eman

Nolan did.

Exactly, they aren't attacking the puck. They take a wait and see approach. No desperation on this club. As previous posts have noted here. Vancouver looks ripe for the picking yet the Sabres lay back. The power play scares the hell out of me. You could see that shorty coming from a mile away. not sure what Phil is doing in his coaching. 6 shorties in the first 8 games. Just brutal!

From what I've seen, the Sabres defense is softer then Wonderbread. Disheartening. Johnson has kept this one close.

Pokey. love you man! I have been reading your posts and I could not agree more with almost everything you post. You are a realist, not just a fan. I love this team, but I just cannot fathom the #### show this club has become. I can only hope that one day we acquire decent management and coaching that returns this club to some glory. I cannot believe we are wasting Jack Eichel right now like we are. I am not getting my hopes up after 1 victory over Anaheim. They may have taken the Sabres too lightly. Lets see what happens in Vegas. Keep up the great posts!

Thank you sir! You nailed it as well. My sentiments exactly. Be prepared to defend them however as I have found out. I trusted Pat's vision even though they claim he was responsible for Tim Murray's appointment. Pat saw something he didn't like and walked. I think he made the right move. Not sure if it was involvement of the Pegula's that made him decide to leave or that he was not on board with the tank or the combo of both. When he walked I sensed there was trouble within the organization.

I went to Sabre pre season games when Kadri was a rookie and he had some great hands. Don Cherry liked the kid and so did I. I kept telling my friends who were Leaf fans: "Hey, if you don't want him, I'll gladly take him". Look at him now. A pest who has a decent set of hands and skills. I just hope our young guys learn to finish around the net. They may be fast and maybe they got too excited in their short stints with the big club. But the Sabre achilles heel is scoring and has been for quite some time and we will need secondary scoring as the opposition will focus on Jack's line first and foremost. Here's to being optimistic over our next head coach!

Nailed it sir! The organization needs stability at this point. (not to mention a decent coach and GM)

My question again comes to "Why did we not have much?" Ask yourself that? That goes to my point that if that was indeed the case, then Sabres management was inept, as was scouting to not draft and stockpile good young talent. That si their job and they have failed. Yes, I see some good players in our core lineup but we will need a coach that can develop a system (or already has one that allows them to excel. Not to mention teach the youngsters like Babcock does. Listen, the Leaf defence isn't all that strong but they know their assignments and they have Andersen to bail them out when they screw up. Until we make the playoffs and can remain competitive in that round (and the Leafs are playing Washington man for man, they are staying right with them-and the Caps were the Presidents Trophy winners) The Leafs may lose that series but the experience those youngsters gained is invaluable, as is their confidence. Plus the speed of those teams is immeasurably faster then what I am seeing in this current Sabre club. It all point to management. Again. And this is with Torts as coach. Whom no one wanted to see behind the Sabres bench on these blogs.

Exactly! Thank you for that. The Amerks sucked plain and simple and that is our feeder system. The Marlies did not. So excuse me fro not being all that optimistic about our "future stars". Again, is it our scouting or minor league coaching or both? As for Baptiste, Fasching, Carrier and all these future stars and how fast they are. You know what I didn' t see in their short stints in the lineup? Finish around the net. The Sabres achilles heel in far too many seasons. They look like the same old same old. You don't have to like what I am saying and I get that. But I have seen this show far too many times. You have to score in this league to win. Those shootout points are far too valuable to piss away as well. Net finish is important as is speed.

