Buffalo Sabres & NHL 2018-19: Sabres picking 7th overall (6/21/19). Ralph Krueger hire as new head coach!

[Doc Brown]

5 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

Surprised more people aren't talking about this. Fans must really be done with this team.

The ten game winning streak where we looked like playoff locks followed by an awful second half of the season will do that to you.  Plus, can you blame people for being tired of "rebuilding" for the last six seasons?  

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Just now, Doc Brown said:

The ten game winning streak where we looked like playoff locks followed by an awful second half of the season will do that to you.  Plus, can you blame people for being tired of "rebuilding" for the last six seasons?  

 

i hear ya frustrating as hell. We better never tank again as it destroys the team and takes years to recover and it shows that we haven't.

 

im not a huge hockey fan but im still interested in big moves like this.

 

I dont know the X&Os of hockey but im tired of the same old BS. We should really give Gronborg a shot. He has coached and won big over there, how much different can it be.

 

 

[Doc Brown]

9 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

i hear ya frustrating as hell. We better never tank again as it destroys the team and takes years to recover and it shows that we haven't.

 

im not a huge hockey fan but im still interested in big moves like this.

 

I dont know the X&Os of hockey but im tired of the same old BS. We should really give Gronborg a shot. He has coached and won big over there, how much different can it be.

 

 

It would be a bold move given he has no NHL experience.  The ideal scenario would be for Gronborg to work as an assistant coach for an NHL team to acclimate himself into the NHL.  However, if Pegula/Botteril is willing to stick his neck out and bank on his ability to develop young talent I'd be all for it.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

3 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

It would be a bold move given he has no NHL experience.  The ideal scenario would be for Gronborg to work as an assistant coach for an NHL team to acclimate himself into the NHL.  However, if Pegula/Botteril is willing to stick his neck out and bank on his ability to develop young talent I'd be all for it.

 

I think he should come straight in , dont want him tainted by NHL coaching.

 

If hes so innovative, lets see what you got.

 

 

[Doc Brown]

8 minutes ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

I think he should come straight in , dont want him tainted by NHL coaching.

 

If hes so innovative, lets see what you got.

 

 

I'd at least give him an interview.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

37 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

I'd at least give him an interview.

 

absolutely.

 

hasnt he had some offers to come over here in some capacity?

 

 

[plenzmd1]

10 hours ago, JohnC said:

. I'm not making any prediction

 

That's good cause you are usually wrong?  I kid i kid!!! Could have saved a year if they listened to me a fired after opening night agisnt the Bruins.

3 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

i hear ya frustrating as hell. We better never tank again as it destroys the team and takes years to recover and it shows that we haven't.

 

i

1

tanking works great if you execute after the tank, the Sabres have not. Chicago, Pittsburgh, The Caps, The Astros..they all would tank again in a heartbeat

Edited April 9, 2019 by plenzmd1

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, plenzmd1 said:

That's good cause you are usually wrong?  I kid i kid!!! Could have saved a year if they listened to me a fired after opening night agisnt the Bruin

There are plenty of credible experienced coaches floating around that the Sabres can choose from. That's not what I'm concerned about. The onus is on the GM to bring in talent to make this a more complete team. In my mind unless a credible second line is constructed and more scoring comes from the lower lines this team will continue to falter. 

 

We have emerging young talent in Mitts, Tage and Olofsson. Mitts and Tage were in elevated rolls that they were not ready for. I consider Oloffsson already a capable second-line talent. The primary debilitating issue was about the talent level. How that chasm is filled is what I will be watching for. 

[JohnC]

8 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

I feel like, for the most part, he has been proven right in not playing the kids he didn’t play. Most of them still haven’t done anything. Who didn’t he play that has proven to be good? Who’s really blossomed away from AV? 

 

The only one I can really think of is Jimmy Vesey. But it’s not like he is noticeably better. He is getting about 2 mins more ice time and producing almost exactly the same as under AV.  All his underlying numbers are about the same. His o zone and d zone starts are about the same. It’s hard to say he’s really doing any better. 

 

I dont follow the rangers all that closely, so maybe I am forgetting someone? 

 

 

Honestly, I don’t really pay too much attention to fans complaining about a coach playing a veteran over a kid. You go on any teams message board or talk to any fan of another team and by far the most common complaint is that the coach favors some veteran they hate. And 2nd is probably line combinations and in game adjustments. 

