Buffalo Sabres and the NHL: 2025 - 2026. Changes are needed. Don't we say that every year?

[Dr. Who]

Well, I live in Georgia, so I can only suffer from a distance. Contracts are up after this year, so maybe cheapskate Terry will finally clean house. The problem is he wants to be "heard," which means the dim and arrogant owner doesn't want knowledgable hockey minds that will tell him to look in the mirror if he wants an explanation for going on 15 years now of utter embarrassment.

 

Pegula has destroyed a generation of fandom in a city that is arguably the most avid for hockey in the country. Sabres on the Warpath; not with Captain Nemo piloting the yacht.

[Simon]

23 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

Sabres on the Warpath; not with Captain Nemo piloting the yacht.

 

I'm sorry, but this is entirely unfair to the legend of Captain Nemo. 

[BillsPride12]

36 minutes ago, AlCowlingsTaxiService said:

At this point,  does anyone really care (except for fans who get all googly eyed over $27 plastic swords they can drink crappy draft beer out of?  I’d love to care, especially after Bills season wraps up, but my hopes have been dashed far too often. 

I've finally reached the point where I haven't even bothered watching the last few games. There's just no entertainment value to following the Sabres anymore. They have completely broken this fanbase

[Dr. Who]

3 hours ago, Simon said:

 

I'm sorry, but this is entirely unfair to the legend of Captain Nemo. 

You're quite right. I apologize.

[Simon]

1 hour ago, Dr. Who said:

You're quite right. I apologize.

 

We may brave human laws, but we cannot resist natural ones. - Capt. Verne

[Jauronimo]

On 12/5/2025 at 4:10 PM, QCity said:

 

34-21

 

But yeah, not happening for a team that can't win 3 in a row.

Thats some really bad math on my part but I am feeling a lot more optimistic about 34-21.  Win 2 lose 1 will have to work.

[BillsFan4]

17 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

Thats some really bad math on my part but I am feeling a lot more optimistic about 34-21.  Win 2 lose 1 will have to work.

I didn’t see your original math. But I have little confidence that they can pull off 34-21.

 

There has only been 2 times this season where they won 2 and then only lost 1 game after that and it happened about a month apart. 

 

https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/BUF/2026_games.html

On 12/6/2025 at 12:49 AM, May Day 10 said:

After 28 games

2025-26 11-13-4

2024-25 11-13-4 

There are no standards

It’s almost like deciding to more/less run it back, again, is leading to the same results, again.

 

Weird! Who could’ve predicted that… ?

 

😂😢

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

 

[Fleezoid]

3 hours ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said:

 

 

Absolutely correct. But to me, it's not a strong enough indictment of the organization. He mentions effort and culture. Haven't had that in years. And I believe it's largely due to lack of accountability. Letting Kevyn Adams hang around the last 2 or 3 years is criminal. Don't hate the players, hate the game. The players are going to tread water right along with the entire organization. We're extremely close to some of the stars clamoring to go elsewhere. And who could blame them. 

[May Day 10]

It is the entire picture.  That rant is off base, and even seems to imply that Tage Thompson was a high pick for the Sabres from a tear-down.

 

 

The problem is the guy at top and his insecurities and general mode of the franchise.   It is unserious.  The owner and GM are in so far over their heads and so insecure, they cant even conduct coaching searches anymore.  It has gone to a far darker place than the depths of the Bills drought under Ralph Wilson/Russ Brandon.

[QCity]

27 minutes ago, Fleezoid said:

 

Absolutely correct. But to me, it's not a strong enough indictment of the organization. He mentions effort and culture. Haven't had that in years. And I believe it's largely due to lack of accountability. Letting Kevyn Adams hang around the last 2 or 3 years is criminal. Don't hate the players, hate the game. The players are going to tread water right along with the entire organization. We're extremely close to some of the stars clamoring to go elsewhere. And who could blame them. 

 

I don't want to belabor the point over and over again but I feel casual hockey fans have no idea how crazy this is. Like, no idea. This is his 6th year. 6 years. Six. He still hasn't found a goaltender. Terry cannot even attend a home game anymore. They would have to use cleaning carts to sneak him in like Taylor Swift.

[May Day 10]

It was crazy to hire the guy in the first place.  It was a heavy lift, and has been a heavy lift for a long time.  Some of the disrepair and rot throughout the organization pre-dates Pegula even.  

 

To just kind of circle the wagons around people you feel you can trust, then attempt to have everyone grow into their roles, have conversations, and figure everything out is foolish.  Maybe it is great because Terry Pegula can go through the reports and have a seat at the big-kids table, but as far as icing an even mid-class hockey organization, it is not so great.

 

Waiting for the inevitable Kevyn Adams President, Kekalainen GM, and Appert HC move.  That will "buy" them another 4 years until people are allowed to be critical again without being accused of "wanting to just fire everybody all the time".

[BillsFan4]

24 minutes ago, Fleezoid said:

We're extremely close to some of the stars clamoring to go elsewhere. And who could blame them. 

I could definitely see that happening at the end of this season.

 

We know Dahlin already met with Adams and told him that he wants to be here but things need to change. Reportedly Thompson said similar things.

 

I personally felt/feel like this season was/is the last chance to prevent the new core from wanting out too (it would be the second core to want out under Adams).

and Adams has done very little to try and prevent it.

 

If things continue going the way they have so far this season, I think the only chance to avoid a mass exodus will be if Pegula fires Adams and the players are willing to give the new GM a chance to fix things.

 

12 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

The problem is the guy at top and his insecurities and general mode of the franchise.   It is unserious.  The owner and GM are in so far over their heads and so insecure,

100%.

 

Adams has been clearly in over his head since the day he was hired. He has to be one of the least qualified general managers to ever hold the title (he’s certainly the least qualified Sabres GM in history). Which made it all the more ridiculous that Pegula had him working with almost no other front office staff his first # of years on the job.

 

I still remember after the mass firings, Terry saying that between him, Adams and Ralph Krueger they could figure things out. 🤦‍♂️

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Decertify, and apply to the AHL? 🤔

[May Day 10]

I think that Pegula and Adams believe in their process and people so strongly, that they expect that at some point on the plane of time it will turn around and the results will come.  Everything at that point would be fixed.  

It is bunk though.  The franchise is their personal pillow fort and players consistently lose drive, focus, and are generally put into a state of not caring.  

 

 

What is needed is for the franchise to do a 180.  Pegula hires someone like Shanahan at the top, culls off a pile of the grifters immediately (Adams, Appert, Ruff, Forton, Nightingale, Crowe, Ventura, Staal, etc) and announce the beginning of a new era.  Apology to the fans, and promise that this point forward is different, and Shanahan has full control and will immediately work on finding a GM.  

 

I guarantee the fans would be reinvigorated, and there would be energy we havent seen in over a decade.  The players would almost definitely respond and we would see an immediate bump.  Suddenly everyone wouldnt be in such a hurry to get out of here.  

 

 

But no.  Pillow fort and Terry's secret password it is.

Edited 5 minutes ago by May Day 10