Darcy's Team

[bob_sauve28]

His top priority was keeping Miller, that has turned out to be a smart move and the younger players are starting to pan out. He hasn't been perfect, but I'd say his approach is working. I'd take this team over the Flyers, Rangers or Maple Leafs

[PromoTheRobot]

His teams have been too soft but I guess with Kaleta, and players like Kassian in the pipeline, that will change.

 

PTR

[LabattBlue]

His top priority was keeping Miller, that has turned out to be a smart move and the younger players are starting to pan out. He hasn't been perfect, but I'd say his approach is working. I'd take this team over the Flyers, Rangers or Maple Leafs

I'll reserve comment until after the playoffs on both Ruff and Regier. ;)

[eball]

I take this team over anyone but the Caps and Pens in the East.

[26CornerBlitz]

His top priority was keeping Miller, that has turned out to be a smart move and the younger players are starting to pan out. He hasn't been perfect, but I'd say his approach is working. I'd take this team over the Flyers, Rangers or Maple Leafs

 

I wish they had signed Mike Knuble after the Flyers let him go last year. But they look pretty good moving forward assuming Mike Weber is ready to step in next year. Lydman and/or Talinder will have to be replaced in the top six D

[tom webster]

His top priority was keeping Miller, that has turned out to be a smart move and the younger players are starting to pan out. He hasn't been perfect, but I'd say his approach is working. I'd take this team over the Flyers, Rangers or Maple Leafs

 

 

I am a believer in the end result is all that counts and right now it would be hard to argue. The question of course is how much was a plan and how much was happenstance. They clearly wanted to keep Drury and Campbell but messed up the negotiations. They could have gotten something for Max, paid less for Hecht and Gaustad, blah, blah, blah.

Going forward, as Blue said, the playoffs will answer a lot of questions. If they don't win the Cup, will he make the moves necessary to compete for the Cup in the coming years?

The final answer will come with how well Roy, Pominville and Vanek play in the playoffs and if they don't perform if he is willing to be bold and attempt to upgrade in the offeseason.

[static70]

His top priority was keeping Miller, that has turned out to be a smart move and the younger players are starting to pan out. He hasn't been perfect, but I'd say his approach is working. I'd take this team over the Flyers, Rangers or Maple Leafs

I wouldn't say it is working, there have been some very serious gaffes by this GM. No Stanley Cup Banners in the Rafters at HSBC is really all that needs to be said here, he is an epic fail. If anyone attempts to say "but we went to blah blah blah ECF's, so on and so forth", Sorry, that don't cut it. You don't get diddly for second place, period, end of conversation.

 

He has had 12 years to bring the Cup to Buffalo, the bankruptcy, the lockout, all excuses, He is paid to do a job, perform, or GTFO. Its that simple. Darcy Regier is a failed GM to date.

[nucci]

His top priority was keeping Miller, that has turned out to be a smart move and the younger players are starting to pan out. He hasn't been perfect, but I'd say his approach is working. I'd take this team over the Flyers, Rangers or Maple Leafs

That's not saying much. As Blue just stated, let's wait until the playoffs before praising anyone.

[darksabre]

I've grown weary of seeing most of the names on the roster, that's what I think.

 

I'm really not excited for the Sabres playoffs. I don't really know why, I just don't feel like there's anything special in this team. I'm hoping they can get me into the games, but after RIT's magical run into the Frozen Four, the Sabres have really fallen on the back burner for me. It's going to be up to them to draw me back in with some inspired play and some solid wins.

[wjag]

I've grown weary of seeing most of the names on the roster, that's what I think.

 

I'm really not excited for the Sabres playoffs. I don't really know why, I just don't feel like there's anything special in this team. I'm hoping they can get me into the games, but after RIT's magical run into the Frozen Four, the Sabres have really fallen on the back burner for me. It's going to be up to them to draw me back in with some inspired play and some solid wins.

Want some of my grape koolade?

[nfreeman]

His top priority was keeping Miller, that has turned out to be a smart move and the younger players are starting to pan out. He hasn't been perfect, but I'd say his approach is working. I'd take this team over the Flyers, Rangers or Maple Leafs

Well, I've been a DR supporter, and I generally agree, but it's far too soon to start counting chickens. DR got kneecapped by his bosses in 2007, but he's been calling the shots since the summer of 2008. If the Sabres lose to Boston in 5 or 6 games, DR is accountable.

 

I'll reserve comment until after the playoffs on both Ruff and Regier. ;)

+1

 

I am a believer in the end result is all that counts and right now it would be hard to argue. The question of course is how much was a plan and how much was happenstance. They clearly wanted to keep Drury and Campbell but messed up the negotiations. They could have gotten something for Max, paid less for Hecht and Gaustad, blah, blah, blah.

Going forward, as Blue said, the playoffs will answer a lot of questions. If they don't win the Cup, will he make the moves necessary to compete for the Cup in the coming years?

The final answer will come with how well Roy, Pominville and Vanek play in the playoffs and if they don't perform if he is willing to be bold and attempt to upgrade in the offeseason.

