The Lesson in the Sabres Horrendous Season

[DCbillsfan]

Why would anyone expect the Sabres to be good this year or even better than last year?  I certainly didn't.  They are in a serious deep hole.

[TheFunPolice]

It's simple to me. 

 

The Bills hit the jackpot with Beane, Mcdermott, and Allen. They threaded the needle. It's so rare in sports, and it's a reason I would actually be surprised if the Bills don't WIN a Super Bowl or 2 over the next decade. This doesn't happen very often. Look around the NFL. How many teams have a top-notch GM, HC, and QB? 

 

New coaches and GM's usually don't work out, as we've seen here with these teams. But it's true all over the league. How many "next big thing" coaches have been fired just in the NFL after a couple of seasons?

 

There is a TON of luck involved in picking the right people for your franchise, and that's OK. Everyone is great, wonderful, well-respected, etc. Few actually pan out. 

 

The Sabres have been on the exact other end of that luck. They have squandered so much draft capital it is truly stunning. Couple that with awful coaching and reckless GM's and you have what you see there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[4merper4mer]

7 hours ago, Kwai San said:

 

Currently working in a small family run organization I can FULLY attest to what was said by @Coach Tuesday.  They, family run businesses have a level of suckatude that is unlike anything I have see while working in the corporate world.  You really have to live it to believe it.  If you have not lived it you wouldn't couldn't understand it and would be very blasé about it.  Like you are being.......walk a mile in the shoes before you diss it.

Except that a large number of sports teams are run by families.  Every year some teams fail and some succeed.  How is “family run” the reason for failure,  but not success?

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

9 hours ago, JMF2006 said:

The lessons are 

1) Your core needs to be developed within the organization

 

2)You don't hire first time GM's to do a rebuild

 

3) You never hire a soccer guy to coach(especially one named Freddy Kruger)

 

4)Signing free agent goalies is hit or miss and mostly miss if he was that good he wouldn't be an FA (except Bob in FLA) trade for the guy you really like

 

5)The morale and confidence is shot on the Sabres

 

This is so unlikely to happen with the Bills its almost laughable....short of a plane crash this team is going to good to great for while.

 

Sheesh man don't even joke about that ! 😣😣

[Locomark]

Bottom line is they have crap goaltending, they spent a top overall pick on a dman who is barely noticeable most nights,  they have $20 million sunk into 3 players who barely score goals (Skinner, Okposo, and Hall) which is ALL poor management not poor luck or a perfect storm.   You have a questionable management team, with a choice not to have deep NHL management experience from you GM, down to your non existent assistant front office, coaching staff, and limited scouting. Pegula owns this poor structure as much as he owns building the Bills strong one. He needs to step away from Hockey. His family is awful at it. Being a fan isn’t enough. 

[Figster]

14 minutes ago, Locomark said:

Bottom line is they have crap goaltending, they spent a top overall pick on a dman who is barely noticeable most nights,  they have $20 million sunk into 3 players who barely score goals (Skinner, Okposo, and Hall) which is ALL poor management not poor luck or a perfect storm.   You have a questionable management team, with a choice not to have deep NHL management experience from you GM, down to your non existent assistant front office, coaching staff, and limited scouting. Pegula owns this poor structure as much as he owns building the Bills strong one. He needs to step away from Hockey. His family is awful at it. Being a fan isn’t enough. 

I think Ullmark is a good goaltender and the backup was just upgraded recently IMO.

 

Teams had the worst luck imaginable IMO.

 

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Figster

[Locomark]

10 minutes ago, Figster said:

I think Ullmark is a good goaltender and the backup was just upgraded recently IMO.

 

Teams had the worst luck imaginable IMO.

 

 

Disagree fully. This is the worst team I have seen assembled in their history. This is a tank team with out trying to tank and with a big payroll. Multiple superstars playing like they could care less. Awful team. Flip to other games then flip on the Sabres. The Sabres play at a pace like a junior team and pass even worse. They are totally outclassed and even Ullmark is slightly above mediocre on a scale to the rest of the league. The excuses do not cover my topics mentioned. Spending wildly on non scorers, hiring inexperience NHL coaches and GMs, gutting your scouts, using non experienced staff where even multiple NHL people question where the Sabres even are, and not even having basic positions like assistant GM. The Pegulas have no business running a hockey org. They are awful at it. Stop running this like a minor league farm team. 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Locomark

[Figster]

