So What Really Does Stop This Team From being Good

[IKnowPhysics]

Where is this evidence? Regier's draft record has been less than stellar over the years so I am really interested to see this "evidence."

 

There's a lot of rankings out there concerning the best drafting team over a range of years, and they all use different statistical methods. I've never seen us ranked in the bottom half of the league and rarely do I see us outside of the top five. A recent analysis put us at #3 for years 1999-2009. An older ranking for 2001-2007 put us also extremely high, and the best in the league for rounds 2-7 for that time period, while another put us best overall for 2001-2007 at games played per pick.

 

Other evidence:

Best draft pick efficiency, 3rd best total NHL value 1999-2005

 

2013:

Best

2nd best

Top Grade

Top Grade

 

2012:

Top Grade

 

" I would also like to know who are these people telling Pegula that Regier is a good GM.

 

(From here:)

Ken Sawyer, one of Pegula’s top advisors, has told people he believes Regier is a “hockey genius.”

(

)

"I investigated with a lot of very, very knowledgeable people both in and formerly in the league. They all have given Darcy a thumbs up as far as his abilities.

 

The only reason for Regier retaining his job with the Sabres that makes any sense is his status as the quintessential "yes man." There are no solid "hockey reasons" to keep Regier around. Pegula want's someone in that position that is easily manipulated into allowing Pegula to feel like he is part of the process. That is more important to Pegula than anything, that is the only viable explanation for allowing Regier to continue to guide this franchise into NHL obscurity.

 

Your turn to show up. Show me the direct evidence that Regier is a yes man. Show me the direct evidence that Pegula wants someone that's easily manipulated. Irrefutably demonstrate that no other explanation exists for Regier working as an NHL GM. Filter out your opinions. Bring the facts.

 

Regier needs to go, he is not qualified in any way to complete a re-build. That said, I don't blame Regier for still being here, it's an easy paycheck with apparently zero accountability when it comes to job performance. Miss the playoffs 7 out of 11 years and get a new contract. At this point the additional Regier failures fall on Terry Pegula. He is the only reason this franchise is saddled with Regier and he is the only person who can correct this grievous error.

 

As I laid out before, that's the typical DR-hating fan's opinion, not Pegula's management perspective.

 

(From here:)

“Darcy’s a talented guy,” Pegula said. “I know from some of the stuff I read not everyone agrees with that. But he’s got all the resources now. We work very well, and we look forward to the future. We have a great communication in our hockey department. No egos. Everyone’s pulling in the same direction, and it’s a very good situation. … It really runs very well behind curtains.”

 

(From here:)

“He is a very qualified person,” Pegula said today during an appearance on the Sabres’ radio show. “I don’t want to talk about prior ownership. I have a different management style, and Darcy has a chance to flourish under our management style. I’m giving him, I believe, more latitude in the way we operate the team with less financial restrictions."

 

I'll reiterate that I'm not married to Regier, but I understand the process that has occurred that has lead to his continued employment.

 

====================================

 

Same answer I provided the last time you posed this question ...

 

Feaster in Tampa Bay.

 

My first thought was Neil Smith with the Islanders, but reading back on it, he was fired.

[SwampD]

Yes, it is true. Darcy is great at picking AHLers who end up playing in NHL games.

 

He now needs to start picking NHLers for our team.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I'll say it again....as long as they keep finding 16,000 people to keep buying tickets every night....Physics is right and they can do whatever the heck they'd like. Somebody thinks they are doing a good job.

[PASabreFan]

Wait, birdwatchersanonymous.com? Really?

[deluca67]

Other evidence:

Best draft pick efficiency, 3rd best total NHL value 1999-2005

 

2013:

Best

2nd best

Top Grade

Top Grade

 

2012:

Top Grade

 

 

 

(From here:)

 

(

)

 

 

Your turn to show up. Show me the direct evidence that Regier is a yes man. Show me the direct evidence that Pegula wants someone that's easily manipulated. Irrefutably demonstrate that no other explanation exists for Regier working as an NHL GM. Filter out your opinions. Bring the facts.

 

 

 

As I laid out before, that's the typical DR-hating fan's opinion, not Pegula's management perspective.

