Locker Room Clean-out Day: 4/9/2018

[LGR4GM]

Eichel

Eichel what? Line changes bad? I think basically that's the entire team. Edited April 9, 2018 by Skurk Liger

[Taro T]

@pham1717

Housley: "Jason and I will have to talk about that, but I don't expect any changes on the coaching staff."

 

 

@pham1717

Housley: "I told them to be ready for training camp. It's going to be a hard camp.

 

 

@pham1717

Housley said he didn't see O'Reilly lose his passion for the game.

 

 

@pham1717

Housley: "We have to evaluate everything. The coaching staff, the players. What are they going to invest in this summer to change."

 

Hopefully that comment was just standard non-controversial response to an unwelcome q from the reporter. If Housley really believes there is no need for upgrades on the coaching staff of a team that was trying to win as many games as possible that finished an 82 game season (in a league which gives participation points for getting to OT) with only 62 points and was the 1st team to ever finish looking up at 30 other teams, then Mr. Botterill really needs to do some introspection about the ENTIRE coaching staff as well.

 

[Edit: so much for the rant. The bottom quote shows the 1st was a canned response to an unwanted Q.]

Edited April 9, 2018 by Taro T

[Gramps]

 

@pham1717

Housley: "Jason and I will have to talk about that, but I don't expect any changes on the coaching staff."

 

@pham1717

Housley: "I told them to be ready for training camp. It's going to be a hard camp.

 

@pham1717

Housley said he didn't see O'Reilly lose his passion for the game.

 

@pham1717

Housley: "We have to evaluate everything. The coaching staff, the players. What are they going to invest in this summer to change."

 

 

What a crock - every training camp should be a hard camp. It becomes even harder if you show up to camp out of shape.

[dudacek]

Here’s another gem from clean out day. This time from Housley.

So much wrong in the locker room.

Housley: "I look at Colorado, there's a group of players there that got together and said, we need to change, we need to do things differently, we need to listen, we need to be coachable. It's a huge commitment to change the direction of this franchise."

We need to be coachable. Now there is a damning statement.

He’s not talking about the Josefsons and Pouliots. We know they’re gone.

He is talking about the group Murray assembled as his core.

 

Eichel, Reinhart, O’Reilly, Ristolainen, Girgensons, Larsson, McCabe, Lehner, Okposo.

Collectively, that is the group he is speaking to.

 

Given the message given pretty consistently by management, two or more I expect to be gone.

[Sabel79]

He’s not talking about the Josefsons and Pouliots. We know they’re gone.

He is talking about the group Murray assembled as his core.

 

Eichel, Reinhart, O’Reilly, Ristolainen, Girgensons, Larsson, McCabe, Lehner, Okposo.

Collectively, that is the group he is speaking to.

 

Given the message given pretty consistently by management, two or more I expect to be gone.

 

I'd say Eichel, Samson, and KO are the only guarantees to be here next season.  Lehner is a definite goner.  ROR / Risto are 50/50, JBOTS will have to maximize the return but it's doable.  

 

The other two may go.  

[LTS]

Couldve said we have lot of young players learning to play together with them. Was it frustrating yup, be we are going to keep working on meshing and learning to bring it every night. That is part of my job as one of the leaders on this team. Not this self immolation crap.

 

He could have said that, but it wasn't really true.  They aren't loaded with a bunch of aging veterans but they aren't as young as they seem either.  The youngest in the lineup was Eichel at 21.  Reinhart is 22.  Both of them are in the 3rd year.  I think ROR is honest with himself that at times he lost passion for the game.  I mean, early on this year the team was horrendous.. at some point you aren't looking forward to coming in and getting knocked around.

 

So he's officially blaming the players now?   Sounds like a desperate man who's career is on the ropes.

 

He's blamed them before.  Stop trying to get the square peg in the round hole.

 

What a crock - every training camp should be a hard camp. It becomes even harder if you show up to camp out of shape.

