WTF is wrong with this team?

[Pokey Jones]

They were given Crosby in a rigged lottery to save the franchise from bankruptcy

And Toronto got Matthews cause they are the centre of the hockey universe and we all know McDavid HAD to stay in Canada. 

 

I'm thinking the cancer man from the x-files hates the Sabres as well as the Bills. 

[LGR4GM]

And Toronto got Matthews cause they are the centre of the hockey universe and we all know McDavid HAD to stay in Canada. 

 

I'm thinking the cancer man from the x-files hates the Sabres as well as the Bills. 

No, the Pens got Crosby to save their franchise. I didn't say anything about the rest of those lotteries, just one in particular. 

[Swedesessed]

They were given Crosby in a rigged lottery to save the franchise from bankruptcy

 

 

I agree with this 100 percent

And Toronto got Matthews cause they are the centre of the hockey universe and we all know McDavid HAD to stay in Canada. 

 

I'm thinking the cancer man from the x-files hates the Sabres as well as the Bills. 

 

I truly believe that Bettman and his cronies messed up the McDavid fix and missed it: They wanted CM in Toronto and they missed by 1.

 

The objective though was clear: Ensure Buffalo does NOT get Connor.

 

How DARE the Sabres tank. I'll show em.

 

Toronto tanks? Odds get worse to get #1 pick? No problem! They win Austin Matthews lottery with EASE.

Edited November 6, 2017 by (E5)

[LTS]

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Good!!

 

My Alcoa stock should be going up.

[Wyldnwoody44]

We need to bring back cigarettes and wing buffets.... Get rid of the strap tie down rule, and make the seats orange.

 

 

Oh wait, have I aged that much

[Drunkard]

 

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean somebody isn't out to get you.

[Stoner]

Well it's not like there's going to be a run on foil for homemade Stanley Cups next spring. Might as well put it to good use.

[3putt]

Well not in Buffalo but Las Vegas has the potential.

[Weave]

Where have we heard this before?

 

Reported on twitter

Ryan O’Reilly admits Sabres are a “little fragile,” expects leaders (including himself) to start carrying team more.

Again, problems with the core and leadership on this team. Edited November 7, 2017 by We've

[Stoner]

Where have we heard this before?

Millsie?

[Weave]

Millsie?

Yup.

 

Who blasts ROR for saying it this time?

[Stoner]

Yup.

 

Who blasts ROR for saying it this time?

I always blasted Miller for his team critiques, because I never thought it was the goalie's place. It's the captain's place, or the coach's place, or the GM's place. Is ROR de facto captain?

[Doohicksie]

Jack needs to just say, " it!  Follow me, boys!" and seize this team by the nads.

[GASabresIUFAN]

At this point Housley should tell them to relax, play the system and go have fun. They look like they aren’t having any fun. I hate to say this, but “results” don’t mean anything anymore. The mission now is to get better, work as a group, have fun and let the results take care of themselves.

 

This season has deteriorated so quickly that there is no “bad” ending to this season. If they find their game and have a run to the playoffs, great! That means the system is working and the team is making forward progress. If they stink for the rest of the campaign, this is also a reasonable result. Our talent needs an upgrade and a top 5 player, maybe even a top 3 player would be a most welcome addition and it will give Jbot the opportunity to further clean house.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Millsie?

 

Didn't Lehner give them a blast last year?

[LTS]

Where have we heard this before?

 

Reported on twitter

Again, problems with the core and leadership on this team.

 

Wait.  ROR saying it doesn't mean its him.  You could very easily interpret that as there are players on this team that are fragile and the leaders are going to have to carry the team more [than they should have to].

 

I don't see ROR quitting and being fragile.  More often than not he's the guy who has responded as the team slips away. 

 

Eichel might be the fragile one here.  He's the one who you can see stop trying at times and look to the rafters as through he's asking the kid above with the Xbox controller why he made him miss a goal.

[DarthEbriate]

Finish your check, Chewie. But don't look like you're trying to finish your check. I don't know; skate casual!

[Thorner]

At this point Housley should tell them to relax, play the system and go have fun. They look like they aren’t having any fun. I hate to say this, but “results” don’t mean anything anymore. The mission now is to get better, work as a group, have fun and let the results take care of themselves.

This season has deteriorated so quickly that there is no “bad” ending to this season. If they find their game and have a run to the playoffs, great! That means the system is working and the team is making forward progress. If they stink for the rest of the campaign, this is also a reasonable result. Our talent needs an upgrade and a top 5 player, maybe even a top 3 player would be a most welcome addition and it will give Jbot the opportunity to further clean house.

I don't like the odds that yet another high pick somehow this time is the tipping point for success. If we are bad enough to get that pick, it says a lot about what we currently have, and I'm not very hopeful come draft time.

[GASabresIUFAN]

I don't like the odds that yet another high pick somehow this time is the tipping point for success. If we are bad enough to get that pick, it says a lot about what we currently have, and I'm not very hopeful come draft time.

That is my point.  This season can't get any worse. We are already in 29th place right now).  If things don't get better, that tells us the state of our franchise, confirms the lack of talent, Jbot gets the mandate to do what he needs to do with the franchise, we get a top 5 pick and if really lucky we get a guy who can step into the lineup next season.  At worst, maybe we draft the D I have been asking for for years.  I don't think it will be the tipping point for our success but it would really help our pipeline, especially if Jbot can turn Kane into a could of good young players (and or another 1st rd pick) like Sakic did with Duchene.

