Thorner

We are so back

Shooters getting more talented and adept at sniping corners? A backing away from the “pucks on net” philosophy in the name of more selective shooting?

You said it

It’s not the same argument because for it to be the same argument one would have to utterly disregard the variable of “time” which is the most central component of what I’m trying to say. The sabres pushed the boundaries of not winning too far: it broke the franchise. There’s no expectation. Electing for a long form rebuild after missing 9 straight years already was a colossal mistake. The Sabres are not in a position anymore where they can be fixed by merely operating the team properly. *They need the defibrillator.* the regular current won’t do it. They need extraordinary tact for an extraordinary problem. They didn’t *have* an extraordinary problem 10 years ago the team itself needs to understand the expectation and environment has changed. We can’t do this by waltzing up to the podium and entering into next season as the youngest team in hockey after another solid draft. I couldn’t be clear enough about this: the results will be less than the sum of their expected parts: we are seeing it this year, we’ve seen it time and time again

Ordinarily I’d agree with you but the usual rules don’t apply to the sabres, we are a proven historical anomaly and should be treated as such in the name of accuracy, owing to the fact we’ve dug ourselves into a chasm worthy of that anomaly. It will require unusual tact to fix - that’s only logical. The Buffalo Sabres as currently constructed won’t benefit from an infusion of youth in any form whatsoever as the only way this franchise can get out of this rut is to prioritize the present above all else. We cannot be in a position where an 18 year old makes us better. Let’s just assume we aren’t selecting first overall (but probably even then) we can get back to worrying about draft picks once we make the playoffs once. the pick is traded and gone for me if someone offers accurate relative veteran value

Honestly it wasn’t about any one of them. We know how this all works, now - yeah there are some duds along the way but we are picking high and picking pretty good players, such is the nature of selecting up top. It’s not the players. It’s the group assembling the whole Applies to on roster players we’ve dealt as well

The issue isn’t the players we are selecting. The issue is we keep repeating the process. We don’t need draft picks This should be…abundantly clear to anyone still kicking around

My post was nothing to do with benson lol

And better 5 V 5 per 60 primary points per puckhandle as Prime McDavid

Our clear MVP? Why? the C isn’t handcuffing him and doesn’t prevent anyone else from stepping up

Oh we can and will draft 8th and we will in fact find ourselves slated to “draft a good player no matter what” who some call the steal of the draft shortly after

Through what we’ve nurtured them to be. The environment we’ve developed them into. if there’s flaws of nature, it’s by way of ill-construction of the whole

I’d bet money the players themselves, in the end, chuckle at the mindset of the fans. I keep saying this: right or wrong, they don’t claim the drought. No one does. No matter how many years they contribute to it. You can see it in Adams snarky defensiveness when questioned. “We think we know a bit more than the fans.” the situation is so toxic because it isn’t one sided at all: make no mistake, there’s disdain on both sides

Paved (relative) paradise, put up a parking lot

The entire sabres organizational system down through every facet of the operation is infected by the lack of expectation that set in so thoroughly, owing to those in change too dangerously pushing the boundaries of how far winning in the now could be put off. They pushed and pushed and it broke: the players know the team isn’t really about winning. The players know the “playoffs or bust” mindset parroted coming in was bogus: too little, too late. At odds with operational spending and roster construction. no one believes. I don’t know what term we want to use…people are throwing around heart…but it’s context based. People know the expectations are low in *buffalo*. Players know they can ease up here, and the worst case scenario is they get dealt to a better team Mike Tomlin always says the Steelers have a Standard. There’s no standard here, no embarrassment too low. There will be individual players that have a personal standard and push against this, but we know one talent can’t carry a lineup: much the same with one or two mindsets. Only a matter of time before they get swallowed up by the current they are swimming against it: flowing powerfully from on high