Buffalo Sabres and NHL 2021-2022

[Nextmanup]

Poor Aaron Dell goes between the pipes against Nashville tonight.

 

He's sporting a 4.52 GAA and an .872 save %.

 

It's going to be a long night; Nashville is really hot right now and a good team.

 

 

 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

 

 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by PromoTheRobot

[BillsFan4]

22 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Poor Aaron Dell goes between the pipes against Nashville tonight.

 

He's sporting a 4.52 GAA and an .872 save %.

 

It's going to be a long night; Nashville is really hot right now and a good team.

 

 

 

 

And of course the Sabres win... just as we all expected right? 😂

 

seriously though, with Dell in net and the way Nashville had been playing I fully expected another game like against Tampa Bay, where the Sabres just looked outmatched all night long. But they played a really good game. Even Dell played well. Go figure... lol

 

One thing I will say this year - despite their record looking similar to previous years, they’ve looked more competitive, and that’s with significantly less talent. They find ways to be competitive most nights. I’m not seeing guys moping and/or quitting either. I don’t see any of that “wow is me, here we go again” bull ****. 

 

They’re definitely better coached and young players seem to be developing. I think Granato has earned some time. I’m hoping the Sabres actually stick with him for a while.

Edited January 14, 2022 by BillsFan4

[Greybeard]

On 1/13/2022 at 9:19 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

 

 

 

 

           Wow, she has a service fish!

[CountDorkula]

 

Fast Forward to 41:30 Andrew Peters hints at major changes to the Sabres organization by the end of the year. Peters has proven to be in the know recently. 

Some NSFW language. 

 

Wonder what it could be?

[Mike in Horseheads]

5 hours ago, CountDorkula said:

 

Fast Forward to 41:30 Andrew Peters hints at major changes to the Sabres organization by the end of the year. Peters has proven to be in the know recently. 

Some NSFW language. 

 

Wonder what it could be?

Maybe they are finally going to hire a Team President and get Kim the hell out of there.

[Helpmenow]

Seymour Knox had a great franchise once

[BillsFan4]

It can’t be firing the coach or GM. That would be so ridiculous.  I’m not sure what ownership expected from this season, after trading away their best players for futures and filling out the roster pretty much entirely with guys on veteran minimum contracts. 

 

Maybe Kim pegula stepping down as team president? I wonder if they’d move Adams into the role and promote Jason Karmanos to GM? Or if they’d hire a team president and keep Adam’s in his current role?

 

Or maybe the Pegulas are selling? 
 

That would make me excited and nervous. The Sabres have been a mess under Pegula. But I don’t want the team to move, and I don’t want to go back to the days of pinching every penny (though we may be back there already).

[May Day 10]

My guess, and based on a bit of other smoke around this over the past 6 months or so...

 

The Pegulas are selling a significant portion of the team.  The other party might be Canadian and Key Bank Center operation is part of the deal, which might mean $ for renovations.

 

So if another party is potentially dumping hundreds of millions into this property, viewing the shambles everything is in including a few thousand emotionally dead people every home game, they are probably demanding some sort of say/major shift in the hockey ops.  Its possible too that the Pegulas have gotten fatigued and frustrated with running this team and the criticism that comes with it and actually want to step away/back.

 

I have zero reason to believe the Pegulas would set this team up for relocation (I would be shocked), nor do I think there is much of a realistic market for NHL team relocation at this time.  The only market I would fear from Buffalo's standpoint would be Houston.  I also don't believe the NHL would be eager to lose the Buffalo market.

[PromoTheRobot]

19 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

My guess, and based on a bit of other smoke around this over the past 6 months or so...

 

The Pegulas are selling a significant portion of the team.  The other party might be Canadian and Key Bank Center operation is part of the deal, which might mean $ for renovations.

 

So if another party is potentially dumping hundreds of millions into this property, viewing the shambles everything is in including a few thousand emotionally dead people every home game, they are probably demanding some sort of say/major shift in the hockey ops.  Its possible too that the Pegulas have gotten fatigued and frustrated with running this team and the criticism that comes with it and actually want to step away/back.

