Have the Sabres ever had a great GM?

[tom webster]

First, I want to say how much I appreciate the passion and knowledge of most of the posters on this site.

Second, as a numbers guy myself I appreciate the effort put in to the research and dedication that goes into your work.

However, most general managers don't do their teams drafting, and almost none of them do any of the drafting after round 1. They might be the ultimate decision maker but it's based almost entirely on reports they receive from their staffs. It is one of the things that GMTM hated and a big reason he took a more active role in last years drafts.

As for the graphs and numbers, they are nice when assessing value over a period of time but these picks aren't made in a vacuum.

Take for instance, the first round picks that someone posted that the Sabres made from 1999 through 2004. The first four players were washouts and would seem to indicate a huge failure on the Sabres part, until you look at those draft years and see that they had little to none better alternatives. The fifth pick, Keith Ballard was actually a very good pick who later was a big part of the Chris Drury trade.

Edited June 26, 2017 by tom webster

[Weave]

First, I want to say how much I appreciate the passion and knowledge of most of the posters on this site.

Second, as a numbers guy myself I appreciate the effort put in to the research and dedication that goes into your work.

However, most general managers don't do their teams drafting, and almost none of them do any of the drafting after round 1. They might be the ultimate decision maker but it's based almost entirely on reports they receive from their staffs. It is one of the things that GMTM hated and a big reason he took a more active role in last years drafts.

As for the graphs and numbers, they are nice when assessing value over a period of time but these picks aren't made in a vacuum.

Take for instance, the first round picks that someone posted that the Sabres made from 1999 through 2004. The first four players were washouts and would seem to indicate a huge failure on the Sabres part, until you look at those draft years and see that they had little to none better alternatives. The fifth pick, Keith Ballard was actually a very good pick who later was a big part of the Chris Drury trade.

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  You've told me I'm wrong twice.  :D

[tom webster]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You've told me I'm wrong twice. :D

Sorry about that, seemed appropriate in this case.

Edited June 27, 2017 by tom webster