Tank 3.0

[Weave]

Anything but the playoffs next year is a failure

 

That's the spirit!

 

Feck yo 5 year plan!

[#freejame]

That's the spirit!

 

Feck yo 5 year plan!

Year One: Samson

Year Two: Jack

Year Three: Matthews/Laine/Poolparty

Year Four: Bubble/Playoffs

Year Five: STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!

 

Stay the path

[Weave]

Year One: Samson

Year Two: Jack

Year Three: Matthews/Laine/Poolparty

Year Four: Bubble/Playoffs

Year Five: STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!

 

Stay the path

 

We are in year 3 now.  Next year must be a playoffs year.  Pretty much what I said.

[#freejame]

We are in year 3 now.  Next year must be a playoffs year.  Pretty much what I said.

I'm fine being on the bubble next year. I'd rather steady build like we have been than to throw a wrench in the mix and hope to be in the playoffs next year. The point I was making is I'm fine with missing next season, so long as we are contending for a spot. 

[Crusader1969]

This team has turned out far worse than expected. It will be interesting to see what a non-Regier will do.

 

then who expected? team is right on pace to what I expected and most prognosticators.

[Marvelo]

This team is going through growing pains. They're relying heavily on young vets who were traditionally 2nd or 3rd bananas where they came from and now have to  be stars. Maybe they just aren't. Many of these were unhappy where they came from and were either injured, flawed or inconsistent hockey players. And they're also relying very heavily on the very young guys who are barely out of boyhood. These players, playing a boy vs. man game for the first time on an almost nightly basis, have and will be having serious, long-lasting and recurrent injuries because many youngsters are not in synch yet. All because the Sabres are trying to throw together a team that's supposed erase two years of unfathomable incompetence.

 

I wish we could fast-forward the Sabres about 2-3 years down the road instead of watching this trainwreck. But it won't matter because this organization has a long history of mismanagement and I don't think that's going to end soon.

[Jsixspd]

So team improves from 52 to 73 points this year. Next year, say  they improve to 87 points but don't make playoffs and you are ready to fire people?

IF they improve to 87 points, that would be awesome.  I had figured them to be around 80 points THIS season, given that they are playing to win, instead of playing to lose, and we spent a ton of money on talent.  

 

I will be disappointed with only ~70 point finish, no matter how it's spun as 'improvement'. 

 

Hell, last years team should have made 60-65 points if management was trying to win - and that was a team of slugs.  

Just having "CoHo" on the roster will shave 5 points off a team's annual total

Last year's team is the only team this year's team should be compared to because, well, it's the best way of showing their improvement. You are right, we were historically bad this year and it takes time to improve upon that. If our record were six points better but our numbers are in a similar to last year, are we any better of a team or is the league worse? We should be measuring our play to that of last year to see the areas we've improved and where we still have to get better. 

 

I've seen this said several times. What should we be comparing the team to? If you compare it to other rebuilds we're doing pretty good and fitting a timetable. You said it yourself, you expected to finish with around 80 points and be around 20th. Why does it matter if 80 points gets you last place if you improved 26 points? 

 

Compare this year's team to last year's team and our rebuild to the successful rebuilds we've been modeling. We're improving. We were the worst team ever last year and now we're a bad NHL team. Next year we'll be a bubble team and then we'll be a playoff team. Standings don't matter this year, improving every aspect of our team does (which the stats pretty much say we have). 

I think the important point being missed here - this was a team that management was structuring to intentionally tank via player movement/player selection.  That's keeping the final points scored artificially low

 

How many points would the team have scored had management (GMTM) wanted to win every possible game?  60, 65?   IF that's the case, then a 70 point finish equals a 5 to 10 point improvement over 2014-2015. It's an improvement,  but a disappointing one.    I figured with better players, better coaching, and management wanting to win, we'd hit 80 points this year.  

 

Just saying - to me - a 70-73 point finish will be disappointing - and it's still bottom of the NHL barrel level stuff.   

Edited February 12, 2016 by Jsixspd

[Weave]

I think the important point being missed here - this was a team that management was structuring to intentionally tank via player movement/player selection.  That's keeping the final points scored artificially low

 

How many points would the team have scored had management (GMTM) wanted to win every possible game?  60, 65?   IF that's the case, then a 70 point finish equals a 5 to 10 point improvement over 2014-2015. It's an improvement,  but a disappointing one.    I figured with better players, better coaching, and management wanting to win, we'd hit 80 points this year.  

 

Just saying - to me - a 70-73 point finish will be disappointing - and it's still bottom of the NHL barrel level stuff.   

 

I agree with these points.  This was a season where we were not supposed to be intentionally bad.  And he we are on the cusp of 30 out of 30.  I'm disappointed.

[Crusader1969]

I agree with these points.  This was a season where we were not supposed to be intentionally bad.  And he we are on the cusp of 30 out of 30.  I'm disappointed.

 

 

I can definitely see why you would be disappointed but they have a 19 year old with 16G, a 20 year old with 16G a 21 year old Dman who is considered one of the best up and coming players in the league. They have an All-star center who I believe is 24.

