Buffalo Sabres and NHL: 2019/20: Sabres season officially over. Draft lottery June 26th

[BillsFan4]

Sucks to lose but I can deal with that loss. The start wasn’t pretty. Couple iffy goals. But the team rebounded nicely and never gave up. They really poured it on in the 3rd period. That was the best period of hockey they’ve played in a while. Dahlin had a heck of a game too!

Edited February 9, 2020 by BillsFan4

[bdutton]

2 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Jesus christ.  I can't believe I'm saying this but put Hutton in.

After that shaky start he didn't give up another goal and had some nice stops.

 

 

[Helpmenow]

These guys must feel the pressure at home. That’s the only thing I can think of. Gripping the sticks

[Doc Brown]

2 hours ago, bdutton said:

After that shaky start he didn't give up another goal and had some nice stops.

Yup.  Good to see.  Two pretty soft goals though and we couldn't overcome those mistakes.  A little unlucky in the third but a better team gets that tying goal.

[JohnC]

14 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Sucks to lose but I can deal with that loss. The start wasn’t pretty. Couple iffy goals. But the team rebounded nicely and never gave up. They really poured it on in the 3rd period. That was the best period of hockey they’ve played in a while. Dahlin had a heck of a game too!

I only saw the first period before going out. Two out of the three goals that I saw were in my judgment weak goals let in by the shaky tender. The difference between winning and losing in a parity league (except for the few elite teams) is miniscule. We simply don't have enough talent to overcome those crushing lapses. 

 

I realize that many people disagree (especially the snickering crowd) with my assessment but with a few more pieces and internal improvement this team is not far away from moving up the ranks. This offseason the GM is going to have a cap flexibility that some other teams won't have. There will be good players that they can't keep because of the cap squeeze. It's the offseason when those type of significant deals will be made.  

 

What I don't want to see us do is make a deal/s because the GM is feeling the pressure to do something for the sake of doing something. After the season we will be in a better posture when considering deals. What I am watching now is the effort and players staying with the system and being disciplined. While some wallow in their misery because of the current situation I'm hopeful that in the not too distant future the tide will turn in our favor. 

 

 

 

[Cripple Creek]

4 minutes ago, JohnC said:

What I don't want to see us do is make a deal/s because the GM is feeling the pressure 

This you have made abundantly clear. Stay the course.

[shrader]

On 2/8/2020 at 2:43 PM, plenzmd1 said:

These are my thoughts exactly. I really want to know if this is Bots or Ralph. 
 

 

 

23 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

K, someone who knows... are they so tight to cap they have to manage daily?

 

 

 

These back to back posts are absolutely priceless.  Yeah, things suck right now, but people need to turn off the auto-complain setting.

[plenzmd1]

6 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

 

These back to back posts are absolutely priceless.  Yeah, things suck right now, but people need to turn off the auto-complain setting.

kinda weird though  right? 

 

Almost bet them yesterday as i was golfing, and they seem to win every game i do not watch

[shrader]

3 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

kinda weird though  right? 

 

Almost bet them yesterday as i was golfing, and they seem to win every game i do not watch

 

Roster manipulations like this happen throughout the year.  But now that we have twitter, people can overanalyze things that they never actually saw in the past.  With three guys on IR and then Hutton's family emergency mixed in, they more than likely have to play some games to keep below the maximum roster size.  The ELC guys are always the ones who wind up riding that shuttle, so Pilut's that guy.

 

But 24 hours later, he's back up and playing in the next game, all while getting one extra game for the Amerks.  Nothing crazy happened and it wasn't some display of inept management.  Sometimes people need to sit back and wait a few seconds before ranting about what ultimately is nothing.

[4merper4mer]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

I only saw the first period before going out. Two out of the three goals that I saw were in my judgment weak goals let in by the shaky tender. The difference between winning and losing in a parity league (except for the few elite teams) is miniscule. We simply don't have enough talent to overcome those crushing lapses. 

 

I realize that many people disagree (especially the snickering crowd) with my assessment but with a few more pieces and internal improvement this team is not far away from moving up the ranks. This offseason the GM is going to have a cap flexibility that some other teams won't have. There will be good players that they can't keep because of the cap squeeze. It's the offseason when those type of significant deals will be made.  

 

What I don't want to see us do is make a deal/s because the GM is feeling the pressure to do something for the sake of doing something. After the season we will be in a better posture when considering deals. What I am watching now is the effort and players staying with the system and being disciplined. While some wallow in their misery because of the current situation I'm hopeful that in the not too distant future the tide will turn in our favor. 

