mjd1001

I don't know if I'm watching the games live until they get better anyway, but I forgot this was an early game and I'm in Boston for work the next couple of days. I'll probably periodically check in on my phone though.

I just want a lot better. I'm repeating what I said earlier, but rather than that, I'd almost want Adams and the current front office to stay around a bit longer and things get REALLY bad so it puts more pressure on more drastic moves. I really see no reason to make just one move and have the team be 'a little' better and have that translate to a mid-80s point season and another year of mediocrity.

Certainly when that extension would start next year and take him through his mid-to-late 30's. Not extended at $10m per year at 7-8 years. The deal can't be that big. If he insists on it...then he moves on.

I get it, I do. Its just, what if we get someone 'slightly' better, but that causes nothing else to really get changed with the team, the front office, the roster except 'around the edges'?

There is a case to be made that no individual owner has owned a team this long and done such a poor job with it. There's a really strong case that he is the worst owner in the history of a major professional sport in recent memory in North America.

Fine, but then there's the worry that I always come up with. Who replaces him? If it's somebody that's currently in the room... There's a chance that person has been part of the decision making. That's led the roster to be where it is... And you may not get that much of a change. I also wouldn't want them to find a currently out of work GM who has passed his prime. Pegula needs to have the mentality like he had when he bought this team... Money is no object. Find the best guy that is available or even might be available and get word to him that you will at least double the last salary he had. We're to the point now where you're paying close to or over $10 million for certain players. If you're going to get a new general manager... Pay what you have to to get the best... Even if that means giving up some of your control and decision making to that guy in addition to the money. I don't have confidence. The current saber ownership... Still.. is willing to do that with a new GM hire. So two games into the season. I'm almost at the point of rooting for this to go off the rails. Really really bad. Why? I don't just want a general manager changed and have him replaced with someone similar. I'd want the majority of the front office changed, for Terry pegula to actually have a press conference where he says there will be more major changes on the roster side of things also, And for those changes to not be after a period of a long evaluation. This whole thing started with the tank.. it started with blowing things up and that was a mistake almost 15 years ago? I feel like at this point the only way to correct that mistake is to do it again and wipe all of what is this franchise away. You know why I might not be happy if they announce Kevin Adams is fired tomorrow? It has nothing to do with me thinking he's doing a good job. It has to do with the fact that a move like that now will likely mean someone else will slide into the spot and not much overall will change. There needs to be massive changes..

We've talked about Quinn before but one thing I just don't get.. why did he turn into such a perimeter player when he wasn't when he first came up? If you look at the stats about where his shots on goal come from, his first year with the team he was going to the front of the net. Now it's not even close. He hardly ever gets to or goes to the front of the net for shots. And the difference is vast. I just don't get why his mentality changed where he totally, almost 100%, is unwilling to go to the front of the net where he used to in the past? There still has to be something there that can be fixed, doesn't there?

We all post our opinions on here and we all think what we say is correct, or we would not post it. But @Thorny, he comes at you and tells us to stop posting things that he disagrees with, and then he feels the need to post to for everyone to read how he is right more than anyone on this board......that is some next level Narcissistic personality disorder stuff right there. Buddy, we all may not be correct all the time but despite what you say, neither are you. Respect what others have to post even when you disagree with it. There is responding to a post showing respect for it while pointing out examples of how your opinion differs...don't have to resort to telling people to stop posting stuff just because it disagrees with your high-and-mighty narrative.

Bingo.....he just needs a foil for his own argument. "Its the old....if someone isn't agreeing with me, pretend they are disagreeing with me so I can make my own point even louder and pat myself on the back for it." I'm not openly supporting Adams....I have said over and over Pegula is my main problem. But for some reason he feels the need to pretend that people are supporting Adams if they seemingly like any of his posts where he is demanding he be fired. 🤷‍♂️

Pump yourself up a little more. You need it. I'd also like to see the itemized list of all the things you are correct about vs your scorecard vs the other posters on this forum (I'm guessing its not tru)....as I have genrally found out in life that people who need to give themselves credit pubicly and say how good they are....are the ones that least often deserve it.

I have said that all along but according to Thorny, I'm on an island. Better make sure you don't keep on saying that or you'll get banished to my island with me.

I have said a few times recently I'm OK with Adams getting fired. So I'm on an island saying Pegula is the biggest problem? No one else thinks that, just me? Change your screename to "Agenda", you ae a walking, talking one. You have basically one point about this team and you twist others words to fit it.