 

(From here:)

 

 

(From here:)

 

It's interesting to see the Sabres ranked so high in "draft efficiency" considering the results of those drafts listed have the Sabres mired in one of the worst stretches in franchise history. You would think there wouldn't be such a disparity in the ranking and the ultimate results. If anything it shows that simply using games played as measure of successful drafting isn't a true reflection of the quality of the drafts. I also don't believe the rankings take into account if the games played in a Sabres uniform or for another team. A perfect example of this is Chris Butler. Would posters consider Chris Butler a successful draft pick. He has 267 games under his belt and little positive impact on the Sabres. Another is Dan Paille who counts as a 400+ game player as a Sabres draft pick yet he was a throw away.

 

When making the argument that there is "evidence" do you really want to use Butler and Paille as examples?

 

Regier's status as a "yes man" will depend on which versions of history you wish to believe. Was Regier told to play hard ball with Michael Peca? Was he told to choose only one between Drury and Briere? Was he told to sign Erhoff and Leino at any price? These are some of the biggest blunders in franchise history and those who have defended Regier over the years have pointed to forces beyond the office of the GM as the reasoning behind these mistakes. It is those arguments that have made over the years as the basis for my opinion that Regier is nothing more than a "yes man."

[K-9]

It's interesting to see the Sabres ranked so high in "draft efficiency" considering the results of those drafts listed have the Sabres mired in one of the worst stretches in franchise history. You would think there wouldn't be such a disparity in the ranking and the ultimate results. If anything it shows that simply using games played as measure of successful drafting isn't a true reflection of the quality of the drafts. I also don't believe the rankings take into account if the games played in a Sabres uniform or for another team. A perfect example of this is Chris Butler. Would posters consider Chris Butler a successful draft pick. He has 267 games under his belt and little positive impact on the Sabres. Another is Dan Paille who counts as a 400+ game player as a Sabres draft pick yet he was a throw away.

 

When making the argument that there is "evidence" do you really want to use Butler and Paille as examples?

 

Regier's status as a "yes man" will depend on which versions of history you wish to believe. Was Regier told to play hard ball with Michael Peca? Was he told to choose only one between Drury and Briere? Was he told to sign Erhoff and Leino at any price? These are some of the biggest blunders in franchise history and those who have defended Regier over the years have pointed to forces beyond the office of the GM as the reasoning behind these mistakes. It is those arguments that have made over the years as the basis for my opinion that Regier is nothing more than a "yes man."

 

I won't get into the relative merits of the Regier debate, but it's hard to argue with the results of those drafts.

 

What really stops the Sabres from being good? In a word, TALENT. And that's a direct reflection of the personnel drafted. Simply not enough good players equipped to play in today's league. It's great that they made an NHL roster in Buffalo. Not so great that they didn't make much of a difference on the ice.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[TrueBlueGED]

It's interesting to see the Sabres ranked so high in "draft efficiency" considering the results of those drafts listed have the Sabres mired in one of the worst stretches in franchise history. You would think there wouldn't be such a disparity in the ranking and the ultimate results. If anything it shows that simply using games played as measure of successful drafting isn't a true reflection of the quality of the drafts. I also don't believe the rankings take into account if the games played in a Sabres uniform or for another team. A perfect example of this is Chris Butler. Would posters consider Chris Butler a successful draft pick. He has 267 games under his belt and little positive impact on the Sabres. Another is Dan Paille who counts as a 400+ game player as a Sabres draft pick yet he was a throw away.

 

When making the argument that there is "evidence" do you really want to use Butler and Paille as examples?

 

Regier's status as a "yes man" will depend on which versions of history you wish to believe. Was Regier told to play hard ball with Michael Peca? Was he told to choose only one between Drury and Briere? Was he told to sign Erhoff and Leino at any price? These are some of the biggest blunders in franchise history and those who have defended Regier over the years have pointed to forces beyond the office of the GM as the reasoning behind these mistakes. It is those arguments that have made over the years as the basis for my opinion that Regier is nothing more than a "yes man."

 

Don't make the mistake of confusing drafting success with team building success. No successful team is built 100% through the draft, thus drafting well guarantees nothing. Where Regier fails is leveraging his assets to improve the team, not in the players he drafts.