Nope, my rant is my rant. Hate it or love it, Tired of excuse after excuse from this organization. Time to put up or shut up. Columbus did not tank and Torts is a better coach then he is given credit for, hence the improvement in points in Columbus. I still dispute the fact on how fast the Sabres are compared to the competition aside from Jack. As for watching mediocre hockey, what do you think you just watched this season? In fact it was worse then mediocre with Dan's boring system. As for unrealistic expectations? Who on this board did not think the Sabres would actually challenge for a playoff spot this season? Most of us did, myself included. Go back and read old posts to start this season. Don't give me that "now we were being unrealistic" Monday morning QB stuff. Crusader, I wish I still had your optimism, but at my age now I will take the definite wait and see attitude with this club. I have heard "How sweet it will be" far too many times now when it comes to this hockey club. I bitch because I care, probably way too much in actuality but the results are the results. Bottom line is this: I hope you guys are all absolutely correct in your assessment of this club and I am wrong. I love the Sabres but I am not blinded as a fan. Way too many disappointments in my tenure as a fan and way too many inept managerial decisions in my opinion. I love Jack Eichel, he is the best thing that came out of this tank and for him I am grateful. He is not happy right now and I hope you can all see that. He said what he said because he gives a and even at only 20 years old, he will bolt the moment he is able to if things don't start to really turn around. We have had 6 years of no playoffs going on 7. Remember they finished 17 points out. 17!!! That is not easy to make up and maybe even surpass to make it next season. Believe me, if they don't make it next season Jack's frustration will increase as will mine and I will read on here that the following season will be the one once again. God bless you guys for keeping the faith but this past season and the way it ended was seriously troubling with the current roster and should give all of us reasons to be wary. The coach decision is so important coming up as is the new GM. Maybe one of the most important in the history of this club as we do not need to approach a decade of playoff absences like the Bills. That is a disgrace. Remember, we used to laugh at the Leaf fans and their organization. End of rant.

This is why I am hoping the next head coach of the Buffalo Sabres is a good one. And yes, we needed a new GM, I don't think that is a stretch. Lets see where Tim lands next. We need serious help on D before we play Risto to the point he gets injured. That will involve enticing a free agent who isn't past his prime and that will be an enormous task to lure that individual to Buffalo. Winning is not the culture here right now and that is why it will be difficult . Don't kid yourself. When others are competing for free agent services you had better make it an enticing offer. If we cannot get a free agent, I am hoping we have a great head coach who will school our young defenders to at least get us by in that area and allow the kids to gain valuable experience at the NHL level. These next 2 decisions are crucial for Pegula. We need a team President as well so TPegs can allow hockey people to just look after the on ice product and he can remain just a fan! I am basing a lot of what I,m saying on the NHL teams performance and how Rochester looks with our young guys (and truth be told, they look like crap) So coaching at both levels doesn't seem to be cutting it right now or our scouting is poor or a combo of both. i believe we have some good young guys on the Sabres who would benefit from a different style of play under a different system. We are about to see if this is true for 2017. As for your comment above, you noticed this also yet TM stuck with Dan anyhow. This is why TM had to go as I do not believe Bylsma would have been canned if TM was still the GM.

We are seeing exactly the same thing. I really hope we're wrong.

TM got what he deserved. He stood still and did nothing when it mattered. Coaches (and good ones) were available when this team was still in the run for a wildcard spot and he stood by Dan, it may be loyal but it was stupid. Winning organizations pull the trigger. It's the business of winning. Hopefully TPegs gets it right this time with a Hockey President, a GM and a decent head coach who won't tolerate a display like this club put on in the final week and a half of this season. And don't think for a minute that Vegas may completely suck this year, again, if they have a better record then this Sabre club you may want to revisit all our "young talent". I know we all want to see a winning club in this City but the last week and a half has me skeptical about our entire lineup. Sure, at times this season they looked like World beaters which gave us hope for the future. But when things mattered, like right after the layoff against 2 teams seated lower then the Sabres and a Wildcard spot on the line, they got owned and it all went down hill from there. So colour me really skeptical at this time. and if TPegs is really interviewing Nonis and Gillis for the GM job, expect many more drought like years. I really hope that is just a B.S report or there is no hope for the foreseeable future.

Who is Pegula interviewing now? Dean Lombardi, ex of the LA KINGS (and a couple Cups?) Who else? Not TIM MURRAY!!! Tim Murray who everyone was high on until this season and now everyone wanted to crucify by the end of it. 2 great coaches get passed on for keeping a stiff called Bylsma whom Pittsburgh ran out of town because their Superstar couldn't stand him and his "system". Again, people were high on Bylsma and smack talking Babcock on these blogs. I was the opposite and got shouted down. Now our Superstar got sick of Disco Dan and he gets run out of Buffalo also. My position is not lazy nor vague. It just seems this owner is slow or too stupid to pull the trigger at the right time involving the right people. And the clock keeps ticking.... tick, tick tick... to season 7 of no playoffs and another season wasted of Jack Eichel.

