JohnC

Isn't the Sacramento stadium a temporary situation until the Vegas stadium is built? When you get to the point where you are comparing your owner with the worst owner in sports (as you describe it), then you are at a bad point. The sad, if not ironic, thing about the Sabres and its financial situation is that if the owner had a serious team, the cash/flow and revenue return would put him in a healthier financial position. Penny wise and dollar foolish. Buffalo and the surrounding area are a terrific hockey market. The owner squashed it by how he has mangled this franchise.

There are no secrets about this franchise, owner and how business is done. When one has better options it’s not a surprise that an alternative pathway is preferred by players and potential staff. No one likes living in the ghetto when one can instead live in an upscale suburb.

Make it 8 more wins to be in a genuine race. I’m not so concerned about scoring goals as I’m about the goaltending.

Did the owner order KA to hire an experienced hockey person to help him? And was Jarmo the GM's personal selection?

That's the reality for the upcoming season. There are a lot of "ifs" that are needed to fall in place for this team to have a respectable season. Will they? Maybe or maybe not? Anyone who says for sure that they are confident that the upcoming season will be a surprising success is selling flimsy hope to you. I believe that for this team to be a fringe playoff team it needs to have consistent good goaltending. Will they get it? I don't know??? This is the team that KA constructed; a team full of "maybes". When you are entering the fifth or sixth year of a rebuild by the same GM and that's where you are at, then as a GM, you have failed. Someone tell that to the silent owner who has retained him! Sometimes patience is a virtue and most often too much patience is just stupid.

Are you giving up on Power already? Just because he doesn't play the rugged style of game that you prefer doesn't mean that he won't be a very good defenseman. In fact, as others have point out that his defensive numbers are solid and not as dire as you portray. I'm confident that if he were dangled in a trade that half the teams in the league would attempt to acquire him. Power is a good example where a player gets diminished when he has the misfortune to be stuck in a lackluster franchise. One should be happy that he isn't one of the players (so far) who is screaming (like Jack, Reinhart, ROR, Ullmark, JJP etc.) to get out of this cesspool situation.

Considering her health status I just don't see that.

It's not a surprise that the hockey decisions are made by the GM. As you note, that's a standard NHL setup. What's different about this situation is the selection of KA to be the GM with the paltry credentials and experience to do such a challenging job. Sometimes a surprising and out of the box pick for a key job turns out to be a home run that surprises the conventional thinkers in the business. But in this case, after a five-year run, his personal selection to head his hockey operation has a record that is not very distinguished. So the owner made an unexpected selection that didn't work out, it happens. The bigger mistake is in his retention after a five-year middling stint. And that's on the owner. Closing the door on Shanny doesn't bother me at all. The owner has the ability to talk to a lot of people in the business from analysts, people formerly associated with other teams, media people etc. It can be done on an informal basis or more formal basis. How many people tuned into the NHL do you think would tell the owner that his current GM is doing a stellar job? I doubt any would. Even I, with a rudimentary knowledge of the sport, recognizes someone who is inadequate to manage a hockey operation. I blame the owner for this longstanding stagnant franchise.

KA may not be hesitant with his thoughts but he certainly is frozen when he tries to act. It shouldn't be a surprise that when the top of the organizational chart reeks with mediocrity, the results are less than mediocre. A vicious circle that the owner is willing to endure.

You are working too hard to be pessimistic. You are assuming the negative when the goalie issue is still an open issue. I, like you, have my doubts about UPL. Were there better alternatives in the market? Not sure about that. My hope is that the team's better defensive play contributes to the better play in net, whoever is there. Hang in there, you are working too hard to be dour. 🙂

That should have been a priority when he was first drafted. It would have helped in his development, and it would have made the team better by solidifying the second pairing that gets a lot of playing time. And other related issues are who is going to be paired with Dahlin and if Byram is traded how will the pairings shake out?

Much of the team's success or not is predicated on better defensive player by the blue liners and lines. Will the goaltending beupgraded? If the other units play better, it will. I'm not assuming that there will be a dramatic defensive upgrade but expect better play on that end this season. Will it make much of a difference from a record standpoint? I think so. There's no reason not to believe that individually and collectively that Quinn, Benson and Power will not be better. The biggest issue for me will be how UPL plays. If he surprises us in a positive way, then this team should be at least respectable. In general, you seem to lean toward the negative while I grudgingly lean toward just maybe this team is on a more positive route. And another open issue is how will the Byram saga play out? I don't know.