 

 

you have to remember, any veteran coach that is available is going to have some knock against him. There is a reason he was fired. There is no perfect coach. 

 

 

 

The Sabres aren’t looking for a coach to put them over the final hump and get them to a Cup. They are looking for someone that can take them back to respectability and get them consistently competing for a playoff spot.

 

AV’s teams have made the playoffs in 9 of his last 10 seasons and he took 2 separate teams to the Stanley Cup finals in the past 8 years. He has been considered among the better coaches in the NHL for damn near a decade.

We would be lucky to have him. 

 

 

I havent really heard anything about the Sabres interviewing him though, and I read/heard somewhere that he may be looking for a team that’s somewhat close to Cup contention. So if that’s the case I don’t see him even having interest in Buffalo anyway. 

 

 

 

Your above response is very sharp and keen. Botterill made it clear what he found most untenable was that the same defensive mistakes were made throughout the season. There was no learning curve. The GM acknowledged that the roster didn't have sufficient secondary scorers. And the onus was on him. That issue can be addressed by bringing in more talent and further development of the youngsters. But what he was not going to accept is the repeated same defensive lapses from the same collection of players. The next coach is going to be less tolerant and more demanding. If the players can't execute a basic defensive system in their zone they won't be playing. 

[shrader]

I love how we always hear that such and such coach is looking for a team that is close to cup contention.  That has to be almost as rare as a #1 defenseman or center in free agency.  Those teams aren't typically in the coaching market.  Sure, every now and then someone like the Craps last year needs a coach, but you'll have, what, maybe 1 of those openings every 5 years or so?  It was all the talk with Quenneville and look where he wound up.  Maybe they're a team on the rise, I doubt it, but they're still multiple years away from being a contender. 

 

So yeah, a coach might be a bit skeptical about a team like Ottawa that has just started bottoming out (and without their top pick).  When it comes to a job like Buffalo, there's at least something to work with there in the form of Eichel and the most hyped defensive prospect since the Nixon administration.  Add on top of that an owner who is not afraid to spend and there's more than enough draw for that job.

[JohnC]

14 minutes ago, shrader said:

I love how we always hear that such and such coach is looking for a team that is close to cup contention.  That has to be almost as rare as a #1 defenseman or center in free agency.  Those teams aren't typically in the coaching market.  Sure, every now and then someone like the Craps last year needs a coach, but you'll have, what, maybe 1 of those openings every 5 years or so?  It was all the talk with Quenneville and look where he wound up.  Maybe they're a team on the rise, I doubt it, but they're still multiple years away from being a contender. 

 

So yeah, a coach might be a bit skeptical about a team like Ottawa that has just started bottoming out (and without their top pick).  When it comes to a job like Buffalo, there's at least something to work with there in the form of Eichel and the most hyped defensive prospect since the Nixon administration.  Add on top of that an owner who is not afraid to spend and there's more than enough draw for that job.

I understand your point but in a certain respect I disagree with it. In hockey compared to most pro sports (football, basketball and baseball) a new coach can come to a staggering team and reinvigorate it with some personnel  and structural adjustments. Make no mistake what I am saying. I'm not saying that a new coach can make a mediocre team a cup winning team but a new coach bringing in a tight playing system can elevate a team from being outside the playoffs into the playoffs. 

 

Being a cup contender is not what is expected for a new Sabre coach. What is expected is employing a system and utilizing the personnel smartly so that it can get to the stage of qualifying for the playoffs. That's not an exotic expectation. We have enough core pieces (as you pointed out) that there is enough to work with to move up the ranks. 

 

I'm not disagreeing with your point. What I am saying is that with the right coach and player additions making the playoff as a fringe qualifier is doable. 

[BADOLBILZ]

2 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

tanking works great if you execute after the tank, the Sabres have not. Chicago, Pittsburgh, The Caps, The Astros..they all would tank again in a heartbeat

 

Exactly.

 

The Sabres issues for the past few decades can be summed up by the fact that they are arguably the worst team in the NHL at drafting and developing players over that period.

 

Anyone can draft well when they get top 3 picks..............but it's utterly uncanny how they never get ANY really good talent outside of very high picks.

 

The few good teams they've had in those years were built on stand-on-head goaltending(mostly) or trades and free agent acquisitions............never would have guessed this organization wouldn't be able to draft after their strong organizational start in the 70's.   

