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What are your predictions/expectations for next year?


freester

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10 hours ago, freester said:

You know LSD is still illegal.  How are we getting the 2nd overall pick?  No way is Kakko ready to start on the top line. Bogo as a top pair???  Better than average goaltending-Is the Dominator coming out of retirement???  Who is the  LW we are getting for Ristolainen?

Doesn't mean it's bad.

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I can’t even begin to wrap my head around what to expect next season.  If I thought I was seeing a line of progression, I could make a prediction regarding next season, but I can’t say I’m seeing a direction the team is headed.  We’re treading water right now.

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15 hours ago, Brawndo said:

Given the fact it had the deal had to be done before his signing bonus was due I believe there was Ownership Involvement as well 

People forget how important that issue was to getting a deal done.  Most of the time you assume that a player is traded that the new team has to pay his salary or whatever portion is allocated in the deal.  However because of the way ROR was structured with most of the income coming from signing or roster bonuses, had Buffalo waited longer to trade him that off-season, the Sabres would have essentially paid him his income for the season and Stl would have had a year of his services basically for nothing.  Therefore this deal was Sobotka, Berglund, Tage, a 1st,  a 2nd and $7.5 million saved.  

We forget in sports about the real $ these guys make.  We casually say he is a bargain at $5 mill or overpaid at $6 mill.  However this is real $ and saving $7.5 is a huge savings to the Sabres bottom line.  

Makes you wonder what would have happened if Stl balked at paying the bonus.  Would ROR still be a Sabres or would Jbot and TP still have sent him packing?  Would Stl or someone else had to offer more to get a deal done after 7/1 or would they have had to find a way to make the cap $ and real $ work another way.

Edited by GASabresIUFAN
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2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

People forget how important that issue was to getting a deal done.  Most of the time you assume that a player is traded that the new team has to pay his salary or whatever portion is allocated in the deal.  However because of the way ROR was structured with most of the income coming from signing or roster bonuses, had Buffalo waited longer to trade him that off-season, the Sabres would have essentially paid him his income for the season and Stl would have had a year of his services basically for nothing.  Therefore this deal was Sobotka, Berglund, Tage, a 1st,  a 2nd and $7.5 million saved.  

We forget in sports about the real $ these guys make.  We casually say he is a bargain at $5 mill or overpaid at $6 mill.  However this is real $ and saving $7.5 is a huge savings to the Sabres bottom line.  

Makes you wonder what would have happened if Stl balked at paying the bonus.  Would ROR still be a Sabres or would Jbot and TP still have sent him packing?  Would Stl or someone else had to offer more to get a deal done after 7/1 or would they have had to find a way to make the cap $ and real $ work another way.

Yet Pegula told us that money won't be an obstacle for this team.....He'll just drill another well

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My expectation is playoffs.  This was the year where maybe they make it, maybe they don't.  Next year is the year where heads should roll the minute it becomes apparent that they are not on a path towards hockey in late April.

I'm not making predictions.  This group is unpredictable.

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5 hours ago, Eleven said:

My expectation is playoffs.  This was the year where maybe they make it, maybe they don't.  Next year is the year where heads should roll the minute it becomes apparent that they are not on a path towards hockey in late April.

I'm not making predictions.  This group is unpredictable.

This. The expectation has to be playoffs. This team won't make the playoffs until it's the clear-cut expectation from within. 

If Botterill's goal and mandate isn't yet playoffs in what will be his third full season, he should never have been brought in. 

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3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Aren't they on pace for like 81 points? 

Not speaking to you specifically, I'm hoping we don't get a revisionist history of what the general expectation was heading into this season.

It was bubble-team. This team is not a bubble-team. Even with the anomaly of the streak, they were out of it by the end of February. 

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As of right now, I expect both GM and HC to survive into the start of next season.

If that is the case, I expect us to underperform next season, play poorly, and for Housley to be fired maybe in the month of November.

Because of that, we will not make the playoffs next year.  

