JohnC

You are missing the point. It's not about the points. It's about how good is your roster against your foes. You can be a 78 point squad that in the near term or longer term is not built to compete for anything serious. The roster that he inherited is going through reconstruction. As I have told you before it is not a quick process. It's going to take time.

I very much agree with you that the deficient traits that some players have are not going to change. You are who you are. However, getting rid of players is the easy part. The issue is what can you get in return? The players you see with deficiencies are the same players that other organizations see. In general, I believe that Botts is doing a good job. He took over an organization that had little other than mish mash. As he has stated he used his first year to thoroughly assess what he had in the system. So there wasn't a lot of GM action in his first year. I consider that a smart and analytical way to do business. Talent is steadily being added. The Skinner, Mongtour and Joki deals were good deals that cost us little. In general, the talent level has increased over the past couple of years. My position has stayed the same. If the organization has the fortitude to stay on its current course things will work out. Two years ago the Sabres earned 62 points. Last year the Sabres earned 76 points. My estimate is that the Sabres will earn around 88 points this year and stay in the playoff hunt right up to the end of the season, or near the end of the season. I usually receive a deluge of snickers when I say this but the trajectory is clearly up.

You are too quick to panic. You need to maintain your composure during challenging times. Within the 1-6-1 segment there were games in which we actually did play well, or at least not bad. The Islander game is an example of that. We lost a 1-0 game in which we played a very good team evenly. They scored on a very fluke game. Even in the Sweden games against one of the most talented teams in league we were not outclassed. The play of the specialty teams did us in. You need to look beyond the record and seek reasonable solutions to your deficiencies. Acting out of frustration and exasperation is not only self-defeating but it is foolish.

Plez has been calling for a blow up of the roster. I with no malice say that he is crazy. No one is arguing against making deals and bringing up players from the system. The mix of players is a big problem. There are too many perimeter players and not enough players who are either incapable or don't have the desire to pay the price to work around the net. Being smart and judicious regarding personnel moves is a far different from dramatically churning the roster.

You are too caught up with embracing your depression that you don't see the progress being made. I have for some time told you that the primary issue for this team is its lack of talent. And I have repeatedly stated to you that it was going to take time to address that issue. It fell on deaf ears because you were too consumed for pursuing the bogeyman (Housely). While you are approaching a state of despair---I am not. You may not notice it but this team, even with its struggles, is moving up the ranks as a middle of the pack team. I suspect that a deal or two will be made during the season to better round out our roster. The worst thing this organization to do is to follow your zany advice of blowing up the roster. Do you take a lunatic pill every morning? Because when talking about the Sabres you say some Crazy Shiit. My advice to you is to be less impulsive and more patient. You mock me when I say but I will continue to say it :Trust the Process. It's actually working. The worst thing that this organization to do is to keep churning staff and players. Constantly starting over when faced with adversity is self-defeating and makes the climb even harder and longer.

The below link is Krueger on WGR with his post game comments. Observations: This team needs to shoot more and get in front of the net. Scandella and Joki make a good pairing. The Joki deal looks better and better. I thought Lazar added some speed and grit to the lineup. Carolina consistently is able to get players to the net while we don't. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/11-14-ralph-krueger-post-game

Based on his interview I don't see him making any major changes. He is riding the ponies he has in the corral. Based on his tone from that interview I just don't see him exhibiting much urgency because he is invested in what he has on the roster and in the system. We were fortunate to get a point out of the Carolina game. I really get frustrated with this team's over-passing instead of shooting. It drives me crazy. Carolina scored two goals from deflections with players crowding the net. We don't do that enough. When ERod passed the puck when he had a golden opportunity to shoot the puck near the net with two players driving toward the net I wanted to scream. If we don't beat Ottawa Saturday this team will be in trouble.

