Chris Johnston: The Sabres yearly struggles are "a concern at the league level"

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, tom webster said:

A) it’s not uncommon for big holding companies to focus on problem areas of their business

B) The Shanahan stuff has been deemed hogwash by most reputable sources

C) The doom and gloom is not universally shared and some national publications list Buffalo in the more improved and fringe playoff range.

D) Most of these media pundits have an agenda

E) The league’s bigger problem is the divide between the halves and halves nots which they try and hide with their silly points system.

Don't you think Buffalo has been fringe playoff for the past three off seasons (counting this one)?   Yet there was a portion of last season when the Sabres were last in their conference and the solution was said to be in the room.    

What is the media pundits agenda with regard to the Sabres?  And don't say more clicks because that pretty much applies to every story on every team in every league.  

Agree on (E), the divide between the haves and the have-nots.   One solution is to take away the no trade/ no movement clauses.  Which will probably never happen.  

More food for thought.  I got this from Google AI

List of Stanley Cup finals viewership by metro area:

Data regarding specific Stanley Cup Finals viewership by metro area is not always readily available in a comprehensive, publicly released list. However, some individual ratings for specific markets have been released, especially for regions with a strong hockey following

For example, data from STLtoday.com shows the following television ratings for the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals: 

West Palm Beach, Fla.: 6.9

Miami: 6.2

Buffalo: 5.4

Pittsburgh: 4.2

Las Vegas: 3.5

Detroit: 3.4

Minneapolis: 3.3

Fort Myers, Fla.: 3.3

Boston: 3.3

Denver: 3.1 

It's important to note that viewership can fluctuate depending on various factors, including the teams involved in the final, the networks broadcasting the games, and the overall sports landscape at the time. For example, the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, shown on cable channels only, saw lower U.S. viewership compared to previous years when some games were broadcast on over-the-air television. 

 

Any way you want to slice it, the Buffalo hockey market has been getting a big disservice from their teams ownership.  At some point being just happy to have a team will go away.  

 

 

[shrader]

31 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

In my opinion its Pegula.  

You’re not exactly going out on a limb there. When the drought has been here 3x as long as Adams, why would anyone stop at Adams?

[PerreaultForever]

17 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The difference is that when Toronto got Matthews they were more successful in adding talent around him. After the Sabres got Eichel they were not very successful in bringing in enough support players to maximize his talents. And the same roster building failures can be applied after using a high draft picks to acquire Dahlin and Reinhart. The Sabres squandered the significant assets they had on hand. 

Murray made many mistakes but you can boil it down to a few huge ones. 1) drafting. Our Nylander vs. their Nylander pretty much sums up the difference between Buffalo and Toronto 2) trying to build a forward group and thinking D wasn't necessary. I mean who can even remember who he had on D and JBot basically inherited a D with who? Bogo as our best D? It was laughable how bad that D was. and 3) putting all his faith in a psycho goaltender. 

Otherwise, Leafs had Marner, Nylander, Matthews and brought in Tavares.

We had Reinhart, (our Nylander), Eichel and brought in O'Reilly. If you swap Nylanders I actually like our group better and those 3 have all shown they can win. The rest of the roster however, pretty much garbage.

[steveoath]

2 hours ago, SabresVet said:

If Dahlin ends up leaving, pack it up and call it the end of the franchise.

I would be heartbroken if that ends up the case. Dahlin is the reason I chose to follow the Sabres.

[PerreaultForever]

1 minute ago, steveoath said:

I would be heartbroken if that ends up the case. Dahlin is the reason I chose to follow the Sabres.

prepare yourself. It's coming. 

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

Don't you think Buffalo has been fringe playoff for the past three off seasons (counting this one)?   Yet there was a portion of last season when the Sabres were last in their conference and the solution was said to be in the room.    

What is the media pundits agenda with regard to the Sabres?  And don't say more clicks because that pretty much applies to every story on every team in every league.  

Agree on (E), the divide between the haves and the have-nots.   One solution is to take away the no trade/ no movement clauses.  Which will probably never happen.  

More food for thought.  I got this from Google AI

List of Stanley Cup finals viewership by metro area:

Data regarding specific Stanley Cup Finals viewership by metro area is not always readily available in a comprehensive, publicly released list. However, some individual ratings for specific markets have been released, especially for regions with a strong hockey following

For example, data from STLtoday.com shows the following television ratings for the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals: 

West Palm Beach, Fla.: 6.9

Miami: 6.2

Buffalo: 5.4

Pittsburgh: 4.2

Las Vegas: 3.5

Detroit: 3.4

Minneapolis: 3.3

Fort Myers, Fla.: 3.3

Boston: 3.3

Denver: 3.1 

It's important to note that viewership can fluctuate depending on various factors, including the teams involved in the final, the networks broadcasting the games, and the overall sports landscape at the time. For example, the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, shown on cable channels only, saw lower U.S. viewership compared to previous years when some games were broadcast on over-the-air television. 

 

Any way you want to slice it, the Buffalo hockey market has been getting a big disservice from their teams ownership.  At some point being just happy to have a team will go away.  

 

 

Your last paragraph's point that this fervent market has been squandered is what has been so galling about the Pegula ownership. As an out-of-towner, I watched a Buffalo Bandit game on TV. The arena was filled to capacity and the fans were rocking the place. They were having a marvelous time.  I said to myself that if Pegula was wiser in how he managed the hockey franchise, the building would be filled on a regular basis. It's really embarrassing to see the Toronto fans take over the arena when they play us in Buffalo. The irony is that if the owner knew what he was doing, he would be making money instead of worrying about losing money. He's a good example of being penny-wise and dollar foolish. It need not be that way. 