 

 

 

Lol at "a few missing pieces".  If by " a few" you mean nine then we agree.

 

I also agree that the offseason is a better time to make transactions than just doing a deadline deal to do it.  With that said, I am skeptical about a magical avalanche of good players falling into our lap.  Most NHL teams are competently managed and able to adjust to multiple factors.  We are used to signing Connor Sheary and hoping but other teams aren't run like that.

 

You say that you're "hopeful" that "in the not too distant future" that the tide will turn.  How does the tide differ from the trajectory which I've been told is already upward?  Does the trajectory impact the tide sort of like the moon does?  In terms of time are we using a human scale or a geological scale?  The lack of specifics would be funny if it weren't actually superior to those the GM gives.  

 

Bots is a nice guy and I'll take no personal joy in watching him go, unlike Murray's departure.  But depart he must.  

 

 

[bills_fan]

4 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Bots is a nice guy and I'll take no personal joy in watching him go, unlike Murray's departure.  But depart he must.  

 

 

Changing the GM/coach every 2-3 years is how the Bills went 17 years without a playoff berth.  Its not a recipe for success.  The Sabres need a more talented roster but they have some real building blocks in Eichel, Dahlin, Skinner etc. They need to add talent and depth.  Many of their youngish type players can become building blocks through internal improvement (Mittelstadt, Pilut, Olofsson etc.).  The team is very, very young and has a lot of room for growth.  I would certainly give Bots another year (at least) to see this through.

[K-9]

38 minutes ago, bills_fan said:

 

 

Changing the GM/coach every 2-3 years is how the Bills went 17 years without a playoff berth.  Its not a recipe for success.  The Sabres need a more talented roster but they have some real building blocks in Eichel, Dahlin, Skinner etc. They need to add talent and depth.  Many of their youngish type players can become building blocks through internal improvement (Mittelstadt, Pilut, Olofsson etc.).  The team is very, very young and has a lot of room for growth.  I would certainly give Bots another year (at least) to see this through.

I agree entirely about needing better talent but, unfortunately, JBotts has shown little aptitude for making that happen in his three years here. I agree we need to have good drafts and build foundations for the future, but unless you get the first or second player pick in a draft, the overwhelming odds are that the player you get will take several seasons to contribute in any real meaningful way.
 

The Sabres have been screwing the pooch in player acquisition for years now which is a big reason why our prospect pool is so thin down on the farm compared to other teams. JBotts has yet to show he’s up to the task in re-stocking the farm system, let alone the Sabres. 

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, Cripple Creek said:

This you have made abundantly clear. Stay the course.

You missed the point of my previous point. What I said is that because our roster is full of players with expiring contracts the organization will be in a better situation to make a trade deal/s with teams that are in tight a cap situation. I would rather make a deal when it is more favorable to make a deal than do it sooner when it is a less favorable situation. If you disagree with that assessment then so be it. 

[4merper4mer]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

You missed the point of my previous point. What I said is that because our roster is full of players with expiring contracts the organization will be in a better situation to make a trade deal/s with teams that are in tight a cap situation. I would rather make a deal when it is more favorable to make a deal than do it sooner when it is a less favorable situation. If you disagree with that assessment then so be it. 

Well run organizations aren't just going to let a ton of players walk without trying to re-work the guys they want to keep and let the Shearys of the world hit the market.  We also won't be the only team with cap money and any top FA will realize we need 4 top FAs or this won't be an attractive place at all.  We are not set up anywhere close to succeed in FA the way you describe.  

[billsfanmiami(oh)]

I just got back from the CBJ / TB game tonight. Man, it’s night and day watching two good teams play. Granted, we were on the glass so that probably skewed things a bit but my takeaway feeling was confirmed that we’re pretty far away. ??‍♂️

6 hours ago, bills_fan said:

 

 

Changing the GM/coach every 2-3 years is how the Bills went 17 years without a playoff berth.  Its not a recipe for success.  The Sabres need a more talented roster but they have some real building blocks in Eichel, Dahlin, Skinner etc. They need to add talent and depth.  Many of their youngish type players can become building blocks through internal improvement (Mittelstadt, Pilut, Olofsson etc.).  The team is very, very young and has a lot of room for growth.  I would certainly give Bots another year (at least) to see this through.

I agree with the sentiment but I have zero confidence that this front office / coaching staff has what it takes to turn it around. Hope I’m wrong but just doesn’t feel like there’s anything to build upon. I say blow it up. 

