How's the letting Briere/Drury/Campbell plan working out?

[Ramsey05]

Just curious. Oh, yeah, THAT's right. The team's gone from #1 in the East to out of the playoffs. Thumbs up!

<_<

 

Edit:

 

Add a "go" to the title.

[wjag]

Peachy..

 

Bring out your dead.. Bring out your dead. I'm not dead yet.. Yes you are.. No I'm not.. Yes you are... No I'm not...

 

There is a pulse.. And a promise...

 

As it should be, the Sabres will enter or fall out of the playoffs with games remaining (GR) against their divisional opponents. Ottawa 2GR, Toronto 2GR, Boston 2GR, Montreal 2GR. Oh and don't forget the 'Ning 1GR.

[Ramsey05]

Peachy..

 

Bring out your dead.. Bring out your dead. I'm not dead yet.. Yes you are.. No I'm not.. Yes you are... No I'm not...

 

There is a pulse.. And a promise...

 

As it should be, the Sabres will enter or fall out of the playoffs with games remaining (GR) against their divisional opponents. Ottawa 2GR, Toronto 2GR, Boston 2GR, Montreal 1GR.

 

That doesn't inspire confidence in this fan. They've been lousy all year, and even worse since they let Soupy walk. Ottawa will sweep em, as will Boston, probably.

[bob_sauve28]

That doesn't inspire confidence in this fan. They've been lousy all year, and even worse since they let Soupy walk. Ottawa will sweep em, as will Boston, probably.

Harry Neil was on between periods friday talking about his Vancouver team in 1982 and how they were in a similar situation and all the players on the team started playing their best hockey of their careers and it took them to the finals that year. This is the NHL, anything can happen and I want to be there to see it. Go Sabres!!

 

And Ottawa sweeping anyone at this point must be a joke. Sabres are only 8 points behind them now

[deluca67]

Just curious. Oh, yeah, THAT's right. The team's gone from #1 in the East to out of the playoffs. Thumbs up!

<_<

 

Edit:

 

Add a "go" to the title.

Do you have any proof that even with the players mentioned the Sabres still wouldn't be in the same position? Of course not, you are making a assumption and we all know the old joke about assumptions.

 

To answer your question, the Sabres are doing fine. They are in the playoff hunt and they didn't have to bankrupt the team or the future to do so. You can bitch and moan all you want, like so many others have. I prefer to sit back and enjoy a pretty entertaining playoff race. I am also enjoying watching players like Pominville and Roy step up into their new roles. Not to mention the emergence of players like Paille and Kaleta. And lets not forget the great job Sekera and Weber have done the past couple of games.

 

You are going to get a sore neck from looking back so much. You should turn your head around and enjoy what the team is doing now. If you concentrate forward enough you might be able to see a glimpse of the road ahead.

[tom webster]

Do you have any proof that even with the players mentioned the Sabres still wouldn't be in the same position? Of course not, you are making a assumption and we all know the old joke about assumptions.

 

To answer your question, the Sabres are doing fine. They are in the playoff hunt and they didn't have to bankrupt the team or the future to do so. You can bitch and moan all you want, like so many others have. I prefer to sit back and enjoy a pretty entertaining playoff race. I am also enjoying watching players like Pominville and Roy step up into their new roles. Not to mention the emergence of players like Paille and Kaleta. And lets not forget the great job Sekera and Weber have done the past couple of games.

 

You are going to get a sore neck from looking back so much. You should turn your head around and enjoy what the team is doing now. If you concentrate forward enough you might be able to see a glimpse of the road ahead.

 

 

How much were you enjoying things before the last two games? BTW, its not an assumption, its an educated guess.

This team, with a couple of additions, could get back to where they were by next year. It would have been nice to see how much better last years team would have been with the emergence of Pomminstein and Roy along with Drury and the continued development of Campbell.

[deluca67]

How much were you enjoying things before the last two games? BTW, its not an assumption, its an educated guess.

This team, with a couple of additions, could get back to where they were by next year. It would have been nice to see how much better last years team would have been with the emergence of Pomminstein and Roy along with Drury and the continued development of Campbell.

Wouldn't an "educated guess" be the result of looking over some factual evidence? There are too many variables to try to draw a logical conclusion of where the Sabres would be right now.

 

To answer your question. I have enjoyed the entire season. The high points and the low points. It's all part of the growing process of a young team.

