Phil Housley — what is this guy's deal?

[Thorner]

Pretty sure he means on purpose.

Yes indeed.

 

I don't think any coach in the league can turn this crap lineup into a winner. This team doesn't have anywhere near the talent of the contending teams. One thing I like to do is take a really good team and go down the lineup player-by-player comparing what we have vs. what they have. Nashville is my other favorite team (season ticket holder for 8 season)... when I look at the Preds, they have 2 goaltenders better than any of the Sabres goalies. They have 4 defensemen better than Risto or anyone else the Sabres have. They have several wingers (Forsberg, Arvidsson, etc.) better than any Sabres winger. They have quality 2-way depth down the middle with Johansen, Bonino, Turris, Jarnkrok and others. Top-to-bottom our talent just doesn't match up. We can do this comparison with any of the better teams (Pittsburgh, Tampa, etc.) and it is obvious that we're nowhere close.

 

IMHO, we have to start drafting defensemen with our first-round picks. Build from the back. Otherwise, we're looking more-and-more like Edmonton 2.0.

Who needs Sergachev when you can have Nylander! /s

[Pokey Jones]

Reinhardt at center is a failure. He does nothing there, total waste of his talent.

What talent?

 

Housley is in a Bylsma dilemna now. He wants to play one way, but he has a team that cannot score under any cirumstances. Will he fall into the same death trap and start making them play a slow grind shut down type game where they will ultimately lose 2-1 constantly.............the future is bleak and it could get really boring.

[bob_sauve28]

What talent?

 

Housley is in a Bylsma dilemna now. He wants to play one way, but he has a team that cannot score under any cirumstances. Will he fall into the same death trap and start making them play a slow grind shut down type game where they will ultimately lose 2-1 constantly.............the future is bleak and it could get really boring.

I think he could be using his forwards better. Matching up ROR against Huberdoe (sic) was a mistake. Samson should be playing with ROR and Okposo and Grigs should be our checking center. I mean what role does he play on this team? Grigs and Poiuliot along with another grinder (Nolan?) would be a tough line to place against freeing up a line to play more offense, O'Reilly seemed trapped in our zone all night by their top line

[Randall Flagg]

I think he could be using his forwards better. Matching up ROR against Huberdoe (sic) was a mistake. Samson should be playing with ROR and Okposo and Grigs should be our checking center. I mean what role does he play on this team? Grigs and Poiuliot along with another grinder (Nolan?) would be a tough line to place against freeing up a line to play more offense, O'Reilly seemed trapped in our zone all night by their top line

Talking more generally, I'm honestly intrigued that he keeps everything together among the forwards so long when the results have been so poor. Maybe he's waiting to finish his "block". 5-7-7 puts us at game 19, so perhaps if we finish game 19 and still have lost more than twice as many games as we've won, he makes changes. But then, that's not exactly the type of "adjustment" that I want a coach doing. It's downright arbitrary. So maybe he thinks the lines are fine and this just is what the team is. Of course, I will be miserable because of how they're currently set, specifically line 1, but who really knows if this is a good idea or not. 

[bob_sauve28]

Talking more generally, I'm honestly intrigued that he keeps everything together among the forwards so long when the results have been so poor. Maybe he's waiting to finish his "block". 5-7-7 puts us at game 19, so perhaps if we finish game 19 and still have lost more than twice as many games as we've won, he makes changes. But then, that's not exactly the type of "adjustment" that I want a coach doing. It's downright arbitrary. So maybe he thinks the lines are fine and this just is what the team is. Of course, I will be miserable because of how they're currently set, specifically line 1, but who really knows if this is a good idea or not.

 

Especially after last night pathetic outcome. Panther worst in the league defensively and they can't get shots?

 

I think the defense is playing well, now the forwards suck? Strange

[GASabresIUFAN]

Pretty sure he means on purpose.

Those are on purpose. Those are specific coaches decisions.

 

But they are also a result of a poorly created roster.

[Thorner]

Those are on purpose. Those are specific coaches decisions.

But they are also a result of a poorly created roster.

You're missing my original point though.

 

A team isn't going to play a young, developing player in a particular position for the reason of intentionally lowering their numbers so they can save some money on their next contract.

 

It's about intent, not purpose. Even in the case of playing Gorges on pair 1, the intention wasn't for him to fail, it was for him to succeed.

Edited November 11, 2017 by Thorny

[GASabresIUFAN]

You're missing my original point though.

A team isn't going to play a young, developing player in a particular position for the reason of intentionally lowering their numbers so they can save some money on their next contract.

It's about intent, not purpose. Even in the case of playing Gorges on pair 1, the intention wasn't for him to fail, it was for him to succeed.

No, but they mis-manage young players all the time which has the same result. Just look at our history. We mis-managed Grigorenko, Girgensons, Pysyk, and now Nylander. Can’t wait to see who we screw up next.

 

This has been one of the negative side effects of the tank. Rushing young players, over playing others, placing vets in roles they shouldn’t be in. Etc...

[Thorner]

No, but they mis-manage young players all the time which has the same result. Just look at our history. We mis-managed Grigorenko, Girgensons, Pysyk, and now Nylander. Can’t wait to see who we screw up next.

This has been one of the negative side effects of the tank. Rushing young players, over playing others, placing vets in roles they shouldn’t be in. Etc...

I agree with you there.

[Pokey Jones]

It's hard to point to a specific problem when the real answer to what is wrong with this team is everything. 

[Kruppstahl]

In another month or so, this team is going to quit if they have not done so already....once it is obvious there is no way in hell they can make the playoffs, it will get a lot uglier than it is now. If you can imagine that.

 

What happens to Housley then? 

