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

[May Day 10]

They could have still done it.

 

 

Also, the team being 3rd in the league in salary is a joke and self-inflicted.

[snafu]

59 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Right. 
 

Any other impossible to prove scenarios you want to toss out while we’re at it? 

 

I’ve got one!

Trading Scandella for a low return and waiving Bogosian cleared out our “glut”. Now we get a much better return on the next defenseman we trade! Winning!

 

 

[K-9]

37 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

Two teams trading for him over the course of the season suggests that there is a market for his services.  So yeah, it probably is the best offer that they could find as of today, but the thought that there was no other offer out there at all is just as impossible to prove as my stance.  At this point, I'm very comfortable in the assumption that whatever Montreal got, it was going to be more than they gave up.

 

And yeah, they took on money, but that's essentially nothing to them.  They're in the bottom 3rd of the league in total cap hit and the franchise can print money at will.  They wrote a check for around $1.5 million and improved a draft pick.  The rich teams will take that any day.

 

 

 

I get the impression Nelson isn't in the plans anymore.  He's a UFA at the end of the year and hasn't sniffed the NHL this year.  Both sides will be moving on come July.

Nothing to Montreal, but an impossibility for JBotts at the time. Point is, conditions on the ground changed dramatically for St. Louis in the six weeks since we unloaded Scandella to Montreal. You’re free to think that the Bouwmeester situation had little to no bearing, so I’ll just agree to disagree on that score as I think it did.

[Beast]

1 hour ago, May Day 10 said:

how embarrassing for Jason Botterill.

 

 

Yes, unfortunately just the latest in such embarrassing moments.

45 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

The Sabres are at the cap and Montreal is in the bottom 3rd in the league.  So yes, Montreal does have a greater ability to retain money.

Still could have been done but, to use your scenario, whose responsibility is it that we are near the cap to begin with?

 

Or even a three way deal if money was such an important factor?

 

Botterill needs to go.

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

Is that really the case anymore though, with Scandella and Bogosian gone?

 

Iirc They are now down to 6 NHL defenseman on their roster, with John Gilmour serving the role of healthy scratch #7. 

 

Im sure they eventually want to make a full time spot for Pilut, but every team has NHL prospects in their farm system. I refuse to take that as an excuse for Botterill to get worked in a trade.

 

There’s no reason Botterill shouldn’t be able to get proper value in a trade now, otherwise there’s no real reason to make the trade. All the UFA d men are gone.

Same goes for the summer. The only prospect really pounding on the door is Pilut. They don’t have to trade a defenseman if they’re not getting the return they want.

As you pointed out the excess in defensemen we had this season that included Scandella and Bogo were UFAs and from our standpoint had little trade value. There is no question that Risto and Montour do have trade value. If they are going to be dealt now is not the time to do it. The offseason is the time when the Sabres are in a better situation to scan the market and review the options. There is no imperative to trade either one of these players unless the return is a fair-market return i.e. a second-line player. 

 

As far as I am concerned so far Botterill far has handled this trade market and upcoming deadline very well. It's apparent that he is not going to be pressured to make a deal/s for the sake of making deals. As it stands our core unit on the blueline is good and going to get better. That's a good situation to be in.  

[Cripple Creek]

3 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

I would not say embaraasing, and you know I am as down on Bots as they come. I agree the heart Boumeester situation prolly played big, as did the salary retention.

 

Having said that, Bots overplayed his hand with D Men this year, everyone in the league knows he needs to move em, so his return will just be less...same as it will be in the summer until he moves some assets 

So, there is no asset on our team that could entice a team that is desperate for defensive help? 

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

7 minutes ago, Cripple Creek said:

So, there is no asset on our team that could entice a team that is desperate for defensive help? 

Montour is making a case so far tonight

[GG]

Do you bench Skinner?  His half assed effort on the PP jump started the Sens' run.

[BillsFan4]

They were up 2-0, I sneezed and it’s 4-2 Ottawa. Wtf. 