 

Think of it this way.  Here is how the next wave of talent is shaping up

G: Ullmark - who looks like the real deal

D: Guhle  - who is beginning to play very well in Roch

F: Mittelstud, Nylander (who is very talented, just needs to get healthy), Asplund (3rd line center of the future?), and Pu

 

Now add a top 5 pick to this group, maybe another 1st rounder (for Kane), and maybe Baptiste, Bailey, and even Smith or Malone become solid depth forwards.  Add another D to the mix and you could really have something by 2019.

 

On the other hand, if these guys get it together and surge from here, then we know the system works, Housley can coach and the next wave enhances an already decent core.  

 

My bet is on scenario No. 1, but they have fooled me before.

Edited November 7, 2017 by GASabresIUFAN

[Weave]

Wait.  ROR saying it doesn't mean its him.  You could very easily interpret that as there are players on this team that are fragile and the leaders are going to have to carry the team more [than they should have to].

 

I don't see ROR quitting and being fragile.  More often than not he's the guy who has responded as the team slips away. 

 

Eichel might be the fragile one here.  He's the one who you can see stop trying at times and look to the rafters as through he's asking the kid above with the Xbox controller why he made him miss a goal.

 

I'm not assuming ROR called himself fragile, although it wouldn't surprise me if he is.  I'm pointing out that we now have another player, in another generation of the team, saying that his teammates are fragile.  Last time we had this, Goose, Roy, Vanek, and Pommer were moved in an attempt to rid us of players with fragile psyches.  I can only assume we have another weak core.

[Pokey Jones]

Of course we have a weak core. Do we even have a core? This is what I call the "culture". Bodies change but it goes on and on. I can't figure it out, but it's real. As my wife says to me now if I complain about them to her "it's the Sabres, what did you expect?"

[Weave]

That is my point.  This season can't get any worse. We are already in 29th place right now).  If things don't get better, that tells us the state of our franchise, confirms the lack of talent, Jbot gets the mandate to do what he needs to do with the franchise, we get a top 5 pick and if really lucky we get a guy who can step into the lineup next season.  At worst, maybe we draft the D I have been asking for for years.  I don't think it will be the tipping point for our success but it would really help our pipeline, especially if Jbot can turn Kane into a could of good young players like Sakic did with Duchene.

 

Think of it this way.  Here is how the next wave of talent is shaping up

G: Ullmark - who looks like the real deal

D: Guhle  - who is beginning to play very well in Roch

F: Mittelstud, Nylander (who is very talented, just needs to get healthy), Asplund (3rd line center of the future?), and Pu

Now add a top 5 pick to this group, maybe another 1st rounder (for Kane), and maybe Baptiste, Bailey, and even Smith or Malone become solid depth forwards.  Add another D to the mix and you could have something by 2019.

 

On the other hand, if these guys get it together and surge from here, then we know the system works, Housley can coach and the next wave enhances an already decent core.  

 

My bet is on scenario No. 1, but they have fooled me before.

 

I'm not half as optimistic about the next wave as you are.  Ullmark is inconsistent enough to be a real question mark.  Guhle... I'll give you that one.  Mittlestsad, we are exhibiting the same irrational exhuberance we did for Reinhart.  Let's see how it goes.  Nylander has shown exaclty zero so far to indicate he is part of the solution.  And Bailey, Baptiste, Smith and Malone might, just might, produce one good bottom sixer for a good team.

[Pokey Jones]

I'm not half as optimistic about the next wave as you are.  Ullmark is inconsistent enough to be a real question mark.  Guhle... I'll give you that one.  Mittlestsad, we are exhibiting the same irrational exhuberance we did for Reinhart.  Let's see how it goes.  Nylander has shown exaclty zero so far to indicate he is part of the solution.  And Bailey, Baptiste, Smith and Malone might, just might, produce one good bottom sixer for a good team.

Totally agree. The Middlestadt expectations are way way too high. I think he could be decent, but he is years away from being great, if ever. I'm not totally giving up on Nylander though. I think he might turn out to be a soft floater but he still might become an equivalent of a young Pominville. 

[Thorner]

That is my point.  This season can't get any worse. We are already in 29th place right now).  If things don't get better, that tells us the state of our franchise, confirms the lack of talent, Jbot gets the mandate to do what he needs to do with the franchise, we get a top 5 pick and if really lucky we get a guy who can step into the lineup next season.  At worst, maybe we draft the D I have been asking for for years.  I don't think it will be the tipping point for our success but it would really help our pipeline, especially if Jbot can turn Kane into a could of good young players (and or another 1st rd pick) like Sakic did with Duchene.

 

Think of it this way.  Here is how the next wave of talent is shaping up

G: Ullmark - who looks like the real deal

D: Guhle  - who is beginning to play very well in Roch

F: Mittelstud, Nylander (who is very talented, just needs to get healthy), Asplund (3rd line center of the future?), and Pu

 

Now add a top 5 pick to this group, maybe another 1st rounder (for Kane), and maybe Baptiste, Bailey, and even Smith or Malone become solid depth forwards.  Add another D to the mix and you could really have something by 2019.

 

On the other hand, if these guys get it together and surge from here, then we know the system works, Housley can coach and the next wave enhances an already decent core.  

 

My bet is on scenario No. 1, but they have fooled me before.

Good post.

 

It's just tough to get excited about the likelihood of those up-and-comers you listed having the ability to jumpstart a resurgence. As you said, they've fooled us before.

 

What are your thoughts on ROR? Do you expect his contract to be burdensome by the time we are competing? Okposo's will be a burden almost certainly. How do we expect to compete when we are currently in a seemingly unending cycle of debilitating contracts? A ground up refresh like the scenario you outlined seems doomed to fail with those potential troubles on the horizon.

 

If we are yet again planning for the future, to my mind we should be shedding the RORs, Okposos, and Kanes.