 

How is the organization going to let this play out?  

 

When does Pegula snap and want to fire someone?

 

Do Bots and Phil have Pegula's total support?  Is he OK with us being this bad, again?

 

I guess we will find out.

[Pokey Jones]

No more days off after single wins. No more light practices to reward meager effort. Time to call people out and clamp down hard. Work them all and anybody who quits on that gets shipped out of town. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

The only way to fix this mess is to build it properly. The first step is to support Housley. Like it or not the inmates can no longer run the asylum. Anyone who doesn’t get on board, Jbot needs to ship out.

 

The sad part is when we tanked we had real players to trade. Players who knew how to win. Roy, Miller, Pommers, Vanek, and Goose. What assets do we have to move out now? Kane, Lehner, Reinhart?

[Randall Flagg]

The only way to fix this mess is to build it properly. The first step is to support Housley. Like it or not the inmates can no longer run the asylum. Anyone who doesn’t get on board, Jbot needs to ship out.

 

The sad part is when we tanked we had real players to trade. Players who knew how to win. Roy, Miller, Pommers, Vanek, and Goose. What assets do we have to move out now? Kane, Lehner, Reinhart?

Uh, wasn't the whole point of ALL of this that those guys didn't know how to win?

[GASabresIUFAN]

Uh, wasn't the whole point of ALL of this that those guys didn't know how to win?

They knew how to win, but once Drury, Briere and Campbell were gone, we had a decent team without enough depth to get back to a championship level.

 

When Derek Roy goes from being your 3rd center to your first and you have no in the pipeline to fill the roles vacated by the Roy’s elevation and Connolly’s injuries, the team was DOA.

[Pokey Jones]

The only way to fix this mess is to build it properly. The first step is to support Housley. Like it or not the inmates can no longer run the asylum. Anyone who doesn’t get on board, Jbot needs to ship out.

 

The sad part is when we tanked we had real players to trade. Players who knew how to win. Roy, Miller, Pommers, Vanek, and Goose. What assets do we have to move out now? Kane, Lehner, Reinhart?

I agree with the first part. I've said all along Housley has to be given a vote of confidence. the players have to be told he isn't going anywhere and it's them that have to step up and deliver or be gone.

 

As for that list of players who knew how to win, I'd say only Goose fits that label. Everyone else on that list has underperformed to the expectations teams that got them have had, especially in the playoffs. 

 

Yes, Kane, Lehner and Reinhart are your most valuable trade commodities, although I doubt Reinhart gets you much at this stage. 

[dudacek]

Coaches get fired when:

1) they lose the players

2) they lose the GM

3) ownership feeds a sacrifice to the fan base.

 

Housley was handpicked to develop the players, change the culture and implement a particular style of play.

No one should pass judgment on his success or failure in 20 games. It takes that long just to judge the roster.

Botterill is a patient man.

 

There is no way Phil is fired this season.

[Stoner]

Coaches get fired when:

1) they lose the players

2) they lose the GM

3) ownership feeds a sacrifice to the fan base.

 

Housley was handpicked to develop the players, change the culture and implement a particular style of play.

No one should pass judgment on his success or failure in 20 games. It takes that long just to judge the roster.

Botterill is a patient man.

 

There is no way Phil is fired this season.

Probably all true. But there was no way Murray was being fired after last season. Bylsma getting only two years also would have been inconceivable when he was hired.

[Marvelo]

No, but they mis-manage young players all the time which has the same result. Just look at our history. We mis-managed Grigorenko, Girgensons, Pysyk, and now Nylander. Can’t wait to see who we screw up next.

 

This has been one of the negative side effects of the tank. Rushing young players, over playing others, placing vets in roles they shouldn’t be in. Etc...

 

1. Eichel and Reinhart.

 

2. Buffalo sports will be cursed until the Pegulas leave town. 

Edited November 12, 2017 by Marvelo

[Pokey Jones]

I'm getting tired of his positive attitude post gamers. It looks like he is pampering fragile egos, and if that's the case, I'd prefer they shipped these fragile boys out instead of mollycoddling them.  Take a lesson from Babcock, he don't put up with fragile egos and he gets results. 

[Stoner]

The head-scratchers continue. Last night, when asked by Hammy about Kane's goal getting called back and whether he would like to see kicked goals count, he said yes. And added in batted goals. This is awful. Can you imagine three or four Sabres in the crease all kicking away at a loose puck, arms flailing in case the puck hops up, and still not scoring?

 

Edited November 19, 2017 by PASabreFan

[inkman]

The head-scratchers continue. Last night, when asked by Hammy about Kane's goal getting called back and whether he would like to see kicked goals count, he said yes. And added in batted goals. This is awful. Can you imagine three or four Sabres in the crease all kicking away at a loose puck, arms flailing in case the puck hops up, and still not scoring?

Maybe he's being facetious. Cuz no hockey person on Earth would think let alone talk like that.

[Stoner]

Maybe he's being facetious. Cuz no hockey person on Earth would think let alone talk like that.

No way. He had that stone cold hockey coach look right out of central casting. I wonder how many concussions he suffered.

 

If they ever allow kicking and batting goals, I am out.

[inkman]

No way. He had that stone cold hockey coach look right out of central casting. I wonder how many concussions he suffered.

 

If they ever allow kicking and batting goals, I am out.

First and foremost it's a player safety concern. With all the limbs and skates flailing, someone is destined for a serious injury. We've already seen two horrific injuries on Buffalo ice, they would go up 10 fold. It's something a know nothing dem dere dose piece of white trash would suggest for hockey. Not something a veteran of the league and international player would ever contemplate. Some things wrong in Denmark.