JohnC

I remember when there was an outside game in Canada against Toronto. Our team was decisively beating Toronto. The Toronto fans were silenced and walked out of the stadium before the game was concluded. As you point out, how the team plays is the most influential reason as to how the fans respond. I would rather have our arena filled to capacity with half or more of the crowd boisterously rooting for Toronto than have a half empty arena filled with Sabre fans who are snoozing throughout most of the game because of the uninspired play on the ice. The customers who buy tickets and root for the team that they want. I would rather have seats filled than not.

It seems as if they are taking over the building when they outplay the Sabres. It arouses their fans in attendance. When the Sabres outplay the Leafs, regardless how many Leaf fans are in the arena, our fans then dominate the subdued opposing fans. The notion that the opposing fans are dominating a building is not as much of an issue of in-game experience as how the home team is playing. There are plenty of games when the Sabres are playing poorly and the fans are either somnolent or exasperated. That's the real source of problems associated with bad in-game experience. It's a function of how the team is playing.

Based on my expectation when KA assumed the GM position he is one year ahead of the rebuild schedule that I thought it would take for this team to get back to being serious competitors. And that's exactly where we are now. That is a major accomplishment considering how this franchise was set back during the ignominious tenure of Krueger.

I'm not being unfair. He acts as if the GM has sat on his hands over the past few years. That's not close to what has actually happened. This team has to a large extent been reconstructed over the past three years. He wants instant magic. It doesn't work that way.

I'm not sure if I understand your point. If you are a Sabre fan you have an opportunity to buy tickets just like out of towners, many who are former residents who will be cheering for the home team. If the opposition makes a comeback, then so be it. That's simply a demonstration of the unpredictability of a sporting evident.

Under Granato, the Sabres have become a fun team to watch. That doesn't mean that a fan can't at times be exasperated when watching them but its indisputable that they are an entertaining team. Thankfully, the Krueger era was a short inglorious era. It nearly strangled my interest in this team and in hockey in general.

When asked to call heads or tails in a coin toss he responds by saying heads and tails. Then he claims he was right.

Why not simplify the ticketing issue instead of complicating by adding layer of exemptions? Sometimes not doing something is better than doing something. As many others have stated, the Toronto issue (if it really is an issue) will mostly be solved by using your resources to build up your own fan base instead of worrying about intruders who are also paying customers. I have no problem when there are a lot of Toronto fans in the house. They bring in a lot of energy and stoke a lot of energy from the home crowd.

You're like a gambler who wants to place a bet after the contest has been played. In that way you can claim that you were right. That's not how it works. You stated that Jersey is way ahead of us in their team rebuild. I strenuously disagree. I believe they are a year or at most two years ahead of us in team development. In many ways their model is the same model we are following i.e. mostly relying on drafting and developing. This is a strong argument to stay the course. And that's exactly what we are doing.

I don't know if anyone else posted this Paul Hamilton WGRZ commentary on the business restructuring. He gave a simple explanation why it was done. He basically stated that by separating the two sports entities it simplified and clarified the finances and accounting of each operation. It pointed out that the impetus for the change was done by the person he brought in to oversee his sprawling enterprises. Terry P has gotten rid of his extraneous businesses associated with hotel and restaurant businesses that weren't profitable. According to Paul Hamilton, the simplifying and streamlining of his businesses had nothing to do with selling either of the franchises. Terry P basically followed the advice of the financial expert he brought in. https://www.wgrz.com/article/sports/nhl/sabres/hamilton-take2-pse-dissolving-terry-pegula-as-sabres-president-doesnt-mean-the-team-is-for-salesports/71-a246e7ce-f908-4596-acb6-c00b705bc0e2

You can't look at any one game or controversial play and conclude that it made a difference in making the playoffs or not. Without a doubt the Sabres were on the receiving end of bad calls. But that is not to say that the Sabres weren't also on the receiving end of bad calls that benefited us and were factors in winning the games. In a long season, it usually balances out. The Sabres barely missed out in making the playoffs. Looking back, as futile as that is, the difference in not qualifying for the playoffs can be attributed to three losing streaks of 8 games or more within the season. If they could have come away with a few more loser points within those streaks we would have made the playoffs. And yes, I agree with you that the Islander game you referred to at the end of the season was gut wrenching. That's the beauty and agony of sports.

There will be a number of intriguing storylines entering this season associated with our young player. Krebs, Levi, Power, JJ, (Quinn before being injured) are going to be fun to follow to see how quickly they elevate their games. Internal improvement more than outside additions will be a more critical factor for team success. The best thing that happened to Krebs is that he was traded to a Granato coached team. The HC moving him to the Okposo/Girgs line was an astute move for his development. Now, I would like to see him centering a line with better finishers.

