JohnC

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!

Hard no.

As you point out, the tax issue is a lame excuse why players don't desire to come here. Taxes in Canada are higher and taxes in California where three teams are located are higher. The Rangers and Islanders are located in the same state. And the Devils are located in Jersey, another high tax state. The Sabres are a team most listed on NTC contracts because it is well recognized that this franchise is plagued with problems. Agents who are acting in their clients' best interest steer their players away from this organization because they have an intimate knowledge how the operation works. And you really don't need to have inside knowledge to recognize what a third-rate franchise looks like. All you need to do is review the record for the past 15 years. Buffalo should be a destination city for a lot of players due to its location. It's close to the border and in close proximity to where a lot of their families live in the offseason. The franchise's fanbase has been severely eroded not because they are not passionate hockey fans but because they are tired of the third-rate hockey offered to them. Their response is no thank you. Compare that response to the Buffalo Bandits where the building is often sold out and the fans are having a fantastic experience watching an entertaining and competitive team?

Poor judgment and foresight have been going on for way too long. Common sense tells you that if any UFA player hasn't been signed at an established point, then you have to consider just in case options. What happens if Tuch decides to hold off contract talks and lets his contract run out? That's an obvious tell that he desires to leave the Sabre scene. The problem isn't that this periodically happens because it happens everywhere. It's just that it happens too much here for the obvious reasons.

Ullmark was an UFA. They didn’t know that he was going to walk because they were negotiating with him during that period. What was the backup plan if the UFA goalie couldn’t be signed? There was none, at least an adequate one. The problem isn’t that a particular player wanted out for whatever reason as it is too many Sabres wanted out and got themselves out. That in itself is a bad indicator.

The standard argument you make about “some people said” is weak and does’t come close to reflecting what really happened. There is never unanimity on any one player or issue. The prevailing view was that he was a credible (not elite) #1 goalie. What’s so demoralizing is that he started in our system, developed in our system only to mishandle his contract negotiations resulting in his departure with no compensation.. This was another self-inflicted setback a la the Reinhardt contract scenario. It’s apparent to most that this backwater franchise is not very adept at handling basic hockey business. If you don’t believe me just check it’s record over the past generation. Freaking stupid!

Stop distorting what has been said. I'm certainly not make a declaration that our current goalie staffing is adequate or not. I don't know. That's the unknown. What I and others have said is if we get consistent goaltending we should be in a position to compete for a lower playoff spot. If you disagree, that's fine.

We had Ullmark on our team and fumbled it away. Although Jack isn't a goalie, we had him and for a variety of reasons fumbled again. We had Reinhart in the system and the ability to extend him and didn't. He subsequently said I'm out of here. I'm aware that the focus is on the goalie position but the circumscribing problem is organizational ineptitude. There's a recognition from even within the system (exhibited by players who want to get out and do get out) that this franchise does not handle its basic business in a competent way. The accumulation of its own missteps has plagued this troubled franchise. Ask yourself, would this franchise be in a better place with Ullmark caliber of goaltending? When you kneecap yourself you will end up limping your way through a race. What makes this situation so ridiculous is that it has been going on for so long.

As @inkman states, if the Sabres get consistent solid goaltending the team will be in the mix as a fringe playoff team. Pegula’s motto is strive for mediocrity. He has embraced the loser’s ethos of the less you expect—-the less you will be disappointed.

A member of the family is broken. 😃

My contempt for this owner continues to grow. Why own a franchise if you act as if you don’t care? Aloofness is not a demonstration of caring about your own product. What this reticent owner with a big boat has shown is that the shameless can’t be shamed. I wish he would sail away. I’m so tired of him!

Most people would agree with you that this unit is not a shutdown group. As you describe, it’s not constructed to be that caliber of defensemen. However, that’s not the measuring stick. The issue is whether thus group is better defensively than previous units. I would say yes. And is this group compared to previous groups better in transitioning to the offensive zone? I again would say yes. The bottom line for me is that getting better is preferable than not doing so. The more critical issue for me is what caliber of goaltending are we going to get. I don’t really know.

You are correct that my bar of expectation is low. This is what happens when you have a Terry P type ownership. It’s his toy to play with staffed by a sycophantic GM that he personally selected. I am far from being broken, just realistic. My low bar of expectation is to be a low end playoff contender. With a little more tweaking it is doable.

The most intriguing player for me on the blueline is Samuelsson. It would be a terrific redemption story for a player who has received a lot of criticism, most of it deserved. He's not a banger and because of it he is targeted for scorn because he is a big fellow. He's best when he plays a simple game of getting the puck out of his zone. It would be such a bonus if he can come close to what originally expected of him which was probably too high.

If we can get some consistent goaltending the picture looks much more promising. Possible flicker of hope?

I took it wrong. I apologize. Following this franchise has taken a toll on simply talking about hockey. Talking about prospective deals and the roster is the fun part of following a team. It's sad to say that this franchise has been hollowed out by incompetence to the point where the rest of the league doesn't take this franchise seriously. What makes the situation even more agitating is that I don't see a sense of urgency in the organization. It is ambling along while everyone seems to be running hard. It's a sad situation.

How do you know I went to college?

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with you. The Sabres have become a ghetto franchise scorned by many players because of its own systematic malfeasance in operating a franchise. Players are competitive and want to win. It's not the total reason why they want to go to a particular franchise but it is a factor. I would also say that the majority of players in all sports have homes that are not in the city that they play in. You can't hide this franchise's record. It's known to all.

I hope that is the case. Very often the issue isn't necessarily how much you spend as it is how you spend it.

I have never been told that I acted adroitly. However, I have been told many times that I acted impetuously. Too much Italian in me. 😁

Sometimes as a Sabre fan you feel boxed in. You go with what you got. No other choice. In a way, I don't want KA to get too exotic when making moves because he would be acting beyond his capacity. Sticking with the basics is the right course of action for him. No fancy French or Italian food on his plate. Simple meat and potatoes with a domestic beer.