May Day 10

This is where we are. I dont know if it was Kruger who motivated them with some sort of efficiency in management philosophy, but they gutted the entire hockey department last Summer. They also installed an internal hire for GM who has next to zero experience in kevyn Adams. Even if you pretend he was observing and learning along the way: He was observing and learning watching this organization and its failure and dysfunction. Now we have a coach who has shown he has no clothes and is just a windbag of useless mental management jargon. They promoted two barely intern-level employees to head up their scouting and analytics departments and expanded those roles to include much more (efficiency!) Also, you have a group of players who quit for entire stretches of game(s). There is something rotten there, they never appear as a team, the captain never goes out and takes lumps for them publicly. You see the body language of someone like Staal on day 1. Other things in the recent past as well. Players who left that throw a little shade but stop just short. Berglund quitting. Players' performance falling off a cliff. If you were a parent of a draftable 18 year old hockey player, would you ever want your kid drafted by the Sabres at this point? This is such a heavy lift. The entire organization is in shambles. It needs to be fully rebuilt and redefined. What they have now is not salvageable. Look at what the Sabres are up against, just in their Division. Boston and Tampa have 2 model front offices. Toronto will be good for the forseeable future. Florida got serious with Zito and Quenneville. Detroit has Yzerman and a growing asset pool. Ottawa is even looking healthier overall with more upside.

This idiot organization gifted Skinner with a full No-Movement Clause, so unfortunately, that is not possible.

Thanks, john. Desperate to grab onto any kernel of hope that this doomed management structure is ending. Don't necessarily want them to sell. I understand the stability that would sacrifice (I would imagine the pegulas would try to ensure local interests)... but a team President is what I am hoping for. This really is the worst though. I can't even watch games anymore. Watched probably 99% of them from 1986-2013. I catch a period now and then. Get bored, do something else.

This is the 3rd time eichel has played a part in absolutely desecrating a coach. 2 of which were hand chosen to work better with his personality. I think it is a combination of everything. Just a terrible franchise that needs a new start and a thorough structuring/building

So they say... But he doesnt/never struck me as grasping the Sabres or the sport of hockey like a long-time fan. He never seemed to get it. Ted Black did only because he immersed himself in it, and at the time it gave the organization a flavor of 'getting it'. Anyways, rumors originally made the rounds today the Sabres were 4 sale, but some of the chatter morphed into 'help' or a Team President.

That's just it. I hesitate to just blanket them with the 'idiot' label... I mean, they have several billion dollars in assets. The way they have run the Sabres, and how stubborn they have been is nothing short of comical. Just hire a team President and don't get in his way. Nobody needs to hear your 'exchange of ideas'. Terry Pegula sounds like a low information sports fan, and I never believed the huge Sabres fan origin story. When he speaks he sounds like the low information guy in a group watching a game who keeps making dumb or overly simplistic comments and everyone else rolls their eyes. The over-arching pattern with this team is they always chase former high 1st round draft picks, even if they are busted out. No rhyme or reason other than that. Its crazy to think of the inexperience and ineptitude there is running the Sabres with next to no scouting, training, or development staff. We have the Pegulas, Kruger, and Adams in a model where both Kruger and Adams report directly to the owners. That doesnt work in the NHL. They took over this team and the city was still all about the Sabres. There was a locked-in STH waiting list and they were relatively healthy as an organization. They have bungled it in so many ways, and there is nobody/nothing else to blame. If they would just let someone with experience do their job... Sabres fans would still give the Pegulas a mountain of credit, it would be more 'fun' to run the team (although they wouldnt be intimately involved on many decisions), the team would be profitable, they wouldnt be besieged by the media local and nationally, etc... I dont get it. How is this fun? And dont think the Bills are safe in any way. I think they are very susceptible for a "Linda Bogdan" moment.

I really wish we/someone could archive and catalog active photos of the aud, everything anyone can dredge up and scan from personal collections and the media. It would be great if someone could someday create a 3d model of the facility. Check this out of old comiskey https://bandboxballparks.com/comiskey-park/

When I think back to that streak I remember botterill speaking during the collapse. He was trying to defend staying the course with Housley and he actually said that he/they knew the team wasn't that good during the streak. I was shocked. Couldn't imagine why the players quit on them. Such a loser attitude and it transcends coaches and general managers at this point. Like now how they pretend everything is great and this team is still on the path while winning 4 games in 21

I tossed my season tickets of 20 years before last season was up. I was never this hopeless as a bills fan through the drought. There is no realistic way out of this unless the Pegulas do a 180 and go against most things they have said publicly. It is going to get worse, which is tough to imagine how, but it will.

