PerreaultForever

Of course we can't control it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a big problem. As long as Terry is the de facto director of hockey operations we are sunk. I am 100% sure of that.

Yes, for too long the thinking has been down the road, build for the future and development. The thinking of "win now" should have started when we missed by 1 point but since it didn't, it's definitely what has to be the full thought process now. Yes, you don't need this many prospects. You are still drafting more every year as well. You can easily package some of them up without getting anywhere near any idea of selling off the "future" for the present like Murray tried. You can target several types of teams. Teams that have veterans and are cap squeezed. Take a veteran contract off their hands for an ELC prospect. They can then sign the FA they want so everybody happy. And to be clear I don't mean a dead contract here I mean a player who can still play. An NHL veteran with gas in the tank. You can also target teams looking to rebuild/retool and shift to more speed and skill (which has been our focus for draft picks). The Boston type teams that have realized they are too old and slow and are looking for a speed/skill shift. Or the teams in a rebuild that might want to go even further down that road by moving out veterans. primarily I'd want guys headed to RFA not UFA at the end of their contracts but that's all in the details. Then if I'm GM I'm also going offer sheet crazy. We have cap space and we can do the St.Louis/Edmonton type moves. Get aggressive. Get creative. Team is a laughing stock now, I'd rather be hated than laughed at. The one thing we cannot do is stay the course and wait for development. We do that and I guarantee you Dahlin is gone and then maybe Thompson too.

More rats on that team than any team I can remember since the old Philly teams but they are smart and well coached. Quite disciplined. They won't lose their cool and will do it in subtle and clever ways that likely get Tampa to take more penalties than them. If Barkov is out for any term though that will hurt them. They might need Barkov to beat Toronto.

Oh no it's a problem if he's in the meetings period. I don't know where you work but if you are in any kind of office or anywhere that has meetings you know full well that when the big boss is attending people aren't free to speak their minds and the yes men and ass kissers come out. Meetings without the big boss are always more clear spoken and honest. It does really matter. Especially if they know Terry has a strong idea of what he wants and then they have a tendency to not disagree for their own job security. We need dissenting voices. Argument. People with different ideas of how to do things and how to evaluate. Think outside the Sabres bubble. Ruff was a start I think but not nearly enough.

Quite possibly. It'll mean nothing though if Terry is still in on all the meetings and they are all yes men.

A little bit of the nasty came out in the Florida series tonight. It's heating up.

I agree about Zucker. I think Sabres have to do it mostly by trades. The McLeod trade was a good one (even if eventually Savoie is better). We need more like that and even bigger for even better.

Yes of course, and if you win people accept whatever it is you are preaching more. That's obviously true. Why Cassidy could do it though was the culture was already set. They were a pull together team first place right from the get go and it stayed. They brought in leaders like Stone and the team had strong compete. Anyone who comes into that (like Eichel) is under instant pressure to suck it up and get with the program. That's the key. Establishing the culture at the start of the rebuild, not the end. That for me is the Sabres biggest problem. Not establishing the culture FIRST.

Doesn't hurt to keep saying it. Fans speak loud enough MAYBE eventually Terry listens. (I know, probably not, but what else can you do?) Fire Adams Fire Adams Fire Adams There. Three times. It'll happen now right?

Hasek seems really intelligent. Offer him the Sabres GM job. Maybe we will finally prioritize goaltending.

Adams is the one that needs to look in a mirror. He's a failure plain and simple.

But it does work. Cassidy won a cup.

Because that's what we have. I suppose this is what I'm hoping Terry would do. I mean I would never have gone down these roads period but for this discussion I'm kind of saying if I was Terry. Terry trusts and respects Ruff (apparently) so why not give him the power?

Playing as individuals and not a team has been a thing here for all the last decade since the tank. They destroyed the culture. They didn't rebuild the culture. They let young star players just go out and "play". TEAM as a concept has been secondary for a long long time. Believing that this has finally changed in the last 20 games is questionable to say the least.

The idea of bringing in Lou as a senior advisor appeals to me in the same way Dudley did years ago but I think he's a little too old at this point. I do however firmly think we need someone in that role. Someone with a lot of experience. Someone who will sit in the room and say "hell no that's stupid" . A dissenting voice (or three). I think this Sabres group lives in a fantasy bubble of their own creating and they need dissenting voices and more arguments in the room instead of yes men. The problem is Terry doesn't believe in that role existing because he sees himself as the de facto director of hockey operations (or whatever you want to title it) and the GM just says yes to him out of fear or subservience or whatever. Unless he steps back and lets someone else have that role we are in trouble. Maybe latter part of the year as he experienced the failure Ruff started to speak up more and be more dissenting and maybe Terry respects his views but it's still a disconnect. If I was the owner? 1. Fires Adams and all the assistant coaches. 2. Elevate Ruff to Senior advisor/director of hockey operations. 3. Allow Ruff to choose the GM from the existing assistants but he will ultimately answer to Ruff. 4. Hire a coach like Pandolfo or Carle. new but also tested. Allow Ruff to have a say and choose the assistants (Peca, McKee, Ott maybe idk, his choices) 5. Spend to the cap adding D, more D, goaltending and toughness. 6. Sit back and enjoy the winning.