Curt

I agree that fights rarely impact the actual gameplay. I’m not fighting fan. At the same time, I love that Cozens showed that emotion. This team doesn’t have enough.

Over under on total Sabres goals in these 3 Islanders games? +\- 3

Head Coach and 1st Line RW Kyle Okposo!

Hey look! A pulse!

9 of the NHLs top 13 goal scores are in the Canadian division. They have a mini league of Carter Huttons up there?

Krieder can’t believe that his dump in attempt beat Hutton clean.

There is a difference between being over one point per game and having a .500 record. What they put in the NHL standings now is not win %, because they don’t count OT losses as losses.

I do hear you. I think I’m just feeling that the relationship may already be fatally broken. I don’t mind Adams either. I actually dont have any reason to think he wouldn’t do fine making a trade. If you go into next season and halfway through, things aren’t going well, I think it’s much harder to negotiate then, because everyone can see that NMC deadline looming only a few months away. Maybe they bring in a new coach, maybe, but I don’t think it’s a forgone conclusion, and I would be very surprised if they made a big change to upper management.

Sure, you can REFUSE to trade him, but for how long? It just becomes an impossibly unhealthy situation for the team as well as the player. It’s not a solution. Honest questions here. You don’t trust this management group to make a good trade. Do you trust them to create a winning team for next season? Do you actually think the management team is going to be changed this season/offseason?

I/we are just expressing our opinions. We do not determine the actions of players or teams here. We feel how we feel, and the players/teams are going to do what they are going to do. The Sabres obviously don’t come here looking for advise.

There is an argument that his current season performance is devaluing him some. I strongly disagree with the bolded though. You think they can’t get fair value for him now? How would it be when he has a NMC, publicly demands a trade, then it’s leaked out that he will only go to the Bruins, Rangers, or Islanders. Or some bs like that. Then you will see a real devaluation.

I don’t necessarily think it’s a good idea to trade Eichel. I don’t necessarily think it will help the team. I don’t necessarily think that the Sabres would do a good job of it. I just think that at some point in the next ~year, they won’t have a choice. I hope I’m wrong. I hope the Sabres do smart things, win more games, and Jack wants to stay. I just don’t have any confidence that they will do enough things right to make it happen.

Personally, I acknowledge the unusualness of their ineptitude. It is for this exact reason that I have zero confidence that they will turn this season around. I think the players feel the same. I think Jack feels the same. I think Jack is just about done with this. Its as much an emotional thing as a logical thing. There are things they could do to improve, this season, but does anyone believe that they will correctly execute them?

This encapsulates how I feel.

I’m on board for it. You can question a couple of his recent moves, but he has over 25 years of GM experience. Instant credibility.

Just a note. Eichel’s NMC kicks in after next season, 2022 offseason, not after this season. So they have a year and a half before then. Although I don’t know if Jack would last that long. They don’t need to rush anything though.

It’s both. Even the best goalie in the world can not win a game in which his team scores zero goals.

They literally are the worst team in the league at ES scoring. That’s not on Hutton. Not that he helps.

I agree that KA probably can’t fire RK. It seems like they have pretty equal standing within the organization. But, if KA feels it’s just not working out, he can probably talk to the Pegulas to encourage them to go in the direction of making a change.

This is sad. I know that I started this thread, but I don’t WANT to trade him. I just feel like they are coming to a point where the team won’t have much choice. If feels like the situation is becoming untenable.

To an extent, I agree. Because Buffalo sentiment can be overblown. However, I could definitely see the upper echelon of coaches turn down the job. Guys such as Gallant, Boudreau, and Julien. These are guys who have been successful NHL coaches for years and don’t necessarily need to take the first job they are offered. They have financial security and a reputation to protect. They don’t need to insert themselves into what they feel could be a bad situation if they don’t want to.

Fair

I think they just got lucky and hired a good GM/coach combo. Before that, they made brutally bad hires for the Bills too.

I think this would be best. Someone to handle the Pegulas, do executive managerial stuff, and advise/oversee on hockey stuff. Someone who can free the GM and coach to focus on hockey without worrying about the Pegulas calling them. Like, you know he isn’t really a soccer coach, right?

I think the idea is that he suffered an injury in training during the offseason that really hampered his ability to prepare for the season. He hasn’t looked right from the very first game, a time when there should have been lots of hope for a good season, so I believe that he has been injured. It just makes too much sense, and it’s been said publicly. At this point, he may be mentally checking out too though.