Buffalo Sabres & NHL 2020-2021

[Greg S]

11 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

No one's gonna force them to check their egos.  The deeper this goes, the more they'll continue blaming others (Jack, local media, NHL) as the reason for the dysfunction.  They don't trust anyone from outside the organization because the last few GM/HC hires didn't go well.  Which means they draw upon the late RW years Bills playbook and hire only people they know and the circle repeats itself.   

 

 

Then the only hope is they sell the team. What's the point of having them continue to run the team into the ground.

[May Day 10]

Ive said it before, but Eichel is an entitled s***.  Awful teammate, and a disaster to name as your captain.  How long have the Sabres been dancing around this brat?  Sending Bylsma packing for a 'coach who talks to players' or staging that meeting over Espresso with Eichel and Krueger, or getting players who suit Eichel, and always worrying about your majesty.  Eichel has done nothing but mope publicly.  he never takes bullets for this team publicly (OReilly did every single night, got pooped on for it, and he had enough of watching his other 'captain' avoid it).  Eichel wanted the title Captaincy but hasnt done anything to earn it.  Him demonstratively showing up his teammates when he throws his body back, loafs to the bench when he is sad which has left his team out to dry defensively at times, etc.  He has had opportunities in recent years to put all the 'unhappy' talk to bed and act and speak like a motivated leader who radiates a positive and supporting attitude.  Instead all you have is his immature shifting around in his seat and how he has 'thinking to do' and all that.  Usually with some sort of rediculous looking hat on his moppy head.  

 

It will suck watching him produce elsewhere.  He will be poison to any team without established veteran leadership to put him in his place.  Things literally cannot be worse than they have in the seasons since Eichel was drafted here.  I would love for a happy and mature Eichel to score 100 points for the Sabres year to year as they make the playoffs every year, but that is fiction.

 

Eichel pulled a shot yesterday that was calculated and unprofessional.  He threw the Sabres under the bus and put them in a position they really cant come back from.  I highly doubt they are going to get into a public PR battle about a players' health recovery plan.  He grenaded his trade value.  He alienated himself from management as well as teammates.  

 

Its been clear this wasnt going to end well.  The Sabres should have traded him long ago.  Like everything else, they are reactionary and waited too long.  They are run as a clown show.  It wouldnt hurt to get a real general manager hired in good faith.

[PromoTheRobot]

12 hours ago, UConn James said:

Taylor Hall had two goals including a nice game-winner tonight for the B’s.

 

I dunno. Is / was it scheme? Atmosphere? Klonopin in the arena’s water? Guys seem to come to Buffalo and just suck out loud, leave, and produce elsewhere.

 

Hall should STFU about Buffalo considering he was part of the problem. Funny how Granato and a bunch of AHL talent outplayed his azz after he left.

Edited May 11, 2021 by PromoTheRobot

[BillsVet]

42 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

Ive said it before, but Eichel is an entitled s***.  Awful teammate, and a disaster to name as your captain.  How long have the Sabres been dancing around this brat?  Sending Bylsma packing for a 'coach who talks to players' or staging that meeting over Espresso with Eichel and Krueger, or getting players who suit Eichel, and always worrying about your majesty.  Eichel has done nothing but mope publicly.  he never takes bullets for this team publicly (OReilly did every single night, got pooped on for it, and he had enough of watching his other 'captain' avoid it).  Eichel wanted the title Captaincy but hasnt done anything to earn it.  Him demonstratively showing up his teammates when he throws his body back, loafs to the bench when he is sad which has left his team out to dry defensively at times, etc.  He has had opportunities in recent years to put all the 'unhappy' talk to bed and act and speak like a motivated leader who radiates a positive and supporting attitude.  Instead all you have is his immature shifting around in his seat and how he has 'thinking to do' and all that.  Usually with some sort of rediculous looking hat on his moppy head.  