 

And you still haven't addressed why you think Boston is such a great drafting team. Pretty sure their draft record is pretty awful outside of the Bergeron and Lucic home runs.

[deluca67]

Don't make the mistake of confusing drafting success with team building success. No successful team is built 100% through the draft, thus drafting well guarantees nothing. Where Regier fails is leveraging his assets to improve the team, not in the players he drafts.

 

And you still haven't addressed why you think Boston is such a great drafting team. Pretty sure their draft record is pretty awful outside of the Bergeron and Lucic home runs.

Kessel, Lucic, Marchand, Seguin. Krejci, Versteg & Bergeron are all pretty solid picks.

[tom webster]

 

 

 

 

Other evidence:

Best draft pick efficiency, 3rd best total NHL value 1999-2005

 

2013:

Best

2nd best

Top Grade

Top Grade

 

2012:

Top Grade

 

 

 

(From here:)

 

(

)

 

 

 

 

Your turn to show up. Show me the direct evidence that Regier is a yes man. Show me the direct evidence that Pegula wants someone that's easily manipulated. Irrefutably demonstrate that no other explanation exists for Regier working as an NHL GM. Filter out your opinions. Bring the facts.

 

 

 

As I laid out before, that's the typical DR-hating fan's opinion, not Pegula's management perspective.

 

(From here:)

 

 

(From here:)

 

 

I'll reiterate that I'm not married to Regier, but I understand the process that has occurred that has lead to his continued employment.

 

====================================

 

 

 

My first thought was Neil Smith with the Islanders, but reading back on it, he was fired.

 

Not sure in context this was brought up as I have not read whole thread but my recollection was that both Smith and Lafontaine bolted after they realized who they agreed to work for.

[SwampD]

Don't make the mistake of confusing drafting success with team building success. No successful team is built 100% through the draft, thus drafting well guarantees nothing. Where Regier fails is leveraging his assets to improve the team, not in the players he drafts.

 

And you still haven't addressed why you think Boston is such a great drafting team. Pretty sure their draft record is pretty awful outside of the Bergeron and Lucic home runs.

This reminds me of when someone is describing a restaurant and they say, "It wasn't all that great, but they give you a lot." Why do I want a lot of something that sucks? Just give me a smaller portion of something that tastes good.

[deluca67]

Don't make the mistake of confusing drafting success with team building success. No successful team is built 100% through the draft, thus drafting well guarantees nothing. Where Regier fails is leveraging his assets to improve the team, not in the players he drafts.

Draft success is a part of team building success, this I am aware of. I was questioning what was deemed "evidence" of Regier's ability to rebuild this current addition of the Sabres due to his drafting acumen.

[TrueBlueGED]

Kessel, Lucic, Marchand, Seguin. Krejci, Versteg & Bergeron are all pretty solid picks.

 

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/teams/dr00004919.html

 

The percentage of good players...is not good. They hit on some, and in a big way, but that's hardly evidence of good drafting (if they were such brilliant drafters, why draft Yuri Alexandrov before Lucic in the 2nd round?). Likewise, as much as I like Seguin as a player, taking the consensus second best prospect in the draft at #2 isn't exactly "good drafting".

 

Draft success is a part of team building success, this I am aware of. I was questioning what was deemed "evidence" of Regier's ability to rebuild this current addition of the Sabres due to his drafting acumen.

 

I don't think that was Physics' point...I think he was saying Regier has a history of being a good drafter, not that this necessarily implies he will be able to rebuild the team effectively. While Physics certainly believes Regier is a good GM, I think you're reading far too much into his particular statement about Regier's drafting.

[deluca67]

http://www.hockeydb....dr00004919.html

 

The percentage of good players...is not good. They hit on some, and in a big way, but that's hardly evidence of good drafting (if they were such brilliant drafters, why draft Yuri Alexandrov before Lucic in the 2nd round?). Likewise, as much as I like Seguin as a player, taking the consensus second best prospect in the draft at #2 isn't exactly "good drafting".

 

 

 

I don't think that was Physics' point...I think he was saying Regier has a history of being a good drafter, not that this necessarily implies he will be able to rebuild the team effectively. While Physics certainly believes Regier is a good GM, I think you're reading far too much into his particular statement about Regier's drafting.

