What Should The Sabres Goals Be For The Rest of The Season?

[GASabresIUFAN]

Babcock also has a deeper, healthier and more skilled team.

[WildCard]

Babcock also has a deeper, healthier and more skilled team.

Not by that much

[darksabre]

Not by that much

I don't think you're giving enough credit to the length of time a lot of their current players spent developing on the Marlies. A lot of those guys spent one-three seasons down there learning.

[WildCard]

I don't think you're giving enough credit to the length of time a lot of their current players spent developing on the Marlies. A lot of those guys spent one-three seasons down there learning.

I think they're better, I don't think the talent gap is so large to be Last Place <--------> ECF. They have a fantastic coach and a core of players that believes in themselves and grew together. We have the opposite of that

[GASabresIUFAN]

Not by that much

Other then a debate about Matthews vs Eichel, who is better on our team position to position? Risto maybe. Who else? Kadri is their 3rd line center. Who is ours again?

[WildCard]

Other then a debate about Matthews vs Eichel, who is better on our team position to position? Risto maybe. Who else? Kadri is their 3rd line center. Who is ours again?

Again, not saying they don't have a better roster. I do not think they are the 85 Oilers to our tank Sabres though

[Wyldnwoody44]

I'd like to see the Sabres posses the Puck for more than a few seconds and maybe actually hit someone, that would be a good start

[Mustache of God]

Aside from figuring out how to get Eichel's groove back?

 

The goal for the rest of the season is to lay a foundation for next year (again).

 

I'm expecting Kane to be traded and he's not re-signing here. He's a true competitor and has never been to the playoffs. There's no reason he'd want to come back to a losing teams. Contenders will offer him money in the off-season and he'll take it. I'm expecting a late 1st in return for him or a blue chip prospect. I'm sure there will be conditions on how deep the team goes.

 

I'm also expecting Gorges to fetch us a 3rd or maybe even a 2nd if Botteril can work some magic. Teams looking to make a run need solid defensive depth and Gorges is perfect for that in a limited role.

 

The rostered goalies on this team will not be here next year.

 

Jury is still out on what happens with Reinhart. Sign him to an attractive bridge deal or trade him, it could go either way at this point.

 

Let the kids in Rochester continue to marinate and win together. I can't remember the last time we've had a player developed in Rochester whose came up and really impressed and became a key member of the team. I think Girgensons and McCabe are the only players on the roster drafted by the Sabres who have spent more than 50 games in the AHL.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Aside from figuring out how to get Eichel's groove back?

 

The goal for the rest of the season is to lay a foundation for next year (again).

 

I'm expecting Kane to be traded and he's not re-signing here. He's a true competitor and has never been to the playoffs. There's no reason he'd want to come back to a losing teams. Contenders will offer him money in the off-season and he'll take it. I'm expecting a late 1st in return for him or a blue chip prospect. I'm sure there will be conditions on how deep the team goes.

 

I'm also expecting Gorges to fetch us a 3rd or maybe even a 2nd if Botteril can work some magic. Teams looking to make a run need solid defensive depth and Gorges is perfect for that in a limited role.

 

The rostered goalies on this team will not be here next year.

 

Jury is still out on what happens with Reinhart. Sign him to an attractive bridge deal or trade him, it could go either way at this point.

 

Let the kids in Rochester continue to marinate and win together. I can't remember the last time we've had a player developed in Rochester whose came up and really impressed and became a key member of the team. I think Girgensons and McCabe are the only players on the roster drafted by the Sabres who have spent more than 50 games in the AHL.

Interesting point about Rochester experience. The 2005-6 team featured 12 players that come up through the Amerks, 10 of which played 1-3 full seasons in the minors. Campbell, Pommers and Gaustad played most of 3 seasons in the AHL. It seems to have worked out for them. (Miller, Biron, Soupy, Vanek, Roy, Pommers, Tallinder, Goose, Kalinin, and Kotalik.) Max and McKee started their rookie years in the AHL, but spent most of them with the Sabres. Edited November 28, 2017 by GASabresIUFAN

[North Buffalo]

Agree work on devopment in Rochester... get something good for Kane and Gorges if possible... Get D to keep working on Housley system a unintended Tank continue... Stalin for Dahlin... this season is done from a playoff deal but get the NHL guys to keep gaining an understanding of what they need to do and have a team plan for the off season...

[Thorny]

Again, not saying they don't have a better roster. I do not think they are the 85 Oilers to our tank Sabres though

Agreed, and a good point. There should be a gap, but not this large. Many factors as to why.

 

Babcock chief among them.

[Jsixspd]

I'm still trying to determine which equivalent year of the Blackhawk's wildly successful rebuild process we are at, so we can start to evaluate their rebuild against ours.