 

It will suck watching him produce elsewhere.  He will be poison to any team without established veteran leadership to put him in his place.  Things literally cannot be worse than they have in the seasons since Eichel was drafted here.  I would love for a happy and mature Eichel to score 100 points for the Sabres year to year as they make the playoffs every year, but that is fiction.

 

Eichel pulled a shot yesterday that was calculated and unprofessional.  He threw the Sabres under the bus and put them in a position they really cant come back from.  I highly doubt they are going to get into a public PR battle about a players' health recovery plan.  He grenaded his trade value.  He alienated himself from management as well as teammates.  

 

Its been clear this wasnt going to end well.  The Sabres should have traded him long ago.  Like everything else, they are reactionary and waited too long.  They are run as a clown show.  It wouldnt hurt to get a real general manager hired in good faith.

 

Fans can go after players all they want, but why are so many players (and now former ones) in Buffalo not happy?  Is that an Eichel problem or is something deeper going on?  

 

The way you describe it, Eichel is a cancer who needs to be removed for them to move forward.  He's infected that locker room and must be excised.  Yet, it's high likely that Reinhart, Ristolainen and now we find out Taylor Hall know/knew there were deep issues in Sabreland.  That ain't Jack's fault.   

 

The organization is a dumpster fire.  You're don't finish last twice and in the bottom quarter of the league 5 times during Jack's tenure without there being significant organizational dysfunction.  And if Jack is such a horrible influence, would that not mean teams don't want to trade for him?  Because I'm pretty sure there's gonna be multiple teams trying to acquire Buffalo's best player. 

[May Day 10]

Just now, BillsVet said:

 

Fans can go after players all they want, but why are so many players (and now former ones) in Buffalo not happy?  Is that an Eichel problem or is something deeper going on?  

 

The way you describe it, Eichel is a cancer who needs to be removed for them to move forward.  He's infected that locker room and must be excised.  Yet, it's high likely that Reinhart, Ristolainen and now we find out Taylor Hall know/knew there were deep issues in Sabreland.  That ain't Jack's fault.   

 

The organization is a dumpster fire.  You're don't finish last twice and in the bottom quarter of the league 5 times during Jack's tenure without there being significant organizational dysfunction.  And if Jack is such a horrible influence, would that not mean teams don't want to trade for him?  Because I'm pretty sure there's gonna be multiple teams trying to acquire Buffalo's best player. 

 

Im not going to absolve the Sabres organization.  They are the worst in sports.  Eichel is certainly complicit in this and didnt help.  That goes for the other guys too and from what I hear, Dahlin is/was also buying into the Eichel clique.   They infected those guys with Evander Kane and Bogosian on day 1 which was a deadly mistake.  Expecting Taylor Hall to come in and strap on a hardhat to get to work?  haha.  He has a negative stigma hanging over his head as well.  They can all have each other.

 

If its my team, I have a PC today and introduce the new structure with the new President of Hockey ops (Davidson, Lombardi, Luce, Dudley, whoever)... and explain they have full autonomy and will be given the resources and budget to restore this franchise.  I would expect the new president and GM to cull any player over the age of 23 from the organization.  

 

Its needed.  Cant build/rebuild with Eichel moping either way.  

 

 

[BillsVet]

12 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

 

Im not going to absolve the Sabres organization.  They are the worst in sports.  Eichel is certainly complicit in this and didnt help.  That goes for the other guys too and from what I hear, Dahlin is/was also buying into the Eichel clique.   They infected those guys with Evander Kane and Bogosian on day 1 which was a deadly mistake.  Expecting Taylor Hall to come in and strap on a hardhat to get to work?  haha.  He has a negative stigma hanging over his head as well.  They can all have each other.

 

If its my team, I have a PC today and introduce the new structure with the new President of Hockey ops (Davidson, Lombardi, Luce, Dudley, whoever)... and explain they have full autonomy and will be given the resources and budget to restore this franchise.  I would expect the new president and GM to cull any player over the age of 23 from the organization.  

 

Its needed.  Cant build/rebuild with Eichel moping either way. 

