ESPN Article on the Sabres

[steveoat87]

ESPN has an article titled "Can the Buffalo Sabres still salvage their 2024-25 season?"  It is by Kristen Shilton, their NHL reporter.  Its worth taking a look at.

Here is the link:

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/43300075/nhl-2024-25-buffalo-sabres-salvage-season-playoffs-drought

 

Bruce

[Pimlach]

She must be reading the forum.  She nails it.  Both the players and ownership/management have to elevate their game.  

[steveoat87]

26 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

She must be reading the forum.  She nails it.  Both the players and ownership/management have to elevate their game.  

I agree.  She is referring to thinking out of the box, and the need to take risks -- but also the need to shake up the roster, and make trades.

 

Don't thinks Adams by himself can do this.  He either needs help or needs to be replaced.

Adams reminds me of the Steve Carell character in the 41 Year old Virgin.  The character could not get rid of his collectible soldiers, which he used as a crutch to not take any risks.  Adams seems to feel the same way about this players and prospects -- they are his and he can't let go.  Instead, he should be let go.

 

Also what is it with Lindy during the games.  It seems like he just seems to stand there like a Buddha and appears to say nothing.  Its very weird to watch.

[Believer]

Ms.Shilton sees what we see. 

Adams and Ruff have failed to get value out of the talent on the existing roster. 

We need to get more production from Cozens, Krebs, Quinn, and Benson.

McLeod, Lafferty, and NAK need to step up and make a difference in whatever game role Ruff gives them.

Adams needs to add a couple RH D and a couple forwards who can win face offs and shoot with a legit enforcer in the off season.

He has plenty of high value players and prospects to interest other GMs.

We need to start winning regularly now against top teams in order to attract those vets we need next season.

Get after it, Adams.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 8 by Believer

[Night Train]

More likely to Savage their season..

 

 

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

53 minutes ago, Believer said:

Ms.Shilton sees what we see. 

Adams and Ruff have failed to get value out of the talent on the existing roster. 

We need to get more production from Cozens, Krebs, Quinn, and Benson.

McLeod, Lafferty, and NAK need to step up and make a difference in whatever game role Ruff gives them.

Adams needs to add a couple RH D and a couple forwards who can win face offs and shoot with a legit enforcer in the off season.

He has plenty of high value players and prospects to interest other GMs.

We need to start winning regularly now against top teams in order to attract those vets we need next season.

Get after it, Adams.

 

 

 

 

I have a better chance of winning the Power Ball than Adams has of fixing this team. 

[JohnC]

25 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I have a better chance of winning the Power Ball than Adams has of fixing this team. 

That's the conundrum. How do you enlighten a less than pedestrian GM to be creative enough to make some impactful deals when during his extended tenure he has shown himself to be less than competent? A dullard is a dullard. 

[Indabuff]

If God himself appeared before me and told me I can ask one question it would be "is Terry Pegula tying the hands of these GMs or are they really this incompetent?"

[PerreaultForever]

It's no big secret. I talk to fans of other teams and they all say (without my prompting) that Buffalo is a Mickey Mouse organization with a terrible owner and that's the biggest problem. It isn't going to get better until that is fixed. 

[PromoTheRobot]

"Make some moves" is an easy suggestion to make, ignoring the reality of NMC's. So do you make moves to placate the fanbase or actually improve the team? Whether it's self-inflicted or not, the Sabres are where they are right now. If two-thirds of potential players won't accept a trade, what are you left with? Overpayment is an option and I'm fine with that. but you tend to attract paycheck chasers like Taylor Hall. guys who aren't here to improve the team. Just cash in and demand a trade later. I'm afraid we have to rely on growing our own players and augment it with Zucker-level signings/trades and crossing our fingers.  That said, this team is already talented enough to win games when they play with their heads out of their butts. How about a little coaching magic?

