Do you care about the Sabres anymore?

[Brawndo]

7 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

At some point Pegula has to sell.  He can’t be having fun with this?  He doesn’t go to games.  What’s the point in this for him?  

He won’t trust an experienced GM.  He hires rookies because of it.  In Adams he has a guy he trusts and he can control.  

Adam’s had a core of good players to work with. Hire some help and start winning. 

Pegula’s 189 Million Dollar Investment would now sell for over one billion, that’s the point for him

Experienced GMs and HCs stay away from the Sabres based on His Reputation.

However Adams has been able to act with more autonomy and less interference from Pegula. So hopefully He can convince an experienced HC to come this offseason. 
 

I do think there is a slight internal cap that prevents Adams from being a cap team. Such as signing guys to one year deals 

 

I could see Pegula selling 40-45% of the team and letting that person take over the day to day operations oversight. 

[That Aud Smell]

For me, there's a baseline level of care for the Sabres that apparently nothing can extinguish. It can burn low and slow when needed, as is the case now. It's just a bed of embers at the moment. It will take some doing for it to become a full fire again. Any 4-game win streak would serve as a bundle of dry twigs and sticks.

I'm not making any special effort to tune in. And I will usually be checking the Score app before deciding whether I want to log on to watch.

So it goes.

Edited December 14, 2023 by That Aud Smell

[Pimlach]

10 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Pegula’s 189 Million Dollar Investment would now sell for over one billion, that’s the point for him

Experienced GMs and HCs stay away from the Sabres based on His Reputation.

However Adams has been able to act with more autonomy and less interference from Pegula. So hopefully He can convince an experienced HC to come this offseason. 
 

I do think there is a slight internal cap that prevents Adams from being a cap team. Such as signing guys to one year deals 

 

I could see Pegula selling 40-45% of the team and letting that person take over the day to day operations oversight. 

He should take the profit, thank the league, and go.  No way does he retain majority and not run the show.  

[Believer]

1 hour ago, Radar said:

Second thought on this. Could this decline be what leads Pegula to sell the franchise? And if so are we looking at no local hockey team down the road anyway. I could see Pegula doing this and focusing totally on the Bills franchise.

At Thanksgiving, posted I was thankful Pegula bought the Sabres and kept the franchise in Buffalo… That Adams hired a coach like Granato to develop all the draft choices he was gifted from years of poor play… That players like Okposo chose to embrace the community…

Got an eye roll…

Despite the almost certain playoff failure again… Still feel grateful… Usually entertained and always hopeful… Next year.

[GASabresIUFAN]

23 minutes ago, Drag0nDan said:

You built a core - it isn't a good one.  Time to try and make some changes imo.  Coach is one.  Getting rid of some players another.  And figuring out how to adjust your team.  

FWDs: Tuch, Skinner, Thompson, Mitts, Cozens, Benson, JJP, Quinn - Would move on from 2024: Greenway, Krebs, KO, Girgs, Jost, whomever.  This has no value in a trade though - Do you like Quinn/JJP more than all of the other prospects teams might covet?  That's the real long term decision.  Is it Quinn or is it Kulich?  Is it Kulich or Rosen? Savoie? Östlund?  Some of these guys have to be moved in trades to bring in NHL players and upgrades.  

Dmen: Dahlin, Samuelsson, Power.  R. Johnsons played pretty well, but he should be available in a trade.  Find takers for EJ and Clifton this season if you can.  

G: Levi

I think there is a good core here, it's just not coached or supplemented correctly.

G: Levi - The upside potential is obvious.  He's a rookie, but he is the future in net.

😧 Dahlin & Power - Dahlin is a true superstar.  Power received a stupid contract and I don't think he is the next great thing, but he certainly has Sergachev type potential and will be a solid 2nd pair anchor behind Dahlin (Like Sergachev to Hedman in TB)

F:  Centers: TNT, Mitts & Cozens - This is a much better spine than we had with Eichel.  Sadly we have no one behind them and Cozens needs a reset

F: Wingers: JJP, Quinn, Benson, and Tuch.  That's a great place to start.  

This is a salvageable core.  The question is now do we elevate them and help them achieve their potential? I honestly don't know the answer.    