[Hawk]

That doesn't inspire confidence in this fan. They've been lousy all year, and even worse since they let Soupy walk. Ottawa will sweep em, as will Boston, probably.

Are we not as good, or are we just young and improving?. You talk about the guys that left. Let's take Briere for example. The Flyers have 6 players over 20 goals, but are only 1 point ahead of us. If we kept Briere, how much better would we be? Not much, maybe worse. If Briere was signed do you think Vanek would still be here? I doubt it. I know Vanek is having his problems but he is still producing and learning his trade. He has a tremendous upside. I think Briere has peaked. We are small market and have to watch the pennies, while also putting a contending team on the ice. Hindsight is 20/20. I dont know if DR screwed up the negotiations with Danny or not, but I think the result, maybe not this year, but within 2-3 will prove out he was right.

[inkman]

Just curious. Oh, yeah, THAT's right. The team's gone from #1 in the East to out of the playoffs. Thumbs up!

<_<

Please go away. You are not contributing to the board in any type of constructive manner.

[tom webster]

Wouldn't an "educated guess" be the result of looking over some factual evidence? There are too many variables to try to draw a logical conclusion of where the Sabres would be right now.

 

To answer your question. I have enjoyed the entire season. The high points and the low points. It's all part of the growing process of a young team.

 

I would say an educated fan could make an educated guess that a team with Drury and Roy at center instead of Roy andConnolly would be much better.

[inkman]

Note to everybody:

 

LET IT GO!

[Hawk]

Please go away. You are not contributing to the board in any type of constructive manner.

 

No dont go away. I dont feel he is being a troll, just venting his feelings. Right or wrong he is entitled to them. Maybe he just needs a little intervention from the faithful sabres fans on this board. Maybe you could be his mentor Ink? I know I've learned from you. ;) ;)

[R_Dudley]

Yeah and Pominville was going to suffer w/o Briere as well or at least all the educated guessers thought so and what happened, he is having his best year yet.... The point being as Deluca stated you just don't know..

 

What I will say I have noticed especially in last 4 games,,, Now that ruff has gone back to giving Ice time to those that deserve it and the likes of conolly, kalinin, spacek are out the kids that are playing have responded to the message and now other players have stepped up namely Mair, Kaleta, Kotalik, Hecht, Pominville, Paille....... Now I'm gonna make an educated guess that with all or some of those players who left still here and / or the other injured players in these guy's would not have had the opportunty or maybe felt they haven't been in NHL long enough to speak up or stand up... But with Ruff making it simple (play hard , keep it simple) even the defense with 3 rookies has looked better(not as many bone head defensive lapses) and when mistake has occurred backcheck has been there..... Now that is fun to see a team finding itself, learning how to win, new leaders emerging, players standing up to the adversity.........

[inkman]

I know I've learned from you. ;) ;)

That is some scary #%^$#!...

[inkman]

No dont go away.

I just want to know when this whining to going to stop. I'm #%^$#!ing sick and tired of all the "See, See...I told you so..." posters.

[SabreNod]

Just curious. Oh, yeah, THAT's right. The team's gone from #1 in the East to out of the playoffs. Thumbs up!

<_<

 

Edit:

 

Add a "go" to the title.

 

 

Hey Ramsey, you idiot: Three points for you that should help, considering you've clearly been living in a cave:

 

1. Briere has never been and probably never will be a 2-way player, or "complete player" as they call them. Derek Roy is. Derek Roy is a more complete hockey player, has achieved more faster than Briere, and we got him much cheaper. Take a look at Briere's plus/minus. Then read a few articles from the Philly area and let me know if you think the fans there think the organization got its money's worth. Briere went to the highest bidder, period.

 

2. Drury kept his desire to play for his childhood team close to the vest, and the sabres would have had to give him an absurd contract to keep him. Such a contract would have made it impossible to extend Roy and Hecht last offseason, considering the Vanek situation.

 

3. Maybe spend a few minutes looking over the contracts, cap, and FA situation for next season before posting knee-jerk reactions. If we paid even a market contract for Campbell right now, you can kiss goodbye either Pommer or Miller. That's the reality. Instead, we got a first round pick in a deep and talented draft, and a restricted free agent that will give us a lot of leverage to extend him long-term. Oh yea, and he was a first round pick who hasn't fully tapped his upside yet. We got a great deal for Campbell...and will still be in the running to sign Campbell long term. I think Darcy even said in one of the wgr interviews that they will still make a FA offer to Soupy.

