JohnC

What are you talking about?

I'm happy that the owner got a game ball. He deserves it for the prudent way he has presided over the organization. If he can follow the same ownership approach for his hockey franchise, then good things will follow. I don't believe that he meddles in the hockey operation as much as many others do. However, I do believe he hired the wrong GM to oversee his franchise.

If you make the right moves, you move forward. If you make the wrong moves, you move backward. Your decisions matter---they make the difference.

You are comparing the NHL to the NFL. Why? They are two distinct entities with different histories, systems and culture. Does Buffalo have some disadvantages compared to some locations? Probably so, but so what. So do many other franchises. There are some good players who don't want to play on the west coast or in the NYC area. The Bills were certainly not a preferred destination for free agents during the last vestiges of Ralph Wilson's tenure. The main reason was the declining owner was not invested in winning as much as he was keeping costs down. Its cost structure was out of step with most of the rest of the league. However, during the Polian and SB era players would want to come here because the franchise was well run and contenders. Compare that to the Sabres! The biggest disadvantage the Sabres have in attracting talent has nothing to do with its location. The biggest disadvantage to attract talent via trades with players with no-trade clauses and with free agents is that a lot of players don't want to go to a team where they know in advance there is little chance to win because of its historical dysfunction. It's gotten so bad that our marque talent, such as Eichel and Reinhart, two top tier players in the league, desperately wanted out. Think about it---things got so bad that the worry wasn't so much as attracting talent as it was keeping your own players in the fold. That's freaking pathetic! Again, the most significant reason why this franchise has struggled is because of the incompetent manner it has been managed. And you well know that it starts at the top! I'm at the point where I'm no longer tolerating excuses for this forlorn franchise.

It wasn't that long ago that the Eagles' coach was being directed to the exit door because of a number of bone headed in game decisions. It didn't help that some of his public comments rationalizing some of his odd decisions put him in even a more precarious position. Now he has his team in the SB discussion. How quickly the tide has changed! McDermott has made some puzzling if not outright bad in game decisions, as do all coaches. When it comes to working with a roster and creating a team environment, he is masterful. The Bills are now considered to be one of the best run NFL franchises. He is one of the main reasons for that. I certainly appreciate him and the work he has done. He and Beane have a terrific working relationship. One of the keys to sustained success.

The Botts situation was different. It was the covid era when economics of the business was upended. The owner whose hockey business and other hospitality businesses were hemorrhaging $$$ wanted an austerity program instituted where the scouting department and other staff were to be fired. The GM said no that he wasn't going along with the staff shredding approach. So he was fired. That's not the case now. For the most part, the current GM is making the hockey decisions. Does he have less $$$ to work with compared to other organizations? Probably so. But the GM is the person who is the most influential person by far in making personnel decisions. To put it mildly, he is less than stellar.

I don't see the owner interfering with the football operation. He hired quality people in McDermott and Beane resulting in resounding success. Why can't the same non-interference policy apply to the lagging hockey team? There is no problem keeping the owner informed about any considered or even impending transaction. He's signing the checks, so he has a right to know what is going on. The model and structure for success exists with his NFL franchise. The same reasoning should apply to the hockey franchise, at least that is how I see it.

I'm in the same boat as you are as far as investing my time on this team. When I watch games and it becomes apparent that the team seems to be going through the motions, I turn the channel or shut the TV off. As with you, my interest is waning.

I'm certain that the NHL, like the NFL, doesn't want any dog franchises (your description) in their league. Why would they? It hurts their overall product in a variety of ways, such as TV broadcast ratings for games the Sabres are on, and attendance shared revenue for other teams etc. The Sabres' plight and blame of being a systemic middling franchise lands at the feet of Terry Pegula. He's had more than enough time to compensate for the mistakes he made as a novice owner. I'm sympathetic to the difficult situation he is in due to the health of his wife. There is a remedy. Devote your time and resources to identify good upcoming candidates who can better run the hockey operation. The standard approach is to examine the successful franchises and find within their operations promising young executives who would be good candidates to oversee his hockey operation and invigorate a lackluster organization. I'm not a pessimist who is in despair over our team. There already are a lot of good pieces/talent on the roster and in the system. I really don't believe that this team is far from being a serious team. I just believe that with the right person at the helm and a few astute moves this team would be on a faster track to success.

