JohnC

Attached is a link from Sabres.com that has some highlights and coach's postgame comments. He singled out Mitts in this game. If someone else posted this link I apologize for the redundancy. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/don-granato-postgame-32523/t-277822760/c-16191963

Standings taken from NHL.com. https://www.nhl.com/standings/2022/wildcard

I'm listening to the radio broadcast. Both broadcasters were singling out the effort of Mitts.

There was a determined effort to trade ROR before his bonus took effect. If the GM would have waited it is likely that he could have gotten a better deal. Jack was told by the GM to get out of the building and go home. I'm confident that the owner was involved in those decisions. Especially for the Jack trade, I'm sure that our GM, KA, was a prime factor determined to move him. I'm confident that the owner was not only on board but also was a mover.

Another option is to go European and give gentle kisses on each cheek. 🥰

I agree with the gist of what you said. There is another side to this issue that goes beyond money. Terry Pegula is a self-made billionaire. From what I have observed of him is that he is not an ostentatious or a self-promoting ego driven person a la Jerry Jones the owner of the Cowboys. What Terry P doesn't tolerate is players receiving millions of dollars from him and then publicly expressing their disgruntlement, as ROR and Jack did. In those cases his response was clear and simple: Move them out. On that issue and attitude I salute the owner. How many times has the GM said I want players who want to be here? The owner and GM are in sync.

Wouldn't you rather shake the hand of a happy person than an angry person?

Let's look at how this GM, working for this owner, has spent money during his short tenure. Tage got paid. Samuelsson got paid. Cozens got paid. When Dahlin's contract comes up he will get paid. And so will Power and Quinn when their deals come due. The critical issue isn't so much how much you are spending but rather is it being spent wisely. The organization is relying very much on analytics for player evaluations and also using it for contract evaluations. Of course, the owner signs off for big money payoffs. And that is how it is for every franchise. I simply don't see the owner being a hinderance on this issue. With respect to the highlighted section we shall see how judicious he is adding the right players like Jersey did this offseason. I think that KA will make some moves because of the glaring needs. In my view a few good moves can prove to be very consequential for next season. The priority is evident for everyone to see: Get a freaking quality goalie!

Of course, the owner is involved in how the organization is run. That's why the franchise was in a constant state of chaos and turmoil for most of his ownership. However, that has changed. There is no question that the owner selected KA because he agreed to his rebuild plan that not only included the roster but also the structure of the organization and the investment in it. And make no mistake about it, much more is invested in the operation than previously. My response to the stubborn poster I was responding to was his suggestion that the owner could be resistant to what the GM's plan to restore this franchise back to respectability. I strenuously disagree with notion. The GM is executing his rebuild plan. The owner is allowing him to follow through on it. Too many people make the claim that the severe cutting of the payroll is an indication of the lack of seriousness on the part of the owner to compete in this league. That's ridiculous, especially when you consider that he recklessly and foolishly spent money on players when he first bought the team. What isn't mentioned when these false claims are made is that when you deal off your high-cost core players and replace them with younger players, your cap expenditures are going to dramatically decline. That's simply part of the rebuild and cap/cost cycle. Again, I say that the insinuation (not by you) that the owner is a restraining factor in making this franchise a serious factor in this league doesn't resonate with me at all. It's the opposite of that. The owner has learned what to do and not do. And that is for the good.

That makes more sense. I thought he was recently posting and was inebriated when he made that prediction. I realize that he is more sober than I originally thought.

KA had a plan and was determined to stick with it. Of course he wanted to make the playoffs this year. Adhering to the plan and making the playoffs weren't mutually exclusive. But without question his priority was to stick with the rebuilding plan that emphasized playing the youngsters.

You are getting carried away. Maybe 85 pts is attainable but 95 + points and the playoffs is out of reach.

Is this guy checking his dip stick? If he came up to you and offered to shake your hand would you be sociable enough to give him a manly grasp?

