Kruppstahl

The interview was not set up by the Sabres PR Department. It was specifically requested by Paul Hamilton and granted by the Sabres. In the interest of efficiency, they then opened Paul's 1-on-1 time with the GM request to other members of the press, which was a whopping 4 including Paul.

I think this is going to be a quiet trade deadline for the Sabres with not much happening.

Phil needs to demonstrate by the end of the year that he knows how to make this team play on this level every game or he should be replaced by someone who does.

Darren Dreger reporting on air tonight that some say the Sabres have interest in acquiring Matt Duchene. He also said other sources say the Sabres are NOT interested. Make of that what you will.

This should be ugly. I fully expect us to up our game b/c that is what bad teams do: vary the quality of their play to match their opponent. So we'll be on our game tonight, but it won't matter.

The fact of the matter is that most regular season NHL games these days have as much intensity and competitive fire as a typical pre-season exhibition match in any sport you care to name. The total lack of "goonery" for lack of a better term is mostly why. The game has never been more sanitized or more boring to watch, even if the average player has never had as much individual "talent".

In moments like this, you have to distinguish between what Botterill is saying publicly in his position as GM of the team, and what he is thinking about and talking about privately behind closed doors with the Pegulas in the room. If he is genuinely content with the "development" made this season and thinks things are, more or less, on pace, it may be time to throw him in the trash along with Housley.

Link to Botterill's PC from today: "There's not going to be a coaching change." https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/botterill-theres-not-going-be-coaching-change

Risto has been a bad defenseman nearly his entire time on the team. there is a perception he is good; he's not. He brings a little bit of grit to the lineup, but that is easily replaced if we want to. His greater value lies as a trade subject, if you can find someone who still thinks he's a good up and coming young d-man.

Just listening to Housley's post-game PC now. He has been very careful the last couple games to stress that "effort" has been there but things just aren't going our way. He's trying to frame things in terms of bad puck luck or that sort of thing, which is misleading. I think he definitely feels the heat and is trying to stress that it's not an effort problem, b/c an effort problem is ultimately a coaching problem. This will all get worse before it gets better.

A token power forward isn't going to resolve this team's toughness problem. They play soft top to bottom and that is because the people who evaluate talent within this organization do not value toughness. Don't expect much to change for that reason.

Then maybe the people who compiled the roster need to go. Housley should be replaced, but I agree he is not the sole problem, or even that his replacement will improve. He still needs to go however. He's not a very good HC.

Screw that guy; if he thinks this came down to bounces, he needs to be fired tonight. Not sure Pegula realizes things are going horribly. I can't stand that guy; he's big time creepy; luckily I tend to watch on DVR and don't have to see him too much. I'm in all for this, but how the hell do you do it with 1-way guaranteed contracts!? They have ruined hockey and it's been this way for a long time. That's just a function of the Sabres being in town; not a big draw as you say. There are always a lot of empty seats in that building, but tonight was unusual (I live in S. FL and watch a ton of Panthers games). I wouldn't expect a big step forward next year from Dahlin or Mittelstadt necessarily. They should progress but suggesting next season will be a key breakthrough season for either is silly. We need a lot more than 2 additional pieces too. The entire D needs to be turned over, with exception of Dahlin; but he will need 3-4 years to really hit on all cylinders. As someone said upthread, we have like 4, maybe 5 guys you want to build around. The rest, including HC and GM can be replaced as they are all expendable.

As I said, who knows, maybe he likes to spend hours roaming the internet looking for anything he can find about his teams. I bet he is not doing that. He comes across as the lowest information sports fan I've ever seen. I don't question his love of the Sabres, historically, or interest in their success. It's just that he is "that" type of fan who doesn't have a freaking clue. He's not a sophisticated fan focusing on the right things, or at least that is how it seems from the outside. He's easily led, and easily led down the wrong path. I get the impression what he knows or is focusing on is what is fed to him by whoever is immediately around him doing the feeding. Not sure who those people are. I'm sure his children play some type of role here.

Claude Giroux is a pretty good comparable. I mentioned Benn or Spezza. My point is that he is not a generational talent. He is not even on the "ultra elite superstar" list IMO. He is in the next group down, the "super good players". I was thinking of this last night. Let's say this was an Olympics year and the NHL players were going to the Olympics. Let's further pretend that Jack is a nice Canadian boy from say, St. Catherine's, Ontario, born and bred. Question: Is that Jack Eichel an automatic selection to the Canadian Olympic hockey team? Everything else about Jack (his height, weight, attitude, talent level, shot velocity, stats, everything) is exactly the same as it really is or has been... Does he make the Olympic squad? I would argue he does not. That puts it in perspective, doesn't it? We are looking for a franchise saving Messiah in a guy who, though a hell of a nice player, isn't Canadian Olympic team material. At least not yet. Expectations need to be checked.

I wonder if Terry Pegula is aware of these statistics. No way is he the type of fan to figure this out for himself, so the question is does he nose around on the internet personally, or is there anyone in his little circle (one of his kids maybe?) giving him this type of data? I bet he doesn't know this sort of thing.

Because of the hype and duration of the Eichel/McDavid race to the bottom, and the way in which we threw away a season to get one or the othe, and in fact did get one, Sabres fans tend to view Eichel as some type of franchise defining Messiah. I think people assume he should automatically be another Mark Messier. The problem is he's not Mark Messier. He's not even Sidney Crosby or Auston Matthews. He's more of a Jason Spezza. Maybe Jamie Benn. Hell of a nice player, but he's not going to put a franchise on his back and carry it to multiple Cup victories. He is just not that guy. For that reason, if we could find a trade partner willing to give us the world for him, I'd do the deal.

Eichel has been too soft and inconsistent for way too long to get any benefit of the doubt, at least form me. I'll believe the "injury" report when it's made official and he's being checked into the hospital for a procedure.

Risto is terrible.

No way this roster has 3 to 4 untouchables. I see 2 at most, and even then, I'd trade Eichel for the world, if someone was willing to give us it. It's been over for a while now, but now it's really over. Your point is well taken.

Just took that in myself; good for Harrington! Tweaked Bogo a little bit...who never did squat in the game after all his posturing and slashing pre-game. A guy like Bogo defines the modern NHL; a thorough mediocrity though and through, a total disappointment of a career...but quite content to lose. He can tell you 36 million different ways why losing isn't so bad.

GMTM was trying to build a "heavy" team at a time when St. Louis, LA, Chicago, Nashville, San Jose, etc., were pounding the ***** out of each other in the playoffs and the winner of those trench wars was winning the Cup. His ideal up and coming Sabre was probably someone like Marcus Foligno. Then Botterill came in here and hosed the roster down with a healthy dose of Penguin ***** Juice. The Penguins approach is the last in the league I would want to emulate, save the part about having 2 of the best 5 players in the world on the team at the same time for the height of their careers.

Removing those names from this team will not make a meaningful difference.

What sort of names are you talking about being shipped out? Most of the names that have been around a while are big names.

Eichel brings it only when he feels like it, and that happens only now and again. How much of that is on Housley can be debated. A HC in the NHL these days has very little to work with in terms of disciplining thees guys. All you can do is take away ice time, and I'm sure there is pressure from everywhere on Housley to give Eichel as much time as possible. I would have no problem with removing Housley tomorrow; but I'm not sure that impact wins/losses all that much. Replacing him with the right coach would be critical, but I don't have much faith in this organization's ability to find a great HC.