PerreaultForever

"Drew Doughty believes selfishness has crept into the dressing room over the past month, saying players “started thinking [Wednesday] was a cookie night, and we stopped playing the way we know how to play” after going up 3-1 at 9:44 of the first period against Buffalo." (from NHL.com) That makes sense. Sabres in town. Cookie night.

This is amusing to me that you still think VO would command the most interest on a deadline deal. The only way I see VO being moved is if a team like San Jose strips away so much of their roster they need bodies to finish out the season. Playoff teams will have absolutely zero interest in VO. EJ will get us the most (unless we deal Okposo) simply because veteran depth D men are in demand at deadlines and he's a cup winner.

I seem to remember Hart being in the rumor mill about this issue way back when it started. Those "indefinite leaves" did sort of pop out of nowhere suddenly so a connection here is likely.

Maybe, if they are the right moves, but I'm not sure a "couple of tweaks" is enough. They didn't address it this off season so I have no faith they address it next season either. I half expect a big off season announcement of "the captain's back" as they re-sign Okposo yet again and act like it's an accomplishment. I would personally give Skinner away for free because I do think he is part of the problem, but I've thought that since they signed him and with his NTC he isn't going anywhere and Pegula will not buy him out, no way. They do not consider him a problem or at least I don't think they do. I'm keeping Kulich over Savoie/Rosen/Östlund but I'd entertain any good offer on anybody. I personally think Kulich MIGHT be an NHLer, or maybe I should say decent NHLer, maybe even a good one, but I have little faith in the other 3.

Oh I think that is definitely true, and L.A. has something off in their game but it was still better viewing then the night before.

I don't disagree with this, but there is an element of quit on this team that shouldn't be there. Better veteran leadership would definitely help. I am not sure how coachable some of these players are.

I can't quite decide if the Sabres horrible start lulled the Kings to sleep, or the Sabres woke up after no doubt being yelled at. Maybe a bit of both. This was more like a proper hockey game but as you all know we don't get that every night. We get the opposite more often than not. Peterka was obviously very good but I found myself thinking it's the kids who don't have the long term deals yet leading the way again. Cynical? Why yes, it's what this team's done to me.

This is a difficult but inevitable discussion. I was all for the initial Adams blow it up and start over and prior to this season I would not have wanted another one. I did say last year though that we were in a very fragile culture building moment and it could fall apart easily. I think they blew it and broke it when they failed to make a free agency impact (or hockey trade(s)) and brought back Kyle as captain. Now to be clear, it's not Kyle's fault. He actually does a lot of the right things despite his diminished talent and on a good team he'd be just fine, but he was not the right leader for this fragile young team. They blew it with ROR and they blew it here and I suspect they will blow it again. There are multiple factors, but I think it's broken again and I think it's possible it does need to be blown up again. I do not think Pegula will make the right moves, but here is what I believe needs to be done. 1. Fire Adams, Granato, and all the assistant coaches (you may need an interim to end the season so you can use Appert for that) 2. Hire a hockey guy. A senior advisor. Listen to him. 3. New GM, new coach. Let them evaluate attitude and desire and accountability and decide on the subtractions like Philly did. 4. Bring in veteran leadership to surround the kids you keep. 5. Tear out all the luxuries in the locker room. No ipads. No games. No between the stalls. No frills. No spas. You want it? You f'n earn it and then it'll come back and not before. As I type this I realize there's a lot more numbers and this could go on and on so I'm going to stop cause I know it won't happen. We need a new culture of hard work every night and full accountability. If we do not get it, this nightmare will never end.

After what was truly one of the most disgusting performances since the tank year one would expect a high effort response. But this is the Sabres. If I was not on west coast time I would not stay up for this one.

Torts, training camp, wind sprints until some of them literally threw up. They set a bar. Team came together.

