General Manager

[deluca67]

"Give a man a fish you feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

Is there a higher priority from the potential new owner than getting the general manager position settled? It is more important than any free agent signing or trade. It is more important than who the coach will be. If Terry Pegula is going to be a successful owner in the NHL he needs to get this right. The fans are dieing for success and his only competition for the WNY sports entertainment dollar is many years away from being relevant. If Pegula makes the right move out of the box he will own this City.

[Two or less]

Naming a new team President, someone like Criag Patrick, who will over look on the entire hockey club and has the talent/knowledge of naming the perfect and right general manager.

[donteatyellowsnow]

"Give a man a fish you feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

Is there a higher priority from the potential new owner than getting the general manager position settled? It is more important than any free agent signing or trade. It is more important than who the coach will be. If Terry Pegula is going to be a successful owner in the NHL he needs to get this right. The fans are dieing for success and his only competition for the WNY sports entertainment dollar is many years away from being relevant. If Pegula makes the right move out of the box he will own this City.

 

 

While i think Darcy could do a lot better. I'm of the belief that his hands were tied more than we think by Mr. Quinn.

 

I would like to see how this organization functions with a/an owner(s) who want to win and are not just interested in making a buck.

 

I have a feeling things would be a lot different if Darcy and then Lindy were giving the tools to succeed. This has been a penny pinching operation since the day TG took over. How can you flourish or even do an admirable job when your always worried about having to have your deals approved from up above?

[deluca67]

While i think Darcy could do a lot better. I'm of the belief that his hands were tied more than we think by Mr. Quinn.

 

I would like to see how this organization functions with a/an owner(s) who want to win and are not just interested in making a buck.

 

I have a feeling things would be a lot different if Darcy and then Lindy were giving the tools to succeed. This has been a penny pinching operation since the day TG took over. How can you flourish or even do an admirable job when your always worried about having to have your deals approved from up above?

Have you even looked at the salary numbers under his ownership? They are spending over $50 million this year. What pennies are being pinched. It's not "pinched pennies" it's "misspent pennies" which falls directly on Regier.

[Two or less]

Have you even looked at the salary numbers under his ownership? They are spending over $50 million this year. What pennies are being pinched. It's not "pinched pennies" it's "misspent pennies" which falls directly on Regier.

 

You are exactly correct. The only complaint is i do think they could go out and add more rentals but that's a moot point, because Golisano era teams do spend up to the cap. Darcy has made us cash strapped because while i do think he is a good GM, he falls in love with his own guys too much and is a terrible distributor of contracts/money which is why we're in this position now.

[deluca67]

You are exactly correct. The only complaint is i do think they could go out and add more rentals but that's a moot point, because Golisano era teams do spend up to the cap. Darcy has made us cash strapped because while i do think he is a good GM, he falls in love with his own guys too much and is a terrible distributor of contracts/money which is why we're in this position now.

That is a big reason why GM is the #1 priority. If it is Pegula or a Team President they need to get the GM hire right. I don't know who it will be. Whomever it is, they will have to somehow manage the damage Regier has done while trying to move the team forward. The Pominville contract will be a huge hurdle for the GM takes over the GM position.

[X. Benedict]

That is a big reason why GM is the #1 priority. If it is Pegula or a Team President they need to get the GM hire right. I don't know who it will be. Whomever it is, they will have to somehow manage the damage Regier has done while trying to move the team forward. The Pominville contract will be a huge hurdle for the GM takes over the GM position.

 

It shouldn't be that big a hurdle IMO. The Sabres are in good cap-shape going forward.

 

If my numbers are right and the cap goes up 2 million...the Sabres should have 23-25 million to spend with Pomminstein on the roster.

[Two or less]

That is a big reason why GM is the #1 priority. If it is Pegula or a Team President they need to get the GM hire right. I don't know who it will be. Whomever it is, they will have to somehow manage the damage Regier has done while trying to move the team forward. The Pominville contract will be a huge hurdle for the GM takes over the GM position.

 

I hope it's not Pegula because what does he know about interviewing someone to become a general manager? Maybe he becomes very tight with him, like Knicks owner did with Isiah Thomas? Hire the right people in upper management who oversee it all, and sit back and enjoy the ride. That to me is most important for Sabres.

[deluca67]

It shouldn't be that big a hurdle IMO. The Sabres are in good cap-shape going forward.

