Buffalo Sabres & NHL 2020-2021

[K-9]

2 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

 ... 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. ...

He was a Sabres season ticket holder for 18 years as well as a youth hockey coach in Olean. Sounds like a hockey fan to me. 

[May Day 10]

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Anyways, rumors originally made the rounds today the Sabres were 4 sale, but some of the chatter morphed into 'help' or a Team President.

[K-9]

8 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

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Anyways, rumors originally made the rounds today the Sabres were 4 sale, but some of the chatter morphed into 'help' or a Team President.

Well, two of those “they” who have reported it are Bill Hoppe and Chuck Pollack of the Olean Times Herald; two long time and highly respected journalists in WNY.
 

Anyone who makes the commute from Olean to downtown Buffalo for every home game, parks his car on a bridge in Pittsburgh just to receive the radio play by play, or has his friend hold the phone to the radio so he can listen to a playoff game while he’s in Houston, qualifies as an obsessive fan who “gets it” in my book. 
 

Terry Pegula may be clueless as a team owner in pro sports, but he’s paid his dues as a fan over the years as we all have. And I can’t fault him for that. 
 

And Ted Black was nothing more than a yes man sycophant poser. 

[4merper4mer]

4 hours ago, ALF said:

 

He's not worth having for 40 goals at his style of play   at $9M a year  ?

Not even close.  But it would look good on a highlight reel if you ignore the 50 selfish plays he made creating goals for the opposition and the wear and tear he creates for the other 4 Sabres on the ice.  And what on God’s green Earth makes you think 40 was anything other than a contract year aberration?  
 

The Sabres are stuck with this guy for quite a while now.  It would be nice if he tried to learn to be a better hockey player but it looks like his preference is standing on the blue line waiting for a breakout.  He’s a skinnier Marcel Dareus.  

[OZBILLS]

LGI

[thenorthremembers]

10 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

The perfect example for the Pegula's to follow is Robert Kraft. He lets Bill run the show and has been rewarded with a dynasty over the past 20 years. Kraft does nothing except sign the checks and watch the games in his press box. Terry should do the same expect he might want to avoid getting his "Jimmy" waxed in massage parlors like Kraft likes to do. I doubt Kim would stand for any of that.

I mean except the time he traded Bill's backup and future starting QB to make Brady happy.  Kraft isnt some open wallet lemming for God's sake. 

[Jauronimo]

Yet another game left wondering what in the F@#$ Dahlin is doing out there.  1st and 2nd second goals against were not his fault.  3rd goal against, after Risto's horrible giveaway he leaves his man to go after the puck carrier who Risto already has and of course the man he leaves immediately receives the puck and blows right by Risto to score. 4th goal he turns the puck over, then watches the shooter as a guy blows right past him to bury the rebound which was sitting at his skates.  5th goal he just lets the puck carrier come out and walk through the crease for a slam dunk.  

 

Dahlin and Risto were on the ice for all 5 goals against.  Just pitiful.  

[oldmanfan]

So let’s say Kruger gets canned.  Then you’ll have Eichel and the rest of the underachievers say they are all in with what the new guy preaches, just like they’ve done the last two times.  And then they’ll come out and underperform.

 

Get players that want to play hockey.

[4merper4mer]

6 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

Yet another game left wondering what in the F@#$ Dahlin is doing out there.  1st and 2nd second goals against were not his fault.  3rd goal against, after Risto's horrible giveaway he leaves his man to go after the puck carrier who Risto already has and of course the man he leaves immediately receives the puck and blows right by Risto to score. 4th goal he turns the puck over, then watches the shooter as a guy blows right past him to bury the rebound which was sitting at his skates.  5th goal he just lets the puck carrier come out and walk through the crease for a slam dunk.  

 

Dahlin and Risto were on the ice for all 5 goals against.  Just pitiful.  

Vendetta against Dahlin is bizarre.

[May Day 10]

1 hour ago, oldmanfan said:

So let’s say Kruger gets canned.  Then you’ll have Eichel and the rest of the underachievers say they are all in with what the new guy preaches, just like they’ve done the last two times.  And then they’ll come out and underperform.

 

Get players that want to play hockey.

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

[Greg S]

9 hours ago, thenorthremembers said:

I mean except the time he traded Bill's backup and future starting QB to make Brady happy.  Kraft isnt some open wallet lemming for God's sake. 

 

But he stayed out of the way and let Bill run the show. Look how that turned out. While owners are the big bosses they really need to STFU and GTFO and let their qualified people run the team. The Pegula's problem is it doesn't seem like they can find such people to run the Sabres. They have with the Bills though.

[oldmanfan]

11 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

But he stayed out of the way and let Bill run the show. Look how that turned out. While owners are the big bosses they really need to STFU and GTFO and let their qualified people run the team. The Pegula's problem is it doesn't seem like they can find such people to run the Sabres. They have with the Bills though.

