BillsFan4 Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 7 hours ago, ChevyVanMiller said: Eichel finally spills the beans about what happened to drive a wedge between him and the Sabres. https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/jack-eichel-reveals-what-really-happened-in-buffalo?fbclid=IwAR1COxPDmJKXAe7AxX6Tya2vbEl5lnyJM7RBc2Xhx6kPf-w9DBe7-G01fp4 I call BS on at least some of this. The surgery thing definitely wasn’t his reason for requesting a trade. We know he requested a trade before the 2020 season because Eichel told us on another podcast that he did, so he was clearly done with the Sabres long before his injury. IMO He was done with Buffalo because of all the losing. Some of what he’s saying differs from what’s been previously reported too (some of which came directly from Eichel and/or his agents and some from Kevyn Adams). He says there was a consensus among all the doctors except buffalo’s but that’s not what was reported back when all of this was going on. It was reported that his initial 2nd opinion was the same as the Sabres doctors and that It took him seeing multiple doctors before he found one who recommended the ADR. Then by all reports he was pretty dead set on ADR and he and his agent went looking for more doctors who agreed with Dr. Prusmack so they could present it to the Sabres. Eichel says it was political but As far as I know Kevyn Adams can’t just override his medical staff and choose the type of surgery a player can have. I don’t think the NHL wants GMs choosing the types of surgeries their players have. I think the team’s medical staff decides. So if the Sabres doctors weren’t comfortable with ADR, then what can Adams do? and remember, the Sabres head doctor was one of the pioneers of ADR. buffalo’s doctors were also far from the only ones not willing to approve Eichel’s chosen surgery. There were GMs who said they would have loved to be in on an Eichel trade but it was a non-starter because their team doctor wouldn’t approve the surgery he wanted. I don’t know why the Sabres would conspire to prevent him from having the surgery. It would have been far easier for them to trade him if he could’ve had the surgery and shown he was healthy. Why would they tie their own hands like that? If they did then they’re idiots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBBills Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 8 hours ago, ChevyVanMiller said: Eichel finally spills the beans about what happened to drive a wedge between him and the Sabres. https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/jack-eichel-reveals-what-really-happened-in-buffalo?fbclid=IwAR1COxPDmJKXAe7AxX6Tya2vbEl5lnyJM7RBc2Xhx6kPf-w9DBe7-G01fp4 I would be happy if Eichel is never the same player again. He really tuRned out to be a piece of garbage. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfanmiamioh Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 5 hours ago, TBBills said: I would be happy if Eichel is never the same player again. He really tuRned out to be a piece of garbage. Wonder how Vegas will treat him off the ice……🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 More than half way through the season now, with a record of 14-30. "Next year!" cried the Sabres fan. "It's always next year, never this year!" 😢 Anyone remember what it felt like to wake up on the morning of a Sabres playoff game day? I do not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 1 hour ago, Nextmanup said: More than half way through the season now, with a record of 14-30. "Next year!" cried the Sabres fan. "It's always next year, never this year!" 😢 Anyone remember what it felt like to wake up on the morning of a Sabres playoff game day? I do not. Remember it like it was yesterday. Good times. Looking forward to their return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helpmenow Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 How to destroy a franchise Pegula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zevo Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 8 hours ago, Helpmenow said: How to destroy a franchise Pegula or build one up from the bottom...depends how you want to view it I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 This is (another) lost season. Throw away season I guess. They really need to take some sort of step next season. Id say >80 points is reasonable in a parity driven league like this that has shootouts and points for losses. The last full season NHL only had 7 teams come in below 80 points. More than a reasonable expectation. The season after that, they really need to be in the 90s. Be in the conversation for the Wild Card spot(s) until at least the last weeks of the season. Show they are able to compete and are an average NHL team in year (4?) of this rebuild and of Adyms. If next year begins and they flounder. Whatever the reasons/excuses. Losing streaks mount up, etc. I think they really need to make changes. I cant tolerate 'they are supposed to be bad', 'what did you expect' much longer, and sick of being in year 1 of a perpetual 4 year rebuild. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBBills Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 Remember when you were all excited b.c the Sabres started out hot like they do every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 21 hours ago, TBBills said: Remember when you were all excited b.c the Sabres started out hot like they do every year. People were excited to see a team play hard and compete after years of watching the most timid and uninspired hockey ever played the last 4 years. No one was buying into their record the start of the season and no one is surprised by the Sabres current record. