JohnC

It's like the head executioner calling the execution squad to get in a circle and start shooting. How do get out of the circle of futility? Expecting the same incompetent people who placed you in that suicidal shooting formation to properly line up the shooters without wounding themselves is a delusion at a stupefying level. It's incomprehensible to think what this bogus owner has done to this franchise. Most new owners learn from their mistakes. This large boat owning owner doubles down after making a mistake. Stupidity at a grand level

No franchise/staff in any sport is going to make the right decision on every transaction. It's an impossibility. You can tell which franchises are better run than overs. You determine that by those franchises that have sustained success. By any measure, the Bills fall in that top shelf category. And I attribute it mostly to having good quality staff that usually make smart decisions. I'm not looking at any specific period of time as I'm looking at the body of work. By any measure, the McDermott/Beane regime has been superb. And on the opposite side of the spectrum is the KA tenure. It has been an unmitigated failure. That's not an unmoored opinion. It's what the record clearly indicates. You are making a mistake by looking at specific decisions. I'm not doing that. If you take an overview evaluation about the body of work, you should come to the same obvious conclusion about the Bills operation and the Sabres operation. One is positive and the other is stinks!

I understand what you are saying but strongly disagree agree with it. Successful franchises in all sports succeed because they have strong and stable organizations with high quality staffing. Both the Bills and KC ended up with future HOF qbs because their staffs did their research and identified the players that they wanted. It wasn't happenstance that resulted in these franchise altering players. Under McDermott and Beane, the Bills have been successful for an extended period of time. It wasn't due to taking big gambles on players. It was a result of due diligence by a quality staff. Compare the Bills stability to the Sabres instability? There should be no surprise where the Bills are and have been and where the Sabres are and have been. It's not due to luck and gambling; it's due to competency exhibited over a long period of time.

If KC didn't have Mahomes they wouldn't be multiple SB winners. The Bills are very fortunate to have Allen as their qb in this era. (As you indicated.) Both elite qbs have elevated their teams to the top tier of the league. And without a doubt as @That Aud Smell stated Allen will be a future HOFer.

If the scenario plays out with KA elevated to a ceremonial position with Karmonos elevated to the GM position, then I'll take that as a positive step. It's very likely that Ruff will remain as HC and have more say on the roster. After being the HC for a year, he should have a better grasp of the talent of his players and who they are as competitors/people. The bigger issue, regardless how the staffing shakes up, is what players are going to be added and what players are going to be subtracted from the roster? To state the obvious, the status quo on the roster is unacceptable. The signs do indicate that there will be some organizational changes. Maybe not as dramatic as many want, but at least a step in the right direction.

More likely than not he will still be in the building but in another office with a lofty title and less influence. TBD.

I get so angry and disgusted thinking what this fool owner has done to degrade the potential of this hockey market. He, more than anyone else, is responsible for the current state of affairs of this franchise. And he acting with some basic common sense can right the sunken ship by getting the right people to steer it back on course.

If the Sabres become a relevant team, I’m sure the house will be mostly filled and the place rocking and rolling. Thanks for the ticket offer. I’m in Maryland. I do appreciate your generosity.

Are all home games usually sold out? What are the ticket prices for Bandit games?

The stadium is well on its way to being built. He has people overseeing that daunting project that is well on its way to completion. The football draft is over and the people running the football franchise have proven to be excellent at managing that particular franchise. The hockey playoffs have started and the then the hockey draft will soon happen. There is no excuse for him not to give his attention to attention to the hockey operation. If he fails to act then it will be another example of his incompetency. He's already demonstrated that as an owner he is a failure. If he doesn't act this offseason, then he will be even more of an abject failure as an owner. No more excuses!

I was watching a good chunk of the Minny/Vegas game. It was a battle with a lot of hard hitting and tight defensive play. This was typical playoff intense play that you see in most playoff games. What's obvious to me (and most commentators here) is that the way our roster is constructed we will not be able to play the style of game required to be a serious team. Where it becomes really apparent is on the blueline where you see players battling near the goalie. We don't have enough more defensive oriented and rugged players on our blueline unit. I'm not saying anything that hasn't often been said. It's just so noticeable when you watch playoff games. The Sabres have plenty of skill players. They need Greenway to get healthy and another Zucker-like player (younger) added to the forward line to make this a tougher roster to play. It just seems to me that a few smart roster moves will make a big difference for this team.

Is the owner acting as a director of the hockey operations and usurping that role for himself? I can't say for sure. Probably so. As an owner, he can do whatever he wants. He can be frugal or be profligate with his team payroll. He can interfere with the hockey operations or not. He can do what he wants. The owner can structure the organization any way he wants. Again, as an owner that is his prerogative. And that's why he is a failure. As demonstrated by his tenure as an owner, his record is dismal and embarrassing. It's pointless to get enmeshed in what he does or doesn't do. It's pointless to argue about what the best structure for the organization should be. What most people can agree with is that the owner has hired inept upper staff, most notably KA as his GM, to lead this floundering franchise. Anyone who has been in the work world knows recognizes that placing inept upper staff is a recipe for failure. I have, and so have many others stated, that success/failure starts at the top. Terry Pegula is a buffoon in the manner he has operated an NHL franchise. Until he dramatically alters how he runs this woebegotten franchise, little will change. I don't want to be totally pessimistic. There are encouraging signs that he will soon make some changes within the organization that will hopefully alter the course of this lost franchise. How will he do that? Hiring a qualified GM and empowering his hockey staff to do their jobs without interference by this know-nothing owner. Will he do that? TBD.

I don't know much about Forton. Does he currently much sway in personnel decisions?

Isn't Karmanos still living in Pittsburgh? If so, if elevated to the GM position I would think that he would have to relocate to the Buffalo area? As a GM I don't see him working remotely a lot from out of town.

I don’t believe the big challenge is to identify what our critical needs are. Most people recognize what they are. Regardless who wields the influence, the challenge is to get deals done this offseason to address those needs. It will be interesting to see if a partner can be brought in for Power, another first or second line forward added to the mix (In addition to Norris) and another goaltender added just in case UPlL doesn’t work out. With a little creativity and moderate boldness, these additions should be doable.