 

It doesn't work that way.  This isn't the 70's.  I am sure Housley could have come in, Day 1, and knocked the crap out of the players.  I'm guessing there's a north of 75% chance they would immediately stopped playing for him and this season would have been even worse.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I really am tired of this 'we need to be better' and 'I need to be better' stuff.  We have heard it so many times.

 

These guys are pros.  Just do it, or shut up.

[Randall Flagg]

Eichel

As one of the worst offenders he needs to be a leader in changing that for sure.

[WildCard]

Anyone know when Botterill's end of the season presser is?

[Gramps]

He could have said that, but it wasn't really true.  They aren't loaded with a bunch of aging veterans but they aren't as young as they seem either.  The youngest in the lineup was Eichel at 21.  Reinhart is 22.  Both of them are in the 3rd year.  I think ROR is honest with himself that at times he lost passion for the game.  I mean, early on this year the team was horrendous.. at some point you aren't looking forward to coming in and getting knocked around.

 

 

He's blamed them before.  Stop trying to get the square peg in the round hole.

 

 

It doesn't work that way.  This isn't the 70's.  I am sure Housley could have come in, Day 1, and knocked the crap out of the players.  I'm guessing there's a north of 75% chance they would immediately stopped playing for him and this season would have been even worse.

 

Why ? IMO, I think knocking the crap out of them in camp sends a message that we're gonna work hard all year. And I don't think the season could've been any worse. 

 

There are plenty of guys that bust their arse in the offseason and come to camp ready to work. They get paid for the whole season, not just games.

[Eleven]

He could have said that, but it wasn't really true.  They aren't loaded with a bunch of aging veterans but they aren't as young as they seem either.  The youngest in the lineup was Eichel at 21.  Reinhart is 22.  Both of them are in the 3rd year.  I think ROR is honest with himself that at times he lost passion for the game.  I mean, early on this year the team was horrendous.. at some point you aren't looking forward to coming in and getting knocked around.

 

 

He's blamed them before.  Stop trying to get the square peg in the round hole.

 

 

It doesn't work that way.  This isn't the 70's.  I am sure Housley could have come in, Day 1, and knocked the crap out of the players.  I'm guessing there's a north of 75% chance they would immediately stopped playing for him and this season would have been even worse.

 

Things were pretty lax in the 70s, if the 60s were anything to go by:

 

http://dennis-kane.com/an-inside-look-at-a-1960s-leafs-training-camp-invitation/

[CallawaySabres]

I could not care less what any of these losers say, they will never change. Change the players or just shut up....

[WildCard]

Apparently they all checked out right around Christmas

 

"It was around Christmas and we were done, and we still had 40 games to play," Ristolainen said. "Everyone wants to make the playoffs so bad, and we weren't even close."

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/23092756/ryan-oreilly-says-buffalo-sabres-adopted-mindset-being-ok-losing

 

 

Anyone who thinks we can rebound from a slow start next year is insane. For a normal team sure, but we need to come out hot and get some confidence, or we're ######...again

[CallawaySabres]

It is absolutely astounding that this organization can be so pathetic and weak minded STILL. As a coach of my son's travel soccer team, I could never let the team get so down that they were fine with losing. We went from getting crushed every single game of the year two years ago to winning the whole league last year. My god, you can't just give up man. Who do these guys think they are and please exit the organization at once.

Edited April 9, 2018 by CallawaySabres

[Brawndo]

Anyone know when Botterill's end of the season presser is?

Wednesday

[WildCard]

Wednesday

Knew I could count on you 

[Brawndo]

 

Hamilton mentioned on WGR 550 that Risto was one of the problems when it came to not following the game plan and that he can be bullheaded when it comes to coaching.

 

He followed that up by saying there were times he was attempting to make an outlet pass and the wingers were not in position. So he did wonder if that contributes to the problem.

