pi2000

If they're last place and not showing any signs of life by Christmas, Phil is not the right guy to lead this team. Players are not developing under his tutelage. When the entire team as a whole is severely underachieving, it's a coaching issue. How would you evaluate Phil this coming season? Does he get a free pass no matter what happens?

If he doesn't have the guts to fire Phil by Christmas after another putrid start, then yes.. he needs to go.

The two are not mutually exclusive. You can keep ROR and build the farm team. How? Liger responded that he knows a guy "with knowledge" and claims that Kane "absolutely needed to be moved"... for what reason I don't know. If he's so toxic, then why did he get a nice long contract from Doug Wilson (who has much more NHL management experience than Botterill). There you have it, that's the answer I was looking for. So SJ can tolerate his drug issues because veterans in the locker room keep him in check and are mature enough not to let it rub off on them. That makes more sense. That said, IMO drug use is rampant in the NHL and he's not the only one in that Sabres lockerroom who has those same issues.... but yeah I can see where that would be a bad influence on on the young kids and perhaps JBOT is just trying to create a clean environment. The only way the ROR trade makes any sense is if ROR is dealing with the same issues. I spoke to him briefly in Vegas and I don't want to jump conclusions, but he did exhibit characteristics of somebody who uses cocaine on a regular basis. He seemed jumpy, short attention span, sniffling, quick short rapid responses, on edge, pale skin, dark sunken eyes... maybe that's just his personality, but I wasn't born yesterday either. agreed, makes sense Understood, but if contracts like Clarkson, Pronger and Datsyuk can get traded, so can Bogo and Matt Moulson.

So the problem is the players surrounding him, got it.

So is Kane in a vacuum a problem or not?

Please enlighten me. And why is Doug Wilson OK with Kane but JBot is not?

Moulson is still on the books... they didn't dump him on anybody. Bogo still on the books. JBOt had last summer and now this summer to find creative ways to move them.. freeing up cap space to significantly improve the bottom 6 through 2 off-seasons of free agency and trade. JBOT was billed as a cap genius, but nothing he's done strikes me as very impressive. The bottom 6 still suck, bad contracts are still on the books and we're down two of our top point producers. Brilliant.

SJ doesn't seem to think so. Or are you saying you trust a rookie GM more than a GM of a perennial Cup contender?

But Eichel is? Risto? Housley? Reinhart? Bogo? Everyone gets a free pass but OReilly. The only issue with O'Reilly is that he hates losing too much and it eats away at him. Put him on a team with guys who are used to losing and it will certainly cause a rift in the lockeroom. To change the losing culture they needed more guys with his "hate to lose" attitude. Kane hated losing too. Now they're both gone... while the stink of the tank lives on... good luck with that.

I guarantee they still have a spot. Berglund and Sobotka replace Josefson and Pouliot. By trading O'Reilly there's now a gaping hole down the middle. And if you think Mittlestadt is going to slot in as the #2 center and not skip a beat... we'll it's going to be a long season.

They trade away an all-star and keep a bunch of guys who have contributed zero. Oh and they also keep a head coach that lead this team to basement. You want culture change, bring in a new head coach... waive/trade guys who don't contribute anyhthing. You don't trade your second best player. Why is it that all these teams find creative ways to dump bad contracts.. except for Buffalo?

O'Reilly wasn't the reason they were in last place. They needed more O'Reillys, and fewer Larssons, Girgensons, Josefsons, Pouliots, Bogosians. They did the opposite... moved OReilly and still have leftovers from the tank who contribute nothing and are OK with losing because that's all they've ever known. You want a culture change? Do whatever you need to do to move the Larssons, and Bogosians. They've don't nothing to help this team win and for some reason they're still around, while an NHL all time leading faceoff record holder who leads the league in minutes played gets shown the door. Makes no sense.

Who's going to win a faceoffs or kill penalties or play power play or key moments in games? That's not something you can make up for collectively. He did it all, he was a rare breed and now he's gone. Why exactly did he need to go? First Eichel runs Bylsma out of town, now O'Reilly. Who's next? Dahlin? Mittlestadt? Housley?

He is Taylor Pyatt reincarnated.

Some questions I have for JBOT... who's going to take key face-offs? Who's going to kill penalities? Who's going to sport the best beard in the game? Nobody else can grow facial hair, and frankly that's a big concern. OReilly ranked 1st in the league in face-offs (beard strength).. the next best Sabre? Jack Eichel...98th. Yeah, it's going to be another looooong season. sickening

Berglund and Sobotka are better than any bottom sixers on the team last season. But the point is that you don't need to trade your second best player to upgrade 2 of the bottom sixers.. especially on this plug squad. Upgrading the bottom sixers should've been done through a combination of free agency, and promotions from Roch... maybe a small trade or two, but not your second best player. O'Reilly is going to thrive next season in STL.

Without O'Reilly? Probably top 6 *vomits*.

Hmmmmm didn't think he looked that great in the tourney. More depth for Roch I guess.

When Pegula took over, the team was perpetually on the playoffs bubble. Perpetually drafting in the middle of round 1, with no star players to build around. His directive was to build a team that contends year in and year out FOR THE CUP.. and he said "if you want to watch the Sydney Crosby's you have to get the Sydney Crosby's." Enter Tim Murray and the tank wars. Draft Eichel and Reinhart, trade for O'Reilly... this team was set down the middle for the next decade, which is something ALL Championship teams have in common. Fast forward to today.... JBOTs trades away one of the best 2way centers in the game for bag of turds. This was a last place team WITH O'Reilly, it will be a last place team without him. O'Reilly wasn't holding this team back. Larsson, Girgensons, Pouliot, Josefson, Bogo, etc... those are the guys that need to be replaced NOT the second best player on your roster. Those bottom sixers could've been replaced last season, if not last summer, then at the deadline for a late round pick or whatever... thats how you change the culture. Move out the guys that have been poisoned by the tank and let them start fresh elsewhere. I feel sick about this O'Reilly trade. This puts BUF back to where they were before the tank.... with the likes of Larsson, Girgensons, Bogosian still poisoning the bench, etc.

This trade tells me the goal now I just to make the playoffs, not contend for a Cup. The new roster reeks of perpetual 10th-7th place finishes and middling draft picks.

Yeah, BUF will be better everywhere expect face-offs, PP, and PK.

O'Reilly is the best player in the deal. Sabres lose this one hands down. That's a whole pile of crap for an All-star... where is that "lose for Hughes" thread?

Matthews replacement... it's happening folks.

But how much Robin Lehner have you seen over the past 2 seasons?

Welcome Dwayne Roloso... I mean... Carter Hutton to Buffalo!