deluca67

And the lowering of standards continues.

He gets credit for the save, not the win.

Nothing wrong with expecting some accountability from the local sports franchises. Pegula is the one who came out with the "gas well" comment as well as the "only reason for existence" comment. If these comments are no longer true he should come out and say so. I think we don't like the answers we are given.

All Pegula needs to know is that he is 0 for 2 as far as playoff appearance go. He has a team with zero identity and very little connection with it's fan base. He is owner of a team that gets booed at home regularly. This season has been as ugly as a season as I can remember. The closest I can compare it to is the Bills season where Donahue had signs taken away from fans and they ended up hiring Marv Levy. If this team comes back next season with Regier it may get even uglier.

Maybe because he was so willing to put himself out there when things were shiny and new? I'd like to know if he is digging more gas wells to pay for some top six talent?

What's really frustrating is missing the playoffs for the 7th time in the last 11 seasons with little hope of preventing it from being 8 out of 12 or 9 out of 13.

:clapping: :clapping: :clapping: At some point fans have to stop scrounging on the ground for scraps. It's time for fans to demand real change not celebrate potential 4th liners.

How many times will fans fall for the same crap over and over again. Zero stock should be put into anything this team has done while having nothing to play for. It means nothing, it doesn't carry over into the next season. This is a bad hockey team that needs to be completely leveled and rebuilt. No player should feel safe.

From watching the draft coverage on ESPN and The NFL Network the one thing that became very apparent was that this was a very weak draft class across the board. I would expect a relatively small percentage of the players drafted this year will make their team's opening day roster. There was a lot of practice squad level talent available, not much in NFL ready talent.

"Going forward" may be a bad choice of words if Regier is indeed remaining as General Manager. It's a bad sign for next season and the immediate future of the Buffalo Sabres. Pegula not being at the press conference is pretty gutless. He was more than willing to put himself and his family out there when he was the knight in shining armor. A couple of non-playoff seasons and suddenly he can't be bothered. One question that needs to be asked at this press conference is "exactly how many seasons without qualifying for the playoffs will it take to make a change at GM?" I know Ted Black reads this board, why doesn't he sign on and answer our questions?

Not to ruin your day, I like the pick a lot. It was a very smart move, they got the QB they wanted and picked up the #46 pick in the draft. The Bills used 1 pick to possibly fill two needs. That's smart asset management.

This is a very interesting idea. I would like to be on the prosecution team if I could. I think the first motion should be a change of venue since the jury pool is likely tainted by coats of paint, a new rug in the locker room and a tear stained French Connection statue.

The kid from Syracuse should still be there at the 14th pick.

A side note to the Bills trading down is that they pretty much traded Tavon Austin to the NFC and kept him away from the Jets. When the Cardinals took Cooper the Jets had to had already started writing Austin's name on the draft card. It will be interesting to see if the Bills stay at 9 and 14 in the second round or will they target a player and move up.

Tell me again how much you like Drew Stafford's game. Hodgson has offensive talent, as does Drew Stafford. The idea that Hodgson works harder on the ice more than any other player is a mythical fallacy that hasn't been seen on this board since early last season when posters tried to push Leino's game by talking about "how strong he is with the puck" and how "strong he is in the corners." Hodgson's game is nonexistent in the defensive zone, he has zero physical game and he is as prone to shifts of floating as his team mates. I think "Fanboism 101" is a better option. Two years ago I started talking about a difference in Tyler Myers game and how he appeared to be regressing. How did posters respond, I was 'silly" or a "hater." Where is Tyler Myers game today? Myers game is where I saw it heading two years ago. How many posters were of the opinion that the Sabres should trade Drew Stafford before they gave him the new contract? I know I was? I said at the time Drew Stafford will never be the that type of player again and that it was all about the contract. Two years later where is Drew Stafford's game? It's where I saw it heading. Considering my track record, I'll continue to have more faith in my opinions than the fanboi's of this board. So, "troll" on that for awhile.

I'll buy those in a couple of years to pass out to some of the posters in this thread. ;) Right, because he works out with Gary Roberts. :doh:

Fans excited about their hockey team, anyone remember what that feels like? :mellow:

Congrats to Don't Toews Me Bro! Another great year, looking forward to next season already.

Neither do I, and honestly it isn't a concern at this point. IMO, the most important first step in a rebuilding situation is to maximize current assets and convert them into promising future assets. You then use those new assets to flood your organization with as much talent at as many positions as possible. I wouldn't be concern with "replacing production." You can't rebuild with this teams current needs in mind. You turn over the roster and when these new assets start to take over your roster you decide at that point what you needs are and adjust accordingly. Specifically to Miller, the hope is to have a completely different team and find a goalie that fits into that situation. You may not need a "Ryan Miller" level goalie once all is said and done.

I would in heart beat. Going into this draft with possibly 3 top 20 picks and add another 2nd rounder to the mix? That would be huge for this franchise. To have all these assets going into a rebuild and only having a minimal dip in the quality of goaltending by trading Miller and handing over the goaltending to duties to Enroth and Leggio, That would put the Sabres in a great position. Of course, any level of success would depend on this franchise's ability to use those assets wisely. That player would have still have to be young enough to still have a decent amount of years before hitting UFA.

With Pominville gone, Myers slides into that "top 3" asset slot.

Kaleta brings a bunch more to the rink than Hecht does. Kaleta is a punk that teams need to rattle opposing teams. Kaleta is a physical presence who has grown into a role on the PK and he is willing to put his body on the line in blocking shots. Off the two, I don't see how there is a question who has the higher value to the team.

Moving Miller is at the top of the priority list. Let's not confuse the issue. it's not that Miller "sucks", at least IMO. It's about using current assets to collect those assets needed to turn the roster around. It's not about Miller being a "top 3 problem", it's about Miller being a "top 3 asset" that can bring in a nice return to start re-building from.

Communication between the goalie and d-men is very important. I've heard the criticism of the Sabres being one of the quieter teams on the ice.

We'll probably end up in a situation as we had between Hasek and Miller. With solid drafting and scouting the time between Miller and the next :"franchise goalie" will be short. Not having that player currently in the organization shouldn't deter from what needs to be done. At this point, IMO, a separation between Miller and the Sabres is what's best for both parties. Miller reminds me of that line from Batman Begins, "You either die a hero or you live long enough to yourself become the villain."