Eichel needs the "C". O'Reilly needs to be gone

[dejeanerret]

Locker clean out day pretty much spelled out the entire season 

 

Eichel pulled a 180 from last year.  He stood up as a leader and answered the tough questions. He spoke as someone who is bought in and is here for the long haul.  He spoke as someone who will be part of the turnaround and will task himself with that.

 

Okposo's interview was quite telling.  There were questions he answered where he raised his chin towards the reporter answering the question, and there were questions (mostly about effort and buy in) where his head remained down, and he glared up at the reporter during and at the end of his response.  To me he was sending a message.  I was on him this year about his  plus/minus and effort.  But his injury seemed to be more serious than I thought, and he was just getting back into the groove this season.  Regarding system he did mention he wished the coaches would just tell players to "go out and work and not worry so much about X and O's".  So the learning the system and not being able to just react came across as frustrating in that answer.

 

Reinhart seemed to experience similar frustration regarding being tied to a "system".  Made comment that when he said "screw it" and just played his game he was more productive.  He also talked about players not coming to the rink and lack of effort. Seems from the top guys they're is a sense of frustration from this.

 

O'Reilly blew my mind.  A guy who is supposed to be your heart and soul, was mentioned as a captain, and is one of your highest paid players, comes out and says he lost his love a few times this year (which to me means he was checked out for certain games) is the core of the issue of this team.  I've read throughout the board about Housley not standing up to star players not giving effort, and apparently ROR was one of them. Also he mentioned being excited about going to Europe to "win something"??  WTF???  And the fact he admitted he didn't come into this season prepared training wise is unacceptable, that he "lost touch" with his training regimen and didn't come ready to play and it showed in  his game. 

 

Unacceptable.

 

When you are a professional athlete getting paid what ROR is getting paid, you don't checkout.  I'm sorry.  Don't' care if your 0-82.  As a professional, you go out every shift and give 100% each and every shift.  To admit that through out the season he mailed it in certain games is completely unacceptable.  Even worse to say that in a locker cleanout screams to me that he is BEGGING to be traded.  He even mentioned if he is moved he didn't seem too concerned about it.  ROR wants out of Buffalo, and I can't imagine Bots not on the phone tomorrow trying to make a move after that soundbite.

 

Honestly, this lack of effort was probably recognized early on in the season so the interview was probably just a formality.

 

Prior to today, I though that Eichel, Reinhart, and ROR were our core.  Now for me cross ROR of that list.  He needs to be moved tomorrow.

 

As for Eichel, I can tell he wants to be the leader of this franchise.  He was probably frustrated not being able to say anything to ROR since they were co captains and ROR has more league seniority.

 

As for ROR, he needs to go...now.

 

 

 

[PerreaultForever]

Yes, I agree. 

I do not like him and Chad whining AFTER the season. Where was the leadership DURING the year when it might have mattered? Where is the example for the kids? No, you either shut up publicly or you shoulder responsibility and advocate harder work. I think he wants out, and I would make that happen if I was JBot. 

[Randall Flagg]

Regarding Eichel, I keep coming back to his Thanksgiving skate with Housley. He's really grown and I think that could be seen as a turning point in his maturity as a player. If Housley never does anything good for this franchise from this point, at least we have that. 

 

Since that time, Jack has said all the right things, never thrown anyone but himself under the bus, never gotten too high or too low or disrespectful towards anyone, and has never checked out to a degree higher than the bare minimum you'd expect from a human going through the journey that is life. I saw him busting his ass right to the final whistle in Florida, frustrated they couldn't pull it out at the end. 

 

I was never worried about whether or not this personal growth would happen for him, but it's been a treat to watch and it's wonderful that it is happening. 

Now get him some got damn wingers.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[Thorny]

Regarding Eichel, I keep coming back to his Thanksgiving skate with Housley. He's really grown and I think that could be seen as a turning point in his maturity as a player. If Housley never does anything good for this franchise from this point, at least we have that. 

 

Since that time, Jack has said all the right things, never thrown anyone but himself under the bus, never gotten too high or too low or disrespectful towards anyone, and has never checked out to a degree higher than the bare minimum you'd expect from a human going through the journey that is life. I saw him busting his ass right to the final whistle in Florida, frustrated they couldn't pull it out at the end. 

 

I was never worried about whether or not this personal growth would happen for him, but it's been a treat to watch and it's wonderful that it is happening. 

Now get him some got damn wingers.

Yup.

 

O’Reilly’s and Johnson’s exit interviews were at opposite ends of the spectrum, both equally discouraging to hear, for different reasons.

 

And then there was Jack. Boromir himself would be proud. We have a captain.

[dudacek]

Just sat through the interviews.

 

The overwhelming takeaway I got was that we have a team core full of headstrong, entitled and basically decent hardworking human beings who want to win. They weren’t given the proper structure and consistent message in their assembly, got tripped up by their egos and second-guessing of each other in the aftermath. In the constant losing created by the lack of a unified team environment, they have completely lost their individual self-confidence.

 

They’re broken and they know it, but they’re not sure how to fix it. They aren’t on the same page and they don’t trust each other. But they’ve also come to understand that they can’t blame the coach, or the GM or anyone else

And maybe, at this nadir, they are ready to put egos aside and rally around a leader and start supporting each other.

 

It’s not the players, it’s the team.

Hopefully this summer is where they decide to be one.