Even if the players you coveted were available and brought in it wouldn't have guaranteed a playoff spot. What you fail to acknowledge is that in the last quarter of the season the Sabres were playing extremely well with the roster they had . The team fell short. That's the past. Look forward and stop lamenting about it.

I have no problem with people venting. We all do it. However, when that is all that is expressed then it gets tiresome to hear. If someone has a proposal to improve the roster, then present. If not, then what's the point of repeating the same expression of frustration.

The problem is that I don't know what path you have been on or going on. Speaking in generalities without being specific is a path to nowhere. If you got an idea then say what it is. A blank slate is a blank skate. Nothing can be deciphered from it.

What veteran/s that were available did you have in mind?

You ask how I thought you were responding to my post. Because you responded directly to my post. Thanks for the clarification.

I didn't say Kane is over the hill. You are off the mark interpreting what I actually did say. What I said is that Okposo and Girgs are better fits for this team this season. This is very likely Okposo's last season in hockey. Keeping the both of them was the right call for this upcoming year.

If you add Ryan Johnson to the defensive prospect pool with Novikov you can see the unit filling out in the not-too-distant future. I wouldn't be surprised if Ryan Johnson ends up playing in Buffalo sometime this season.

I'm happy that Okposo and Girgs were re-signed. Why would you find that odd? You more than most commentators have strenuously argued for this team to play with more toughness. (Rightly so.)These two fourth liners are a couple of our best forward defenders and leaders on a team full of players who are not as mindful of their defensive responsibilities as they should be. I agree with you that I don't think that Kane has much interest in playing here. Can he continue to play at a high-level that he has played for most of his career? Maybe not quite, but he still can be a valuable asset in the right situation. I just don't think that western NY is the right situation for him. I would rather see Savoie or Kurlick given the opportunity to play while Quinn is on the mend.

Everyone has their own preferences. So, I'm not suggesting anyone is wrong who has a different view on this issue. However, hearing RJ's voice before every game doesn't appeal to me or I suspect most people. A patch with his initials on the jerseys would be appropriate, and a tribute played before the puck is dropped in the first game would also be appropriate and is probable. And it wouldn't be surprising that sometime in the future a statue will be installed somewhere in or around the building.

I did answer your question. You didn't pay attention to what was actually said. You and some others are too stuck are your false narrative that the GM is not willing to pursue a variety of avenues to improve the team. That's not the case. There is no doubt that the GM's central rebuilding strategy revolves around the "standard" draft and develop approach. That part of the rebuild has been a success, at least it is to me. You don't think that the return on our old core was respectable? The young goalie we got in the Reinhart trade is going to be our present and future #1 goalie. Are you going to complain about that? Are you going to complain about the Eichel return that resulted in getting Tuch, Krebs and a #1 pick? Are you going to complain about getting a #1 pick for Risto? Our GM could be charged with felonious theft in that deal. Those were trade deals. Clifton and Johnson were offseason free agent pickups. Are you going to complain about that? There have also been smaller deals. So the notion that the GM is not actively trying to upgrade the roster is not factual. Yet you and others continue with this falsehood. It's simply not true. Your question over "what if" the GM doesn't make the playoffs is an absurd question. If Dahlin, Tage, Power and anyone else get season ending injuries should the GM be blamed for that? Of course not. You want a guarantee---you are not going to get a guarantee. That's sports and life! I challenge you to compare the roster that the GM inherited a few years ago and compare it to what it is now. It's certainly not a complete roster but it is an immensely better than what he inherited. Rebuilding a roster is an on-going process. It is continuing and will continue. There are too many people who expect a "blockbuster deal" that will magically turn this team into a cup winner. It doesn't work that way. The process is working. Stay the course.

You and others act as if the GM has been afraid to act outside of drafting and developing players. That's not the case. He traded his old core and got back a reasonable return. He has made small deals such as signing Stillman and Greenway and acquired Jost. This offseason, he added Clifton and Johnson from the free agency market. The Sabres improved by 16 points from the previous season. The GM took over a ramshackle and irrelevant team and organization and in a short period of time put it on a pathway to success. Yes, I strongly agree with the approach that the GM is taking. Again, stay the course.

Stay the course. That's the plan and it is successfully being executed. Why stray from the course that is working?

Replaceable players don't get paid much. At best, he was going to be a fourth pairing player for us. Players in that echelon don't garner high-cost contracts.