Are Darcy and Lindy really on the same page when it comes to this team?

[LabattBlue]

I'm really starting to wonder how much say Lindy has in terms of who is on the roster. Max was been benched, sent to the press box or shuffled to the 4th line more times than I can remember which is a clear indicator that he is not one of Lindy's favorites, yet here he is still on the team. Now I read here this morning that Lindy comes out and admits that Tallinder may never be as good as he was before. The Sabres have had this soft defense for several years now and nothing is changing. You can't make me believe that Lindy who was a tough kid coming out of the WHL all of a sudden is in love with this team that is big on finesse/skill and short(very short) on toughness and grit.

 

IMO, DR is not really listening to Lindy in terms of the roster makeup or he agrees with Lindy when confronted and then gives him some BS like "my hands are tied" or "the right deal is not out there right now" or "that player you wanted during FA was asking for too much money or didn't want to play here".

 

You then ask..."Why is Lindy still here then"? All the years Lindy and his family have spent here as a player and a coach probably plays a big role in this. I know Lindy would never admit to on record, but I'd love to hook him up to a lie detector and ask him a simple stay or go question for each and every player on the roster. I think we'd be surprised by the results.

[inkman]

I'm really starting to wonder how much say Lindy has in terms of who is on the roster.

I was always under the impression he had little input only because the Sabres hands are tied with contracts and call ups.

[PASabreFan]

You'd think one of the illustrious media members covering this team might ask this question.

 

A simple question.

 

Doesn't have to be predicated by some demonstration that the questioner knows this and that about hockey.

 

Paul cough cough Hamilton.

[dante23x]

I think they are on the same page to some extent, but I'm surprised they didn't bring in any physical forwards to play Ruff's defensive game. Its disappointing. Did you notice how much Ruff was praising Lucic from Boston? I'm sure he do just about anything to get one guy on the team who plays like that.

[tom webster]

You'd think one of the illustrious media members covering this team might ask this question.

 

A simple question.

 

Doesn't have to be predicated by some demonstration that the questioner knows this and that about hockey.

 

Paul cough cough Hamilton.

 

There is a quote somewhere in WGR's vault where Reiger surprises Schoop and the Bulldog by saying that while they hope for consensus, Darcy decides on the ultimate makeup of the team. The two have made no secret that they don't always agree and they have gotten into a few angry exchanges regarding players. I don't think this is unusual as far as any business arrangement and would in fact argue that it is good that they don't always agree. Ultimately their success allows them to co-exist and Lindy has grown to accept Darcy's maddening patience and Darcy appreciates Lindy's passion.

That being said, I am convinced that this team would look decidely different this year if Lindy had ultimate control.

[carpandean]

There is a quote somewhere in WGR's vault where Reiger surprises Schoop and the Bulldog by saying that while they hope for consensus, Darcy decides on the ultimate makeup of the team. The two have made no secret that they don't always agree and they have gotten into a few angry exchanges regarding players. I don't think this is unusual as far as any business arrangement and would in fact argue that it is good that they don't always agree. Ultimately their success allows them to co-exist and Lindy has grown to accept Darcy's maddening patience and Darcy appreciates Lindy's passion.

That being said, I am convinced that this team would look decidedly different this year if Lindy had ultimate control.

I agree that it would and might play better, too, but as the GM, Darcy does ultimately have the final say. It's part of the position. The only real question is how much he listens to Lindy when he makes those final decisions. He could completely tune him out or he could simply parrot his requests. I imagine that the truth is somewhere in between. I am guessing that Darcy's decisions take the financial ramifications into account far more than Lindy's would and, to some extent, they have to. That's also part of the position.

[LabattBlue]

There is a quote somewhere in WGR's vault where Reiger surprises Schoop and the Bulldog by saying that while they hope for consensus, Darcy decides on the ultimate makeup of the team. The two have made no secret that they don't always agree and they have gotten into a few angry exchanges regarding players. I don't think this is unusual as far as any business arrangement and would in fact argue that it is good that they don't always agree. Ultimately their success allows them to co-exist and Lindy has grown to accept Darcy's maddening patience and Darcy appreciates Lindy's passion.

That being said, I am convinced that this team would look decidely different this year if Lindy had ultimate control.

I don't know if Lindy has to have "ultimate control", but after years of banging his head against the wall when it comes to Max, I would like to believe that if Lindy went to DR in the offseason and said I need Max out of here, DR would make it happen. The other part of the question is, would DR listen to Lindy in terms of finding Max's replacement.