I think they hoped Kruger and Adams are like McD and Beane in that they have a vision of how to build a consistent winning team, and that believe in processes to do so.  For McD and Beane to do that with the Bills they had to move a lot of players out to get guys who bought in. 
 

Which brings me again to guys like Eichel.  Is there a coach he will actually decide he wants to play for?  Reinhardt?  Skinner?  When is it about the player and not the coach?

[BillsFan4]

 

wow! Talk about an unexpected hire!

[SinceThe70s]

5 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

I think they hoped Kruger and Adams are like McD and Beane in that they have a vision of how to build a consistent winning team, and that believe in processes to do so.  For McD and Beane to do that with the Bills they had to move a lot of players out to get guys who bought in. 
 

Which brings me again to guys like Eichel.  Is there a coach he will actually decide he wants to play for?  Reinhardt?  Skinner?  When is it about the player and not the coach?

 

When the coach allows it to be that way.

 

[oldmanfan]

6 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

When the coach allows it to be that way.

 

Right.  So when he sat Skinner for basically being a big tub of goo on the ice, how many people got on Kruger instead of Skinner?

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

wow! Talk about an unexpected hire!

I thought there's a clause somewhere saying a Sutter or Plager must be somehow involved in NHL activities at all times? 🤔

[BillsFan4]

https://theathletic.com/2426679/2021/03/05/former-sabres-captains-weigh-in-on-teams-woes-a-whole-new-kind-of-unwatchable/
‘Former Sabres captains weigh in on team’s woes: ‘A whole new kind of unwatchable’ (athletic sub. req.)

 

Quote

The Athletic reached out to five former Buffalo Sabres captains for unvarnished thoughts about their kindred club.

 

Quote

What I hear from my friends and ex-teammates throughout the league is not nice. The Sabres are a mess. As much as it hurts me to say, they’re a laughingstock. I don’t like hearing that. I had a lot of success in Buffalo. I’m proud of my time with the Sabres. I want them to be good, especially for the fans.

 

Players are getting crushed for their performance on the ice, but it goes a lot deeper than that. There isn’t any consistency within the organization. Leadership starts from the top and trickles down throughout, but there has been such a high rate of turnover at the top that it’s almost impossible to tell what the team’s identity is. Everything changes every couple years. You’re almost starting from scratch.

 

So you might want to plant your flag and say, “This is going to be the start of long-term stability. We are going to stick this out.” Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have the right people just because you insist on keeping them around. I don’t think they have the correct people in place, and a lot of other NHL people doubt these are the correct people because of how it was done. The league is shaking its head. There are so many highly qualified people in the NHL, and it bothers me when I hear the laughter that the Sabres’ GM was running their junior program a year ago.

 

Everything they do just seems so forced. The Pegulas need guidance to bring that winning attitude within the organization.... (continued in link)

interesting read.

Edited March 5, 2021 by BillsFan4

[Jauronimo]

3 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Vendetta against Dahlin is bizarre.

He's playing like ***** and was on the ice for 5 goals against last night.  Until it elevates to a point where I'm starting threads like "Idi Defense-Amin" or "Premier Stahlin" and taking shots at him in 5 other threads around the board, I wouldn't call it a vendetta.

[BillsPride12]

8 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

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

The arena's a dump but that's the least of our worries right now 

[SinceThe70s]

10 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

Right.  So when he sat Skinner for basically being a big tub of goo on the ice, how many people got on Kruger instead of Skinner?

 

I'm not a Sabres fan so I don't know the details but from a distance it looks like Kruger has lost the locker room.  Apparently the other night the Rangers studio guy blew up the Sabres effort after the game. If true, I put that on the coach.

[oldmanfan]

1 hour ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

I'm not a Sabres fan so I don't know the details but from a distance it looks like Kruger has lost the locker room.  Apparently the other night the Rangers studio guy blew up the Sabres effort after the game. If true, I put that on the coach.

If guys like Eichel and others hadn’t done it for 3 coaches I’d agree.  Effort is on the guys on the ice.  Where is the leadership within the team?  How many coaches get thrown under the bus?

 

McD got it going by making it clear what he expected, and getting rid of guys who weren’t bought in.  Do the same with the Sabres.  

[SinceThe70s]

17 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

If guys like Eichel and others hadn’t done it for 3 coaches I’d agree.  Effort is on the guys on the ice.  Where is the leadership within the team?  How many coaches get thrown under the bus?

 

McD got it going by making it clear what he expected, and getting rid of guys who weren’t bought in.  Do the same with the Sabres.  

 

Fair enough.

 

It's funny, I come on this board and Eichel is a whipping boy, but the local media is claiming that the Rangers will be first in line if he's available. 

