What would be the most effective shake-up?

[Eleven]

I didn't add things that won't be any type of shake-up, such as trading role players, etc.

[Kristian]

I'm missing a listing for "several or all of the above".

[Punch]

As much as I think the problem with the core lies in part with the front office's refusal to part with them, simply trading one or two of them can change the makeup of this team. Connolly, Stafford, Vanek, and Pominville are all hurt (IMHO) due in large part to Roy's casual and often careless attitude. When Drury had command of the room (with guys like Grier, Dumont, and McKee in leadership roles) the lackadaisical atmosphere didn't grip the overall mood of the team as it appears now. Of course, that's just my opinion from the outside.

 

Of course, something's rotten in management, but it's even harder to pinpoint if it lies with Regier, Quinn, or Ruff than it is to diagnose if there truly is a cancerous presence in the lockerroom.

[Sterling Archer]

A grenade.

[Eleven]

I'm missing a listing for "several or all of the above".

 

It was your post in another thread that inspired the poll, actually. I'd like to see two things happen: 1) dismissal of the front office decision-maker, whom I suspect is Quinn (no, his minority interest does not necessarily guarantee him a job for life), and 2) a core trade. But I think the latter would be the more effective of the two.

[SwampD]

Gray Cloud must go. Ain't no sunshine 'til he's gone.

[R_Dudley]

I voted a core change but I think to be fair given the lack of any value for some of the core a waive option would be my real vote.

 

Park grey clouds a$$ in the minors and let Dineen play the shaught out of him till he quits, breaks or improves.

[darksabre]

Gray Cloud must go. Ain't no sunshine 'til he's gone.

 

+1

[Skibum]

I think maybe it's time to see if a different coach can coax some success out of this group. I would rather see a trade of a core player or two, but good trades are very hard to pull off, especially when you are trying to move underachieving players with hefty salaries. And that's assuming that someone worth the Sabres' while is even available.

 

The apparent lack of effort and special teams struggles lead me to believe that, great coach or not, Lindy's methods aren't working with this group. They have plenty of good players on paper, but they never seem to play up to their potential. If they miss the playoffs this year, that will be 3 out of the last 4 years (and all those years before the lockout). I think if this team isn't climbing the standings by mid-January, then Ruff should be let go. It's not like he'll have a hard time finding a job elsewhere. Maybe it's time to give Dineen a shot at the big show.

[Stoner]

Gray Cloud must go. Ain't no sunshine 'til he's gone.

 

Have you looked up the Sabres' record with and without Connolly in the lineup? The power play numbers cloudy vs. sunny? Not trying to play "gotcha." I haven't looked them up.

[beerme1]

What core member can you trade? You're not trading Miller, Darcy has too good of a deal with Roy to give him up and nobody would take any of the other core.

Number one I want to Darcy gone. His replacement could determine which guys can go and then decide if Lindt stays.

 

None of that is happening though. You know it, I know it, everyboby knows it.

[deluca67]

What core member can you trade? You're not trading Miller, Darcy has too good of a deal with Roy to give him up and nobody would take any of the other core.

Number one I want to Darcy gone. His replacement could determine which guys can go and then decide if Lindt stays.

 

None of that is happening though. You know it, I know it, everyboby knows it.

I'll agree with Regier needing to go. I don't want him involved in the hiring of a new coach.

[Two or less]

Trading players will not help. This team has 2 playoff wins in last 3 years. Darcy Regier, who once held a golden touch on bringing in talent here for cheap and turning them into gold, is over. His luck of outsmarting other GMs is gone. We gave away Brian Campbell for Steve Bernier. We traded second round picks for Dominic Moore and Raffi Torres. We signed Criag Rivet. We signed Steve Montador. We signed Jordan Leopold who has been brutal so far. Morrisson hasn't been better.

 

We keep striking out when we try to out outside of the club to bring in reinforcements. It's obvious the "core" can not do it on their own. Anyone can tell you that. I do think we do have good players here. But, unlike in the past, when Darcy went out and grabbed a Toni Lydman, or a Daniel Briere or a Chris Drury, guys on the low/cheap who we turned into magic, are no longer coming in. The only additions who walk through that door to "help" are bums and has beens.

 

Even if Darcy goes on a massive fire sale, and trades Connolly, Rivet and Stafford, does anyone have any trust/hope that we just want get some kind of career minor leaguer back in return?

 

I lost faith in Darcy. He must go. And as the world turns, a new GM will mean a new head coach in the very near future.

 

It's been a good ride, but all good things come to an end and it's time for Buffalo to move on.

[shrader]

Trading players will not help. This team has 2 playoff wins in last 3 years. Darcy Regier, who once held a golden touch on bringing in talent here for cheap and turning them into gold, is over. His luck of outsmarting other GMs is gone. We gave away Brian Campbell for Steve Bernier. We traded second round picks for Dominic Moore and Raffi Torres. We signed Criag Rivet. We signed Steve Montador. We signed Jordan Leopold who has been brutal so far. Morrisson hasn't been better.

 

There's a couple gaps in there. That Campbell trade also returned them the pick they used for Ennis. They didn't sign Rivet, they traded for him. The 2nd round pick for Torres and Moore do look rough for what they got in return, but Moore also went to Montreal for a 2nd rounder last year and look where they wound up. They got screwed over by an injury on that one, which is tough to blame on the GM. I also don't think Montador, Leopold, and Morrisonn belong in the error column. Montador's debatable, but it's clearly way too early to judge the latter two.