 

I have zero reason to believe the Pegulas would set this team up for relocation (I would be shocked), nor do I think there is much of a realistic market for NHL team relocation at this time.  The only market I would fear from Buffalo's standpoint would be Houston.  I also don't believe the NHL would be eager to lose the Buffalo market.

 

I think the Sabres are on track to being good again but it's going to take years. There is no quick fix. That's how we ended up here in the first place.

[PromoTheRobot]

On 1/17/2022 at 3:23 PM, Mike in Horseheads said:

Maybe they are finally going to hire a Team President and get Kim the hell out of there.

 

Kim is already not involved.

[Mike in Horseheads]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Kim is already not involved.

Then who is running the show?

[PromoTheRobot]

7 minutes ago, Mike in Horseheads said:

Then who is running the show?

 

Kevyn Adams.

[May Day 10]

17 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I think the Sabres are on track to being good again but it's going to take years. There is no quick fix. That's how we ended up here in the first place.

 

They have been here before, and seem to perpetually be here.  Adams and company did the easy part that anyone can do.  The tear-down.  It will probably take awhile... but it isn't splitting the atom either and fans don't need to tolerate being told we are perpetually in year 1 of a 5 year rebuilding plan.

 

Maybe it'll work out with the current staff, but I do not have a lot of faith in Adams, his lack of experience, Karmanos' kid, and the doubling-down with an analytical and data mining approach.  I feel pretty confident that if Adams were cut loose today, he wouldn't even get an interview to be a general manager elsewhere in the league.  

 

So circling back, if I am a person who is spending 100s of millions of dollars on a team, I would want to feel comfortable the rebuild is being guided with experienced and capable hands, and to make sure the whole operation is being run correctly from scouting/drafting/developing/etc.  I have been a fan for 35 years-ish.  I spent a huge portion of that never missing a period.  As of now, I'm not sure I can name 10 players and their numbers.  I have watched an aggregate 6 periods this season.  It isn't out of any protest.  I just have lost all desire to consume that product.  There are many others like me as the arena crowds can verify.   This is a problem.  Maybe they are on the right path?  I don't know and don't really care that much at this point. 

 

 

That's just my guess with the 'major changes'.  On this plane, with the Pegulas making the decisions, Adams will get at least 2 more seasons after this and I'm fine because whatever.  It doesn't matter what I think.  People here were defending both Murray and Botterill right to the bitter end, just an instant before they pivoted into the next guy having 5 years worth of incompetence to clean up.  People did the same for any 1 of the Bills' drought-era coaches and general managers, as well as Russ Brandon.  

[PromoTheRobot]

Just now, May Day 10 said:

 

They have been here before, and seem to perpetually be here.  Adams and company did the easy part that anyone can do.  The tear-down.  It will probably take awhile... but it isn't splitting the atom either and fans don't need to tolerate being told we are perpetually in year 1 of a 5 year rebuilding plan.

 

Maybe it'll work out with the current staff, but I do not have a lot of faith in Adams, his lack of experience, Karmanos' kid, and the doubling-down with an analytical and data mining approach.  I feel pretty confident that if Adams were cut loose today, he wouldn't even get an interview to be a general manager elsewhere in the league.  

 

So circling back, if I am a person who is spending 100s of millions of dollars on a team, I would want to feel comfortable the rebuild is being guided with experienced and capable hands, and to make sure the whole operation is being run correctly from scouting/drafting/developing/etc.  I have been a fan for 35 years-ish.  I spent a huge portion of that never missing a period.  As of now, I'm not sure I can name 10 players and their numbers.  I have watched an aggregate 6 periods this season.  It isn't out of any protest.  I just have lost all desire to consume that product.  There are many others like me as the arena crowds can verify.   This is a problem.  Maybe they are on the right path?  I don't know and don't really care that much at this point. 