[Hawerchuk]

Getting ready to set myself up for failure because I'm attending the Golden Knights game tomorrow night. Yes, I still care, but less and less every non playoff season that goes by. Its getting old man!

[Big Guava]

They make it really hard to care when they don't even care.

[Marvin]

Some of the joy got sucked out of me with the decision for The Tank.  I am philosophically opposed to it.  I also did not like the animosity from fans at games because I was rooting for them to win.  It still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and it caused me to stop trying to watch all of the games.

The long drought has been made worse by the sometimes unwatchable play.  That put the damper on my already waning enthusiasm for this team.

My health took a hit with long COVID, so I find myself sleeping through games that I might otherwise have watched or attended.  I don't know how much more interested and passionate I would be if my health improved.

This season has been a big disappointment, but I am hoping that as the roster gets healthier, then the performance will improve.  The horrid drafting before GMKA really shows in the lack of depth.

[ska-T Chitown]

2 hours ago, Radar said:

Second thought on this. Could this decline be what leads Pegula to sell the franchise? And if so are we looking at no local hockey team down the road anyway. I could see Pegula doing this and focusing totally on the Bills franchise.

With his speech about how much he loved the Sabres throughout the years and the potential backlash from the community against the Darling Bills? No way Terry sells the Sabres unless there is an iron clad agreement in place to keep them in Buffalo.

[Drag0nDan]

31 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I think there is a good core here, it's just not coached or supplemented correctly.

G: Levi - The upside potential is obvious.  He's a rookie, but he is the future in net.

😧 Dahlin & Power - Dahlin is a true superstar.  Power received a stupid contract and I don't think he is the next great thing, but he certainly has Sergachev type potential and will be a solid 2nd pair anchor behind Dahlin (Like Sergachev to Hedman in TB)

F:  Centers: TNT, Mitts & Cozens - This is a much better spine than we had with Eichel.  Sadly we have no one behind them and Cozens needs a reset

F: Wingers: JJP, Quinn, Benson, and Tuch.  That's a great place to start.  

This is a salvageable core.  The question is now do we elevate them and help them achieve their potential? I honestly don't know the answer.    

Skinner is a full NMC so i doubt he is traded so i lumped him in too.  

[hockey]

With our now-constant access to terrible news from all over the globe, sports definitely don't seem as important as they used to be in Buffalo.

I've always said that if the Bills and/or Sabres win it all, they should let the victory parade crowd destroy all the bricked up buildings in the area.

[Marvin]

Just now, hockey said:

With our now-constant access to terrible news from all over the globe, sports definitely don't seem as important as they used to be in Buffalo.

I've always said that if the Bills and/or Sabres win it all, they should let the victory parade crowd destroy all the bricked up buildings in the area.

Welcome to the board.  And awesome.

[That Aud Smell]

28 minutes ago, hockey said:

With our now-constant access to terrible news from all over the globe, sports definitely don't seem as important as they used to be in Buffalo.

I've always said that if the Bills and/or Sabres win it all, they should let the victory parade crowd destroy all the bricked up buildings in the area.

I trust you meant boarded up buildings. Because brick (sh1thouse) buildings are one of my favourite things about Old Buffalo.

Also, I am regrettably aware that "bricked up" is a term that young people use(d) to refer to the state of a man "standing at attention."

 

[Flashsabre]

5 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

There's no right answer and this isn't a trick. 

After the 3rd goal last night, I went to sleep. Saw the Benson goal in Twitter after I brushed my teeth. Got into bed and didn't think anymore about this team. I suppose I just care on some level because I'm here but also... I think I'm just bored. 

Honestly, I don't think I care anymore after 13 seasons of missing the playoffs. 

I wrote about this a couple weeks ago. 13 years of this is just too much. There just doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. I have stopped watching full games and don’t really care.

They have all this young talent but it means nothing because the team isn’t making any strides. 
 

They could luck into Celebrini or Lindstrom in the draft and it won’t make a lick of difference because we have been down this road for so long.

I really think a sale is the only solution. Pegula is steadfast with Adams. Adam’s is all in on his plan and nothing has changed. A new owner willing to bring in experienced NHL leadership is the best hope at this point.