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 On 2/1/2022 at 10:16 PM, Helpmenow said: How to destroy a franchise Pegula On 2/2/2022 at 6:44 AM, zevo said: or build one up from the bottom...depends how you want to view it I guess. 22 hours ago, May Day 10 said: This is (another) lost season. Throw away season I guess. They really need to take some sort of step next season. Id say >80 points is reasonable in a parity driven league like this that has shootouts and points for losses. The last full season NHL only had 7 teams come in below 80 points. More than a reasonable expectation. The season after that, they really need to be in the 90s. Be in the conversation for the Wild Card spot(s) until at least the last weeks of the season. Show they are able to compete and are an average NHL team in year (4?) of this rebuild and of Adyms. If next year begins and they flounder. Whatever the reasons/excuses. Losing streaks mount up, etc. I think they really need to make changes. I cant tolerate 'they are supposed to be bad', 'what did you expect' much longer, and sick of being in year 1 of a perpetual 4 year rebuild. It's hard to believe and accept but this Sabres team is on the right path. Granato and Adams are the Sabres McDermott and Beane. It just takes longer in the NHL because you can't just sign a bunch of free agents. You have to build through the draft and it takes years for those players to develop. It might be 2024 before they are contenders but they are getting there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 23 hours ago, May Day 10 said: This is (another) lost season. Throw away season I guess. They really need to take some sort of step next season. Id say >80 points is reasonable in a parity driven league like this that has shootouts and points for losses. The last full season NHL only had 7 teams come in below 80 points. More than a reasonable expectation. The season after that, they really need to be in the 90s. Be in the conversation for the Wild Card spot(s) until at least the last weeks of the season. Show they are able to compete and are an average NHL team in year (4?) of this rebuild and of Adyms. If next year begins and they flounder. Whatever the reasons/excuses. Losing streaks mount up, etc. I think they really need to make changes. I cant tolerate 'they are supposed to be bad', 'what did you expect' much longer, and sick of being in year 1 of a perpetual 4 year rebuild. It is a throwaway season. This season is about moving on from Eichel, Reinhart, and Risto and developing young talent. The bad news is that this season was absolutely derailed again by Covid and a rash of injuries. The biggest issue here is lack of continuity in shaping lines/building chemistry but also the fact that Mittelstadt has barely played. He figured to log a lot of minutes this year and I was looking forward to seeing what he could do. Its a lost year for Casey. The good news is Tuch is a real player, Krebs is flashing ability, Quinn and Peterka are tearing up the AHL, Tage might be the most improved player in the league, UPL looked like a player, Dahlin found a little confidence, and Skinner woke up from a three year nap. I expect to see Quinn and Peterka playing with Sabres next season and I hope Power comes straight to the NHL rather than spend a year in Rochester. The good news means little if they don't take a real step forward next year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 At what point do we question Mittelstadt's ability to physically hold up to the NHL? I do agree that on paper, things seem to be looking promising for pulling out of the rut... but they have been here before. They need to actually pull out of the rut before congratulations are in order. That's the hard part. Prospects/young players always appear to be awesome until you drive off the lot with them. With that said, it isn't hard to imagine a youth influx next year along with some savvy FA buys based on data translating to actual wins and competing This season is a joke though with all the postponements, covid 'injuries', etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 47 minutes ago, May Day 10 said: At what point do we question Mittelstadt's ability to physically hold up to the NHL? I do agree that on paper, things seem to be looking promising for pulling out of the rut... but they have been here before. They need to actually pull out of the rut before congratulations are in order. That's the hard part. Prospects/young players always appear to be awesome until you drive off the lot with them. With that said, it isn't hard to imagine a youth influx next year along with some savvy FA buys based on data translating to actual wins and competing This season is a joke though with all the postponements, covid 'injuries', etc. I have been saying for this entire season plus a bit before that the time for us to be competitive, FOR REAL, will be the season after next. 2023-2024. Next year should be better, and some of the young talent not here now will be here, but they will need time as well. After THIS much time, it's incredible that we still need yet more just to be competitive, but that's where we stand. And yes, fans will ALWAYS assume the best when it comes to speculation about young up and comers. That's just how it works. I remember hearing for YEARS about how it was going to turn around when JOEL ARMIA finally got to the Sabres, lol. He was in Finland for a while and then finally did get to the team, but didn't last long until he was traded. And we moved onto the next guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 23 hours ago, TBBills said: Remember when you were all excited b.c the Sabres started out hot like they do every year. Remember when you said you were no longer a fan and