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SabresVet

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Everything posted by SabresVet

  1. The lack of fire on this team is alarming for a group that's been playing together for a couple years now. Too often this season they came off as sleep-walking through games and the 0-1 starts demonstrated that. I don't think Granato is reaching them and perhaps that's not all on the HC. He didn't craft this roster, although he had input. Either the right guys are here and Granato's hit a wall or the Adams has built the team wrong and Granato cannot squeeze more out of them. The other possibility is Granato is not up to the task and the roster is full of unmotivated talent. Because for every strong game this year, there were 2-3 they couldn't do anything right. Whatever the case, management is running out of time with the fans. They've delayed making major moves and I'd hate for it to take a 2024 October-December run like they did this year to put them well behind in the playoff race.
  2. Botterill was fired because he refused to cut staff. Murray because he didn’t build a team aligned with his HC’s scheme. Regier because he had lots of money and still couldn’t get it done during TPegs’ early years. Terry wouldn’t have to fire so many people if he could find better GMs. That would necessitate he admit he doesn’t know his a** from a hole in the ground about the NHL. Which would, of course, allow Buffalo to attract a qualified GM to get this team into the playoffs. I don’t think Terry has a plan if Kevyn keeps failing. Not many eager to have thay guy second-guesssing a GM or meddling in personnel.
  3. Funny thing is I can envision Seattle firing Hakstool if they miss the playoffs this year after being the 1st WC last year with 100 points. You set the standard and then achieve it or else in most organizations. Not making it should never mean re-inventing the standard of performance unless a major injury or several injuries occur. As in, that they're developing, but not enough to make the playoffs after saying so to end last season. That's what I see is creating the most heartache here. Changing the standard to meet current season performance.
  4. Not all teams have Decembers that practically deep-six their playoff hopes. This game was closer to the pre-January norm than many want to think. They did not respond to Detroit's pressure and that's been an ongoing issue all season:
  5. This is a lot of circuitous logic here. We've seen players get NHL time after their college season ended on the first year of their ELC. It's a good gesture from the team. Power stands as one of the more recent examples and Mittlestadt before him. To take Levi and play him at the end of 2022-23 is the comparison...but to the start him the following season is entirely different. The problem with you saying in 2023 that he "was 5-2 and looked pretty good" is that teams had all season to watch tape on him and see his weaknesses. He also didn't have the workload of a starter at the end of 22-23 to show if he was physically and mentally up to be a reliable starter. Because even this "braintrust" doesn't make decisions based on a "it's worth a shot" mentality. This is the NHL and not a beer league team. No, their development plan for Levi was to start him in Buffalo this year within the three-headed monster and hoped he became the de facto starter. The likelihood that would work is almost zero IMO, but they had no option. Their inability to find a starter meant he needed to play before he was ready. Worse, the lack of a goalie plan has directly affected to the overall record. Buffalo needed to be in the playoffs this season and likely won't which means those young guys everyone is counting on won't get that experience to further their growth presumably in 2024-25. Much of that was because their start this season was bad. In other words, this is very much a personnel self-inflicted wound. Good news is, UPL has made himself the starter through his play, although playing a full time starter's minutes is becoming a challenge now. But if he hadn't turned in several solid performances, they'd never have sent Levi down. He'd have kept playing and struggling and then where would they be? Playing Comrie more?
  6. A few seasons ago, Tage remained on the NHL roster when it was clear he wasn't playing well. It's not a stretch to say that happened because the O'Reilly trade looked so bad at the time. I see Levi getting NHL PT right out of college because someone saw Reinhart excel in Florida and they looked bad in that deal. At least in the short-term. For a franchise that preaches development, taking a goalie from the college ranks and playing him in the pros so soon has something else involved. Point is, Pegula may not be front and center, but his micro-management is felt. Adams has probably earned a degree of trust to keep Terry's hands off personnel decisions, but he's still the owner. And he takes a lot of heat for where this franchise has been during his ownership.
  7. I've believe that many sports fans have made their fan-hood so large a part of their personal identity that to criticize the team is actually received as criticizing them. It's why, no matter what the end result, as in no playoffs for 12, 13 years that the criticism is not taken well.
  8. Drawing hard conclusions from an event like this is not worth much. It's clear by now that the core they've re-signed will remain long-term, supported by a few veterans, and their conviction younger players will improve. It's a stay the course thing and that's always been the plan. Biggest issue for me is the inconsistent effort this season. They have a void in leadership with both management and players to hammer home this is a results-based organization. I'm not seeing how they'll address that with the room of who will be there next year. They've tried using people who've grown up in the organization. They've tried importing leaders. Neither attempt has worked. I'd hope Adams is open to replacing the HC if they go down the stretch lukewarm to finish the season. But I'm not holding my breath either.
  9. Stop right there. To quote Red from Shawshank Redemption, "Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. It's got no use on the other side. Better get used to that idea."
  10. The only hope is that coverage like this hastens the whole coaching staff being fired. Inexcusable that confusion exists on the PP like that 80% into the third full season of this rebuild.
  11. Pegula is involved when he shouldn't be and isn't when he should be. He is a major issue, but at this point, given the 7 HC and 1 GM fired this season, I don't think Adams can fire Granato. Either by rule from above or because he's attached to this mess that close. 4 of the bottom 8 teams in the Eastern Conference have either fired a HC or GM (CBJ, OTT, NJ, NYI). Montreal's HC is in his second full season, the Caps are replaced their HC last season leaving only Pittsburgh. Something is amiss in Buffalo's front office.
  12. The plan is to keep Granato, keep getting inconsistent effort from the Gen Z kid...and then tell everyone things are getting better as they slide down the standings. What did you think it was? 😉
  13. 2 goals in 5 periods and an OT. Even Coach Norman Dale from Hoosiers would tell these guys to shoot more.