[PromoTheRobot]

15 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

It's no big secret. I talk to fans of other teams and they all say (without my prompting) that Buffalo is a Mickey Mouse organization with a terrible owner and that's the biggest problem. It isn't going to get better until that is fixed. 

Okay. We're Micky Mouse. Now give me an example where Terry prevented Adams from making a move?

[PerreaultForever]

45 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Okay. We're Micky Mouse. Now give me an example where Terry prevented Adams from making a move?

You can't obviously, because the move didn't happen. 

So you don't think it's a Mickey Mouse organization?

[PromoTheRobot]

19 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

You can't obviously, because the move didn't happen. 

So you don't think it's a Mickey Mouse organization?

We're definitely a hard luck organization. But saying "Micky Mouse" over and over isn't proof.  I mean at least with the NY Jets there are news reports of owner Woody Johnson making personnel decisions based on Madden scores.

Edited January 8 by PromoTheRobot

[Stoner]

42 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

We're definitely a hard luck organization. But saying "Micky Mouse" over and over isn't proof.  I mean at least with the NY Jets there are news reports of owner Woody Johnson making personnel decisions based on Madden scores.

How bout moves based on, I saw that kid in the playoffs and he sure had wheels? Or someone embarrassed the high minded Sabres organization? Or wanted to get a certain surgery?

Hard luck? Really?

[HumanSlinky39]

22 hours ago, steveoat87 said:

"Can the Buffalo Sabres still salvage their 2024-25 season?"

[Porous Five Hole]

23 hours ago, steveoat87 said:

Also what is it with Lindy during the games.  It seems like he just seems to stand there like a Buddha and appears to say nothing.  Its very weird to watch.

 

He seems quite vocal, but maybe not so much between whistles?

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, Stoner said:

How bout moves based on, I saw that kid in the playoffs and he sure had wheels? Or someone embarrassed the high minded Sabres organization? Or wanted to get a certain surgery?

Hard luck? Really?

……

Many teams target players who have great playoffs the year prior to their detriment; that isn’t a Buffalo only thing.

Pegula wouldn’t pay ROR’s bonus but Botts was the one who started shopping him halfway through that season.

Eichel asked to leave before his whole surgery situation. 
 

It’s not to say Pegula is a great owner but he could worlds worse

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

We're definitely a hard luck organization. But saying "Micky Mouse" over and over isn't proof.  I mean at least with the NY Jets there are news reports of owner Woody Johnson making personnel decisions based on Madden scores.

What's evident is that during the Pegula tenure that has lasted nearly a generation the team's record has been dismal. It's nearly impossible to be out of the playoffs for more than 13 years, and still counting, because the system is designed for parity, advantaging the lower teams and handicapping the successful teams. The record is the record. It's established. You can't run away from it. 

One argument that doesn't resonate with me is that it is a challenge to get players to come here. That's unchallengedly true. The reason for that is of our own making. Why decide to go to the ghetto franchise when you have options to reside at more livable locations. It's like a person who shoots himself in the foot and then complains that he is handicapped when he is required to run a race. 

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

We're definitely a hard luck organization. But saying "Micky Mouse" over and over isn't proof.  I mean at least with the NY Jets there are news reports of owner Woody Johnson making personnel decisions based on Madden scores.

Oh I think we've had more than enough evidence that Pegula screws this team up on a regular basis but you can go over the threads where this has all been laid out already repeatedly. No need to list it all again here. 

I mean simply not spending to the cap in a pivotal year is enough proof about a lack of seriousness about winning right there. It's a long list. 

I'm probably doing a disservice to Mickey Mouse. 

[PromoTheRobot]

1 minute ago, PerreaultForever said:

Oh I think we've had more than enough evidence that Pegula screws this team up on a regular basis but you can go over the threads where this has all been laid out already repeatedly. No need to list it all again here. 

I mean simply not spending to the cap in a pivotal year is enough proof about a lack of seriousness about winning right there. It's a long list. 