you were going to follow another team? Any day now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBBills Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, Jauronimo said: Remember when you said you were no longer a fan and you were going to follow another team? Any day now... Nope I don't but thanks for playing. I said I might as well since I was living I Florida. Keep trying. This acting out isn't towards me it's toward the Sabres horrible run organization, so I understand. Edited February 3, 2022 by TBBills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 (edited) 30 minutes ago, TBBills said: Nope I don't but thanks for playing. I said I might as well since I was living I Florida. Keep trying. This acting out isn't towards me it's toward the Sabres horrible run organization, so I understand. You have the best team in hockey in your back yard. Why bother venting about the Sabres? Come back in a few years. And just a reminder. Those horrible Sabres owners also own one of the best teams in the NFL: The Bills. How is that? Edited February 3, 2022 by PromoTheRobot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 4 hours ago, TBBills said: Nope I don't but thanks for playing. I said I might as well since I was living I Florida. Keep trying. This acting out isn't towards me it's toward the Sabres horrible run organization, so I understand. Of course you don't. Its likely a self-preservation mechanism, necessary for your survival. Can't wait until you check in again 6 months down the line with more erudite analysis. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBBills Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 4 hours ago, Jauronimo said: Of course you don't. Its likely a self-preservation mechanism, necessary for your survival. Can't wait until you check in again 6 months down the line with more erudite analysis. You are angry at the Sabres not me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 14 hours ago, TBBills said: You are angry at the Sabres not me I'm not angry at the Sabres. They have begun the process of becoming competitive. A process that takes years and can't be rushed. Shortcuts taken by GM Tim Murray sunk this franchise and put us where we were. So if you can't bear waiting for things to turn around, I suggest following a different team until they are competitive. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 On 2/3/2022 at 9:58 AM, PromoTheRobot said: It's hard to believe and accept but this Sabres team is on the right path. Granato and Adams are the Sabres McDermott and Beane. It just takes longer in the NHL because you can't just sign a bunch of free agents. You have to build through the draft and it takes years for those players to develop. It might be 2024 before they are contenders but they are getting there. I also think they are on the right path. I won’t go as far as to say they’re the Sabres McDermott and Beane. But I do like Granato a lot. He seems like the right coach. He knows hockey, seems like a very good teacher and our young players actually seem to be developing. I hope both him and Kevyn Adams get time to turn this around. and this is coming from someone who was furious about the Adams hire at the time. I’ve been extremely skeptical of him. But I like what he’s done and is doing. I like that he held his ground on the Eichel trade. I like that he’s creating a top notch analytics department. Some of his draft picks are looking pretty good, as are the players he acquired in trade. Im just hoping the Pegulas don’t hit the panic button again. That Andrew Peters rumor about big changes has me uneasy. I’m hoping it’s something unrelated to people being fired. They need to stick to a damn plan for once. Like you said, there’s no quick fix for this team. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 17 hours ago, TBBills said: You are angry at the Sabres not me You’re deflecting. If only we could say the same about the Sabres goalies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helpmenow Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 (edited) 6500 average attendees at the rink. Really I thought it would be lower than what I read in the news Bettman has complete confidence in the pegulas after 11th year of not making the playoffs. Lol Edited February 5, 2022 by Helpmenow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2022/02/08/2022-winter-olympics-a-guide-to-mens-hockey-at-the-beijing-winter-games/ https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2022/02/08/2022-olympic-womens-hockey-guide-full-schedule-team-usa-roster-for-beijing-winter-games/ tv schedule for Olympic hockey for anyone interested. (first link is men’s. 2nd link is women’s) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 On 2/4/2022 at 2:51 PM, PromoTheRobot said: I'm not angry at the Sabres. They have begun the process of becoming competitive. A process that takes years and can't be rushed. Shortcuts taken by GM Tim Murray sunk this franchise and put us where we were. So if you can't bear waiting for things to turn around, I suggest following a different team until they are competitive. Botterill too. And you can argue Kruger and Adyms until this past Summer. There isnt/wasnt much choice to do what they have done. The tear-down is also the easy part. The challenge is actually improving on the NHL stage. I really do hope we see it next season. The prospect of having a team of Dahlin, Thompson, Cozens, Krebs, Quinn, Paterka, Power, Samuelsson, Mittelstadt, Tuch, Skinner and UPK may be exciting. You would also hope that the analytics team there can find the best buys of Free-Agency. The team does need a little bit of sandpaper in their organization. Botterill was completely averse to that and Adams hasnt done