Let's try being optimistic!

[nfreeman]

I completely disagree with assesmtent. How one can compare the obvious 2 prior years of clutch performance on the offensive side and compare it to the more than obvious greatness of Hasak and how he actually stole games is beyond me.

The offense has on this team has steadily progressed downward. And as was pointed out and is so much truth, riding a goalie to a Stanley Cup is not reality.

I can so much appreciate the optimism, but the truth is the truth.

What's the truth? For that matter, what does this post mean?

 

Being a one man band doesn't make them a "good" team. They weren't a "good" team last season. They are a group of average and below average players with a well above average goaltender.

 

This season, even with Miller repeating his performance, they will be hard pressed to make the playoffs. Teams in the NE division got better. They are not going to have the soft and sparse schedule they had in the beginning of last season. You also mentioned DR getting a top six forward. If you meant either a legit NHL top six forward or a forward that the Sabres would try to sell as a top six it won;t matter because they are done. Any change in the roster will come from within. It's time to let that dream go.

Everything in this post is wrong except for the bolded part.

 

We are seeking a legitimate point producing NHL top six forward. Such a move now will likely be done the trade route.

 

Improving from within is hopeless. None of our prospects in Portland are yet to score 40 goals plus.

What about Ennis? And Stafford and TC in their contract years?

 

I have to agree with Kristian on that last point. Darcy has had a formula for the past 12 or 13 years that he has stuck to regardless of circumstance which leads me to believe he's incapable of change or growth. He's a bottom feeder that cherry picks based solely on salary and more often than not ends up bringing in players that unfortunatly are past their best before date. To see him bring in a top 6 that not only contributes but is still in his prime just ain't gonna happen. Who would come here? This team has demonstrated time and time again that they are all about cutting corners and costs. I don't see anyone waving a no trade to come in a trade nor do I see any first rate free agents. Darcy tinkers.

The bolded part is wrong, as they have spent close to the cap since the lockout, and are currently at about double the payroll that they were at when OSP bought the team. I agree though that nobody is going to waive a NTC to come to Buffalo and that DR tinkers in favor of pursuing top-drawer UFAs.

 

However his D is weaker than it was last season. Morrisonn and Leopold do not = Tallinder and Lydman.

 

Tougher mentally? No...if that were true they would have taken the Bruins. I still think that they were the better team in that series.

 

It seems your offensive hopes ride with Stafford. Good luck with that. This kid is streaky, but overall doesn't have the drive it takes to be a top 6 forward. To me he is another MacArthur with less skill. It would be great if Vanek bounced back, but he has shown himself to be injury prone. I expect that to continue and I predict he'll play 60-65 games this season.

 

Ennis is another matter. This kid is a future star and our only real hope for a good offensive season.

 

I share your hope for a top 6 acquisition via trade but don't hold out much hope of that. As mentioned, Darcy has met the internal budget. And based on his record, he would have to get a sweetheart deal to pull the trigger.

 

The Bruins have passed the Sabres - at least on paper - and I think we'll be fighting for 8th spot in the conference.

As Shrader has trenchantly observed, Tallinder and Lydman weren't any great shakes. Morrisonn will be tougher than Lydman while Leopold will likely be at least as good as Tallinder. Not a significant upgrade, I agree, but I don't think it will be a downgrade either.

 

Niedermayer will make this team mentally tougher than it was last year, as will the maturation of Myers and the increased presences of Grier and Montador.

 

My offensive hopes rely primarily on (i) bounceback year from Vanek, (ii) good year from Ennis, (iii) contract years from TC and Stafford and (iv) improvement from Myers. I think each of these is likely and in the aggregate we'll probably see 3 or 4 out of 5 deliver.

 

I too am not expecting DR to trade for a top 6 forward, and I'm not happy about it either. He needed to get somebody this summer. I'm not completely giving up the ghost yet but at this point I think it's less than a 25% chance.

 

I don't agree that Boston has passed the Sabres.

 

I'm optimistic - at least as far as expecting the Sabres to be at least as successful as they were last season. They should be able to pick up another 100 points - or something close to it - and again be in competition for the division title.

