Heads Should Roll?

[VansTheMans]

With a loss against Detroit tonight, the Sabres anemic post season aspirations withered at the vine. They played a tight game and put forth a valiant effort, but the bottom line was this: the Sabres' best just wasn't good enough. After reaching the conference finals back to back in 2006 and 2007, the Sabres have now failed to reach the playoffs two years in a row. Blame it on management for failing to lock up key players, blame it on the inconsistent play of the team, or even blame the longest tenured coach in the league, Lindy Ruff, for failing to find a winning formula with the cards he's been dealt. Regardless of how you play the blame game, one thing is clear: the Sabres need a change.

 

A great deal of blame falls upon the players themselves, as their inconsistent efforts were the main culprit of several crippling losing skids. However, Buffalo fans shouldn't place all the blame on the players themselves. Instead, Sabres fans should seriously begin pointing the finger at the coaching staff and management.

 

Darcy Regier has made one blunder after another, signing the wrong players and letting the right players go. He failed to retain either of the Sabres co-captains two seasons ago, creating a huge gap in skill and leadership on the team. Placing too much faith in a young and inexperienced core, he opted not to make any changes over the summer. This resulted in Sabres missing the playoffs. In the following offseason, he once again failed to acquire any players with veteran offensive skill or leadership, leaving a team that failed to make the playoffs fully intact(minus all-star defenseman Brian Campbell). While adding veteran d-man Craig Rivet was a good move, Darcy stopped there. Fast forward another 79 games: here we stand again at the end of a season, no major changes made, no playoffs in sight.

 

While management is at greater fault for the current state of the team, the coaching staff cannot escape criticism. Lindy Ruff is one of finest coaches in the league, but he has failed to create a winning system that the Sabres can latch on to. Ruff's system, unfortunately for the players, demands hard work and an emphasis on defense, something this young team is incapable of consistently putting forth. Perhaps more experimentation should have taken place in developing a different play style for this team. But in Ruff's defense, experimentation often leads to failure, and flat out failure leads to angry fans and a vacant head coach position. Ruff has been dealt a bad hand with the current crop of players, but at the end of the day, he needs to win with what he's given.

 

The current GM and head coach combination ensure a continued mediocre Buffalo Sabres squad, one completely incapable of ever winning a Stanley Cup. Its time for new blood to come into the organization; whether it be Darcy or Ruff, someone needs to be held responsible. If the Sabres hope to turn things around, the longest tenured GM and Head Coach combo needs to end. Buffalo needs a few key acquisitions in order to compete in the new NHL, in terms of players AND management & coaching.

 

So, who should be let go at the end of the season? Or does it even matter? Is it ownership that you feel is holding the Sabres back?

[apuszczalowski]

It should be Regier with about 2/3's his roster, but thats not going to happen, and unfortunatly, things won't change until he does go. I do fear however that they will let Ruff go, and that would be a huge mistake.

[Goodfella25]

Quinn and Regier are married to these players, to this day refusing to admit their mistakes. The team is like a rotting apple...with a soft and rotten core.

 

What should happen? They need to overturn at least half the defense and at least 1/4 of the forwards. What will actually happen? As long as Quinn and Regier are here, not much except another season aiming for 8th place. But hey fans, as long as you keep buying jerseys and filling the seats, what motivation is there to do anything at all? Biggest mistake made by the die hard fans: believing that winning is the number one priority for a sports franchise. Huge mistake. Making money is by far number one--anything else is just a bonus.

[darksabre]

I would tell Darcy that if he doesn't make magic happen by the trade deadline that he is gone. This team is under-performing with players that clearly have talent but no maturity. Ship out some big names with bad attitudes that will get a good return in the form of players with good hockey sense and a passion for giving it all they've got.

 

I don't care if this team loses next season, as long as they play as hard as possible night in and night out. If you do that, you are guaranteed to walk away in a better position than they are now. This team has taken some very small steps, but some bigger moves need to be made to really make a difference.

[Goodfella25]

Ship out some big names with bad attitudes that will get a good return in the form of players with good hockey sense and a passion for giving it all they've got.

 

I don't care if this team loses next season, as long as they play as hard as possible night in and night out. If you do that, you are guaranteed to walk away in a better position than they are now.