That is true and it happens all the time. Contrast that with how the Ducks responded to Krebs near the end. There was no serious fight because they've pretty much quit on the season too but they did move everybody out hard and then we had the usual sheepish looks of "what, what did I do?" from yappy Krebs but they made him back off. We rarely do anything. Tage seemed to wake up a little in the 3rd (I still think he realized dad was watching and was embarrassed) but you watch that interview he gave and he looks like a man who just heard somebody died or he got a terminal diagnosis. Just flat and dead. Clearly, the locker room has crumbled apart.

There's no anger or emotion from the coach, there's no emotion on the team. Count how many times he shrugs his shoulders. It's a LOT.

This game gave Harrington an excuse to finally use a phrase I'm sure he's been saving for the right moment. "disgraced the logo" and that does in fact sum it up for me. Mittelstadt's comment in the same Buffalo News piece is just wrong on so many levels. Even if what he says might be true, it's just the wrong thing to say. Trade him. The lack of accountability is a disgrace on this team. I f'n hate this team.

That was without a doubt the worst hockey game (by any teams) that I have seen this year. We looked like a sad sack beaten defeated and totally quit team for 3/4 of the game and then maybe Tage realized he was embarrassing himself in front of his old man and they woke up a little but still, what a truly anemic performance. That was reminiscent of tank hockey. Ducks with a depleted line up too. Absolutely pathetic. That sort of effort tomorrow and the Kings will put up double digits. Honestly, if a mid season performance like that doesn't get somebody fired nothing will.

Okay, I looked him up. Good choice.

Did not mean to imply it was Dahlin's fault. It is the structure and how teams attack it. The lack of net front and the reliance on the points means teams play wider and higher on us. They also attack us and win puck battles because they know they can.

One of the reasons for this is our over reliance on Dahlin as the QB. Teams that have scouted us at all know this and attack the point and/or anticipate the pass. They know they do not have to cover net front as much as with some teams so they can play higher in the zone. Giveaways are definitely a problem and most of all we do not battle for pucks. We are a possession team that folds when we do not have possession. We are not a team that takes away time and space. That's the main difference. Taking away time and space is how you win in the NHL. This is what Tochet did with Vancouver. Turned them from a possession team into a team that takes away time and space. Puck battles. All the division leaders are teams that focus on taking away time and space. But the Sabres know better of course.

I remember earlier in the year Anaheim was surprisingly good at times but I think they are garbage now. So it should be a close one. Whatever happens if Zegras hot dogs it somebody smack him. (Sabres won't, but it's what I want).

Sure. There's lots of teams with numerous options. For example, if the Bruins crap out of the playoffs again, they will be restructuring their line up and have basically zero picks and prospects so they might bite on a deal for one of their D or a bottom 6 guy. Philly might trade some grit for some skill as they look to keep rebuilding. Any team that falters in the playoffs will be looking to change something.

No argument on what we need. As far as the pick goes though, I still think you always have to take BPA. You only take need if he's close in your ranking. The side note though is with BPA philosophy you HAVE to be willing to deal prospects for different prospects or veterans that will fill your needs. There is absolutely no point in stocking multiple versions of the same guy if you have other weaknesses. So far KA has not done that. Even if it's a drop in the draft that's fine for me. If the bruisers and big power forwards are ranked lower by all means trade down and get two or three of them to hope one develops rather than that speedy little Euro forward or whoever that we already have.

No no, it'll be Krebs because he has all the tools to be an elite, a REALLY ELITE player. https://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-peyton-krebs-confident-scoring-will-come-i-have-all-the-tools/

long distance truckers? idk, but aside from driving somewhere can't imagine they have many listeners.

To some extent that's definitely true, but the guys I see there in the first aren't what we need. Hence, trade the pick.

The D men are mostly offensive upside guys too. No big bruisers and/or shutdown guys. No real power forwards either.

Most of the players that fall to where we will probably be picking are all similar to guys we have already picked so idk, more of the same. Trade the pick.