JohnC

I don't know if you made your comment in jest or not. But what I can say is that if the silent and obtuse owner would have selected Karmanos to be the GM instead of making the weird hiring of the ill-equipped person he did hire, it would have made more sense. It's obvious to all that the KA hiring was due to his plan to cut costs by starting over in accordance with the owner's desire to cut expenditures. Five years later, the predictable outcome is realized with this farcical franchise anchored to the bottom of the heap. It's an embarrassing and a disgrace. The best thing that the owner can do to revitalize this moribund franchise is to sell. I've had enough of this billionaire fool!

Sometimes the explanation is not complicated: an excessive supply of hubris distorts one's judgment.

Terry Pegula is a self-made billionaire in a high stakes energy business. He should be given credit for his business accomplishments. This is the American dream of starting off with nothing and ending up rich beyond anyone's imagination. I'm confident that in the business world where he accrued his wealth that he was smart enough to surround himself with talented people. On the other hand, it seems that he has preferred playing with his toy franchise rather than approaching it in a serious manner as he did in the energy business. As @mjd1001 has keenly noted, it's obvious that the owner is a stubborn person who wants to do things his way. Yet there comes a point that is obvious to all that the course one is taking is not only not working but is disastrous. It just seems that the more the situation deteriorates the more he seems to double-down. Not only is it a wrong way to handle a problem but it is a self-destructive way to deal with it. Just plain stupid and infuriating.

It's fair to debate whether the tank was the right approach to take to rebuild the team. Even if it was the right thing to do, there is no excuse that after five years under KA the record and the team' standing should be where it is now. We did get elite players such as Eichel and Reinhard from the draft because of the tank. But to what end? Both players wanted out and both got out. What happens when Dahlin gets so frustrated being stuck in this farcical franchise that he makes it known that he wants out of this cartoonishly dumb situation? The stubborn owner has demonstrated that he is so clever that he ended up outsmarting himself and destroying a franchise and fanbase. I'm just so tired of him and his invisible act. He's perplexing and shameless.

What I don't understand is that it is obvious to all that if he invested in the right staff and player payroll, he would generate a lot more revenue. The return on the $$$$ would be more than the increased expenditures. Just look at the Buffalo Bandits where the house is consistently filled and the generated revenue is a lot compared to the expenditure. I recognize that there is a big difference between the hockey and lacrosse costs but the principle is still the same. The owner's apparent apathy makes no sense to me. What's the point of owning a hockey franchise when you have allowed your franchise to become a laughed at and scorned franchise. It's gotten to the pathetic point where not only do players not want to come here but players already here desperately want out. Where is the freaking pride?

You are directing your ire at the wrong person. Who is the fool that would hire someone so ill-equipped to do the most important job in a flailing organization? The silent owner hired someone that no other owner, good or bad, would have even considered for the job. This hire was both odd and irrational. It made no sense then and the outcome should not be a surprise.

Having a player like Greenway doesn't move the needle much. However, adding a couple of veterans like Greenway does make this roster significantly better. Having a fuller roster is better than having a roster with multiple holes.

Excellent post regarding the chaotic period before the supposedly rebuild. Let's not forget that the owner and his personally selected sycophantic GM mapped out this new re-set more for financial considerations than for hockey considerations. Jack saw what was happening and started to howl about not wanting to go through another rebuild that started when he was first drafted. And let's not forget that it was the GM's decision not to give one of our best players a long-term extension when he was willing to sign one. So he took a bridge deal and then bided his shorter period of time to get the heck out of this hellhole franchise. He's not the only one who was aware of the future turbulence that was facing this shambolic franchise, so did ROR, Montour, Ullmark etc. One doesn't have to be a franchise insider to recognize how inept and erratic this franchise is. Let's compare our franchise with the Washington Capitals. Last year, the Washington Capitals squeaked in ahead of us to make the playoffs. And this year, they are at the top of the standings and are legitimate Cup contenders while the Sabres have become a moribund franchise. We are now an irrelevant and invisible franchise in the NHL. How did this happen? For the past few years, the Capitals have been smartly managed and have been going through the steady process of reconstructing and rebuilding their former Cup roster. Compare that to the Sabre franchise that has throughout the disastrous rebuild has made bad decisions after bad decisions. Let's not forget that where we are now is due to a self-created plan that was poorly executed and has blown up in the franchise's face. I just wish that our silent, stubborn and obtuse owner would sell the franchise and take his abundant profit and sail off on his aircraft carrier sized yacht. I'm tired of him! What happens when Dahlin realizes that his career is passing him by being stuck in this shambolic franchise? This situation is outrageous and stupid!

What do you want him to say? He has repeatedly said that as far as trades what he is looking for is to get back players that can help now. He's not looking for future assets for dealt players. I just don't see him making any major moves. Will there be any deals? Maybe, but if that happens, I don't see it having much immediate impact for the team. If there is a trade, I would put my money that it will involve Joki for a more defensive/defenseman. My ideal situation is for this current GM be replaced at the end of the season and a more equipped person to evaluate this current roster resulting in some modifications to this current imbalanced roster.

What you describe is the psychology of systemic losing: After going through the experience of losing on a regular basis, then expecting to lose becomes part of your belief system. Fans and even the players succumb to that line of thinking. The more problematic issue is nearing where the problem is not attracting players to come to this garbage heap of a franchise but how many of your own players will want to get away from the stench that surrounds them. It's a sad situation. What's needed is fresh eyes and thinking brought into the franchise to replace the inept leadership of the hockey operation. As critical as I am of this franchise and how it is run, I strongly believe that with the right person at the helm who is capable of making a few judicious moves, this team could be on a much better course. When your owner is seemly apathetic it is difficult to make the required change to the hockey staff. If the top of the pyramid is inert, the situation is hopeless. The malaise will continue. It's so sad.

