JohnC

Comparatively, on this roster he is an experienced player who also has playoff experience. The key issue is how you play more than how long you have played.

Having McCleod as a third or fourth line center is fine with me. I don't know why you are so negative toward having McLeod being a third or fourth line center for us? He's gives you a veteran presence, provides speed and is a good character guy to have mingling with the youngsters. And there is a good possibility that if you provide McCleod with more productive wingers his production will also go up.

How about having Cozens playing on a wing with Kulich centering for him? I would still like a second line winger added to the mix. That is doable.

When we do get a full house it is usually due to the fact that the opponent's fan base has taken over the arena. The sphynx owner should be asked about the embarrassing oddity of having more fans rooting for the opposition than the home team. It would be pointless to ask that question because he doesn't speak. He's too busy tinkering with his broken toy. What a freaking pathetic situation!

What's happened is that this is a stagnant franchise that has been crippled by its owner's incompetence, stubbornness and hubris. The criticisms that have been made about players and staff are the same criticisms that have been repeated for years. What more can be said that hasn't been said over and over? In that toxic environment the negativity inevitably gets directed toward one another. Compare that to the discussion about the Bills? There are multifaceted discussions about the games, players, coaching decisions, opposition, standings etc. That has faded away with this failed hockey franchise. So what happens is that there is a greater tendency to direct one's ire toward one another rather than discuss the topics that are normally involved with any particular sports franchises. The Sabres are not a serious franchise---it's a laughed at franchise. The Sabres are not a model to follow but a model what not to do. It's so sad what has happened to this proud franchise and fanbase. The owner should be ashamed of himself.

Another ace qb in the AFC is Burrows. I consider Mahomes to be the best of that exceptional group. The Bills were fortunate to select Allen from that draft class. Not only is he a great player but perfectly suited to represent the team and place.

As someone who is not part of this duel I can honestly say that his takes don't have an overtone of negativity. Are many of his takes critical of the hockey operation? Yes, just as it is mostly for everyone who follows this franchise. Let's not forget that this organization has been a resounding failure for a generation. What do you expect, a cascade of hosannas? I don't always agree with his takes and vice versa. But, I'm comfortable in saying that his takes are usually thoughtful and without any personal malice.

He goes to Montreal to give the Sabre players a pep talk. The result is that the Sabres responded by being overwhelmed by the inspired Canadians. It must have been a great pep talk where it deflated the team he stood in front of and inspired the opposition. Thereafter, Montreal went on a successful run. Doesn't this nonspeaking owner have any freaking pride? His own players (employees) are ignoring/mocking him. This owner has no shame. He would rather tinker with his broken toy than allow someone else to fix it. It's stupid and outrageous!

You don't have to go into detail with what's wrong with this laughable franchise because it is obvious what the source of the problem is. Let's look at a comparable situation where an owner has shackled a franchise and killed its own fanbase. It was sleazy Dan Snyder who owned the Washington Commanders and used it as his play toy. The league got tired of his boorish antics and his financial manipulations that screwed the other owners over visiting revenues. In the same year that he was dispatched after being forced to sell the franchise, in which he made an exorbitant profit, there was an immediate turnaround for this formerly moribund franchise. The Sabres are in the same straitjacket situation of hopelessness because we have an owner who prefers having his toy franchise to play with rather than having a serious franchise run by serious people without his interference. There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed before this fading franchise becomes relevant again. It starts at the top! Sally Jenkins poignantly described the Washington Commanders situation under sleazy Daniel Snyders as "rich man's conceit". That same description aptly applies to the sphynx Sabre owner. It appears that our owner is too shameless to be ashamed to what he has done to this once proud franchise and fanbase. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/01/14/commanders-playoffs-dan-snyder-josh-harris/

The Washington Capitals and the Buffalo Sabres were in the same talent strata. Washington squeaked into the playoffs last year. In comparison, over the past couple of years Washington has made a number of medium type deals that refreshed the roster by adding more talent to create a thicker roster. As others have stated, KA did make some reasonable deals to improve the roster. But he didn't do enough, especially when considering that he had more assets to work with than Washington had. Even if one makes the argument that KA did improve the roster, it still is inadequate when you are competing with other teams that are improving their roster at a greater clip. Annual futility has become the norm for this flailing franchise.

When checking to see where the Sabres are in the standings, start at the bottom. Our earnest GM may be mediocre at his job but at least his performance has been reliably consistent.

The issue with McCleod is more about what his contract will be than about him as a player. I wouldn't want to sign him for 5-6 year term, at whatever price, but would be interested in him with a 3-4 year term. It seems to me that @LGR4GM is on the right track with a 3-4 yr term at $4.5 M. I see him as a 3C. If you want to get more production out of him then bring in another player or two who will upgrade the lower line he would be on.

His appearances on the Tonight Show were a riot.

Even if the intended strategy is to be more aggressive when the other team is in your zone, it is an absurdity to not have a shot on goal in a period. By having a reasonable time of possession in the opposition's (even if it is less that the other team's time of possession) you are cutting the time and place for the other team to make a push. The Sabres were on their heels for a full period. That's not acceptable. As I said in a prior post, I'm not going to be dismissive of any win, especially against a better team. But the Carolina possession domination in the third period was ridiculous.

The end of the game "shortening the bench" strategy is a standard strategy that all teams deploy, including the Sabres. There's no question that Carolina's top talent is better than our top talent, just as it is with Colorado. However, the Sabres were overwhelmingly dominated in the third period as with the Colorado game. I'm sure you see it differently, but for me those end of game dominations indicate a lack of mental toughness to handle the predictable opposition push. I see a team fragility that has repeatedly exhibited itself this season. It's a problem that needs to be addressed this offseason. I see it as a roster composition problem that goes beyond an individual talent issue.