[Punch]

If Quinn were shackling Regier from making moves, then I might be willing to keep Darcy. Then again, if Regier is allowing himself to be held back for so long, repeatedly defending the roster in the media--- I guess it would be hard to respect him. So after some thought, I guess there's really no way to feel confident in Darcy's management philosophy. Regardless, I'd like to see Quinn removed altogether. He's been even more of a blight on the organization on his 2nd go around than he was the 1st time.

 

As for players, I'm completely done with Roy, Connolly, Stafford, and Pominville. Perhaps Pommers can still be an effective player in a different setting, but that's about it.

[Punch]

The 2nd round pick for Torres and Moore do look rough for what they got in return, but Moore also went to Montreal for a 2nd rounder last year and look where they wound up. They got screwed over by an injury on that one, which is tough to blame on the GM.

 

 

Didn't it turn out that (in addition to Dominic Moore) Torres, Rivet, and Bernier all also stealthily injured when they arrived in Buffalo following their respective trades? It seemed like a very bizarre occurrence that it would happen more than once let alone 4 times.

 

-Bernier: traded to Buffalo 2/26/08; listed day to day (groin) 3/08/10, missed 2 games

-Rivet: has had a near endless string of injuries since he arrived, but apparently had been injured when he got here: "At the end of the 2009-10 season, it was revealed that Rivet's play in the previous two seasons had been hampered by a double labrum tear, for which he would have off-season surgery."

-Torres: traded to Buffalo 3/03/10; 3/20/10 Upper body injury, day-to-day, Missed 6 games (upper body injury) 03/31/10

[Eleven]

Didn't it turn out that (in addition to Dominic Moore) Torres, Rivet, and Bernier all also stealthily injured when they arrived in Buffalo following their respective trades? It seemed like a very bizarre occurrence that it would happen more than once let alone 4 times.

 

It didn't.

[deluca67]

There's a couple gaps in there. That Campbell trade also returned them the pick they used for Ennis. They didn't sign Rivet, they traded for him. The 2nd round pick for Torres and Moore do look rough for what they got in return, but Moore also went to Montreal for a 2nd rounder last year and look where they wound up. They got screwed over by an injury on that one, which is tough to blame on the GM. I also don't think Montador, Leopold, and Morrisonn belong in the error column. Montador's debatable, but it's clearly way too early to judge the latter two.

Really! :lol:

[bleedblueandgold]

I voted for a core change...... I think we need to send one of our Donald Audette's back to the AHL.....probably Gerbe...with Ennis being close behind....

[deluca67]

I voted for a core change...... I think we need to send one of our Donald Audette's back to the AHL.....probably Gerbe...with Ennis being close behind....

I take it you mean those to be two separate moves. Change the core and send down a young forward.

 

I feel the same way right now about the Sabres as I do the Bills. I really don't want to see any significant moves made until the people in charge of those moves are changed. I doubt Regier could get value for "assets" the Sabre would decide to move.

[Punch]

It didn't.

 

Well whatever--- they were all injured and missing games very shortly after they came to Buffalo. I remember the inference in news reports being made that the injuries occurred prior to their arrival. Injuries happen and they're understandably not always accurately reported by teams for various strategic reasons--- but it seemed odd that there was a high frequency of injury amongst newly acquired players.

[Two or less]

There's a couple gaps in there. That Campbell trade also returned them the pick they used for Ennis. They didn't sign Rivet, they traded for him. The 2nd round pick for Torres and Moore do look rough for what they got in return, but Moore also went to Montreal for a 2nd rounder last year and look where they wound up. They got screwed over by an injury on that one, which is tough to blame on the GM. I also don't think Montador, Leopold, and Morrisonn belong in the error column. Montador's debatable, but it's clearly way too early to judge the latter two.

 

Did you see him in the stretch run last year? One of our worst players.

 

And i didn't mention the pick for a reason. We were fighting for a playoff spot. The pick could have been great or not, could have been someone like Dan Paille or get lucky and get Ennis. They should have gotten more for Campbell though. We were not sellers at that point, we still were fighting for a spot.

[shrader]

Did you see him in the stretch run last year? One of our worst players.

 

And i didn't mention the pick for a reason. We were fighting for a playoff spot. The pick could have been great or not, could have been someone like Dan Paille or get lucky and get Ennis. They should have gotten more for Campbell though. We were not sellers at that point, we still were fighting for a spot.

 

There's really no right answer to this one, but would it have been the right move to keep him, maybe squeak their way into the playoffs, then have him leave for nothing?

[Two or less]

There's really no right answer to this one, but would it have been the right move to keep him, maybe squeak their way into the playoffs, then have him leave for nothing?

 

I am not saying they should of kept Campbell. I am saying, they should have gotten a player who they were going to keep for years, and not just 17 games. When Bernier came here, i highly doubt they only expected him to be a rental and just keep the pick. I remember Jim Kelley saying on Sportsnet in Canada at the time of the trade, the Sabres thought of Bernier as a big time scorer for the future and passed up on Christian Ehrhoff. If there was any truth to that, i don't know. But, if you remember, TSN originally reported it was Bernier, Ehrhoff and 1st round pick for Campbell so i think theres some truth to it.

 

The argument of who is good or not is irrelevant anyways, my point is, back in the day, Darcy was able to find players on the down and got at them at the right time and they became impact players. He hasn't been able to find anyone like that in years. And the guys who do come in, are hurting us more then they are helping us.

[SwampD]

Why does everyone use Ennis as an example of a success. Do we really know that for sure yet. We are 1-3-1 and all I've seen him do is hold on to the puck too long and bump into his own players. People started anointing him before the season even started. Right now I would rather have Ennis go back down and Gerbe stay up when Pominville gets back.