Just because you have players on the ice who are adept at going into the corners doesn't mean that they will automatically use bad judgment when deciding to go after the puck or not. To state the obvious, getting the puck in OT when there is so much open ice is critical to success. There are a lot of things to be critical about regarding the players and in-game decisions. At least for me, this is not one of them for this irrelevant franchise in this meaningless game in another wasted season by an obtuse owner and staff. After five years of going through an excruciating rebuild we have worked our way down to near the bottom. If the owner is not ashamed of what he has wrought, then he is shameless. It's embarrassing!

I respectfully but strenuously disagree that you should play a more conservative rather than aggressive man to man in OT. If you consider that this team is bottom feeding, then what do you have to lose in being aggressive in going for the win. If you lose because of your aggressiveness, then so what? In a lost season where losing is inconsequential (as are the wins in this lowly status) just roll the dice and go for it.

Thanks for the response. It's not really a surprise. However, that's upsetting and sad. The owner should be ashamed of himself for how much this franchise has sunk during his ownership.

If you can't make some games do you have difficulty getting rid of your tickets for a reasonable price?

The fans are also getting burned out to the point of apathy. The interest for many local hockey fans has already been extinguished. It's sad and pathetic!

You can also add to the impressive offensive portrait of Tuch that he is one of our best penalty killers. My fear is not that he will be traded but rather does he want to remain with this substandard organization.

Tuck is a second line talent. If he is playing on the third line for a team that's a good indication that the team is either loaded with talent or that its roster building strategy is to spread the talent around instead of focusing it on the top two lines. If the Sabres trade Tuch it would be another franchise crushing mistake that has kept this rickety franchise stuck in its own muck of mediocrity.

There is no need to blow it up and go further backwards. The owner needs to fire the GM or give him another task (facilities manager?) and empower a competent person to take over the position. He gambled on an unqualified person due to financial considerations more than hockey considerations. It ended up blowing up in his face. If he allows a qualified person to do the job without interference, this franchise would be in such a better place. As it stands, this team has talent on the roster and within the system. What's missing is how to manage one's assets and how to address one's liabilities. A capable person who is allowed to do the challenging GM job can quickly steer this franchise back on course.

In all probability, KA is going to make some moves just to show that he is doing something. However, I don't want him making any major trades that in all likelihood would set this franchise back even further. The owner made a ridiculous decision to hire this ill-equipped individual to be his GM. The silent owner has kept him on the job for five years. His inglorious record is beyond being abysmal. Enough is enough.

If a new owner took over the franchise and hired the right person to oversee it, there wouldn't be a need to completely start over as if it were an expansion team. The right person in place should be able to make enough right moves to reshape this roster with the assets he already has in place. I don't know what our current silent is thinking. What I can say is that I'm tired of him and his foolishness.

I have a different view. It makes a lot of sense to make a blanket statement that I don't want this incompetent GM (selected by the owner) to make any moves, especially significant moves. When one has been on the job for five years and has demonstrated one's incapacity to improve and construct a logical roster that is competitive, then it makes sense to let the season run out as is and allow someone who is capable enough to assess one's roster and be intelligently involved in the hockey marketplace. If I were supposed to have surgery and learned that the doctor who was scheduled to perform it was incompetent, you bet that I would postpone the surgery and further explore better options to perform it.

If Alex Tuch doesn't want to squander his career, he should take the take the Reinhart, Ullmark, Montour etc. road and not sign an extension. In that way he will put himself in a position to scan the market and sign with a normally run and less shambolic franchise. This hollow organization better get serious about its competitiveness because there will come a point where Dahlin will follow the Eichel model and let this lame organization publicly know that he wants out of this imprisoning franchise. Our silent owner has destroyed this franchise and eroded the already fading fanbase. It's both sad and maddening.

The Krueger hire was a reasonable hire or at least it was a conventional hire. He coached Edmonton and had experience with international teams. His best attribute was that he was a good communicator who could impress those listening to him. I think his art of persuasion influenced Pegula when he interviewed him. It didn't work out for him here presiding over a lot of young players. He emphasized rigid structure which inhibited the play and development of the young players. (How Dahlin was handled is an example of that.) It didn't work out here, so he was fired. That happens. However, the KA hire was really an odd hire. His appeal to the owner related to cutting costs and starting over with less costly young players. His hire is an owner boondoggle that set back this franchise. I want to make it clear that I don't consider KA to be a disaster as a GM as much as he is a mediocre GM who is less accomplished than the GMs he is competing against. As others have said, he made some solid moves over the past offseason. However, not enough of them to keep up with the competitors. It was a lost opportunity.

It's not the quantity of unorthodox hires that has plagued this franchise as it is that the most important hire in a hockey operation was an odd pick. That selection reverberates throughout the organization. When your top man is below the norm for the position---you can't escape from it. In pro sports, whether it is football, basketball or hockey, if you flub the GM selection you are handicapping your franchise. And that's what happened with the Sabres. I'm not suggesting that KA is a disaster because he has done some good things. However, what I'm comfortable in saying is that compared to the other GMs in the league, he is substandard.

The least important issue for this team to upgrade itself in the near future is its position on the draft board. There are moves to be had this offseason associated with trades and free agent pickups (medium type players) that this team can make to improve this roster. With KA as the GM making the decisions on this roster and league talent is that likely? I'm not ruling it out but to put it kindly, I'm not flushed with optimism. I strongly believe that as this roster is currently constituted this team will continue to lag. However, with a few smart moves this this roster can be better balanced and stronger. The GM placed a major bet on the youngsters hoping that they will continue to make strides. Some of them have while others have regressed. Hopefully, as a group there will be more development. The team play has gotten better, and the recent record has reflected it. We'll see---I'm just not sure.