Random Thoughts on Post Tank Debacle

[CGorman]

#1- This team is still not far from being good. The hard part is over, and they have talent. Forward depth and the entire blue line needs work, but we have a franchise player that we haven't had since Perrault. Even Briere and Drury couldn't dictate the game like Eichel does, and he's only 20. Eichel is the centerpiece of this franchise, and the GM and coach decision should be filtered through that. Some may say that a 20 year old shouldn't have that much power, but most 20 year olds aren't tanked for. He is what we hoped he would be and now we need to build around his strengths and weaknesses. The first order for the new coach is to make Eichel captain. Connor is captain, Auston soon will be. Let's not kid ourselves into saying Jack isn't the face of the franchise. I wouldn't even mind co-captains with Jack and ROR a-la post lock out Sabres before D-Day 7/1/07. Whatever works, you need a C on his chest in some capacity. 

 

#2- I hope Lindy is Czar and Phil Housley is coach. It is very Pegulaish but this one might work. Both are certainly qualified for those positions and would keep the local vibe they seem obsessed with. 

 

#3- Sam Reinhart, the biggest decision of the offseason. I have always loved him playing with Jack but around February it became clear that it wasn't working for Sam's development. He needs to be the facilitator of a line, slowing the game to the speed that he thrives at (not a knock on his literal speed, which still needs work). Keep them on the #1 power play together and let their magic thrive there. If they use him as trade bait, theres only one player he should be traded for: Hanifin. 

 

#4- Murray being fired was surprising, but probably needed to happen simply to remove the face of the tank. The biggest concern with tanking was what it does to the culture of the franchise. We loved Murray during the tank because he wanted exactly what we did: last place. It's hard to turn that mindset off. Not saying he intentionally made a bad team out of the tank, but to focus on being noncompetitive and then overnight try to build a competitive roster is hard to do. He was in too deep, and giving out bad contracts to guys like Moulson and Ennis didn't help. He would have spent this offseason tip toeing around his mistakes as opposed to cutting his losses. A new GM will add a valuable fresh perspective on this roster. 

 

#5- I hope these moves don't make Antipin sign elsewhere. If you think about it, he was probably coming here for one reason and it wasn't Dan Bylsma or Tim Murray (see point 1 for answer). He's an active D man who would excel with a puck carrying player like Eichel. Hope he's still coming. 

 

#6- Change the jerseys to royal blue. I lived in the DC area when Ovie first came in and that team changed it's identity with the uniform change from black to red. The Oilers are doing the same with their orange unis. This team and this fanbase needs to turn the page, and this would be the simplest and most visible way to do so. Cue the Bob Seger.

Edited April 20, 2017 by CGorman

[biodork]

You should add this here:

 

http://forums.sabrespace.com/topic/24879-sorry-to-say-the-tank-was-a-swing-and-a-miss/

 

(And how do you only have 11 posts in 3+ years on this forum?  Speak up more -- good stuff here.)

[Randall Flagg]

I agree with all of your points, and that you should post more.

[CGorman]

I am guilty of being a habitual lurker. My new era resolution will be to post more. 

[LGR4GM]

I am guilty of being a habitual lurker. My new era resolution will be to post more. 

DO it, we need more good posters.

[darksabre]

Yeah. Please reduce my percentage share.

[pi2000]

I agree with most of it, but I don't want Lindy anywhere near this franchise.

 

Housley would be great.

 

I think Reinhart is still just scratching the surface, I hope they keep him.

 

Murray inherited the tank, he didn't start the fire... Terry did when he said "If you want to watch the Sidney Crosby's, you have to go out and get the Sidney Crosby's".

 

I liked GMTM's plan for this team, would've like to see him given a chance to follow through on it.    Everybody blaming the bad contracts.... well Moulson was brought in here to sheppard Eichel into the league, and Bogo was collateral damage from the Kane trade which doesn't happen if we don't take him off their hands.    I have no doubt he targeted top guys, but those guys also have to want to play here, and they didn't then because they were too close to the bottom.   He brought in some good young players, always had a very good backup tendy, guys like Carrier and Fasching are good pick ups IMO, and maybe Guhle becomes special, maybe not but whatever.

 

Antipin is fools gold, there's a reason he's in the KHL.

 

Royal Blue jerseys?  Yes PLEASE!

[LGR4GM]

I agree with most of it, but I don't want Lindy anywhere near this franchise.

 

Housley would be great.

 

I think Reinhart is still just scratching the surface, I hope they keep him.

 

Murray inherited the tank, he didn't start the fire... Terry did when he said "If you want to watch the Sidney Crosby's, you have to go out and get the Sidney Crosby's".

 

I liked GMTM's plan for this team, would've like to see him given a chance to follow through on it.    Everybody blaming the bad contracts.... well Moulson was brought in here to sheppard Eichel into the league, and Bogo was collateral damage from the Kane trade which doesn't happen if we don't take him off their hands.    I have no doubt he targeted top guys, but those guys also have to want to play here, and they didn't then because they were too close to the bottom.   He brought in some good young players, always had a very good backup tendy, guys like Carrier and Fasching are good pick ups IMO, and maybe Guhle becomes special, maybe not but whatever.

 

Antipin is fools gold, there's a reason he's in the KHL.

 

Royal Blue jerseys?  Yes PLEASE!

Remember that time you said Auston Matthews was garbage? good times.

 

I think Antipin plays in the KHL because he's Russian.

[Doohickie]

DO it, we need more good posters.

 

Meh, he needs to stuff it.  I was just about to make precisely the same points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

:angel:

[nucci]

I don't get the posts that want Ruff as a czar ( I hate that word) or as president. He's always been a coach. How is he qualified to run a hockey operation?

[CGorman]

 

Murray inherited the tank, he didn't start the fire... Terry did when he said "If you want to watch the Sidney Crosby's, you have to go out and get the Sidney Crosby's".

 

 

Very true, but every time the tank was talked about it was with Murray. He was the one saying "if you're a free agent, we trade you" when it was blatantly a tank job. While he won't go down as a great GM in Buffalo sports history, we should all take a second and recognize how brilliantly bad the 2014-15 Sabres were. Murray set out for the bottom and wow did he get there. The comedic twist of it all was having a guy like Harrington on him -forcing him to talk about it, and teams like Arizona hanging right with us- forcing him to tank harder. Tim Murray, we will miss your bluntness and large judgmental eyes. Forever the commander of our tank.

Edited April 22, 2017 by CGorman

[Sabre fan]

yeah, no Lindy please...I do think that looking back at the past season the biggest negative (and there were many) was the fact that not only did we not improve, but we did no develop one young player never mind a bunch of them. The leafs have a bunch of young guys learning as they go, while we played aging vets over our young guys. Rochester was a bust too, so that is a double fail. The tank was suppose to net us a bunch of young players and while we certainly have added some good young prospects, we continue to hold them back. The way we treated players like Bailey was pretty sad, bringing him up, playing him a few games til he began to get a little comfortable, then back he goes and up comes someone else. I 'd much rather play young guys then aging vets like we did, and am afraid Lindy loves the older players and that trend would continue under him...