Sabres fire Ted Nolan

[shrader]

If Ted Nolan didn't realize then, and still doesn't realize now that he was nothing more than a PR hire, he's an absolute moron.

[darksabre]

If Ted Nolan didn't realize then, and still doesn't realize now that he was nothing more than a PR hire, he's an absolute moron.

The thing is, I don't think PLF (and by extension Nolan) thought this was a PR stunt. 

[shrader]

The thing is, I don't think PLF (and by extension Nolan) thought this was a PR stunt. 

 

And if that is somehow the case, it's a very good thing that LaFontaine left.

[3putt]

It is disingenuous to lament the woes of Ted Nolan because he was stuck with GMTM when Patty LaLa hired both of them.  They all knew what they were getting into.  If you do not think TP wanted McJesus and told everyone to whatever they could to get the best odds of landing him, you are deceiving yourselves.  TP hosted the friggin otters at the Key to showcase the kid locally when anyone with a hockey pulse knew you could drive 90 minutes down the thruway to see him.  TM is getting a bum rap for perceived shortcomings when those were not part of the original plan.  Patty was supposed to be the communicator and the fuzzy face.  When he did not get what he wanted, i.e. win now, he left his hires, TM and TN holding the bag.   

[woods-racer]

That's how I see it also putt. Pat couldn't play nice with others and there where many power struggles going on.

 

The auto pilot was set for crash.

[Doohicksie]

So TP took a calculated risk:  Suck out loud for McDavid.  He didn't get McDavid, he got Eichel.  This past season, McDavid emerged as the generational player and leader he was believed to be.  At this point you can't say the same about Eichel- he's very good, but can he carry a team (or at least the team as it is currently constructed)?  Well it didn't happen last year.  Maybe this year.

 

But if the Sabres continually underachieve under Eich's tenure, he'll be seen as a failure, and The Tank will live in infamy in Buffalo fandom.

I might also say:  I don't think Eichel is the same level of "generational talent" than McJesus is.  I'm still hopeful, though, that he will be one of several very talented players in the Sabres system that will provide a Cup win eventually.  I see Eichel, with his competitive nature, becoming very frustrated with the team and his own performance, but eventually, when Nylander, Asplund, Pu, Mittelstadt and the rest of the prospects become true NHLers, this team will be good, very good.

 

That's why it's important to lock Eichel up for maximum term:  It realistically could take that long (or nearly so) before we see the true returns from The Tank.

[Drunkard]

So TP took a calculated risk:  Suck out loud for McDavid.  He didn't get McDavid, he got Eichel.  This past season, McDavid emerged as the generational player and leader he was believed to be.  At this point you can't say the same about Eichel- he's very good, but can he carry a team (or at least the team as it is currently constructed)?  Well it didn't happen last year.  Maybe this year.

 

But if the Sabres continually underachieve under Eich's tenure, he'll be seen as a failure, and The Tank will live in infamy in Buffalo fandom.

I might also say:  I don't think Eichel is the same level of "generational talent" than McJesus is.  I'm still hopeful, though, that he will be one of several very talented players in the Sabres system that will provide a Cup win eventually.  I see Eichel, with his competitive nature, becoming very frustrated with the team and his own performance, but eventually, when Nylander, Asplund, Pu, Mittelstadt and the rest of the prospects become true NHLers, this team will be good, very good.

 

That's why it's important to lock Eichel up for maximum term:  It realistically could take that long (or nearly so) before we see the true returns from The Tank.

 

For a guy who supposedly hates to lose (it's gets repeated around here ad nauseum) he sure seemed to phone it in down the stretch when we lost 5 of our last 6. Where was all this hating to lose when those losses were piling up and he was looking disinterested? I know DB was a total anchor but that was still an opportunity to put some action behind the empty talk.

 

Also, if we're not ready to compete in the next year or two we might as well re-tank and start selling off guys like Kane, Okposo, O'Reilly, and Pominville now before they turn into pumpkins like Moulson already has.

[Doohicksie]

The Sabres may make the playoffs this year, but I don't see them making a deep run right away.  We need veteran leadership until such time that the kids are providing their own leadership.  It may be this year, it may be a few years off. 

