space, an extra roster spot, room for the exisiting guys to play more, and a mid round draft pick...I might say that mid round pick is the least valuable to the team now. I want those other things 'yesterday', and If that isn't possible, give them to me no later than 'today'.

I'm keeping Power. I think he gets criticized on this board way too much. Yeah, he makes mistakes, but there are other times where he gets blamed for a goal allowed and you watch the replay and find out he was the only player on the screen that actually did NOT make a mistake, yet the reflex action of most of the board is to criticize Power. My opinion on Byram has not changed one bit this year based on what I have seen. He's a very talented (raw skill) guy that just doesn't have those skill translate to the ice. He's an average overall D-man, who looks good with Dahlin (as do most players) but when he is put into the #1 D-man role when Dahlin is not around he fails pretty badly. I'm taking Power.

I'll correct myself on one thing about Greenway. I don't know if the numbers back this up but I believe from what I see with my own eyes he is a very effective penalty killer. It's just beyond that I don't see anything special or even above average about his play. He's better than someone like Quinn or Cozens who actually hurt the team when they was on the ice the last couple of years I don't see Greenway doing that. It's just that even strength, I'd rather have one of the other guys in front of him.

Who is 1C versus who is 2C and this team doesn't really matter to me. I'm sure they'll both play in the power play, and it's not like you are going to put two All-Star wingers with one of them and not with the other. The lines are always changing anyway. If you want to call one of them 1C and one of them 2C then fine... But to me when they're both in the lineup, theuir lines will pretty much be interchangeable. I'd expect if or when Norris is fully up to speed, there might be some days where Tage at center and his line would get more ice time, and other days where Norris would. Maybe you simply say Norris is 2c because you want to bring him back slowly, and maybe even for the rest of the year, You don't want him getting the most ice time simply to reduce wear and tear on the body/injury chance. I understand your point but for me Greenway would be the first guy out. I really don't see him doing much positive other than eating up ice time. He's just a very expensive "filler" at wing to me.

No stat is perfect, but if I had to pick my favorite stat to evaluate goalies, its not gaa, its not save percentage, but I'd lean toward goals saved above average. So far this year in Goals saved above average: Lyon: +0.91 Ellis: +1.24 UPL: -2.15 (all of last season he was a -2.53) Small sample size. Not a 'perfect' stat. But at this point, if there were any 'takers' for UPL, I'd move him.

The "hate", at least from me, was just because of how bad last year was. I say this with all honesty ...I think he may have been the very worst forward in the league last year that got regular minutes. When you have a year like that, you have a LOT to prove going forward. This year I think he's been better than last year, but he's still not 'good'. As a matter of fact, he has had some good games but those are the exception. This year I'd say he's had 3-4 actual good games, another 2-3 where you really didn't notice him at all, and the rest have been bad just like last year (little offense generation, bad mistakes in the defensive zone/neutra zone, etc.) Again, for me hes not at the 'you got to get him out of the lineup, he's killing you!' place that he was last year...so thats good, but I still need to see more.

We all go round and round on this topic. Some people have one opinion, some have a different opinion. My fear is that Pegula, no matter how many people he talks to, isn't going to pick the 'best' person for the job. Instead he is going to pick someone who he feels comfortable with. Someone who will make him feel 'heard' on personal decisions, someone who won't make him upset when he talks to him.

I still dont' understand why Ryan Johnson isn't used. He doesn't have much time, but to my eyes, he certainly has performed better than a typical 3rd pair D-man in the time he has here His analytics, again VERY limited time this season, support that. When he has been on the ice, the team has only allowed 1 goal every 26 minutes. (its one goal every 15 minutes for Dahlin and Power, every 14.7 minutes for Byram). He is the only D-man on the team with a positive number in expected goals for vs allowed. I know, he has very limited time, but I never really thought he was bad out there.

Nope. I'm saying the goal was to get to 95 points. They needed about 16 points in an 'average' month to get there. Because of how they played so far, now they need about 17 points per month to get to 95 (with a month based on 14 games per month.)