 

If they lose a(bother) must win game to friggin Ottawa... ugh.

 

Well, if they lose tonight they should 100% sell what they can by the deadline. Playoffs aren’t happening anyway, but if they lose this game that basically seals it.

 

Toronto is losing to Pittsburgh 5-1. Buffalo needs to find a way to win this game if they want to stay in the race (or at least pretend they’re in the race...)

[BillsFan4]

Well, Toronto lost 5-2. Buffalo NEEDS to find a way to get 2 points tonight.

[K-9]

Ottawa is a better team than the Sabres. Period. Bordering on far better. 
 

Don’t tell me about point totals and an incremental improvement this season over last because we have shown NO improvement where it matters most. 

 

Well done, JBotts, you ignorant fool. 
 

Oh, and Hutton sucks. He doesn’t deserve another start the rest of the season. He can’t get off my favorite team fast enough. 

[BillsFan4]

Brutal loss. 2nd brutal loss to Ottawa since the all star break. 

 

Any hope at a miracle playoff push pretty much died tonight. Just when you thought that there might be a tiny glimmer of hope that they could make a playoff push, they crush any thought of that.

 

F this team.

 

Edited February 19, 2020 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

Just now, K-9 said:

Ottawa is a better team than the Sabres. Period. Bordering on far better. 
 

Don’t tell me about point totals and an incremental improvement this season over last because we have shown NO improvement where it matters most. 

 

Well done, JBotts, you ignorant fool. 
 

Oh, and Hutton sucks. He doesn’t deserve another start the rest of the season. He can’t get off my favorite team fast enough. 

Yup. I couldn’t help but think that they will be the next team that will blow by our rebuild after starting theirs years after buffalo did.

[Lurker]

You can't win with out goaltending.   At this point, Stevie Wonder would do a better job for the Sabres than Hutton.     

 

Or Duncan, the Geico walurus goalie...

 

 

[4merper4mer]

21 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

Yup. I couldn’t help but think that they will be the next team that will blow by our rebuild after starting theirs years after buffalo did.

Their trajectory is up.

[Jauronimo]

What an epic pants shitting by Hutton.  I haven't seen a pants shitting like that since the last time Hutton completely soiled himself.  Hutton may have dysentery.  It looks terminal.

 

Hutton has no business being an NHL goalie.  Not even as a backup.  He has no composure.  And I'm not just referring to his penchant for giving up at least one more head scratcher shortly after allowing a softy (and he almost always gives up a softy).  I'm talking about how he plays with no control.  He panics in the crease and finds himself out of position way too frequently.  Every wrap around attempt I'm holding my breath.

 

Goal 1 was a classic Hutton softy.  Yeah, skinner is a half step behind giving up the bad angle chance but you need to keep that out of the net at any level.  #2 Hutton is flailing wildly with his stick, whiffs entirely and takes himself out of position with no chance to get his glove up.  Goal #3 he does nothing to control the rebound and leaves it sitting in the crease while Dahlin comes up small picking up neither his man or the puck.  Goal #4 , I don't know.  It was a nice shot.  I blame Eichel most of all on that one.  Long-distance wrister...I think you got to make that save.  But goal #5....goal #5 was just effing pathetic.  HOW does Hutton let that little bouncer just sit right there in the crease for an easy tap in??? HOW???  Goal

 

Unpopular opinions:  Eichel is a great player but he should never be on a PK unit.  Ottawa goal #4 the captain gets an assist.  He went fishing, looking for a strip and a breakaway.  He got neither the puck nor his man and the Sens went 4 on 2 back the other way.  Dahlin is slick with the puck but he has a long way to go defensively.   Reinhart is a lazy f@$# in his defensive end.  Harrington is a dick but Rhino deserves some flack for his defensive effort.  All 3 players are too nonchalant with the puck at the point and when crossing the offensive blue line.