5 minutes ago, Locomark said:

Disagree fully. This is the worst team I have seen assembled in their history. This is a tank team with out trying to tank and with a big payroll. Multiple superstars playing like they could care less. Awful team. Flip to other games then flip on the Sabres. The Sabres play at a pace like a junior team and pass even worse. They are totally outclassed and even Ullmark is slightly above mediocre on a scale to the rest of the league. The excuses do not cover my topics mentioned. Spending wildly on non scorers, hiring inexperience NHL coaches and GMs, gutting your scouts, using non experienced staff where even multiple NHL people question where the Sabres even are, and not even having basic positions like assistant GM. The Pegulas have no business running a hockey org. They are awful at it. Stop running this like a minor league farm team. 

How does multiple superstars equate to the worst team ever assembled?  On paper the Sabres are not a bad hockey team IMO.

[Locomark]

6 minutes ago, Figster said:

How does multiple superstars equate to the worst team ever assembled?  On paper the Sabres are not a bad hockey team IMO.

Production matters. If you pays big $ and you finish with the least wins we ever had you are the worst team we ever assembled. We arent trying to tank so that makes it worse IMO. 

[Figster]

 

28 minutes ago, Locomark said:

Production matters. If you pays big $ and you finish with the least wins we ever had you are the worst team we ever assembled. We arent trying to tank so that makes it worse IMO. 

I get that Locomark on the production. On the other hand our two MVP's out for long duration. Jacks been injured through practically the whole season so far. Covid, games crammed together, coaching change. More Covid protocol,another coaching change, next AHL coach up drives 4 hours to make the game. I could go on and on about all the bad luck Sabres players have had to deal with , but I won't. I realize the bottom line is wins and losses.

 

Bottom line for me is I'm a big homer and I'm not giving up on them...

Edited March 26, 2021 by Figster

[Just Joshin']

is the problem that the Sabres spend too much on special teams?

[Locomark]

20 hours ago, Figster said:

 

I get that Locomark on the production. On the other hand our two MVP's out for long duration. Jacks been injured through practically the whole season so far. Covid, games crammed together, coaching change. More Covid protocol,another coaching change, next AHL coach up drives 4 hours to make the game. I could go on and on about all the bad luck Sabres players have had to deal with , but I won't. I realize the bottom line is wins and losses.

 

Bottom line for me is I'm a big homer and I'm not giving up on them...

So even with Jack playing , were they winning ? Was Jack producing outside of the power play?  Did he look like someone that would lead a future core or possibly be the guy that could help us overcome obstacles? Asking for a friend. ... I am done being a Sabres apologist. If you want to be a homer it means you are ok with another 5 years of not making the playoffs. I am not. They literally have to blow it all up and that not only means front office but it may mean Jack too. They won’t competitive next year and maybe not the year after, so at that point Jack will obviously want out and then his trade value will suck. Might want to do the blockbuster deal this summer while there is higher value and you can maybe package him with Skinner and clear the decks of $.. just saying we are in a much more desperate situation when you look at the reality of it. Jack isn’t likely going to be here in the next few years. If he stays he won’t be playing happy. 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Locomark

[May Day 10]

On 3/25/2021 at 12:50 PM, DCbillsfan said:

Why would anyone expect the Sabres to be good this year or even better than last year?  I certainly didn't.  They are in a serious deep hole.

Me too.  I didn't expect them to be worst team in 20 years bad... but I didn't expect them to sniff a playoff spot.

 

 

The organization is broke.  Almost beyond repair.  Time for a team president and rebuild from the smoldering rubble

[78thealltimegreat]

On 3/24/2021 at 5:03 PM, IronyAbounds said:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/everything-that-could-go-wrong-for-the-buffalo-sabres-has-gone-wrong/?ex_cid=538twitter

 

No, this isn't a post about the Sabres, per se, it is the cautionary tale for the Bills. As the Sabres' horrendous season starkly demonstrates, improvement and optimistic signs of growth in one season do automatically translate to continued improvement and growth in the next. Everyone expected the Sabres to be better this year, but as the article points out a multitude of factors, some random, others not, obliterated the hoped for playoff push. Similarly, the reasonable expectation is that the Bills will be better this year and could easily be Super Bowl contenders. Yet, all it might take is a single injury (e.g., Allen) and the best laid plans are demolished. Covid could also continue to have some effect on the season. You always have to have an eye on the future in the NFL or any sport, but it is also important to seize every opportunity to win now (which is why the KC loss was hard to stomach). It's a difficult balancing act, and so far Beane seems to have done a good job. I'm very hopeful for 2021, but fingers crossed that the Sabres' experience won't be repeated by the Bills.