 

Ideas that make sense to fans need to be considered first in light of ownership and their priorities.  There isn't gonna be a press conference where anything positive happens.  There isn't gonna be a president of hockey ops hired from outside the organization.  They aren't moving Kim out of the president role.  Ownership isn't going to sit in the back of the room and be quiet.  Ya gotta live in the real world and understand where Terry and Kim operate from.   

 

You can hate on Jack all you like, but their handling of his injury sends a message that Buffalo isn't a place you want to be as a veteran player.  They have to earn respect and ownership doesn't care about that.  And rebuilding?  How many times does one ownership group and the people they hire have to do this before it works?  Because it couldn't with a MVP candidate from last year.  It couldn't with numerous high draft picks and millions spent on UFA's. 

 

And if this continues, why would any decent player who gets traded to Buffalo not eventually arrive where Jack is now - stuck in a losing culture where it seems there's no way out. 

[PromoTheRobot]

7 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

Why wouldn't they be happy giving all the power to Beane and McDermott? How dare they build a championship caliber roster. How dare they build a team that won the AFC East and went to the AFCCG. How dare they build a team that is a serious Super Bowl contender in 2021. I don't know if the Pegula's have a home in WNY but they should be thankful for what Beane and McDermott have done with the Bills. If it wasn't for them then the fans in WNY would storm their place with pitchforks and knives and run them out of town given what they have done to the Sabres.

 

I have never heard Paul Hamilton report that the Pegulas don't like Beane having control of the Bills. And if he did report that I wouldn't trust it coming from him.

Edited May 11, 2021 by PromoTheRobot

[Greg S]

7 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

Ideas that make sense to fans need to be considered first in light of ownership and their priorities.  There isn't gonna be a press conference where anything positive happens.  There isn't gonna be a president of hockey ops hired from outside the organization.  They aren't moving Kim out of the president role.  Ownership isn't going to sit in the back of the room and be quiet.  Ya gotta live in the real world and understand where Terry and Kim operate from.   

 

You can hate on Jack all you like, but their handling of his injury sends a message that Buffalo isn't a place you want to be as a veteran player.  They have to earn respect and ownership doesn't care about that.  And rebuilding?  How many times does one ownership group and the people they hire have to do this before it works?  Because it couldn't with a MVP candidate from last year.  It couldn't with numerous high draft picks and millions spent on UFA's. 

 

And if this continues, why would any decent player who gets traded to Buffalo not eventually arrive where Jack is now - stuck in a losing culture where it seems there's no way out. 

 

It makes you wonder how they got things right with the Bills. Unless they just got lucky with the hiring of Beane and McDermott. I realize its different sports and the Sabres are losing money while the Bills are a cash cow. But Beane and McDermott are proof that if you hire the right people and let them do their jobs then good things can happen. You would think they would want that kind of success for the Sabres that the Bills are currently enjoying.

[PromoTheRobot]

12 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

Ideas that make sense to fans need to be considered first in light of ownership and their priorities.  There isn't gonna be a press conference where anything positive happens.  There isn't gonna be a president of hockey ops hired from outside the organization.  They aren't moving Kim out of the president role.  Ownership isn't going to sit in the back of the room and be quiet.  Ya gotta live in the real world and understand where Terry and Kim operate from.   

 

You can hate on Jack all you like, but their handling of his injury sends a message that Buffalo isn't a place you want to be as a veteran player.  They have to earn respect and ownership doesn't care about that.  And rebuilding?  How many times does one ownership group and the people they hire have to do this before it works?  Because it couldn't with a MVP candidate from last year.  It couldn't with numerous high draft picks and millions spent on UFA's. 

 

And if this continues, why would any decent player who gets traded to Buffalo not eventually arrive where Jack is now - stuck in a losing culture where it seems there's no way out. 

