JohnC

He's working on it. 😀

The loss of Power for an extended period of time next year would be a big blow. However, injuries are a fact of life in pro sports, so you just have to deal with them. If there is anything redeeming about his injury it is something we know about in advance. What I would do is still similar to what I recommended in my prior post. I would keep Samuelsson on the first pairing with Dahlin and acquire a more defensive oriented second-pairing caliber to play with Byram on the second pair. I'm aware that Samuelsson receives reflexive scorn here but it appears to me that he has stabilized his game and is not hurting Dahlin's performance on the first pairing. Is Samuelsson a first pairing caliber of defenseman? I would say no. But if you can't attain the ideal then pursue the next best workable option. As you well know, it doesn't matter who Dahlin is paired with, he still shines. He deserves being in a better situation.

In some respects, not making the playoffs again makes this offseason more intriguing. Is the organization going to make enough consequential moves to get over the hump? This team/roster isn't devoid of talent. It basically lacks enough balance, toughness and experience to make them a serious team. When I say toughness, I'm referring to adding fighters. What I'm looking for is a couple more Zucker like talents whose play is more physical than finesse oriented. Will Norris be a legitimate #2 C? I don't know but hope so. We still need another second line forward added to the mix. A priority this offseason has to be finding a legitimate second pairing defenseman to pair with Power. And that player has to have the complementing attributes of being physical and defensively oriented. What this season has demonstrated is that when the team gets consistently good goaltending, this team is so much better. (Stating the obvious.) Is UPL the answer? I'm not sure. Is Reimer the answer? As the primary goalie I have major doubts. What's the answer then? I don't know? The GM has gambled on sticking with the young players such as Kulich, Quinn, JJP, Power, Benson, Krebs etc. Collectively, the concerning issue isn't their offense, it's their ability to play a two-way game. Unless that is done better, this team will have to deal with a sabotaging trait that has sunk this team since KA initiated his rebuild. TBD.

Whether he interfered too much or not are both indictments on him as an owner that he has miscalculated in staffing the franchise. He's the person who hired KA; and he is the person who has continued to retain him for the past five years. There isn't an owner who would have hired KA to be their GM; and there isn't an owner who wouldn't have fired a GM who has performed at that inadequate level for so long. Will KA continue on to be the GM next season? I don't know for sure but think it is more likely than not. If that is the case, then it is fair to say that the owner is the person who is most responsible for the failed performance not only during KA's tenure but also during the owner's tenure since he became the owner. The level of success is determined by the person at the top, and that is Terry P.

What I find bewildering is the owner's invisibility. Everyone knows that he's not much of a public speaker. That's not what bothers me so much about him. It's that while his team has been cemented as an irrelevant hockey franchise during his tenure (that has lasted close to a generation), there has been nothing but a sphinx act coming from the owner. Does he even care? Is this team simply a write-off for this silent billionaire? The response is nothing but crickets. A lot of the critical responses are directed to the GM. That's understandable. However, he's simply an unqualified person in a challenging job who is overmatched by the responsibilities. He's not the source of the problem for this plagued franchise, he's simply a reflection of it. Why would the owner select a person so patently unqualified that no other owner would have even considered him, let alone selected him to be their GM? It made no sense to hire him and it certainly makes no sense to have kept him after five years of unmitigated failure. What Dan Snyder did to the Redskins/Commanders in the NFL, Terry Pegula (without the sleaze) has done to this battered franchise. Both individuals were/are responsible for the demise of their respective franchises and fanbases. There is a dictum that fits both characters: Shameless people can't be shamed. This multi-year lingering situation is beyond being ridiculous. I'm so tired of this owner. I wish he would sell the team to someone who is serious in his responsibility as an NHL franchise owner.

Any assistant in the elite category (your words) is not coming here. Buffalo is an acknowledged dysfunctional organization owned by a well-known incompetent owner who likes to meddle. Why would anyone who had options go to a team where you know the situation is unstable? The same distaste for this putrid franchise is possessed by players who have NTCs and for players who are on the open market. Buffalo is a ridiculed and mocked franchise. If KA was sent packing by the silent owner, who would be interested in the GM position with an owner hovering over the operation? I can tell you for sure that anyone who is a credible candidate wouldn't even bother to apply for the job because they already know what the conditions are. It's up to the owner to alter his behavior and give this suffocating franchise a chance to breathe. So far, he hasn't given any sign that he is willing to get serious because he prefers playing with his toy. So the futility continues. It's a sad situation.

You may not be aware of it but you just made a potent argument to keep him. If as a replacement to Cozens he upgrades the 2C position, then that would be a better place to be in. The next issue if that situation materializes is who are going to be his wingers? There are a number of options to work with.

It’s not weird that a number of Canadians are not crossing the border. When you treat people disrespectfully, you are going to get less patronage. On the other hand, it won’t be surprising that a lot of Canadians come to the game and take over the building. It’s embarrassing! It’s a disgrace how much our obtuse owner has gutted his toy franchise. I wish he would sell the franchise and get lost!

When is he on the ice?