"And because the plan going forward is to blow it up and draft well, evidence I've seen suggests that Darcy Regier may be better than many for this particular phase,"

This is the exact quote.

 

As far as the Bruins, there were a lot of options for the Bruins at #2, they picked Sequin and got it right. The Lucic point is not much of a point at all. You could also say the Sabres drafted Persson and Enroth before Lucic was taken and drafted Mike Weber 14 spots before Brad Marchant.

 

The point was never that the Bruns are the top drafting team in the league, just better than the Sabres. Which history and results have proven to be the case.

[drnkirishone]

 

 

This is the exact quote.

 

As far as the Bruins, there were a lot of options for the Bruins at #2, they picked Sequin and got it right.

In what world where there alot of options? I remember this draft and the the options where as follows. Draft the guy the Oilers dont pick

[TrueBlueGED]

This is the exact quote.

 

As far as the Bruins, there were a lot of options for the Bruins at #2, they picked Sequin and got it right. The Lucic point is not much of a point at all. You could also say the Sabres drafted Persson and Enroth before Lucic was taken and drafted Mike Weber 14 spots before Brad Marchant.

 

The point was never that the Bruns are the top drafting team in the league, just better than the Sabres. Which history and results have proven to be the case.

 

We'll just have to agree to disagree on how to evaluate drafting. What you consider to be shrewd drafting, I consider luck.

[deluca67]

In what world where there alot of options? I remember this draft and the the options where as follows. Draft the guy the Oilers dont pick

If the draft was that simple it would be easier for a lot of teams.

[IKnowPhysics]

Preamble: I want to try to elaborate my point a little, because there's a nuance or two that I think is important, so forgive me if this post sounds redundant. I'm also going to try to write concisely, so please don't think I'm angry, etc. This is a good discussion; it's much more enjoyable than the BLARGH REGIER SUX type of discussion, which is what this thread could be, if we let it.

 

My motivation is not rooted in defending Darcy or Terry because I like or don't like them (I actually do like some of the things that these two are doing, but obviously the team record so far isn't one of them). In this thread's discussion, I've tried to keep that thought process as far away from my posts as possible. I do this because I want to deal in facts, not feelings. If we examine facts, then, if we're lucky or good, we can piece together what's actually going on and why things occur. Otherwise, we're just spouting ###### all day long, because what we end up debating and forming conclusions that have no basis in reality.

 

For a long time, many folks have been banging their heads against the wall because they don't understand why Regier is still the GM (hell, I'm pretty sure Gleason has brain damage by now), and because they don't understand it, they assume that Pegula is somehow making bad decisions or is, himself, somehow defective. Not every person that thinks DR should be fired is this way, but many are this way. So some folks trying to create explanations about how Terry certainly must have an ego and an insatiable desire to hire yes-men, or that the only way Darcy still has a job only because he's pulled the wool over the eyes of the owner. But I don't think this way- I think that if you're blessed enough to get a sweet-ass gig like being the General Manager of an NHL team, somebody, for some reason, at least at one point in time, thinks that you're good at what you do.

 

Accordingly, to understand why Terry thinks Darcy is doing a good job is to understand why Darcy is still here. And we're lucky enough for this mystery to be solved before it's created- Terry has told us in interviews why he thinks Darcy is doing a good job. (these are amalgamated from above sources, but I'm re-posting them to be specific)

 

• Terry: "I investigated with a lot of very, very knowledgeable people both in and formerly in the league. They all have given Darcy a thumbs up as far as his abilities."
  
• Ken Sawyer, one of Pegula’s top advisors, has told people he believes Regier is a “hockey genius.”
  
• “He is a very qualified person,” Pegula said... “I don’t want to talk about prior ownership. I have a different management style, and Darcy has a chance to flourish under our management style. I’m giving him, I believe, more latitude in the way we operate the team with less financial restrictions."
  
• “Darcy’s a talented guy,” Pegula said. “I know from some of the stuff I read not everyone agrees with that. But he’s got all the resources now. We work very well, and we look forward to the future. We have a great communication in our hockey department. No egos. Everyone’s pulling in the same direction, and it’s a very good situation. … It really runs very well behind curtains.”
  

