PerreaultForever

Nice comprehensive list, and it tells you something doesn't it? If you forget about the ancient history of guys like Gionta, who played well prior to the Sabres, there isn't much on that list anyone would want is there? Schaller's obviously a solid 3rd/4th liner, the Winnipeg guys are a no brainer and of course Kane, so you see how few there are and that pretty much explains why this team sucks so bad for so long. We simply don't know how to draft. or at least haven't, too early to tell on JBot.

I think Risto gets unfairly blamed much like Myers did. In both cases young guys who were way ahead of the curve when they started but expectations were too high as a result and both floundered after rather than getting the slower development D men usually require. Risto should and could still be a great 2nd pairing D man, but not a 35-40 minutes guy or a first pairing "he's our star" kind of guy. Get a better D and let him be who he should be, your 3rd best.

Right, cause Vanek has a great history of being a competitive winner who never quits on his team. Just what we need to change the culture.

Yup.

It's true, they both improved their play after it didn't matter any more. Peas in a pod. We build around them we just might be as good as Phoenix next year.

Here's the thing, pretty much everyone agrees with Botterill's "culture of losing" comments. You don't fix that, you don't fix the team and it doesn't matter who you have or don't have. So how do you do that? They've tinkered and tried and guys like ROR were brought in presumably to be competitive work hard winners, BUT it hasn't worked, so what can you do??? The way I see it, there is only one possibility and that is to trade everyone else and build a brand new team around Eichel using just youth and new players. Will it be instant success? No, probably not, but it can remove the culture and we can start moving slowly upwards. Specifically with ROR there is debate and a level of doubt. Some say he was honest and such, others he is a quitter and so on, you can debate that all summer and beyond with no result. My view would be ANY player where there is doubt of any kind, you try to move him out and bring in unmolded youth. You keep the players we have, and the results will be the same.

Riley Nash at a good price would be a great pick up. Solid work ethic too, which is what we want. But I've changed my mind and think we need to clean sweep. I want to see them move out as many vets as possible and marginalize the remaining ones. Fill this roster with speedy kids and young prospects. Might mean a few years to really be good, but I feel anything less than a complete do over will just lead us down the same road to ruin we're on. Let Captain Jack be considered one of the older guys on the roster. Win or lose, finally play with what Housley promised and maybe, just maybe kids will listen to him.

here's the D I want to see. Dahlin, Scandella, Risto, Guhle, new guy, new guy, Nelson #7. Anything less than that will be a problem/weakness.

You'd have to have attendance numbers for the whole league, but I'm not sure this is true. Watched Florida playing the Bruins (a big draw team league wide) when Florida was still alive and that rink was half empty. Phoenix is certainly struggling, even "hockeytown" had a lot of empty seats this year. Alive and well in some places, but as a league I'm not so sure. Personally, I think the current playoff format sucks. I think we need more wildcards and less play within the same divisions. Same match-ups gets repetitive.

No, it's a politically correct diplomatic way of saying we have players who quit and don't work hard, don't try to be better. But you don't say that if you want to try to trade them away cause it devalues whatever little value they might have. You also never say your guy is uncoachable, even if you realize he is. You try to keep all that quiet so you can find a way to ditch them.

Or, he knows he is signed for big money for a long time and it's either lead, or keep losing. It's his team, or at least it will be next year. I'm sure he already knows he will be named captain. really, he's just a little older and more mature. nothing more, nothing less.

The way he said it, I would suspect they will not all be the same.

We will not be able to sign ANY big name free agents to a team that has admitted it is a losing culture. The only top players who would be willing to sign would be ones that don't care about winning (any more) and just want a fat pay day to end their careers. Maybe we can overpay some lesser competitors like Riley Nash or somebody similar, but this team must repair itself with youth from within for now.

It's a good signing. He could be a late bloomer since he moved up the development curve a lot this year. In any event he fits their idea and either wins a spot or replaces one of the guys we call up from Rochester down there.

Oh man, the fonts are getting bigger, it's come to this.

He did use the term "culture of losing" so that's about as close as you can expect.

I could be articulate here, but I'll just say "it sucks".

Partly yes. He's talented, no question, but don't think he is a good fit and don't want to build around him.

not saying he is, just saying we clear the deck and build with youth.

A monkey and a roulette wheel could have done better than Murray.

Think of moving ROR like Toronto moving Kessel and/or Phaneuf. Gotta be done and then its all youth and speed and upward trajectory after that. We will get a good return.

Disappointed, going to have to be better, we are not as far away as some people think, there will be some changes, we will be better next year...............did I miss anything?

I don't blame any of the coaches, including Nolan. The failure of this team is solely on the GMs. Bad free agent signings and terrible drafts. Simple as that. It actually defies the odds as to how badly Murray drafted. Anyone who doesn't believe it's all about bad drafts, count the number of decent players in the league that were drafted by the Sabres playing anywhere. Now compare that tiny number to any team that has drafted well. There isn't a coach in existence who could turn this pile of rubbish into a cup contender. Just got to hope JBot does better.

I think it's fair to say that Pouliot likely expected to be moved to a contender as a depth forward at the deadline (and should have been). When he wasn't, he pretty much quit on the rest of the year.I would guess a number of them were hoping that would happen.

Well I'm sure he's no rocket scientist, but he's no Moose Dupont either, and Moose won 2 cups :)