msw2112

It's time to move the team to Buffalo on a permanent basis. 🙂

I have not seen any games lately, but from what I read, they are playing much better and playing competent NHL hockey for longer stretches. It sounds like they played a very good, full game against Philly when they notched a win and then had a strong first period against the Rangers before running out of gas in their 3rd game in 4 nights. Their goalie kept them in it and they got a point (not that points matter at this stage, but it's at least something earned). I think the main problem now is injuries and depth. Lots of ifs, I know, but if they were 1) fully healthy, 2) not playing a COVID-compressed schedule, and 3) playing the current style/system that the present coaching staff has implemented, perhaps they wouldn't be that bad. What say those who have seen all the games?

I think Buffalo is a tough sell right now, but with the right people in place, it can be turned around fairly quickly (a season or 2) and the Sabres can be a destination again. Hockey players often like smaller markets in northern cities, Buffalo's proximity to southern Ontario is a big plus, and Buffalo has a great fanbase. A lot of Sabres players remain in Buffalo after retiring from hockey and many even come back if they play elsewhere after leaving the Sabres organization. But first they have to put out the dumpster fire and get things pointed in the right direction.

I think you try to re-sign Ullmark. He's one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal year. The team has invested in drafting and developing him and he's finally coming into has own as a viable, quality NHL starter. If he continues to improve, he could get to the next level (all-star), but if he has reached his peak, he's a still good player. If UPL or Portillo or someone else emerges as a star down the road, you've got a very good backup or a trade asset in Ullmark then. I would agree that it is unlikely that any FA goalie better than Ullmark is going to sign with the Sabres and none of the young goalies in the pipeline are ready now and unlikely any will be ready next year. As to some of the comments about the team in general in this thread, it's highly unlikely the Sabres will finish anywhere other than in last place this year. Thus, it's not mutually exclusive for the team to win a few games with some of the younger guys developing some confidence for next year and retaining the best possible draft position. I agree that the Sabres are a form of entertainment, but I am going to spend my limited entertainment time and money doing something else the rest of this season, so I don't care that much how they do other than that anything that will benefit them next year and beyond.

I think that Pegula wants to do the right thing to fix the franchise. He just doesn't know what it is. Some of the previous moves he's made looked like the right ones (Bylsma, Housley, Botterill, (even) Krueger, etc.) and didn't work out. Even the tank arguably wasn't a horrible strategy - it worked in Pittsburgh and Chicago. Obviously, it hasn't in Buffalo. Adams is someone he trusts and I think they are taking their time to make sure they get it right this time. Going with the interim coach while they sort out the front office was a good decision. The newly revamped FO, once in place, can decide who/what they want for a coach. I realize this is the glass half-full, optimistic view.

Push ups for every goal post hit and sit ups for every point blank shot dat misses the net altogether? Another surefire way to get fit very quickly. EDIT: dis dat thing is pretty funny.

I didn't see much from Johansson and he seemed like the odd man out, but I did not remember that Ryan Miller start. Perhaps we gave up on Jonas too soon, for too little in exchange. He was an AHL All-Star and a player we had invested a draft pick and a few years in....On the other hand, he did look terrible in the opportunities that he had and with Ullmark, UPL and Portillo in the pipeline, and his pending free agency, perhaps he wasn't going to be here anyway and they at least got an asset. I realize there's an entire other thread on this topic, so my apologies, but this is a goaltending thread and the Ryan Miller stats made me think of this.

I really don't care about this season. The Sabres are out of it, #1 forward injured, #1 goalie injured, top 4 defenseman injured, pandemic, no fans at the arena, shortened season, etc. My concern is about the longer-term, future damage this will do to the franchise. As mentioned above, what FA's are going to want to play for this team? Any who do will likely need to be grossly overpaid, which eats up cap space and makes it difficult to properly construct a roster. What credible coach would want the Sabres job? Will the guys on the current roster be forever scarred by the losing culture? I don't have the answers and it appears that Sabres management doesn't either. Firing Kreuger and going with an interim coach would be OK. Guys know the season is over, but perhaps taking off the shackles of Kreguer's system will allow them to play more freely and try to have fun out there, which may help the mindset. Alternatively, they could bring in an experienced coach who will bust their ***** and try to establish something to build on for next year. Either option has got to be better than the status quo.