Edited April 10, 2018 by dudacek

[pi2000]

When you are a professional athlete getting paid what ROR is getting paid, you don't checkout.  I'm sorry.  Don't' care if your 0-82.  As a professional, you go out every shift and give 100% each and every shift.  To admit that through out the season he mailed it in certain games is completely unacceptable.  Even worse to say that in a locker cleanout screams to me that he is BEGGING to be traded.  He even mentioned if he is moved he didn't seem too concerned about it.  ROR wants out of Buffalo, and I can't imagine Bots not on the phone tomorrow trying to make a move after that soundbite.

 

These are humans, they're not robots..... they have emotions and losing hurts.    At least losing *should* hurt... maybe if more players hated to lose as much as ROR does, they wouldn't be in this spot.

 

Coming off one of their worst seasons in franchise history you want them to trade their top PP point producer, second leading scorer, and the greatest face-off artist in the history of the game?    My goodness.

[Marions Piazza]

These are humans, they're not robots..... they have emotions and losing hurts.    At least losing *should* hurt... maybe if more players hated to lose as much as ROR does, they wouldn't be in this spot.

 

Coming off one of their worst seasons in franchise history you want them to trade their top PP point producer, second leading scorer, and the greatest face-off artist in the history of the game?    My goodness.

If the guy is truly a locker room cancer, doesn't matter what his stats are, you try to move him and upgrade elsewhere.  I think there are plenty of GM's out there believing he needs a change after all the losing here and would give up a 2-3 D-man and good prospect player.  I'd like for him to change and be around to pull us out of this mess, but if not, then so be it.

[LGR4GM]

I agree Eichel needs the C and I do not agree that ROR should just be "gone". ROR is good. 

Edited April 10, 2018 by Skurk Liger

[dejeanerret]

These are humans, they're not robots..... they have emotions and losing hurts.    At least losing *should* hurt... maybe if more players hated to lose as much as ROR does, they wouldn't be in this spot.

 

Coming off one of their worst seasons in franchise history you want them to trade their top PP point producer, second leading scorer, and the greatest face-off artist in the history of the game?    My goodness.

Stats aren't the standard of which winning teams with winning culture's go by when it comes to team moral and team toughness.

 

As I stated, prior to this interview I was firmly in the "bring ROR back" category as one of our core.  But it doesn't matter what your stats are, if you openly tell your teammates, management, and the fans that you checked out and accepted losing and didn't give your all each night then you need to go pronto.

 

Did the fans who paid hundreds of hard earned dollars to bring their kids to the game deserve to see a checked out OReilly loafing around the ice?

 

I get we are all human.  But as a professional it's his duty to perform his job at the highest level, especially for the money he makes.  It's his job to raise his teammates up, not sink to unacceptable levels.  Especially when players and even fans were looking at him as Captain material.  He has to be the example, not the victim.  If a guy like OReilly says its OK to show up to work and accept losing, don't you think other guys are going to feel that?  THAT'S WHAT CREATES A LOSING CULTURE.

 

You didn't hear any of that in Eichel, Okposo, or Reinhart?  Nope.  Even Pommers made a statement of how on the outside it didn't seem so bad and then once you get inside and see what is going on you see the problems."  To me he was basically saying players quit.  When arguably your best player comes out and says I quit on the team on certain nights, he needs to go.

 

There will be a team who will trade for him.  Most likely a team that is playoff caliber.  But be weary if they start losing, because this guy will check out on you.

Edited April 10, 2018 by dejeanerret

[sabills]

I agree Eichel needs the C and I do not agree that ROR should just be "gone". ROR is good. 

me too, thanks

[Doohickie]

If the guy is truly a locker room cancer, doesn't matter what his stats are, you try to move him and upgrade elsewhere.  I think there are plenty of GM's out there believing he needs a change after all the losing here and would give up a 2-3 D-man and good prospect player.  I'd like for him to change and be around to pull us out of this mess, but if not, then so be it.

 

Just because he wasn't the greatest locker room leader ever, does that mean he was a cancer?  He might be a neutral in the locker room.  You don't know.

[Trettioåtta]

We need more addition but subtraction!

[LGR4GM]

I'm not trading ROR without a significant return. I don't see a reason to trade him right now. We need his talents. He makes us better.

[PerreaultForever]

Just because he wasn't the greatest locker room leader ever, does that mean he was a cancer?  He might be a neutral in the locker room.  You don't know.

If he was a leader he wouldn't have said what he said publicly. but with those comments, he's no longer "neutral" he is not what you want moving forward. 

[CallawaySabres]

If he was a leader he wouldn't have said what he said publicly. but with those comments, he's no longer "neutral" he is not what you want moving forward. 

 

Yup, O'Reilly has become the player I least respect on that entire team. I can't even begin to describe how pathetic he sounds....freaking baby.

[pi2000]

[Weave]

This is right up there with #antics.

 

And "there is no room on the Sabres for Kovalev".

[Robviously]

Yup, O'Reilly has become the player I least respect on that entire team. I can't even begin to describe how pathetic he sounds....freaking baby.

It's because he speaks almost entirely in passive language.

 

"I should be better." 

"We know we need to be better."

"I have to be better."

 

Right or wrong, when you hear that it sounds like a guy hedging his bets.  Like he wants things to turn around but he doesn't want to say they will because he's worried he can't back it up.  

 

And he's been talking like this FOREVER.  The ROR quotes about "I need to do better" were a joke by the middle of last season.  He's not a bad player at all but it's hard to imagine things getting better if he's the one we're building around after all this.

 

The Sabres don't have to trade him but they'd be dumb not to shop around.

[darksabre]

This is right up there with #antics.

 

And "there is no room on the Sabres for Kovalev".

I mean, we could close that karmic loop this off-season if we want...