Its just easier on the mental health not to get angry anymore at the same stuff we have seen for over a decade.

[Getpucksdeep]

Unfortunately I have tickets to about 12 more games this season so yeah what choice is there?  Sell them I guess and try to reclaim 50 cents on the dollar.  Absolutely not renewing if no playoffs.  Same as all the other years, I'll shift back to just being a fan of the game and will still probably watch NHL most nights, just with less emotional investment.  

[Marvin]

3 minutes ago, Getpucksdeep said:

Unfortunately I have tickets to about 12 more games this season so yeah what choice is there?  Sell them I guess and try to reclaim 50 cents on the dollar.  Absolutely not renewing if no playoffs.  Same as all the other years, I'll shift back to just being a fan of the game and will still probably watch NHL most nights, just with less emotional investment.  

Welcome back.

This year really looked better, but missing 2-4 top 6 forwards for most games exposed the lack of depth.  That is aside from the team still learning to play defence while the offence is suffering.

[hockey]

38 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

I trust you meant boarded up buildings. Because brick (sh1thouse) buildings are one of my favourite things about Old Buffalo.

Also, I am regrettably aware that "bricked up" is a term that young people use(d) to refer to the state of a man "standing at attention."

 

This is why I still come to this message board, to learn.

[PASabreFan]

2 hours ago, Believer said:

At Thanksgiving, posted I was thankful Pegula bought the Sabres and kept the franchise in Buffalo… That Adams hired a coach like Granato to develop all the draft choices he was gifted from years of poor play… That players like Okposo chose to embrace the community…

Got an eye roll…

Despite the almost certain playoff failure again… Still feel grateful… Usually entertained and always hopeful… Next year.

What does embrace the community mean?

[Marvin]

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

I could see Pegula selling 40-45% of the team and letting that person take over the day to day operations oversight. 

Assuming that his daughters still feel the same way, I think that they don't want him too.  They wanted the Cup wins to be like family heirlooms.

Aside 1: Are there talks about Granato getting better assistants?  PP coach would be a great place to start.

Aside 2: I personally can tell what Granato is trying to do on defence, which should eventually work.  Why is it trouble in the NHL club and a massive disaster often in Rochester?  I know youth is part of it, but it should not be this bad.  I find it hard to believe that it is so common for players to not be aware of their defencive positioning, assignments, and reads.  The players are often so clueless that it is as if this is the first time that the players had to cover their own zone.

[In The Buff]

Gotta be honest: Hockey Heaven seems worse than i had imagined it'd be.

Years after heaven arrived: Last night i fired up the stream a bit late & saw we were down 0-3 before even getting a shot on goal.

Not much incentive to stick around & see how it turns out, so i turned the game off.

This morning i see we lost, go figure. Guess i made the right choice.

Next game i'll try watching again. But I really thought hockey heaven would be better than this lol.

[LTS]

Until posting on this forum dies out or only the optimists are left then I know people still care, especially here.

I know those who are on here with post after post of their frustrations and lamentations still care... because they are posting.

Do I care? Yes.  I don't see myself not caring ever.  Even if I wanted Granato fired after the game last night.

 

[#freejame]

Over the last 13 years I’ve had to take one or two seasons away from watching games. I love hockey. I love the Sabres. I don’t really feel anything watching either good or bad. I used to feel every game, now I just watch.

I’ve got a 9 month old son that I would love to share hockey with which is why I’m doing my best to care even a bit, but why would I want him to be a fan of this team?

[Scottysabres]

I care, I'll always care to some extent. They've been 53 yrs my team. I just don't care enough to care enough about them anymore. They start showing real progress, not this "oh we'll show up at the last minute" *****, I'll start caring more again.

[seer775]

Let's bandwagon the Panthers so we can watch them bully the Leafs and Bruins again.

[Getpucksdeep]

7 minutes ago, seer775 said:

Let's bandwagon the Panthers so we can watch them bully the Leafs and Bruins again.

Gross!  Devils? At least Lindy is there. Prefer to go West to minimize the ick, but past my bedtime.