 

 

That's just my guess with the 'major changes'.  On this plane, with the Pegulas making the decisions, Adams will get at least 2 more seasons after this and I'm fine because whatever.  It doesn't matter what I think.  People here were defending both Murray and Botterill right to the bitter end, just an instant before they pivoted into the next guy having 5 years worth of incompetence to clean up.  People did the same for any 1 of the Bills' drought-era coaches and general managers, as well as Russ Brandon.  

 

Anything is possible. I don't get the lack of faith in Adams. He's done a good job considering the pressure he was under. You can't grow an NHL team overnight. Tim Murray tried to trade and free agent his way to a shortcut and look where it left us. Pain is part of the process.

[Jauronimo]

19 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

It can’t be firing the coach or GM. That would be so ridiculous.  I’m not sure what ownership expected from this season, after trading away their best players for futures and filling out the roster pretty much entirely with guys on veteran minimum contracts. 

 

Maybe Kim pegula stepping down as team president? I wonder if they’d move Adams into the role and promote Jason Karmanos to GM? Or if they’d hire a team president and keep Adam’s in his current role?

 

Or maybe the Pegulas are selling? 
 

That would make me excited and nervous. The Sabres have been a mess under Pegula. But I don’t want the team to move, and I don’t want to go back to the days of pinching every penny (though we may be back there already).

Saw some rumors that the Sabres might bring in Briere as GM after Montreal hired Hughes to GM.  I guess Briere was considered a favorite for the Montreal job.  Elevate Adams to team president and Briere as GM.  

 

FWIW, I heard Wawrow talking about Kim wanting to be done with the Sabres but Terry as a hockey fan won't sell.

[K-9]

18 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Anything is possible. I don't get the lack of faith in Adams. He's done a good job considering the pressure he was under. You can't grow an NHL team overnight. Tim Murray tried to trade and free agent his way to a shortcut and look where it left us. Pain is part of the process.

While I agree it starts at the top and the Pegulas own their share of problems, imo Tim Murray is the biggest reason the Sabres are in the situation they’re in now. 

[BillsFan4]

no idea how credible this is

 

Edit - tweet was deleted, which makes me think it was BS. But they were claiming the goat head was coming back as an alternate Jersey for 2022/23.

Edited January 21, 2022 by BillsFan4

[Jauronimo]

 

Hell of a shot.

[BillsFan4]

1 hour ago, Jauronimo said:

 

Hell of a shot.

Sure was!

 

Dahlin had a great goal too:

 

 

pisses me off that they found a way to lose that game. They were up 3-1, and held a 4-3 lead with just over 12 minutes left in the 3rd.

 

Dell wasn’t very good but the Sabres didn’t do him many favors in that 3rd period.

 

New team/roster, same old problems...

Edited January 21, 2022 by BillsFan4

[Nextmanup]

1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said:

Sure was!

 

Dahlin had a great goal too:

 

 

pisses me off that they found a way to lose that game. They were up 3-1, and held a 4-3 lead with just over 12 minutes left in the 3rd.

 

Dell wasn’t very good but the Sabres didn’t do him many favors in that 3rd period.

 

New team/roster, same old problems...

We're still pretty much terrible, especially when leading after 2 periods !

 

But we are also savagely banged up right now and working with like our 4th and 5th string goalies!  

 

I still think we are dialed in for a bottom 5 finish.  We're still 28th right now.

 

At least Tuch is on a PPG pace for a while now and looks just as good as I hoped he would.

 

 

 

 

[BillsFan4]

2 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

We're still pretty much terrible, especially when leading after 2 periods !

 

But we are also savagely banged up right now and working with like our 4th and 5th string goalies!  

 

I still think we are dialed in for a bottom 5 finish.  We're still 28th right now.

 

At least Tuch is on a PPG pace for a while now and looks just as good as I hoped he would.

Tuch has definitely looked great so far! 
 

Yeah they’ve dealt with a lot of injuries this season + some covid issues too (tokarski’s been trying to return from the covid list for 6+ weeks now). Mittelstadt was a big loss. He was supposed to be their #1C. This was already a super thin roster before any injuries. 
 

I didn’t mean to imply I don’t see any changes/improvements though. I actually think they’ve been more competitive most nights despite the lack of talent compared to previous seasons. They definitely seem to have more fight.
I just meant the 3rd period collapses were still an issue.