 

Darcy knows what he's doing. Fans like you always need something to whine about and someone to point the finger at. How about giving some credit where credit is due...? Not many teams have drafted as well as Darcy, either...

[LabattBlue]

Just curious. Oh, yeah, THAT's right. The team's gone from #1 in the East to out of the playoffs. Thumbs up!

<_<

 

Edit:

 

Add a "go" to the title.

I'll be the first one to say the season is a bust if they miss the playoffs, but how about waiting 10 more games before sticking a fork in them.

 

PS Campbell was here up until two weeks ago and the teams winning percentage wasn't much better than it is today. <_<

[carpandean]

I've said it before, but what hurt this team is not who we let go, it was who they didn't bring in. You may be right with your educated guess about this season. However, over the life's of their respective contracts, I can make an educated guess that this team will be better having let them go, because I have watched and continue to watch this team and those players closely.

 

Briere is a decent, not quite star-level, center with a serious defensive down side. For the money he would have wanted (and I'm not talking before last season when nobody but the arbitrator actually though he was worth $5 Million/yr), there were/are better choices out there.

 

Drury was a great leader for this team and it's possible that they messed up the negotiations there (though, he did end up going to his childhood favorite team, so you never know what it would have taken), but again, for the money, there were/are at least as good choices. His offensive numbers were never great (though, often "clutch"), so the money was going just for "intangiables".

 

Campbell is a "New NHL" defenseman and, since the league is slipping back to the "Old NHL", his perceived (i.e., market) value was higher than he is now worth. If the rest of our D were loaded with big, physical, stay-at-home defenders (like San Jose), then his upside (offensive production, special teams) would offset his downside (defensive liability, salary). The Sabres had/have one of the softest D's in league, so some of them were going to have to go. While I might rather of had Campbell than (say) Lydman, their contract statuses made the decision for them. Nobody was going to trade for Lydman given his locked-in salary for next season and there was a good chance that Campbell would have walked at the end of the season, leaving us with nothing for him. They traded his contribution over the rest of this season for two first-rounders (assuming it should be a lot easier to wrap up Bernier as a RFA than Campbell as an UFA) to help build the team for the future.

 

What they failed to do was bring in any defensive improvements or veteran leadership either during the summer or at the trade deadline. The defensive shortcomings, especially once they were down to 6 defensemen, were exacerbated by injuries and a lack of offensive support over those two awful games. Recently, though, the "kids" have stepped up and the forwards have been providing more support, which has showed on the scoreboard. This team has been streaky all year, which is indicative of the lack of veteran leadership. With a couple of key acquisitions this summer, this team could be a cup contender again next year and for several years to come. As was pointed out, the deficiencies this season have helped to expose strengths and weaknesses that might not have been seen otherwise. Not to mention that this team still isn't out of this season yet.

 

As was said, stop looking back and start looking forward. We can't get Danny or Chris back (and I probably wouldn't even if we could) and probably won't get Brian back, so saying "what if, what if" isn't going to accomplish anything. Let's see if this team can continue to step up and fight back into the playoffs. Let's see what moves management makes this summer.

 

Edit: wow, that was longer than I thought and sabrenod made a few of my points while I was typing.

[Hawk]

Found a poll on the hockey news site that's pretty telling:

 

Out of the UFAs who signed last off-season, which has been most worth his contract?

Daniel Briere 9 %

Scott Gomez 10 %

Chris Drury 3 %

Brian Rafalski 28 %

Mathieu Schneider 4 %

Mathieu Garon 20 %

Petr Sykora 9 %

Mike Comrie 3 %

Ryan Smyth 2 %

Jeremy Roenick 11 %

[carpandean]

Out of the UFAs who signed last off-season, which has been most worth his contract?

Brian Rafalski 28 %

Mathieu Garon 20 %

Jeremy Roenick 11 %

Scott Gomez 10 %

Daniel Briere 9 %

Petr Sykora 9 %

Mathieu Schneider 4 %

Chris Drury 3 %

Mike Comrie 3 %

Ryan Smyth 2 %

Here, that might help a little.

