PerreaultForever

I don't think you need to impress the casual fan. You just create a winning atmosphere and the casual fan can get caught up in that if they want to. Better yet your tickets are in such demand from the winning that the casual fan can't get one.

Well see I'm not missing it, I just don't care about the tourist. The thing about the Sabres (and that's all that matters here) is they often do not seem serious about winning. When you announce up front that it's "a development year" wtf are you doing? Winning and learning to want to win (and hate to lose) is part of development. Adams comes in and it's like in 5 years we will be good, that's his promise (which he failed to deliver on but didn't get fired anyway) and so he tears it down and we start. The expectation however should be better every year and they just aren't. We are the same, picking around the same spot, and we are entering the next wave of possible exits. It's absolute garbage. Rob Blake got fired because he couldn't get past a Stanley Cup finalist. Where's the bar here in comparison???

He would have told Gadjovich to go kill him 🙂 Not only would Florida have gone after him then and there they'd have gone after the whole team next game. I remember when McAvoy hit one of their D, I think it was Oliver Ekman Larson and KO'd him. The next time Bruins played Florida they were pounding McAvoy all over the ice. Fought him as well and banged him up good. They are the embodiment of a solid team.

Oh the NHL doesn't care who wins (usually) and they are most definitely in the entertainment business but that league view is different than a team's view. The league just wants things it can sell, be that McJesus or other superstars or even Rat Kings. They will market whatever is going. A team however needs a winning culture and a belief that the team is doing all it can to try to win.

Winning is all that matters.

Yes Samuelsson is soft but no, it was not his battle to fight. It was every guy on the ice. It was every guy on the bench. There was a whole game to pay back and there was a whole team to offer it up but nobody did nothing. It's not on one guy, even if yes, he should also have done something and he was right there. It's the whole team!

I don't think they were "flat" as much as they are worn down. Florida wears teams down. Edmonton's depth and bottom 6 isn't as good as last year's version. Florida is just so well coached and so positionally sound. They play perfect structured hockey. I think I said this last year too but this is the template. This is the model to copy. They are built the right way and play the right way. You might win a cup doing it differently if you have a little luck and things go right but if you want real success you need to follow this model. Build from the goal out. Solid D and team structure. Grit and aggressiveness balanced with 2 way play. Speed is of course essential on any team in today's game but use it with an aggressive forecheck and not just passive possession. Hell of a hockey team these rats are.

So don't beat up a guy from another team beat up a teammate to reset the culture? Sure, why not. Might actually win a fight that way. Team broke with Lucic Miller and it has never recovered.

I voted for "best owner" because, well, a lot of these options just felt like blatant sarcasm. I have no hope for next season until something big changes and I suspect that won't happen.

The latest 32 Thoughts comment (that is that Buffalo was not interested in moving him but is now open to listening) makes me think they made Peterka a solid offer and he rejected it and/or has asked to be moved. I suspect he's going to be moved and we just have to hope it isn't the start of another exodus. I won't. I do not blame any Sabre for wanting out. If you were drafted by them and after 5 years of futility saw this stay the course attitude wouldn't you want out?

Yup that's definitely a difference. Hyman out on one side Marchand added on the other, Florida's third line is a dominant one for sure. I suppose you could argue that Florida would have gotten someone else had Marchand not been an option but who idk. You know for sure they don't care about future draft picks. Marchand wants a cup. Two other points I'd add. I don't think whoever signs him for next year will be happy or spend wisely. They will not get this for the season and it most definitely won't age well. He will also not be as hungry for a cup so while he might give that team a playoff bump it won't be worth what they will end up paying him. I don't think so anyway. Lots of Boston fans are also upset with Sweeney for only getting the conditional first (conditions met) but Marchand basically did to them what Taylor Hall did to us. Only one destination on his list and he had a NMC. He got his cup shot and he appears like he will do anything to not blow that chance.

He's hungrier than the Florida players who won it last year. This is his shot and he don't want to blow it. I think this is the best I've seen him play in years. Certainly since the "perfection line". There's three differences in this series imo. 1) Edmonton is incredibly fast. Not sure there's ever been a team this fast. 2) Florida is physically strong. They just bull past and through defenders and win one on ones consistently. 3) Goaltending. Edmonton's is good at times but Florida's is consistently better and that might be the difference. Otherwise the physicality has the edge on the speed as they force things to the walls and the outside. One would think Florida will now win but it's close enough it could still flip and go to 7.

