mjd1001

The problem is he has shown zero signs of changing. He wants things his way, he's probably more stubborn and less open to outside suggestions... It appears in even most other billionaire owners. And as long as he has the bills... He has one professional sports team that he can turn his head towards and look at when things are on fire with the Sabres he doesn't care. It's like... He would rather lose doing things his way with him involved in decisions... Rather than win but have to admit he's been wrong and do things where he has less control or input. The guy won't even make a public appearance, he won't even do a press conference, for years. (Not that that's the worst thing in the world seeing how he bumbles and stumbles through them) Accountability? Why should anyone in this franchise be accountable..from the coaches to the general manager to the scouts to the players... When the biggest coward with the least accountability is the guy signing the checks.

Yes but they've also had some good games. Maybe it's because he's coming off the injury, but Greenway positionally has been much much worse this year than even in the past. Maybe last year it wasn't a disaster. Putting him with types in temporarily, with this year, with how he's playing, it made zero sense... And the results last night showed. And remember, they were out there against Calgary. They're not back on their heels, playing Colorado's first line, or a healthy Panthers team. To not generate any offense... Any scoring chances at all... Versus Calgary is beyond unacceptable

A quick look at the analytics from the lines last night and a couple of things stand out... Even strength, I think it's the worst offensive performance from Tuck and Thompson all year. No official scoring chances... No official high danger chances... And that was with Greenway on their line. Other than Greenway sinking that top line last night, there were a bunch of different line combinations, but the next two worst combinations had one thing in common... Jack Quinn. Both of them were signed to extensions and that was a mistake. But right now Quinn and Greenway are back to hurting this team compared to some of the younger guys who could be playing for them. But yet keep on playing them because we have to justify those bad contracts.

After a somewhat better start, I have felt that Jack Quinn has almost fully reverted back to his awful 2024-25 form. At least for one game, The stats totally verify that.

Paid attendance at home games is 16,608 so far this year...up slightly from 15,998 last year. So the only really 'important' fans, as of yet, are not saying "Enough is enough". Far from it. Lets see what it looks like after this road trip though I guess.

For me absolutely not. He's a fan favorite (if this team has any of those anymore, he's one of them). Hes still going to be near the top of your scoring list at the end of the year barring injury. But that is THIS year, you are signing him for the next 7 or so after this year. As I posted 2 days ago, his analytics are already sliding. His skating stats/analytics have been going down 3-4 years in a row. When a team signs a bad contract, usually the fan base (or the team itself) says something like "how could we know he would be one of those players that age would catch up on so quickly?" Well, with Tuch, the signs are there, the stats on his skating are there. His overall stats are trending. Not just this year, but over the last few years. I'd much, MUCH rather spend tha money on Doan and Benson and i guess Kesserling..maybe resign Malenstyn and fill out the othe 2-3 spots in the roster you will have next year.

Ok, here is the thing about UPL, especially tonight. He is facing tougher shots than he should be due to defensive breakdowns. BUT, that doesn't mean EVERY goal is excusable. If your D-man has a blatant giveaway, or a guy gets by your defense and a cross ice pass hits him in the stick. the goaltender CAN on occasion get over quick enough to make a save. For numbers sake, lets say the last 20 times the Sabres in front of him has basically 'hung UPL out to dry'...that doesn't mean that 10 goals are expected or excusable. A good goalie might stop 60-70% of those PRIME shots. It seems like UPL is allowing more than that. I can't blame UPL as the reason most of the goals scored on the team tonight. However, I can say if he was better (not below average) he would have one or two more saves on those tough shots than he does.

No. A soft goal example would be the many, and I mean MANY times UPL was in net the past year or so, and in the game day threads I pointed out, too many times, that UPL was set, in position, facing the shooter, didn't have to move laterally, and a shooter took a non-screened shot from 15 (or so) feet out that got by him. I hardly made those posts 2 years ago, but all of last year and already a few times this year he's let those in.

I think it is more on goaltending that some thing, but in my opinion, the problems with this team allowing goals are, in the following order: 1.) First and foremost, the forwards are still awful, absolutely terrible (as a unit) helping out in their own end. 2.) Goalies let in too many soft goals 3.) Some bad plays by the D-men. For it it is definitly in that order...still...just like last year..and the year before...

Which is why, when it gets brough up, I'm not in favor of firing Ruff and thinking it will fix everything or anything. 1.) Its the roster management more than the head coach that hurts this team. 2.) If the Ownership/management doesn't change how they do things, what 'good' coach will want to come here and work under the conditions that exist?

Yes, awful defense causes more goals against, but this team has goalies that RARELY "steal" games for them (yet it seems like backups do that to the Sabres quite often) and other than the win vs Ottawa (which was probably the worst NHL goatending game I have ever seen by their goalie), The sabres goalies (eye test) allow way too many soft goals, compared to the teams they play. It makes just as much sense to me saying good goaltending can MAKE a defense look better than it is, just as much as its true the other way around. In reality, those expressions are probably a wash. As far as every goalie we bring in starts well but regresses..that is for sure not always the case. In the most recent few seasons playing behind a lot of the current players: UPL into his 4th 'full' season with the Team. He had the worst GAA and 2nd worst save percentage in his 'first' season, where he started 32 games (and he wasn't exactly a rookie, he was already in his 23/24 year old season) -Levi, he might be the best example of what you are saying..he started out pretty well, but the more games he played in Buffalo, the worse he seemed to get. -Last year James Reimer was up and down the entire year. Good month, bad month, good month, bad month, but the first half of his games were about equal to the 2nd half of his games. -Eric Comrie was bad in both years in Buffalo with a GAA and save percentage close in both seasons. Again, the first half of his games were just about as bad as the 2nd half of his games. -Craig Anderson actually had slightly better numbers in his 2nd year with the team compared to his first year. -Tokarski was much like Reimer in his one year with the Sabres..good month, bad month, good month, bad month...but overall his peformance wasn't any better in the first half of his starts compared to the 2nd half of them. -With Ellis this year, its hard because he has played so little games. But he has had an above .900 save percentage 3 times in 7 games: His first game, his 4th game (the middle game of his starts) and his 6th game. Spread out pretty evenly. -Lyon has definitely tailed off as the season has gone on, but besides his shutout, his next best game was probably his 33 save effort vs Utah, one of his more recent starts.

I'd much rather have them trade him and get a big return out of it...but I don't think the return on a trade matters as much anymore. If this team has a GOOD GM/Front office eventually, the $10m in cap space you will have by him not being here is likely to be more valuable than a mid-to-late 1st round pick (and what that may become in 3-4 years) and a mid-level prospect.

If the country cared about and paid more attention to the NHL, "Pegula" would be a verb right now.... When a new owner buys a team, the local media and fanbase can say "Just don't Pegula things up" When an owner makes big time changes, hires an uknown coach or GM (stuff like that) and not everyone agree with them "He's going to Pegula the franchise up" Alas, the majority of the USA doesn't know the Pegula chapter of the Sabres story for that to likely catch on.

He may have bought the team in Feb 2011, but the team from Feb 2011 to the end of the season really wan't "his" team. If was in the offseason he started to take control in a way that impacted the team, roster, and front office. That basically will line up with the peak of that graph. It was very VERY close to the start of the downfall the moment Pegula started to 'exercise' his power as owner.

The coaching staff or becomes GM? He became GM at about the same time on the chart they changed to royal blue...the last dotted line on the right.