 

For fans that have been around for longer than three years, and especially fans that don't like Regier or don't understand why he's still here, this is the hardest fact to digest: Darcy Regier has been given a fresh start, a clean slate. It's almost as if he were previously employed by some other team, and then hired by Pegula when he bought the Sabres.

 

I expect folks will want to debate all day long about whether not it's a good thing that Pegula thinks this way, but as I illustrated before, there's two ways to approach that debate:

1. From a fan perspective, firing Darcy makes some sense: DR's been here a long time, etc, fans want change, and with Lindy gone, he's the last man standing.
    
   
2. But to get Pegula's point of view, you have to look at the mangement/ownership perspective.
   

 

BUT, and this will really irritate longtime fans, because Darcy has been given a fresh start, any evidence from previous seasons that he's doing a bad job is not considered* by Terry. (*Obviously if Darcy did a super ###### job before, nobody would have told Pegula to keep him on when he bought the team)

 

Which leads to a quote about Darcy by Terry that I initially hated, but now in this context makes perfect sense:

(from here)

“... what’s he done wrong?”

 

So in order for Darcy to be fired, Terry would need to stop thinking that he's doing a good job, and Terry would ignore all pre-Pegula era evidence for or against Darcy's case. So, how would that happen?

 

If Rolston doesn't work out, or if a lot our draft picks don't pan out, or if we start making retardo trades, or if we let Vanek and/or Miller go to UFA without return, then there's an outstanding case for Regier to be fired due to poor performance under Pegula's ownership.

 

If Regier fails at one or more of the following tasks, so as to cripple the organization, then Pegula would have a reason to fire him:

• Coaching
  
• Drafting
  
• Trading
  
• Free agent acquisition
  
• Asset retention (ie, not letting UFAs go scott free)
  
• Cap management
  
• (there's probably others?)
  

All of these deserve their own entire threads, but I'll try to summarize so far, trying be as true to facts as possible:

• Coaching - we know the story. If Rolston fails, Darcy could be and probably will be in serious trouble.
  
• Drafting - analysts are saying that early indications are in our favor here- we've been lauded for drafting well recently, but time will tell.
  
• Trading - we really haven't taken an enormous dump lately (except Brad Boyes), and almost every other trade has brought at least fair return, with some trades being debatably very much in our favor (Hodgson, Ott, others).
  
• Free agent acquisition - According to Pegula, we've been going after the big UFAs, but haven't been able to land many, which he concludes is excusable. The big ones we've landed have either been ok/potentially very good (Ehrhoff, sort of a UFA) or highly debatable (Leino). Small-time UFAs, for what they are, have gone alright (Flynn, Porter, Scott, Ruwedhel), and Rochester is reaping some of those benefits.
  
• Asset retention (ie, not letting UFAs go scott free) - Some of UFAs we've let go for free were widely considered to be victories in the name of all that was holy (Connolly, Niedermayer, Boyes), and some were other players that didn't have NHL futures (Mark Parrish, Chewy, Michael Ryan, Shoannneee Mmoorrrriiisssoeaeaeaonnnnn).
  
• Cap management - We haven't balls'd ourselves up against the cap with vastly overpaid contracts and/or a zillion no-trade clauses, so I don't see any issues here.
  

Now, one could argue that there's only one aspect that should measured when considering GM performance:

• Winning - We aren't winning.
  

But it must be noted that there can be lots of reasons why a team doesn't win, and that for all of the reasons that are listed above, Terry still believes that Darcy is doing a good job. Terry must believe that the reasons for losing are not entirely GM related, which, is probably related to the fact that Darcy has jettisoned half of our defense, stocked up picks, changed coaches, thereby drastically changing the look of this team.

 

So for wrap up, there's a lot of debatable topics here, all deserving even multiple threads:

• Should Terry ignore the pre-Pegula performance of Regier? Some fans say hell no, but he's going to do it anyways.
  
• How good has Darcy been since Terry bought the team, in specific regards to things he directly controls? Will the moves he's made in regards to coaching and drafting and trading pan out?
  
• As Terry puts it, "what's he done wrong?" Has Darcy done something so atrocious with his clean slate in such short a time as to be fired?
  