The game that was a measuring stick game for me that gave me some hope was the Islander game. In that game although we played them even or better we lost that game where they scored a fluke goal. That tight style of play with consistent effort showed me that they can compete with anyone even when outgunned by the elite teams. The much discussed primary deficiency of not having enough offensive potency is evident. Will that change this season? I don't think so. From the reports that are seeping out is that a trade of Scandella or a similar caliber player might bring in a third line caliber of Florida. The coach is an upgrade. And the structure is more apparent and will get better. I'm not discouraged. I'm predicting a win tonight against a comparable talented team.

Because of the falling off the cliff after last year's win streak I think that this ugly history is hovering over this roster with a lot of the same players. If I were a betting man (I'm not) I would put my money on the Sabres. If you are taking a different view then your guess is as worthy as mine.

Don't despair. I'm guaranteeing a victory tonight. Not because we have a better team but as you stated because we are a more desperate team. That will be a big factor in an effort sport. There's no hiding the obvious fact that there is not enough scoring talent spread around the lines. There is no quick fix because the solution is bringing in outside help. And not many teams are willing to give up top two line forwards who can score. Too many here (including me) believed that trading Risto would resolve our most critical issue of a lack of goal scorers. I'm not sure that what he will bring back in a deal will be sufficient to address the scoring issue. Just maybe his value on the market is not as great as many of us believe it to be? One of our biggest disappointments is the play of Mittelstadt. He, a first round pick, not being productive is a disappointment. I still believe that he will eventually be a good player. although not as good as Cozens will be. It's just going to take more time. This team is clearly a better coached team. But the primary negating issue is still the talent level. There is no quick fix, and there never was one. I believe that next year more so than this year will be our bump up year. So keep your chin up! ?

My takeaway is that he is going to work with what he has. He has a belief in his system and his ability to get the players to buy in. For him it is a process. Will the GM get him help from the trade market? If he doesn't alter the bland mix of players I'm afraid that the stagnation will continue. This team needs a jolt!

He hasn't changed in 40 yrs.. On the other hand the audience has changed over that period.

Both of our third round picks appear to be gems. The move up to select Knox was an especially well scouted pick because he didn't get many touches in college due to the other good receivers on the team.

If Scandella and Risto were traded for Ehlers the Sabres still have some depth to fill the void. Borgen, Gilmore and Pilot could be considered as options, and it is expected that Bogo will be back some time this season. Will the proposed Winnipeg trade translate into a deficit deal for the blue line? Probably so. But the trade-off would be acquiring an accomplished goal scorer for an impotent offensive team. Adding a reliable scorer at the expense of the defense when everything is calculated will result in a more balanced roster for a currently unbalanced roster.

There are a number of reasonable deals that can be proposed. But as Paul Hamilton pointed out in his column there has to be a change in our player mix in order to change our team's dynamic. What we are seeing now is what we have seen for a long time. It's time for a change for the sake of a change.

The attached link is a Paul Hamilton column about our roster and its obvious scoring deficiency. His basic point is that the roster mix of perimeter players is mostly the same. His conclusion is unless GM addresses changing the mix of players the outcome will continue to be the same. (His column is a little longer than his standard brief columns.) https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/opinion/sabres-are-losing-some-familiar-reasons

If Winnipeg called and offered a trade of Ehlers for Risto would you take it?

The lack of enough scoring distribution has plagued this team for quite a while. It is certainly not a short term issue. What makes this problem even more ominous is that although we have good players in the system there is little immediate help within the system to address this issue. I have been reluctant to deal Risto because he is one of the few defenders among a lot of good finesse defenders who is a physical player. Depending on the return I'm more open to trading him. If anyone accuses me of being an equivocator on this issue I will openly say that it is a fair judgment of me.

I'm not surprised with anything you said about him from an insider view. The problem is that the some of the views that were outlandish a generation or so ago are doubly so outlandish in a world that is constantly changing. The world evolves and some people are so stuck in the past that they can't adjust to the new realities of life. I'm not suggesting that he is a bad guy or has bad intentions but I am saying that these types of troglodytes are a bore and are tiresome.

