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Buffalo Sabres & NHL 2020-2021


Chandler#81

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It would be nice if the Sabres played more like the team that showed up for the last 8 minutes of the 3rd period. That’s how they need to play all 60 minutes of every game. That’s the type of effort they need to give if they truly want to win and break this playoff drought. I mean, effort is FAR from the only problem, but it sure could help mask some of those other issues. But they don’t give that type of effort anywhere near enough. It’s why I roll my eyes now when I hear them talk about how much they want to win. If they actually wanted to win as much as they say they do, they’d be playing like their hair was on fire. But it’s all just lip-service IMO.

They may like the idea of winning but apparently not the hard work and determination it takes to achieve.

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11 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Ralph Krueger is 100% a professional.  There are players with talent, obviously, but it seems that whoever they put on the ice it ends up moribund.  Tim Murray is far and away the biggest culprit and they are still digging out if the hole he dug.  The best hockey minds money could buy would need time for that but Bots was far from a strong hockey mind and made things worse.  Adams needs a chance.  I have no idea why Eichel is playing like someone that would get back a 4th round pick at the trade deadline.  It’s baffling.  

 

On a positive note there are only 37 years left on Okposo’s contract.

 

 

The problem is Adyms has no GM experience and very limited/no NHL front office experience.  Kruger talks a big game with his language skills... but I fail to see what he has actually accomplished in the NHL, or how he has helped this team in any way.  I feel like the Pegulas like the success they have with the coach-centric model with the Bills which is so common with the NFL.  I believe they have empowered Kruger and they have a think tank of Kruger, Mr and Mrs Pegula, and Adyms.  

 

This is not going to turn this around.  We see where this is heading.  Same place.  This is the same team we see every season.  Next phase will be when Eichel pouts his way out of town and forces their hand.  Kruger and Adyms will be given at least 2 seasons here, Id say 3... and then a full rebuild will be necessary and they will have probably squandered Dahlin along with Eichel.

 

If I were the owner, I would have brought in Burke and Hextall.  This should be torn down and treated like an expansion team (it will need to at some point anyway it is just a matter of when the clock starts ticking).  The foundation is warped and the studs are rotten.  Come in with a scrappy, hungry group who works hard and creates the foundation of a real culture.

 

 

I kind of get the "give Adyms a chance" thing.... but if he were on the street, there is ZERO chance any other NHL club is hiring him to be their General Manager 

Edited by May Day 10
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On 2/17/2021 at 10:47 AM, May Day 10 said:

 

The problem is Adyms has no GM experience and very limited/no NHL front office experience.  Kruger talks a big game with his language skills... but I fail to see what he has actually accomplished in the NHL, or how he has helped this team in any way.  I feel like the Pegulas like the success they have with the coach-centric model with the Bills which is so common with the NFL.  I believe they have empowered Kruger and they have a think tank of Kruger, Mr and Mrs Pegula, and Adyms.  

 

This is not going to turn this around.  We see where this is heading.  Same place.  This is the same team we see every season.  Next phase will be when Eichel pouts his way out of town and forces their hand.  Kruger and Adyms will be given at least 2 seasons here, Id say 3... and then a full rebuild will be necessary and they will have probably squandered Dahlin along with Eichel.

 

If I were the owner, I would have brought in Burke and Hextall.  This should be torn down and treated like an expansion team (it will need to at some point anyway it is just a matter of when the clock starts ticking).  The foundation is warped and the studs are rotten.  Come in with a scrappy, hungry group who works hard and creates the foundation of a real culture.

 

 

I kind of get the "give Adyms a chance" thing.... but if he were on the street, there is ZERO chance any other NHL club is hiring him to be their General Manager 

You mentioned Dahlin.  I think a lot of Sabres fans right now are frustrated at our standing in the league, thinking we should be much better than we are.

 

One reason for this is Dahlin.  Fan expectations were off the charts with him.  The reality is that he is probably not one of the best 30 defensemen in the league, at least right now.

 

I also think we have seen enough of his playing to suggest that he will never be a Norris trophy candidate.  

 

I.E., the reality of Dahlin is nothing close to the advertising for Dahlin.

 

Eichel is a great talent, but he likes to take shifts, periods, and games off.  That's a problem too.

 

Skinner is a really good goal scorer in this league, but he has been so mis-managed and used by Ralph from the beginning that he has been turned into an insignificant piece.  Reinhart brings a lot to the table but he can't play center, which is what he was drafted to be---a line driver, and that he is not.  

 

The whole team is nothing close to the sum of the parts, at least as they look on paper.

 

Ralph is not a good coach and he *will* be replaced.  Just a question of when.

 

 If you re-adjust your expectations based on reality, things make more sense.  

 

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17 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Ralph is not a good coach and he *will* be replaced.  Just a question of when.