You may have taken my response as a criticism. I didn't mean it to be. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said in your prior and current post. The player/s and organization decided to move on. I believe that in the not too distant long run we will be better off, and so will the departed players. It's a better situation for all those involved.

You should drink yourself into oblivion while watching the games. You might become more observant and enjoy it more.

The notion that the GM might not be serious about his responsibilities is off-the-wall odd. And the notion that there is a force (the owner) who behind the scenes will restrict him from doing his job is even more odd. How do you come up with these peculiar thoughts?

As you are indicating, Jack and Sam are in a good situation for themselves. Both of them will be participating in the playooffs this year. And on the flip side the Sabres are also in a good situation in their remake. The past is the past. Players and organizations move on and take different paths. That's the reality in sports and in life.

Few people other than those on the fringe are recommending a major reconstruction. The roster is starting to be filled, mostly with in-house players. The obvious/glaring needs are on the blueline and in net. The GM is responsible to address those few critical needs this offseason. If he is successful in that task, combined with internal improvement, this team should be good for a sustained period of time. This will be a critical offseason for the organization and fanbase.

Because of this late season swoon it squandered a marvelous opportunity for the playoffs. The team was in a good position to get over the hump, and then it faltered. Sometimes failure, although painful, is the best learning experience. Maybe in the long run it will serve them well? Sometimes being tantalizing close can be even more exasperating than being completely out of it. However, there is no doubt in my mind that based on our play this season this team is moving up the ranks.

You make a keen observation about Illya about his game. He's a tough, no-frills player who plays solidly. He doesn't go around making fan arousing crushing hits, he just plays a muscular and efficient game. There isn't a defender on our team who is as adept at going into the corner and bottling up the player with the puck. He is one of our best positioned defenders as demonstrated by the number of his block shots (which you noted). Simply put, he is a fundamentally sound player. I consider Illya more of a five defender. But that is not to say that he can't move up to a higher pair when called upon due to injuries. One of the plaguing problems we have had is that when a player from the unit is injured there becomes a cascading negative effect because players aren't capable of moving into the higher roles without creating exploitable deficiencies. The GM's pickup of Illya was not a splash pickup. However, it was a very sound pickup that strengthened the unit. We need another one or two Illyas added to the unit this offseason.

@LGR4GMalso quickly came around with the Power selection. To his credit he was open-minded and willing to adjust his position.

Quick thoughts on game: My first star would go to Tuch. My second star would go to Jersey's Hughes. He can freaking shoot. If the Jersey replacement goalie would have started this game the outcome would have been different. What a relief to see Tage back on the ice after going to the locker room. Jersey and Buffalo have a similar style: Skating and emphasis on offense. I thought Lyubushkin had a solid game. The Quinn/Cozens/JJ line played well. This line has so much upside to it. The pass of the game was Quinn's blind pass from the sideboards to Cozens for a score. UPL made a number of quality stops. He limited the rebounds. I still get so nervous when he is backstopping. There are similarities to how these teams are constructed. My guess is that they are a year ahead of us in progression. I never felt that the Sabres never got deflated when the Devils scored or were pushing hard. The Sabres just kept playing their game. A win is a win. It's good to get a win at home. The fans deserve it.

We don't know what the behind the scenes negotiating was. But if memory serves me right it was widely reported that St. Louis had two non-touch prospects that they weren't go to deal. So the Sabres got the third ranked prospect in their system. I don't believe anyone thought (St.Louis or Buffalo) that Tage was going to turn out to be as good as he is. The problems that the Sabres were facing went beyond the team. There was systemic organizational chaos that kept this franchise sunk for a long time. I believe that those sabotaging problems have been resolved since the installation of Kevin Adams. I attribute most of the tumult to the owner.

I'm not up to date on this issue but wasn't there a recent controversy in Chicago where some of the players didn't want to be part of the ceremony?

Didn't the Sabres have a Pride Night last year? Are you more worried about player or fan reaction?