Thorny

Now tell me how many sabres games you’ve watched since 2009. I know the extended editions are long, but.. I’m not sure the hockey has been Oscar quality

I guess I didn’t think people would remove all previous context from the discussion. Maybe surprising based on the dim witted nature of my posts but i do get that there are a multitude of components that combine to make winning possible. But my point of course was that, the sabres have to make the choice to do their utmost best to field a team that has those components, and has them within the context of the prioritization of winning TODAY, based on the very real structure of the nhl, the way it has teams accumulate standings points, and the mandate of finishing 8th or better. When I say “by product”, I’m saying that at no point during Adams rebuild has “winning today” been the chief priority by which we have operated: we’ve wanted to win, sure, we arguably even THOUGHT we could or would win, but that desire or belief was nonetheless, ultimately in each case superseded by the unwillingness to spend. Winning was the goal: to a point. It hasn’t been the goal, the priority, outright. Adams certainly believed winning would arrive; arrive organically through the patient maturing of a core constructed with an eye on being a stanley cup contender, one day, and not a playoff team, now. hubris, if I may say so, myself

edit

The hobbit was released in 1937

Surely you’ve seen LOTR? or do you just mean again

“Why didn’t Pegula declare himself Minister of the Sabres?” asked Ron. Lupin laughed. “He doesn’t need to, Ron. Effectively he is the Manager, but why should he sit behind a desk in Buffalo? His puppet, Thickhead, is taking care of everyday business, leaving Terry Riddle free to extend his power beyond the sabres.”

And I come back to you now… (after having never left) .. at the turn of the tide

Terry doesn’t need to actually be right, he’s rich. He just needs to be able to tell himself he is. - - - great post

I’m saying they don’t care enough about winning in the now IN MY OPINION. whatever the level you think they care, we can go with: and then I’m going to say it’s not enough. Regardless of if they think they are doing enough to make it, i philosophically disagree with their stance that we achieve success now “without mortgaging the future”. My stance isn’t to win now without mortgaging the future. My stance is to win now. The qualifier totally changes it. Adams believes winning is a byproduct Thorny believes winning is a choice if you take one thing from this post, by all means ignore it all and just take in the bold. This is the crux of my argument almost always

that’s an underplayed point too. Everyone is praising the article but we’ve been fairly desensitized over time to how unusual it is for the fan’s pulse on the team on pretty much everything up to and including the behind the scenes to be so on point. Far better than Adams’ pulse on the roster entering into each season

Like @dudaceksays he doesn’t seem particularly interested in moving Pegula in a different direction: I don’t think that’s a flaw it’s a feature Finkle is Einhorn. Adams is Pegula

I think he caters to the whims of Pegula because they are philosophically aligned, yes. It’s calculated in terms of job security which is Adams’ main goal and always has been but that’s sort of the point: Adams didn’t become Terry’s guy because he picked him, Terry picked him because he was his guy. They clearly agree about this stuff, they both don’t care about success in the now

My reading is that the “every decision” thing is well overplayed, at least regarding how much of distinction that would represent relative to other teams. More damning to me is fact sabres are a distant second priority. That’s the lack of $, unqualified hires explained Poking his head in on every or most transactions strikes me more so as someone who wants to tell himself he’s on top of it all with the least energy committed possible rather that someone truly interested in prioritizing success If you don’t see neglect as the main issue with the documented lack of spending, we aren’t going to agree I feel like every few weeks you and me get back to this same spot, you keep getting back to disagreeing with everyone thst Terry doesn’t care and I cannot drive home enough that the lack of spending is a significant trump card beyond any other point you are alluding to If we aren’t spending to the cap, he doesn’t care enough. That’s it, that’s all

There was stuff about Reimer too

As an out of towner with no particular connection to the bills the confirmation that Terry neglects the sabres in favour of them sucks even more

Jury out on Jarmo

I literally said “as suspected”. it doesn’t make it right - I’ve been saying it for a year: Terry is absentee. If the calculation that the bills are more important results in the sabres being neglected, which is the case, he shouldn’t be the owner of the Buffalo f*cking sabres

Neither is an aptitude for being an nhl GM, apparently

He is exactly grima wormtongue lol

As suspected. And the most damning bit

No, it’s formulaic. It’s hard enough to make up any ground at all with excellent drafting. Pretty good is barely value gained, relatively. You can’t draft your way out of it.

…one younger…and far more powerful.. You will not stop me. Darth Staal will become more powerful than either of us!

I’d also take Staal in the role over Adams tbf so either way I’m set if there’s a succession plan

Ya I just don’t see Staal commanding the respect necessary or having near the experience required to be the voice in the room that would come along with “GM.” He’s a glorified intern trainee at this time. If there’s a succession plan, it’s Adams to POHO, Jarmo to GM But it’s the sabres. So who knows right lol