much to fix that yet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 (edited) Definitely a much different vibe than previous years. It doesn’t feel like we’re holding any players hostage anymore. Edited February 9, 2022 by BillsFan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 On 2/5/2022 at 2:31 PM, Helpmenow said: Bettman has complete confidence in the pegulas after 11th year of not making the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 15 hours ago, BillsFan4 said: Definitely a much different vibe than previous years. It doesn’t feel like we’re holding any players hostage anymore. This is such BS in the video... What do you expect the poor kid to say, though? Of course he's going to say positive things. "The city is excited"...really? Have a look at the empty seats, Rasmus! "Krebsy" is playing great--just assigned to Rochester b/c he's clearly not ready for the NHL yet... And so on... I like Granato a lot and think he's doing as good a job as he can do, but at what point does his .389 win percentage get addressed? Never? "Wait 'til next year!" exclaimed the Sabres fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 On 2/5/2022 at 3:31 PM, Helpmenow said: 6500 average attendees at the rink. Really I thought it would be lower than what I read in the news Bettman has complete confidence in the pegulas after 11th year of not making the playoffs. Lol You act like this is a bad thing. Any other league would be sending the moving vans for the Sabres. Bettman stood up for Buffalo after Rigas went to jail and the buzzards from Hamilton were circling. He's standing pat in Arizona when everyone says get out. And now he's sticking with us again while we fix this franchise. I don't understand Buffalo fans who want to stick it to the owners that are keeping our teams here. You really want the alternative? 3 hours ago, Nextmanup said: I like Granato a lot and think he's doing as good a job as he can do, but at what point does his .389 win percentage get addressed? Never? "Wait 'til next year!" exclaimed the Sabres fans. What was your expectation this season? The playoffs? This team just tore it down to the studs and are only just rebuilding the roster. .389 is already better than last year and we have some real stars ready to move up in Peterka and Quinn, not to mention Tuch, Krebs, Dahin, Cozens and Thompson. The Sabres on on the right track. It's just not an express. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Horseheads Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 Todays Athletic has the Sabres at #1 in prospects for 2022. Quite a impressive list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 49 minutes ago, Mike in Horseheads said: Todays Athletic has the Sabres at #1 in prospects for 2022. Quite a impressive list. Yes, considering Tim Murray emptied the cupboards when he was GM. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 (edited) On 2/9/2022 at 12:45 PM, Nextmanup said: This is such BS in the video... What do you expect the poor kid to say, though? Of course he's going to say positive things. "The city is excited"...really? Have a look at the empty seats, Rasmus! "Krebsy" is playing great--just assigned to Rochester b/c he's clearly not ready for the NHL yet... And so on... I like Granato a lot and think he's doing as good a job as he can do, but at what point does his .389 win percentage get addressed? Never? "Wait 'til next year!" exclaimed the Sabres fans. I don’t know. I see a much different vibe than last year. If Dahlin is just saying nice things why wasn’t he saying this stuff last year? Or the year before? I agree on your comments about the city not being excited. Krebs was assigned to Rochester during the all star break to get games in. They recalled him yesterday. Granato is doing more with much less than his predecessors. He has a better points percentage than last year’s team with FAR less talent + 1/2 the team on the injured list. Im far from satisfied with the win/loss % but everyone knew this was a tear down year. I don’t know that any coach could win with this roster. I don’t think the answer to the Sabres problems is to change coaches. They’ve changed coaches every couple years since firing Ruff. It’s time to actually stick with a plan for once and see it through. That’s been another issue IMO. They’re constantly changing directions. You can’t keep changing the vision every 2-3 years and ever expect to build anything. This isn’t the NFL where you can turn over a roster in a season or two. I think both Adams and Granato have done enough to get the time to implement their plans. I’d like to see both get at least 3 more years. I obviously expect to see progress during that time. Edited February 10, 2022 by BillsFan4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountDorkula Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 20 hours ago, Mike in Horseheads said: Todays Athletic has the Sabres at #1 in prospects for 2022. Quite a impressive list. They were also number 1 in 2014. Prospects are just prospects until they prove otherwise. Many of those perceived names will fall short of expectation. not just a sabres problem, but outside of Tampa who inexplicably hits on everyone nearly every teams prospects fall short outside of a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountDorkula Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 21 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said: You act like this is a bad thing. Any other league would be sending the moving vans for the Sabres. Bettman stood up for Buffalo after Rigas went to jail and the buzzards from Hamilton were circling. He's standing pat in Arizona when everyone says get out. And now he's sticking with us again while we fix this