You might be the first person who has thrown this out there.  RK should be getting more out of this club.  Even last year we miss playoffs by one point.  RK not playing Skinner & Eichal together cost us the playoffs

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18 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

You mentioned Dahlin.  I think a lot of Sabres fans right now are frustrated at our standing in the league, thinking we should be much better than we are.

 

One reason for this is Dahlin.  Fan expectations were off the charts with him.  The reality is that he is probably not one of the best 30 defensemen in the league, at least right now.

 

I also think we have seen enough of his playing to suggest that he will never be a Norris trophy candidate.  

 

I.E., the reality of Dahlin is nothing close to the advertising for Dahlin.

 

Eichel is a great talent, but he likes to take shifts, periods, and games off.  That's a problem too.

 

Skinner is a really good goal scorer in this league, but he has been so mis-managed and used by Ralph from the beginning that he has been turned into an insignificant piece.  Reinhart brings a lot to the table but he can't play center, which is what he was drafted to be---a line driver, and that he is not.  

 

The whole team is nothing close to the sum of the parts, at least as they look on paper.

 

Ralph is not a good coach and he *will* be replaced.  Just a question of when.

 

 If you re-adjust your expectations based on reality, things make more sense.  

 

 

I dont have high expectations at all.  I have no expectations.  But when you do see a team with some of the pieces they have on paper like Hall, Eichel, Staal, Skinner, Olofssen, Reinhart.... it is mind boggling that they can produce like 15 even strength goals in 13 games.  

 

 

And the team of Adams and Kruger is woefully inexperienced, in over their heads, and cant get it done.  It is pretty clear this franchise is headed toward a major crossroads soon.  Eichel clearly has checked out and will be overtly floating trade talk soon (awful toxic captain, but that is another convo).  Adams and Kruger are not equipped to handle this.  The Pegulas need help.  Would have loved that team of Burke and Hextall.  

 

I was hoping that Kruger would somehow create a galvanizing thing out of the NHL's treatment of the Covid shutdown and stuff and they would come in with some fire in their belly.  They have been completely shut down and lifeless.  New Jersey had the same shutdown and have back to back wins coming out of it.

 

 

6 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

I blame the nostalgia thread on the Aud for this recent swoon...

*
And as for another coaching change, who's next?  Gordon Bombay?!

 

As far as guys available, Id say Boudreau and Gallant are at the top of the 'well known' list.

 

 

The problems here are much more than coach though and Im not sure those guys would even entertain the possibility of coaching here.

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Yikes.

 


more translated from the article (from a Finnish poster on another message board):

 

 

- Says he has gone through every possible symptom. He has asked around the league and no one else has had it this bad. 

- His oxygen levels had dropped significantly and doing anything at all made him extremely tired

-After a couple of days his symptoms got better only to come back in a different form, chest pains for an example.

-When he had his chest pains, he felt like his heart is going to rip in two when walking up the stairs. Says couple of nights he felt like he wasn't sure if he's going to wake up.

-"I got healthy papers from the doctors but physically I am in such a bad shape that i have a long road ahead of me until I'm fit to play."


(Despite this he also says that he can maybe see himself coming back some time next week, but not certain)
 

 

————

Get well soon Risto!

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Elliotte Friedman was on WGR yesterday and didn’t hesitate when “wpuls the Sabres ever consider trading Eichel?”

 

He immediately said “yes”.

 

https://theathletic.com/2397942/2021/02/18/jack-eichel-trade-rumors/

(athletic subscription required)

 

here’s another link that doesn’t require a subscription. It also has the Friedman interview linked. The Eichel talk starts somewhere around 13 minutes.

 

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2021/02/speculation-swirling-around-buffalo-sabres.html
 

Quote

“Look, we know that this was something that came up last summer. I don’t know that it was ever close. The feeling that I’ve always had is that Buffalo knew Eichel was unhappy. They asked Eichel to take a step last year and he really did, we’ve talked about how much of a step Eichel took last year. Still, when it came to team success it just didn’t really go anywhere. Now you look at where it is this year, you know he’s going to be frustrated, and there were conversations last year. But what I was told was, the Sabres just said ’we are not ready to do this. We are not ready.’ Teams made offers, it was communicated that he was restless. I don’t think he ever asked for a trade, I don’t think it got that far. But he was restless and teams knew it. The Sabres took some offers and said ’no we’re not ready to do this.’” 


 

Sad as it is to say, I don’t think I am quite as opposed to trading Eichel as I used to be. Mainly because I am getting to the point where I just don’t care what the Sabres do. 

 

I’d still hate to see Eichel go, but it’s kind of starting to feel like it’s inevitable. I guess the Sabres can’t have nice things. 
 

It terrifies me thinking about totally inexperienced rookie Kevyn Adams being the one to make the trade, though. It would be a trade that defined the franchise for the next decade (probably). 
 

What a complete and total failure the tank was. 

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