I generally agree, but I don't think it would be hard to argue that the results of the team's decisions have been poor. Give me Drury, Briere and Soupy at the numbers the team could've had them at (to say nothing of Vanek!), swap out Pommer, Hecht and Lydman, make a few savvy tweaks and this team stays in the top tier for the prior 2 years instead of floundering.

 

I wouldn't say it is working, there have been some very serious gaffes by this GM. No Stanley Cup Banners in the Rafters at HSBC is really all that needs to be said here, he is an epic fail. If anyone attempts to say "but we went to blah blah blah ECF's, so on and so forth", Sorry, that don't cut it. You don't get diddly for second place, period, end of conversation.

 

He has had 12 years to bring the Cup to Buffalo, the bankruptcy, the lockout, all excuses, He is paid to do a job, perform, or GTFO. Its that simple. Darcy Regier is a failed GM to date.

It's not unreasonable (although I disagree) to say that a lengthy period of time with no cup = failure, but the bolded part is nonsense. BTW, the lockout is neither here nor there, although perhaps you meant to refer to the FA losses.

[static70]

I counter that "nonsense" statement with the statement that unto itself, what you say is not in keeping with what a GM has to do. It is not nonsense, it is just part and parcel of the job unto itself. Let me give you an example, you go to work, you do not perform your best at that position, what happens? You get fired, thats what happens.

 

I will not debate whether or not there are better choices that could or could not succeed where Darcy blatantly has not, that is speculation. I can only go by what the facts are, and facts are Darcy Regier has not succeeded at his job, his job is to put a product on the ice that wins the Stanley Cup. I do however, appreciate that you witness 12 seasons as more than ample time to achieve this.

 

As previously stated, no Stanley Cup Banners in the rafters at HSBC in 12 seasons with the same GM is a failure, these are the facts and cannot be disputed as they stand on thier own truth.

[bunomatic]

Hopefully Darcy at least builds a great foundation of talent so the guy that takes over his job will benefit from the patience that Darcy has shown in sticking to the plan of building from within.He has'nt won a cup which is the measure of success but he has stuck with the plan and not blown things up which looks good for the future of hockey in buffalo.

[nfreeman]

I counter that "nonsense" statement with the statement that unto itself, what you say is not in keeping with what a GM has to do. It is not nonsense, it is just part and parcel of the job unto itself. Let me give you an example, you go to work, you do not perform your best at that position, what happens? You get fired, thats what happens.

 

I will not debate whether or not there are better choices that could or could not succeed where Darcy blatantly has not, that is speculation. I can only go by what the facts are, and facts are Darcy Regier has not succeeded at his job, his job is to put a product on the ice that wins the Stanley Cup. I do however, appreciate that you witness 12 seasons as more than ample time to achieve this.

 

As previously stated, no Stanley Cup Banners in the rafters at HSBC in 12 seasons with the same GM is a failure, these are the facts and cannot be disputed as they stand on thier own truth.

So...if your boss hired you to build a complex machine that is generally regarded as requiring several years to build, you built it within the appropriate time frame, it was humming along beautifully, your boss then decided that the machine no longer needed the CPU and both motors and got rid of them, the machine fell apart, your boss realized the error of his ways, decided not to interfere any more and asked you to rebuild the machine -- should you be fired? Should the period when the machine fell apart as a direct result of the boss' decisions be held against you in your performance review?

 

I know that sounds a little silly, but I think that is pretty much what happened to DR -- not once but twice.

 

Put another way, blaming the failure to make the playoffs last year on injuries was, IMHO, an excuse (although one with a solid ring of truth). Not holding DR accountable for missing the playoffs during the criminal/bankruptcy era and the 2 years after Black Sunday is, IMHO, not an excuse. It's just acknowledging workplace reality.

[NowDoYouBelieve]

I counter that "nonsense" statement with the statement that unto itself, what you say is not in keeping with what a GM has to do. It is not nonsense, it is just part and parcel of the job unto itself. Let me give you an example, you go to work, you do not perform your best at that position, what happens? You get fired, thats what happens.

 

I will not debate whether or not there are better choices that could or could not succeed where Darcy blatantly has not, that is speculation. I can only go by what the facts are, and facts are Darcy Regier has not succeeded at his job, his job is to put a product on the ice that wins the Stanley Cup. I do however, appreciate that you witness 12 seasons as more than ample time to achieve this.

 

As previously stated, no Stanley Cup Banners in the rafters at HSBC in 12 seasons with the same GM is a failure, these are the facts and cannot be disputed as they stand on thier own truth.

 

I've seen this analogy quite a few times and I despise it. At this hypothetical company, are there 29 other employees with your exact same job, trying to prevent you from doing yours?

[billsrcursed]

I've seen this analogy quite a few times and I despise it. At this hypothetical company, are there 29 other employees with your exact same job, trying to prevent you from doing yours?