The main underlying point to your comment is that TP doesn't meddle in the football operation. And it should be noted that McDermott wasn't the first coach that the owner hired. It was Rex Ryan who was then recently fired by the Jets. When asked why he hired Rex, the owner responded that he wanted to make a splash. Silly and foolish way to run a franchise. Does the owner have an internal cap? Probably so. But the reality is that our GM is a less than average GM. I agree with you, and have often stated, that because of the owner's ineptitude he has suffocated an avid fan base. It's a dam shame. If he put a winning and entertaining product on the ice that arena would be full and rocking, just like the Bandit games.

I was watching this game when they showed Terry P. in the owner's box. What I find so baffling is the dichotomy between the operation of his football and hockey teams. Brandon Beane is one of the best GMs in the game. The combination of McDermott and Beane form one of the top football staffs in the league that is full of top tier staffs. No one can question the canniness of our GM. What's impressive about him is not the blockbuster deals that he makes, there are few of them. It is the number of smart little deals that keep this team rolling for an extended period of time. When I compare the successful operation of the football team to the middling operation of the hockey team, I get really aggravated. I don't understand what the owner is doing. It's like out of frustration he has given up trying to right the ship that he, himself, sunk.

Go for it and put your money on the Bills. They will freeze out the opposition. If the Bills win, you will be required to send me 25% of the winnings for consulting fees. I don't come cheap. 😀

I strenuously disagree that the 16K average attendance is impressive for this market. The reality is that there are plenty of unused season tickets and tickets already bought in game plans because the purchaser can't give away the tickets when unable to use. Western NY and southern Ontario make up a large market of avid hockey fans. The problem is that this owner through his incompetence and negligence has strangled the interest in his losing and boring team. Without looking up the NHL attendance stats it is easy to assume that the Sabre have one of the lowest attendances in the league. Compare attendance to the Sabre games with Bandit games? The Bandits not only regularly sell out but also their crowds are rabid and entertained. The fans in the area will robustly respond to a winning and entertaining product. That's not the case with the lackluster and irrelevant hockey franchise. It's both sad and pathetic. The billionaire owner ought to be ashamed of himself!

How in the heck does taking a tanking strategy for your hockey franchise enhance your position with the football team? That makes no sense. You don't have to dig very deeply for reasons why the Sabres are a failed organization: incompetence of the owner.

What's perplexing to me is that he was more interested in hockey than football. He was very involved in Penn State Univer. hockey. He substantially contributed to building their arena. His aloofness and detachment from the Sabres and fanbase is odd and maddening.

Addressing #4, Terry got into the hospitality business at a full throttle pace. Then covid struck. That substantial part of his enterprise was financially obliterated. He saw that his business strategy to move into that new area was quickly draining off his resources. He sold off much of that part of the business. So his approach was to understandably cut expenses. The problem is that he didn't change it when the economic environment went back to relative normalcy. With respect to #3 and his wife's involvement, I do believe that if she didn't get ill, she would have been better suited to be involved with the hockey operation than the owner. (I'm aware that a lot of people would disagree with that.) She seems to be better with people, listening and communicating. As far as not being in tune with the NHL network, that's because the owner wants it that way. There is nothing unusual that when someone enters a new field of endeavor that has a unique culture that it takes time to understand the uniqueness and complexities of this new realm. However, he's had more than enough time to adapt. He hasn't because that is his wish. My sense of Terry P is that he is comfortable in ordering people to do things and is not good at listening to others giving input that is contrary to his inclinations. Billionaire stubbornness and hubris.

The state of affairs of this franchise is such an absurdity. It takes a lot of effort to be bad for so long. Exponential incompetence is a rarified state to be in. That in itself is an ignominious accomplishment that a lot of others are incapable of achieving.

There is a saying: Penny wise and dollar foolish. If the owner and organization would have been willing to make a few "substantial" moves to augment the "draft and develop" rebuild strategy, this team would be in a much better position. The margin between success and failure can be small. The owner and GM took the cheaper route of thinking small and wasting time. (As you point out.) In a competitive endeavor it is a loser's mentality. You end up getting what you deserve.

