darksabre

I mean, he didn't say when.

Also, and people will probably hate me for saying it, but this approach does somewhat resemble what the Bills did with Allen. He was highly rated but very raw, and it has taken him time to develop into the player he is now. But they had to have faith early in his ability to rise to the challenge. They had to commit to him when other teams might have pulled the rip cord. So I think they're looking at their highly rated draft picks, players that have shown some elite skill but lack consistency, and decided to put their faith in the raw talent and scouting that those players WILL turn out given some time to work through things. The difference between the Bills and the Sabres is we haven't made that move yet that is comparable to bringing in Stefon Diggs. But the NHL is a harder league to take those kinds of big swings in, given the way contracts are structured, NMCs, etc.

Just to play off of these three posts all at once, given what we have seen from the team over the last few months, I think Terry has accepted that the team is going to suffer at the box office and with respect to season ticket sales. Remember, they get some help on the revenue sharing side of things from the league, so they aren't totally dead in the water even if their own ticket sales are in the tank. It's how Arizona stayed viable well past the expiration date on the milk carton. I don't see Lindy as anything more than taking a step up from Granato. I don't think they expected him to turn these kids into a contender right away. They might have alluded to it, in order to try to keep some ticket sales up, but I doubt they believed it. The rest of their actions don't align with that idea. And Lindy is a professional, who came here to do a job, and probably knows he's basically got a free pass regardless of how the team does. His hiring put everything squarely on the players, and Pegula reinforced all of that yesterday. It is not out of the question that the kids DO start to figure it out. I'll be very interested to see what happens if they start to find some consistency that takes them from losing a bunch of one-goal games, to winning them. Then what does Kevyn do?

It sounds ridiculous, but it aligns with what we're seeing, does it not? I'm not saying there isn't a better approach, like what you're suggesting (which I agree with). I just think they've decided to go with the plan of holding that cap space open and planning to pay guys even if they haven't hit yet. I generally think they aren't planning to hit the playoffs in earnest until 2027. Any attempts at arriving earlier will be due to younger guys exceeding expectations.

That's why I'm hesitant to call it an Austerity plan. I think Pegula has spent PLENTY of money on players that have gotten the team no further ahead. I think Adams has made the case that he doesn't need to do that, at least not in the short term. "Spend the money when it counts" is likely the ethos driving things. Given how badly the team has played so far this season, I think it's possible that spending to the cap wouldn't have improved their position much. It's debatable, but I think it's an argument that should be entertained. What's the ROI on spending to the cap with this current team? It probably isn't the playoffs, as we are seeing now. It would not surprise me at all that the consensus inside the building, among the stats folks, Adams, and Terry, was the same this offseason. Which I'm sure will upset many people.

I'm not going to defend Adams, but I have a hard time with the classification of him as a puppet. It's a little melodramatic. I think it's more likely that he and Pegula are simply in agreement on how to proceed. We may not like it, but I don't think that makes him a puppet. Keep in mind that if he wants to have a career as an NHL GM, he's investing in himself here. Being a yes-man probably doesn't land him another job. But being the guy who finally got Terry Pegula to stick to a plan does... if it works.

Bingo. So I think any additions this team makes will be guys on 1-3 year deals, vets or younger RFAs, probably with some playoff experience. And WRT to the vets, they'll be given assurances that if the team does not perform, they will do everything they can to send them to playoff teams at the deadline. Maybe by February 2026 we won't be sellers.

I mean, I think this mindset is precisely why they shipped Skinner out. They wanted that money for guys like Zucker instead of Jeff.

I think the question of "what" is wrong is still up for debate on our side of things as fans, but I think they've decided that "what" is wrong is that they've been too fickle with their decision making. The convenient excuse that has presented itself over the past year is that the NHL is now a "development league" given all of the expansion, so letting kids grow while playing NHL games is now a viable thing to do, even if they stink.

I disagree. I think he's actually somewhat aware, at long last, that the constant re-shuffling and changing of course that has plagued his reign since the day he fired Regier only months into a rebuild they both decided to engage in, has been to the team's detriment. I doubt he blames himself for it, but I think he at least recognizes that this team has been racked with turmoil for over a decade. Regrettably, he and Adams have decided on a course of action, and it appears they intend to stick to it, for better or for worse. I believe the age of Meddling Terry is actually largely over and that he wants to take a step back. Needing to fly to Montreal to quell rumors swirling around trades, the coaches and the GM, strikes me as something he'd prefer to avoid at this point. It's why he gave Adams the greenlight to give that ludicrous press conference. Adams was speaking for Terry. The fans are going to hate the rest of this season without a doubt. Because even if the kids start suddenly finding their game, the other parts that have trade value are getting sold off. It's going to be an ugly finish. And then they're going to roll into next season with largely the same roster again, maybe with some new filler pieces. Expectations will be low. And Terry isn't going to worry about it. Settle in everyone. If you thought "do something Darcy" was bad, just wait to see how mad this team makes you now that management has agreed to let things marinate.

I agree with this. I think the team made the decision to commit early to kids they believe still have a good chance of developing and then just ride it out. If most of them hit then those contracts end up looking pretty nice in about 2028. Thrilling stuff.

It's too bad that the other thread disappeared into the void, but my assertion that Adams has Terry sold on the whole "the NHL is a development league" thing that has been kicking around with the NHL talking heads looks correct. They're going to let the kids figure it out on their own and that's it. Can't be helped. Sorry about the playoffs guys, we're not even thinking about it.

Okay, it just shouldn't happen though. It's a sign that something is very very wrong.

I hate being right.

[FADE IN] SCENE: INTERIOR, MONTREAL VISITORS LOCKER ROOM. TERRY STANDS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR, THE TEAM SURROUNDING IN VARIOUS STATES OF UNDRESS TERRY: Hi guys. I'm not sure how to start, but I felt the need to, uh, come up here to see everyone. Lindy here, geeze, Lindy is my hero. I've been a fan of the Buffalo Sabres for a long time. Those teams, they [COUGHS], they worked hard. Excuse me. [SIPS AN ICE COLD SMARTWATER] I think it's imperative that every player on this team realize that the only way to recover from this slump is to work harder. Back when I was a young businessman, looking to make my first million, I... [RAMBLES INCOHERENTLY FOR 10 MINUTES ABOUT SOMETHING NO ONE IN THE ROOM UNDERSTANDS OR RELATES TO] TERRY, CONT: Anyway, thank you guys. I am here for you. [TERRY TURNS AROUND AND HEADS FOR THE DOOR. HE PULLS ON THE DOOR FIRST, THEN REALIZES IT IS A PUSH DOOR, FINALLY EXITING THE ROOM] [THE PLAYERS AND COACHES SIT IN CONFUSED SILENCE. IN THE BACKGROUND, HONKY TONK BADONKADONK BY TRACE ADKINS CREEPS THROUGH THE WALLS AS THE ARENA STAFF TESTS THE PA SYSTEM] [FADE TO BLACK]