 

Please explain how they should have "handled" Jack's injury? Give in to him like they gave into his desire to get rid of Ryan O'Reilly? Maybe Jack is unhappy because the Sabres have STOPPED responding to his tantrums? The Sabres don't want Jack to get surgery as a first option. By all accounts that is a prudent approach to this sort of injury. But it's not what Jack wants, so he fills his diaper in front of the media. Real model captain.

[K-9]

14 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

Ideas that make sense to fans need to be considered first in light of ownership and their priorities.  There isn't gonna be a press conference where anything positive happens.  There isn't gonna be a president of hockey ops hired from outside the organization.  They aren't moving Kim out of the president role.  Ownership isn't going to sit in the back of the room and be quiet.  Ya gotta live in the real world and understand where Terry and Kim operate from.   

 

You can hate on Jack all you like, but their handling of his injury sends a message that Buffalo isn't a place you want to be as a veteran player.  They have to earn respect and ownership doesn't care about that.  And rebuilding?  How many times does one ownership group and the people they hire have to do this before it works?  Because it couldn't with a MVP candidate from last year.  It couldn't with numerous high draft picks and millions spent on UFA's. 

 

And if this continues, why would any decent player who gets traded to Buffalo not eventually arrive where Jack is now - stuck in a losing culture where it seems there's no way out. 

The inept ownership notwithstanding, other than what Eichel said yesterday, what to you know of “their handling of the injury?” Eichel’s own words suggest that the Sabres medical staff is following medical “best practices” by recommending rehab vs. surgery.

 

Eichel was entitled to a second opinion. He is entitled to take it to arbitration if he chooses.
 

While he’s at it, he should point a finger at his player’s association for agreeing to cede decisions on medical treatment for injuries to the teams in their current CBA. 

[Rockpile233]

There has been an attitude problem on the team for several years and I believe Eichel contributes to that. I am confident he will be an elite points contributor on any good team with a good established culture and leaders. I’m not in the room, but my observations watching games and team coverage is that he is more whiner than leader. Team can’t be much worse without him. I think he shoulders some of the blame.

 

With that said this is the worst run franchise in professional sports. I can understand how playing on this godforsaken team can kill good attitudes. Hopefully this is rock bottom for the Sabres. Sadly I don’t see it improving until the Pegulas hand it over to someone who has a clue.

[BillsVet]

14 minutes ago, Greg S said:

It makes you wonder how they got things right with the Bills. Unless they just got lucky with the hiring of Beane and McDermott. I realize its different sports and the Sabres are losing money while the Bills are a cash cow. But Beane and McDermott are proof that if you hire the right people and let them do their jobs then good things can happen. You would think they would want that kind of success for the Sabres that the Bills are currently enjoying.

 

They had invested 1.4B+ into a team, been duped into hiring Rex, and McD saw an opportunity because T/K Pegs were desperate and needed some structure to a massive investment.  Enter McD and later his guy Beane.  Even though they've made their share of mistakes, you can't deny it takes a solid plan and strategy to go 13-3.  Drafting Josh Allen in a QB league was a big win. 

 

But once again, what we as fans think should be isn't the priority for billionaire types who own our favorite pro sports teams.  Sure, they want to win, but on their terms and retaining control over their investment is what some owners believe is their right.  Doesn't matter if they make bad decisions like the Pegula's have year after year, they want control.  And that's especially the case when the team is losing tens of millions of dollars.

 

3 minutes ago, K-9 said:

The inept ownership notwithstanding, other than what Eichel said yesterday, what to you know of “their handling of the injury?” Eichel’s own words suggest that the Sabres medical staff is following medical “best practices” by recommending rehab vs. surgery.

 

Eichel was entitled to a second opinion. He is entitled to take it to arbitration if he chooses.
 

While he’s at it, he should point a finger at his player’s association for agreeing to cede decisions on medical treatment for injuries to the teams in their current CBA. 

 

You could have ended this post after "inept ownership notwithstanding."  There's no overcoming that and if memory serves, a lot of TBDers mocked Dan Snyder years ago for mismanaging his NFL team.  Well, the Buffalo Sabres are the Washington Football Team of the NHL now.  A laughingstock to players, employees (many now former) and people throughout the NHL. 