[BillsPride12]

10 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

If guys like Eichel and others hadn’t done it for 3 coaches I’d agree.  Effort is on the guys on the ice.  Where is the leadership within the team?  How many coaches get thrown under the bus?

 

McD got it going by making it clear what he expected, and getting rid of guys who weren’t bought in.  Do the same with the Sabres.  

In the Sabres case that's the entire team

[oldmanfan]

2 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

In the Sabres case that's the entire team

So be it.  I’d keep Cozins and Dahiln.

[Nextmanup]

On 3/5/2021 at 10:29 AM, Jauronimo said:

He's playing like ***** and was on the ice for 5 goals against last night.  Until it elevates to a point where I'm starting threads like "Idi Defense-Amin" or "Premier Stahlin" and taking shots at him in 5 other threads around the board, I wouldn't call it a vendetta.

As of a few days ago, he literally had the worst +/- of anyone in the league.

 

To say his development has not gone according to plan is an understatement.

 

He was supposed to be the next Bobby Orr.

 

Right now, I think we have seen enough to know he will never be a Norris Trophy candidate.

 

He's just not that caliber of player.

 

I hope he proves me dead wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

1. Stop playing in a game.
2. Leave your goalie out to dry with no protection.
3. Get wildly outshot by the other team.
4. Lose.
5. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[Rockpile233]

I listened to Adams’ press conference yesterday and I got the sense he put most of the blame on his players. These guys don’t play hard for 3 shifts let alone 3 periods. 
 

[Chandler#81]

The destruction is complete.

[4merper4mer]

Watched for about 5 minutes of game time on and off today.  Saw Skinner again hanging at the blue line waiting for the breakout pass.  He got two, fumbled one of them and hit the goalie’s left pad with the other.  The situation is really bad and there are many culprits but Skinner is untradeable, bad and on an expensive long term deal.  He burns a roster spot and an inordinate amount of cap.

[snafu]

12 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

So be it.  I’d keep Cozins and Dahiln.

 

Dahlin could use some Rochester humility. 

He plays like an entitled teenager. 

[BillsFan4]

Mentions teams are calling about Reinhart and Staal, among others.

I don’t really care who they trade anymore as long as they get a good return.

I have absolutely Zero interest in draft picks though (for younger guys like Reinhart anyway). Especially in this draft. The 1st round looks terrible, even in the top 5 (this looks like one of the worst drafts in recent memory).

If they trade guys away I want to get good NHL players back in return. Make change of scenery trades with teams also looking to shake up their cores, like Calgary & Nashville.

Edited March 7, 2021 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

 

🤢 🤮 

[Nextmanup]

3 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Mentions teams are calling about Reinhart and Staal, among others.

I don’t really care who they trade anymore as long as they get a good return.

I have absolutely Zero interest in draft picks though (for younger guys like Reinhart anyway). Especially in this draft. The 1st round looks terrible, even in the top 5 (this looks like one of the worst drafts in recent memory).

If they trade guys away I want to get good NHL players back in return. Make change of scenery trades with teams also looking to shake up their cores, like Calgary & Nashville.

Eichel and Reinhart cannot be traded before we acquire a real HC.

 

Staal, Hall, Risto, and lots of other guys can go first.

 

 

16 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Watched for about 5 minutes of game time on and off today.  Saw Skinner again hanging at the blue line waiting for the breakout pass.  He got two, fumbled one of them and hit the goalie’s left pad with the other.  The situation is really bad and there are many culprits but Skinner is untradeable, bad and on an expensive long term deal.  He burns a roster spot and an inordinate amount of cap.

He's not bad.  He is pretty much untradeable.

 

His confidence right now is totally shot.  And he continues to be grossly misused by a stubborn coach who doesn't have a clue what he is doing.

 

If a real HC comes in here in the next few days, I would pray the first thing he would do is resurrect Skinner's game by putting him back with Eichel and Reinhart.  That line worked and it worked very well.

 

Olofsson can go to line 3 or 4 but should be retained on PP1.

 

 

[Rockpile233]

I didn’t believe this was a real quote. Yikes.

....asked about Skinner scoring: "That's certainly something for Jeff Skinner, who has measured his whole career on goals” - Ralph Krueger

Edited March 7, 2021 by Rockpile233

[4merper4mer]

7 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

 

 

 

He's not bad.  He is pretty much untradeable.

 

His confidence right now is totally shot.  And he continues to be grossly misused by a stubborn coach who doesn't have a clue what he is doing.

 

If a real HC comes in here in the next few days, I would pray the first thing he would do is resurrect Skinner's game by putting him back with Eichel and Reinhart.  That line worked and it worked very well.

 

Olofsson can go to line 3 or 4 but should be retained on PP1.