 

Skinner had a lot of nice looks tonight.  Its only a matter of time before he starts lighting the lamp again.  It pains me that hes paired with ERod who gets beautiful scoring chances every games and turns them into something resembling Hutton's bed.  i.e., covered with *****.  

 

Okposo had a nice game.  Hes just a step too slow from being a difference maker.   

4 hours ago, GG said:

Do you bench Skinner?  His half assed effort on the PP jump started the Sens' run.

Skinner isn't a defenseman.  Yes, he turned a half second too late and gave the Sen a glimmer of an angle to the net but he was moving his feet.  Hutton needs to make that save 100/100 times.  Inexcusable to let that trickle in.

[Cripple Creek]

7 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Their trajectory is up.

I agree. When evaluating this team don't include them in a 10 year evaluation. Two years ago when another rebuild started this team earned 62 points. Last year, this team earned 76 points. This year this team should earn around 88 points. So despite the unceasing lamentations of despair by the complaining chorus the trajectory is upward for this team. If you watch this team on a regular basis it is obvious that this is not a complete team. But that doesn't mean that it isn't moving in the right direction. This next offseason the team has a lot of cap room and should be in a position to add more pieces and become a better team. 

 

[4merper4mer]

3 minutes ago, Cripple Creek said:

I agree. When evaluating this team don't include them in a 10 year evaluation. Two years ago when another rebuild started this team earned 62 points. Last year, this team earned 76 points. This year this team should earn around 88 points. So despite the unceasing lamentations of despair by the complaining chorus the trajectory is upward for this team. If you watch this team on a regular basis it is obvious that this is not a complete team. But that doesn't mean that it isn't moving in the right direction. This next offseason the team has a lot of cap room and should be in a position to add more pieces and become a better team. 

 

I meant the Senators.

[May Day 10]

1 hour ago, Cripple Creek said:

I agree. When evaluating this team don't include them in a 10 year evaluation. Two years ago when another rebuild started this team earned 62 points. Last year, this team earned 76 points. This year this team should earn around 88 points. So despite the unceasing lamentations of despair by the complaining chorus the trajectory is upward for this team. If you watch this team on a regular basis it is obvious that this is not a complete team. But that doesn't mean that it isn't moving in the right direction. This next offseason the team has a lot of cap room and should be in a position to add more pieces and become a better team. 

 

 

There was no rebuild that started 3 years ago.  Revisionist history.  Botterill has been trading picks for NHL players all along and nearly everyone he has brought in was awful, and many are even gone for pennies on the dollar.  He has been terrible at asset management (the backbone of a 'rebuild'). 

 

If you compare this team to Murray's teams, they have gone nowhere.  Backwards if you consider Jack Eichel is now playing Hart-Level hockey.  Comparing them to Botterill's previous failures, yeah, they are doing marginally OK.  By 2027 they may reach 100 points.  

 

88 points is such a low-bar (and they arent on pace for that anyway).  3rd Highest payroll in the league and they will (again) finish in the bottom third.  No reinforcements on the way. The pipeline is shockingly light for a team who has been bad for so long and seems to be perpetually 'rebuilding'.

[Cripple Creek]

2 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

 

There was no rebuild that started 3 years ago.  Revisionist history.  Botterill has been trading picks for NHL players all along and nearly everyone he has brought in was awful, and many are even gone for pennies on the dollar.  He has been terrible at asset management (the backbone of a 'rebuild'). 

 

If you compare this team to Murray's teams, they have gone nowhere.  Backwards if you consider Jack Eichel is now playing Hart-Level hockey.  Comparing them to Botterill's previous failures, yeah, they are doing marginally OK.  By 2027 they may reach 100 points.  

 

88 points is such a low-bar (and they arent on pace for that anyway).  3rd Highest payroll in the league and they will (again) finish in the bottom third.  No reinforcements on the way. The pipeline is shockingly light for a team who has been bad for so long and seems to be perpetually 'rebuilding'.

'twas a joke