pi2000

Maybe Jack will have a chip on his shoulder now and bolt first chance he gets.... in 9 years!

woooooo! awesome! $10m AAV? That's less than two Moulsons!

That's easily the most mind-boggling stat in the history of all sports.

Can we stay on topic please! This obviously belongs in the "Sabres Jack Eichel making fun of former Montreal Canadien Nathan Beaulieu during a post-practice impromptu media scrum 2 days before the season-opening game against Nathan Beaulieu's former team, the Montreal Canadiens" thread. Anywho, yeah that's not very captain like from Jack... he's basically a clown, and I think that's part of the reason he's not Captain yet is because he's such a goof ball nobody can take him seriously enough. It's good to have guys like in the locker room to keep everybody loose, it's just a strange personality to have for the franchise player... which personally I like because he's comfortable just being himself, and that's what makes him unique.

Let's try to stay on topic here. Eichel should be captain, but only on the power play. 5-on-5, ROR. Shorthanded, Risto. Shootout, Josefson. OT, Kane.

Why? It's not a dispute, he's signed.

Why?

extra sharp cheddar smoked Gouda nacho

We've already heard him talk for 4 weeks of camp and pre-season games. Listening to him speak about his team it's easy to understand why he was so well liked by the players in NSH. He sounds like a player and there's no doubt he relates extremely well to them, but that's not what makes a good head coach. I can't imagine hearing guys like Babcock, Quenneville, Suter, etc... complimenting their players after a loss. There's a reason those types of coaches are successful and it's not by being soft to maintain a good relationship with their players.

I'm not going to go hunting down videos and posting links and timestamps, etc... You can go look them up yourself. In almost every interview he says something to the effect "It's a process... it's going to take time.. we have to be patient, etc, etc etc.." That's poor leadership IMO. JUst listen to this interview... https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/phil-housley-postgame-92917/t-277822760/c-53053203 ...right off the bat he starts making excuses.... "The Islanders have only given up 9 goals in 6 games, blah blah, they're really good defensively...." Essentially just making an excuse for his team's lack of offense. At the 2:50 mark he talks about system and that it's "going to take time". Then he goes on to talk about "I appreciate the players efforts at practice, etc. etc... It's a process". I'm sorry but that just doesn't do it for me. I'd rather here him say "learning a system is no excuse... all teams go through it... we need to find ways to win hockey games and I expect us to win every game". He just doesn't seem demanding enough and I'm afraid that will be an issue moving forward.

So by how many points do you expect them to improve by this season? And at what point do you hold Housley accountable? Everything I've heard from Housley is that he's setting expectations extremely low... and that never ends well. When Babcock took over in TOR he expected to win right away and expected that from his players. That's part of what makes a good leader... and I've seen none of that display from Housley or his staff.

hahaha, good one Look, Bylsma's first year behind the bench saw the Sabres improve from 54 to 81 points. A 27 point improvement. Let's see how many points they improve by this season. I'll bet it's not 27 points.

Well, uh, I ummm, uh, hmmm, yeah.... I don't recall your honor.

If Housley was a proven HC who has a history of success, then I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, and through no fault of his own, he doesn't have any history. So until that happens, I'll remain a skeptic. 1 - It's sign that he's soft and won't say what needs to be said when it needs to be said. 2 - I'm not anti-Housley. I really hope he succeeds and we see some promising signs early in the season. That said, I'm also a realist. Just because I'm not as optimistic as some of you, doesn't mean I'm not a fan. I hope to God I'm wrong. 3 - McDermott is a leader, a firey passionate guy who has his team believing and buying in. Can Housley do the same? I don't know, but nothing I've seen or heard thus far suggests that's likely. 4 - Absolutely!

The fact that this is still an issue they're discussing is not a good sign. You'd hope somebody like ROR or Eichel would've taken the reigns over the past month and half. This reflects poorly on both players and their ability (or lack thereof) to lead.

money

I think Bylsma did everything he could with the hand he was dealt. Was he the right guy for this particular group? Maybe not... but that doesn't make him a bad coach. I've seen nothing from this preseason to suggest Housley has them on the right path. Guys like ROR, Eichel, etc... sleep-walking through pre-season games, ragged scrambley d-zone play, giving up odd man rush after odd man rush. Lack of effort and focus... and all Housley has done is heap praise on this group for their work ethic.... well, I for one, don't see any amount of work ethic from anybody. Who shined in camp? Nobody. Who took that next step in their development? Nobody. Who's taken a leadership role? Nobody. What are the lines going to look like opening night? Who knows. I don't know Housley personally, but it sounds like he hasn't earned the players respect... maybe he will, maybe he won't. Just a very underwhelming start.... with low expectations, and excuses aplenty (new coach/system will take time to adjust), this team is setup for an abysmal start to the season... and I put that on Housley. Every interview he says things like "It's a process".... "It's going to take some time"..... you know what? that! With the talent on this roster, they shouldn't be satisfied with just "making progress". Housley is giving players a built in excuse to take nights/periosds off. He has all the hallmarks of a guy that the players are going to take advantage of.... and it's already showing in the pre-season with slow starts and guys under-performing. I think he's in over his head.

Just because it's different, doesn't mean it's better.

There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.

Has anyone ever heard Housley say somebody didn't have a good camp? I'm getting the sense that he only has nice things to say when speaking with the media.

you have to pick 2 teams starting week 14.. read the first post on this thread for the rules.

Surprising win. McDermott has these guys believing and playing for each other. That alone will take them a long way. If they don't make the playoffs it won't be for lack of coaching or desire or team. I can live with that. Fun team to cheer for.

He's got hands like Tim Connolly.

Good post. I feel exactly the same. I've watched quite a bit preseason, mostly teams out west, and they all look light years ahead of BUF. I'm bracing for another loooong season.