 

I definitely agree, and that's an interesting point. Doesn't seeing guys like Gaustad, Mair, and Ellis (earlier in the year anyway) out there working hard in key situations give you flashbacks to those mid-late 90s teams where the grinders made the Sabres the "hardest working team"? And isn't that really all most of us wish to see around here? This is a hockey town...the fans just want to see players that battle--guys that care and try hard, even if they aren't the most talented. That's one of the reasons those 90s teams were so well-liked, granted that not everybody loved it. But still, this is a hard-working town, we want to see a hard-working team. It is frustrating to see so many of the "skill" guys on the Sabres just going through the motions for 2+ seasons now, floating through without a care.

 

I know you can't win with 12 Matt Ellises playing forward for you, but there are more skilled guys with similar work ethic that the Sabres should be targeting this offseason.

[Kristian]

There needs to be an option to fire Larry the Moron, cause until he goes nothing changes.

 

Then fire Regier and Ruff, and get rid of at least 2 of the brat pack.

 

But who are we kidding, this is Buffalo - The organisation that embraces mediocrity, and frowns on acountability.

[billsrcursed]

I would tell Darcy that if he doesn't make magic happen by the trade deadline that he is gone. This team is under-performing with players that clearly have talent but no maturity. Ship out some big names with bad attitudes that will get a good return in the form of players with good hockey sense and a passion for giving it all they've got.

 

I don't care if this team loses next season, as long as they play as hard as possible night in and night out. If you do that, you are guaranteed to walk away in a better position than they are now. This team has taken some very small steps, but some bigger moves need to be made to really make a difference.

 

I'm pretty confident that since we all agree on this, the FO sees it too. The problem is you can't gather up all your garbage, walk next door to your neighbors house, and try to trade it for her car and some Chesse Nips. What some of us here have quickly forgotten is that we were reminded of this once the trade deadline came and gone. Well, some of us still haven't gotten it yet, either. NOBODY WANTS OUR TRASH!!

 

I agree that the FO messed up on contracts and blah blah blah, now we have a .500 team that doesn't care about anything except partying and grabbing sausages, but we need to move past the idea that we can just "make all these moves" and bring in better quality players because someone, somewhere, is so stupid that they would gladly give us their talent for some guys like Roy, Stafford, Lydman, and the list goes on, forever.

 

BTW, I'm just quoting your post, this wasn't meant for you directly, I just think we should all move past the idea that we can move guys and make the team better. That's not happening.

[LabattBlue]

I'm telling everyone right now, the Sabres are going to try and sell you on Gerbe, Kennedy and maybe even Myers next year. The new, young and exciting Sabres. Does 6 out of 8 ring a bell.

 

I want Craig Ramsay as my new head coach!

I want Neil Smith as my GM!

I want Corsi, McCutcheon and Patrick all fired!

I want Tallinder and Hecht traded!

I show Peters, Max and Teppo the door!

I move one of the "star" forwards(Vanek, Pominville, Stafford, Connolly or Roy) in an attempt to wake up the rest!

[nfreeman]

didn't we just have this same thread?

[Mbossy]

didn't we just have this same thread?

Yep.

[Stoner]

didn't we just have this same thread?

 

We're into summer reruns already.

[SwampD]

didn't we just have this same thread?

didn't we just have this same season?

[zow2]

All I know is that I cannot remember a Sabres club that I liked less than this crew. For starters, they are just not very good. There is no chemistry on this team at all. There has to be 7 or 8 guys that definitely need a change of scenery. They are also the most mentally weak team in the league. You just know that in low scoring close games, they are going to fold or give up a lead. They have some gritty guys but not enough. The "goal scorers" on the team are panzies. I guess I'd have to blame Darcy the most but it's a collective group effort. I love Ruff but even I can see that they have tuned him out and frankly- don't have the overall talent to do what he wants them to do. Even with a healthy Miller this team probably would have been edged out for the 8th spot and certainly would have gotten spanked in the playoffs. I mean c'mon, they have two must win home games and they lay a big fat egg in both. Detroit, coming in on back to back games was only giving it about 75% last night and had no trouble handling Buffalo. Blow it up and start over with some new blood.

[VansTheMans]

Think its too late to ship Connolly to Columbus for Klesla?

 

Hopefully the Sabres trade Stafford away instead of resigning him this summer. The kid has talent, but he is the epitome of everything that's wrong with the current roster. He thinks he's a rock star, he plays without heart and he's wildly inconsistent. He's a tempting talent though, and should be able to get us something in return.