 

If my numbers are right and the cap goes up 2 million...the Sabres should have 23-25 million to spend with Pomminstein on the roster.

$11.125 Million. That is what the Sabres will pay Pominville, Hecht and Gaustad. Sure the 23-25 million will be nice. That $11 Mil is a huge chunk of dead cap space. That is a huge issue.

[X. Benedict]

$11.125 Million. That is what the Sabres will pay Pominville, Hecht and Gaustad. Sure the 23-25 million will be nice. That $11 Mil is a huge chunk of dead cap space. That is a huge issue.

 

I think you still have to consider the median salary, which will be about 2.5 million

 

Any three roster players will take up on average 7.5 million. In which case, even if the organization doesn't like them, they are overpaying them collectively by 4 million.

 

Any new GM would hypothetically be in excellent cap shape IMO.

[deluca67]

I think you still have to consider the median salary, which will be about 2.5 million

 

Any three roster players will take up on average 7.5 million. In which case, even if the organization doesn't like them, they are overpaying them collectively by 4 million.

 

Any new GM would hypothetically be in excellent cap shape IMO.

Having three useless players eating up $11 million of cap space is not "in excellent cap shape." Even if you are under paying three other players it doesn't make it a good situation.

[Weave]

I doubt that there is a team in the league that doesn't have a player or 3 that are badly overpaid. Depending on how much the cap goes up the Sabres will have somewhere between $22.5 and 25M to fill in 12 positions, 3 of which are essentially benchwarmers and a 4th is Millers backup. Pomminstein and Hecht's salaries are ugly but they shouldn't handcuff a GM badly at all.

[bunomatic]

While i think Darcy could do a lot better. I'm of the belief that his hands were tied more than we think by Mr. Quinn.

 

I would like to see how this organization functions with a/an owner(s) who want to win and are not just interested in making a buck.

 

I have a feeling things would be a lot different if Darcy and then Lindy were giving the tools to succeed. This has been a penny pinching operation since the day TG took over. How can you flourish or even do an admirable job when your always worried about having to have your deals approved from up above?

Nobody knows with any certainty whether Regier has had to have anything o.k.'d from above. Including me of course. That could be the biggest urban myth coming out on this board and until someone ( Regier ) steps forward and says he was under some kind of spending constraint we will never know. I'm of the opinion that he wasn't because we have always spent fairly close to the cap. The real question is has the money been spent wisely under Regiers watch and to that I say definitely not. As fans we are now laying in the bed Regier made us.

[X. Benedict]

Having three useless players eating up $11 million of cap space is not "in excellent cap shape." Even if you are under paying three other players it doesn't make it a good situation.

 

But alas, they ARE in excellent cap shape... :unsure:

[tom webster]

$11.125 Million. That is what the Sabres will pay Pominville, Hecht and Gaustad. Sure the 23-25 million will be nice. That $11 Mil is a huge chunk of dead cap space. That is a huge issue.

 

 

Pominville and Gaustad are obviously both over paid but both could serve a roll on a championship caliber team. My opinion is that combined they are only two to three million dollars over where they should be so that is what should be considered dead money, not their total salary. Hecht's salary could be easily dealt with in the giant scheme of a $175 million transaction.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I don't care if Quinn made every move.....Regier sat there, lied to the public the whole time in the name of the organization, and collected his millions. At best he is Baghdad Bob and needs to be removed at once.

 

I still like the idea of Don Luce/ Bill Barber coming in. Barber can pull a Lamerello and coach the rest of the year to get a direct feel for the "talent", while Luce can go to work right away on enhancing the scouting department and planning for the draft and free agency. During the offseason Barber can take an executive role and hire a long term coach that gives us the best chance to win. I may be out to lunch on how big of a role Barber has with Philly, but in his short time as a coach, he was great.

 

This closing is taking long enough for Pegula to have gotten a right hand man in place. We need to see a perp-walk soon.

[PASabreFan]

I don't care if Quinn made every move.....Regier sat there, lied to the public the whole time in the name of the organization, and collected his millions. At best he is Baghdad Bob and needs to be removed at once.