 

 

He is bad.  He plays 50% of the game.  His confidence is not shot.  He only cares about scoring goals and he is confident enough to ignore his duties on defense and lurk on the blue line.  He has a career +/- of -123 and his best career season was +0.   They cannot trade him because of his gigantic contract.  
 

Obviously the Sabres have major problems and Krueger may indeed be part of them.  Skinner is most certainly part of them and there is no miracle coach out there that will make him part of any sort of solution.  

[Jauronimo]

1 hour ago, 4merper4mer said:

He is bad.  He plays 50% of the game.  His confidence is not shot.  He only cares about scoring goals and he is confident enough to ignore his duties on defense and lurk on the blue line.  He has a career +/- of -123 and his best career season was +0.   They cannot trade him because of his gigantic contract.  
 

Obviously the Sabres have major problems and Krueger may indeed be part of them.  Skinner is most certainly part of them and there is no miracle coach out there that will make him part of any sort of solution.  

Outside of one game earlier in the season where Skinner was clearly motivated I have seen a guy who is consistently the last man back on defense and just drifts around the defensive zone.  He was a gifted finisher but this year he has squandered so many golden chances.  I used to argue for him but at this point its undeniable that he just isn't trying to do what Kruger asks of him.  Glad he scored that $9 million goal today.

 

This current incarnation of the first line is so bad defensively that it couldn't hurt putting Skinner on first line.  Maybe he will produce enough to be tradeable?  Eichel and Hall are just running around like recently decapitated chickens in their own zone.

[4merper4mer]

12 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Outside of one game earlier in the season where Skinner was clearly motivated I have seen a guy who is consistently the last man back on defense and just drifts around the defensive zone.  He was a gifted finisher but this year he has squandered so many golden chances.  I used to argue for him but at this point its undeniable that he just isn't trying to do what Kruger asks of him.  Glad he scored that $9 million goal today.

 

This current incarnation of the first line is so bad defensively that it couldn't hurt putting Skinner on first line.  Maybe he will produce enough to be tradeable?  Eichel and Hall are just running around like recently decapitated chickens in their own zone.

The entire thing is weird and it’s not like Skinner is the only problem, but there is zero chance any team will trade for him.

[BillsFan4]

3 hours ago, Rockpile233 said:

I didn’t believe this was a real quote. Yikes.

....asked about Skinner scoring: "That's certainly something for Jeff Skinner, who has measured his whole career on goals” - Ralph Krueger

[Rockpile233]

11 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Definitely did not come off as snarky as that quote read. With that being said, if he is still the coach when they get back from the road trip it’s a joke.

[BillsFan4]

33 minutes ago, Rockpile233 said:

Definitely did not come off as snarky as that quote read. With that being said, if he is still the coach when they get back from the road trip it’s a joke.

I’m praying they have Bruce Boudreau (or some other experienced coach) secretly quarantining for 2 weeks in Buffalo...

 

I think that’s part of the issue - who replaces Krueger if he’s fired? Covid rules complicate things. Would any of Ralph’s assistants be any better? If Chris Taylor was still in Rochester I have little doubt he’d be coaching the Sabres right now. But their head coach in Rochester (Seth Appert) is a rookie. This is his first ever season coaching pro hockey.

 

 

Kevyn Adams also said at his most recent presser that the players enjoy playing for Ralph and still have belief in what he’s preaching (seems hard to believe by the way they play on the ice...). So he said he has to consider that when making a change.

Ive read Eichel especially likes Ralph. 

 

If they replace Ralph I hope like heck that it’s with an experienced veteran coach like Boudreau, Gallant or Julien. If Ralph is as beloved as reported, replacing him with a clear upgrade is a much easier sell than another inexperienced rookie head coach. 
 

My dream scenario is that Kevyn Adams goes after his buddy Rod Brind’amor in the offseason. He still hasn’t signed an extension with Carolina, though it’s tough to imagine he doesn’t (unless Tom Dundon just refused to pay him a competitive salary which is a possibility). But the issue with waiting until the offseason is that more teams will be looking for head coaches then and I can’t imagine Buffalo being high on anyone’s list. I’ve read Bruce Boudreau is dying to get back behind the bench, he was born right across the border in Toronto and still has family in the area (plus he lives in PA). If he’s willing to come here I’d hire him immediately. He’s improved every team he’s ever coach and almost never missed the playoffs in his entire NHL coaching career.

 

If any team was ever in need of an experienced, successful NHL coach it’s the Sabres! And there are multiple experienced, successful NHL coaches just sitting out there. It seems so obvious...

But, Being that it IS the Sabres we’re talking about, I expect them to do the opposite. Waiting to hear about some coach from the harborcenter being promoted, and we find out it’s not just on an interim basis (like Adams).

Edited March 8, 2021 by BillsFan4