 

I'd also want to move Tallinder (good trade value) and Hecht (salary dump) in attempt to free up roster/cap space to bring in some fresh blood.

[Kristian]

Think its too late to ship Connolly to Columbus for Klesla?

 

Hopefully the Sabres trade Stafford away instead of resigning him this summer. The kid has talent, but he is the epitome of everything that's wrong with the current roster. He thinks he's a rock star, he plays without heart and he's wildly inconsistent. He's a tempting talent though, and should be able to get us something in return.

 

I'd also want to move Tallinder (good trade value) and Hecht (salary dump) in attempt to free up roster/cap space to bring in some fresh blood.

 

I don't see any of the brat pack moved until Darcy is gone, although it's the only way we'll ever start getting this trainwreck back on it's tracks.

 

I agree completely on Stafford being this team's problem personified on the forward side.

 

He has the tools to both play a skill game and a physical one, yet he doesn't put in an honest effort often enough to do either.

 

Meaning Darcy is most likely calling his agent with a 4 mill. a year offer as I'm typing this :wallbash:

 

I don't see Tallinder have *any* value whatsoever, and I doubt anyone would ever take Hecht at that ridiculous contract he commands.

[nucci]

Quinn and Regier are married to these players, to this day refusing to admit their mistakes. The team is like a rotting apple...with a soft and rotten core.

 

What should happen? They need to overturn at least half the defense and at least 1/4 of the forwards. What will actually happen? As long as Quinn and Regier are here, not much except another season aiming for 8th place. But hey fans, as long as you keep buying jerseys and filling the seats, what motivation is there to do anything at all? Biggest mistake made by the die hard fans: believing that winning is the number one priority for a sports franchise. Huge mistake. Making money is by far number one--anything else is just a bonus.

Stop blaming the fans. That is an easy cop out. This is not in any way the fault of the fans.

[VansTheMans]

Hank is still a top four dman. I think we'd be able to get something back for him in a trade (something, not much, but something).

 

Another question:

 

If it came down to only being able to hold onto one center, who would you keep, all things considered(skill level, injuries, maturity, etc)? Roy or Connolly?

[Sabre Dance]

Hmmm... where to begin? We might as well start at the top. Enough time has passed since Tom G. "rescued" the Sabres that we should probably stop fawning over him. Now we see whether Golisano's commitment to excellence extends past his own company and finds its way to the Sabres. Such a commitment needs to start at the top. Why do the Red Wings put forth such a consistently good effort every year? Their owner demands it. He hired a GM that can find the right players and a coach that motivates his players and gives them the game plan they need to win. If you saw the game on Versus last night (and were not put to sleep by the announcers), you heard all of the stats about Detroit's success over the last decade.

All right, Mr. G. - it's put up or shut up time. If you really care about the Sabres and their legions of long-suffering but loyal fans, it's time to make the commitment. Otherwise, if the Sabres are just a tax write-off for you, please find a buyer for the team who will A) keep them in Buffalo and B) has the resources and the dedication to produce a winner.

Whether Mr. G remains as owner or not, it may be time to show Larry Quinn the door. I know he now owns a slice of the team, but buying him out and kicking him to the curb is the right thing to do. Nothing that Quinn has touched inside or outside the Sabres organization has met with overwhelming success. He is a mediocre executive at best and the city of Buffalo and the Sabres deserve better.

We surmise that many of the player decisions (and indecisions) that Darcy Regier has made over the years were really orchestrated by LQ. However, the fact that a GM is willing to succumb to such manipulation for over a decade should tell you something about him as a GM and as a man. I seriously doubt that Brian Burke would knuckle under to pressure from Maple Leafs executives for very long before saying something pithy and then leaving in a huff. Maintaining the status quo (a Buffalo specialty) will not help the Sabres advance. Darcy should be able to find a job easily enough. Say good-bye, Mr. Regier.

Now we're down to the nitty-gritty. Do the Sabres move a bunch of players or do they let the coaching staff go? Or maybe both? I have no specific issue with Lindy Ruff. I think he is a good Xs and Os coach. No one can argue that his teams play decent defense and kill penalties very well. Despite a few successful seasons, his overall winning percentage is just a hair over 500. His team have missed the playoffs as often as they have made them.