franchise. I don't understand Buffalo fans who want to stick it to the owners that are keeping our teams here. You really want the alternative? What was your expectation this season? The playoffs? This team just tore it down to the studs and are only just rebuilding the roster. .389 is already better than last year and we have some real stars ready to move up in Peterka and Quinn, not to mention Tuch, Krebs, Dahin, Cozens and Thompson. The Sabres on on the right track. It's just not an express. Two things, Im gona call a spade a spade and say the Pegulas have been a disaster ownership for the Sabres. Nothing they have done has worked, and they have almost always make the wrong decisions. The arena atmosphere is hot garbage. They were mad at Eichel for requesting a trade out of buffalo the season before the neck injury, and were shocked and angry because of it. Also Granatos win% is currently 2nd worst in the history of the franchise for a coach lasting longer than 1 season. if this losing continues he wont make a full 3rd season. Granato does some good things, but many analysts are starting to question some of his decisions and lack of in game adjustments. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 On 2/8/2022 at 9:10 PM, BillsFan4 said: Definitely a much different vibe than previous years. It doesn’t feel like we’re holding any players hostage anymore. Was that John Wawrow asking one of his rambling 5 minute questions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 9 minutes ago, CountDorkula said: Two things, Im gona call a spade a spade and say the Pegulas have been a disaster ownership for the Sabres. Nothing they have done has worked, and they have almost always make the wrong decisions. The arena atmosphere is hot garbage. They were mad at Eichel for requesting a trade out of buffalo the season before the neck injury, and were shocked and angry because of it. Also Granatos win% is currently 2nd worst in the history of the franchise for a coach lasting longer than 1 season. if this losing continues he wont make a full 3rd season. Granato does some good things, but many analysts are starting to question some of his decisions and lack of in game adjustments. Don't take it personally.............Promo is only engaged when he has two things aligned............an inept franchise to defend and disgruntled fans to shame. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Horseheads Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 1 hour ago, CountDorkula said: They were also number 1 in 2014. Prospects are just prospects until they prove otherwise. Many of those perceived names will fall short of expectation. not just a sabres problem, but outside of Tampa who inexplicably hits on everyone nearly every teams prospects fall short outside of a few. Did somebody run over your dog or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBBills Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 31 minutes ago, Mike in Horseheads said: Did somebody run over your dog or something? I think it was Terry... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, CountDorkula said: Two things, Im gona call a spade a spade and say the Pegulas have been a disaster ownership for the Sabres. Nothing they have done has worked, and they have almost always make the wrong decisions. The arena atmosphere is hot garbage. They were mad at Eichel for requesting a trade out of buffalo the season before the neck injury, and were shocked and angry because of it. Also Granatos win% is currently 2nd worst in the history of the franchise for a coach lasting longer than 1 season. if this losing continues he wont make a full 3rd season. Granato does some good things, but many analysts are starting to question some of his decisions and lack of in game adjustments. First, about Granato. He was hired to rebuild a team from nothing. So his winning % means diddly squat. This year, and likely the next two, are for player development, not a playoff run. Then there's Jack Eichel. He requested a trade before his neck injury. Then when the injury happened, he wanted the Sabres to okay his ADR procedure and be on the hook for his remaining $50MM if something went wrong. Would you do that for a player that told you he wanted out? You'd have to be a fool to do that. And let's not get ahead of ourselves. Jack has yet to step on the ice in a real game. It's a little premature to declare his neck surgery a success. As for the Pegula's, their Sabres tenure has been a train wreck. But why? It wasn't a lack of spending. It was hiring the wrong people. And just like the Bills, once they hit the right hire, things turned around. I think the front office under Kevyn Adams is the right guy. Don Granato is an exceptional developmental coach. While no players is fully worth a Jack Eichel, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs have been terrific. But unlike other sports, you can't turn an NHL team around a dime. Especially when you are rebuilding through the draft. You bring up 2014 prospects. They panned out but for OTHER TEAMS!! Tim Murray thought he could take a shortcut and traded away all our prospects and draft picks for duds like Robin Lehner, Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane. Kevyn Adams is not making that mistake again. So they've committed to a multi-year rebuild. They have a load of top prospects and a crap ton of draft picks the next two drafts, including three first rounders in the 2022 draft. So be mad that they suck. Be mad at the Pegulas. But don't be mad that they are taking the long slow road back to respectability. Edited February 10, 2022 by PromoTheRobot 1 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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