 

But the big question remains: can this team be successful in the playoffs?

 

If the Sabres are to be successful in the spring, Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy and Tim Connolly have to be on top of their games. I have no doubts about Vanek, but the centers are real question marks.

+1, especially on the bolded part, and they also need the $5.3MM man Pommer to show up.

 

Regier has done nothing this off-season to improve this hockey team. Even the most Pollyanna of fans can't deny that. This team is set up for failure just as last season was. Put the entire load on Miller's back and see how far he can take you. Is there any doubt the Sabres needed at least one top six forward? Where is he? The Sabres needed a top tier power play defenseman? Where is he? They have needed a competent back up goalie for years. Where is he?

 

The Sabres are a franchise that can produce one thing very well. That is excuses. You can sit at your keyboard and accept all of the excuses as gospel. It is not going to change those of us who expect more. Those fans that pine for the days where accountability will return to the Sabres franchise will always be here. Learn to live with it.

Last year's team was not "set up for failure." They just weren't good enough to be a true Cup contender, primarily because their offensive leaders either got hurt or shrank from the occasion in the playoffs. The team squeezed the maximum out of what it had, which is what they were supposed to do. They also progressed significantly over the prior year, just as the prior year's team progressed significantly over the year before that.

 

As for high expectations, it's good to have them, and you can demand a cup every year if you want, but no GM can build a Cup contender in the offseason. Chicago didn't pick up Toews and Keith as UFAs last summer, just like Pittsburgh didn't get Crosby and Malkin the summer before that, or Detroit with Zetterberg and Datsyuk. No player of that caliber changed hands this summer (and I include Kovy in that statement). The Sabres' horses (Miller and Myers) are also guys they developed internally. They need a couple of their offensive guys (Vanek, Ennis, Roy, Pommer) to develop to the same degree, and then they'll have something.

 

Having said that, nobody here has any interest in a good regular season and a first-round knockout. The Sabres needed a top-6 forward this summer to make a good playoff run more likely. Plenty of them changed teams this summer, and DR didn't get any of them. That's his fault, and unless the Sabres make a good playoff run next spring, he should be gone.

[shrader]

As Shrader has trenchantly observed, Tallinder and Lydman weren't any great shakes. Morrisonn will be tougher than Lydman while Leopold will likely be at least as good as Tallinder. Not a significant upgrade, I agree, but I don't think it will be a downgrade either.

 

I'm not a big fan of saying whether one pair is better or worse than the other. If the 2 new guys filled the same exact role as Tallinder/Lydman it would be fine, but these are different types of players. It feels like an apples to oranges type situation.

[Kristian]

BUF owned CAR huh? How do you figure?

 

Date Score Game Winning Goal Winning Goalie

03/21/2010 BUF 5 @ CAR 3 Toni Lydman Ryan Miller

02/11/2010 BUF 3 @ CAR 4 (OT) Sergei Samsonov Manny Legace

@ Buffalo Sabres

Date Score Game Winning Goal Winning Goalie

02/05/2010 CAR 4 @ BUF 3 Jussi Jokinen Manny Legace

11/28/2009 CAR 1 @ BUF 5 Clarke MacArthur Ryan Miller

 

It was a season split with BUF scoring four more goals than CAR over four games. Hardly a case of "owning."

 

True, owning is the wrong wording when what I meant to say was that Buffalo scored more than their fair share of goals against them.

[Kristian]

We are not trading Miller, Vanek and Myers. :death: Such idea gains membership into the Fairly Arrogant Goons CLUB. :thumbdown:

 

 

And where do you belong then?

 

The "Unable to Read Plain English CLUB"?

 

I already said : "And before people go apeshit over this post, I'm not saying we should deal either player, I'm just saying that the Sabres have plenty of assets to offer in a trade, should they be truly serious about making one."

 

Have your mother or older brother read it to you real slow a few times, it'll sink in eventually. Promise.

[weehawk]

Yes. BUF and pretty much the entire NHL scored at will against CAR :)

 

Cam Ward was out for a chunk of the season and Legace is ok, but hardly a Ryan Miller-level player. Bad year for CAR defensively.