Its one thing to gut the scouting department... and yet another to not replace anybody and go at it with nothing but a barebones crew of extreme inexperience. Development mis-steps and asset management are also to blame. Its organizational failure.

No, I dont either. When they fired Murray, Terry Pegula sat there in front of a microphone and said their biggest mistake was giving up control to somebody (LaFontaine). That is what needs to happen. Kicking Kruger to the front office does nothing. He doesnt seem to have any idea how to win in the NHL, nor does he have any real NHL experience. They have almost no hockey staff right now save Kim and terry Pegula, Adams from Harborcenter, and Kruger from Soccer and Swiss hockey. They also promoted 2 internal, inexperienced nobodies to all-encompassing umbrella roles of 'director of scouting' and 'director or analytics'. Things will not change until the Pegulas give up control to a Dudley, Lombardi, etc at the top of the organization. It is in such disrepair it is a HEAVY lift. This is much worse than the Bills ever were throughout the drought. It is going to get worse when Eichel demands out, Reinhart wants out, all 3 of their NHL goalies are UFA, and they compound their bad decisions with more bad decisions (waiting for Hall's 8-year contract).

Team president and the end of amateur hour would be nice

I thought I remember hearing that the NFL makes available some sort of assistance/consulting with hires and McDermott was someone who was recommended.

This is going to be great https://stbcbeer.com/buffalotaproom/

They got McDermott, who seems to be a great person to build a football program and install a positive and winning culture. Brandon Beane seems to have been selected by mcDermott and they work in unison. The problem is, the Pegulas seem to think that approach is the same with the NHL. It is much more difficult to rebuild an NHL team because you are scouting all across the globe from the age of 16 in leagues that are comparing apples to grapefruit. You have an in-house development system. You also have the cap/guaranteed contracts. An NFL team can overhaul an organization in like 2 years and grab like 8 starters from the draft and UDFA in a good year if they are building. The Pegulas like kruger and have bought into his philosophy, much like McDermott. That coach-centric model doesnt work in the NHL and that assumes Kruger has any clue how to do NHL. Adams seems to be a 'smart' guy they had in house who is willing to be controlled by Kruger and the Pegulas (because he wouldnt sniff a GM position elsewhere otherwise). His first act was to sheepishly fire pretty much the entire hockey department. NHL you need much more of a President/GM centric model, and with a few exceptions, head coaches are temporary mercenaries, to be discarded for a variety of reasons.

Southern tier has great restaurants in Cleveland and Pittsburgh (and one in nc?) Along with their flagship in lakewood. They know what they are doing. I've been dying for them to open a location in buffalo. That'll be a great spot!

Wasn't a very good operation. It's in very good hands with southern tier.

Im fine with that

This is a huge problem with this team IMO. While Eichel has a ton of talent, he seems to be not be a very good teammate, let alone captain. The team never seems particularly close to one another and it shows on the ice. There seems to be little/no accountibility among the players. They tried to foster that through Gionta/Gorges, and OReilly wanted to carry that torch but they were largely rejected by the likes of Eichel, Reinhart, Kane, and Bogosian.

Love this shot another good one

I see this as a possible major issue for the team and why we keep seeing this same movie. From the outside, and looking at body language, interviews, the past 5 years' history, etc Eichel seems like kind of a bad leader, if not, a bad teammate in general. It appears there is not a great cohesion in the lockerroom (hasnt been for years). These guys dont seem close. Players who come in look or act miserable, if they dont leave the country. I know they tried to infuse the team and young players with some leadership in the form of Gionta and Gorges. OReilly tried to run with it and failed/was rejected. IMO the worst crime committed to the Sabres (outside of the Pegulas' failure to get help), was when Murray infected the young core of this team to Kane and Bogosian.

I agree, but I dont think the NHL ever elects to do picturesque games as long as fans are allowed to attend. The ratings and image jump is probably very marginal compared to holding it at Safeco Field or something. No idea why they would have such dark imagery in the logo and some on-ice ads. I have a backyard rink and if I leave something dark on there like a puck or even a leaf, it eats through the ice quickly under the sun.

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. 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.

The team has checked out. Unbelievable

That could be it. I believe there were 2 though symetrically placed (maybe 4, with what was on the broadcast camera side). Maybe I can ID it with a few of the blemishes there.