I thought the Hockey Guy gave a fair assessment of the roster. He made the same point that is often made that improvement is dependent on young players such as Kulich, Benson and Power to take a noticeable step up. As is often stated in this forum, success is predicated on a lot of "ifs" falling into the yes column. It seemed to me that he appears to be confident that a Byram deal will be made this offseason. And as I believe/hope that he believes that Samuelsson is salvageable and can be a contributing defender probably starting off as a third pairing player and working to regain his confidence. TBD. I thought his comment about how negatively players outside the organization view the Sabres makes it difficult to attract players. The only way to change that is to win and become a more respectable franchise. Just my reading into his comments, maybe overinterpreting???, it seems that he doesn't have much regard for KA.

Most people would agree with you that KA did well with the McCleod trade. There always will be dissenters but the general view is that it was a good deal for this team. The hope is that he can make some more immediate help deals.

Would you have preferred that Mitts wasn’t traded for Byram and then have McCleod and Mitts vying with one another for the 2 and 3C spots?

I don’t want to make excuses for Samuelsson’s lack of play but I attribute much of it to him being plagued with injuries than to lack of effort after garnering a big contract. TBD. I’m more upbeat than most on Power. TBD. As far as a Byram, I’m for keeping him if a trade return is not sufficient. In my view, the GM is handling this situation well. On UPL, I don’t know.

I just think that you are being closed minded on Samuelsson playing as a good third pairing player who will be versatile enough to move up the pairings when needed. It wouldn't be stunning to me if he ends up as a first or second pairing player. I'm not trying to alter your hardened opinion of him but to be willing to reconsider your assessment if his play warrants it.

No with stripping a team for a player who is going to require a$12M plus on a long-term deal. To get a player like Johnson it would take dispatching multiple young players such as Power, Kulich and Benson plus picks. That makes little sense to me, especially for a team that is thin to begin with. Good franchises that are competently run usually end up doing what they have to do to keep their best players. Buffalo doesn't fall in that competently run category.

That's the central issue. Players elect to leave teams for a number of reasons. He was an UFA and under a contract status that allowed him to have choices. If he were determined to leave, the team had no control to keep him. What the GM didn't do is come up with a reasonable option just in case he did choose to leave. What happened shouldn't have been a surprise to the organization because he was an UFA who hadn't signed. What compounds the loss even more is that the GM hasn't adequately filled that hole since he left. (As you point out.)

As you point out there is value in a player who can move up in his role when needed. In a injury riddled game that versatility is an asset.

You make a keen observation about McCleod. When you watch him play there is nothing eye-popping about his game. However, what he does provide is responsible two-way play on both ends of the ice. There is a consistency to his game that masks his effectiveness. Just using this comparison to make a point but you can watch a JJP make an end to end rush ending with an impressive laser shot that ends in the net. But to go along with the highlight play is a lapse in the defensive zone where the player he is responsible for is left unattended to put in a rebound. The point I'm making is not in comparing the two players but how one player's consistently steady play can get lost and not appreciated as much as it should be in a game where there are some highlights. The Sabres are still a very young team. What he provides to this team is maturity in play that that this team needs more of. KA did well in trading or him. Both McCleod and Zucker are the type of players that this roster needs more of. Both players are good examples for the young players to follow.

I just don't see Quinn fitting in a lower line role, even if it has some higher traits to it. Either Quinn succeeds as a first or second line forward or he becomes categorized as an ineffective player. It would be so beneficial if he can get healthy, stronger and provide added scoring. He's going to be an intriguing player to watch within the young group that includes Benson and Power. This team is counting on a lot of internal improvement in its rebuild strategy.

The Sabres ended up getting a defenseman in the trade to help shore up a unit that needed buttressing. With the Sabres, he will be 20 minute player. The critical issue isn’t so much what his role was with Utah as it will be what will his role will be with the Sabres. It’s likely to be substantial.

I disagree with your negative view of Quinn. I'm hoping this will be a breakout year for him. TBD. Another player to watch is Kulich. It would be terrific if he could make a noticeable step up. I'm joining the minority group with you expecting Samuelsson to have a solid year. To state the obvious: counting on a lot of "ifs".

In any sport, you never really know for sure how your young players are going to develop. Some prospects that you have high expectations end up being miserable failures or simply pedestrian players. And sometimes the player that you don't expect much from become stalworth players. It's the reality of sports that there are few guarantees. The problem (as you noted) is that he had a rebuilding plan and became too committed with it without the flexibility to make adjustments when needed. Players are not stupid. They know what is going on and they know the difference between a successful and well operated franchise and a failed and poorly operated franchise. None of the players you listed such as Eichel, Reinhart, ROR and others wanted to get stuck this morass of mediocrity. What's so aggravating is that when you list the players who wanted out and got out, they should have been the foundational players for a winning franchise. And to highlight the dysfunction here, is the amateurish way our dullard GM handled the goalie position, the most important position in the sport. (As you noted.) The cycle of foolishness constantly gets repeated. And the owner continues to remain silent. Utter ridiculousness!