 

I still like the idea of Don Luce/ Bill Barber coming in. Barber can pull a Lamerello and coach the rest of the year to get a direct feel for the "talent", while Luce can go to work right away on enhancing the scouting department and planning for the draft and free agency. During the offseason Barber can take an executive role and hire a long term coach that gives us the best chance to win. I may be out to lunch on how big of a role Barber has with Philly, but in his short time as a coach, he was great.

 

This closing is taking long enough for Pegula to have gotten a right hand man in place. We need to see a perp-walk soon.

 

The Philly angle makes sense, as Pegula is probably a bigger Flyer fan than Sabre fan (he gave his heart to them first, after all). He has to be very impressed by how that team has been rebuilt since circa 2007.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

The Philly angle makes sense, as Pegula is probably a bigger Flyer fan than Sabre fan (he gave his heart to them first, after all). He has to be very impressed by how that team has been rebuilt since circa 2007.

 

Barber looks like a "value" pick with all the right angles.

 

He was a HOF player who could play any style of game, won multiple Cups, was a captain, and elevated his game in the playoffs

 

He was a coach who won his division 3 of 4 years in the AHL and won a Calder Cup

 

He coached 2 years for Philly winning the division and the Jack Adams award

 

He went to Tampa in '02 and was the head of Player Personnel, making most of the moves. Tampa wins a cup in 2 years

 

He went back to Philly in '08 as they went from also-ran to a Stanley Cup 2 years later. He serves as the Vice GM.

 

 

 

I never hear his name mentioned......and everything about him is pure winner. He understands and has been at the top of every aspect of the game. Unless he is married to the idea of staying in Philly, I am assuming he is game enough to build another franchise from ground up and change the culture from top down.

 

Luce would love to come back and stick it to these clowns, and if the two work well together and know each other inside and out....they can hit the ground running. Like I said, Barber's coaching experience can put him hands-on for 10 weeks so he knows who's been naughty or nice.

[Two or less]

The Philly angle makes sense, as Pegula is probably a bigger Flyer fan than Sabre fan (he gave his heart to them first, after all). He has to be very impressed by how that team has been rebuilt since circa 2007.

 

I doubt him being a Flyers fan growing up has much or anything to do with his hiring for this post. He used to be a fan, who knows how big and who knows when he stopped watching the sport and became a casual fan?

 

If anything, he will raid the Pens for talent...like Criag Patrick, Jason Botterill... since he has worked closely with the Pens, has been invited to tons of their banquets and games by Mario and their ownership group. He even has a bond with Sidney Crosby i believe.

[nfreeman]

Barber looks like a "value" pick with all the right angles.

 

He was a HOF player who could play any style of game, won multiple Cups, was a captain, and elevated his game in the playoffs

 

He was a coach who won his division 3 of 4 years in the AHL and won a Calder Cup

 

He coached 2 years for Philly winning the division and the Jack Adams award

 

He went to Tampa in '02 and was the head of Player Personnel, making most of the moves. Tampa wins a cup in 2 years

 

He went back to Philly in '08 as they went from also-ran to a Stanley Cup 2 years later. He serves as the Vice GM.

 

 

 

I never hear his name mentioned......and everything about him is pure winner. He understands and has been at the top of every aspect of the game. Unless he is married to the idea of staying in Philly, I am assuming he is game enough to build another franchise from ground up and change the culture from top down.

 

Luce would love to come back and stick it to these clowns, and if the two work well together and know each other inside and out....they can hit the ground running. Like I said, Barber's coaching experience can put him hands-on for 10 weeks so he knows who's been naughty or nice.

 

Good Post. I think there is a fair amount of stink on Luce's hands for the sabres' lousy record with first-round picks during his tenure with the scouting department though. Still, you make a great case for Barber.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Good Post. I think there is a fair amount of stink on Luce's hands for the sabres' lousy record with first-round picks during his tenure with the scouting department though. Still, you make a great case for Barber.

 

I'll admit that there are a lot of retreads out there.....but I don't think this franchise can afford to take a shot on an unproven GM. Barber sort of fits the bill as a guy with tons of success, but believe it or not, still some upside.

 

We need "The Cleaner" from Pulp Fiction to come in and take care of this as quickly and efficiently as possible. I don't expect a Cup next year, but there is nothing stopping us from 50% roster turnover, spending to the cap, and playoffs. Someone who values a change in attitude and has the stones to pull it off. If someone can come up with a rap on Barber other than getting bounced from the playoffs early as Flyers coach...willing to listen.