Can This Franchise Be Saved? How Long Will It Take?

[LGR4GM]

There are blips of promise, and while some were really down on Botterill's first draft, I thought he took smart moves early and a few bigger risks later on. I liked it. Though in the past I can contradict myself liking some of Murray's draft groups.

I only really disliked 1 think Botterill did. His 3rd pick. That said everything else looks good.

[Doohicksie]

Nevada, Florida, Texas, and Tennessee can sign players to lesser deals and players net the same as they would in states like New York and California. Can be as much as 8-10% savings. So in essence, a team like Tampa Bay can sign another player for say 6-7 million that teams from higher tax states cannot. I believe this was a factor as to why Stamkos was able to stay in TB and take less. He truly isn't netting less.

 

If Uncle Gary wants to sell this hard cap idea, change the scale so teams like Buffalo aren't hurt by it.

 

Larry Brooks from the NY Post had an excellent column about this, but darn it if I can find it right now LOL

 

To be specific, because they have no (or maybe lower) state income taxes.  As a TX resident, I pay only sales tax and property taxes.  (The property tax millage is higher than NY residents would pay.)  So especially for players who aren't buying a home, they're paying essentially no state taxes- certainly no income taxes- in states like TX, FL, etc.  So for the teams in states with no state income tax, those players essentially get a "bonus" of whatever typical state income tax would be.

[Drunkard]

To be specific, because they have no (or maybe lower) state income taxes. As a TX resident, I pay only sales tax and property taxes. (The property tax millage is higher than NY residents would pay.) So especially for players who aren't buying a home, they're paying essentially no state taxes- certainly no income taxes- in states like TX, FL, etc. So for the teams in states with no state income tax, those players essentially get a "bonus" of whatever typical state income tax would be.

They are still paying property taxes indirectly as renters though. The property taxes get built into the rent, otherwise the owner who is renting it out is subsidizing them out of his/her own pocket. I'd imagine most of the veteran players still buy vs rent though, especially the ones on long term contracts.

[GASabresIUFAN]

A little off subject, can someone tell m,e how my list of prospects from yesterday got deleted? 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

A little off subject, can someone tell m,e how my list of prospects from yesterday got deleted? 

 

Don't worry.

 

Rob quoted it so it's still here.

[LGR4GM]

A little off subject, can someone tell m,e how my list of prospects from yesterday got deleted?

You did it, or a mod did.

 

It's still quoted in Robviouslies post

Edited January 15, 2018 by SkuggaLiger

[GASabresIUFAN]

I didnt delete it.

 

Anyway, back to subject.

 

Assuming we get a top 4 pick, that will help nearly immediately.

 

However, that won’t solve one of the fundamental problems with this team. We have no finishers. Even Jck and Kane aren’t true finishers. Jack has gotten relatively hot lately and has upped his shooting% to 11.9. Kane, now without Jack, is down to 9.1. Okposo 7.1, ROR 10.2, Reinhart 8.5. These are terrible numbers by any standards. Kane’s shooting % is the worst of any player in the NHL with 15 or more goals. Jack’s number is competitive, but not in the same ballpark as the elite goal scores like Ovie, Laine etc..

 

Our team shooting% is 7.3 in a league that averages 9.1.

 

Also we really don’t have an top prospect who are finishers. Asplund and Mittelstadt are pass first guys. Nylander is also a playmaker in theory. Pu adds 1.5 assists for each goal. Evan Smith is a pass first guy. Only former 7th rd pick Olofsson is a finisher.

Edited January 15, 2018 by Georgia Flakt

[Thorner]

I only really disliked 1 think Botterill did. His 3rd pick. That said everything else looks good.

His 3rd pick of the draft was G Luukkonen. Not a fan?

 

- -

 

Of note, only 4 teams in the NHL have a playoff drought longer than 3 seasons. We, of course, are sitting at double that amount:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NHL_franchise_post-season_droughts

 

Only 7 teams in the entire league even have droughts longer than 1 season.

[Robviously]

His 3rd pick of the draft was G Luukkonen. Not a fan?

 

- -

 

Of note, only 4 teams in the NHL have a playoff drought longer than 3 seasons. We, of course, are sitting at double that amount:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NHL_franchise_post-season_droughts

Pretty sure he was talking about Laaksonen, our 3rd round pick that came completely out of nowhere.  (We had a 1st and two 2nds last year before that.)  Laaksonen was the guy that wasn't supposed to go anywhere near that early and there was a ton of confusion about his size since it was initially reported he was 5'9" and 130 pounds.  Supposedly he's 6'1" now but still pretty light at 165-ish pounds.  Maybe a reach but the Sabres supposedly were watching him for 2 years and weren't the only team so maybe they just wanted to be sure they got him.

 

Total swing for the fences pick but it's the 3rd round so....eh.  I like the Sabres going after a mystery guy.  And, FWIW, he made it to the top league in Finland this month so at least one good sign for his development.  Now we just need him to add like 35 pounds....