[JohnC]

6 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Murray made many mistakes but you can boil it down to a few huge ones. 1) drafting. Our Nylander vs. their Nylander pretty much sums up the difference between Buffalo and Toronto 2) trying to build a forward group and thinking D wasn't necessary. I mean who can even remember who he had on D and JBot basically inherited a D with who? Bogo as our best D? It was laughable how bad that D was. and 3) putting all his faith in a psycho goaltender. 

Otherwise, Leafs had Marner, Nylander, Matthews and brought in Tavares.

We had Reinhart, (our Nylander), Eichel and brought in O'Reilly. If you swap Nylanders I actually like our group better and those 3 have all shown they can win. The rest of the roster however, pretty much garbage.

Even in the best run franchises, the hockey people are going to make misjudgments on personnel decisions. It's the nature of the business. In the end, it's the body of work. As you point out, squandering a first round pick on Lehner, a player who turned out to be very troubled, was one of the big miscalculations.  Murray was good at blustering but wasn't too adept at doing the day-to-day work required to build a successful franchise.  

[JohnC]

14 minutes ago, steveoath said:

I would be heartbroken if that ends up the case. Dahlin is the reason I chose to follow the Sabres.

One person to watch is Tuch. If he decides not to sign another contract this season it will be very troubling. It will let everyone know that he is riding out his contract and considering better options. 

[Pimlach]

21 minutes ago, shrader said:

You’re not exactly going out on a limb there. When the drought has been here 3x as long as Adams, why would anyone stop at Adams?

True, just answering the question posed to me.  

 

[Flashsabre]

This team is going on 3 failed rebuilds under Pegula. Not being one of the best 8 teams in your conference 14 straight years is absurd.  Nothing they have done this offseason is pointing to them being serious about changing that.

The whole “bring everyone back because they are under contract for one more year” mentality after years of failure is the biggest sign that Pegula is not serious about winning or is so clueless on how to win that he needs to go.

[Pimlach]

15 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Your last paragraph's point that this fervent market has been squandered is what has been so galling about the Pegula ownership. As an out-of-towner, I watched a Buffalo Bandit game on TV. The arena was filled to capacity and the fans were rocking the place. They were having a marvelous time.  I said to myself that if Pegula was wiser in how he managed the hockey franchise, the building would be filled on a regular basis. It's really embarrassing to see the Toronto fans take over the arena when they play us in Buffalo. The irony is that if the owner knew what he was doing, he would be making money instead of worrying about losing money. He's a good example of being penny-wise and dollar foolish. It need not be that way. 

But I am also attempting to show Buffalo is still a strong hockey market.  It really is.  The fact that the TV ratings are consistently high shows that.  It is no doubt aided by no NBA and no MLB in Buffalo - so it is a unique market that also has an international component to it that is not factored into the TV numbers but could be included in home attendance.  

 

[shrader]

8 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

True, just answering the question posed to me.  

 

It reminds me of the question I posted in the complaint thread on Thursday. 

[DarthEbriate]

12 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

But I am also attempting to show Buffalo is still a strong hockey market.  It really is.  The fact that the TV ratings are consistently high shows that.  It is no doubt aided by no NBA and no MLB in Buffalo - so it is a unique market that also has an international component to it that is not factored into the TV numbers but could be included in home attendance.  

The viewership numbers show that this small market could easily support a top-flight team with a big payroll, well-compensated staff and hockey ops, and average to a touch above ticket prices. Instead, this market would rather watch tv. That’s solely on the owner and his pathetic choices and EEE.

[kas23]

26 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

True, just answering the question posed to me.  

 

And it was a ridiculous question at best. Adam’s can be horrible, but at the end of the day, Pegula is the one that continues to employ him as GM. Adams may be A problem, but he’s not THE problem. 

[Thorny]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

In my opinion its Pegula.  

It’s Pegula’s unwillingness to fire Adams and hire a competent GM 

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, Flashsabre said:

This team is going on 3 failed rebuilds under Pegula. Not being one of the best 8 teams in your conference 14 straight years is absurd.  Nothing they have done this offseason is pointing to them being serious about changing that.

The whole “bring everyone back because they are under contract for one more year” mentality after years of failure is the biggest sign that Pegula is not serious about winning or is so clueless on how to win that he needs to go.

The tipping point, and I said it at the time, was electing for a long form rebuild on the heels of missing 9 straight years already 

it was a disastrous calculation 

[Taro T]

38 minutes ago, Thorny said:

The tipping point, and I said it at the time, was electing for a long form rebuild on the heels of missing 9 straight years already 

it was a disastrous calculation 

It was.  It was them saying the strategy of the tank wasn't wrong, it was the accelerating the rebuild that was wrong.  And to prove it, they'd rebuild the slow cooking way, except built around 2 D rather than 2 F's and that by slow cooking they would actually rush 5 years worth of prospects into the NHL via the "no blocking" policy.  Guess they showed us.

[jahnyc]

4 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Should have traded him no matter what? I assume you mean "trade him for fair value." But we don't know what the Byram offers were.

And please explain how having Byram with cost control for two years diminishes his value? If anything he's more valuable now. 

I think the point in the pod cast was that Byram (maybe, more specifically his agent) may still want to go to free agency in two years even if traded to a team that wants to sign him long term.  Any team interested in Byram would take that into account in terms of the value they will be willing to give up for him.

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, jahnyc said:

I think the point in the pod cast was that Byram (maybe, more specifically his agent) may still want to go to free agency in two years even if traded to a team that wants to sign him long term.  Any team interested in Byram would take that into account in terms of the value they will be willing to give up for him.

And he may want to do that.  He also may want to sign an 8 year deal with the Sabres next July rather than go to FA and only get a 6 year deal the following summer.  2 extra years at $9MM/yr is $18MM.  And even if those 2 extra years were bought out, it's $12MM in his pocket.  That might be tough to walk away from.