Die Hard
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Posts posted by Die Hard
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8 minutes ago, Curtisp5286 said:
I think that you have unrealistic expectations for how quickly a head coach hiring process should play out.
They’re not my expectations. I’ve been a sports fan (virtually all professional sports) for nearly 40 years. I just notice patterns ? Let’s not pretend that the pros have it all figured out.
Coaches get extensions and then fired the next season. OBJ got a HUGE contract last year... and the team traded him the following year and ate a HUGE penalty. Professionals do stupid crap and make mistakes all the time. It’s not always sensical and calculated. ?
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5 minutes ago, Derrico said:
Ya I'm fine with this playing out a little longer. I hope he doesn't decide for a couple of weeks. That way we can see if some playoff team who gets bounced in the playoffs fires someone. Who know Cooper's Lightening lost last night ? I'm joking by the way, no chance he gets fired.
I honestly don't give two hoots how this 'looks.' The franchise has been a mess for 8 years now but there is still a good enough core here now that I think we can turn it around sooner than later. I don't care what it looks like, this HAS to work out whoever it ends up being. Whether it takes 4 more hours or 4 more weeks just make sure you get the right friggen guy.
Agreed. However, as I said previously, Botterill has vetted a LOT of candidates by now. Including prior to his first hire.
A long delay... and the continued vetting of candidates.... may indicate that Botterill doesn’t know who the hell that friggen guy is!
If he knew he was going to relieve Housley since early March.... what the heck has he been doing? How does he not know who his guy IS by now?
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3 minutes ago, Curtisp5286 said:
Ok, and what do you do if your guy says that he wants to take this week with his family, which should be all about his son, go home and then make a decision? Throw an extra $2M at him and tell him you need a decision in the next 12 hours?
If McCellean was his guy.... a decision that should have been made a while ago - for instance, media reports that he had already contacted Quenneville earlier in the year - than that contract should have been offered immediately after Housley was fired. Because the parameters would have already been discussed.... and he should have already known if he was on board.
Look, he visited with the Sabres DURING this week right? Even during his son’s tournament. He just needed to put a pen to paper. *If* he was the guy. Botterill could still give him the week off ?
Look, I’m not upset. I’m not even a fan of McLellan. However, if McClellan is Botterill’s guy.... this is NOT a good look.
However, Botterill is very discreet. So I wouldn’t be so sure that he is....and that it’s more likely he’s waiting for a team to get knocked out. If that’s the case, I’m fine with it all.
We’ll find it either way... by his hire.
But if he’s ONLY still at a point in his process where he’s vetting candidates..... that’s very disconcerting.
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1 minute ago, Curtisp5286 said:
They fired Housley 4 days ago. The reason Florida hired Quenville so fast is because Talon and Q already have an extensive relationship from working together at GM/coach in the past.
Once again, it's been 4 days. It's ok.
Have you noticed Botterill’s MO to slow play things? Even thought he had extensive knowledge of the team before he arrived.... he decided to waste an entire 1st season to assess the roster.
Then despite his door-slamming fit mid-season.... he didn’t make any immediate changes and waited until the off-season. And waited until the last second before getting minimal returns for ROR. And Kane for that matter, at the trade deadline.
And despite losing Berglund mid-season and the team needs some infusion into the roster.... stood pat and let the team decline.
It was 2 months ago that he was talking about how he was happy with Housley and how the season progressed.... and then he looks like a fool for having to fire him — which I was all onboard with BTW.
I dunno.... I’m just not inclined to give Botterill the benefit of the doubt here.
Botterill has the Pegula’s money here. He can pay a top salary, offer a good young foundation, and salary cap space. JBots.... just go and get your guy already.
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Buffalo was extremely slow in its most recent GM and HC searches (Botterill, Housley). I get that.... both were new and kind of represented an organizational re-structure.
But Botterill has already interviewed numerous of candidates before he hired Housley... and by all accounts, he made up his mind to fire Housley after a string of shutout losses in early March. So why wouldn’t he have already been working behind the scenes long ago.... or at worst, had an extremely short-list. To the point where it’s just about dollars/terms.
