LabattBlue
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Posts posted by LabattBlue
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Don’t get me wrong, Ruff over Granato will be an improvement. That being said, I can’t wait to hear about the thorough search that was conducted.
Pegula meddling again?
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4 minutes ago, pastajoe said:
Congrats on your win. Hopefully next season players won’t abandon their teams after the draft. Having players on IR on their active rosters was ridiculous.
I know. Always a problem...and I don't understand it. Plenty of time early in the season to improve a roster without putting much time or effort into it. Maybe scale back to 10 teams?
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The Sabres are not up against the cap, so I would buyout Skinner this offseason. The numbers are not outrageous...
https://www.capfriendly.com/buyout-calculator/jeff-skinner
I have no interest in re-signing Jost, Clague, Comrie, Olofsson, Girgensons, Bryson, Stillman. Maybe Robinson at a reduced salary.
Trade Joker alone or in a package for forward help. Trade 1st pick for forward help or RHD.
Kulich, Rosen, Savoie, Östlund, etc...all in Rochester to start the season
Top 6(no particular line combos) Cozens, Thompson, Peterka, Quinn, Tuch & ???
Bottom 6 + 13th & 14th forwards(no particular combos) Greenway, Benson, Krebs, ???, ???, ???, ??? & ???
Top 6 defenseman + 7th & 8th(no particular pairings) Dahlin(L), Byrum(L), Power(L), Clifton(R), Johnson(L), ???, ??? & ???
Assuming 2 goalies, that leaves 8 spots to be filled with most important being a top 4 RHD, a top 6 LW/RW, solid 2 way 3C, and a LOT of 4th line grit.
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I wonder if 2024-2025 results in another season of him playing in ~50% of the games, will result in them putting him on the trade block?
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I am not worried about hiring the coach that can "only" get the team to the playoffs, but never a serious contender. Hire him, get this team back to respectable, and in 3 years if the team is stuck in neutral after a few playoff appearances, then make a change. For now though, give me the experienced HC. You pick...Gallant, Ruff, Berube, Boudreau, Boucher, etc..., and then give them the budget to bring in the best assistants possible.
Anyone without a successful NHL HC resume, need not apply.
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I didn't hear the Hamilton segment about Cozens, so take this with a grain of salt. I am always somewhat skeptical about his opinions, because I always get the feeling he wants to come across as smarter than he really is. Does Cozens need the help of a sports psychologist? Who knows, but I wouldn't trust Hamilton to be the definitive voice on the subject.
I still remember how he carried on for weeks on end criticizing Reinhart for not participating in ROR's practice after practice. How did that workout Paul?
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@LabattBlue @North Buffalo @steveoath @Andrew Amerk @Norcal @pastajoe @Two or less @Lanny @gilbert11 @French Collection @TheAud @Curt
Another year in the books. Yours truly, LabattBlue, took down the two best regular season teams in the playoffs, and was crowned champion 386.50 - 379.40 over Lanny.
Looking for someone to run the league next season(I will still be in the league). Anyone interested?
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1 hour ago, #freejame said:
Quotes like this are up there with the most embarrassing experiences of the drought imo. Just a complete joke of a season from day zero.
…but he did such a wonderful job with player development.
/sarcasm off
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Hello complaint thread, my old friend. 😂
Typical Buffalo spring. For every decent day, there are 3 days with some combination of grey skies, rain & below average temps.
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7 minutes ago, Believer said:
Quick trigger… Kid exhibits High Compete… is 23… 6’ 185 lbs… Can put on 10-15 lbs of muscle with work and time… Would have no issue signing Krebs 2 yrs for $5-6M to let him find his identity unless the new Coach doesn’t see any potential.
Holy overpayment Batman!! 😱
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3 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:
"Ladies and gentlemen... Please welcome your Atlanta Sabres!"
So the only choices are Pegula remains as the Sabres owner, or the franchise is sold and relocated? Okie dokie.