[BillsFan4]

1 hour ago, shrader said:

I love how we always hear that such and such coach is looking for a team that is close to cup contention.  That has to be almost as rare as a #1 defenseman or center in free agency.  Those teams aren't typically in the coaching market.  Sure, every now and then someone like the Craps last year needs a coach, but you'll have, what, maybe 1 of those openings every 5 years or so?  It was all the talk with Quenneville and look where he wound up.  Maybe they're a team on the rise, I doubt it, but they're still multiple years away from being a contender. 

 

So yeah, a coach might be a bit skeptical about a team like Ottawa that has just started bottoming out (and without their top pick).  When it comes to a job like Buffalo, there's at least something to work with there in the form of Eichel and the most hyped defensive prospect since the Nixon administration.  Add on top of that an owner who is not afraid to spend and there's more than enough draw for that job.

 

I watched the Joel Quenneville press conference yesterday and he swore up and down numerous times that he thinks Florida is a cup contender. 

 

He said that it reminds him of the 2008 Blackhawks team he took over. He said there are are a lot of parallels and he thinks this team is poised to win now. 

 

He also said that he 100% meant it when he said he would just stay retired and wouldn’t take a job if he didn’t see a path to the Cup and he sees that in Florida. 

 

So whether it’s true or not, Quenneville 100% believes it is. 

 

Florida is actually a very talented team. The last time they had a good coach (gallant) they were 1st in the Atlantic with 105+ pts. 

 

 

 

 

[K-9]

8 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

I watched the Joel Quenneville press conference yesterday and he swore up and down numerous times that he thinks Florida is a cup contender. 

 

He said that it reminds him of the 2008 Blackhawks team he took over. He said there are are a lot of parallels and he thinks this team is poised to win now. 

 

He also said that he 100% meant it when he said he would just stay retired and wouldn’t take a job if he didn’t see a path to the Cup and he sees that in Florida. 

 

So whether it’s true or not, Quenneville 100% believes it is. 

 

Florida is actually a very talented team. The last time they had a good coach (gallant) they were 1st in the Atlantic with 105+ pts. 

 

 

 

 

And Florida is about to get a lot better when Panarin and Bobrovsky sign there as free agents. 

[shrader]

43 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

I watched the Joel Quenneville press conference yesterday and he swore up and down numerous times that he thinks Florida is a cup contender. 

 

He said that it reminds him of the 2008 Blackhawks team he took over. He said there are are a lot of parallels and he thinks this team is poised to win now. 

 

He also said that he 100% meant it when he said he would just stay retired and wouldn’t take a job if he didn’t see a path to the Cup and he sees that in Florida. 

 

So whether it’s true or not, Quenneville 100% believes it is. 

 

Florida is actually a very talented team. The last time they had a good coach (gallant) they were 1st in the Atlantic with 105+ pts. 

 

 

 

 

 

Every single one of these things you're mentioning fall under the label of "things he's supposed to say".  I really don't know how much to take away from it.  But let's face it, more than just a path to winning played a big role here.  The dollar signs are a huge plus.  The familiarity with Tallon is another.  Then there's living in Florida, which does mesh pretty well with the whole retirement thing.  Even while coaching he can probably have a more relaxed lifestyle when he's out of the office.

[Lurker]

54 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

Florida is actually a very talented team. 

 

They'll be a lot more talented when they sign Artemi Panarin this summer.   

 

I'm sure that's what has Q (and Panarin) excited about the Florida opportunity...

[BillsFan4]

The draft lottery is tonight. It came fast this year! 

 

NBC sports is having a 1 hour special starting at 8pm. 

 

Last year they did the lottery during a game and dragged it out. They did picks 15-3 in the 1st intermission and then picks 3-1 in the 2nd or 3rd intermission. So there was quite a wait to find out where the Sabres drafted. 

 

So at first I was excited hearing that it was tonight, since there’s no games being played. I was thinking maybe it’d just be a quick 15min thing. But of course not... 

With it being a 1 hour draft special, we pretty much know for sure it’ll be dragged out again.

 

But i’ll gladly take the suspense of waiting until the end of the show to see where the Sabres draft because that would mean we got a top 3 pick! 

 

Fingers crossed.

