JohnC

I don't know of many comments from the board members and from NHL analysts who have stated that this organization acted in a significant way that elevates this team against the competition. That is deeply understood by most sentient observers who follow the Sabres. That's the general judgment made about this offseason. What did you expect? A blockbuster deal and a splurge on players? It's a middling organization and operation. Most of us are aware of that sad conclusion that is evidently true. The historical record supports that notion. However, that doesn't mean that every comment about each Sabre game should be colored by that ugly reality. In the King game, the Sabres played well for two periods. We had our scoring chances but didn't capitalize on them. A positive takeaway in that game is that for two periods the players played a tougher brand of hockey that the new coach is trying to instill. That's a positive takeaway from the bigger negative that we lost to a team at home when the house was full. The Sabres are in my opinion a fringe playoff contender. I'm just trying to be realistic and hope for the best. To be fair, it's still too early to make a judgment about this team under this new coach.

I think you are prematurely becoming too despondent after only three games. Should we all be deeply disappointed about the start of this season? Of course. Before you get lost in the fog of depression about this team, at least give it a little more time. Sometimes exhibiting courtroom drama is tactically appropriate; and sometimes the timing is wrong where it gets you in trouble with an impatient an irascible judge. It's a long and grinding roller coaster season. How about giving it a little more time before jumping off the bridge?

People in his position can't always candidly say what they think. That's the nature of the position more than the nature of the person. I just think that he is a person the befuddled owner plucked from the business operation to act on his behalf. Both the owner and GM are in over their heads. Their records loudly speak for itself.

Cozens may be more suited to be a winger than a center. When he played in the international tournaments he thrived as a wing man. You brought up the Mitts deal in a previous post explaining why it didn't make sense from a hockey and financial reasons. The accumulation of bad front office decisions has weighed this franchise down. It shouldn't be a surprise that a mediocre organization fields a mediocre product on the ice. It starts at the top with a clueless owner who hires less than the best. I agree with you that Clifford played well last night. LA's goalie, Kuemper, was the difference in the game. He made some tough stops. Again, we had opportunities but didn't seize on them. In general, I thought the Sabres played well in the first two periods. (As you noted.) In the last period, team malaise reared its ugly head. It can't handle adversity. This team is mentally weak.

There are certainly obstacles that a GM from Buffalo faces that many other GMs face because of its earned second-rate reputation. Let's be blunt and not complicate the measuring stick for sports i.e. the record. KA seems like a good and a sincere fellow. He's been in the stewardship chair now for more than a few years. Systemic mediocrity is not a challenge to identify. What you see is what you get. It's sad.

I have been long time gone. Still have relatives there. It's great to hear what you and @LGR4GM said about that downtown and arena area. 🍺

Is there much business/entertainment activity around the arena or is it just a spillover from game nights?

It's a disgrace that a franchise that has been stuck in the muck of mediocrity for nearly a generation can't come up with the resolve to get better and become a serious franchise. This owner who presides at the head of this middling franchise has become too comfortable with this embarrassing inconsequential status. Where is the pride?

You make a good point but I don't fully buy your argument that there aren't players to be acquired through trades or free agency that could improve the roster. No question that the pool of players willing to come here is shallower than for other teams. No one is demanding a major roster overhaul here from transactions. What is expected is that a couple to few consequential moves be made when there was cap room to do it. The bottom line is that the Sabres have become an outlier franchise because of their historical ineptitude. (As you point out.)

I don't care if Kulich scores 30+ goals. If the GM would have added a second line winger to the roster, this team would be a deeper team with more line flexibility. The GM has this cruising along approach to his job and is resistant to making consequential moves. As you point out, with the dispatching of Skinner, the organization had the wherewithal $$$ to improve this team and excite the fanbase. There is little creativity and an unwillingness to demonstrate a degree of urgency from the front office. This is a dull franchise being run by mediocre people.

Pesce and Markstrom were two excellent pickups for this team. Their GM outplayed our GM this offseason. We had room to bring in an impact player for our second line that would have also had the effect of improving our third line. Our GM didn't act with urgency while another organization's GM did. I can see New Jersey being an under the radar SC contender.

We don't need a brawl in the worst way. (Your words.) What we mostly need is for our top two lines to play like top two lines that can more reliably score goals when the opportunities exist. The Sabres were clearly outplayed in the Prague games. However, what was disturbing in those two games is that there were opportunities for the top lines to score. The shooters simply missed the net when golden opportunities existed. That pattern of misfiring has plagued this team for two long. I agree with you that one of the best features of hockey (regular and playoff games) is the changing ebb and flow of a game. I didn't see much of that in the two European games. We were by far the slower and sluggish team in those games. I'm hoping that in our first home stand that this team plays with more energy and urgency. I'm really getting tired of watching the Sabres play as if they are fatigued. I'm not enamored with watching thuggery. I prefer watching a fast-paced and hardnosed style of play. That leads to more winning.

