JohnC

Google, it's quicker.

Look up the definition of piddling.

It’s not a “weird experience”—-it’s gross incompetence practiced for an extended period of time. It shouldn’t be a surprise that when your owner is out of step with the norm, your franchise becomes abnormal.

I’ve stated my position of the contempt I have for the owner and this sycophantic GM many times. The adding of Staal to the staff in an ill-defined role is inconsequential. The retention of KA as the GM is consequential in a negative way. Having Terry Pegula as an owner is an insidious presence that has crippled this franchise. I don’t expect a major change in the organizational structure because it’s structured the way the owner wants it to be. My attention is now directed toward what transactions are going to be made to improve this inadequate roster this offseason. Will they be meaningful? I simply don’t know. As you well know the Sabres are not a normally run franchise. I don’t say that snidely but do say it sadly. Staal is not worth being bothered about.

There are plenty of things about this ragged organization to get upset with. This inconsequential hire is not one of them. Whether they brought him in or not, who cares. If people find this hiring as a trigger to stoke additional anger about this backwater franchise, then I recommend that they tune out for a spell and get refreshed.

Just because you hate someone doesn't mean that particularly scorned person doesn't have something to contribute.

Attached is a WGR link where Eric Staal was interviewed on the Sabres Live Show. What does his hiring add to the organization? He's been with a lot of teams and still is familiar with a lot of players. If he can give some insight in some of the players the Sabres are interested in dealing for, then why not have another voice in the room? https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/sabres-live

A lot of players had problems last year. No question, that his play was inconsistent. Young players, especially defensemen, are not instantly good. It takes time. If you consider dealing him away as a solution to his at times substandard play, then I'm not on board. My recommendation is to find a better partner for him. Tage wasn't instantly good when first acquired. Now he is a goal scoring dynamo. Follow that more patient model and you will be rewarded. I'm confident of that although many here are not.

You ask a good question as to why was Byram traded for? The reason is not too difficult to understand. Our GM is a shallow operative who looks to add pieces whether they fit or not. From his perch, he should be making decisions based on constructing a well-balanced roster. It's apparent for all to see that he is ill-equipped to handle that essential aspect of his job. It's not a challenge to find the primary cause as to why this franchise has been so dismal for so long. When your owner is a hockey dope, you don't stand a chance. Drink up and don't drive.

You make a keen observation that much of the jaundiced view of him can be attributed to the wrong expectation of him. The problem isn't the player as much as it is the excessive expectation and assessment of him. I'm confident he is going to be a good player. And for many that is not good enough.

The Byram acquisition is a perfect illustration of our GM's ineptitude when it comes to roster construction. (As you clearly note.) It's hard to move forward and build on what you have done when you constantly have to undo and redo and then again undo what you have done. While other teams move forward, you do the outdated cha cha dance and stand in place. If this shallow GM would have systematically addressed areas of need, then this team would be more complete instead of having an incomplete roster that is made up of redundant and missing pieces. In a cap system, you can't afford to misspend your cap allowance, especially when you don't spend up to the cap max.

One to two. And considering his inexperience his play has been reasonable. I’m not declaring him an all-star but I’m baffled at the negativity directed toward him.

Disregarding potential when making player decisions is foolish. Acting out of frustration is a way to become even more frustrated. If you want Power to be more effective, then find him a more suitable partner.

He’s going to get stronger as he gets older. Just as Tage filled out and got stronger, so will he.

It's been 15 yrs of foolish decisions. You may want to encourage more bad decisions but I don't. We're discussing a particular player, not the history of the sordid Pegula tenure.

If you expect me to defend KA as a GM, then you haven't read my many comments on him. KA is often wrong on assessing players and brutal in constructing a coherent roster. That doesn't mean that everything he does is wrong. I'm resolute in my judgment of this particular tall and lanky defenseman. I'm very comfortable and confident that he will soon be a primary core player for us. Be more patient and you will be rewarded.

I'm a staunch Power supporter. I strongly believe that when he physically matures he will be the better player. He's a tall and lanky player with a lot more ability to fill-out. Just like it took Tage a few years to become more physically developed, I see the same process applying to Power. I'm tired of seeing this fool franchise get rid of young players who become upper echelon players in this league, such as Eichel and Reinhart. (I'm aware that the situations were more complicated, but if Power is dealt our loss will be another team's big gain. Be patient and get the right partner for Power. I'm adamant about my position on this player.

The issues associated with Byram and how he fits with the Sabres relates to potential contract size and also style of play fit with the blueline as it is presently constituted. Can the organization keep him from a cap distribution standpoint if he ends up with a high-end contract which I believe he will soon garner? The contract that Samuelsson got created a cap distribution imbalance that would make it difficult to keep Byram. If Samuelsson got dealt, which I believe is unlikely due to his sizeable contract, then signing him to an extension would be more plausible.

In my opinion, definitely more upside. He's not a banger and never will be. And neither will Byram, who I do like a lot. But if I had to make a choice, I would prefer Power over Byram. It appears that the organization also sees it that way. As many others have stated, it is a priority to get a suitable partner for Power in order to put him in a better position to succeed.

He has been injured prior to his last end of season injury. If I recall correctly he played with a bad ankle.

Power has had his struggles as a young defenseman. That shouldn’t be surprising. And without a doubt, injuries have been a factor in his play. However, if the choice came down to keeping either Bryan or Power, that would be an easy decision for the organization. Without much consideration, Power would and should be kept and Byram dealt.

How dare you! Who do you think you are? You are expecting an abnormally run franchise to behave normally. Your unreasonableness should be sanctioned. Your impertinence will no longer be tolerated here. There will be no more warnings before forceful and vengeful punitive actions will take effect!

What resonated with me is your comment that at least Stevie Y is trying. I have more respect for people who try to correct a problem and fail, as opposed to someone who stubbornly goes on the same pathway that is wrong. That's what is so exasperating with how KA and the owner have conducted themselves.

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/sabres-live Within the above link is a 13 minute segment with Kris Baker on the show and talking about some prospects in the draft within our drafting range. More interesting, is his commentary about what we should do with our pick and with players in our system. His views on Kris Baker provided sound advice and concise opinions on how the Sabres should handle this offseason. He was emphatic that this team needs to get older. His response about Ryan Johnson was very sensible.

The driving force for Pegula retaining KA has little to do with performance as it does with his own hubris and stubbornness. The owner made an out of the box hire with KA. He made the hire with little consultation from anyone else. This was the man he chose and if he acknowledges his failing to do the job then he is also acknowledging that he made a mistake. Why was KA hired? He was hired because he presented a plan that was cheaper than following the standard approach to managing a franchise. At that time, that was a big appeal to the owner who was hemorhaging money on his franchise. The mindset became, if I'm not winning and losing a bounty of money then, it would be better to lose less money while starting over. Cam anything be salvaged with the KA retention? Maybe. My sense is that the GM will have pressure on him to make some moves this offseason to be more competitive sooner rather than later. I really don't see this as a status quo offseason. (My opinion/hope.)This offseason should be interesting. TBD.