PerreaultForever

and The Hockey Guy ranked them 32nd in his early season power rankings 🙂 32 Thoughts today led off with Buffalo talk and the suggestion even Ruff has checked out already. Season is over. The one thing TP did do was set himself up for an easy hire upon firing. Jarmo would take the GM job and he's already on the payroll. You know it's coming, it's just when and how. Will it matter? who knows. can't be much worse.

There is nothing to indicate it could be anything in even 3-4 years. It needs a complete reset, like an expansion team. Every single person here gone and a full reset with a new philosophy that will then take several years to build.

Dahlin has done this in other years too. They are already breaking from any semblance of a real system. It's the earliest this has started so far, but it happens every year. The team concept breaks down and individuals overplay and make mistakes. It'll get worse if things don't take some sort of radical turn but I doubt it as they just seem checked out already.

I'd kind of agree but I also see the other teams taking them lightly, back up goalies, trap games, teams thinking easy win taking place AND Sabres free and loose so scoring and not defending like they like it. Guys like Quinn might be happy. You never know. I certainly don't hope it happens as I think Appert is garbage, but the fact he's still here makes me think he's Pegula's golden boy chosen one. Myself, I'm putting Jarmo in charge of everything and then I'm hoping he hires Torts to bag skate them into oblivion and then cut ALL the crap out and then start from scratch. I see no other viable idea.

Three games in feels like the season's over already. Even Dahlin fell apart today as he's back to his try to do everything mode where he gets caught out of position and gives the puck away as well. Stats don't matter, they were never in this game. So why'd they claim this goalie from St. Louis if they aren't going to play him? I'm not blaming Lyon for anything, he was fine, but he's not an every night goalie. Never has been, and rolling him out every night is madness. They will burn him out this way. Dumb imo. I did like Dunne better on the 4th line than Geertson. For all the talk of how great Doan has been he's not a top liner. There's an unfillable hole there. This team literally has nothing to offer. Positivity is just nonsense. This is the WORST they have looked since the tank.

Oh yes, I was just responding to your sentence that said "pummel Zadorov" to point out the outcome would not necessarily be a one sided affair. The concept of vengeance for the hit on Power is another matter. From what I've seen from Geertson so far is he's a non factor. IF Geertson was using his body, if he hit a Bruin into the bench, maybe then you'd see a Bruin response. Pretty sure you would actually from Jeannot, or Zadorov, maybe Kastelic, but there'd be a response. But Geertson plays passively and ineffectively so why bother with him? Ruff knows the Sabres are soft and he's hoping they play bigger with a guy like Geertson around, but so far they don't. Maybe Krebs does and maybe Benson will, but overall they just aren't that sort of player and that's what we have, a bunch of Jack Quinns. Some of them look like they've already checked out. Geertson is just Ruff trying to redo John Scott. They'd be better off with Dunne in my opinion because, although he's not as heavyweight, he plays a more complete and effective 4th line game.

Puck battles has been the issue for years. They are soft, they quit on plays, they won't battle hard, they won't pay the price. It's not a coincidence that in Bruins discussions they often get to "Mittlestadt doesn't battle hard enough I'm worried about him" and he's actually getting better but is still the most Sabre like. Jokiharju seems to have grown a pair and that might be because he's playing beside Zadorov. To the last sentence would Geertson pummel Zadorov? Chara handled him in his old age. Zadorov isn't Chara, but he's younger and he fights pretty good: Zadorov holds his own against Olivier (who I think is the best fighter in the league): But Zadorov was smart. Why fight a loser fourth liner? The chirping was hilarious.

lol

Oh that's okay. @Thorny already disagrees with almost everything I say anyway. see.

I remember a quote from Terry (or possibly at that time it was Kim when she was still involved) that had them saying they felt the mistake they'd made (for that season) was listening to or trusting the "hockey people" too much and a short while after that we got yes man Adams and all the great decisions we have gotten. Since then we've also seen video with behind the scenes stuff and Terry on the phone or in the meeting and talk that he's "involved" or "cares" as they spin it. "No real point in arguing it in my opinion, it seems kind of obvious who is in charge.

