JohnC

Why do you think that players are more inclined to say "no thanks" here than with other franchises.

As you noted, this was a fraudulent "coaching search" that fooled no one. Everyone who had a penny's worth of sense recognized that the hiring process was an undisguised charade. It was lame to even try to call it as anything other than for what it was i.e. an owner's hire. The disqualifying issue isn't that Ruff was selected as the HC. It was that a critical hire, like the GM hire, was made based on the whim of an incompetent and hubristic owner. It isn't a surprise that when an organization acts in a third-rate manner that the end product is third-rate. Ownership matters!

KA was an owner's hire. From a qualification standpoint, it made no sense. From the owner's perspective, he got exactly what he wanted. He hired someone in his organization (business side) who had numerous discussions with on how to cut costs and save him money. A plan was drawn up to start over again, replacing the more expensive core players with cheaper newly drafted players. It was the standard model for most rebuilds. The argument shouldn't be about whether the "rebuild plan" was right or wrong because that was the approach that was decided on. Even if it was the wrong approach to take, that doesn't mean that it couldn't have worked reasonably well by year five if implemented properly. Anyone who has been in the work world knows very well that it doesn't matter what the "plan" is, whether it is a smart or foolish plan, that it will not work when carried out by incompetents. So where are we now five years into the KA tenure? We are still a flailing franchise that is spinning its wheels and getting nowhere fast. Within the Pegula ownership era it has been noted for its best players wanting out. And it shouldn't be surprising that its current best players will be on the verge of wanting out of this fiasco situation. What's the lesson to be learned? Ownership matters.

A lot of people made a premature judgment on Samuelsson. The same harsh judges were adamant about their evaluation of the defenseman. They were wrong because it is evident that the scorned player is now playing well. With respect to UPL, I, like many, are skeptical about him. What’s wrong with finding out what he is capable of? And don’t you think that if Ruff believed that Ellis gave the team a better chance to win that he would be in the net tonight?

Making a determination on UPL’s status with the team is a more important consideration than determining what Ellis’s role is, of course if it is believed that both goalies give you the same chance to succeed in tonight’s game. If Ellis ends on waivers and picked up, then so be it. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Levi is still in the system and can be moved up when the need arises.

The player wasn't close to the organization. He wanted out. And he wasn't here very long. As I said in the prior post, I just think that it gets overused to the point where it loses its intended effect. I just don't think in this particular case that it was warranted.

Why does he deserve a "tribute video"? He wasn't here long and wanted out. Besides, I'm sure he didn't want one or even care about having it. The tribute video is a nice tradition that gets used too much. There are a number of things that one can criticize the organization for, but this isn't one of them.

I’m not anointing Utah as a top team. I didn’t sat that they were. However, based on what I watched night, it’s not unfair that this young team is a rising team. With respect to being disappointed or not at getting a point in a game where you were decisively outplayed (my opinion), I’ll gladly accept the point. If we would have outplayed them or even played them evenly, I would be disappointed at getting just one point for the home game.

Your eyes are different from mine. In this game, I decisively felt that Utah was the better team. We hung in there but on balance the team that played better won. If you came away with a different conclusion, that's fine. The highlighted commented you made is exactly what I saw in last night's game.

I've said it in other posts that Utah had the edge in play. But for a depleted team with two contributors out of the lineup (Benson and Zucker), I felt that they hung in there all game long. And it should also be noted that just as Lyon was exceptional, so was the opposition's goalie in making some big time stops.

I agree that we had good chances that were not capitalized. Some of it due to missing the shot and others due to the opposition's goalie making exceptional stops. But let's not forget that there are two sides to this equation: the opposition also had glorious chances to score that were stymied. We are all Sabre fans. But in my eyes Utah was the better team that on balance outplayed us. I'm not scoffing at the point that we gained from this game. We were fortunate to have earned it.

