JohnC

I would rather KA sit on his hands right now than have him make a boondoggle deal that sets this franchise back. However, this offseason (assuming he still is the GM) he needs to make some roster moves to improve this roster.

I'm realistic to recognize that it's unlikely (duh) that the Sabres will make the playoffs. But this team (I believe) is talented enough to make a futile run and get into the playoff race. It's also important that this team seriously compete to demonstrate to themselves and other players in the league that this isn't a lost cause franchise that players will prefer to avoid. Systemic losing is corrosive to players who by nature are competitive. We have gotten to the point where not only outside players don't want to come here but also our best players already here want out of this cesspool situation. (Eichel, Reinhart, Ullmark etc.) The difference between being a competitive team and a team that goes by the wayside is not always large. I believe that is the case with this team/roster. As I have stated ad nauseum here, to the annoyance of many who hate repetition, that if our GM would have been more intelligent in assessing his roster and addressing its deficiencies and imbalances this past offseason, we would now be in a much better situation this season. So what do we end up? Another freaking throw away season! It didn't need to be this way! Our silent owner made an outlandish hire for the GM position so that he would have an unfettered ability to tinker with his toy franchise. We are where we are because of him. Ownership matters!

Not having enough veterans to complement the young core is my point that goes beyond one particular player. Injuries are inevitable. No team can avoid dealing with that issue because it affects every team in this crash sport. Our roster needed to be thickened and better balanced. It wasn't and isn't. That's a GM responsibility. When the owner hired an unqualified GM he ended up getting the work product of an unqualified GM. I blame the silent and inscrutable owner for this self-sabotaging hiring mistake.

I doubt that would be the case. And it should be noted that I am a Greenway fan. If we had another Zucker and Greenway type players on this roster, then I would agree with your "winning record" comment.

You made an observation that really stuck out to me. If the Sabres would have the right mix between veteran and young players as the Amerks do, the Sabres would be in a much better position. It's more important to have the right mix of players than simply having a collection of players that don't balance out well. That basic responsibility falls to the GM.

The Sabres didn't need to pursue costly free agents to be a winner. What they needed to do is bring in another Zucker or two like players to strengthen the forward lines and provide more support for the young core that was already here. And if our clueless GM would have added another experienced blueline defensive oriented player or two that unit would be more balanced and effective. The Sabres were in the same strata as Ottawa, Columbus, Detroit, NYI and Montreal. Most of them are around at least 10 pts higher in the standings than where we are. The attainable additions could have been made this offseason. Our Howdy Doody GM misjudged our roster and failed to provide the right support players to make this team better. This has been a self-sabotaging season when it didn't need to be this way. You don't have to point out the failings of other organizations when you have a generational failure right in front of you.

Some quick thoughts on this game: Game was somewhat choppy and didn't have much of a flow. I attribute that to both teams played tight when the other team had the puck. Not much open space for either team to maneuver. Although Kulich scored two goals I would give my first star to Zucker. He's a bulldog. Another Zucker like player added to this roster would be very beneficial. Kulich would get my second star. He's a sniper. Right now he has moved ahead of JJP and Quinn as developing players. Dahlin played really well. The play of the game for me was Tuch's pass to Zucker who deflected the puck into the net. I thought our team defense that included our forwards was very good. UPL played solidly. He was screened on the goals he let in. He made a game saving stop on a play when he was sprawled on the ice and stopped the puck with his foot while sprawled on the ice. It seems to me that the players are not as confused and scrambling with their defensive assignments in their zone. Our face off performance was lacking. ROR is superb at taking the draws. This game was not very aesthetically pleasing and didn't have much flow to it but I'll gladly take it. The effort was there throughout. A good home win on a special night for Razor. KA's heart is not as self-aware as you think.