I believe the lasting impact of the tank is overstated on this board. It was what: 5, maybe 6 years ago? Since that time, almost the entire roster has been overhauled. The team has had multiple GMs and multiple coaches in that time period. The real problems are bad drafting (too many examples to name), bad trades (ROR stands out the most), bad player development (mishandling of Middlestadt, for example), bad contract management (Okposo and Skinner stand out the most) and bad coaching (RK seems to be the worst - hard to imagine, as I thought Phil was pretty brutal). Even if we hadn't tanked, but did all of these same things, we would the result be any different?

I don't want the Pegulas to sell the team. They are great owners because they 1) have deep pockets; 2) badly want the team to be successful; and 3) are committed to Buffalo. I DO want the Pegulas to put quality management in place, then get out of the way and let those folks do their jobs. Adams has seemingly done a decent job in adding some talent to the roster (Hall, Staal) without giving up much, got guys like Reinhart re-signed to team-friendly deals, etc. He didn't handle the goaltending situation very well and the roster seems to lack grit/glue guys. Until recently, I was wiling to let things play out with Kreuger, but I just can't take it anymore. Whatever he is doing is not working and the team is on a downward spiral, circling the drain. At this point, this season is over, but perhaps they can get things moving in the right direction and create some momentum going into next year. I just don't see how the current coaching staff can generate anything to build on and if we keep them on, next season will be more of the same. I also thought certain guys were untradeable, but at this point, I just don't care if they blow it up and start over. Keep Couzens and a couple of the young defensemen (Bryson, Borgen). The rest can go. The current core has been through several coaches - Bylsma, Housley, Kreuger - and nothing gets better. They just keep spinning their wheels. Is there a coach out there that can get this group to play to their potential? Is it the players or the coach? I am going to go bang my head against the wall....

The sample size is too small to say he is here to stay, but no question that Casey is playing good hockey of late. He's skating hard, hustling and making some plays. He was rewarded with a goal. I hope he can maintain it, as it would be a bright spot on a team that doesn't have too many. I know this isn't related to the thread - but when is the last time a Sabre converted on a breakaway (other than in a shootout)? And what is wrong with Hall's finish? He makes some nice offensive plays, creates chances, but just can't put the puck in the net. This is a very tough team to figure out.

Agree that Montour is expendable if we have our full D corps. Down 3 regulars, however, we need to retain him. Once we are officially out of the playoff picture (probably not that far off), he can be dealt.

No panic here. Just the usual - frustration turning into apathy. Just looks like another Sabres team that will flirt with .500 and flirt with the final playoff spot, but fall short. It's been going on so long that I just don't want to invest my energy in caring. I do believe that ownership has TRIED to improve the team. They've made coaching and front office changes and spent money on seemingly good players, but they just don't seem to have found the right combination. After making some questionable decisions to start, they made what seemed like sound decisions. Housley, when hired, was considered the top assistant and the rising star in coaching. Botterill was also considered to be a rising young executive. You could argue that they were NHL versions of McDermott and Beane. Obviously, neither worked out. Krueger was also well regarded. Adams is a bit of a different take, but after swinging and missing on guys from outside the organization, they wanted to give a shot to someone they knew and trusted. I think they will eventually get it right (as they did with the Bills), but how long it takes is anyone's guess. There's still time for things to turn around this season, but I am not holding my breath.

There was some sarcasm built in to the last sentence...which is intended to be in full agreement with your comment.