Adams told Terry nobody wanted to eat lunch with him so he hired him a "friend". Lyon was good. Dahlin was good. Rest of the team? Not so much. That should have been a blow out in the first but with Lyon playing well and the Bruins general inability to score goals it stayed a hockey game. I imagine there's a stat somewhere for this but if you counted puck battles and board battles how many did the Sabres win? I'd guess less than 5%. Just pathetic. Team will never win playing that way. Bruins weren't even hitting. Geertson's a joke. Sure, I like a tough guy as much as anyone but he does nothing outside of asking for a dance partner. Doesn't really hit, doesn't really dig or get in front. He's ballast. You have to wonder about the coaching and mindset of this team though. Clear entry on the PP and Thompson shoots from inside the blueline. Who else does that?? The point of any PP is to carry the puck in, set up all 5 and move the puck around for a good shot. That sort of thing is just dumb and they should know better by now. I don't get it. I really don't. Just blatantly bad. You can see the Bruins aren't as good as their record, but you can also see the structure and controlled play, the coaching, and the system with players supporting each other. Sabres? Just a bunch of perimeter possessions and individual play as usual. This team is garbage.

No, I don't think they care about win/lose. All he cares about is franchise value and that's what the owners care about as well. It's all tv contracts and revenue streams for Bettman. Who wins is irrelevant. They can pivot the narrative quickly if someone surprises.

Ya, he does, fully agree, but he won't. Ruff will be fired (possibly kept in an advisory role) by Christmas. Appert will be named interim head coach. Sabres will play loose and open and do a little better and interim tag will be removed in the off season just like it was with Granato. Adams will be fired or possibly elevated into a different role and Jarmo will be given the GM job. Everyone will remain where they are, chairs are shuffled, no extra pay outs and the impression of a new era. Terry will still sit in on meetings and meddle and maybe even more as he decides to "fully commit to the Sabres" or some other spin. That's my prediction. Not what I'd do, but that's my prediction in what Terry will do.

Anybody super wealthy is a terrific owner for Bettman. Let's be real.

The statements and reporting on this injury already make me wonder. It's "upper body". It's "not related to his previous injury" . It might be. It's the other shoulder. It's soon going to be lower body because Adams is used to having his head up his a$$.

Bruins scouting report for you (as objective as I can be): Lindholm is injured so Harris is in on D. Likely Zadorov Jokiharju and Harris Peeke as opposed to what that projection said. Everyone else is healthy. Top line is as good as anybody when they are on. Second line is iffy to say the least. Can skate, but they are really a bunch of spare parts and many believe if the season goes badly that whole line gets traded at the deadline. 3rd and 4th lines are both physical 4th lines. There is no real 3rd line. Two 4th lines. So you can try to beat them with speed but they will be greasy and to quote Sturm from a recent practice: "If you go to the net, go to the f'n net". They do. Bryson/Johnson better be ready. Goaltending looks to be in top notch form. B's are slow but play heavy and grind grind grind. They will clog the neutral zone and cut off lanes. Sabres better be ready for board battles. PK is solid, PP not sure but has more motion than last year and might be better than it was. Sabres can win if they really use their speed but B's will not make it easy or let them play free in open ice. With the Sabre injuries I'd say it's a tough task assuming that we see the same type of styles and efforts as we've seen so far.

So you've already moved on from the Sabres and your team is Florida? Smart move. It's kind of obvious his plan was more interested in getting rid of Cozens than adding. Norris was the best available likely and so he decided to gamble on him (and his health). Dumb plan.

Not even one whole game. The excuse is taking shape sooner than I thought it would.

I'm not sure it's "people" but I think the so called experts or pundits, and the league promoting talking heads want Detroit to be good again. They want the Yzerplan to work, it's in their interest because then they get to talk about the history and legacy. Any team with a history (a positive history) gets them lots of talking points when they do well. original 6 and all that too. If the Sabres ever do well, all we will hear is how they broke the record losing streak.

The good news - Detroit looks like crap. The bad news - Montreal and to a lesser extent Ottawa both look like they are the same if not better than last year. Tampa has a Rempe. Where are all these 6'9" guys coming from?

Injuries will be this year's excuse.

No, as @pastajoe said it harkens back tot he classic days when they were good. I have said before I'd update it to the Dave Edmunds Love Sculpture electric guitar version (which rocks) but even this version is nice to hear. The team however, does not in any way resemble the classic era teams. This team shows more energy and emotion in their opening line up call than they do on the ice. Exactly, and Rob Ray with his usual post game loser talk "lots of good things in this one" . Man that's a tired and stupid refrain when they lose.

Well the little opening thing was cute. Nice to hear the Sabre dance. I guess you can say they are pretty fast. They can skate. Everything else is pretty much the same issues though. I see no change. Dahlin is good. At least most of the time. Krebs on the top line was madness. I'd have moved Zucker up but whatever. Bryson standing beside Rempe looked downright comical. 4 pts. behind the Bruins already with a game in hand. So I guess Saturday is a MUST WIN 🙂

If you say so. Just remember down the road a spell, Mrtka was Forten.

Well it's put up or shut up right? Lots of talk in the preseason about turning it around as usual so it has to be different or it was all just talk.