[Jauronimo]

2 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

We're still pretty much terrible, especially when leading after 2 periods !

 

But we are also savagely banged up right now and working with like our 4th and 5th string goalies!  

 

I still think we are dialed in for a bottom 5 finish.  We're still 28th right now.

 

At least Tuch is on a PPG pace for a while now and looks just as good as I hoped he would.

 

 

 

 

And it keeps getting worse.  Quinn headed for an MRI for a lower body injury.  Mittelstadt is skating again.  Maybe we will see him play 5 or 6 games this year.

[BillsFan4]

Well that game was like a kick in the teeth. Sabres painfully reminding me that we don’t have the Bills to watch anymore to sooth the suffering. 😂

[Nextmanup]

2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Well that game was like a kick in the teeth. Sabres painfully reminding me that we don’t have the Bills to watch anymore to sooth the suffering. 😂

As much as Sabres vs. Senators game in an empty arena is a total nothing-burger, I actually enjoyed this game.

 

It was quite chippy at times and I got a huge kick out of Dell's semi-cheap shot on Drake Batherson...knocked him out of the game with that.

The funny thing is that when these types of things happen in the NHL now, nothing really happens, other than a big hug fest. Why?  There is no one on the rosters anymore to do anything about it.

 

What a shame.

 

 

 

 

 

[BillsFan4]

 

Owen Power and Devon Levi selected for Canada’s Olympic team.

 

Elliotte Friedman also mentioned that he’d be surprised if Power didn’t join the Sabres after his college season is over.

[BillsFan4]

 

If Anderson or Tokarski aren’t ready to play I have no clue who plays goal for the Sabres next game.

 

Tokarski’s sure been trying to come back from covid for quite a while now. Hope he’s ok, long term. I did see he was on the ice practicing so that’s a good sign. Anderson too. Hopefully one of them is ready for next game.

[TBBills]

37 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

If Anderson or Tokarski aren’t ready to play I have no clue who plays goal for the Sabres next game.

 

Tokarski’s sure been trying to come back from covid for quite a while now. Hope he’s ok, long term. I did see he was on the ice practicing so that’s a good sign. Anderson too. Hopefully one of them is ready for next game.

Well, Sabres don't need a goalie... they need the #1 pick.

Edited January 28, 2022 by TBBills

[BillsFan4]

4 hours ago, TBBills said:

Well, Sabres don't need a goalie... they need the #1 pick.

I agree. I’d love the #1 pick this year. Shane Wright looks amazing. But I mean, they still need someone to play goal next game.

 

Dell - suspended

Tokarski - lingering effects of covid

Houser - covid

Anderson - upper body injury

UPL - lower body injury (out long term)

Subban - lower body injury (out long term)

 

I guess they could just go with 6 skaters for the whole game. It would be interesting. No teams ever done it afaik.

😂

[Buffalophil1948]

Going to the game tonight, any clue to who's going to be in goal or is it going to be a game time decision? 

[Simon]

7 minutes ago, Buffalophil1948 said:

Going to the game tonight, any clue to who's going to be in goal or is it going to be a game time decision? 

 

You're in, bring your gear.....

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

15 minutes ago, Buffalophil1948 said:

Going to the game tonight, any clue to who's going to be in goal or is it going to be a game time decision? 

 

 

[Buffalophil1948]

10 minutes ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said:

 

 

Damn, I'd be down with her!!! She would probably out play Dell

[BillsFan4]

Sounds like Craig Anderson might play tonight. Not sure who will be the backup or what they’ll do tomorrow. Maybe Anderson can play back to back (might have no choice).

 

[BADOLBILZ]

 

Another Sabres loss and Seattle win away from 3rd place in the lottery...........but Philly is coming on fast.

[Draconator]

 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

10 minutes ago, Draconator said:

 

"Get out...OUT!!!"

[BillsFan4]

 

[ChevyVanMiller]

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

 

[Helpmenow]

23 hours ago, Draconator said:

 

Big move there!! Lol