Jump to content

Sabres & NHL 2016-17 - Victor Antipin Signs One Year Deal

26CornerBlitz

By 26CornerBlitz
in Off the Wall Archives

 Share

Recommended Posts

4merper4mer Hall of Famer

4merper4mer

Posted
Posted

He was outwardly sulking the last handful of games. Hopefully his loss of the bonus gets him to internalize things a little more.

 

 

Today is d day for bylsma, as murray has his pc

The Eichel blaming has begun. It's earlier than I expected. We can never blame a douche bag who talks down to everyone. That's why some are still pining for Marrone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 4k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Posted Images

JohnC All Pro

JohnC

Posted
Posted

I agree that I think there needs to be some give and take between the coaches and players. I read/heard that is an issue with Bylsma, being too unwilling to change certain things. Obviously it's also an issue with some players, as we've heard about it all season.

 

And I also agree that lack of talent, especially on the blue line, is a major problem ( I do think we have some very nice offensive talent that didn't show as much as it should have this year). I think the injuries were a major problem too.

But having seen similar problems with Bylsma's Penguins teams as I am seeing with the Sabres, I believe that some of the problem is also Bylsma himself. I have no doubt that some better defenseman will make the Sabres a better team, though. I don't know what type of realistic upgrades we can expect to the blue line next year. I am hopeful that the expansion draft will shake a good defender loose for a reasonable price.

 

Another thing I will mention - One trait I think all good/great coaches have is being able to adapt their scheme to the players they have on their roster, to take best advantage of what they have, and that's one area I think maybe Bylsma seems to be lacking in. IMO part of the issue is that he is asking our players to do things that they are not necessarily best suited to do. I think he could take better advantage of this roster the way it's constructed, instead of trying to rigidly fit it to his system. (I don't know for sure that he is doing this, but it sometimes seems that way to me). I think we have some very nice offensive talent, and I don't think that being ulilized properly.

 

I don't see any rush to fire Bylsma though. I think he deserves at least another season, and a chance with an upgraded blue line + a healthy roster (as the Sabres were near the top of the NHL in man games lost).

I don't see any real reason to be in a huge hurry to hire a new coach yet anyway. Buffalo is not at the point where they are ready to compete for anything yet. So it's not like we need a coach that can push us over that hump. The rebuild isn't even complete yet. The team is still being built.

 

But for me to say he deserves anymore than next season, there has to be some actual improvement next year.. That was a big issue IMO, is that I don't think we really seen much growth in much of the roster. Only a small handful of players showed any forward progress in their development. Other guys seems to go backwards, and it seemed like the roster as a whole took a step backwards as well. Was it just injury related? I don't know.

This is the NHL. Coaches are dispatched on a regular basis sometimes simply to jolt the team. Boston is an example of that this season. So guarantees on job security usually are non-existent except for a few elite coaches such as Bobcock and Quenneville. There is no doubt that after there is a review of the season the coach and players will have to make adjustments to get better output from their talents.

 

Other than the onerous trap coaching systems and its influences on success is over-rated. There is a similar fundamental aspect to each system with different emphasis. Some coaches run a tighter system and others run a looser system. That has as much to do with roster makeup as it does to being wedding to a system.

 

Bylsma may fall in the category of being a stubborn coach. But if Torterella can change from being an obnoxious tyrant to being a more lenient and let the players figure it out for themselves (to an extent) then Bylsma certainly has the ability to be a tad more flexible as a coach.

 

In the end talent usually prevails. A long and grinding season exposes weaknesses that can't be covered up. In this league if you want success you can't do it by hiding the problem, you do it by fixing the problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
May Day 10 All Pro

May Day 10

Posted
Posted

The Eichel blaming has begun. It's earlier than I expected. We can never blame a douche bag who talks down to everyone. That's why some are still pining for Marrone.

 

 

I dont "blame" Eichel. He is/was terrific and seems to have a pretty good drive and work ethic.

 

 

However, there is very little doubt that he got drawn down into worrying too much about the head coach, and likely some sort of locker-room rift. It quite tangibly cost him $2 Million. I am hoping it is a lesson learned and he comes out of it for the better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
K-9 Hall of Famer

K-9

Posted
Posted

The Eichel blaming has begun. It's earlier than I expected. We can never blame a douche bag who talks down to everyone. That's why some are still pining for Marrone.

Eichel blaming? Way to go from A to Z without taking a moment to realize I'm not saying anything about Eichel that he hasn't already said about himself. But if "blaming" means a player has to be better at accepting his own responsibilities as a professional, in EVERY game, on EVERY shift, then yeah, I'm laying blame. As the best offensive player on this team, he never gets a pass for not giving 100%. Ever. He doesn't have the luxury of being a passenger as he put it. Ever. Goes with the territory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
4merper4mer Hall of Famer

4merper4mer

Posted
Posted

Eichel blaming? Way to go from A to Z without taking a moment to realize I'm not saying anything about Eichel that he hasn't already said about himself. But if "blaming" means a player has to be better at accepting his own responsibilities as a professional, in EVERY game, on EVERY shift, then yeah, I'm laying blame. As the best offensive player on this team, he never gets a pass for not giving 100%. Ever. He doesn't have the luxury of being a passenger as he put it. Ever. Goes with the territory.

 

 

I get it.

 

He's also a 20 year old kid thrown into an impossible situation with no end in sight. That's a lot to expect, especially when both of his bosses have consistently screwed up and continue to do so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
K-9 Hall of Famer

K-9

Posted
Posted

 

 

I get it.

 

He's also a 20 year old kid thrown into an impossible situation with no end in sight. That's a lot to expect, especially when both of his bosses have consistently screwed up and continue to do so.

No doubt he doesn't have the support of more talented teammates, coaches, and front office decision makers. But, as the old saying goes, he needs to be the change he wants to see. The only thing he has total control over is his own attitude both in terms of preparation and commitment on the ice. I have no doubt he is a consummate pro in regards to the former, but he needs to do a better job with the latter. You bring up a great point about his age and it's a lot to ask of a young person, but it's what he signed up for and I think he knows that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bbb Hall of Famer

bbb

Posted
Posted

Problem is that "generational" player was Mc David. Big difference.

 

No, the problem was the Bucky called for the tank in one of his columns and then when they did it, he blasted them for it............When somebody found that old column, he seemed to lay low on it for a few years, but now he's back with his BS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...