Thorny

They will *absolutely* tout “getting used to the new assistants” if we get off to a slow start next season. That’s not a joke: anything and everything can and does get framed by this regime in that way because, in their back pocket, they always have the “not about building a playoff team, it’s about building a perennial contender” card there isn’t a single thing they can’t spin by way of “short term pain for long term gain” it’s smart messaging on their part, as long as there’s buy in from the fanbase

Probably shouldn’t be, tbh. I guess it’s just not the hill I’ll die on, because the GM being held to a standard means so, so more more, i’d say. If Granato is back, Adams can go ahead and live and die by it, just like his roster if we lose literally because of the coach, and could have made it otherwise, that poor decision making would have bit us in the arse down the line, anyways. I’m good with Adams continuing to implement HIS plan and I’m good with documenting why it’s terrible, as long as it still is

On another note, if Adams and Granato are indeed tied at the hip, I’m fine with Granato being back next year if it’s do or die for both of them. There’s no keeping him hired just to fire him, and in so doing granting a further mulligan

Who said it wasn’t?

Do the injuries provide Adams with an excuse to more less run it back, a legitimate reason to run it back, or neither?

In hindsight, it was never been about them knowing more *about* what they are doing that the fans, it was about the fact *what* they were doing doesn’t align with what the fans want To them, the fans are indeed wrong about the lack of success, if they are defining success differently

Honestly, I feel such a connection to the fanbase that, once it got SO bad here that people generally stopped thinking/hoping/pretending that Adams and his regime had any idea solitary idea what they are doing, it was somewhat of a pressure valve release. Almost no one wants to carry water for the complete, unacceptable ineptitude the organization has shown, and that honestly somehow makes it easier to except, as a fan. In sports you can be loveable losers if you are, in fact, considered to be losers. Lions-Esque. one day it’ll turn around and it’ll be pure. In a sense that purity is born from the fact the fanbase became united, over the course of this drought.

And we’ve upped the scouting since: which I think represents the “regression to the mean” from Covid: but much of the spending practices appear to have remained the same

Someone like Brawndo can correct me if I am wrong, but I think it’s an actual established fact that Botterill would have kept his job had he been willing to cut staff. It’s basically saying the quiet part out loud: it struck me at the time and I said as much. Botterill wasn’t being fired for performance. Performance wasn’t a sticking point to Terry. The money was. This is pretty compelling to me. People will refer to context, to the Covid situation perhaps, but it doesn’t appear the mode of operation has changed, since. Until otherwise, it would be tough to form a cohesive argument, imo, for why winning is as important to this is franchise as its performance in a business sense, up to and including cost of payroll I could be wrong; I just don’t think so. I think that’s what we are seeing

That’s what I mean he sounds totally lost. That’s sort of my defining factor for why I’m saying he should go now after being reluctant to say it definitively until now: even HE doesn’t think he has any answers Many franchises would have already* changed GMs (*im speaking from the perspective/under the assumption that we miss the playoffs this year - many GMs wouldn’t get a 5th year with this sort of poor league-relative performance

Honestly, if you gave me 6 years to make the playoffs, I could be GM. That’s too long of a timeline for Adams There’s no argument to bring him back if you miss the playoffs your first 5 years

I don’t think Harrington actually knows. My reading was that he’s assuming the assistants would be gone, under the situation where Granato was back. Then again, he’s been firm on the idea Terry won’t pay another coach. I think it’s pretty clear objectively that Granato needs to be replaced going in to next season, just looking at the results with an unbiased eye and the way this team consistently struggles to get off to good starts Maybe it works out fine, maybe we win the cup next year, but I think it’s pretty quickly becoming apparent that the “Economic, efficient” Terry-doesn’t-wanna-spend-money-here things represents a solid Occam’s razor should Granato be back next year. Adams is the guy who said he could do it for less, when Botterill wouldn’t trim down, right? We should probably just listen to what they say. Winning would be nice, but the focus is being economic - that’s the primary quest of the team I keep saying that as fans our kin is other fans, the current employees that wear the colors are just that: our aims don’t even truly align

It’s not spin: I don’t think you understand what spin is It was merely a fact lol. The value went up. My point wasn’t that it went up because of Pegula: where did I say that? What exactly did I spin? My point was that, because of league values as a whole, it looks like a pretty safe investment

Gotta be honest, I stopped at “95%”. Kidding. You make a fair point.

I don’t buy it. Doesn’t make any business sense. Correct me if I am wrong, as my argument hinges on this, but hasn’t the value of the Sabres gone UP, considerably, since its last sale? I’d imagine a business-y businessman might look at that sort of business, undergone *even while a team stank to high heaven* and see a whole wack of..what’s the word? Oh ya: business potential. That the sabres couldn’t get a buyer to keep them in Buffalo is, I’d wager, a boogeyman

Could be.

A lot of people were arguing on twitter a couple days ago that the Wings were last year’s Sabres, that we shouldn’t be jealous of them. doesn’t really seem that way. They’ve been consistently in a playoff spot all year. Some were even saying they went “all in” to do it. Which seems wrong on several levels.

I mentioned this in regards to the Samuelsson deal, there was almost definitely a strategic element in the way they were dealing out contracts beyond the usual, let’s say “standard” considerations. That deal, the Granato deal, more than objectively bad/good contracts, I think we can at least reasonably all agree they were given strictly before necessary. It’s so apparent, I can only conclude that’s a feature and not a bug. There was some sort of messaging going on with “rewarding” people, it went beyond deserved/earned. Right? And, again, it wasn’t an attempt to capitalize on value, attain some sort of steal: they literally could have waited and not paid more and they knew it. they wanted this narrative out there about guys wanting to be here. Length of deals proved it. Culture. I mean, we can reasonably infer this happened, right? I’m not saying it’s good, or bad, but maybe if we can all agree on that.. we can begin the dissect the merits of that sort of strategy - - - if, say, Harrington is right, and he won’t can Granato due to length of deal..I mean I might spot a flaw i dunno tho lol can’t be too sure haha lol

Value of the Sabres has skyrocketed under Pegula’s tenure. To your point, perhaps not as much as it would have had we actually been competent…but regardless..

Goal differential is fine. But when you are ranked 26th overall standings wise and attempt to tout your 22nd place standing in differential: it’s grasping at straws

Tyler Ennis says hi Last Great Sabres Goal

That rebound stunk but UPL has been good so whatever

Same bat time same bat channel we’ll get back at it later

Dude

So not nearly good enough