• What amount of losing has to occur for there no to be no reasonable action but to fire the GM? If the Sabres go in this path, what is the specific failure on the part of the GM that will likely be the cause?
  
• What are Darcy's strengths? If he leads us through a miraculous revolution, how would that happen?
  

============================================

 

Now back to this:

 

Draft success is a part of team building success, this I am aware of. I was questioning what was deemed "evidence" of Regier's ability to rebuild this current addition of the Sabres due to his drafting acumen.

I don't think that was Physics' point...I think he was saying Regier has a history of being a good drafter, not that this necessarily implies he will be able to rebuild the team effectively. While Physics certainly believes Regier is a good GM, I think you're reading far too much into his particular statement about Regier's drafting.

 

If the Sabres are going to "rebuild through the draft," and IF this plan actually works and they end up winning, then (almost by definition) it will have worked because they ended up drafting pretty great. It's not everything we'll need to build a great team, but it's looking like we won't be able to build a great team without it. So if you're going to build through the draft, don't hire Doug MacLean, or anyone else that has an atrocious draft history. From the evidence of yore (see above post that cites draft analyses), Darcy has good draft history. Bonus points for dumping money into the scouting staff, going from a staff of eleven in '09 to twenty three this year.

 

And to address one question Deluca had about draft analysis,

When making the argument that there is "evidence" do you really want to use Butler and Paille as examples?

 

Yes. Because those players you drafted, even if they don't play for your team later on, are used to acquire other assets when you move them. For example, Chris Butler and Paul Byron (and eating Kotalik's contract, nbd) bought us two years of Robyn Regehr and three 2nd round picks (Jake McCabe, 2014, 2015). You get in return whatever the market price is (or, if you're a good trader, better) for those players when you part with them. It's only when they don't develop (bust), are lost in free agency, get bad return in ###### trades, etc, do you lose their value. Avoiding those losses helps define a good GM other ways, but it doesn't define a well-drafting GM.

 

By the way, if you admire Boston's drafting, thank Darcy Regier for training Jim Benning.

 

Heh, megapost. Boom.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

That's a well presented post....but bottom line, we ARE going on year 4 (Season 4 for LGR...who really should be a bit more cheery for having some FSU trim on the side) of the Pegula/Regier era.....and we are being told to "Prepare to Suffer", even though Regier HAS been "unshackled" and given an unlimited checkbook which has included burying players after getting a premium in trades to take on their bloated contracts, scouts galore...which I would assume includes not only amature, but those who scout pro personnel and help in acquiring free agents or trades, facilities that are the best in the league, etc. He was forced to fire someone who I believe you said was "an elite" coach? Yet somehow....the Sabres are one of the dregs of the league and we are told to prepare for worse.

 

If Pegula is not playing with a full deck, then you can pretty much dismiss anything coming from him. If you feel he is a competent owner with at least average management and hockey abilities.....spending the most on player salaries in 2012 really hasn't netted a positive ROI. So....if we are to give Pegula the benefit of the doubt, the only logical conclusion is that the GM isn't worth his weight in Day Old Bread.

 

A logical person after what we have seen so far CANNOT feel that both Terry Pegula is an informed and quality hockey owner AND....Darcy Regier is a competent GM. I'd love to think Pegula is awesome since I already know what Darcy is all about. The fact that the Sabres keep him on a shorter leash than Kermit and Gonzo keep Animal on in the Muppet Show should be a clue.

 

Again. Those who enjoy, enjoy and spend. Those who doubt, doubt and withhold. I'd just like to think a majority of Sabres fans have seen enough by now to not just hand out gold stars because someone handed their homework in on time.

 

 

[IKnowPhysics]

A logical person after what we have seen so far CANNOT feel that both Terry Pegula is an informed and quality hockey owner AND....Darcy Regier is a competent GM.

 

Your argument that Regier has failed is based upon the evidence he was given the tools to succeed, tried to make the team better, and the team ended up with a worse record and headed for a rebuild.*** To call for his demise based on that evidence alone, is the "fans demand change and Regier's the last man standing" argument, but you've added that if Regier isn't the problem, Pegula surely is. I understand that argument, I do, but as I outlined, IF Pegula is allowed to give Darcy a clean slate when he buys the team, there hasn't been a reason to fire him. Regier's changed the coach, players, and direction of the team (by going heavy with the draft and young players). It's utterly reasonable that the players underperformed, and it's within any GM's toolbox to change the players and sometimes even the coach in that scenario.