I'm not questioning Norris's talents when healthy. The problem is that Ottawa traded him primarily because he isn't durable. He comes to Buffalo and then quickly gets hurt or aggravates a prior injury resulting in him being out of the lineup for the rest of the season. So why would any team trade for him for a top 4 blueliner or a top 6 forward? That potential deal is beyond being unlikely. The Sabres need him to get fully healthy in the offseason and contribute as either a #1 or #2 C. We need to add another second line forward and another second pairing defenseman who can play with Power. I like Kulich a lot and see great potential. But having him at #1 or #2 C at this early stage of his career is putting him in a position that he is not ready for and hurts the team. I wouldn't mind seeing him centering a third line with Quinn and JJP or another forward. Our GM had a roster plan that was too accelerated for the youngsters. Instead of putting them in a position to succeed, he put them in a position to struggle. It's not surprising that a middling GM makes a lot of unsound decisions.

As you note, KA is a good example of the Peter principle. But let's not forget that he was hired by the non-talking owner because of that feature. He wasn't hired because he had independent and strong views on how to change the course of this meandering franchise. He was hired because he provided a cheaper rebuild plan that fit within the new stringent financial structure that the owner wanted to install. The owner desired a sycophantic weakling who would go along with what his new course for this franchise. We can talk about players and what is needed to improve the roster. It's meaningless until the owner either sells or comes to his senses on securing competent people to run the hockey operation. It wasn't until the owner did that with the Bills that they became a successful franchise in the NFL. The owner can be the stumbling block or the person who can change the fortunes of this plagued franchise. Until he decides to do that, there will be no hope. Jack wanted out, Reinhart wanted out, ROR wanted out, Ullmark wanted out, Montour wanted out etc. What happens when Dahlin says that he has had it. There's no hope playing with this unserious franchise! That's the course that this inept owner is on. He's crushing this franchise and driving it into hockey oblivion.

You are being unfair to Barney Fife. Mr. Fife had accomplishments in his chosen profession. In KA’s current job he is known to be a classic example of ineptitude. He’s gained longevity on the job through sycophancy.

One of my biggest complaints about KA is his inability to put together a balanced roster that can handle the different roles that are required to be a competitive team. He may be adequate at getting pieces but he isn't very accomplished at getting pieces that fit together that create a well-rounded team. A GM is supposed to have a broader perspective when putting together a team. He's simply too near-sighted to get the mix right to create a competitive team.

I used this one game as an example of a measuring stick, not the full scope of a measuring stick. What's the team record for the season and for the past number of seasons? That gives you a fuller picture of the hockey operation over an extended period. As you keenly noted, the Sabres have a number of needs, the same needs they had last offseason. They weren't addressed when they had the cap room and assets to do so. They didn't do it. (As you point out.) Who was the GM? The same then as it is now. Do you have confidence in this sycophant that he will smartly make enough moves to deal with the deficiencies that you listed? I don't.

An overview of the game: Florida sat out their top 6 players. This Florida team is a Cup contending team. Overall, they had an edge in play using many backup players. We ended up losing in a shootout. So if this is a team measuring stick game against an upper tier team, how much farther do the Sabres have to improve to become a serious team? And the bigger question is how do you do that with KA as your GM and TP as your owner?

Why not both? Your first sentence indicates why he has been such a failure. When Ullmark didn't sign a deal in the last year of his contract, he should have put a lot more attention on focusing on that position. A GM is supposed to anticipate and properly respond to "just in case" options. As you have pointed out in a prior post, even if he didn't know that Ullmark wouldn't sign a new contract, what he did know is that Ullmark didn't sign another contract before it expired. The result is that the GM left the team in a vulnerable situation with respect to that critical position.

I just have a few items on my list that need to be done. 1.) The most important issue in my view is the goalie position. He needs a good option to UPL. I'm not advocating ditching him, but the GM has to have a backup option in case that UPL doesn't step up. I wouldn't mind bringing Reimer back. 2.) Get a legitimate #2 defenseman to pair with Power. Ideally, it would be a more rugged defensive oriented partner. 3.) Add another second-line forward to the roster. That would be in addition to Norris. Our GM took a rebuild within approach that heavily relied on a draft and develop strategy. The hope is that players such as Quinn, Power, JJP, Kulich will progress as players. I believe that what I'm suggesting are doable. Again, the goalie issue is the most important issue that needs to be addressed. What Reimer has demonstrated during his recent play is that this team can succeed when it has consistently good goaltending.

No one is arguing that team defense doesn't needs to be improved. But that doesn't preclude this front office from upgrading the netminding. It might turn out that UPL lifts his game and surpasses many of our expectations. That would be wonderful. What this mediocre GM can't do is assume that UPL will step up and provide the level of backstopping that is good enough to make this a more competitive team. If the GM bets on UPL without an option if he doesn't (or gets hurt), then he will be acting at a dereliction of duty level.

I respectfully but strenuously disagree.

Put Tuch on the top line and his offensive stats would be even higher. On this team he should a first or second line player. And as I said in a prior post, his stats don’t capture his importance to this team. He’s a good NHL player that a lot of teams would love to have.

If he departed it would leave a major void on this roster. The way this team is currently assembled I would now consider him to be an indispensable player. Stats don't reflect his value to this team. He has attributes on and off the ice that when measured understate his true value to this team. When it comes to contract negotiation, this player is in the driver seat of this flat-tired bus of this deflated franchise. As someone else stated: The issue is more does he want to be here than the franchise's desire to sign him.

A punitive one!

Power was the consensus #1 rated prospect in his draft class. He didn’t dominate that class from a rating perspective but on most teams draft boards was the top name. Power is not a banger and never will be. He’s a skater and positional defender. Some people have difficulty accepting his game. I’m not one of them. He’s not going anywhere.

The coach is trying to balance the lines. I would move Tuch up and Quinn down.

Drlnk slowly to get your $$$$ worth.