I'm sure Lindy is a great guy and no one can dismiss his dedication to the Sabres as a player and coach. However, that fact should not overshadow his on-ice record. An argument can be made that he didn't have the right mix of players; that they were undersized and not physical enough and lacked intensity. That may be true, but isn't it the job of a coach to assess the talent at hand and formulate a game plan that uses the players talents for the best effect? (And if the right players weren't there, who is to blame? With a coach and GM who have worked together as long as Ruff and Regier, should they not have had more than enough time to build the team the way they wanted?)

Most of the current Sabres came up through Rochester, where they played in the same "system" that the parent club used. In other words, the coaching philosphy has remained uniform for these core players for quite a few years, adding together their AHL and NHL time. The message from the coaching staff has gotten stale. The players do not believe in the system, as their lack of intensity this season has shown. A change is overdue. Note to Tommy G.: When a coach like John Tortorella (who has ties to Buffalo) is available, you at least make an effort to hire him. Yes, he is brash and difficult, but his teams play hard and they get results. Alas, he was snapped up by the Rangers. Another opportunity lost.

Some will argue that the players are the real ones at fault. I don't disagree. There are some Sabres who have been coasting for a few seasons now and would "benefit" from a change of venue. Maybe Max Afinogenov would be more motivated in Calgary. Jochen Hecht may enjoy playing in Los Angeles better than Buffalo. There is no doubt that just about every player on the team underacheived this year. Some, like Derek Roy and Paul Gaustad, at least put in a consistent effort. No matter, the new GM and coach should sit down an evaluate every player in the Sabres organization during the summer. The ones who can be salvaged should be invited to training camp; the rest should be offloaded, either by trade or waivers. Ownership should be involved so that salary decisions can be made, and projected out for the next few seasons. Then, go shopping.

Oh, and there is one last item: get rid of the slug logo once and for all....

:D

[LabattBlue]

Another question:

 

If it came down to only being able to hold onto one center, who would you keep, all things considered(skill level, injuries, maturity, etc)? Roy or Connolly?

Roy. The injury concern for Connolly is much too great.

[carpandean]

If it came down to only being able to hold onto one center, who would you keep, all things considered(skill level, injuries, maturity, etc)? Roy or Connolly?

If we're trading away either one of them, then we better be picking up another center (either in the same or a different trade, or as a FA.) Roy probably has more value as a #2 center with a long, cheap (cap-wise contract) and proven production. However, someone looking at the second-half of this season might think that Timmy's injuries are behind him and look at his production during that time as indicative of what he is capable of (PPG-wise) over a full season. Either one would be a fine #2 behind a true #1, but can we really get one? The only way I see that happening is if they can unload Hecht's contract to free up some money. That's a huge if. Even then, the UFA price would probably be too high and I don't know if we have anything valuable enough in a trade.

[Sherman]

I think we should follow the Flyers blueprint for a quick turn around. They had a team two years ago that had some solid players but lacked leadership. They went out and got three former captains in Briere, Timmonen and Jason Smith. Briere and Timmonen are solid players and Jason Smith although past his prime was a very good captain/example for the younger players. In the two years since the young group of players they had have developed and now one of them Richards, is the team captain.

 

Also, the other thing they did is create room for their stars. They did that by adding something the Sabres seriously lack in toughness. Imagine how good Ryan Miller could be if he didn't have people falling on him and in his crease through out the game. How good would Vanek be if someone stood up for him after he was cross checked to the ice 4-5 times a game.

[nucci]

Hmmm... where to begin? We might as well start at the top. Enough time has passed since Tom G. "rescued" the Sabres that we should probably stop fawning over him. Now we see whether Golisano's commitment to excellence extends past his own company and finds its way to the Sabres. Such a commitment needs to start at the top. Why do the Red Wings put forth such a consistently good effort every year? Their owner demands it. He hired a GM that can find the right players and a coach that motivates his players and gives them the game plan they need to win. If you saw the game on Versus last night (and were not put to sleep by the announcers), you heard all of the stats about Detroit's success over the last decade.

All right, Mr. G. - it's put up or shut up time. If you really care about the Sabres and their legions of long-suffering but loyal fans, it's time to make the commitment. Otherwise, if the Sabres are just a tax write-off for you, please find a buyer for the team who will A) keep them in Buffalo and B) has the resources and the dedication to produce a winner.

