JohnC

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.

In the games where the Sabres blew what should have been comfortable leads it became evident to bystanders (like me) that there was a "loser psychology" of lost confidence when the opposition started making an end of game push. In a long season, that type of deflation when dealing with an onslaught sometimes happens. With this team it is altogether different. It happens too often at critical junctures to not see. The two Colorado games (especially the home game) were the worst examples of a team losing its composure. There is a fragility to this team that can't be unnoticed. There needs to be a better mix/makeup that includes more seasoned and hardened veterans. I'm not going to be dismissive with any win that the Sabres garner, especially against one of the better and tougher teams in the NHL. But the mental fragility is too evident not to ignore. It's an issue that needs to be addressed. I'm not confident that as the current room is constituted the solution lies within the room.

It may be snarky but it's true that there were no Buffalo shots on goal in the third period. That's a stunning statistic.

Some quick thoughts on this game. UPL gets the first star. And McCleod gets the second star. Territorially, Carolina dominated the game, especially in the third period. We weren't the better team but I thought the effort was there up to the third period when we seemed to just desperately hang on. I don't know what the stats were but we were not very good on the draws. What's worrisome is the negative psychology of this team when it is stressed. Especially in the third period, with only one shot on net, the players were simply hanging on and playing not to lose. We won against a good team. I'll take it.

The Sabres traded Eichel. The team got worse and Vegas got better. The Knights ended up winning the Cup with him being an instrumental player. The Sabres traded Reinhart. The Sabres got worse and Florida got better. The Panthers ended up winning the Cup with him being an instrumental player. Both players could have been retained. Jack wanted out and wanted a procedure done that the organization would not approve. The procedure worked out well and the organization dealt a top tier player who was contractually locked up. There was no need to trade him. The Sabres had an opportunity to sign Reinhart to a long term deal. They didn't. So thereafter he became an UFA player who was not going to sign with Sabres. It has been our own organizational mistakes that has crippled this franchise. When you repeatedly shoot yourself in your feet, don't expect to keep up in the race. Why did you make that snarky comment?

The notion of getting a generational player like McDavid for Power is a farfetched pipe dream. It's not going to happen. Let's stay grounded to reality. This franchise has cap room and it has a bevy of prospects that can be used for quality veteran pieces that will help this team right away. The Sabres and the Capitals were in the same echelon from a team/talent standpoint. They scooted ahead of us because they made a number of smart (not big deals) that made their team better. Check where they are in the standings and compare it to where we are stuck! Being smart is preferable to being dumb.

I'm fine with trading Byram. However, I'm adamantly opposed to trading Power. I believe that in another couple of years he is going to be an upper tier defenseman in the league. The Sabres traded upper tier players such as Eichel and Reinhart. How did those deals work out? We are still reeling from those dumb deals. What ails this submerged team is the composition of the roster. It lacks coherency and balance. We don't need to shed our most promising players who have even more potential to tap into. If the Sabres would have done what the Capitals did over the past two years i.e. adding good players to better complete the roster, they would be in a much better place. Blockbuster deals constructed by our inept GM is a recipe for disaster.

You don't have to be inside the organization to recognize gross incompetence. A generation of failure is more than enough sample size to make a judgment on this clownish bunch.

I am adamantly opposed to trading Power. If you want to continue seeing former Sabres thrive on other teams, then continue with the foolishness that has been characteristic of the Pegula era. When the calculations are tabulated, how did the Eichel and Reinhart deal work out? The last thing I want is to allow our current sycophantic GM to make major deals. It's a recipe for additional disastrous transactions that send our backward franchise further back.

My worry is that Dahlin gets so frustrated with the dismal situation he is in with this amateurishly run franchise that he demands to be traded, as like our other best players did. Being one of the better players in the league and never having the opportunity to participate in the playoffs certainly has to get him thinking about "what if" I was with a serious organization.

It's so great to have a team that's entertaining and also a serious franchise that is a legitimate contender for the SB. Baltimore is a superb team that whipped us in a regular season game. Whether the Bills win or lose I am so proud of this team. Your post is a heartwarming illustration that whether the Bills win or lose it will create a wonderful family memory. I just get so angry at how this inscrutable owner has damaged his other franchise to the point of irrelevancy and pervasive fan apathy. It's so sad and stupid. Let's go Bills!

Karmanos is part of the Sabre staff. But that doesn't mean that if he replaced KA he would continue to maintain the status quo. That would be a foolish response by him. Anyone who replaces KA would be well aware that a change in course would be expected and needed. The critical issue right now isn't who will replace KA as it is will the tinkering owner allow the hockey staff (however it is rearranged) to do their jobs without his blundering interference. The truth of the matter is just as our current GM is ill-equipped for the job, so is Terry Pegula ill equipped to be a successful owner. His lack of awareness of his limited talents as an NHL owner has shackled this fading franchise.

The conundrum is that the owner got the kind of GM he wanted: a sycophant who was going to "yes sir" him and his whims. And let's not forget that the organizational re-structure was shaped the way the owner wanted. Until the owner comes to the realization that he needs to put his franchise in the hands of people who know what they are doing, this franchise will continue to flounder. The model for this sphynx owner to follow is the Buffalo Bills. But so far that reconfiguration has not happened with his hockey franchise because he prefers to play his toy.