Scottysabres

Yes, stay on subject. October was my original post. You know it. No reason to throw a hissy fit over my analysis.The coach is the pivot point. If Bylsma taught you nothing, that isn't my fault. The origins of my response to you was you stating you thought Reinhart nets 60+, I said we shall see and then went on to explain my reasoning behind that comment. You disagreed, I countered with my analysis on my comment. You persisted, I snarked to piss you off to prove My point. I coached the conversation at a certain point, coaching can achieve its desired effect, and to think, it took me less than a day.....and I'm just an average Joe. What do you think a hockey coach worth their grain of salt can achieve? Especially with the forward talent this team has? Neither here nor there, I was having a bit of fun at a certain point, the over laying conversation opinion I had originally still stands, and I stand on solid evidence, re: Bylsma.

Your stipulating day 1. I stipulated month 1. Lets at least try and stay on subject.

Babcock says hi

If the new coach has "limited" as you put it it, knowledge of the assets he has to work with........he shouldn't be coach. That dog don't hunt.

Come now, let's not play the "I have no idea what you're talking about" game. I've watched you post. You know. But, if you persist, look at the last coach's player usage as an example.

Simple Man, Lynyrd Skynyrd Nuff said

No one is judging anything. Merely pointing out that the moves made by the coach will be indicative of how Reinarts (or all players on the roster for that matter) will turn out. And yes, while it is true we don't have a clue as to the adjustments that may be made as injuries occur, the chemistry that may develop, the maturity of the youth that may be gained or the impact of rebounding veterans, one thing is a constant, coaching will be the pivotal factor in much of that, which, in turn, will equate to players stats.

The GM sets up the chess board, the coach moves the pieces, this is fact.

Ah, but there in lay the Achilles heel. "Both have their flaws" you say. Given the owners emphasis on "character", in conjunction with the subsequent coming contract of 1 Evander Kane (his demands, which whether acknowledged by fans or not are going to hefty), can you honestly attest that re-signing him is a foregone conclusion based merely on his 25 goal per season (averaging) with the Sabers? Do you not believe the new management team competent enough to address both what the owner desires as well as addressing team needs? When you commit with such statements you close doors to other possibilities. Perhaps, but the start of the season line up will be a metric with which to gauge the new coach, whomever that may be.

You can dial the number all you'd like, doesn't mean you'll get an answer. :P This team needs to finish out the core rebuild. With the Expansion Draft, 8th over all and deals that Boterill can swing, we shall see come October where Reinharts numbers end up.

Reinhart won't be going anywhere. Regardless of his lack of speed (and yes, it does show), if the right players surround him (as a center, not a RW'er) he would undoubtedly be a superstar. His vision on the ice, patience with the puck and overall positioning are a thing of beauty most nights. Our centers aren't the problem. Our wingers are. We need that HUNGRY chemistry for Jack, Sam and Ryan. Baptiste, Bailey, Nylander and Fasching will fill out a couple of those RW slots, and hopefully Okposo fully recovers (I more than suspect he will). Where are the LW'ers going to come from? And address the defense? A daunting task for Boterill indeed.

Left Wing will have to be addressed if Kane is moved.

I believe there is much more moving on the goalie front in Buffalo then is being let on. I don't believe Lehner is staying. He was soft on the posts and at certain critical moments. He called out team mates. He is a Murray guy. I think he's gone, possibly to Vegas for a D man they acquire. I think Ullmark and Petersen are the future, hence the Johanson signing today to help solidify Rochester. Just a hunch is all.

I don't believe Kane and his future is the most important decision this off season. I believe Eichel a m d his contract extension is however. Followed closely by Reinhart.

I don't think about it

Nah. Its not the clubs that have broken down the fan bases empathy. Its the culture of losing in Buffalo sports history that has. At some point and time, we need championships at the NHL and NFL levels.

Good signing? Only time will tell. I still want Theodore or Montour out of Anaheim as McCabes partner.

He'll sign.

Kane, if traded, will garner a 13 to 21 1st round pick, or, a 22 to 26 yr old top 4 defender. 25-30 goal power forwards in their prime don't exactly grow on trees.

Yea, it was jail alright. And not mere county time, that was an upstate sentence........for all of us Sabres fans. What a douche bag!

He gave up goals in a couple of key situations. You can fault the GM for not addressing the D. You can fault the coaches strategy failures. But the shared responsibility also falls on the players. They blew some critical games with leads going in to the 3rd. Killing momentum and deflating team confidence and it showed. You would think a netminder at Lehners age which wad just traded for with the 21st OA pick in one of the deepest draft classes I've seen in 12 years would steal a couple of those games at least. Thereby continuing momentum and boosting confidence. That is not the case. So when you ask or bring up was Leaner worth the 21st OA pick in that draft class, common sense would tell you no. No one is implying Lehner isn't an NHL netminder. What is being said is he wasn't worth what we gave up to get him. Comparing him to Lunny, a netminder who has proven his worth by stealing games when he was Lehners age isn't necessarily accurate given the mileage on the King and what he has done in his career.

Rochester should most certainly improve over the next 2 seasons. Say what you want about JB but he did great work building a development system for players in the Pitt pipe line. The coach, that is where my interest lay. What is the strategy given the talent you've just been handed? The previous coach failed, will the next one?

Oh, many of us do. He's weak on the posts, shows flashes of a decent netminder but no consistency to really speak of. Was he worth the 21st pick OA? Absolutely not.

The Sabres GM was chosen before Murray was fired. It just hasn't been made official, yet. As for Beane and McDermott, they are a good combination. The Bills will improve.

True, a good portion of the issue was Bylsma. But I witnessed many failed attempts to capitalize on opportunities by the players, particularly lines 3 and 4, this past season. At some point injuries were also an issue, but players like Girgs, Larsson (before his injury), Moulson and ennis were under performers in my opinion. Those players spent a lot of time on the 3 and 4 lines. A combination of factors that I'm hoping new coaching, reduced injuries (hopefully) and a youth injection can help remedy.