Other teams are able to dump coaches and hire within hours (or the next day). So what the hell is the hang up here?
Unless he’s waiting for the playoffs to unfold. That’s the only thing that makes sense.
Surely they aren’t setting themselves up for another Babcock unfolding.
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8 minutes ago, Radar said:
I'm a veteran and so sick of "thank you for your service" and putting the hero label on every Tom,Dick and Harry who ever was or is in the service. Save it for the fireman, rescue worked who saved your life. My son is in law enforcement and is more threatened than I was.
What a fascinating perspective!
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3 minutes ago, Doohickie said:
1996: Detroit Red Wings: 131 points. Result: Lost WCF vs. Colorado (Detroit won the next two Cups with much lower point totals during regular season)
2019: Tampa Bay Lightning: 128 points. Result: ?
How many years have we seen where the #1 seed virtually guaranteed you wouldn’t win the cup?
The crowd gets into it (home-ice advantage becomes amplified), the refs put the whistles away (tighter checking), less PP opportunities, odd fortuitous bounces (posts) or brilliant saves, teams develop familiarity (only focus on the tendencies of one opponent), develop different approaches/strategies. It’s a whole new ball game!!!
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2 hours ago, matter2003 said:
Cannot believeTampa Bay choked away a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 to a team they had outscored 17-3 in their meetings this year...
That’s playoff hockey though. It’s just a completely different game..... it makes the regular reason almost a waste to follow. It’s unlike any other sport. Goalies get hot, unsung heroes emerge, injuries to star players happen, players play through injuries/pain (with often diminished return), etc.
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2 minutes ago, Derrico said:
Are they allowed to block a promotion? I don’t think they can in the nfl. I would be pissed if I’m Keefe and that happened. Them doing that with the assistant gm was one thing as they planned on him being the next gm. But doesn’t Babcock have like an 8 year contract or something crazy?
In the past 2 offseason (as a Skins fan), I know we’ve been blocked by teams from interviewing even for promotions. Weird.
And as a Sabres fan, I seem to recall the team was blocked from interviewing a few candidates, before hiring Housley. Was it Reardon in Washington?
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2 minutes ago, SDS said:
That would suggest that him and Phil have different philosophies and that he coached what Phil wanted him to coach.
Entirely possible.
Also, after Housley’s first season.... I seem to recall the fact that he was mandated to upgrade his assistants. So perhaps Smith was more of a Botterill hire than a Housley one. Perhaps that might explain why he’s reluctant to release him outright... and will give the new coach an opportunity to keep him aboard. Or at least convince him too ?
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7 minutes ago, Gatorman0519 said:
There is something different about him (Keefe). He’s been successful everywhere. Just a gut sense. I had the same about Gallant. What gets us out of this mess is thinking outside the box. Take a chance. I never felt good about PH. Todd will improve us but he’s not going to take us to the cup. I want better.
Exactly. Take a chance. Just because you get burned... doesn’t mean you stop taking chances. That doesn’t mean you make poor decisions and take random chances. Calculated chances like Keefe, Turner, or the Crush coach.... I can accept that. Especially if there’s not a ‘hands down’ veteran candidate you want.
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30 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:
Wasn't he the defense coach?
Funny isn’t it? Considering Botterill explicitly mentioned defensive zone lapses as part of the teams major area of need for improvement.
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2 minutes ago, Curtisp5286 said:
These other GMs know the deal though. These hypothetical coaches who lasted 5-7 years in their previous jobs don’t really exist in any large numbers. Only 2 current NHL coaches have been with their current teams for 5 or more seasons. Not to be snarky, but Florida went through coaches just as fast as Buffalo recently, yet just signed Quennville.
$6M/year for 5 years, familiar with the GM, good player foundation, low expectations (as a franchise and hockey town), sunny state with low taxes. He has leverage due to his credentials. Really ideal circumstances.
Theres not too many franchises that can compete with that. ?