[Taro T]

Yep. Drafting well is obviously very important, but a lot of people here are forgetting the other two means by which a GM can build a roster: trade and free agency. We're not expecting a Stanley Cup next year. But becoming one of the top 50% of teams in the East is not an unreasonable request. Other franchises have tanked and bounced back in a lot less time than the Sabres have been taking.

 

Also, people need to stop acting like a desire to accelerate a rebuild is some sort of vice. Tim Murray didn't fail as a GM because he tried to hurry up the rebuild. He failed because he lacked vision, had no people skills, sucked at drafting, picked a bad head coach, was reckless with trade assets, and brought in the wrong vets to establish a locker room culture of hard work and high expectations.

 

Not that we need another reminder: but playoff droughts longer than 7 years have only occurred 7 times in NHL history. If the Hurricanes make the playoffs this season, the Sabres will have the longest active drought in the league. And the all-time record is 10 straight years without playoffs.

True. But for perspective, the league has historically (ever since the league dropped to 6 member clubs up through the WHA expansion) had 2/3rds of the teams make the playoffs. After the league expanded to 21 teams, nearly 75% of the teams got into the playoffs until the league started the next round of expansion in the early 90's.

 

Much as we might want to believe history is on the Sabres side, the league hasn't been this close to 50% missing the playoffs in any of our lifetimes. (Not even within PA's lifetime. ;))

Edited January 15, 2018 by Taro T

[LGR4GM]

Pretty sure he was talking about Laaksonen, our 3rd round pick that came completely out of nowhere. (We had a 1st and two 2nds last year before that.) Laaksonen was the guy that wasn't supposed to go anywhere near that early and there was a ton of confusion about his size since it was initially reported he was 5'9" and 130 pounds. Supposedly he's 6'1" now but still pretty light at 165-ish pounds. Maybe a reach but the Sabres supposedly were watching him for 2 years and weren't the only team so maybe they just wanted to be sure they got him.

 

Total swing for the fences pick but it's the 3rd round so....eh. I like the Sabres going after a mystery guy. And, FWIW, he made it to the top league in Finland this month so at least one good sign for his development. Now we just need him to add like 35 pounds....

Yes our 3rd round pick. There was another defender I would have taken.

[French Collection]

The Avs are an example of a one year reversal. They've already surpassed last season's point total and are in the hunt for a playoff spot, just a few points behind, with games in hand.

 

We've got nowhere to go but up.

[Brawndo]

Yes our 3rd round pick. There was another defender I would have taken.

David Farrance?

[GASabresIUFAN]

Until we find some scoring outside of Jack this team is DOA.

[LGR4GM]

David Farrance?

Yea, I would have preferred him at 89 and then at 99 take Laaksonen.  They didn't and I'm not really bothered by that.  The Sabres scouting has been better starting in 2015.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

Yea, I would have preferred him at 89 and then at 99 take Laaksonen.  They didn't and I'm not really bothered by that.  The Sabres scouting has been better starting in 2015.

 

There was a 10 person turnover in scouting following the draft. Who knows if the new group will be better or worse. Also, I saw a stat from July that we have one of the smallest scouting dept in the NHL.

[LGR4GM]

There was a 10 person turnover in scouting following the draft. Who knows if the new group will be better or worse. Also, I saw a stat from July that we have one of the smallest scouting dept in the NHL.

Link? I know how many we have but not compared to the rest of the league. 

 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/team/staff

[dudacek]

There was a 10 person turnover in scouting following the draft. Who knows if the new group will be better or worse. Also, I saw a stat from July that we have one of the smallest scouting dept in the NHL.

If it’s the article I remember it was done before Botterill had finished fleshing out the department.

[GASabresIUFAN]

The dept still has only 11 amateur scouts and 3 pro scouts, plus 2 coordinators and 3 execs. This is still tiny by NHL standards.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

The Avs are an example of a one year reversal. They've already surpassed last season's point total and are in the hunt for a playoff spot, just a few points behind, with games in hand.

 

We've got nowhere to go but up.

 

MACKINNON!!

[inkman]

The dept still has only 11 amateur scouts and 3 pro scouts, plus 2 coordinators and 3 execs. This is still tiny by NHL standards.

I thought TPegs was gonna give us the biggest bestest scouting staff in the universe?

[GASabresIUFAN]

For reference, the Blackhawks have 25 scouts plus admin and execs.

[ubkev]

I thought TPegs was gonna give us the biggest bestest scouting staff in the universe?

And if he needs money he'll drill a well.

 

 

 

 

....and raise ticket prices.

[Eleven]

Another rumor I heard from a well-placed source this morning:  The dressing room is a shambles, with four or five factions of players battling for control.

[LGR4GM]

Another rumor I heard from a well-placed source this morning:  The dressing room is a shambles, with four or five factions of players battling for control.

So basically what we have thought is being confirmed.