Cascade Youth

The only issue I have with this trade - and it's not a huge one - is that it would seem to lock in Housley for 2019-2020, because if you fire Housley this offseason you're burdening the incoming HC with a blue line that is not necessarily suited to his system, and less draft picks to acquire players for the new system etc.

I actually think they should just reduce his minutes. He seems to be overused. I definitely wouldn’t trade him unless they’re blown away by an offer - but I suspect that trading him would result, in the short-term, in a further defensive collapse of epic proportions.

Some interesting takes here - you've got me thinking.

This entire season has been a punch in the jaw.

I would kill to be able to listen to RJ pronounce Huberdeu on a nightly basis.

This team is garbage.

He can’t finish.

Eichel has been terrible today. Just awful.

To be clear, I'm not claiming that the Leafs rebuilt quickly - although they rebuilt more effectively than the Sabres have IMO, and did so during the time that the Pegulas' teams have tanked/bottomed out TWICE. There are many other teams however, in both sports, that have rebuilt quickly during the Pegulas' tenure. I could start listing them but I have to go back to work - will try to come back to this later.

I don’t really see how that question goes to the point I’m making. The Leafs almost surely will push into the playoffs this season. There have been multiple teams in both sports that have quickly rebuilt themselves during and much faster than the Bills and Sabres, respectively.

BOTH of the Pegulas' franchises are kind of a mess right now, and for similar reasons: namely, they continue to entrust his scouting and managing operations to new GMs and coaches, without bringing in outside help. Not that a "Czar" is guaranteed to fix the problem, but you'd think that new owners with zero experience in professional sports might want to pay experienced advisors to help reduce the steep learning curve. But no, they continue to believe they can do it alone, and continue to entrust green general managers to carry out full rebuilds down to the studs. Both the Bills and Sabres seem headed toward 3-10 year "rebuilds" ("We're finally doing things the right way, for the long term!") while other franchises completely flame out and rebuild themselves over and over again in the interim, i.e. the Leafs. It's just not nearly as hard to succeed in either sport as the Pegulas are making it look.

Maybe showcasing Okposo - hoping to get him a few rebound goals off of Eichel's offense. Would still need to retain some salary if he gets dealt.

Raw data

It's a combination of system and talent. They lack the talent to run Phil's system - they simply cannot abandon their defensive zone responsibilities like they've been doing. They're also mentally and physically SOFT.

Great so by this time next year we’ll be reading about how much happier Hutton is since quitting bath salts and changing uniforms...

They just don’t hate losing.

Terry should fire himself - he’s the problem. His teams are a disgrace.

There is something seriously wrong with this team.

I don't see how you can argue that Botterill was lucky/"fortunate" re: Skinner but deserves full blame for things like ROR/Berglund losing their love for the sport. Maybe Botterill was just "unfortunate" that those events occurred? Just seems disingenuous to me to take a move that worked out well for Botts and call it "luck" - it exposes your entire position to a claim of bias.

Much has been made about secondary scoring and it's an issue, for sure. The power play is completely ineffective as well. The Sabres also haven't been getting the lucky bounces they were getting early in the season. But from my (admittedly amateur) vantage point, the issue is clearly the defensemen. 2-5 times per game, at least, they make GLARING, BASIC, PEE WEE-LEVEL mistakes. Muffin passes in front of their own net (Pilut last night, Scandella against Edmonton). They are passive. They lose focus. They sit and watch the play happen as if they're spectators. They fail to pinch. Risto looks like he's suffering from overuse; Dahlin is still learning the game; the rest of these guys are just not very good. I'm wondering whether the increased offensive responsibilities Housley's system puts on them is just too much for these guys - they aren't able to contribute offensively while also keeping track of basic defensive assignments like staying with their man (Scandella is the biggest offender - he needs to sit in the press box ASAP). I'm starting to wonder whether the blueline isn't a bigger need than another forward who can score. I think it might be. The Sabres' leaky defense lost them the game last night. Just my two cents - don't worry, I don't plan to start threads too often.

Maybe he resents the way RG makes his name sound “clownish.”

I am sooooo tired of the well-meaning, negligent irrelevance of the Pegula organizations.

If Housley can’t get the defense to focus for 60 minutes than why is he here? That’s supposed to be his STRENGTH.

Rolston Nolan Blysma Housley Maybe it’s time for a skilled, experienced coach?

I love Risto - but he’s kind of a bonehead.