Sabres are ruining Murray's plan---what does he do??

[...]

If the trends continue, a 6-10 pick is highly unlikely.

[sicknfla]

If the trends continue, a 6-10 pick is highly unlikely.

 

They can't sustain this level. They just don't have the talent. Again 19 home games to 12 road games so far. They will not go back to the depths of early season but they will not finish the last 51 games .500.

 

75-82 pts is where I see them. Edmonton appears to be a lock for last, and honestly, do we really want to be worse than them??

Edited December 16, 2014 by sicknfla

[LastPommerFan]

They can't sustain this level. They just don't have the talent. Again 19 home games to 12 road games so far. They will not go back to the depths of early season but they will not finish the last 51 games .500.

 

75-82 pts is where I see them. Edmonton appears to be a lock for last, and honestly, do we really want to be worse than them??

 

Just a math check. They would have to play .500 hockey in the last 51 to get into that range. .500 exactly would put them at 79.

[sicknfla]

 

 

Just a math check. They would have to play .500 hockey in the last 51 to get into that range. .500 exactly would put them at 79.

 

Exactly. So if they finish a few games below .500 they are 75. A couple over and they are 82. My OPINION is they will not be above .500 but stranger things have happened. One thing for sure is they will not be as good as they have been the last 15 or as bad as the first 15.

[X. Benedict]

I think I set the over/under for points this year at 68.5.

Currently on a 74 point pace for the year.

[Trettioåtta]

I think I set the over/under for points this year at 68.5.

Currently on a 74 point pace for the year.

 

That would put us 3rd worst in last years standings. Just enough to miss out on the two studs. Sounds about right

[respk]

That would put us 3rd worst in last years standings. Just enough to miss out on the two studs. Sounds about right

 

And would be a complete waste of time and draft choice. That result would be far worse than finishing at the bottom last year. Come on Murray pull the plug on this and ensure the Sabres draft 1st or 2nd or let's make a deal to improve the team and win a first round playoff series. No reason to be mediocre and finish any place in between.

[LGR4GM]

And would be a complete waste of time and draft choice. That result would be far worse than finishing at the bottom last year. Come on Murray pull the plug on this and ensure the Sabres draft 1st or 2nd or let's make a deal to improve the team and win a first round playoff series. No reason to be mediocre and finish any place in between.

Noah Hanafin would not be a waste of a 3rd overall pick. It would give us literally the best group of 4 guys in the entire league. Myers, Risto, Zadorov, Hanafin.

 

I think we finish 6th worse and win the lottery.

[TrueBlueGED]

Noah Hanafin would not be a waste of a 3rd overall pick.

 

Seriously. Hanifin and Strome would be 1st overall pick contenders in "normal" draft years. That is not, in any way shape or form, a waste of time.

[MattPie]

Can anyone imagine what this board will be like if the Sabres miss the playoffs and fall out of the top ten in the draft?

I'll take a few months off.

 

Wait, JJ (unless I'm mixing you up), aren't you rooting for the Sabres to be the best they can be this year? Why would you take a few months off when you got what you wanted?

[Crusader1969]

And would be a complete waste of time and draft choice. That result would be far worse than finishing at the bottom last year. Come on Murray pull the plug on this and ensure the Sabres draft 1st or 2nd or let's make a deal to improve the team and win a first round playoff series. No reason to be mediocre and finish any place in between.

 

that statement is soooooooo wrong. There are at least 5 other guys in this years draft that are looking to be 1st line players or top pair D. Its a terrific draft and goes much deeper than McDavid and Eichel. Dont, however, fall out of the bottom 7 (perferably not bottom 4).

 

That being said I am still Pro Tank and have not given up hope for them to fall back into McEichel contenders. I'll re-evaluate my Tank position in another 10 games or so.

 

Seriously. Hanifin and Strome would be 1st overall pick contenders in "normal" draft years. That is not, in any way shape or form, a waste of time.

Dont forget the #1 point leader in the OHL (ok tied with Strome) and #4 on your draft card- Mitch Marner.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Wait, JJ (unless I'm mixing you up), aren't you rooting for the Sabres to be the best they can be this year? Why would you take a few months off when you got what you wanted?

 

Don't want to answer for the JJ, but I'd guess he is thinking that the board would be so toxic that he couldn't stand it.

[JJFIVEOH]

Don't want to answer for the JJ, but I'd guess he is thinking that the board would be so toxic that he couldn't stand it.

 

Thank you. I think the scale of relentlessness would eclipse that of Darcy before he was fired.

[TrueBlueGED]

I certainly don't want to speak for other pro-tankers, but regardless of outcome, it ends for me the day the season ends. Even if we "blow it" I'm not going to lament it for years on end. Next year it's time to start winning some games.

[LabattBlue]

Even if we "blow it" I'm not going to lament it for years on end.

Life will go on, but I will be extremely disappointed if they miss out on McEichel, and the two of them turn out to be generational players. I know some are way to young to remember, but it was great to watch Perreault in his prime, win, lose or tie(in those days).

[TrueBlueGED]

 

Life will go on, but I will be extremely disappointed if they miss out on McEichel, and the two of them turn out to be generational players. I know some are way to young to remember, but it was great to watch Perreault in his prime, win, lose or tie(in those days).

