Kruppstahl

I listened to his pre-game comments from yesterday, quoted above, and I totally agree with you. If you could get in the right atmosphere with him being genuine, he would be a good guy to talk to about how it really is off the record. I don't think it's that complicated though; Buffalo is not a sexy destination for a lot of players, we are (and have been) probably a bottom 3 or 5 franchise in the league for a decade now, it's not getting any better, and there really isn't a concrete plan in sight for how things are going to get better. Especially if you are a guy used to a winning organization and have a ring, how in the world would you be happy about winding up in Buffalo? It's just a business for these guys anyway, and they all make way too much money now. Players know how to suck it up, pad that retirement fund, and keep on keeping on. I wonder how many players on the team right now are thinking about the day when they are playing elsewhere. Sheary seemed to be quite happy to be off the sinking ship.

The western conference has had big heavy teams for the last decade and it's been like a war over on that side of the brackets to get to the finals. Chicago did it on raw talent, but the Kings team that won 2 cups is a great example of that style, St. Louis, Anaheim, etc. And they aren't all slow, either. When I think of good western conference playoff play for the last several years, I think big, heavy, fast. We have a petite, finesse team minus the talent. We'd get destroyed in a 7 game series against most of the good teams in the league from the "heavy" perspective. GMTM very much wanted to build a "heavy" team. I wish it had worked. It'd be a lot more fun than watching the ***** show we have now.

Paul Hamilton asked Sheary in a pre-game interview straight up if he asked for a trade. He waffled around in his answer, but didn't say "no." Seemed glad to be back in Pitt. Rodriguez was asked what trade deadline day was like. He said "Pretty exciting, knowing you're coming to such a storied franchise." Of course we know he asked for a trade. Don't think either guy is missing Buffalo. You wonder how many of these guys have asked for a trade that we don't know about.

Yep. And the team that was blown up was replaced with one pretty much just like it. BTW: Jason Botterill will be on with Schopp & Bulldog today, I think at 5:30pm. I doubt they ask him anything challenging, but I'll be listening.

Having played a lot of pick up league hockey over the years and having been hit by shots from total nobodies who actually have a very good, hard shot... ...I can tell you that if I was playing against Pommer's team I would be getting out of the way of his shots! Sure, he's an old man by NHL standards now, and he was never known for having a particularly hard shot, but are you kidding? He was an excellent NHLer! All those guys have hard shots by common hack standards! My ankle is getting sore right now just thinking about Pommer winding up and slamming me. Ouch!

As I've said elsewhere around here, Joker was a good get IMO. I like that addition a lot. It's a good example of how a good GM would have created a much better team by now...by adding guys like that up and down the lineup. No one famous, not many assets given up in exchange, but suddenly we are just a lot better team due to the additions of "nobodies" that can play hockey. A GM is supposed to know how to find and acquire players like that. Unfortunately, that (and Skinner) are the only 2 positives Botterill has done, but the ROR negative outweighs both of them. All the other moves haven't amounted to anything.

Barnaby is one of the very few ex-NHL tough guys (if you can call him that; more of a rat type player) I can think of who appears to be a punk in regular life. Most "fighters" are great guys away from the ice and a lot of them are far more intelligent than your average NHL hockey player.

Probably going to be quite a few.

I agree here. Keep in mind, too, that a really good GM (if Pegula can find one and hire one) doesn't need to hack everything to pieces in order to produce a winner. Anyway, Botterill is probably a bottom 5 GM league wide and has to go. We know that much.

That's because it can always be about the future, even if your'e incompetent. There's always going to be tomorrow or hope that things will get better. In order for things to be good NOW, you actually have to get some things right.

Oops.

You're position on this is ridiculous.

Jokiharju was a good get. That and Skinner are the only 2 things Botterill has done that I support. The rest is either bad, terrible or worst in franchise history.

But this is my point. If Ted = effort and intensity from the players, great! We haven't gotten much of that around here for the last decade +, going back to the last several years of Lindy.