I don't disagree but I'd differentiate in one way. It's fair to say Byram is the better player of Byram and Mitts, especially the way Mitts has trailed off over last season. But Byram wasn't the guy we needed and if we now trade Byram I don't see how it matters unless we get some great return. Then I guess it's a "win". The main point for me though is I don't care about winning any of the trades. As long as the roster gets better. As long as he fills the actual holes, then I'm not overly concerned with the price he pays to do that. All that matters to me is the season starting roster and having a roster that could make the playoffs. It's going to take a number of moves to make that a realistic possibility.

JBot don't like him 🙂

Well good for you. Enjoy missing the playoffs forever. 3 years for proper development. But otherwise yes.

This is the crux of it. Big grandiose schemes and plans or just simply trying to win now. As an example the rumor now is Bennett will stay in Florida for an 8x8 deal. You can hear the negative deep analysts already proclaiming "that contract won't age well", "they will regret that at the end" "too much too long term for an aging player" blah blah blah but Florida don't give a F. They will do what they have to do to keep the team cup competitive for the next 3-4 years and if after that they have some trail off and bloated contracts SFW? They'll have cups, and playoff revenue and they can worry about a tear down and rebuild after those 4 years. It's an attitude for competitiveness and you either have it or you don't, and the Sabres don't.

Stop talking about E-Rod. Get over it . 🙂

You know (and don't take this personal, it's just a general feeling I have), the bottom line is I don't really give a flying F if KA won a trade or got more for one guy than another one and we can argue those things but really who cares? He didn't and can't seem to construct a winning roster despite having multiple years on the job, multiple picks and multiple opportunities. Who cares if one guy wins an award or one guy is better than a previous guy, Adams is in year 6 now and the team is still garbage. That's all that matters to me.

No they haven't. He's spent most of it injured. I won't say that until I see what he gets for Byram.

I'm not sure what we are disagreeing on. Since Byram was only here for a year if we do trade him we have to look at what we get there and ultimately that's what we got for Mitts in net terms with Adams in charge. I'm actually kind of interested to see what happens to Mitts in Boston. Nothing to do with liking the Bruins just speaking objectively on this point. Colorado thought he could be a 2C and he just never fit and they bailed on him for the presumably more playoff ready Coyle. Now they hate Coyle though so maybe it's something in Colorado? Mitts did not look good end of the Bruins season but that team was a mess in disarray in full on tank mode. How he functions on what appears will be a highly structured shut down defensive team next season is a mystery. I don't think it will go well for him but you never know. I personally think Byram is overrated and most of all I think Byram is overrated in Byram's head. Maybe he can thrive somewhere as a top offensive D man but I have my doubts about that too. We shall what Adams gets for him. If he's traded.

I agree with you and that's a further point on the problem with not firing Adams and turning it over to a new (experienced) NHL GM. With Adams kept people around the league scratch their heads and think how does he keep his job, and players in free agency aren't going to think Buffalo's got it right now I'm interested. They're going to think same old loser franchise no thank you. A new guy could at least announce "the losing stops now and we will fully commit to winning now" etc. and even if it's bs it at least might set the tone and some people might buy in.

Okay look, the prospect cupboard is full. There's almost too many of them. Trading some of them to start winning now and creating a winning culture where players will want to be here again is NOT going to sacrifice your future. The future never comes if you stay this course. Trust the old fans. We've seen these things before.

Why would you think they could get a top 4 defensive D man AND a first for Byram? Good top 4 defensive D men are highly sought after and not way below Byram's offensive D man value. Not good ones. I'm sticking with it. If you truly want to improve the D your trade chip is Norris.

I think I've read on here that he "won" the Eichel trade, and the Reinhart trade, and the Risto trade (actually he probably did win that one), and the Mitts trade and the Cozens trade and he just wins all the trades doesn't he and yet somehow the team doesn't get any better. I think he lost them all (except maybe Risto) (McLeod if Savoie never makes it)

Stop thinking that way. Sabres have been doing that for 15 years now. That future never gets here because it's always paid for by the present. Yes I agree with that, but I also don't think the current line up is anywhere close to being a playoff team. Without additions it'll be another year of futility and if Tuch leaves or Dahlin wants out it'll go backwards not forwards.