How well they have to play the rest of the season can be parsed to make it look really good or really bad. When there's no break, the team plays 14 to 15 games per month. Let's go with 14 for argument's sake. To play at a 95 point Pace, every month, a team would have to... In those 14 games... Get 16.2 points per month. With the hole the team has dug, to get to 95 points in that same 14 games. They now have to get about 17.2 points per month. If you look at it that way... A crew about one more point per month than what you thought you needed going into the season.. It doesn't look that bad. Of course, like most people, that's if you were playing at a 95 point Pace. This team hasn't shown the ability to even do that.

When a fan base doesn't like something, the urge is there to place blame. If when you think about something logically and there is no blame to be placed, the fan base will find the easiest place, the path of least resistance. Blame must be placed.

What is the record for the most manned lost games in a season by players who are projected to be regulars? I'm guessing at some point there was some team that went through crazy injuries that has an unreal number... But this sabers team might be approaching the top 10 of that list.

Timmons I can take a bad game from, he's not one of your top guys, but Byram? I have yet to see much from him in all the games hes played to think he is anything other than a below average 2nd pair guy.

It can be both, in the worst ways. He doesn't put the time in with the team, he spends way more time with the Bills, etc, etc. But yet, he wants to be informed of and have his input in the decisions with the Sabres. Basically, he might not spend much time and effort with the Sabres at all....but on the very few occasions he shows up he wants his voice heard and makes decisions.

it might have been the best period I have seen this year from Power and Kesserling. Power had that one puck that I saw that he fumbled but other than that, they were both in position, both either skated or moved the puck out quickly, no big neutral zone mistakes. I missed about 5 minutes of the period, but from what I saw, they both had a really good period.

I think Dreger was the one just a few days ago on an inteview in Calgary (brought up buffalo) that said no one would be interested in owning the Sabres with their 'building' being as bad as it is.

My whole point is that they shouldn't be outmanned. It has nothing to do with getting a grip. People like you who tell others to 'get a grip' on a message board are probably the ones that actually do need to get a grip. This is a message board, a place to vent, to complain, to cheer (when its appropriate). Some of us don't take it any more seriously than that. Someone that feels the need to tell others to not be so negative on a message board...that is the prson that needs to breathe and relax. For the rest of us (at least me), venting/talking/complaining on here is cathartic.

I agree with you. I know we all want a downtown arena, but I agree with the above comments. The only issue is, the Sabres players fly in and out a lot more than the Bills players do, and access to the airport would be more important for not only the players, but the coaches, equipment, etc. Someplace in the Northtowns would make more sense for that reason.

It's not basketball and football. I'm not sure why you're not reading my post. The ones I know about are Florida, salt lake City, and Seattle that I posted videos for. I don't have the link of it but the CNBC money in ports special talked about all sports and they said that all owners, including NHL owners, are looking to put more money into this in the future. I'm not saying winning. Doesn't matter, but Buffalo trails those other cities in winning... And weather... And market size.... So if you want to be successful this is one area that you would think they actually can exploit and not fall behind. Darren draeger was just on a appearance in Canada.. yesterday I believe and he mentioned the sabers building... I assume the key Bank center.. is becoming a liability. Facilities aren't everything, but they matter. The sabers training facilities, and the arena where they play are becoming a liability. Is it a small liability? Maybe, but this franchise can't fall any further behind... Especially when you have a multi-billionaire owner.

Good point. I have always thought there are 2 ways to enjoy a season by one of your 'teams'. 1.) Win the championship. 2.) exceed expectations. Falling short of expectations is very frustrating and not fun. For me (and many other fans), a 95 point season where you make the playoffs (and lose in the first round) in a season you weren't expected to be in the playoffs....can be MUCH more enjoyable than a 105 point season where you make the playoffs (and lose in the 2nd round) when you were going into the season thinking you were a cup contender.