He is an absolute master of corporate ***** speak. He talks the way a motivational self-help book reads. Which makes sense, considering he is more a motivational self-help author than he is a hockey coach. LOL

The funny thing is that Pat LaFontaine is as good a hockey payer as has ever played in a Sabres uniform. A hockey lifer. And he is adamant that the best hockey coach he ever had, at any level, was Ted Nolan. I agree Ted doesn't do Xs and Os, but where is Pat coming from with that statement?

I agree, but how do you do that? He's the boss! Someone he trusts very closely has to have a heart to heart with him and tell him he has to do it for the good of the franchise, or something like that. Otherwise it's not going to happen. The Sabres are now officially where the Bills were for decades with an aging Ralph Wilson. As long as the current ownership structure remains the same, the team is going to suck.

As a general rule, it is probably fair to consider Buffalo as a bottom 3 destination in the league. Certainly bottom 5. Winnipeg is usually tough to beat, and maybe a few others. Despite the weather, it has to be tough to play in Ft. Lauderdale where no one cares about the team, the building is half empty for all games, and it's like your career is in limbo. A lot of players hate that environment, and I don't blame them. But there are always exceptions. Simmonds just waived his no trade clause to actually come to Buffalo, so you never know what a specific player is thinking.

I'm sure the language referenced as a reason for the termination jibes nicely with language contained in all NHL employment contracts. I.E., the team is covering their tracks and making clear they had cause to terminate the K. I agree, it is likely one of the things you referenced. He's a bigot, sexual abuser, or alcoholic/addict of some type. Something like that. If I had to guess knowing nothing about it, I'll say he's an alcoholic! LOL. Why? Just going by the photo of him in the referenced article. Looks like he's got a lot of rough mileage on that chassis.

I was watching him tonight against Winnipeg, particularly thinking about his "injury". I thought he looked pretty good from a physical standpoint; there isn't anything obvious I can see that he can't do at the moment. I do think he is "dinged up" more than injured, but probably not quite right. Don't forget, Harrington reporting a couple games ago how the group was still sitting around in their uniforms and equipment, a long time after the game ended. Eichel came out to talk to the Press wearing everything but a helmet...Harrington's observation being in the room was that the group realized any playoff push was officially over. So maybe Eichel's "injury" is simply a loss of focus and concentration. I don't blame him. He raised his game to a new level this year and had a great season. He was quite consistent at that higher level too.

I feel your pain, MODO, but this team is NOT particularly talented. We have some in places, but remain 4,5 or 6 key acquisitions away from being a true contender. I agree Ralph doesn't impress. There are only 3 ways a coach can treat a player: he can ignore them, kick them in the ass, or pat them on the back. Ralph only seems to know how to pat on the back. It's not what this group needs, and this group itself needs to get a lot better.

I actually thought general team effort was pretty solid for 3 periods tonight. In terms of players not coasting and that sort of thing. Sam Reinhart actually tried to throw a huge open ice hit and completely whiffed, but the intention was there! We're just not very good. And our special teams are atrocious. I don't understand why Botterill would do a purchase rental with Simmonds, but I hope that was his intention. There isn't a lot left in his tank. I'll keep watching him til the end of the year, but he should not be re-signed.

Yes. What is alarming is that Ralph Krueger said in the post game interview that he felt we clearly out-chanced them in the first and second periods and had lots of chances in the 3rd. Our horrid special teams didn't help us out much in this game, but suggesting we had the better chances throughout the game, 5 on 5, is psychotic IMO. Winnipeg controlled the flow of game for most of the night, as most teams do against us. We were not without chances here and there, but these games are controlled by the opposition, and that's why we don't win a ton of games. If Ralph doesn't see that, fire his ass along with Botterill's.

This is where I have been for years now. A lot of what you're complaining about reflects where the league is as a whole in 2020; the NHL has changed a LOT in our lifetimes and I don't much care for the current iteration. Having said that, this is a passive group and "tenacity" isn't really what they are known for. On top of all this, they aren't a very good hockey team and they're currently playing meaningless games, and they all know it. I agree with you; it sucks.

He has regressed offensively and more so defensively, but he's so young and the long term prognosis remains strong. Don't look for him to blossom until Year 4 or 5 of his career, IMO.