 

***The same argument can be used to fire a coach, so how do you differentiate? And I've put some thought into this:

He was forced to fire someone who I believe you said was "an elite" coach?

 

You're right. I don't think I used those exact words, but I've made the case that he's a damn good coach.

Lindy Ruff, a head coach that I have argued is not only NOT the reason we haven't won a cup, but is at least among the top 15 active/top 30 all-time NHL coaches and could be considered top 5 active/top 20 all-time.

 

That was a hard decision to watch play out. Although the team went like a rocket after Pegula bought the team at 14-5-4 to finish 2010-11, and I felt like- and many of us thought- we were going in the right direction on paper, the team went 45-42-12 for 2011-12-13, including a stretch in late 2010/early 2011 where we went 9-19-5. I still think Ruff's a good coach, but by the end of his Sabres tenure, you could see -he actually said- in the interviews that he no longer had the answers for this team. Warning, this is graphic.

 

So Regier just about had to pull the trigger: he had a high-priced roster that's not playing well and his coach didn't have the answers. He brings in Rolston, who goes 4-4-3 his first month, then goes 11-6-2 after that. Rolston goes 8-4 after the trade deadline where he loses three of his veterans in deals.

 

Debates could rage for years about whether the roster was bad, or the coaching was bad, or the players were bad by themselves, but some of the players that moved on have played better elsewhere (Pominville, Regehr, Leopold), and the team, at least for a few games, responded to the coaching change.

[drnkirishone]

 

If the draft was that simple it would be easier for a lot of teams.

we are not talking about alot of teams. We are talking about one team that had the 2nd pick in a draft where nearly everyone agreed that you couldnt go wrong with the first 2 picks. i would be more inclined to believe that they counted on one of the first rounders they traded for being a top 3 pick then the notion that they draft well being based on the seguin selection

[Paul Kruse]

1st line center.

[deluca67]

we are not talking about alot of teams. We are talking about one team that had the 2nd pick in a draft where nearly everyone agreed that you couldnt go wrong with the first 2 picks. i would be more inclined to believe that they counted on one of the first rounders they traded for being a top 3 pick then the notion that they draft well being based on the seguin selection

The "notion" was that the Bruins draft well based on a history of solid selections not just Seguin. Sequin is just one of a long list of impacts players drafted by the Bruins. The key word being impact, not just guys who manage to hang around for a while.

[drnkirishone]

 

The "notion" was that the Bruins draft well based on a history of solid selections not just Seguin. Sequin is just one of a long list of impacts players drafted by the Bruins. The key word being impact, not just guys who manage to hang around for a while.

you want to use that long list of players to prove that point fine, but seguins selection doesnt prove that. Secondly calling him a impact player is stretching it. Had he been on the sabres you and everyone else would have been blasting the work ethic, commitment, maturity, and production of the 2nd overall selection

[deluca67]

you want to use that long list of players to prove that point fine, but seguins selection doesnt prove that. Secondly calling him a impact player is stretching it. Had he been on the sabres you and everyone else would have been blasting the work ethic, commitment, maturity, and production of the 2nd overall selection

21 years old. 56 goals and 121 points in 203 games (.596 ppg) and a +53. That's impact. It's been a while since the Sabres have had an young impact forward like that (Vanek) that maybe you are unable to recognize one when you see one.

 

As to your second point, with a little luck in next years lottery we'll likely have a chance to break down a top two pick.

[drnkirishone]

 

21 years old. 56 goals and 121 points in 203 games (.596 ppg) and a +53. That's impact. It's been a while since the Sabres have had an young impact forward like that (Vanek) that maybe you are unable to recognize one when you see one.

 

As to your second point, with a little luck in next years lottery we'll likely have a chance to break down a top two pick.

such a impact player that he was dropped to the third and fourth lines and eventually traded. But i forgot i am a sabres fan so clearly i cant know anything about this cause everyone does everything better then the sabres. At this point seguin is as likely to become another derek roy as anything else