[plenzmd1]

8 hours ago, bills_fan said:

 

 

Changing the GM/coach every 2-3 years is how the Bills went 17 years without a playoff berth.  Its not a recipe for success.  The Sabres need a more talented roster but they have some real building blocks in Eichel, Dahlin, Skinner etc. They need to add talent and depth.  Many of their youngish type players can become building blocks through internal improvement (Mittelstadt, Pilut, Olofsson etc.).  The team is very, very young and has a lot of room for growth.  I would certainly give Bots another year (at least) to see this through.

No, the Bills went 17 years without the playoffs cause they consistently made bad hires. You think the Bills would be better off right now with Rex or Marrone /Whaley combos ? Gailey/Nix? Jairo/Levy/Brandon? 
 

all Those combos sucked, the fans knew it way before something was done to address it. 
 

Name me two coaches in the last ten years of any sport who got hired to win( non tank teams) sucked for two years, and then went in to have a winning program? 
 

winning breeds continuity, not the other way around. 

[May Day 10]

10 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

No, the Bills went 17 years without the playoffs cause they consistently made bad hires. You think the Bills would be better off right now with Rex or Marrone /Whaley combos ? Gailey/Nix? Jairo/Levy/Brandon? 
 

all Those combos sucked, the fans knew it way before something was done to address it. 
 

Name me two coaches in the last ten years of any sport who got hired to win( non tank teams) sucked for two years, and then went in to have a winning program? 
 

winning breeds continuity, not the other way around. 

 

That train of thought is ridiculous.  

 

The Sabres are where they are.  It doesnt matter who is GM or Coach tomorrow.  There isn't some magical 3-5 year reset button that gets pressed on a rebuild when you make a change.  Just ask the Islanders or Hurricanes.  Any GM would also be highly motivated to win now with Eichel in his prime.  Those things can also be fleshed out in interviews.

 

None of the Bills GMs or Coaches during the drought amounted to anything and were able to gain equal employment elsewhere.  The best ones, you could argue, were the two coaches who quit.  Was it change's fault or the organization's fault?  Pretty easy choice says it was the organization.

 

What I do know is that 95% of Botterill's moves have been trash.  He has built a trash team and they have shown no progress (actually backward) in 3 years.  Publicly, he speaks like a loser.  "in a position to be in games', trying, learning, experiencing growth, been within 1 goal after 2 periods in x of y games, etc.  He has hemorrhaged picks almost as rapidly as Murray with nothing to show for it.  The pipeline is a tragic comedy.  He isn't going to magically produce a winner.  He is out of ideas, and organizationally, they are clinically dead.  Again, after a hot start, they are among the NHL's worst 2 or 3 teams.  The fact that they are at the cap with the 3rd highest payroll is sad.

 

I also think they need to get him out before its too late and he used more of that cap flexibility on trash.  

 

They are also soft and boring.  I hate them and cant waste time watching.  Its awful.  I wouldnt miss a game for like 35 years and I cant even justify the 2.5 hours.  I have season tickets and have been to 3 games this season, all theme nights, motivated to go out of nastalgia.  I am cancelling my season tickets of >20 years next week.  They havent had a meaningful or relevant game in like 9 years.

Edited February 11, 2020 by May Day 10

[GG]

16 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

 

That train of thought is ridiculous.  

 

 

Just to clarify it for the rest of us - whose train of thought is ridiculous?  Plenz or bills-fan?

[May Day 10]

1 minute ago, GG said:

 

Just to clarify it for the rest of us - whose train of thought is ridiculous?  Plenz or bills-fan?

 

ha, I thought that after posting it.   Not Plenz.

 

The train of thought that you cannot move on from failing management just because you previously moved on from failing management.  

[GG]

BTW, I need to air a grievance since we're playing Detroit again.  I caught a portion of "Russian Five" a documentary they did about Red Wings cup run with the addition of the 5 Russians.  Their depiction of Fedorov's defection got me riled up, because they characterized it as a stunning move to get him from behind the Iron Curtain.   They also spent a lot of time talking about the "risk" Detroit took in selecting him in the mid-rounds in the '89 draft.   But nowhere in the doc did they acknowledge what happened leading up to the '90 draft, and the fact that Mogilny had already defected.   

 

The Red Wings made it sound like they were executing a major heist by being the first to take a risk on a Russian player in the draft, and then setting up his escape from the dangerous confines of PORTLAND, ORGEGON, well after Perestroika was under way!!!  

 

There wasn't a peep in the doc that maybe they were bold enough to make the move is because the path was already set.