 

As for Jack mailing it in:  I think that may have been the result of the high ankle sprain.  That may have haunted him to some extent for the whole season.  And toward the end, when it grew increasingly apparent that the Sabres would miss the playoffs, he may have just decided not push through the pain.  Even if it wasn't the injury, the same thought process may have come into play:  Why kill yourself if it's not going anywhere? 

 

Would that me immature?  I suppose, but hey, he's a young guy, and he dealt with the first setback of his young career.  I think he feels the pressure of being the best player on the team, and that weighs heavy on him.  When the team starts to succeed it will take some of that pressure off him, especially if the major contributors are the young guys coming up around him.

 

This season will be a test for Jack, but we might still be a year or three off from seeing his ceiling.

[Thorner]

For a guy who supposedly hates to lose (it's gets repeated around here ad nauseum) he sure seemed to phone it in down the stretch when we lost 5 of our last 6. Where was all this hating to lose when those losses were piling up and he was looking disinterested? I know DB was a total anchor but that was still an opportunity to put some action behind the empty talk.

 

Also, if we're not ready to compete in the next year or two we might as well re-tank and start selling off guys like Kane, Okposo, O'Reilly, and Pominville now before they turn into pumpkins like Moulson already has.

The bolded is key. The way the league is today, you have to attempt to win when you are getting great value from ELC contracts. Young players are being counted on to produce and have a significant impact earlier than ever. We have to maximize contracts like Eichel's when we are getting great value from them. Not to mention what you touched on: maximizing the primes of guys like ROR and Okposo.

 

I don't think Botterill views this as another complete reset, one that buys him (and the organization - yet again) a few years of patience and low expectations. The time to start winning is now. Another failed year sets us further behind the in-conference competition.

[Weave]

For a guy who supposedly hates to lose (it's gets repeated around here ad nauseum) he sure seemed to phone it in down the stretch when we lost 5 of our last 6. Where was all this hating to lose when those losses were piling up and he was looking disinterested? I know DB was a total anchor but that was still an opportunity to put some action behind the empty talk.

 

 

 

This.

[Randall Flagg]

I think it's funny how hung up people get when Jack (who will always be the most noticeable player on the ice either way based on his skill set and skating style and position) played out the stretch exactly like 95% of his teammates, and like every eliminated player ever has. 

 

Noooooobody caaaaaaaaaaares that Jack didn't play those games like they were playoff games

And he still pumped out 7 points in his last 8 games (2 in last 6 if we want to cherry pick a bad stretch) and 33 shots on goal (or 27 in those 6 games). Mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Thorner]

Right. I don't really care how he plays in meaningless games. If he's full tilt in the ones that matter, who cares.

[qwksndmonster]

I think it's funny how hung up people get when Jack (who will always be the most noticeable player on the ice either way based on his skill set and skating style and position) played out the stretch exactly like 95% of his teammates, and like every eliminated player ever has.

 

Noooooobody caaaaaaaaaaares that Jack didn't play those games like they were playoff games

 

And he still pumped out 7 points in his last 8 games (2 in last 6 if we want to cherry pick a bad stretch) and 33 shots on goal (or 27 in those 6 games). Mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

He's a lazy, pouting millenial.

[Neo]

I don't have any conclusions about Jack's unique character and hating to lose.

 

He's a young man who's world class at something. Those two things, among others, separate him from me. Best wishes to Jack. I enjoy his work.

 

I do, however, have thoughts about the characteristic "hating to lose."

 

Everyone hates to lose. Then, there are special people who won't allow it to happen. Hating to lose isn't interesting. What's done when losing is imminent, on the other hand, is. Messier, as an example, wouldn't allow losing. He differentiated himself from twenty others who all hated it. Those special human beings don't care if the next game is meaningless, or not. They don't know what a meaningless game, or shift, is. Imagine telling Messier "these last few games don't mean anything."

 

Imagine telling Coach Ted Nolan something similar.

 

Jack hates to lose. Well, good. I do, too. He'll separate himself from others when he refuses to lose. If he does, we have something special.

 

Addendum ... those spectacular people are as hard to work with as they are to find.

Edited July 25, 2017 by Neo

[kas23]

TN should've kept his mouth shut. It's disrespectful towards Eichel and his former employer. He knew what he was getting himself into, everyone did. There were even websites counting the loses. Yet he still cashed his checks and has continued to do so while not even lifting a finger for TP. I've lost respect for him.

