Thorny

There’s SO much written about the guy here I had to double check his age to make sure he was still 22. After all this time we still seem to collectively undervalue the development time it takes for players to become the versions of themselves they are ultimately most closely associated with (see: Finkle and Einhorn, who we traded at older ages than Power and “aren’t the same guys elsewhere as they were here.”) I feel like this idea even works more strongly against top picks as not only are expectations higher out the gate, we forget sometimes they have a much higher potential runway for development, too. The best players are almost always the adaptable ones - the ones that can adjust over time while picking up new skills and learning to harness the ones they have against the best competition they’ve faced. It just takes time. The fact this is the case even more so with D-men only drives the point home further with regards to Owen.

The AL east is ours!

Ok Edit: deleted. silly me for trying to create a discussion point - I should have realized the aim is now a radicalized board and this thread was merely for stating good things that make us feel better and also that can hypothetically happen.

- I’m honoured - why?

On the flip side (apologies if these are supposed to be 2 polar opposite, extremist threads) the biggest reason for hope is that making the playoffs is something that should just happen, eventually, because it’s literally not a significant accomplishment (as much as it will be and feel that way, for us). It’s not hard to do. The Sabres a mathematical outlier isn’t just something we say: frustration stems from flipping a coin heads 14 times in a row presumably by doing nothing we’d make it in reasonably short order - we have to be actively be handcuffing the proceedings to fail this much no, Adams surely didn’t “do enough” by the prism of a team that’s missed 14 straight and should be treating the season like a can’t miss rather than a “maybe make”, but frankly we could easily make the playoffs standing pat just because, again, it’s not difficult Does it prove Adams’ plan correct if he scratches a playoff berth for the first time in 6 seasons? Of course not - we know he’s a poor GM and his plan was bad. There’s nothing that can be proven and luckily for us it doesn’t need to be: we can simply get in because mediocre teams get in all the time

I don’t know that the trade makes the team better but it definitely will make the D unit better unless he’s some sort of outright net negative like Cozens, or Hellebuyck - who was “bad on breakaways, which we give up a lot of” and who wouldn’t have helped this team at all

In which To this day I’ve managed to avoid ever watching this clip TO THIS DAY

Well they are in the exact same spot we are except it’s harder to make the playoffs in the nfl. They will also turn it around eventually

Well one would hope so - he’s a top 10 pick. He’s supposed to be good at the very least if we aren’t going to trade the pick - that’s the expected trade off for sacrificing time

They won’t be bad forever Even the Lions turned it around

Have to agree: We been here

Power will be fine. regardless of the Sabres

Crap didn’t mean to delete that other one, anyways.. HOLY SH*T Cannot believe we pulled that off. Vladdy was incredible

Just have to change what we are after as fans

Drafted Matteo Costantini 5 years ago didn’t even realize he had a contract!