This is Rob Ray's day. If the owner is booed because of his presence, it will become the storyline for the event. Going beyond Rob Ray as a hockey player and his post career involvement with the team, he has also been every involved in community activities that help people who need it. There is plenty of time to criticize the owner and the organization. There is a time and place. Expressing one's venom toward the incompetent owner at that particular event is not the right time to do so. And it should be noted that I am one of the harshest critics of the owner and his personally selected ill-equipped GM.

If the owner is involved in the induction I hope the fans don't boo. Not because the owner doesn't deserve to be booed but because it would be unfair to Razor on his special day.

He's a soldi defenseman who was replaced by a first pairing defenseman. I would make that exchange any time. It's not as much of a major challenge to procure a solid defenseman to replace the departed player. It is a big task to acquire a first pairing defenseman.

Last year, Washington made a deal with Ottawa to acquire Chychrun for a third round pick in 2026 and Jensen, a middling defenseman. They then were able to sign him to an extension. The end result is they got a first pairing defenseman for basically nothing. No high-end prospects, good NHL players or high draft picks were required to consummate this deal. The Washington Caps and Buffalo were in the same strata not that long ago. Their front office made a number of smart deals that upgraded the roster. Compare that to how our howdy doody GM has managed the hockey operation?

@dudacek made the same point about Elias P that you just smartly made. Is his style of play suitable for how to remake this roster? It's constantly repeated that we need to play a tougher brand of hockey. He doesn't fit that profile. On top of that you will have to ship out players such as Power, maybe Tage plus additional assets. In essence we will be going through that never-ending cycle of depleting your roster to again go back to refilling it. On top of that his bonanza contract will result in us having less options of bringing in other players. And what is even more concerning to me is that his production is down and there may be some lingering knee issues that are plaguing him. The course of action I would rather see is to go out and add a couple of Zucker and Greenway players. Rugged players who bring experience to the young room. By doing that you will still have enough resources to add a veteran or two blueliner. That is very doable for even our piddling GM. Too many people are looking for the homeroom deal that will magically lift this stuck franchise. That's not going to work. The better approach is to add multiple players to make this roster thicker and better-balanced.

I don't want to be misunderstood: Terry Pegula from a character standpoint is an upstanding person. He's the opposite of the sleazy Danny Snyder who also presided over a failed franchise. Where there are similarities between the two billionaires is that both were very much involved in the operations and also structured the organization and staffed it with sycophants who would tolerate their self-sabotaging involvement. Again, these two fellows from a character standpoint are the opposite from each other. I want to make that clear. Danny Snyder is a disgusting human being. The pornographic culture he promoted in the organization and the crude and abusive manner women were treated are a testament to how much of a low-life he was. He's a rich fellow but also a disgusting human being.

In one year, the new regime got rid of most of the previous regime's draft picks because they didn't fit in with the concept of how they wanted to reconstruct the team. Another thing they did that could apply to the Sabres is that they brought in 4-6 high character veterans who although were on their downside were still able to contribute and influence a dramatic change to the culture in the locker room. They were the models for being a pro that the younger players learned from. This was quite a change in a very short time. I'm not a Pegula fan. I'm tired with how he has structured this organization in a manner that has kept him in the forefront of all hockey decisions. My hope is that after a near generation of failure he might come to his senses and recognize that he has to do things differently, i.e. hiring the right staff, most notably the GM position, and allow them to do their jobs. The irony is that's exactly what he has done with the Bills. And the outcome is dramatically different from his mocked hockey franchise. Doesn't this self-made billionaire have any freaking pride?

There is no question that drafting the special qb has made a huge difference. But since jettisoning the former sleazy owner there has been a complete makeover of the organization and staffing. I believe that even with the addition of the scintillating rookie qb that franchise would still be struggling because the owner wanted to stay involved with the football operation. The obvious point is that ownership matters!

So what are you arguing for? Giving up and not playing to win. I recognize that this is a lost season from a playoff standpoint but I'm not buying players should dispiritedly play out the string. How about showing some pride and character. Absolutely not for me!