 

That latter part is what many, I think, are not really considering when we all argue about the merit of a generational player. Kopitar may have one more Cup that Crosby, but I know which one I'd rather watch 82+ times per year.

 

Anyway, I won't be upset if we miss out on McEichel. But I'll be quite disappointed if we drop out of the top-5. Either way, I don't plan on crying onto the forum for a year.

Edited December 16, 2014 by TrueBluePhD

[K-9]

Can anyone imagine what this board will be like if the Sabres miss the playoffs and fall out of the top ten in the draft?

 

I've already accepted this or a 1st round exit will happen.

 

I love rooting for a team full of players with heart, but I'm not confusing heart with talent and the consistent cup contention that only talent brings.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[Campy]

that statement is soooooooo wrong. There are at least 5 other guys in this years draft that are looking to be 1st line players or top pair D. Its a terrific draft and goes much deeper than McDavid and Eichel. Dont, however, fall out of the bottom 7 (perferably not bottom 4).

 

That being said I am still Pro Tank and have not given up hope for them to fall back into McEichel contenders. I'll re-evaluate my Tank position in another 10 games or so.

 

Dont forget the #1 point leader in the OHL (ok tied with Strome) and #4 on your draft card- Mitch Marner.

 

I'm anti-tank but you probably won't have much to reevaluate:

 

The Sabres rank second in the NHL in save percentage since Nov. 14, behind only Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators. During this span Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth have combined for a .935 save percentage, and in the process have dazzled fans with their spot-on Dominik Hasek impressions.

 

Enroth is probably an above average starter, but he's not Rinne. No goaltender sustains a .935 save percentage indefinitely.

 

Meanwhile, the Sabres' offense - beyond toothless for the first month and change - has benefited enormously from unsustainable finishing rates. The Sabres are converting on 10.9 percent of all shots on goal since Nov. 14, the third best mark in the league over that time frame (behind the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs).

 

http://www.thescore.com/news/659056

[JJFIVEOH]

Why do we keep calling them generational players when there is less than a generation between them?

[pi2000]

Can anyone imagine what this board will be like if the Sabres miss the playoffs and fall out of the top ten in the draft?

 

Or what if they actually make the playoff yet lose in the first round. Is that good? Would that be better for this team's future than finishing last?

[Drunkard]

 

 

Or what if they actually make the playoff yet lose in the first round. Is that good? Would that be better for this team's future than finishing last?

 

It's not better than getting McDavid or Eichel, but people will try to spin it that way. Just like the couple of times we made the playoffs after 7/1/07 and people (on other Sabres boards, I don't think I was reading this one in those days) raved about what a great learning experience it would be for the young guys and how all the momentum from finishing out the year strong would somehow carry over through months of offseason and into the next season. Of course we tended to start out poor at the beginning of the year regardless, but it didn't stop the narrative.

[respk]

that statement is soooooooo wrong. There are at least 5 other guys in this years draft that are looking to be 1st line players or top pair D. Its a terrific draft and goes much deeper than McDavid and Eichel. Dont, however, fall out of the bottom 7 (perferably not bottom 4).

 

That being said I am still Pro Tank and have not given up hope for them to fall back into McEichel contenders. I'll re-evaluate my Tank position in another 10 games or so.

 

Dont forget the #1 point leader in the OHL (ok tied with Strome) and #4 on your draft card- Mitch Marner.

 

As to the bolded above. Yes this is a very deep draft. But McEichel are clearly ahead of the rest of the forwards. Why settle for the second tier of forwards when just a few points less would get the team into the top tier of draft picks. You said don't fall out of the top 7 and preferably not bottom 4. I'm just saying don't fall out of the top 2. The top 2 appear to be significantly better than the rest and they all cost the same, 1 draft pick.

[TrueBlueGED]

Why do we keep calling them generational players when there is less than a generation between them?

 

It was discussed before, but I think the consensus is it's not meant to be taken literally. It's simply a way to discuss players who are better than elite.

[matter2003]

This is starting to get to a turning point quickly. The Sabres keep racking up wins and are currently only 4 points out of a playoff spot. That was almost inconceivable when the season started and especially after the first 15 games.

 

Edmonton might not win 10 more games this year. Their goaltending is beyond awful. If the Sabres keep winning they might not be able to tank bad enough the rest of the season no matter how badly they play to have Edmonton pass them.

 

I don't know what the right answer is...the team is playing inspired and clearly believes in themselves to a much greater degree than they did at the start of the season. They are starting to look in some ways similar to Nolan's "Hardest Working Team in Hockey" that made it to the playoffs with Hasek in goal...

[Eric in Akron]

Ok - I don't like the thread title at all. Apparently, our short term memories get the better of us because I seem to recall that GMTM wasn't happy with the performance of the team a month ago and stated such. He felt the team could play better and eluded to he belief that the coach wasn't getting the most of the team. Lo and behold, the team has started to go on a tear since that came out... hmmmm.... It doesn't sound like they are ruining GMTM's plans, instead it sounds like they are finally living up to his plans.