Pimlach

Beane's recent drafts have not been great, not good enough to improve the overall team, but the jury is still out on a bunch of players. The chances of getting immediate impact players is not great when you draft in last 4 picks, but he should be able to find some quality starters. Quickie summery: 2025 1. Hairston CB - he could be a shut down CB and looks very good in limited action, a lot to be hopeful about 2. TJ Sanders DT - getting reps, versatile, still way too early to say, was hurt for awhile 4. Deon Walker Dt - looks like a good player. massive size and he has been noticeable in a good way 5. Hawes TE - pretty good player and solid blocking TE 6. Dorian Strong and Jordan Hancock DB - both looked like good and were contributors, but then they both got hurt 2024 1. Coleman WR - looks like a questionable pick right now 2. Bishop SS - looks like he is emerging as a very good player. The rest of this draft is meh 2023 1. Kincaid TE is a very good player and our most reliable receiver 2. Torrence G - Excellent OG, has started every game and solidified the middle of the OL. 3. Dorian LB - looking good and a solid contributor 2022 1. Kiiar Elam CB - a major bust 2. Cook RB - one of the best in the league 3. Bernard LB - had a great start and was a playmaker, lots of injuries have slowed him way down unfortunately, his career may have peaked but hopefully not 5. Shakir WR - a good slot WR. 6. Benford CB - starter since rookie year. very good when healthy

Keon Coleman benched. He was called out by McD several times for lack of effort. He missed a team meeting. He sits.

I think of a leader with the knowledge, swagger, and confidence of Bill Polian, plus the mentorship, teaching ability, patience, and class of Marv Levy. It would be great ti have long term leader that is the positive face of a franchise committed to winning and to excellence. Or they can just find a real hockey guy that has won before, like Knox did with Imlach and Bowman, and they let them figure it out. Terry almost found Zito before Florida did. But would Terry have let Zito be Zito? Two decent guys out there right now. Shanahan - he can lead Hockey Ops DeBoer - he is fine coach, still no cup, but his teams improve and contend.

I had to do a double check on the Lehner history. His career in Buffalo went bad right from the start. In the first game of 2015 Lehner was injured. He eventually became very upset about the medical treatment he received from the Sabres medical staff for a high ankle sprain. Then there were his periods of depression and mental illness that he hid from the team. In March 2018 he had a panic attack during a game. After that game all his mental health issues came out and the Sabres rightfully put him in rehab treatment. He became a free agent that summer and ended up with NYI where he had a major comeback season, only to be shipped to both the Hawks and then to Vegas on the following season. Something tells me these teams were more in tuned to Lehner's mental health issues and they moved him out quickly, even though he was playing well. Later he became publicly supportive of Eichel's neck surgery position, and was publicly critical of he Sabre medical staff, the team, even the fan base - He found the constant negativity and intense pressure from the Buffalo fanbase challenging, stating that the energy in the rink was often negative due to years of losing. So while Lehner hid his demons for a long time, he was not ever happy with the Sabres, especially with the medical staff. He talked about the use of sedatives, pain bills and anxiety pills. His time in Buffalo was largely negative and he pointed to the locker room issues, he stated that players did not respect game plans and not respecting coaches. He is not the only former Sabre from this era to report on the bad locker room - this is knock directed at the core at the time (Eichel, Reinhart, Kane, Bogo, ) whether this is deserved or not is open to debate. The Sabres were known to have locker room factions. So when you think of all the disfunction from LaFontaine quitting abruptly and the team tanking, and then all of this crap that Lehner revealed from 2015 to 2018. Then the ROR trade in summer of 2018. Then Krueger soccer hockey, then the Adams spy trip and his magical accension to GM, the EEE policies, the long list of players that left and found great success, the "extensive coach search" - it is not hard to understand why so many players do not want to play in Buffalo. It is going to take a special person, a special leader, to stop the bleeding and turn this franchise around.

I’m not so sure about this. Didn’t Lehner hide all his issues while in Buffalo and then dump them on the Sabres before he left, only to have them reoccur? As for Ullmark, what could they do? He doesn’t blame them for his relationship with his father.

What makes a seeming full grown, adult woman do that to a crowd of visiting hockey players? Boards and thick glass.

Muel in OT. Nice come from behind win. Tage came up big.

They stole a point. Now get the second one.

Nice. Doan with a heady play.

Nice yo see that. Another shorty.

Ellis big stop

Tage with some moves.

Marty and Duffer were lobbying for “shot attempts”. This team does not work hard.

Detroit is 9-0 when leading after 2. So we have that going for us.

I agree but might add that if they could ever play with a lead a goalie might do better. This is feeling like it’s going to be a long and painful season.

This game is painful. Stop the interview and cover the dam game.

Detroit looks better tonight.

Larry Murphy is a HoF player but enough. This interview should have ended when the period started.

Back defense again. Wow.

It’s that Tuch guy again.

“Matter of time”. Kane still going.

Ray grasping for accolades. The Sabres finally won a few loose puck battles. They need to get going. Enough of the slow starts.

Tage could at least look at Tuch, make the goalie think about it.

Ok Teammates, another game. I hope they can elevate their game and get a road win. Maybe Dahlin back will spark them.