 

The have 2 other Dmen in their top 4/5 who are playing in their first full season in the NHL. They lost their starting Goalie in Game 1. They lost their top point getter from last season (who scored 20 Goals on a really really bad team) for most of the season.

 

They don't have any depth currently but have 4 or 5 prospects who should fill these rolls in next year or two. (Guhle, Bailey, Fasching, Baptiste and Borgen).

 

they have a good possibility of adding 1 of the 5 players in this years draft that I believe strongly will have an immediate impact in the NHL next season.

 

Sorry I can't be disappointed, no matter where they finish in the standings, if they reach the 75(ish) point total this season. 

[WildCard]

Still though, playoffs or bust. 

[Weave]

Still though, playoffs or bust. 

 

Yup. Suffering started during the 2012-13 season.  Get them in the playoffs, or get out.

[TrueBlueGED]

I didn't know where else to put this, but it's too comical not to have somewhere: 

 

Mike Harrington ‏@BNHarrington  34m34 minutes ago

Mike Harrington Retweeted BuffChris

They did. My point is I don't believe #Leafs are tanking. Maybe it's no one will come close to sham #Sabres pulled.

Mike Harrington added,

BuffChris @BuffChris11

@BNHarrington cmon, Sabres won games while tanking, right?

 

How can any NHL observer from planet Earth think the Leafs are doing anything other than tanking? It's very bit as blatant as our tank! The only difference is they have a real coach.

[Crusader1969]

Big games that involve two teams who are very much alive in the BIG 3 sweepstakes this week:

 

Monday Feb 15th

Montreal vs Arizona

Minnesota vs Vancouver

 

Tuesday Feb 16th

Buffalo vs Ottawa

 

Wed Feb 17th

Minnesota vs Calgary

 

Thursday Feb 18th

Minnesota vs Edmonton

 

Friday Feb 19th

Buffalo vs Columbus

Philadelphia vs Montreal

Vancouver vs Calgary

 

Saturday Feb 20th

Philadelphia vs Toronto

[Crusader1969]

serious question.

 

With 25 games to go, what is the better scenario for you?

 

1) Sabres win 15 of last 25 games - "learn to win" as they say. End up with the 10th pick in the draft

 

2) Sabres win 10 of last 25 games -  finish 4th last and draft between 1 and 5. (assuming no more than 1 team below you moves up in lottery) and add another elite talent to your team?

 

wanted to add a poll but have no idea how to do it!

[Randall Flagg]

Choice (1) for me.

[Weave]

Just win, baby.

[inkman]

I think GMTM moves something along the lines of Legwand, Weber, McGinn and another surprise player at the deadline. That alone should render this team bottom 5 material. The already lack defensive depth and if they have to roll out Colo and Donovan for the last 20 games, it could get ugly.

[Weave]

I think GMTM moves something along the lines of Legwand, Weber, McGinn and another surprise player at the deadline. That alone should render this team bottom 5 material. The already lack defensive depth and if they have to roll out Colo and Donovan for the last 20 games, it could get ugly.

 

Minimal defensive depth.  NO depth at all on the wing.  Colo in and McGinn out will destroy this teams' chances of winning on any given night.  

[GoPre]

I think GMTM moves something along the lines of Legwand, Weber, McGinn and another surprise player at the deadline. That alone should render this team bottom 5 material. The already lack defensive depth and if they have to roll out Colo and Donovan for the last 20 games, it could get ugly.

 

I agree w/ what you have to say. Murray put the ball in Bylsma's court. More or less said If the Sabres near contention for a playoff spot, he will buy. If not, he'll sell. But gotta be realistic. The Sabres will not be in contention for a playoff spot, so the decision has already been made. Could check Sabrespace later on today and see a trade went down. Next 2 weeks will be very interesting. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I want the Sabres to win every single game they play.

[Hoss]

Wherever this team ends up it's already an immense improvement. Something I hope the players aren't satisfied with but understand the importance of.

In 57 games they've matched the point total from two seasons ago. One more win or two OT points and they match last year's, likely in at least 20 fewer games.

They're on pace for 75 points - a 21 point improvement over last season and 23 point improvement over the season before that.

Ryan O'Reilly is on pace for 70 points which hasn't happened for Buffalo four years.

Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel are two rookies on pace for 24 goals each. The last time the team had TWO rookies over 20 goals? NEVER.

Risto is on pace for 47 points. The last time they happened for a dman was Tyler Myers in 09-10.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I think Gare and McNab both scored 20+ goals in 1974/75.

[sabresith]

#2) Tank on and get me a Finn to play Jack's wing. It doesn't have to be a full on tank. Just enough losing to get a top three pick.

[Hoss]

I think Gare and McNab both scored 20+ goals in 1974/75.

Currently debating this on Twitter. McNab isn't listed as a rookie that season by multiple sites I've found. He played 22 games in 73/74, but the CURRENT rookie definition says you can't play in 25 games. My guess is the definition was different then.

Either way it doesn't make it any less impressive.

[jwdilly]

Got off a plane from Boston an hour ago and Cam Neely was flying into town. Waiting for our luggage I asked him if he was in town to pull off a trade and he just laughed it off and kept walking. Not sure why else he would be in town on an off day. Any rumors out there?