Then name one. Like you said, it can't be hard.

Conjecture. See a result and apply a reason of your choosing. It was reported that Adams was trying to sign a top 6 forward but couldn't get anyone to waive their NMC. The fact that Adams didn't turn around and spend that cap for cap's sake doesn't prove that he wasn't allowed to spend it. Again, we're talking about just under $7MM, not $25MM.

[LabattBlue]

1 hour ago, thewookie1 said:

It’s not to say Pegula is a great owner but he could worlds worse

Wow.  This may be one of the worst takes I have ever read here.  
 

Wow. Just wow.  

[PromoTheRobot]

11 minutes ago, JohnC said:

What's evident is that during the Pegula tenure that has lasted nearly a generation the team's record has been dismal. It's nearly impossible to be out of the playoffs for more than 13 years, and still counting, because the system is designed for parity, advantaging the lower teams and handicapping the successful teams. The record is the record. It's established. You can't run away from it. 

One argument that doesn't resonate with me is that it is a challenge to get players to come here. That's unchallengedly true. The reason for that is of our own making. Why decide to go to the ghetto franchise when you have options to reside at more livable locations. It's like a person who shoots himself in the foot and then complains that he is handicapped when he is required to run a race. 

Everything you said in the first paragraph is opinion. Is it impossible to be out of the playoffs for 13 years? Well, it's harder to make the playoffs in a 32-team league than a 21-team league. League designed for parity? How? Because the worst team gets a better pick? That helps but it guarantees nothing. Buffalo is caught in a death spiral where every year it gets harder to reverse your fortunes because it gets harder to add talent. The NHL used to be a mainly northeastern league filled with 90% Canadian players. It's now a continent-wide league with franchises in very sexy places.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Everything you said in the first paragraph is opinion. Is it impossible to be out of the playoffs for 13 years? Well, it's harder to make the playoffs in a 32-team league than a 21-team league. League designed for parity? How? Because the worst team gets a better pick? That helps but it guarantees nothing. Buffalo is caught in a death spiral where every year it gets harder to reverse your fortunes because it gets harder to add talent. The NHL used to be a mainly northeastern league filled with 90% Canadian players. It's now a continent-wide league with franchises in very sexy places.

The record is the record. You can make all the excuses you want until you are exhausted. You can't wish the record away because it is an established fact. There is no acceptable excuse for a generation of ineptitude. That's the Pegula record and legacy. It's pathetic and sad. 

[PromoTheRobot]

28 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The record is the record. You can make all the excuses you want until you are exhausted. You can't wish the record away because it is an established fact. There is no acceptable excuse for a generation of ineptitude. That's the Pegula record and legacy. It's pathetic and sad. 

I am in no way wishing anything away. You are avoiding my challenge by throwing platitudes at me. "The record is the record." Bill Parcells might have said that but it's totally meaningless beyond being a record. It came about from hundreds if not thousands of smaller factors. You are more interested in assigning blame than pinpointing a cause. You want the owner to own this but you can't point to anything he's done to bring this about beyond hiring the wrong people. 

And that would be enough. After all he's responsible for his hires. But people here also accuse him of meddling in team affairs. And I have yet to see anyone point to an instance of that happening. We certainly try to weave evidence. "$7 million of unspent cap is surely proof!!" But it really isn't.

[7+6=13]

On 1/7/2025 at 7:22 PM, steveoat87 said:

I agree.  She is referring to thinking out of the box, and the need to take risks -- but also the need to shake up the roster, and make trades.

 

Don't thinks Adams by himself can do this.  He either needs help or needs to be replaced.

Adams reminds me of the Steve Carell character in the 41 Year old Virgin.  The character could not get rid of his collectible soldiers, which he used as a crutch to not take any risks.  Adams seems to feel the same way about this players and prospects -- they are his and he can't let go.  Instead, he should be let go.

 

Which prospect does he feel this way about?  Savoie?