What other owner in the league would hire such an inexperienced hockey fellow who already was working in the business side of his hockey organization to take over a downward spiraling franchise? It's an absurdity. It makes no sense other than the owner's priority was to cut costs. No serious hockey person would have been interested in coming here. And the owner wasn't interested in bringing in a serious hockey person because his priority was to cut costs. And that's what made KA appealing: His willingness to do so.

What makes me angry about this mediocre GM is that the time to have made an impactful deal for a second-line player was the offseason. He over-assessed his roster and miscalculated what his roster needs were. Yes, he did a solid job on rebuilding the lower lines, but he was unresponsive to the biggest need of adding a second-line player that would have made the offense more potent. It was a tepid response to a major need. Repeating what I have previously stated: He's a checkers player playing a chess game. He's a congenial fellow who is simply inadequate for the task. Mediocrity breeding more mediocrity.

There certainly are players that are unattainable due to contract clauses. That doesn't mean that all options are foreclosed in acquiring players. Trades still can be made, quality secondary free agents are available, and players move up from within the system. Compare us to the Capitals who have steadily reworked their roster since they won the Cup in 2018. For the most part, it is a reworked roster with the great Ovie still remaining, although he is now hurt. Their record is 17-6-1. There is no question that some franchises are unappealing destinations. But what puts them in the "disfavor" category is that they are recognized for their systemic incompetence. Who would want to be stuck in such a place?

I'm not going to bother discussing this game. Everyone saw what they saw. This 13-year doldrum is inexcusable and absurd. The system is designed for the down teams to move up and make it more challenging for the up teams to remain in their loftier positions. Let's compare Buffalo to the Washington organization that won a Cup in 2018. Over the past few years, the Calpitals have steadily reworked their roster. The front office has added young players from their system, making smart trades and acquiring the right free agent players. Their best player who will be in the HOF, Ovie, will be out for an extended period of time. Their record is 17-6-1, winning 7 straight road games. They won last night in a come from behind win against the Devils, one of the better teams in the league. What has handcuffed this franchise is an owner who personally hired the top staff. He doesn't know what he is doing. But what makes things even worse is that it doesn't seem that he is even invested in his own franchise. Tell me, what NHL franchise would have hired such an inexperienced person like KA to be their GM? I'm not saying that every decision the GM has made is wrong, but what is evident is that there are not enough right decisions to enable this team to be a serious team in the league. My worry is that because this franchise has been stuck for so long in the muck of mediocrity that some of their best young talent will become demoralized and want out like Eichel and Reinhardt did. Players at this level are fierce competitors. They don't like to regularly lose and not have a chance to participate in the playoffs. Don't kid yourself, consistently losing and not winning enough does demoralize even the most talented players. The owner and his GM need to demonstrate more urgency that they care and want to win. It's a ridiculous situation for a fan to be subjected to. What's worse than fan anger is fan apathy. That's the fast-track road that this franchise is on.

The offseason was the time to have acquired a top six forward. Our lackluster GM didn't address that obvious need. What's frustrating with such organizational passivity is that often when you make an impact move it positively reverberates to other players and lines. It has a multiplier effect. On the other hand, I am more positive about Quinn and Cozens's recent play. I do see an uptick in it. The extra two minutes added to Cozens's original penalty were deserved. The linesman allowed him to vent after the original call, but he wouldn't stop. He has to have better situational awareness. His immaturity and discipline were costly. It's on him!

He ended up getting the procedure he wanted. The outcome of the procedure worked out well. The irony is that after he had that particular procedure other players had the same procedure for similar injuries, also working out well for them. The procedure he got was considered experimental in the US while in Europe it was considered a standard procedure. As @Thorner pointed out, he is a tremendous passer. And it should be noted that they two of the top players in the league, Eichel and Reinhart, were drafted and played for Buffalo. Both have their names on the Cup while the franchise they left have struggled. The Sabres are what they are because the organization does what it does. Systemic incompetence is ugly to witness and tough to take.

The call on Cozens was certainly a borderline call. It was a questionable judgment call that both sides have to contend with all the time. That's part of the game. In an overview, we lost this game because we couldn't convert enough when the opportunities presented itself. We lost because we lost.