The below link is a 14 minute segment with Paul Hamilton on WGR. The focus of the discussion is whether the Sabres should make a trade to increase the scoring. Hamilton vigorously says that something needs to be done, and if it includes Risto then so be it. I have gone back and forth on this issue especially with respect to Risto. To state the obvious it all comes down to what is the return. As others have pointed out the situation we are in is basically the same as the situation we were in last year. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/11-12-paul-hamilton-howard-and-jeremy

The more perplexing issue is how did this dinosaur ignoramus last so long on the public hockey stage. He has a right to his beliefs and to express them. That's not the issue here. What is so surprising is that he was allowed to spew his ugly impulses on the stage provided by the NHL and NHL media structure. While the league has striven to stretch its presence around the world with an expanded player pool of players from all over the world this retrograde clown was ferociously clinging to the nativist past. Don Cherry is who he is. He represents a resistant faction of the population. However, he was given the grand platform by the league and its media tentacles. And he used his megaphone to espouse beliefs that went contrary to what the NHL was promoting. No one can challenge the authenticity of the grizzly former coach who weirdly wears clown outfits. It's the league's judgment that needs to be called to task. This extended association made little sense for the past generation. The league and its corporate realm are the ones who look foolish for keeping him in their sphere for so long.

Don Cherry is a nativist who couldn't adjust to the changing world. For people like him looking back was more comforting than dealing with the present and future. There is nothing new about a person like him and his backward world view. They have always existed. America probably has a higher percentage of people who fall in those "back in the old days" devotees than Canada has. You will never change the attitude of this hardcore faction. You just have to work around them.

You accurately described the heart of the problem with this roster i.e. not enough scorers spread out through the lines. Other than a trade involving Risto I don't see an accomplished forward coming back as a return. The Sabres have a number of players with expiring contracts next year. That is more likely when the lack of scoring depth can be meaningfully addressed. Will Cozens be ready next year? Probably not. I think it will take another year of development before he will be a contributor in the league. Two years ago the team earned 62 points. Last year the team earned 76 points. This year I expect the team to earn between 86 to 88 points. There was never going to be a quick fix to bolster this roster to the point of being a serious team. Because of our favorable cap situation and the number of young players currently on the roster I see next year as the year where fans will be more optimistic about this team. For those people who are too impatient and disgruntled I say that is their problem. The glaring mistakes of the past have increased the distance to the road to respectability. Whether people want to accept it or not that's the reality of the situation.

The solution to you feeling dirty with your moral compromising is to thoroughly wash yourself of your unclean temptations. I have attached a link that will help you cleanse yourself from your descent into moral turpitude. https://www.officesupply.com/cleaning-breakroom/cleaning-janitorial-supplies/hand-skin-care/hand-soaps-cleaners/ivory-soap/p60765.html?ref=pla&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA&scid=scbplp60765&sc_intid=60765&msclkid=c7f1bbbc48ef19154c21e675d59dec0c This guy is a great football player but a cancerous presence wherever he prances, on and off the field. He is who he is and will not change his menacing, grandiose and narcissistic behavior. I don't expect a pristine standard for player behavior. But I do not want a hardened degenerate on the field as a Bill. Our receiving corps isn't as bad as many are making it out to be. Brown, Beasley and Knox are solid to good receivers. What is needed is better play calling and accuracy from the qb.

I'm not denigrating Buffalo in a comparison to the Steelers. But you have to give them accolades for absorbing the loss of players such as Rothlesberg (due to an injury), not signing Bell and dealing off of Antonio Malicious and continuing to be a competitive team. All three of these players were not only the core of their offense but the core of their long term success. The unsung person in dealing with adversity and with fractious players is their coach. He has done a good job in handling unusual player challenges and kept the ship floating. He deserves credit for maintain a semblance of order in a very unorderly situation.