[pi2000]

TN should've kept his mouth shut. It's disrespectful towards Eichel and his former employer. He knew what he was getting himself into, everyone did. There were even websites counting the loses. Yet he still cashed his checks and has continued to do so while not even lifting a finger for TP. I've lost respect for him.

 

This is true.

[nucci]

For a guy who supposedly hates to lose (it's gets repeated around here ad nauseum) he sure seemed to phone it in down the stretch when we lost 5 of our last 6. Where was all this hating to lose when those losses were piling up and he was looking disinterested? I know DB was a total anchor but that was still an opportunity to put some action behind the empty talk.

 

Also, if we're not ready to compete in the next year or two we might as well re-tank and start selling off guys like Kane, Okposo, O'Reilly, and Pominville now before they turn into pumpkins like Moulson already has.

Seriously? Anyone here tired of losing?

[jsb]

I could see where Pegula was giving full reign to his Hockey Front Office and them bumbling their way out of jobs. If the tank years had worked out to where we received Ekblad and McDavid it would have helped solve our D issue and also getting a real generational player. Eichel is one hell of a player but he's not Connor. I'm still teeter tottering on Samson. 

Then last year happened and it became apparent that the patients had taken over the asylum. He stepped in to straighten things out. So far it looks like he did a nice job stepping in. 

Nolan I'm sure had his feelings hurt by both the standoffish attitude of FGMTM and not feeling appreciated plus feeling like they were blaming him. 

Fact probably is they should have treated him better but fact also is that his time as a high end hockey coach in the NHL is long over. He should have just kept his mouth shut.

[Drunkard]

I think it's funny how hung up people get when Jack (who will always be the most noticeable player on the ice either way based on his skill set and skating style and position) played out the stretch exactly like 95% of his teammates, and like every eliminated player ever has. 

 

Noooooobody caaaaaaaaaaares that Jack didn't play those games like they were playoff games

And he still pumped out 7 points in his last 8 games (2 in last 6 if we want to cherry pick a bad stretch) and 33 shots on goal (or 27 in those 6 games). Mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

I really don't care that he didn't play his hardest at the end of the season when we were already eliminated from playoff contention (at that point I wanted a better draft pick anyway).

 

I'll continue to bring it up whenever I see the constant ball washing of him and what a great competitor he supposedly is though. The excuses are endless. Bad coaching, the pressure of living up to the high expectations placed on him. Even his injury was used for how he ended the season despite the fact that he was on quite a tear when he first came back, so it's a case of it not affecting him then it affecting him again conveniently when the playoff hopes were extinguished. They excuse stuff because of all the pressure on him in one breath then argue he should be captain and have even more pressure on his shoulders in the next breath.

Seriously? Anyone here tired of losing?

 

That was a tongue in cheek comment in response to the idea that we must lock him up for 8 years because we're not going to be truly ready until the back end of his deal. If we're not ready now (or soon), we're sure as hell not going to be ready when Kane is gone, O'Reilly is 30, Okposo is 32, and we have limited space to make improvements because Eichel is earning $10 million and Reinhart is earning $6 million.

Edited July 25, 2017 by Drunkard

[Doohicksie]

Seriously? Anyone here tired of losing?

 

Of course not.  We're Buffalo sports fans.

[Jsixspd]

I wondered what revived this old topic.   

Interesting to hear some tantalizing hints at the rich and unrevealed backstory concerning  PLF from Nolan.  

I will love to hear the full story on PLF's departure someday -it has to come out eventually - and I wager some ham-handed neophyte inexperienced nouveau-riche owners will be the villains of our piece. 

[sabresparaavida]

Seriously? Anyone here tired of losing?

Yes, I am tired of losing. However, with this current roster, I do not see us making it far into the playoffs unless everything goes perfectly like it never does. His idea is decent. If we were to focus on the roster for 19-20 or 20-21, and trade all those for prospects from the first or second rounds, and getting an immense amount of talent down the road to be a cup contender. We already have our franchise player, now we just need the right surrounding cast.

[Eleven]

I wondered what revived this old topic.   

 

Interesting to hear some tantalizing hints at the rich and unrevealed backstory concerning  PLF from Nolan.  

 

I will love to hear the full story on PLF's departure someday -it has to come out eventually - and I wager some ham-handed neophyte inexperienced nouveau-riche owners will be the villains of our piece. 

 

Found PA's understudy for the summer.