Tank 3.0

[Hoss]

Ted Black once said it takes a million little things to win. So it must take a million little things to lose. Tinfoil time! Moulson on the top line. Gionta's minutes and usage. Bizarre, hopeless challenges. Ramrodding Lehner into the lineup when the team was heating up. (Hell, even playing Lehner again last night was tank-y, despite how well he ended up playing.)

 

Enjoy... Next year, though. Gloves are off!

Here ya go:

 

[WildCard]

Shhhhh it's a secret club this year. I'll pm you the password.

:lol: :lol:

[Stoner]

Does anyone else think based on Lehner's play the last two games we would have more wins if he didn't get hurt?

You mean the guy with no wins?

[clintwestwood]

You mean the guy with no wins?

No, I mean the guy who plays lights out and get no goal support. Can't pin a lack of offense on Lehner. Even that second goal last night, not his fault they left Zetterberg completely alone. Lehner had made almost 40 saves before the first goal. Sabres didn't even manage 20.

[woods-racer]

There have been some comparisons between Chicago's First Year Post Sucking and the Sabres, in which Hawks finished with 88 Points, while the Sabres are on pace of 73. The season prior to drafting Kane, the Hawks finished with 71 points good for 27th and won the lottery.

 

They improved by 17 points. If the Sabres finish around 73 points, they would be approximately the same number of points in improvement. Now if the Sabres can show the same improvements in winning The Cup, we will be in business

 

IIRC the Penguins had 58 points the first year Crosby played. The following year they made the playoffs.

 

58-88 points in the mark when out of the tank and into the build up. We are dead center of the bulls eye.

[Crusader1969]

You mean the guy with no wins?

 

 

you skipped right over my question. What would you have done different with the line-up last night?

[Stoner]

you skipped right over my question. What would you have done different with the line-up last night?

I don't know. I'm not a much ballyhooed Stanley Cup winning coach who makes millions to figure it out. Moulson wouldn't have been on my top line. The injury excuse is just a lame one. Teams do still score goals when good players are hurt.

[Crusader1969]

Does anyone else think based on Lehner's play the last two games we would have more wins if he didn't get hurt?

 

They are who they are. The team is a huge improvement over last years but still doesn't have the depth to be a Stanley Cup nor even a playoff contender.

 

Im hoping they finish in the bottom 5 - pick up another high end prospect in the draft. Next year we make the next jump in the progression to at least a play-off contender.

 

I want them to trade Johnson, McGinn and Weber. I want them replaced with young prospects and/or draft picks. 

 

I want Lehner to play the majority of games for the rest of the season.

 

I want the core-guys to put up points but I don't care if the Sabres win or not on a game to game basis, though I do want them to get at least 70 points.

 

I want any team near them in the standings to win. so today i am hoping for wins by Columbus, Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton

 

Does this make me a tanker? If so, I'll lead the charge. 

[LGR4GM]

Tank, deliberately icing a team that is the worse possible by purposely trading all veterans of value and keeping young players in lower leagues if possible. The purpose being to draft as high as possible.

 

This isn't a tank. This is a team learning and growing that lacks depth. I actually find the title is this thread offensive because it's not what's happening.

[Thorner]

why not tell us what you would have done?

 

who would you have put on the top 6 to replace Reinhart? here are your choices - Gionta 5 goals, Moulson 4 goals, Foligno 3 goals, Larsson 1 goal., Maybe another call up from Roch?

 

the team has scored 2 goals in the last 2 games -  are saying that because they put in Lehner in the net over Johnson they forgot how to score?

 

the Sabres would have to go 12-22 to only reach 65 points and all loses would have to be in Regulation. I don't see them being that bad. 

 

Even if they do only reach 65 - why the blanket statement that it means they wont make playoffs in following season?

 

I just think that to jump from something like 65 points to 90+ to make the playoffs next year, would be unlikely. You just don't see it happening very much.

 

If we were for instance to somehow get to 80 points this year, it would mean we were coming together as a team and having guys produce. Whether it's the rookies taking further strides, the younger core players like Kane and Ennis and Girgensons (the later two coming back from injuries) upping their point production, or the vets coming to life a bit. That to me would put us in a much better position for next year, if we started to see some real strides forward by our current team. We have most of the pieces already, I would rather finish 5th last and take our chances in the lottery, than 30th again (which would still require us to take our chances in the lottery anyways).

 

Tank, deliberately icing a team that is the worse possible by purposely trading all veterans of value and keeping young players in lower leagues if possible. The purpose being to draft as high as possible.