Suffice it to say that most of these guys are asymptomatic (or at least they were on Sunday afternoon). Problem is that they could spread it to others who might become symptomatic. Let's hope the Sabres are fortunate and nobody picked it up during the game. Perhaps the Devils got it on their flight home, which would be the best case for the Sabres. I hope everyone ends up being OK. I like the Devils team this year. Lindy is their coach and they look like a young, fast bunch who give 100% on the ice and take the play to teams that might have more talent than they do. That type of play might even lead to them winning a road game with a 3rd string goalie in the nets.

It does seem odd that guys are going from the taxi squad to the 1st line and back. I suppose the theory is that they are "skill" guys? Skinner had 40 when he played on Jack's line. Skinner is struggling to score. Jack's line is struggling to score. Might be time to give it a try for more than a random shift or two.

I have a puck signed by Gil Perreault (the biggest star when I was young) and a game puck that came off of Eichel's stick that a fellow Sabres fan gave to my daughter (the biggest star of her youth) at a Sabres road game. I also have a conference champions hat from '99. Good thread, as I hadn't thought of these items in a long time.

The previous post makes sense, but for the fact that Hutton now has a head or neck injury and we don't know how long he will be out. The 3rd string goalie gave up 1 and the last was an empty net goal. If the 3rd string goalie is starting the next game with the 4th string goalie as his backup, yes, we have a problem.

To clarify that comment too - guys have signed with Buffalo because they want to play for a Kreuger-coached team. Eichel and Risto have said they want to be a part of what Krueger is doing. They like him and the culture he creates. I'd like for the point to also be that they love him so much that they play hard all the time and play like they want to run through a brick wall for him, but that's clearly not what we are seeing on a regular basis (although I do think they played hard in the 3rd period of Game 1 and most of Game 2, and simply couldn't find the back of the net in Game 2).

That's the main one I was thinking of. Also, players love him and want to play for him. He was a big reason that Hall signed with Buffalo. He had one of the best years of his career with Krueger in Edmonton. Risto, who had wanted out of Buffalo, also says he wants to be a part of what they are building. Eichel had his best season by far under Krueger. So he clearly has some strengths.

RK has a number of strengths as a HC. Line combinations don't seem to be one of them. Unlike McDermott with the Bills, who has earned the benefit of the doubt for his personnel moves, RK hasn't earned it yet.

I also think it will be Tage. He needs to be on the list.

I have a Muckler story that I have probably mentioned on this board in the past. In the mid-to-late 90's, I was at the bar of the Drake Hotel in Chicago. I saw a guy at the bar who looked familiar, but it took me a minute to place him. Then I saw his gold watch with the Sabres logo on the face. It was John Muckler. I went up and introduced myself. I told him I was a lifelong Sabres fan. I remember sharing the story with him about the 4 OT game against the Devils in the 1994 playoffs when he was behind the bench. I was at a sports bar in Chicago watching the game with a bunch of Sabres fans. At 2 AM, the bar had to legally close, as it was a weeknight. The Sabres fans were able to convince the bar that they couldn't kick us out during this epic hockey game. They ended up locking the doors and turned out some of the lights, but kept the TVs on and let us stay for the full 4 OTs and to see Dave Hannan's winning goal. Muckler really appreciated the story. His Sabre teams were exciting and some of my favorites. RIP, John.

It's great money for a guy in his early 20's, but not that great by NHL standards, so the deal works for everyone. If he improves/realizes his potential, he'll get paid a lot more next time and everybody will be a winner.

While I get the concept, this seems far-fetched. I don't know the actual numbers, but I believe it is very expensive to pull off one of these outdoor games. Plus, the weather is a major wild card. Temps can fall well below freezing, but can also escalate and cause issues with maintaining the ice. I recall one X-Mas in Buffalo when it was 62 degrees. I don't live in Buffalo anymore, but perhaps the Sabres can host games at that relatively new outdoor venue near the river (Riverworks?). (Yes, I'm joking).