What, If Anything, Gives You Hope For Next Season?

[bob_sauve28]

Trying to ward off the Summer Time Sabres Blues 

[dudacek]

Sports typically work in such a way that unexpected factors create chaos in expected results.

That random "what-if" factor is what typically keeps fans in most markets invested.

That it hasn't happened in a positive way in 14 years is what makes the Sabres such a confounding mystery and outlier.

 

Intellectually, I can buy in to the possibility that Owen Power takes a step, UPL bounces back, and Norris and Quinn provide the 2nd-line competence last year's team lacked.

I mean, I watched Tage Thompson go from 18 goals in his first 4 pro seasons combined to a 38 in his fifth. Good things happen.

I just can't really believe it will happen because Buffalo.

[irregularly irregular]

I voted for hopefully trades and FA acquisitions... in other words, Jarmo gets the traction he needs to set a course correction. Otherwise I fear more of the same.

[JP51]

The only real hope I have is that God comes to TP in a revelation and says fire Adams..  I mean it could happen right LOL...  anyways, I am in the until we have adult professional hockey people running the operations, team assembly and use of assets I just dont see it getting better...  but, thats just me... 

[DarthEbriate]

They're all older and a goalie arrives to save their skins.

I've got a bad feeling about this...

[The Jokeman]

Until I see a trade my hopes lie with Norris to give us an extra player in the top 6 that can improve our scoring. Assuming we keep JJP or move him and Byram for a suitable replacement and a top 4 RHD and sign or somehow get another goalie that can play 30-40 games this season along with UPL. 

[Weave]

No option for us pessimists?

[Taro T]

Things to be hopeful about.  (With the team as currently constructed; realizing there will likely be on-ice changes between now and October.)

The players are all 1 year older and except for Zucker and Greenway (and, if he's back, Reimer) that is a good thing.

Norris having an unusually long off-season to heal up and get stronger and Quinn having a full off-season to fully recover from his leg injuries could allow them to both actually be who they're supposed to be would they ever be healthy.

UPL MIGHT have a bounce back year.  (Goalies are fickle.)  Levi might finally be ready.  (Goalies are fickle.)

Samuelsson did look better in his late season stint with Dahlin than he had in a long time.  Perhaps, if he's still here, he can continue to build on that play?

They'll have a REAL training camp rather than an abreviated one, so they'll actually have time to learn for a few weeks what they're supposed to be doing (and what they were supposed to have been doing) before the bullets start flying for real.

We keep getting told this players really like each other and like playing for and with each other.  Perhaps all the lalk this off-season of changes if things don't improve actually lights the fire under them that if they don't play with desperation they won't be playing with their buddies much longer.

 

Didn't include any personnel changes into the above, though we can be hopeful that those changes bring additional improvement.

And, because the team is young and now the players closer to being in their primes, it is possible to HOPE without it being totally unrealistic that the team stays at the relatively injury free end of the leaguewide injury reports.  There is no way to go injury free, but these guys are getting to that sweet spot where they're still resilient and also strong enough to not break when losing a battle for the most part.

 

MAYBE that's enough.  Wouldn't have money on it and would still like to see several other changes, but we've kind of beaten that horse to death.

[Night Train]

6 minutes ago, Weave said:

No option for us pessimists?

Stairs installed to the bridge ledge we'll be leaping from in December. 

[CallawaySabres]

If we lose Byrum, Peterka, and Tuch, I think it's really time for me to stop following this team for a bit. I have zero faith that Adams will get solid returns for any of those 3. Every trade year, the Eichel returns will be shipped out and diluted even more. It will eventually be like we never even drafted Eichel to begin with. 

Who knows how much of Paul Hamilton's opinion will actually take place, but it aligns with everything I have been thinking over the last few years. I think this team is going to drop even further than last year, with a max exodus to follow. It's impossible for me to have an ounce of hope about the coming season.

[Eleven]

Adams's head on a pike.

[Doohickie]

Other:  This is my team and it's bound to get better at some point.

 

 

 

Right?

[sabremike]

Terry being eaten by a hippo.

[Porous Five Hole]

Moving on from Mattias Samuelsson would give me hope that the Sabres are capable of correcting their mistakes.  
 

I still haven’t forgiven him for having no reaction to the Tage cheap shot against New Jersey. And he wears a letter. Your best player is face down and Muel wants to ask what happened? Pack your ***** bud.  