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1 hour ago, Pimlach said:
I agree with letting him go. I have said this for quite a while, he did what he can do with this group, and they needed to move on.
Your posts on his firing read as angry and disrespectful to the guy.
Frustrated that my team has become a league laughing stock? Yes.
Angry? No
Not sure how I can be disrespectful to someone I have never met, via a message board?
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Little to no trade value at this point in his career. As an RFA, make him the QO. Worst case scenario for less than $1m cap hit he is the 13th forward. If he can’t hit that bar come October, waive him to Rochester. Either he clears and is a good asset for the Amerks, or he is claimed, and is chalked up to…oh well.
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2 hours ago, Pimlach said:
OK, he failed. Failed miserably? Does it make you feel better if he failed miserably?
Listening to Adams yesterday, the failure to make the playoffs this season was clearly a joint effort by the GM, the Coach, the coaching staff, and the players. Which is exactly what we saw from the off season, to camp, to the very last game. A poorly constructed roster, a flawed hockey system, arrogant players, bad coaching, and a lack of leadership and accountability throughout. The HC takes the blame because you simply cannot fire everyone. He was maxed out with what he could do here.
Prior seasons I do not think he had the guns to get there, especially in goal.
So yes, he failed. Failed miserably is a team honor.
You really want to nitpick “failed” vs “failed miserably”? What difference does it really make? IMO almost all will agree he needed to go.
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40 minutes ago, pastajoe said:
Disagree that he was a complete failure. It was his idea to move Tage to center which allowed him to prosper. He gave Dahlin the free reign to make the most of his abilities. He stuck with UPL until he gained the confidence to become a legitimate starter. He got Greenway to become a solid contributor, especially on the PK. He gave Benson more chances to bloom than most 18 year olds get.
It is true that the team emphasis on improving defensively seemed to adversely affect their offense which gave us such hope last season. Granato seemed to go as far as he could with this team. So time to find someone who can take them to the next level.
If “taking a team as far as they could go” includes missing the playoffs each year, yet considered a success by some here, he should never have been hired…therefore he failed miserably as an NHL HC.
Set the bar ridiculously low, and this is what you end up with.
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I am tired of reading here that Granato did what he was hired to do. This is 100% *****.
He was a joke as a HC, and a complete failure.
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I don’t want him as HC, but IMO Ruff is going to be hired. Pegula and Adams know the fanbase is fed up, and Ruff is a name that most would get behind(and hopefully renew their season tix).
Biggest problem regardless of who is hired, I am still not sold that Adams is capable of putting together a roster that can not only make it to the playoffs, but win in the playoffs.
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1 minute ago, SDS said:
Anger makes a poor companion to level-headed thinking.
Anger? I am long past that. More like…who cares when the owner has run the franchise into the ground…maybe one of the worst(if not the very worst) 13 year stretches in NHL history.
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Just now, Big Guava said:
Ones that use common sense? Seems that is in short supply these days.
Not common sense…more like blind loyalty.
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Just now, MISabresFan said:
Question, if you were an unemployed experienced NHL coach, would you want to take this job?
There are only 32 jobs to be had.
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2 minutes ago, Big Guava said:
To develop young players? It makes tons of sense.
Did you see where these same players were under Kreuger?
And they didn't "know" he wouldn't get them to the playoffs...I mean My God, one point/win away last year and we act like they finished in dead last.
Get a grip dude.
Pegula absolutely loves fans like you.
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My choice…”doesn’t matter until Pegula sells the team and a real GM is hired”.
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2 minutes ago, Big Guava said:
He WAS the right guy to get us to this point where we are close...now we need the coach that can come in and take us to the next level.
So they hired a coach that they knew couldn’t get them to the playoffs? Yeah….that makes sense.
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Lindy Ruff officially hired as Sabres HC
in The Aud Club
Posted
Insider info, or has this been reported somewhere?