 

Not that I’m all that superstitious, but everyone do whatever they did last year leading up to the draft!  lol 

[Dr. Who]

Let's see, I wallowed in despondency and certitude the lottery would never be kind to the Sabres. As a result, I didn't watch the proceedings and was greatly surprised and briefly euphoric when I discovered Dahlin was destined for blue and gold. So, I've got the wallowing in despondency down pat. Easy enough not to watch. You fellas let me know if it works.

[TPS]

Hopefully lightning will strike again and they'll win it 2 years running.  Either 1 or 2 would be great, since there is a clear separation between the top 2 picks and the field. Their odds are 17% for that to happen. 

[Pete]

Let's go random luck!

[Pete]

bull####!  7th pick

[ChevyVanMiller]

4 minutes ago, Pete said:

bull####!  7th pick

Well, lighting striking two years in a row was probably too much to ask for. I don’t understand why they don’t draw live though. The whole thing has a bit of a shady feel to it. 

[Pete]

1 minute ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

Well, lighting striking two years in a row was probably too much to ask for. I don’t understand why they don’t draw live though. The whole thing has a bit of a shady feel to it. 

it looks really shady.  especially with Chicago and NY winning

[ChevyVanMiller]

Devils get #1, Hughes to be schooled in the left-wing lock. Ugh...

 

[suorangefan4]

Sigh. If we would've lost those final two games we'd be picking 1st overall instead of 7th.

Edited April 10, 2019 by suorangefan4

[plenzmd1]

5 minutes ago, suorangefan4 said:

Sigh. If we would've lost those final two games we'd be picking 1st overall instead of 7th.

If this is right someone needs to kick me in the balls so I feel better

[suorangefan4]

Just now, plenzmd1 said:

If this is right someone needs to kick me in the balls so I feel better

 

We would've had the same amount of points as them and they had more ROW wins so it's right. We would've been slotted where they were.

[K-9]

3 minutes ago, suorangefan4 said:

 

We would've had the same amount of points as them and they had more ROW wins so it's right. We would've been slotted where they were.

Why torture yourself like this? 

[BillsFan4]

5 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

If this is right someone needs to kick me in the balls so I feel better

 

3 minutes ago, suorangefan4 said:

 

We would've had the same amount of points as them and they had more ROW wins so it's right. We would've been slotted where they were.

 

I used to think that too, but it’s not really true. 

 

Each team is assigned a certain amount of 4 number combinations. Had we finished with the top 3 lottery odds, we would have had more number combinations assigned to us but that doesn’t mean we would’ve automatically had the winning set of numbers. That number combination could have still very easily went to New Jersey.

[Nextmanup]

14 minutes ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

Devils get #1, Hughes to be schooled in the left-wing lock. Ugh...

 

His career will be lost before it begins in a place like NJ.

 

We could have really used some huge luck and a big move up.

 

Whoever we take at 7 won't play in Buffalo next year. 

 

So Botterill's very tough job this summer just got tougher.

 

 

[Turk71]

On 4/6/2019 at 6:43 PM, BillsFan4 said:

Wow, unbelievable. 7-1. 

 

I love it!  

 

When is the last time the Sabres ended the season with a win? It feels like forever. Especially a blowout 7-1 win...

 

I know it screws up their draft position by 1 spot but I’m still happy for a definitive win like this. 

 

The Rangers game is in overtime so that locks Buffalo into the #5 spot.

Now let’s hope for some draft lottery luck! 

Actually those 2 wins screwed up their draft position by 6 spots and cost them the #1 pick. 

   At least they will always have the memory of that thrilling blowout win to end the season and the winning momentum to start next season.?

[BillsFan4]

I was hoping to stay at 5, or ideally move up to #2 (I really wanted Kakko) but I’m happy at #7.

 

The only thing I didn’t want to happen is to get pushed to #8 (and even then, chances were that one of the top 7 would fall to #8). 

 

There are 3 tiers in this draft -

 

#1 and #2 are tier 1

 

#3 - #7 is tier 2 

 

#8 - #9 is tier 3

 

 

So we stayed in that 2nd tier where there are some really, really good players with top 6/top 3 potential. 

[JohnC]

7 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

If this is right someone needs to kick me in the balls so I feel better

Could you give me a little time to go to the shoe store and buy some heavy duty steel tip work boots? Am I allowed more than one kick? I want to give each foot an opportunity to feel the exhilaration of you writhing on the ground holding your squished nuts. 

[BillsFan4]

4 minutes ago, Turk71 said:

Actually those 2 wins screwed up their draft position by 6 spots and cost them the #1 pick. 

