JohnC

I understand what you are saying but I believe that there has been a shift to emphasizing winning over player development. For the most part, the organization is staying within the system for player staffing. But as was exhibited in the last number of games the playing time for players such as JJ, Lyubushkin and others were severely reduced in the playoff push. This team is at a more advanced stage compared to the past couple of years. There will certainly still be player development for the younger players but the emphasis will be on winning.

You are not listening to my responses! What I'm not saying is revisionist at all. I agree that his stance has been iron-clad consistent. That's my criticism of it. It doesn't acknowledge the positive changes that have occurred under KA. What he has done is place the failures of this GM's predecessors onto him. Of course, we are all disappointed that the Sabres barely missed out on the playoffs last season. But that doesn't mean the season was an abject failure. The team earned 16 more points from the prior season, and accomplished that with a youthful roster. You don't have to wear rosy colored classes to consider that a major step forward. There is no question that more has to be done to get to a more meaningful echelon in the league. But you don't automatically move up the ranks. You do it in steps and stages. And that's exactly what is happening with this franchise. I know where the dour poster is coming from. His position is I will accept good results when they have already happened. It's like going to the track and going to the betting window to place a bet on a horse that just won. And then make the claim that I astutely predicted the winner. That's not how sports and life work.

Of course it remains to be seen. The upcoming season hasn't been played yet. It's like saying water is wet. You are stating the obvious. There are no guarantees how any team is going to perform in any sport. It's the reality of sports and life. You are not going to get a guarantee no matter how strongly you demand it. That has nothing to do with the real world.

We are simply on different planets on this issue. I don't even know why this is an issue especially for an organization that on too many nights has a building that is half empty with the fans not very engaged. The bigger problem isn't having too many out-of-town fans in the seats as it is having too many empty seats. It's ridiculous.

If I recall correctly Kiper had Allen as his top qb prospect.

The discord is that the organization made a calculated decision to play young players rather than bring in veterans who would take playing time away from them. That was an organizational decision. Playing younger players at the expense of playing more experienced players was part of their developmental strategy. That was the right approach at that particular time. Now, the Sabres are in a different situation. The focus is now about winning over player development. The argument that the GM should have brought in some experienced players at the end of the season doesn't resonate with me. For one, being in a playoff race did benefit the young players. And it should be noted that in the last third of the season when the Sabres were making a serious playoff push the team was playing extremely well against quality teams who were also in a playoff race. Why alter the mix when it is working well?

I remember when there was an outside game in Canada against Toronto. Our team was decisively beating Toronto. The Toronto fans were silenced and walked out of the stadium before the game was concluded. As you point out, how the team plays is the most influential reason as to how the fans respond. I would rather have our arena filled to capacity with half or more of the crowd boisterously rooting for Toronto than have a half empty arena filled with Sabre fans who are snoozing throughout most of the game because of the uninspired play on the ice. The customers who buy tickets and root for the team that they want. I would rather have seats filled than not.

It seems as if they are taking over the building when they outplay the Sabres. It arouses their fans in attendance. When the Sabres outplay the Leafs, regardless how many Leaf fans are in the arena, our fans then dominate the subdued opposing fans. The notion that the opposing fans are dominating a building is not as much of an issue of in-game experience as how the home team is playing. There are plenty of games when the Sabres are playing poorly and the fans are either somnolent or exasperated. That's the real source of problems associated with bad in-game experience. It's a function of how the team is playing.

Based on my expectation when KA assumed the GM position he is one year ahead of the rebuild schedule that I thought it would take for this team to get back to being serious competitors. And that's exactly where we are now. That is a major accomplishment considering how this franchise was set back during the ignominious tenure of Krueger.

I'm not being unfair. He acts as if the GM has sat on his hands over the past few years. That's not close to what has actually happened. This team has to a large extent been reconstructed over the past three years. He wants instant magic. It doesn't work that way.

I'm not sure if I understand your point. If you are a Sabre fan you have an opportunity to buy tickets just like out of towners, many who are former residents who will be cheering for the home team. If the opposition makes a comeback, then so be it. That's simply a demonstration of the unpredictability of a sporting evident.