Pointing out to me that Adams is calling the shots doesn't mean its true. For as many times as you say it, it has been referenced by reporters close to the team (Harrington, guys from the Athletic, and occasionally by Paul Hamilton on WGR) that its not the whole story. Pegula has his fingerprints over the roste contstruction. Did when he took owner as owner 15 years ago...still does. Way too much smoke from people closer to the team than either of us over the last 3-4 years to not beleive that is true. (many of those articles have been refrenced by me and others on this very forum over the last few years). Its Pegula. If you don't want to beleive it because it doesn't fit you narative, then fine. Wow, you REALLY have an ego that needs to post thigns that aren't true. NOT carrying the water for Adams. I'm not saying he is a good GM, haven't done that in a while. I'm saying Pegula is the bigger problem, and I have pointed out of the last year or two examples of why, that you just choose to ignore. But keep posting things that I haven't said or twisting things to make your point more valid. Your ego obviously needs it.

I've always argued Cozens was so bad at times, he hurt the team out there with turnovers, being out of position, taking dumb shots because he 'didn't see' the better pass to make with the puck..etc. He was a 'net negative' to the team when he was on the ice, making more negative plays than positive plays. My thought is, a 'replacment level player' (maybe a better choice of words would be an 'average' player who makes an equal number of positive plays as negative plays, even if there aren't many of each) is better than a player who is a net negative, which Cozens is/was. Now, that is the subtraction part. Of course the key is they NEED to replace those minutes with MINIMUM that 'average' player....who may not be as talented as Cozens but doen't make many mistakes. Right now, it doesn't appear they have done that yet. Norris replacing Cozens would be a very good upgrade. But if Norris isn't around, you need a backup plan. An "decent" or "slightly above average veteran journeyman" in my opinion would be better than Cozens. Right now with Norris out, they don't even have that.

Totally disagree. The whole point of my post is if you fire Adams, unless Pegula changes his mindset you are going to get basically an "Adams clone". The bigger change happens not with Pegula having the same role/mindset but a new GM that he picks. The needed change ONLY happens when Pegula decides to make a change at GM and take a step back (maybe get that PHO as another layer between him and the GM). If you are removing Adams, I do not want that "Adams clone" or someone who is in the current organization with the same mindset. When they make a GM change, they need to do better, and that likely means getting someone Terry won't always feel comfortable or wanted around.

Didn't Harrington write a really critical article about Pegula a year or two ago also?

Maybe an over-reaction from the first 2 games: -Quinn needs to be told he doens't get any more minutes unless he spends the majority of his time in front of the net in the offensive zone. He has turned into a total perimeter player and he has to be broken of that forcefully. -Doan I'd like to see get a bit more ice time and a shot on a top 2 line. Take awy 3-4 minutes from Quinn and give them to Doan. -Without Norris, as soon as Benson is back in the lineup, Benson-Kulich-Tage as a line. -Tuch. Again, only 2 games but I really don't see a reason, or have any desire to give him $10m+ per year as he ages through his middle-to-late 30's. The team can lose just as well with him as without him. -Byrum. all I see in him is a 'somewhat' better version of Bryson. Meaning, nothing special other than he somehow gets a ton of ice time every game without doing much with it. he's not HURTING the team, but I don't see much special.

Pegula

Opening night when Bettman showed up was a sellout crowd. That is what they care about the most (not that it will last long)

At least with the Sabres, Has Pegula given any indication he wants anything other than "yes" men, or wants someone he 'feels' comfortable around and not someone who will disagree with him in any way? Terry wants to be made to feel listened to, to feel important. To feel like his thoughts on the hockey department and roster are being heard ALL THE WHILE being protected from criticism. Who is going to take that role? Until that changes, nothing really changes.

Looking at the early returns on the 'fancey stats' from this game (Fenwick, Corsi, expected goals for/vs, etc.) and a quick glance shows the guys with the best numbers this game were Doan, Bryson, Krebs, and Danforth. Tuch, McLeod, Samuelsson and Quinn were at the bottom of the list. The only issue is, give THIS team a coach they want, and are things going to be much better?

I don't think you are going to get much for him at all. The question is, does he hurt you by being on the ice? Would a 'replacement' level player, or one of the young guys from Rochester that you bring up to fill his spot, be an improvment over him?

I thought he was great in Rochester and his first year with the Sabres his play was encouraging. Its just since his injuries, he has been on of the worst Forwards in the NHL that gets regular (semi-regular) minutes.

For a few of us, it was already empty on Thursday night. Tonight just gives that feeling further confirmation. A couple of empty netters, but outscored 7-1 through 2 games against 2 non-playoff teams from last season.

I know its only 2 games and the team looks bad overall, but for me one of the keys of the season was Quinn actually playing like a decent NHLer. Well, 2 games in, he has a total of 2 shots on goal, no points, is a -1, and in the 2nd game of the year his ice time has already been cut down to under 15 minutes.