[The Jokeman]

49 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

If we lose Byrum, Peterka, and Tuch, I think it's really time for me to stop following this team for a bit. I have zero faith that Adams will get solid returns for any of those 3. Every trade year, the Eichel returns will be shipped out and diluted even more. It will eventually be like we never even drafted Eichel to begin with. 

Who knows how much of Paul Hamilton's opinion will actually take place, but it aligns with everything I have been thinking over the last few years. I think this team is going to drop even further than last year, with a max exodus to follow. It's impossible for me to have an ounce of hope about the coming season.

It all depends on what we get back, To me Byrum is the best option to move if get a top 4 RHD back or a top 6 F. 

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

No option for us pessimists?

Damn it! I totally forgot to add the, "Hope?? Are you serious, with this leadership?" 

[Scottysabres]

Meds, lots of “take me to my happy place” meds.

or

Psychodelics, ya, pretty sure mind alterings can bring me back to memories of playoff runs.

short of that, I don’t know.

Edited 4 hours ago by Scottysabres

[Pimlach]

Lots of uplifting choices to pick from.  

My real answer, based on a few shots of hopium, is that Jarmo can help them make better and more impactful decisions, and they finally turn a corner and become a winning team again. 
 

[CallawaySabres]

Unfortunately the time to stop players from wanting out of this mess has passed. Once they brought Adams back, that told any player hoping for change that it was not going to happen. They will get what they deserve, and that is a 15th season in a row missing the playoffs. 

[In The Buff]

is there an option for what is hope? I think many fans are just numb to the Sabres at this point. I know I am. Sure i always hope for some success but its in the same category as hoping for a winning scratch off ticket. You know you're likely not gonna win anything but deep down you still hope you get a winner. 

[mjd1001]

Thompson and Dahlin are top players. 

The key thing is hope for better goaltending, it was awful last year.

Cozens being gone for me is a big thing.  I think the Center combinations including Norris, Tage (possibly), Krebs, and Mcleod are better than taking any of those guys out and putting in Cozens.

[GASabresIUFAN]

As of right now there is little to no hope.  Until positive moves are made to at least re-work the defense (2-3 new players in the top 6 including at least 1 top 4 defensive D), this team will remain at the bottom of the standings.

I have zero faith in Adams to accomplish even the minimum of improvement.  Remember, despite the additions of Zucker, McLeod and Byram, this team took another step backwards last season.  

[Archie Lee]

The only real hope is that a group of players out performs expectations and have career type years.

Ruff has had two winning seasons in his last 11 as a head coach. One of then was 22-23 in NJ.  The Devils had 112 points that year and Ruff was nominated for Coach of the Year.  But several players had career years.  Hughes, Hischer, Hamilton, and Mercer, all had their best offensive seasons that year. And Vanecek had a .911 save %, before dropping the next year to .890.

So, Thompson could score 50, Dahlin could get to 80 points, Benson to 50, a healthy Norris to 60, Tuch in a contract year could put up 75 points. If Peterka was coming back, he might be an 80 point player.  Luukkonen could bounce back and be a .910 goalie again. These or similar things, could happen.  That's really the only thing to be hopeful for.

 

 

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Weave said:

No option for us pessimists?

I voted for "best owner" because, well, a lot of these options just felt like blatant sarcasm. 

I have no hope for next season until something big changes and I suspect that won't happen. 

[JohnC]

@Taro T made the point that a number of young players are at a stage where they have had enough experience to expect (hope) for higher production baseline. Players such as Quinn, JJP, Power, Benson and to a lesser extent Samuelsson. Not far from that group based on his showing last year is Kulich. 

The big question mark for me is the goalie play. It's a big risk to count on UPL as your primary goalie. What better options are there to be pursued? I simply don't know. And, associated with the goalie discussion is how much will the blueline be remade? 

Clearly, I don't have much confidence in KA to be wise enough to rework the lineup so that it becomes a serious team. However, with the addition of the former Columbus GM added to the staff. my hope that he can steer the current stolid GM to make enough good decisions to alter the course of this lost franchise. 

Last year, @dudacek made a list of "questionable issues" that the Sabres had entering the season. He pointed out that the list was long and that it was a big gamble to have that long list entering a new season. He was proven right that many of the unresolved issues resulted in plaguing the team all season long. Again, we are entering next season with a long list. The difference is that there is a young core that should be in a better situation due to the added experience. (A point that @Taro T noted.)

I am eagerly waiting for the action to happen soon. I just don't know what to expect from this abnormally operated franchise.