Buffalo has some nice pieces though. Young team, some core pieces, cap space.
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3 minutes ago, pi2000 said:
The fact that BUF cycles through coaches so quickly has to be a significant deterrent to any respectable candidate.
Is that true?
This is the NHL... we see coaches get canned 8 games into a season, 20 games, etc. Coaches in any sport may get 4-5 year contracts..... but I can’t imagine any coach, in any sport, will survive more than 2 seasons like the Sabres have had.
In order to get into years 3-4-5 of any contract, your team has to show SOME modicum of improvement/progress (even if that includes consistency in something)
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18 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:
i dont think its necessary, Sabres will have plenty cap space. They could be the one taking on a bad contract if the team was willing to give up a draft pick or prospect.
I like that strategy... but the only league I’ve seen it prominently used is the NBA. Except that 1 season for the Vegas Knights expansion... but that seemed to be more due to an extenuating circumstance (outlier).
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Re: Bogo. He’s got 1 more year on a heavy salary.
Would it not be possible to trade him for a player with equal salary.... but a forward (a long-term piece) with longer term that a team wants to get out from under? Cap hit is negligible.... more about a team that’s going to want some free cap space soon.
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Lots of open breakaways. Hard to tell anything about his speed. He can make some plays.... but he looks to be a sniper. Kinda what this team needs.
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Watching the highlights, wow! Definitely a playmaker than creates a lot of opportunity. Especially for his teammates moreso than himself, but he a legit scorer too. Just doesn’t look like a true ‘finisher’ though.
It looks like he’d be a great addition into our pipeline.. but not *exactly* what we need. Of course, at 7, we may not have a choice (BPA).
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I see a lot of interesting candidates. I don’t know what the right direction is.... there’s potentially so many good plot lines. I’m not afraid to fail here.... and think outside of the box. I don’t think we have to be so rigid as to hire a coach with HC experience.... if he’s truly not the perfect fit for what the team is trying to do or the roster fit.
It’s all a great opportunity for a success story. And if it doesn’t work out again, I’m fine with that. Pivot again. That’s how success works. Don’t keep doing it the wrong way... just because you’ve already invested so much in a single decision. Sometimes, moving forward means cutting your losses.
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32 minutes ago, Doohickie said:
Let it be so!
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1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:
Might be too good for the AHL but he sure as hell isn't good enough for the NHL.
And we’ve all seen plenty of evidence of players who are excellent AHL players who have never been able to crack NHL rosters. It’s weird, but it does happen frequently.
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12 minutes ago, Brawndo said:
Interesting. Offered complete transparency on who made the decision and is running the show.
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8 minutes ago, TrueBlueGED said:
I'm not suggesting hiring someone. I'm suggesting that if the decision was made sooner we'd have gotten the same jump in finding a replacement that Florida did.
I thought Boughner and Housley were fired hours apart?
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13 minutes ago, TrueBlueGED said:
Translation: Dale Tallon hopes to close quickly now that he has completion.
As an aside, this is why you make a move on Housley sooner than the last game of the season. So you don't miss out on the big fish.
Other than interim coaches, I don’t recall many permanent (outside) hires of coaches coming on to fill in the last quarter of a season. Especially of a team that’s eliminated. If it’s done, it’s usually because the season is still salvageable.
Updated Todd McLellan OUT of the Running Sabres HC Position
in The Aud Club
Posted · Edited by Die Hard
Yes, that’s a possibility. But if I’m interviewing MY GUY, and he needs time to think about it or convince himself to take the job - or weighing it against another job — then he NEVER should have been my guy.
Quenneville outright said NO. Perfect! Thank you! They reached out to gauge interest BEFORE they fired Housley. Why didn’t they do that for McLellan (he was unemployed too!)? At this point, it shouldn’t be a matter if he’s interested or not. It should just be a matter of putting pen to paper.
If reporters are to be believed.... it’s almost as if Botterill has begun his coaching search on Tuesday after firing Housley. That would be absolutely ridiculous, if so.