Strenuous no. Just because there is a substantial allocation to the blueline that doesn't mean that there isn't value to it. Teams are constructed in a variety of ways. By adding some experienced and more rugged defensive/defensemen this unit will be better balanced. I don't see the problem with having all three defensemen being on either the #1 or #2 PP units. Sorry, what you are selling is what I am not buying.

Excellent post in which I agree with most of it. However, I strongly believe that keeping both Power and Byram would benefit the team. There is no question that the blueline unit needs to be better balanced. That's why I (and many others) advocate for adding experienced defensive/defensemen to the unit. On the issue of Power, I strenuously disagree with him. He believes that he is not playing up to his contract. He's looking at that issue from an annual standpoint where I look at it from a longer and broader perspective where in another year or two he will be playing beyond his contract numbers.

Dan Snyder, the former owner of the Washington Commanders, was responsible for his franchise's demise just as Terry Pegula is responsible for this franchise's demise. Both owners preferred playing with their toys rather than seriously creating a professional operation to run their franchise. Once Washington was able to shed its sleazy owner the franchise was quickly resurrected. I don't expect Terry P to sell but my hope is that he comes to the realization that when it comes to hockey that he is blatantly inept. It starts at the top!

You and I are riding different buses that are going in the opposite direction. You have allowed your general frustration (that I also have) to jaundice your views on some player you have singled out. Acting out of frustration will not only not get this franchise moving forward but it will sink it further. What you don't appear to recognize that when a player plays in a dysfunctional franchise it creates an environment where it is more challenging to play. That is why so many of our players thrive when they relocate to more normally functioning franchises.

I share your exasperation with how this season has unfolded. But I strongly believe that the priority for this team/franchise for the rest of the season is to play as well as possible and finish with a respectable record, even acknowledging that there is little chance that it will make the playoffs. It's important that this team doesn't succumb to the perennial malaise of being couch participants when the playoffs start. It's important to the players on the roster that they are capable of winning and being a relevant team. And it's important to demonstrate to other players in the league that the Sabres are not a lost cause franchise that most players want to avoid. From a playoff standpoint, this season is a lost cause. I put the blame on the silent and apparently apathetic owner and sycophantic GM. But it's important to the withering fan base that although it is in the future that there is some hope for better days. The fans deserve that minimal level of respectability.

Moving Power would be a mistake that would follow/plague this franchise for a long time. I simply don't understand your zealous animus toward him. I seem him as being one of our anchor players for a very long time. He's playing well as a young second-pairing defenseman who still has a lot of potential to draw from. The current GM has made a lot of mistakes, however, I don't see him being receptive to your jaundiced view of him. And that would be the right position to take. I would also add that I do like how Byram has been playing. Keeping him should be a priority for the congenial GM. It also should be a priority to add at least one or maybe two veteran defensive blueliners to better balance out the unit.

Some quick thoughts about this game: The Sabres were simply faster and quicker than Boston. Our team defense, including the forwards, were on top of the Boston players throughout the game. First star goes to Thompson. Second star to UPL, who made the play of the game when in the third period he made a nice catch on a two on nothing rush. The tick tack toe pass to Thompson for his score was the second best play of the game. Peterka gets my third star. He made some nice shots. All of our blueline players played well. I thought for the most part we quickly got the puck out of our zone. The Bruins are 13 points ahead of us in the standings. Yet, in this game we were the far superior team in all aspects of the game, especially team speed. I thought this was one of our best games of the season. After watching this game it's upsetting how this season unfolded for us.

KA has been a GM for five years. He is what he is: mediocre at best. I'm being kind and generous in my judgment.

I don't want to belabor my borderline scorn for this earnest GM. However, if KA would have added another Zucker and Greenway type players this past offseason, in addition to adding another veteran defensive/defenseman to the blueline, this roster would be so much better balanced. Why I seem so frustrated with him is that making those type of medium type (not blockbuster) additional moves was very doable. Also, I strongly believe that our younger players would have benefited with having those added experienced players to the room. This season is another wasted season because of the GM's miscalculation of the roster he had on hand.