 

I think this season is a toss up for the league. A lot of vets are gone and many teams are going cheap with youth. It will be interesting to see who succeeds. Chicago wont repeat and I think Philly was a fluke last year.

 

BUF is soft up front and that seems to be our undoing. Very disappointed in Darcy again. There were deals out there. If it's Golisano hamstringing him, then we're in trouble.

 

 

 

True, owning is the wrong wording when what I meant to say was that Buffalo scored more than their fair share of goals against them.

[deluca67]

Wouldn't mind one bit if you were right on this.

 

Also, I never believed in spending to the cap myself. It's not what you spend, but who you spend it on.

 

Just sucks a little that Darcy decided to throw way too much money down the "brat pack drain".

The problem is that if Miller has this team in a similar position he put them in last season then the excuse becomes "we didn't want to upset the team chemistry with a flashy move."

 

There is always excuses with Status Quo as there always will be.

[SwampD]

The problem is that if the Miller has this team is a similar position he put them in last season then the excuse becomes "we didn't want to upset the team chemistry with a flashy move."

 

There is always excuses with Status Quo as there always will be.

I was actually thinking this very thing when I wrote that. I would hope, though, that after 13 years they would try something different realizing that this might be their last rodeo. I was also being optimistic, probably dumb on my part.

[deluca67]

I was actually thinking this very thing when I wrote that. I would hope, though, that after 13 years they would try something different realizing that this might be their last rodeo. I was also being optimistic, probably dumb on my part.

You have to take into account their inability to get something done. They have to have a built in excuse.

[FearTheReaper]

We were all dealt a big blow when Boston eliminated Buffalo from the playoffs. I don't think many of us thought we would lose that series. Then we were forced to endure another boring offseason in which the biggest news story was buying out Tim Kennedy's contract. Needless to say, it's been a rough year for Buffalo sports fans. But let's put it all behind us. There's a lot to look forward to this year.

 

1. Ryan Miller put together the best season of his career last year. I don't see him tailing off too much, and it won't hurt having Morrisonn, a healthy Rivet, and possibly Mike Weber there to clear the crease.

 

2. Tyler Myers could become the face of this franchise down the road. He had a hell of a year as a rookie, I'm excited to see how much he's progressed and to watch him to dominate again this year.

 

3. Tyler Ennis -- hello Calder Trophy candidate! This kid was fun to watch in the limited time he spent here last year. Once he builds some long-term chemistry with the Vanek, Roy, etc there's no doubt in my mind that he can be an integral part of our offense. My expectations are probably a little too high at this point, but he's capable of meeting them. I hope he does.

 

4. A legit fourth line -- for the first time in recent history the Sabres may actually have an effective fourth line. McCormick - big & physical. Gaustad - big & faceoff expert. Kaleta - big & physical. That group scares me a hell of a lot more than Adam Mair and Raffi Torres. The same can be said about our third line aka veteran line: Hecht, Neidermayer, Grier. Very responsible players. Could be a real shut down line.

 

5. The 40th Anniversary jerseys/jersey change - I don't know the specifics off the top of my head, but isn't the Sabres winning % significantly higher in their current alternates? Making them the home/away seems like a sure fire way to turn things around! Also hopefully the new uni's are classy and do the past justice.

 

6. The World Jr's in Buffalo! Should be an awesome event in terms of both hockey and promoting the city in general. I won't have the cash to attend any games, but I'll be watching from a few miles down south. USA!

 

7. If all else fails, at least CJ Spiller might be exciting.

 

Feel free to add to the list

 

Some Reason for Optimism: http://thesportsbuff.com/?p=428

 

SHAONE MORRISON!!!

[Sabretooth]

How do you guys feel about Tyler Ennis competing for the Calder? That would be awesome for Buffalo players to take it home back-to-back. Obviously it's way too early to know for sure, but from what we saw last season, he looks like he's going to step right in and produce and play at an NHL level. The question is, will he perform better than players like Hall, Sequin, Eberle?