Whether Mr. G remains as owner or not, it may be time to show Larry Quinn the door. I know he now owns a slice of the team, but buying him out and kicking him to the curb is the right thing to do. Nothing that Quinn has touched inside or outside the Sabres organization has met with overwhelming success. He is a mediocre executive at best and the city of Buffalo and the Sabres deserve better.

We surmise that many of the player decisions (and indecisions) that Darcy Regier has made over the years were really orchestrated by LQ. However, the fact that a GM is willing to succumb to such manipulation for over a decade should tell you something about him as a GM and as a man. I seriously doubt that Brian Burke would knuckle under to pressure from Maple Leafs executives for very long before saying something pithy and then leaving in a huff. Maintaining the status quo (a Buffalo specialty) will not help the Sabres advance. Darcy should be able to find a job easily enough. Say good-bye, Mr. Regier.

Now we're down to the nitty-gritty. Do the Sabres move a bunch of players or do they let the coaching staff go? Or maybe both? I have no specific issue with Lindy Ruff. I think he is a good Xs and Os coach. No one can argue that his teams play decent defense and kill penalties very well. Despite a few successful seasons, his overall winning percentage is just a hair over 500. His team have missed the playoffs as often as they have made them.

I'm sure Lindy is a great guy and no one can dismiss his dedication to the Sabres as a player and coach. However, that fact should not overshadow his on-ice record. An argument can be made that he didn't have the right mix of players; that they were undersized and not physical enough and lacked intensity. That may be true, but isn't it the job of a coach to assess the talent at hand and formulate a game plan that uses the players talents for the best effect? (And if the right players weren't there, who is to blame? With a coach and GM who have worked together as long as Ruff and Regier, should they not have had more than enough time to build the team the way they wanted?)

Most of the current Sabres came up through Rochester, where they played in the same "system" that the parent club used. In other words, the coaching philosphy has remained uniform for these core players for quite a few years, adding together their AHL and NHL time. The message from the coaching staff has gotten stale. The players do not believe in the system, as their lack of intensity this season has shown. A change is overdue. Note to Tommy G.: When a coach like John Tortorella (who has ties to Buffalo) is available, you at least make an effort to hire him. Yes, he is brash and difficult, but his teams play hard and they get results. Alas, he was snapped up by the Rangers. Another opportunity lost.

Some will argue that the players are the real ones at fault. I don't disagree. There are some Sabres who have been coasting for a few seasons now and would "benefit" from a change of venue. Maybe Max Afinogenov would be more motivated in Calgary. Jochen Hecht may enjoy playing in Los Angeles better than Buffalo. There is no doubt that just about every player on the team underacheived this year. Some, like Derek Roy and Paul Gaustad, at least put in a consistent effort. No matter, the new GM and coach should sit down an evaluate every player in the Sabres organization during the summer. The ones who can be salvaged should be invited to training camp; the rest should be offloaded, either by trade or waivers. Ownership should be involved so that salary decisions can be made, and projected out for the next few seasons. Then, go shopping.

Oh, and there is one last item: get rid of the slug logo once and for all....

:D

Good post but when did you want to hire Tortorella?

[nucci]

I think we should follow the Flyers blueprint for a quick turn around. They had a team two years ago that had some solid players but lacked leadership. They went out and got three former captains in Briere, Timmonen and Jason Smith. Briere and Timmonen are solid players and Jason Smith although past his prime was a very good captain/example for the younger players. In the two years since the young group of players they had have developed and now one of them Richards, is the team captain.

 

Also, the other thing they did is create room for their stars. They did that by adding something the Sabres seriously lack in toughness. Imagine how good Ryan Miller could be if he didn't have people falling on him and in his crease through out the game. How good would Vanek be if someone stood up for him after he was cross checked to the ice 4-5 times a game.

The Flyers turnaround started when Don Luce left Buffalo and went to work for the Flyers.

[Stoner]

Good post but when did you want to hire Tortorella?

 

Before the Rangers did? Like Harry Neale said of Lou Lam's trick in NJ -- "when it itches, scratch it."

[Sherman]

The Flyers turnaround started when Don Luce left Buffalo and went to work for the Flyers.

 

I don't argue that but he took what Bobby Clarke wanted to do and gave him the people to do that. I don't see any of that direction from the Sabres.