[inkman]

As was said, stop looking back and start looking forward. We can't get Danny or Chris back (and I probably wouldn't even if we could) and probably won't get Brian back, so saying "what if, what if" isn't going to accomplish anything. Let's see if this team can continue to step up and fight back into the playoffs. Let's see what moves management makes this summer.

Thank you.

[SabreNod]

Edit: wow, that was longer than I thought and sabrenod made a few of my points while I was typing.

 

70 words per minute. :P

 

nice post, carp. I think it'll be interesting to see what the sabres do this offseason to build some size into their D, because you are precisely right: The NHL shifted back some, and bigger, more physical Dmen are important again. We're going to need at least one. And preferably one who shoots right-handed.

[stenbaro]

I just want to know when this whining to going to stop. I'm #%^$#!ing sick and tired of all the "See, See...I told you so..." posters.

You thought the Banana had left the building..You thought you could rid the board of the Banana by faking a crash..I told you before the Banana will never leave..I TOLD YOU SO :nana:

 

By the way We shouldnt have traded Campbell..Told you so.... :nana:

[SwampD]

Note to everybody:

 

LET IT GO!

Amen!

[tom webster]

I've said it before, but what hurt this team is not who we let go, it was who they didn't bring in. You may be right with your educated guess about this season. However, over the life's of their respective contracts, I can make an educated guess that this team will be better having let them go, because I have watched and continue to watch this team and those players closely.

 

Briere is a decent, not quite star-level, center with a serious defensive down side. For the money he would have wanted (and I'm not talking before last season when nobody but the arbitrator actually though he was worth $5 Million/yr), there were/are better choices out there.

 

Drury was a great leader for this team and it's possible that they messed up the negotiations there (though, he did end up going to his childhood favorite team, so you never know what it would have taken), but again, for the money, there were/are at least as good choices. His offensive numbers were never great (though, often "clutch"), so the money was going just for "intangiables".

 

Campbell is a "New NHL" defenseman and, since the league is slipping back to the "Old NHL", his perceived (i.e., market) value was higher than he is now worth. If the rest of our D were loaded with big, physical, stay-at-home defenders (like San Jose), then his upside (offensive production, special teams) would offset his downside (defensive liability, salary). The Sabres had/have one of the softest D's in league, so some of them were going to have to go. While I might rather of had Campbell than (say) Lydman, their contract statuses made the decision for them. Nobody was going to trade for Lydman given his locked-in salary for next season and there was a good chance that Campbell would have walked at the end of the season, leaving us with nothing for him. They traded his contribution over the rest of this season for two first-rounders (assuming it should be a lot easier to wrap up Bernier as a RFA than Campbell as an UFA) to help build the team for the future.

 

What they failed to do was bring in any defensive improvements or veteran leadership either during the summer or at the trade deadline. The defensive shortcomings, especially once they were down to 6 defensemen, were exacerbated by injuries and a lack of offensive support over those two awful games. Recently, though, the "kids" have stepped up and the forwards have been providing more support, which has showed on the scoreboard. This team has been streaky all year, which is indicative of the lack of veteran leadership. With a couple of key acquisitions this summer, this team could be a cup contender again next year and for several years to come. As was pointed out, the deficiencies this season have helped to expose strengths and weaknesses that might not have been seen otherwise. Not to mention that this team still isn't out of this season yet.

 

As was said, stop looking back and start looking forward. We can't get Danny or Chris back (and I probably wouldn't even if we could) and probably won't get Brian back, so saying "what if, what if" isn't going to accomplish anything. Let's see if this team can continue to step up and fight back into the playoffs. Let's see what moves management makes this summer.

 

Edit: wow, that was longer than I thought and sabrenod made a few of my points while I was typing.

 

I would like to say that there is a difference between whining about the past an pointing out that things could have been better. It seems that everyone talking about the encouraging signs of this year have to rewrite history and imply that all the mistakes in negotiating were in "hindsight" good things because of what this team couldn't have done or wouldn't be able to do in the future.

A couple of points I continuously feel need to be made;

1) I have moved on but my optimism is tempered by management's past dealings.

2) This team could have afforded Drury, Campbell while still being able to sign Jason and Ryan.

3) Drury never considered New York an option till the 24th hour.

4) There is no real reason to hope that management even thinks they need to add in the off season and a late run to the playoffs will further entrench their belief that they don't need to do anything.

5) When other posters stop talking about this year's team as somehow better than the last two year's teams, I will stop pointing out the errors of their ways.