Under Granato, the Sabres have become a fun team to watch. That doesn't mean that a fan can't at times be exasperated when watching them but its indisputable that they are an entertaining team. Thankfully, the Krueger era was a short inglorious era. It nearly strangled my interest in this team and in hockey in general.

When asked to call heads or tails in a coin toss he responds by saying heads and tails. Then he claims he was right.

Why not simplify the ticketing issue instead of complicating by adding layer of exemptions? Sometimes not doing something is better than doing something. As many others have stated, the Toronto issue (if it really is an issue) will mostly be solved by using your resources to build up your own fan base instead of worrying about intruders who are also paying customers. I have no problem when there are a lot of Toronto fans in the house. They bring in a lot of energy and stoke a lot of energy from the home crowd.

You're like a gambler who wants to place a bet after the contest has been played. In that way you can claim that you were right. That's not how it works. You stated that Jersey is way ahead of us in their team rebuild. I strenuously disagree. I believe they are a year or at most two years ahead of us in team development. In many ways their model is the same model we are following i.e. mostly relying on drafting and developing. This is a strong argument to stay the course. And that's exactly what we are doing.

I don't know if anyone else posted this Paul Hamilton WGRZ commentary on the business restructuring. He gave a simple explanation why it was done. He basically stated that by separating the two sports entities it simplified and clarified the finances and accounting of each operation. It pointed out that the impetus for the change was done by the person he brought in to oversee his sprawling enterprises. Terry P has gotten rid of his extraneous businesses associated with hotel and restaurant businesses that weren't profitable. According to Paul Hamilton, the simplifying and streamlining of his businesses had nothing to do with selling either of the franchises. Terry P basically followed the advice of the financial expert he brought in. https://www.wgrz.com/article/sports/nhl/sabres/hamilton-take2-pse-dissolving-terry-pegula-as-sabres-president-doesnt-mean-the-team-is-for-salesports/71-a246e7ce-f908-4596-acb6-c00b705bc0e2

You can't look at any one game or controversial play and conclude that it made a difference in making the playoffs or not. Without a doubt the Sabres were on the receiving end of bad calls. But that is not to say that the Sabres weren't also on the receiving end of bad calls that benefited us and were factors in winning the games. In a long season, it usually balances out. The Sabres barely missed out in making the playoffs. Looking back, as futile as that is, the difference in not qualifying for the playoffs can be attributed to three losing streaks of 8 games or more within the season. If they could have come away with a few more loser points within those streaks we would have made the playoffs. And yes, I agree with you that the Islander game you referred to at the end of the season was gut wrenching. That's the beauty and agony of sports.

There will be a number of intriguing storylines entering this season associated with our young player. Krebs, Levi, Power, JJ, (Quinn before being injured) are going to be fun to follow to see how quickly they elevate their games. Internal improvement more than outside additions will be a more critical factor for team success. The best thing that happened to Krebs is that he was traded to a Granato coached team. The HC moving him to the Okposo/Girgs line was an astute move for his development. Now, I would like to see him centering a line with better finishers.

Even if the players you coveted were available and brought in it wouldn't have guaranteed a playoff spot. What you fail to acknowledge is that in the last quarter of the season the Sabres were playing extremely well with the roster they had . The team fell short. That's the past. Look forward and stop lamenting about it.

I have no problem with people venting. We all do it. However, when that is all that is expressed then it gets tiresome to hear. If someone has a proposal to improve the roster, then present. If not, then what's the point of repeating the same expression of frustration.

The problem is that I don't know what path you have been on or going on. Speaking in generalities without being specific is a path to nowhere. If you got an idea then say what it is. A blank slate is a blank skate. Nothing can be deciphered from it.

What veteran/s that were available did you have in mind?

You ask how I thought you were responding to my post. Because you responded directly to my post. Thanks for the clarification.

I didn't say Kane is over the hill. You are off the mark interpreting what I actually did say. What I said is that Okposo and Girgs are better fits for this team this season. This is very likely Okposo's last season in hockey. Keeping the both of them was the right call for this upcoming year.

If you add Ryan Johnson to the defensive prospect pool with Novikov you can see the unit filling out in the not-too-distant future. I wouldn't be surprised if Ryan Johnson ends up playing in Buffalo sometime this season.