No, he is not. That doesn't mean that there isn't a role for him on this team, but I don't see it on either of the two top lines.

You and I are riding the same bus. KA was a cheap and non-threatening hire for the owner. The owner got what he wanted with KA's hire, a congenial person he extracted from the business side of the operation. That in itself tells you a lot about the owner's hockey adroitness. I like you thought this GM's aversion to Mitts was peculiar. Here was a versatile player who was developed in the system and could play center or forward on our top two lines. The player's agent let it be known that the organization never even made an offer. To put it mildly, perplexing. With respect to your frightening question of what happens to this roster if it can't be made to congeal into a competitive team? Fan fatigue and apathy and plenty of empty seats in the arena. That would be so sad. It is the accumulation of a lot of bad personnel decisions that has weighed this franchise down into the muck of mediocrity. As you point out, we actually had the talent to build a serious roster. It was the organization's dysfunction that resulted in our own talent fleeing out of here. And inarguably it benefited all the players who thrived in the better situations they went to.

There isn't anything in your catalogue of bad decisions that I disagree with. I agree with you that the process of hiring LIndy was a sham. He was the designated hire that was made before the season ended last year. I did at the time criticize the phoniness of the search because there wasn't a real search. I agree with you that there were good coaches to consider. But it was a mirage that fooled no one but the most naive. I believe that Lindy was a good hire. He was an experienced veteran coach who would be more demanding in holding players accountable. That's what we were looking for, and what we got. Other than the phony hiring process that added to this organization and owner's severely diminished creditability it was a reasonable hire. (I'm aware that you are not saying otherwise.) The Sabres lost two games on this foreign road trip to a more cohesive and better team. It's certainly disappointing but I'm not going to panic just yet. Let's just wait for at least 12 games or so to be played before we judge how good or bad this team is. Understandably, it's difficult to be patient with this team because of the history of this ignominious era. Too many people are already getting on the ledge and are jumping off. It's not popular to say here but let's be a little more patient before wanting to blow things up again. Why are you suggesting that the coach is the problem after two games?

If he offers an opinion that is reasonable, then it shouldn't automatically be dismissed. If he says something that is outlandish in order to be provocative, then I wouldn't give it much credibility. Simply making a judgment on a case-by-case basis.

The Sabres finished last season with a record of 39-37-6 for 84 points. Is it unreasonable to believe that this team can win four more games and increase their loser points from 6 to 10? That would give us 96 points. That is not out of the realm of possibility. As @dudacek notes Craig Rivet's analysis of this roster it is a very reasonable prediction of this team's prospects.

If you are looking for precision in internet postings, you are looking in the wrong places. It's like going to the butcher shop looking for a surgeon. A lot of blood in the shop that makes you want to look away.

Just do the opposite!

Thanks for your response. I thought that Hamilton periodically substitutes calling games???

Doesn't Paul Hamilton periodically do Rochester games?

For this particular team, the revamping of the lower lines is going to have a consequential impact not only on its effectiveness in its role but also will have a positive effect on the top two lines. Over the past few years, there's no question that the young players were going to be given an outsized role compared to most teams. Those inexperienced players now have enough experience to be more effective and still have more potential to tap into. Due to the players that the GM brought in this offseason (with the influence of Ruff) this roster is demonstrably better balanced. The critical issue that you note is whether our goaltending will consistently be at a level that regularly give us a chance to win every night. UPL showed in the second half of last season that he can play well enough for extended periods of time. (In fact, his league ranking was in the upper echelon.) In general, I'm optimistic about our playoff prospects. That's really not a high bar for many teams but for us it is reasonable hope. It's really important that this team starts off well and remains in the playoff picture throughout the season. A slow start will be a crushing blow, especially for the exhausted fans.

You are right that we haven't seen this new line against NHL players and in real game situations. However, what is apparent (even as an early judgment) is that this line is fast and tenacious. I won't be surprised that this so-called lower line will have a positive cascading effect on the other three lines. In general, the GM did a good job in subtracting players and adding players to better balance out this roster.

Levi may be better than UPL or UPL may be better than Levi. If we can get quality tandem goaltending for a full season, regardless how the workload is distributed, this team will be demonstrable better than last year's team. If you add in the fact that our fourth line is better constructed, and there is expectation that our scorers should be better compared to last year, then there is realistic expectation that this team will be a playoff team. And if you include the fact that the improved roster will be better coached, then the elevated expectations should be attainable.

A month or so ago I took the subway to go for my annual eye checkup. I was amused by the fact that I was the only person on the train who was reading a newspaper. Everyone else was immersed in their devices. I do use my computer and iphone for news, but my preference is still to read the paper. I'm a dinosaur who has no problem being outdated. Get he helll off my lawn!