Hire competant hockey people. That is my solution. If you read my other posts (from way back I agree) I was not high on Bylsma nor Tim Murray. Who is Tim Murray anyhow? People here embraced both and said that Babs was overrated. Really? Time has told the tale. Even without Matthews, The Leafs were better then us and play a much better style of hockey. This next hiring by Pegula is a crucial point in this organization. As for attendance. Tried selling your seats after January this year? You couldn't give them away. Keep alienating the fan base and see what you get. Hell Leaf fans turned out en masse for years of garbage hockey and we used to laugh at them. Remember? Thw Hawks did suck, every team goes through a turnover. The Habs missed the playoffs, the Bruins also and now the Kings. None of them tanked to get better. They had good scouts and GM's to rebuild and retool. Tanking has become a lazy tool and only exposes how incompetant your managerial group is if they cannot complete a decent turnaround.We missed hiring Julien & Gallant when we had the chance to land a decent coach. My blood will reach boiling point if the damn Vegas Golden Knights have a better record then we do next season. (under McPhee and Gallant.)

What actually troubles me the most is the way they played the last week of this past season. The Sabres, for lack of a better word, played like little and this is our young talent? Maybe it's on the coach, but they played like they just didn't care and certainly didn't play like they were concerned for earning a roster spot for next season. They should be a little concerned now with an entirely new GM & coach on their way. Hopefully one that won't stand for the garbage that was this past season. 17 points out of a playoff spot so you have to assume they will need to add that to the upcoming season just to qualify. If not more. So whomever our coach is, if they do qualify next season (and as of right now, I am very skeptical) that would almost qualify our coach as a "Coach of the year" candidate if we do get in. It's a tall order and the work is cut out for him. I believe Jack cared and that:s why he called out some of his teammatesat seasons end. He may have noticed the same thing. We do not want to lose the one thing that this tank did benefit us.

Did the Hawks tank? The Kings? The Habs? The Bruins? Perennial playoff clubs that can and have gone deep and even won Cups. They don't do the "tank mentality". Instead they hire competant hockey people to keep their franchises competitive and keep out the losing mentality. Not saying that is what plagues us but you can see why LaFontaine wanted no part of that. The Kings finally washed out this season but they will retool minus a tank. As of right now, we are wasting Jack and he is aware of it. Pegula needs to hire a seriously competant GM & coach this time around or you can colour Jack gone at the end of his contract, Could you blame him? The tank, aside from Jack and supposedly all this wonderful young talent that has yet to get us a playoff round by the way, has gotten us NOTHING! But I keep hearing how sweet it will be as we head into year #7 of no playoffs. A tank guarantees nothing and I still feel, it is ultimately the lazy way to restructure instead of hiring good competant individuals to run a hockey club. When it does change in Buffalo (and I do hope it does this season) let me hear about it. Until then, it is what it is and so far, a big failure. The difference with the Leafs? Their young talent may be just better then ours is. Just check your AHL standings so excuse me if I am not completely sold on our young talent at this stage. Nylander and some of their other young guns did their time in the AHL first. They won down there and went deep in the playoffs. Our guys? Not so much.

I think you absolutely nailed it! Hopefully TPegs gets the right combo this time out. 7 years out of a playoff spot means the tank was a fail. (especially 17 points out this past season) Many things will have to fall into place for this club to make it in this season. This time I am not getting my hopes up like I did for this past one.