That's one very likely outcome for next season.

If GM and/or HC are replaced over the off-season, obviously the whole situation changes.

 

 

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6 hours ago, Eleven said:

My expectation is playoffs.  This was the year where maybe they make it, maybe they don't.  Next year is the year where heads should roll the minute it becomes apparent that they are not on a path towards hockey in late April.

I'm not making predictions.  This group is unpredictable.

Amen, brother.

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Until the draft and free agency plays out who knows?   I think there is not enough on the farm and elsewhere in the system to make any big change.  A major trade and a few free agents are needed to make an impact   

I expect the playoffs. Nothing less.  I am not sure we have the goaltending to be a playoff team

Edited by Pimlach
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I am honestly disappointed in the way this season has gone, and combine that with what Botterill has put together since his 1st day I heavily question his ability to build a playoff contender, let alone a Cup Contender. Contract years are being wasted, assets are being squandered and sent away under value. I am a die hard Go Sabres guy, not a whole lot will get me to cave in to the slow march to the golf season. I still believe they can make the playoffs, but...………….I am also a realist, that dog don't hunt.

Something has to change, as much of a fanatic as I am fan wise, I need to actually see progress by leaps and bounds here. These past 11 years have been a complete disaster for this organization, yes, even the 11 playoff series against Philly, it merely gave false hope and masked the deep seeded issues with this organization to the masses. I am sick and tired of hearing catch phrases like "Trust the Process", or "Were not there yet". No ***** your not there yet. I don't need you, the General Manager to tell my eyes what they already know. Get your ***** together Botterill. I've had enough of this crap, dam near all of us have.

/rant

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Listening to Canuck radio, it is amazing to see how similar our fan bases are at the moment.

To wit:

”The first two months of the season were a mirage.”

”Every year it is the same thing. We bring in new veterans and new kids, but we still suck.”

”Benning (Botterill) has used up all his bullets. Boeser and Horvat (Eichel and Reinhart) are what they are. They’re good, but they haven’t fixed us and they aren’t getting better.”

”Pettersson (Dahlin) is amazing and will probably be even better but he can’t change the franchise around by himself. I have hopes for Quinn Hughes (Casey Mittelstadt) developing some day, but he could just as easily be another Jake Virtanen (Tage Thompson) it’s not enough, and who else is coming? It’s not like we will be picking in the top three this year.”

”How long can we keep trotting out Edler and Tanev (Bogosian and Ristolainen) in our top four and expect to win?”

”Every veteran we pick up is just bad: Beagle, Gudbranson, Spooner, Tim ***** Schaller... (Berglund, Scandella, Sheary, Vladimir ***** Sobotka.... And don’t even get me started on Loui Erickson (Kyle Okposo)”

“It starts at the top. Aquilini (Pegula) interferes too much. Benning (Botterill) just doesn’t get it and Green (Housley) doesn’t have a clue. It’s never going to get better. Time to blow it up.”

Edited by dudacek
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This is more of a hope for next season post instead of a prediction/expectation...

I hope outgoing ...

Housley 

Pominville

Sobotka

Bogo

Okposo

 

i hope incoming ...

One of Olofsson, Asplund, Nylander 

One of Pilut, Borgen

Two vocal experienced vets who will help lead by example. And teach the kids how to be consistent and hold each other accountable, have fun, and learn from. Because the players in the outgoing list, really suck at it.

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34 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

This is more of a hope for next season post instead of a prediction/expectation...

I hope outgoing ...

Housley 

Pominville

Sobotka

Bogo

Okposo

 

i hope incoming ...

One of Olofsson, Asplund, Nylander 

One of Pilut, Borgen

Two vocal experienced vets who will help lead by example. And teach the kids how to be consistent and hold each other accountable, have fun, and learn from. Because the players in the outgoing list, really suck at it.

With your hopes they should have lots of fun.....no coach to yell at them (not that the present one does but).

Edited by MakeSabresGrr8Again
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