Are you serious you’re comparing a team whose been in the playoffs 3 of the last 4 years and to a team who hasn’t seen the playoffs in 10 years 🙄

[Bferra13]

I love the Sabres, I watch every game, and this has turned into a fix the Sabres thread. There was no need to start this thread. It was a silly premise from the start. This has turned into a Sabres thread. I come here to get away from the Sabres stench. Can this be moved? Just my vote anyways.

Edited March 27, 2021 by Bferra13

[78thealltimegreat]

On 3/24/2021 at 5:59 PM, nucci said:

How far back do you want to go? The Bills have been at the absolute bottom many times

When? They where a middling 7-9 6-10 kinda team just about every y

 

On 3/24/2021 at 5:18 PM, Freddie's Dead said:

The Sabres are at an historically ridiculous level of suckitude.  The Bills were NEVER that bad.  Mediocre, but not absolute bottom of the NFL bad, as the Sabres are bottom of the NHL BAD!!  Eichel should be traded for a real NHL goalie, tear it down to the studs, and rebuild around what's between the pipes.  There are no parallels between the Bills and Sabres, none.

Exactly The Sabres even with Jack Eichel haven’t sniffed the playoffs in a decade why was this topic even started to begin with? 

[Tcali]

On 3/24/2021 at 2:10 PM, billsfanmiamioh said:

I think most realistic Sabres fans thought the absolute best this squad could do was “hang around” the last playoff spots. The core is rotten and has been for some time. I see the point you’re making, but I don’t think this years’ Sabres are a good way to illustrate it. 

sabres players are grossly overrated exc for eichel

On 3/25/2021 at 9:25 AM, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Agree with the premise of the article. 

 

1. The Sabres don't draft well. None of their picks end up being that good - Ristolainen, Mittelstadt, Nylander. How long did we hear about Justin Bailey, Brendan Guhle? Never did anything.  

 

2. The Sabres get themselves into horrible deals - Matt Moulson, Larsson, Okposo, Gionta, Bogosian

 

3. They were like the Bills, they love old minded Coaches and GMs. They love the Phil Housley's and Ralph Krueger's who talk about gritty goals, and checking, and defense. The last GM they had sat there are did nothing for 3 years in Botterill. Their GM before was Tim Murray, at least he tried to bring in SKILL. 

 

We love guys like Cody Eakin now.  

How do you draft a guy into the N H L who cant do a pullup?

[nucci]

7 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

When? They where a middling 7-9 6-10 kinda team just about every y

 

 

1968, '70, '71, '76, '77, '84-'85, '01, 

[Gigs]

The problem with the Sabres is the culture of laziness. They don't practice to fine tune, they practice because they have to. Its been talked about for years, and it starts with the players. Risto even pointed it out recently, saying that its too bad you can't fire certain players.

 

The Bills are literally the opposite, and quite possibly one of the most well prepared teams most weeks. When you hear of Bills practices you don't hear about players not giving a damn, rather giving more than what we've been used to.

[Niagara Dude]

On 3/24/2021 at 5:03 PM, IronyAbounds said:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/everything-that-could-go-wrong-for-the-buffalo-sabres-has-gone-wrong/?ex_cid=538twitter

 

No, this isn't a post about the Sabres, per se, it is the cautionary tale for the Bills. As the Sabres' horrendous season starkly demonstrates, improvement and optimistic signs of growth in one season do automatically translate to continued improvement and growth in the next. Everyone expected the Sabres to be better this year, but as the article points out a multitude of factors, some random, others not, obliterated the hoped for playoff push. Similarly, the reasonable expectation is that the Bills will be better this year and could easily be Super Bowl contenders. Yet, all it might take is a single injury (e.g., Allen) and the best laid plans are demolished. Covid could also continue to have some effect on the season. You always have to have an eye on the future in the NFL or any sport, but it is also important to seize every opportunity to win now (which is why the KC loss was hard to stomach). It's a difficult balancing act, and so far Beane seems to have done a good job. I'm very hopeful for 2021, but fingers crossed that the Sabres' experience won't be repeated by the Bills.

I think the Bills are doing their part to add player needed to make sure there is no drop off.