 I've brought this up before, and the group consensus seems to be to punt it another year or two down the pike.  Trouble is - Pegula's 7th anniversary of ownership is in February, and we're running out of years to shuffle.   

Blackhawks lost in the conference quarterfinals in 2001-02 - then there were 4 sub 500 seasons with no playoff appearances, and they were a cellar type team with 79, 59, 65, and 71 points where they built up draft picks, a 5th year where they were near. 500 and an 88 point season,  but didn't quite make the playoffs.  Then 6 seasons after their previous playoff appearance, with 4 tank years, then a decent 88 pt season,  they made it deep into the playoffs, and have been a playoff dynasty ever since.  

If we choose 2001-02, the year they last made the playoffs before the 4 season slump and rebuild,  to align with 2010-2011, the most recent year WE appeared in the post season,  it doesn't look like we're progressing anywhere near as efficiently as they did.  At best, we're several seasons behind their progress.   :(  

[Thorny]

Murray's firing and the signing of Botterill represented a re-set: and in my view, the end of trying to compare our tank to the tanks of others. It didn't work how we wanted it to. Now Botterill gets a chance to reimagine things.

[MattPie]

Murray's firing and the signing of Botterill represented a re-set: and in my view, the end of trying to compare our tank to the tanks of others. It didn't work how we wanted it to. Now Botterill gets a chance to reimagine things.

 

If you want to get nit-picky, the Blackhawks timeline also includes the lockout where prospects and borderline players got an extra year in the AHL/CHL/overseas leagues to develop.

[That Aud Smell]

I apologize if this has been stated upthread, but I'm done wanting or expecting anything out of this team until further notice (from me, to me, I guess).

 

On a more metaphysical level (I think), I'm working to reject the ever popular (and, frankly, quite tired) narrative of the long-suffering sports fan.

 

Sports are fun. They're supposed to be fun. Sometimes, there will be disappointment when a desirable achievement is within sight but not secured. But we're a long way from that sort of thing. 

[Thorny]

I apologize if this has been stated upthread, but I'm done wanting or expecting anything out of this team until further notice (from me, to me, I guess).

 

On a more metaphysical level (I think), I'm working to reject the ever popular (and, frankly, quite tired) narrative of the long-suffering sports fan.

 

Sports are fun. They're supposed to be fun. Sometimes, there will be disappointment when a desirable achievement is within sight but not secured. But we're a long way from that sort of thing.

 

This is precisely where I'm attempting to get my mind to as well.

 

If I'm getting largely negative impacts to my mood from sports, is that sports fault, or my own? It's my own choice to allow something, that I don't even have to follow, to have a net negative impact on my life.

 

All the "sadness" that comes with watching a good team fail to reach the ultimate goal is palatable to me, because sadness can be viewed as a positive emotion. It's only present in that scenario because of all the good and happiness the team brought on by getting to a point where, like you said, a desiresble outcome is in sight. One would become sad because of the relative comparison to all the "happy" they were frequently experiencing.

 

With all the losing and failure recently, it's ceased to be sadness a long time ago. It's more like anger and frustration. Anger, the path to the Dark Side.

 

I don't want to stop following the Sabres, so the only solution is to get less frustrated by it. Be happy with the rare wins, or when Eichel has a multi-point night, and just "let it go", and spend less time on it mentally, when they lose.

[Jacque Richard]

Score goals and be competitive

[calti]

Pegula needs to improve

[Tondas]

Keep all our crappy players on the big club so as not to ruin the Amerks chances to win.

[Jacque Richard]

Go back to the black uniforms

[WildCard]

True/Brawndo? Either way they mentioned corsica as a good site for advanced stats (this site is horribly mangled. whoever wrote it should be dragged outside and shot...good stats though)

 

With that in mind, we're actually improving. A little bit here and there, but we're improving

 

All stats at ES

 

Last Year:

CF% = 47.34, 29th 

 

This Year: (Keep in mind there is one more team)

CF% = 48.31, 22nd

 

I'd pay to get Flagg to do another neutral zone analysis like he did last year. 

 

Hey Flagg, quit your book learning and come help us

Edited November 29, 2017 by WildCard

[nucci]

And what result is in the best interest of the club long term?

 

The Sabres sit with 14 pts in 30th place in the NHL. We are last in goals for with 52 and 29th in goals against with 79 allowed.

 

However, Risto and Bogo will be back soon and with 60 games left in the season there is still a reasonable shot at improving on last years’ 78pts. Simply earning 1 pt a game the rest of the season gets us to 74 pts.

 

Is this what we want or need? Would we be better off staying lousy and getting a top 3 pick? Or would improving on last year’s record make the season feel worth while and give us hope for 2018-19?

maybe scoring one once in a while?

[Jacque Richard]

Something to cheer about

[SwampD]

Goals.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

To win every single game they play.