Ghost of Dwight Drane Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 I'm back into hoping that they'll win. However, it's not because I believe that they are better off fighting for eighth than they would have been dropping off a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, any chance of a change up top is gone now. They'll win enough to say "see, it was the injuries," and Darcy did pretty well at the deadline, so there's no way Terry drops him and/or Lindy. Plus, we aren't getting down in the top 3 for picks. It will be interesting to see what Darcy does with those four picks this summer and how he addresses toughness in FA, where it is easier than skill to address (his words not mine.) My long-run plans were shot, so in the short run, it's back to simply wanting the Sabres to win because I'm a fan. Last night was the first game since early in the season that I was holding my breath at the end. Ditto. Status Quo locked in at least 1 more year. Might as well root for some games when the temperature is above 58 degrees outside the arena.
Robviously Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 One more thing to consider: A playoff berth or, God forbid, an actual playoff run could help the Sabres on the trade market this summer. Teams have been known to lose their minds and totally overvalue players based on playoff performance. (See: Ville Leino.) The only drawback is that Regier often uses any hint of success from his players as a reason to hang on to them. (See: Drew Stafford.) So who the hell knows?
frissonic Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 I'm happy the team is suddenly playing really well, but I'm not thrilled that they're closing in on the no.8 seed. Securing the 8th spot in the playoffs doesn't do much for me. No.8 seeds don't win the Stanley Cup. When I think about the Sabres, I still mainly think about what they could do this summer to build themselves into contenders in the future. and 9-7 teams never win the super bowl ... except it just happened less than a month ago. also, no one ever comes back from a 3 games to none series ... except for that one baseball team in 2004 who were down to their final out against the Yankees ... that team went went on to win the world series never say never. eventually, an 8th seed will win the cup.
Robviously Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 and 9-7 teams never win the super bowl ... except it just happened less than a month ago. also, no one ever comes back from a 3 games to none series ... except for that one baseball team in 2004 who were down to their final out against the Yankees ... that team went went on to win the world series never say never. eventually, an 8th seed will win the cup. Believe me, if the Sabres finish 8th and win in the first round, I'll be the first person doing mental gymnastics to come up with a reason why they're probably going to win the Cup. But in general I want to think about how the Sabres can finish at the top of the conference in the regular season again someday. Because that's the proven way to win the Stanley Cup. That fact that it's March and we're all crunching numbers to figure out what it would take to make the playoffs means this season has been a mess and that our team was poorly constructed.
Taro T Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 Yeah, you pretty much need to be a division winner to have a reasonable expectation of hoisting the cup. 2010-11 Boston 3 seed 2009-10 Chicago 2 seed 2008-09 Pittsburgh 4 seed 2007-08 Detroit 1 seed 2006-07 Anaheim 2 seed 2005-06 Carolina 2 seed 2003-04 Tampa Bay 2 seed 2002-03 New Jersey 2 seed 2001-02 Detroit 1 seed 2000-01 Colorado 1 seed 1999-2000 New Jersey 4 seed 1998-99 Dallas 1 seed 1997-98 Detroit 3 seed 1996-97 Detroit 3 seed 1995-96 Colorado 2 seed 1994-95 New Jersey 5 seed 1993-94 Rangers 1 seed 1992-93 Montreal 3 seed 1991-92 Pittsburgh 3 seed 1990-91 Pittsburgh 1 seed Not a huge issue, but just pointing out that Moe-ray-all in '93 and the Pens in '92 would have been 4 seeds in conference and were 3 seeds w/in division. I'd have cut off the trail at the Strangers in '94 when the playoff format changed.
Buffalo Wings Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 I think my alarm clock just went off again! ... :P . And, pardon me, but who is that in your avatar photo? I am preparing to be embarrassed ... :blush: . Anne Hathaway. :wub:
Weave Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 Not a huge issue, but just pointing out that Moe-ray-all in '93 and the Pens in '92 would have been 4 seeds in conference and were 3 seeds w/in division. I'd have cut off the trail at the Strangers in '94 when the playoff format changed. I just went back 20 yrs to make the point. Either way, adding 2 more teams to the "don;t have to win the division to be a contender" list still ends up small odds. Winning the division in 2009-2010 didn't help us last year. We had the worst record in hockey by Christmas 2010. Then finishing last year's regular season as the hottest team in the NHL didn't help us this year. We've sucked most of this season and are fighting just to sneak into the playoffs. I'm sort of indifferent on experience. And at some point losing in the first round every year probably hurts your team since the players are going to be more stressed out in that first round the next time they make it (i.e. if you're famous for first-round exits, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy). All that said, I'd rather finish 8th than 9th. I've been saying for a while now that a 9th place finish is the absolute worst case scenario for this team. I give no credence whatsoever to the "give them playoff experience" idea. Every player on this roster has NHL playoff experience. And the overwhelming majority of them last season had NHL playoff exprerience before they met Philly in April. Didn't do anything to change where the team is today. Yeah, at this point might as well make the playoffs. But let's not color it as something that it isn't. It benefits the fans, not the players.
qwksndmonster Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 One more thing to consider: A playoff berth or, God forbid, an actual playoff run could help the Sabres on the trade market this summer. Teams have been known to lose their minds and totally overvalue players based on playoff performance. (See: Ville Leino.) The only drawback is that Regier often uses any hint of success from his players as a reason to hang on to them. (See: Drew Stafford.) So who the hell knows? 31 goals is more than a hint of success.
Derrico Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 I'm not going to disagree with that. But one thing I'll ask is: how many teams go from missing the playoffs to being a legitimate contender in 1 season? There is something to be said for winning, what it does for morale, team confidence, and the team's attractiveness to free agents. Even if we lost in 6 or 7, that's still more appealing to a prospective UFA than finishing 26th in the league. I like this point.
Huckleberry Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 The way the team is playing right now, i'm going to wait and see what happens, maybe they'll only grow from here on, and then the sky is pretty much the limit, still the same team as last year.
Robviously Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 31 goals is more than a hint of success. Sure thing, except some of us saw Stafford's 2010-2011 season as a chance to "sell high" because we remembered the entire rest of his career. So far it looks like Regier was the one who guessed wrong.
nfreeman Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 I give no credence whatsoever to the "give them playoff experience" idea. Every player on this roster has NHL playoff experience. And the overwhelming majority of them last season had NHL playoff exprerience before they met Philly in April. Didn't do anything to change where the team is today. Yeah, at this point might as well make the playoffs. But let's not color it as something that it isn't. It benefits the fans, not the players. I must disagree. You are certainly right that recent playoff experience hasn't seemed to help some of the players act like grownups this year (like, say, Roy and Vanek), but that doesn't mean that it hasn't helped guys like Myers, Sekera, Weber, Gerbe, Ennis, etc. Also, losing begets losing IMHO. Better for the next step to be to win a series or 2 than for it to be just to get in.
TheChimp Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 Winning the division in 2009-2010 didn't help us last year. We had the worst record in hockey by Christmas 2010. Then finishing last year's regular season as the hottest team in the NHL didn't help us this year. We've sucked most of this season and are fighting just to sneak into the playoffs. I'm sort of indifferent on experience. And at some point losing in the first round every year probably hurts your team since the players are going to be more stressed out in that first round the next time they make it (i.e. if you're famous for first-round exits, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy). All that said, I'd rather finish 8th than 9th. I've been saying for a while now that a 9th place finish is the absolute worst case scenario for this team. I almost agree. To me, what would be worse would be finishing 8th, or even higher, and getting swept in the first round.
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