 

Those 29 other employees wouldn't be working at the same company perhaps, but sure there are competing companies out there trying to ensure their product is better than yours. His/her analogy is actually quite fitting to DR's situation.

 

Bottom line, 12 years is too long. We'll see how his product does this go-around...

 

And in regards to the boss interfering, that also happens outside of sports.

 

I don't despise DR as much as most people do and feel his hands are somewhat tied in regards to transactions being made to improve the team. But really, whose fault is it that no other team wants to take on Hecht's contract, Staffords lack of hustle/consistency, etc.??

[static70]

I've seen this analogy quite a few times and I despise it. At this hypothetical company, are there 29 other employees with your exact same job, trying to prevent you from doing yours?

I happen to despise the denial of reality. 29 other employees with the exact same job sounds like a great sound byte, until you include the fact that those 29 other positions have had turnover already based on the need to produce. Bare in my mind, I stated Its a crap shoot for a replacement that could achieve the goal at hand, and all of this fodder for the cannon talk takes away from the actual reality of the situation.

 

No Stanley Cup in 12 seasons = FAILURE. Its that simple and there is no getting around that FACT.

 

Lets move on from this subject, Darcy is still here, and unfortutely, based on his past record, with him here, the Stanley Cup will not be.

[NowDoYouBelieve]

I happen to despise the denial of reality. 29 other employees with the exact same job sounds like a great sound byte, until you include the fact that those 29 other positions have had turnover already based on the need to produce. Bare in my mind, I stated Its a crap shoot for a replacement that could achieve the goal at hand, and all of this fodder for the cannon talk takes away from the actual reality of the situation.

 

No Stanley Cup in 12 seasons = FAILURE. Its that simple and there is no getting around that FACT.

 

Lets move on from this subject, Darcy is still here, and unfortutely, based on his past record, with him here, the Stanley Cup will not be.

 

Dude, they're in the playoffs RIGHT NOW. You're not even going to wait until the Sabres are eliminated (which they may never be) to pass judgment on the season? Darcy's past record has nothing to do with what will occur over the next couple months. Whether or not you agree with his continuing employment with the Sabres, he built a team that was good enough to get 100 points and win the division...so let's just see what happens, eh?

[static70]

Dude, they're in the playoffs RIGHT NOW. You're not even going to wait until the Sabres are eliminated (which they may never be) to pass judgment on the season? Darcy's past record has nothing to do with what will occur over the next couple months. Whether or not you agree with his continuing employment with the Sabres, he built a team that was good enough to get 100 points and win the division...so let's just see what happens, eh?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing them off for this season. I am merely basing my deductions on the facts at hand.

Could the team go the distance this season? Anything can happen, but Wash., Pitt., NJ, SJ, CHI and VAN say other wise, and each of those teams have proven with their regular season records combined with individual players performances that they are better than the Sabres. I don't think that is an unreasonable deduction to make based on an 82 game schedule.

[NowDoYouBelieve]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing them off for this season. I am merely basing my deductions on the facts at hand.

Could the team go the distance this season? Anything can happen, but Wash., Pitt., NJ, SJ, CHI and VAN say other wise, and each of those teams have proven with their regular season records combined with individual players performances that they are better than the Sabres. I don't think that is an unreasonable deduction to make based on an 82 game schedule.

 

I agree that all those teams have a better legion of skaters, offensively (except NJ, who I see as a basically equal team to us). But I also believe that goaltender is the most important position on the ice, and all signs point to us having the best goaltender. I'll never forget Dwayne Roloson carrying the entire Oilers team on his back to the Stanley Cup Finals in '06, and then getting injured. I remember telling myself "well, they're f*cked", before getting punked by the Hurricanes.

[darksabre]

Want some of my grape koolade?

 

please god yes.

[nfreeman]

I agree that all those teams have a better legion of skaters, offensively (except NJ, who I see as a basically equal team to us). But I also believe that goaltender is the most important position on the ice, and all signs point to us having the best goaltender. I'll never forget Dwayne Roloson carrying the entire Oilers team on his back to the Stanley Cup Finals in '06, and then getting injured. I remember telling myself "well, they're f*cked", before getting punked by the Hurricanes.

The problem with this way of thinking is that it overlooks the fact that every year, some goalies -- who are not necessarily the regular-season leaders -- get hot and become difference-makers in the playoffs. And, every year, some goalies who are regular-season leaders fall off the table. We can't just assume that Miller is going to be the better goalie in any series the Sabres play, and we also can't assume that even if he is the better goalie, he will play at a difference-making level.

 

Bottom line: we need better contributions from the D and the forwards than what we saw in Feb. and March if the Sabres are going to make any noise.

[SabresneedaCup]

at some point if we dont win a cup, ruff and regier need to be fired, we cant just keep them forever.

[darksabre]

at some point if we dont win a cup, ruff and regier need to be fired, we cant just keep them forever.

 

Ralph Wilson is approaching "forever".

[NowDoYouBelieve]

Ralph Wilson is approaching "forever".

 

If only you could fire the owner. :(