 

Yes, Ennis can perform better than Hall, Sequin and Eberle. He will win Calder again.

[static70]

What's the truth? For that matter, what does this post mean?

The truth being that the Sabres have steadily decreased in goal scoring over the last 3 seasons. Also, the truth is that this very same organization attempted to make a run for a Stanley Cup without making a significant upgrade at forward in the 98-99 season, showing quite plainly, that they were going to ride Hasak as far as they could, which, if I may use an analogy here, "Was a bridge to far".

 

The very same could be said of this past seasons squad. Raffi Torres was not a significant upgrade. I can appreciate the attempt to add size to the line up, but quite frankly, this player did not show the inclination to be a subustantial forechecking threat. As can be seen from his play. He showed some ability on the ice, but not what this team needed.

 

Buffalo needed and still needs, a player that can keep the puck in the offensive and make plays on a rather regular basis.

[nfreeman]

I forget sometimes that there are no age restrictions on this board. I hope your mom doesn't see you using words like "piss."

Dude, really? When you typed it the first time, it was one of the lamest things ever written on this board. Now you copy and paste it repeatedly? Wow. :doh:

these guys beat me to it.

 

Ouch! You quoted your own post :doh: Isn't that like wearing a Sabre jersey with your name on it. :o

very nice.

 

The truth being that the Sabres have steadily decreased in goal scoring over the last 3 seasons. Also, the truth is that this very same organization attempted to make a run for a Stanley Cup without making a significant upgrade at forward in the 98-99 season, showing quite plainly, that they were going to ride Hasak as far as they could, which, if I may use an analogy here, "Was a bridge to far".

 

The very same could be said of this past seasons squad. Raffi Torres was not a significant upgrade. I can appreciate the attempt to add size to the line up, but quite frankly, this player did not show the inclination to be a subustantial forechecking threat. As can be seen from his play. He showed some ability on the ice, but not what this team needed.

 

Buffalo needed and still needs, a player that can keep the puck in the offensive and make plays on a rather regular basis.

I can't disagree with any of this, although I think Torres was a good deadline pickup on paper. He just didn't pan out.

 

Do you think the Sabres should have made a bigger deadline move this year? Kovy was the only forward appreciably better than Torres that got traded this year. I don't remember whether you posted in February in response to the question of whether the Sabres should have traded Butler, Kassian, MacArthur, a #1 and a #2 (which is roughly equivalent to what NJ gave up) for Kovy at the deadline.

[bunomatic]

I have to agree with nfreeman on this one, i'm glad Regier didn't sell the farm for Kovy at the deadline. I think we'd all have regrets about that unless they went on to win the cup. Anything short of the cup wouldn't have been worth it.

[static70]

I was going to say something but...

 

 

 

these guys beat me to it.

 

 

very nice.

 

 

I can't disagree with any of this, although I think Torres was a good deadline pickup on paper. He just didn't pan out.

 

Do you think the Sabres should have made a bigger deadline move this year? Kovy was the only forward appreciably better than Torres that got traded this year. I don't remember whether you posted in February in response to the question of whether the Sabres should have traded Butler, Kassian, MacArthur, a #1 and a #2 (which is roughly equivalent to what NJ gave up) for Kovy at the deadline.

Yes, I would have liked to have picked up Kovy, he is a great transitional player, another sorely missed component of Buffalo's game this past season. Scoring wasn't bad when compared to the rest of the league, but at the end of the day, I saw many games where Buffalo was playing an awful lot of defensive zone hockey for the first period to period in a half. Thats not good.

To have an impact player that puts a real offensive zone pressure game on the ice is what I would have liked the Sabres to address. And not just at the deadline either, but in the off season as well.

 

We can get substantially narrowed on the areas to be addressed as well, the RW eith Vanek and Roy, the LW or Center with the Connolly line, the solidification of an actual 3rd scoring line to include addressing the center position.

 

My larger point overall though is that the Sabres transition game didn't garner any real leverage and the offensive zone play was primarily absent for the first half of games. The Power Play was a direct reflection of this in my opinion. Inability to perform, even with the man advantage was a true indicator of the inept forechecking and competitive drive to achieve success from this squad.