  14. Usually teams are forced to move young productive players up for a contract extension when they are already A) Playoff-bound and B) spending near the cap. Buffalo is neither and won't be any time soon.
  15. The centers this team has shipped out the past 6 years. O'Reilly, Reinhart, Eichel, and Mittelstadt. Sabres have a tendency to ship players to Cup Winners/contenders. LOL.
  16. The low level of trust in the GM is coming out full bore in this thread. And it's all completely reasonable. Might be a good move in the long run...but being a seller at the deadline essentially with an asset he had no real intention of keeping will be suspect until it's not. And it comes 3+ seasons into a rebuild. As @That Aud Smell noted, this was kind of set when TT and Cozens got extended.
  17. Yeah, Detroit's spending isn't that much in front of Buffalo's these last 3 seasons. Spotrac had Buffalo minus 18M total over the last 3 seasons. Comes down to being efficient with cap dollars and making strategic decisions with players. I think Adams got nervous with young talent seeing Reinhart leave without a long-term plan in plate. And he wanted to send a message to keep home-grown guys here. Good initiative, not as good judgment on those Cozens/Samuelsson long-term deals. GM's have to fail forward and, in the NFL with non-guaranteed contracts that's easier to do. Agree on all points...and when a NHL GM makes a mistake, they own it for the life of that contract.
  18. There's different ways to rebuild a team, but doing so on the cheap is exceptionally hard. And that's what I think Adams had to contend with where Yzerman really didn't. Looking at Detroit's spending, they haven't been much beneath 70M as a low point since 2020-21. Adams was apparently only allowed to remain around the floor those first couple seasons. Not surprising he went with the youth movement for that reason. And then, some bad decisions hurt their ability to improve, as you note, by prioritizing guys like EJ who, yeah, are leader veteran types for that locker room, but can't play the hockey they need. Adams was overcompensating for the youth in that room with late-stage veterans because he had such a vacuum in leadership. Bad decisions beget bad decisions.
  19. The time these guys are on ice indicates Granato knows they're under some pressure to win now, albeit 50+ games into the season. If they'd have played better in November and December they wouldn't be running Dahlin out there 28+ minutes per or playing a now-dependable UPL on back to back nights. This also hits at something I've had an issue with Adams about how he's rebuilt this roster. They lack depth and 1 injury hurts them more than it should. Sure, Samuelsson is out, but it hurts more because recent signings like Clifton and E. Johnson (prior to his injury/sitting) weren't as reliable. The guys who perform, like in job environments, get more work. Same goes for the goaltending. Not entirely bad to have a guy (UPL) separate from the group, but the position has a lack of depth if they can't play the backup more. Not a long-term solution and points to them still needing better depth.
  20. The HC sounds like a therapist with 20+ patients he's working with. That's my take on the interview. When I listen to DG, his leadership comes off as weak. A yeller and screamer isn't required, but the word salad drives me nuts. I'd like a HC who is succinct, terse at times, and doesn't have to think for 5 seconds about how to avoid hurting someone's feelings. And that last part doesn't mean ripping a player in public. Maybe DG spent too much time around Krueger and has picked up on that persona. Or, it's that he's been here too long (5 seasons now) and by default acquiesces to the players out of familiarity. All the more reason to make a change.
  21. I am still amazed that the fan reaction calling for DG's firing did not motivate them to play harder for their coach. If I recall, this happened during the brutal loss to CBJ on 12/20...and they're 11-10-1 since then. Instead they chose to focus their ire onto fans evidently. Simply amazing that professional athletes think results shouldn't really matter to fans.
  22. I looked at league standings after the Anaheim game and out of the bottom 16 teams about 2/3rds of the way through the season: -5 have fired either their HC (STL, NYI, MIN, OTT) or GM (CBJ) this season -4 fired their HC after last season and have a 1st year guy (NSH, CGY, WAS, ANA) -3 have a HC in their 2nd full season (SJ, CHI) (MON) or one hired at the end of 2021-22 -1 is an expansion franchise (SEA) whose HC won a playoff series and is in his 3rd season -1 is a long-time HC (PIT) with a track record of success -2 have a HC in their 3rd season without a playoff appearance and likely will not make it this season (AZ, BUF) Stellar company there with the Coyotes and the turmoil surrounding that franchise. Throw in that LA fired their HC despite being in the race for a playoff spot. And, that Detroit is now middle-tier in the standings after being bottom-quartile last year.
  23. Making the playoffs would have/should have been a part of the development of these younger players. Even if only to go up against a 1 or 2 seed in the first round and exit after a 5 or 6 game series. Agree completely that they're hiding behind the "Development" narrative. It's so ambiguous enough to say because you can't quantify "Development" progress and the only real way is where they are in the standings. A 78-point pace season is not development after a 91 point campaign the previous year...particularly when (as someone upthread noted) that Peterka and UPL are the only ones who've taken a step forward this year. And Quinn probably would have minus the injuries. It ain't development when just about all the other players have taken a step back.
  24. This is a generational issue and what worked 20-50 years ago with Gen X and Boomer generation athletes doesn't now. It's why other pro leagues have been hiring managers and head coaches who are younger...to connect with these young guys. Seems like the NBA, MLB and even the NFL now are plucking guys pretty soon after they retire from a pro career or after only a couple jobs for that top job. I still think Granato has done all he can and it's time to exit stage left. They need someone up to the task of the NHL and all it's complexity.
  25. This is all well and nice, but why do pro athletes need to be motivated, especially some who've been rewarded with long-term extensions? Yelling and screaming does nothing for a guy who's got guaranteed money coming for 4 or more seasons. GM has really tied the hands of a future HC, if they did dump Granato with 2 year left on his deal.
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