   At least they will always have the memory of that thrilling blowout win to end the season and the winning momentum to start next season.?

How do you figure? It doesn’t work like that. 

 

Like I said, each team is assigned number combinations. They are not determined by draft spot. Only the amount of # combinations is.

 

The actual number combinations are determined randomly. So each time they are assigned, teams would get a different set of numbers. 

 

If we had finished at #3, the number combinations we got would have almost definitely been different than the number combinations NJ got. We don’t automatically end up with the winning numbers...

Edited April 10, 2019 by BillsFan4

[Taro T]

4 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

I was hoping to stay at 5, or ideally move up to #2 (I really wanted Kakko) but I’m happy at #7.

 

The only thing I didn’t want to happen is to get pushed to #8 (and even then, chances were that one of the top 7 would fall to #8). 

 

There are 3 tiers in this draft -

 

#1 and #2 are tier 1

 

#3 - #7 is tier 2 

 

#8 - #9 is tier 3

 

 

So we stayed in that 2nd tier where there are some really, really good players with top 6/top 3 potential. 

 

Pretty much where I was at as well.

 

Top 2 would've been sweet, but they should still get a Mittelstadt quality player at 7.

[Turk71]

Just now, BillsFan4 said:

How do you figure? It doesn’t work like that. 

 

Like I said, each team is assigned number combinations. They are not determined by draft spot. Only the amount of # combinations is.

 

The actual number combinations are determined randomly. So each time they are assigned, teams would get a different set of numbers. 

 

If we had finished at #3, the number combinations we got would have almost definitely been different than the number combinations NJ got. 

I didn't know that. 

So we will never know what those 2 wins cost them, it is what it is.

[JohnC]

4 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

I was hoping to stay at 5, or ideally move up to #2 (I really wanted Kakko) but I’m happy at #7.

 

The only thing I didn’t want to happen is to get pushed to #8 (and even then, chances were that one of the top 7 would fall to #8). 

 

There are 3 tiers in this draft -

 

#1 and #2 are tier 1

 

#3 - #7 is tier 2 

 

#8 - #9 is tier 3

 

 

So we stayed in that 2nd tier where there are some really, really good players with top 6/top 3 potential. 

We are going to come out of this draft with a very good prospect. It will take some time for development but so what? That's the normal process. Last year the GM acquired Skinner from a trade, Montour from an in-season trade and Pilut from the free agent market. If we get three to four prime time players through trades and free agency and with the improvement of our young players such as Mitts, Tage, Olofsson and Borgen this roster should be upgraded. 

[Lurker]

3 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

How do you figure? It doesn’t work like that. 

 

Like I said, each team is assigned number combinations. They are not determined by draft spot. Only the amount of # combinations is.

 

The actual number combinations are determined randomly. So each time they are assigned, teams would get a different set of numbers. 

 

If we had finished at #3, the number combinations we got would have almost definitely been different than the number combinations NJ got. We don’t automatically end up with the winning numbers...

 

Yeah, but the folks who keep going down that road ("if only") are hockey fans.  You can expect them to have any idea how probability / random combinations work...

[Taro T]

8 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

How do you figure? It doesn’t work like that. 

 

Like I said, each team is assigned number combinations. They are not determined by draft spot. Only the amount of # combinations is.

 

The actual number combinations are determined randomly. So each time they are assigned, teams would get a different set of numbers. 

 

If we had finished at #3, the number combinations we got would have almost definitely been different than the number combinations NJ got. We don’t automatically end up with the winning numbers...

 

4 minutes ago, Turk71 said:

I didn't know that. 

So we will never know what those 2 wins cost them, it is what it is.

 

Yep.  There are 1001 combinations IIRC and they are distributed randomly to the teams in the lottery based on the assigned winning percentages.  (E.g. A team with 6.0% chance of winning has 60 combos.) Should that 1,001st combo get drawn, then they do a redraw.  (They also do redraws on the 2nd & 3rd winning combos should a prior winner's #'s come up again.

 

They've got the #'s distributed randomly to keep as many teams still eligible as possible as balls are drawn until the 4th ball is drawn.

[shrader]

This was the second most likely thing that could have happened to the Sabres. The most likely was falling only one spot. So let’s not act as this is some major travesty of justice. Now we just have to sit back and hope they nail it. I’m biased, but I’m guessing it’ll be Zegras.