[K-9]

2 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

You could have ended this post after "inept ownership notwithstanding."  There's no overcoming that and if memory serves, a lot of TBDers mocked Dan Snyder years ago for mismanaging his NFL team.  Well, the Buffalo Sabres are the Washington Football Team of the NHL now.  A laughingstock to players, employees (many now former) and people throughout the NHL. 

That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t answer the question about what you know of “their handling of the injury.”

[US Egg]

Eichel disappeared after March 7th. Nary a word about him from Sabres and not a peep or sighting of him for 2 months, until yesterday.

 

.....very unusual.

 

 

[Jauronimo]

Quote

According to multiple sources, Eichel had a contentious exit interview with the organization. No one is commenting, but it’s believed he is exploring — on the advice of his medical team — an artificial disc replacement in his neck.

The Sabres and their captain are believed to have agreed to a month-long “pause” to see how Eichel reacted to rest. The end of that period is approaching, and, from what I understand, he still wants the surgery. The Sabres aren’t thrilled with the idea, and have not indicated they will approve.

I find it hard to believe Eichel isn’t consulting the best of the best, while Buffalo’s reticence comes from artificial disc replacement lacking evidence of its effectiveness on elite-level athletes. It’s a relatively new phenomenon. As far as I could find, there are no examples of NHLers who returned to play after having one.

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/31-thoughts-caused-disconnect-eichel-sabres/

[BillsFan4]

2 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/31-thoughts-caused-disconnect-eichel-sabres/

I don’t blame the Sabres for not wanting him to get an artificial disc replacement as anything but the last option. I don’t think they’re in the wrong here. I don’t really think Eichel is either for wanting the surgery. I’m sure he’s in pain and wants to be able to relieve it and get back to the only thing he knows - training for + playing hockey. Now, The way Eichel handled his end of season press conference is a different story... I get he’s frustrated but he didn’t exactly handle it like a professional and team captain.

 

As much as it hurts, I do think the Sabres need to trade him and reset (but only if they get the right offer). He’s been through too much losing, as have a number of other current Sabres. I think that’s a big reason for these loonnnggggg lasting mental collapses/meltdowns every season when things get tough and I’m not sure anymore if you can overcome it with some of these guys on the roster, especially if they already have 1 foot out the door.

 

Trade them for some high end young talent and a couple good veterans. Vets that are leaders, aren’t washed up and are actually able to still perform on the ice.

 

Kevyn Adams has a chance to pretty much completely rebuild the team with a couple/few good trades. Eichel and Reinhart should both hold SIGNIFICANT value. 

Hopefully Adams is up to the task...

 

I just hope KA doesn’t cave in to the pressure and end up taking whatever the best offer is because he feels he has to trade them (or the Pegulas tell him to).

I hope the Sabres realize that they don’t have to trade Eichel this offseason, even if he does officially request a trade.
He’s under contract for 4-5 more years and his NMC doesn’t kick in until after next offseason. Don’t trade him unless a team offers the right deal. 

To buy more time with Reinhart they can qualify him and offer only a multi year deal. If Reinhart refuses and takes them to arbitration, Sabres can then elect for a 2 year deal giving them time to trade Reinhart for proper value. If that fails and for whatever reason they can only get Reinhart under contract for 1 season, then they obviously have to trade him. They could wait until the deadline (and also keep trying to get him signed) but that would be risky.

[US Egg]

 Eichel is not being honest.

[TBBills]

24 minutes ago, I am the egg man said:

 Eichel is not being honest.

You really still backing the Sabres organization after everything they have done... Or lack of everything.

 

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by TBBills

[US Egg]

I think Eichel isn't being honest about himself.

 

.....but, what do I know?

[BillsPride12]

Today's press conference should be a dousy!

 

As The World Turns on Ice continues...