[SwampD]

I have to agree with nfreeman on this one, i'm glad Regier didn't sell the farm for Kovy at the deadline. I think we'd all have regrets about that unless they went on to win the cup. Anything short of the cup wouldn't have been worth it.

And yet everything but the Cup seems to be perfectly acceptable by many on this board.

[shrader]

You're pointing out the obvious on a poster that is obviously beneath you. Like I do with shrader :nana:

 

Be careful. I might have to kick you out of the fairly arrogant goons. Wait, I forget if I was ever actually admitted or not.

[Kristian]

Yes. BUF and pretty much the entire NHL scored at will against CAR :)

 

Cam Ward was out for a chunk of the season and Legace is ok, but hardly a Ryan Miller-level player. Bad year for CAR defensively.

 

I think this season is a toss up for the league. A lot of vets are gone and many teams are going cheap with youth. It will be interesting to see who succeeds. Chicago wont repeat and I think Philly was a fluke last year.

 

BUF is soft up front and that seems to be our undoing. Very disappointed in Darcy again. There were deals out there. If it's Golisano hamstringing him, then we're in trouble.

 

Not to nitpick or anything, but even if we split the series or not, my point still stands - Buffalo scored 16 goals in 4 games against Carolina.

 

Washington scored 19 goals in 6 games, and Pittsburgh only managed 10 goals in 4 games.

 

Roy was our leading scorer with 7 points in 4 games.

 

Backstrom led the Caps with 8 point in 6 games.

 

Malkin led the Pens with 4 point in 4 games.

 

Just sayin'....

 

Like Shrader said, I'm sure the Caps and Pens beat up on someone else, and I honestly can't be bothered to find out of who.

[darksabre]

Be careful. I might have to kick you out of the fairly arrogant goons. Wait, I forget if I was ever actually admitted or not.

 

You're my under-goon and director of skullduggery. Deluca is minister of science and religion. Who else wants to join my cabinet? We can meet in the kitchen just like Jackson.

[nfreeman]

Not to nitpick or anything, but even if we split the series or not, my point still stands - Buffalo scored 16 goals in 4 games against Carolina.

 

Washington scored 19 goals in 6 games, and Pittsburgh only managed 10 goals in 4 games.

 

Roy was our leading scorer with 7 points in 4 games.

 

Backstrom led the Caps with 8 point in 6 games.

 

Malkin led the Pens with 4 point in 4 games.

 

Just sayin'....

Like Shrader said, I'm sure the Caps and Pens beat up on someone else, and I honestly can't be bothered to find out of who.

But then this really isn't much of a point, innit?

 

You're my under-goon and director of skullduggery. Deluca is minister of science and religion. Who else wants to join my cabinet? We can meet in the kitchen just like Jackson.

Aptitude and skill!

[Sabretooth]

Comments removed.

[nfreeman]

Yes, you are.

 

Hey, you need to combat idiot "Sabres Fans in Name Only" when they are Maple Leaf whores in drag.

 

Hurray, you need serious help.

 

No trolls here. Just smart Sabres fans handling idiotic SFINOs.

OK. Chill. We don't communicate like this here. Be respectful and cease the namecalling or take it somewhere else.

[SabresneedaCup]

OK. Chill. We don't communicate like this here. Be respectful and cease the namecalling or take it somewhere else.

i think hes kinda funny. but overall, a little dumb.

[shrader]

i think hes kinda funny. but overall, a little dumb.

 

Funny like a little retarded kid. You know you shouldn't laugh, but you just can't help it. And yes, I know I'm going to hell for this one.

[SabresneedaCup]

Funny like a little retarded kid. You know you shouldn't laugh, but you just can't help it. And yes, I know I'm going to hell for this one.

haha, DURRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Kristian]

Yes, you are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey, you need to combat idiot "Sabres Fans in Name Only" when they are Maple Leaf whores in drag.

 

 

 

Hurray, you need serious help.

 

 

No trolls here. Just smart Sabres fans handling idiotic SFINOs.

 

Don't feed the troll.