And where are we now post tank? No where closer to anything. We have a great player in Eichel being wasted (and I believe he did indicate he didn't want to extend his contract if things keep on the same path, regardless of what the spin is now) 6 years going on 7 out of the playoffs and we finished 17 points out of a playoff spot this past season. It will take a miracle to get us in this upcoming season because we will need some free agent help (especially on D) and there is no guarantee that anyone of value will even want to come here. We will have to most certainly stay healthy and that is a tall order in the rough and tumble world of the NHL. Are our prospects any good? Did Rochester make the playoffs? Maybe we aren't deep at all like we may have thought. The move that had to be made was made yesterday and that is a great start. Time to bring in some new hockey people to right this ship but I am not counting on the playoffs for next season like I was for this past one. The cast is the same. I can see another miss to get us to year 7 and no playoff. The coach selection will be of serious importance as it was in Toronto.

But for a different reason. We had an owner who was no longer willing to spend any money and thereby handcuffing his GM to make any significant moves so the team was aging and getting stale. Not a purposeful tank in an effort to get McEichel.

Tanking is a crap shoot. It is why LaFontaine walked away. He did not want to go that easy route. I believe he felt that that route makes for a lazy management group, that tries to luck into a #1 pick and lets things go from there, instead of actually trying to build a complete franchise. Sure a high draft pick helps, but it's a guarantee of nothing. You still have to assemble surrounding talent and that takes time and a good (perhaps crafty) GM. Plus you won't get a high pick every season especially as your club starts to improve and slowly rises in the standings. Therefore you still need good hockey people at the top that continue to build the club, while icing a competitive or at least entertaining product so as not to completely alienate your fan base. I really believe Patty was against taking the tank route. Yes we have Jack Eichel whom I love, but you cannot tell me he isn't disgruntled right now. Although maybe after what transpired in the front office today he is feeling a little more optimistic about his future as a Sabre. Here's hoping! Look how many #1 picks the Oilers had before landing on McDavid. It didn't get them a ^playoff spot until this season. It hasn't gotten the Sabres one either yet. Onward and upward after today's cull!

As it stands right now, I am down with Lombardi and Sutter or Dudley and Housley as GM's and coaches because I believe either group could do better then the ### show we witnessed this season and at the very least, they would not tolerate any "passengers" on this flight if you know what I mean. Time to cut bait.

and on that topic, God Bless Jack Eichel if he was the catalyst for all this change. If he did speak his mind ( other then what he said to the media, which was all the correct things to say) then good on him. At least he has a passion and will to win and we cannot go another season wasting his talent. I am sorry that Dan and Tim lost their jobs in the process as I am sure they are 2 good men, but this is the pro sport business and the goal is winning. Business has been poor for this hockey club for over 6 seasons now. I'll take many more Jack Eichels please! In Jack I trust.

I agree as well, get a hockey guy in there who knows the people available and their history. It is working in Toronto and remember when we used to laugh at that organization? Guess what? We are currently that organization that we used to laugh at. I hate the Leafs a lot but I have to give them credit, they have set up their organization smartly. Th Sabres have a great and almost loyal to a fault, fan base and completely inept management as it stands right now (and playoff absences of 6 years running)

Right you are sir. GMTM stood the course when he should have replaced Bylsma as Montreal did with Therrien and Boston with Julien and the Islanders with Weight. (and those teams were performing way better then the Sabres and still pulled the trigger) He did nothing to address the defence woes as the season went on so what is the point of him as a GM? It was bloody obvious to all of us watching the team this season that Bylsma's system was not the right fit for this club and unfortunately we waited too long for Gerard Gallant. I was not a fan of Murray and am glad they are both gone. We do have Jack ichel who will hopefully be allowed to flourish under a new coach & GM. Give us a coach with some fire and passion and a GM who is at least willing to part with dead wood and at least try to deal when the timing is right. I mentioned this a long time ago when Bylsma and Murray were hired that I was not a fan of either and got shouted down on this board for it. You do have to look at past history and Bylsma's was poor in Pittsburgh despite the Cup. I was not sure what Murray's GM criteria was other then being a part of the "Murray" hockey family. It has come home to roost and I do hope Terry and the rest of the management group get these next 2 choices right as there is some decent talent here. (Kane, O'Reilly, Okposo, Ristolainen, McCabe, Reinhart and even Lehner- although I would not be ready to anoint him #1 just yet- but with a better D in front, perhaps) The head coach decision will be seriously important though, My take is that both needed to go and that has transpired. Onward and upward!