 

This isn't a tank. This is a team learning and growing that lacks depth. I actually find the title is this thread offensive because it's not what's happening.

 

I agree.

[JJFIVEOH]

Does anyone else think based on Lehner's play the last two games we would have more wins if he didn't get hurt?

 

Chad's got a .936 save percentage over the last three months. I don't think it could get much better.

[Brawndo]

IIRC the Penguins had 58 points the first year Crosby played. The following year they made the playoffs.

 

58-88 points in the mark when out of the tank and into the build up. We are dead center of the bulls eye.

 

 

And that is with Crosby having 102 points that season 

[qwksndmonster]

I don't know. I'm not a much ballyhooed Stanley Cup winning coach who makes millions to figure it out. Moulson wouldn't have been on my top line. The injury excuse is just a lame one. Teams do still score goals when good players are hurt.

I am down on Bylsma as well, but come on. The team is banged up.

 

And blaming Lehner for not having any wins? Did you watch those games?

[Weave]

I don't think this is a tank, I do think this is a bad team that was put together.  In my eyes, some of the shine has come off GMTM.  We shouldn't be a 29th place team.  GMTM said he doesn't believe in 5 year rebuilds.  We are in the middle of season 3.  This team should be further along.

[Hoss]

When I hear "we don't do five year rebuilds" I think he means you don't have to wait five years to see meaningful improvement. That's already happening...

 

This team is bad but they were historically bad with maybe four worthwhile players on the entire team after last season. You can't fill 19 holes in one offseason.

[TrueBlueGED]

When I hear "we don't do five year rebuilds" I think he means you don't have to wait five years to see meaningful improvement. That's already happening...

 

This team is bad but they were historically bad with maybe four worthwhile players on the entire team after last season. You can't fill 19 holes in one offseason.

Agreed. It's a matter of perspective, but to me this is really year one of the rebuild. The last two years were just a teardown.

[Hoss]

Agreed. It's a matter of perspective, but to me this is really year one of the rebuild. The last two years were just a teardown.

I see this year as year two. He took over halfway through the Reinhart year, so it's a stretch to consider that. I think Murray would like say the same thing.

[Stoner]

I am down on Bylsma as well, but come on. The team is banged up.

 

And blaming Lehner for not having any wins? Did you watch those games?

Playing well and winning are two different things. Sometimes the goalie has to pitch a shutout. Larkin's bad angle swipe can't go in off the inside of your pad late in a scoreless game. His reaction was pretty telling. I have no problem with Lehner. I was reacting to the comment that the Sabres would have had more wins this season if Lehner hadn't been hurt.

[Weave]

When I hear "we don't do five year rebuilds" I think he means you don't have to wait five years to see meaningful improvement. That's already happening...

 

This team is bad but they were historically bad with maybe four worthwhile players on the entire team after last season. You can't fill 19 holes in one offseason.

 

Was his response re: 5 year rebuilds not a direct shot at Darcy's timeline?  I think his statements suggested a top conference team in 5 years, not a meaningfully improved one, whatever that is.

[Stoner]

Was his response re: 5 year rebuilds not a direct shot at Darcy's timeline?  I think his statements suggested a top conference team in 5 years, not a meaningfully improved one, whatever that is.

I agree. There's no way Murray would accept this kind of lowered expectation. Five years to be better? No way. IIRC he said something to the effect that he could have a five-year rebuild to ensure job security, but he didn't want that.

[qwksndmonster]

Playing well and winning are two different things. Sometimes the goalie has to pitch a shutout. Larkin's bad angle swipe can't go in off the inside of your pad late in a scoreless game. His reaction was pretty telling. I have no problem with Lehner. I was reacting to the comment that the Sabres would have had more wins this season if Lehner hadn't been hurt.

Sometimes the goalie has to pitch a shutout? Yeah ok.

[Weave]

I agree. There's no way Murray would accept this kind of lowered expectation. Five years to be better? No way. IIRC he said something to the effect that he could have a five-year rebuild to ensure job security, but he didn't want that.

 

That is what I remember as well.

[Stoner]

Sometimes the goalie has to pitch a shutout? Yeah ok.

See Hasek, Dominik, 70 saves.

[Crusader1969]

Not a bad night for the Sabres. Leafs and Blue Jackets with a point an dDucks with a win. Only the Jets with a regulation loss so far.

 

Now lets Go Oilers! 

[LGR4GM]

Playing well and winning are two different things. Sometimes the goalie has to pitch a shutout. Larkin's bad angle swipe can't go in off the inside of your pad late in a scoreless game. His reaction was pretty telling.

 

See Hasek, Dominik, 70 saves.