Getting a loser point when the opposition outplayed you is not a bad outcome. It tells you that your depleted team hung in there to the end. And it tells you that this team has more fight and intestinal fortitude than prior teams. Injuries are part of the game. But recognizing that two important contributors to the lineup (Zucker and Benson) were missing is the backdrop in this hard-fought game. There were ebbs and flows to this game where overall Utah had the advantage in play. (My opinion.) However, I never felt that the Sabres ever stopped competing. The reality is that the Sabres are a fringe playoff caliber team. Last night, they played a better team that went full throttle and they kept up. I'm not trying to be defeatist here. I'm trying to objectively evaluate the team that currently exists.

The Sabres were fortunate to squeak out a point with the loser point. A number of our players were out due to injuries, most notably Benson and Zucker. I was really impressed with Utah. They are fast but also play an unrelenting hard game. Both goalies shined in this game. Lyon is solidifying a claim to be our #1 goalie. Anyone who is a nonpartisan fan and watched this game would have concluded that last night Utah was the better team. On the other hand, recognizing that Buffalo was shorthanded in this I’m more upbeat than downbeat with the home team.

I’m a Power fan. I wish people will find someone else to target. It wasn’t long ago that Samuelsson was an unceasing target. Now look at how well he is playing. How about showing more patience with Power!

Impressed with Utah’s speed.

I’m not evaluating this particular trade in the framework of winning or losing. In my opinion, we got better. And I’m sure that Utah feels the same on their end.

If he scores 50 goals for Utah, getting back Doan and Kesserling was still a good deal for us. JJP made it clear that he wasn't going to sign here, making him an UFA in another year. So the organization did the smart thing to deal him when his value was high instead of waiting for their trade leverage to decline. It wouldn't be a surprise if JJP becomes a regular 30-40 goal scorer. And it wouldn't be a surprise if on another team he becomes a more responsible two-way player. After 12 games his stat line is: 4-6, +6. I'm sure that Utah is happy trading him. On the other hand, with the additions of Doan and Kesserling, the Sabres are a more balanced team and a better team. Each of our additions improved areas where we needed upgrading. This was a win/win trade for the transacting teams.

Timmons is quietly good. You don’t notice him because there is little flair to his game. He’s fundamentally solid with little wasted motion. He’s the type of defenseman we were looking to acquire for years.

It’s pronounced the same way as when you see Shaquille O’Neil in person and say to yourself: You-tall! 😀

You have to consider that he hadn’t played a game for quite awhile. So a little shakiness in the beginning of the game shouldn’t be a surprise. Late in the game and in overtime he faced a barrage of shots and stood tall. In the SO he was stellar. I’ve been a critic of him because of his up and down play. In this game, it should be acknowledged that he was a big factor in the win.

Yes.

McD and Beane are a terrific duo and are in sync. Pegula has struggled to get the upper staffing right for the Sabres but has hit a home run installing the leadership for the Bills. Our OL play in this game was terrific. It created running lanes even when the opposition knew we were going to run. Kincaid played well. The holding call on Knox was so marginal. Referring is a tough job. But whatever happened to good judgment and discretion. The Bills’ fans are blessed to have Josh Allen as their qb. He’s an all-pro player and good guy. Who does more commercials? Kevin Hart or Josh Allen?

The Bills are well run under McDermott and Beane. However, not drafting Worthy and dropping down to take Coleman was a glaring miscalculation.

I’m sure that he doesn’t want out. But he’s a veteran who is well aware of the business side of the game. He’s said in an interview that I listened to that he’s not bothered by the contract negotiations because it is in the hands of his agent. I consider him to be a core/essential player. His stats are good but his leadership value is immeasurable. I expect a deal will get done because management recognizes his value to the team and organization. For an organization that has a had a lot of instability, he’s a pillar of stability.

With respect to Ovi this was a back to back for him, so it was probably pre-determined that he wouldn’t get much playing time. I’m in the Maryland/DC metro area. If he wasn’t so close to his historic landmark goal, he probably would have retired after last season. I’m confident that this will be his last year because he is a shadow from his normal. As you indicate, no one is good enough to defeat Father Time. It’s never lost a game going against humans.