Knew I could count on you

 

:beer:

[Brawndo]

 

 

From the Buffalo News

 

Buffalo Sabres backup goalie Chad Johnson, an unrestricted free agent, said he's interested in returning to Buffalo but has to be shown the team is willing to make changes.

 

"I know I can be a good goalie in this league and I showed that when things were the way they should be," Johnson said at locker cleanout day Monday. "I have to see the change, whether it's through players or somehow convince me through contract, through whatever it is, to come back."

 

Johnson finished with a 10-17-3 record, .891 save percentage and 3.55 goals against average in 36 games and 29 starts. All three statistics regressed from last season, when he played the same amount of games with the Calgary Flames.

 

"For a lot of games, for like 20 out of 29, it just seemed like a mess," Johnson said. "Things need to obviously change for a goalie to have success. You look at any team, if they play the way that we play ... I think any goalie, whether you're Pekka Rinne or (Andrei) Vasilevskiy, if a team doesn't play a certain basic standard, it's going to be a mess."

 

As Johnson heads to free agency, he said he hopes teams understand the context of his decreased numbers.

[Wyldnwoody44]

Here is the context.

 

 

You aren't good

[WildCard]

From the Buffalo News

 

Buffalo Sabres backup goalie Chad Johnson, an unrestricted free agent, said he's interested in returning to Buffalo but has to be shown the team is willing to make changes.

 

"I know I can be a good goalie in this league and I showed that when things were the way they should be," Johnson said at locker cleanout day Monday. "I have to see the change, whether it's through players or somehow convince me through contract, through whatever it is, to come back."

 

Johnson finished with a 10-17-3 record, .891 save percentage and 3.55 goals against average in 36 games and 29 starts. All three statistics regressed from last season, when he played the same amount of games with the Calgary Flames.

 

"For a lot of games, for like 20 out of 29, it just seemed like a mess," Johnson said. "Things need to obviously change for a goalie to have success. You look at any team, if they play the way that we play ... I think any goalie, whether you're Pekka Rinne or (Andrei) Vasilevskiy, if a team doesn't play a certain basic standard, it's going to be a mess."

 

As Johnson heads to free agency, he said he hopes teams understand the context of his decreased numbers.

Some pretty big words from ol' Chad there. This should be it's own thread IMO. 

[LGR4GM]

Some pretty big words from ol' Chad there. This should be it's own thread IMO.

Start it up

[darksabre]

From the Buffalo News

 

Buffalo Sabres backup goalie Chad Johnson, an unrestricted free agent, said he's interested in returning to Buffalo but has to be shown the team is willing to make changes.

 

"I know I can be a good goalie in this league and I showed that when things were the way they should be," Johnson said at locker cleanout day Monday. "I have to see the change, whether it's through players or somehow convince me through contract, through whatever it is, to come back."

 

Johnson finished with a 10-17-3 record, .891 save percentage and 3.55 goals against average in 36 games and 29 starts. All three statistics regressed from last season, when he played the same amount of games with the Calgary Flames.

 

"For a lot of games, for like 20 out of 29, it just seemed like a mess," Johnson said. "Things need to obviously change for a goalie to have success. You look at any team, if they play the way that we play ... I think any goalie, whether you're Pekka Rinne or (Andrei) Vasilevskiy, if a team doesn't play a certain basic standard, it's going to be a mess."

 

As Johnson heads to free agency, he said he hopes teams understand the context of his decreased numbers.

 

Them's fightin words. 

[pi2000]

From the Buffalo News

 

Buffalo Sabres backup goalie Chad Johnson, an unrestricted free agent, said he's interested in returning to Buffalo but has to be shown the team is willing to make changes.

 

"I know I can be a good goalie in this league and I showed that when things were the way they should be," Johnson said at locker cleanout day Monday. "I have to see the change, whether it's through players or somehow convince me through contract, through whatever it is, to come back."

 

Johnson finished with a 10-17-3 record, .891 save percentage and 3.55 goals against average in 36 games and 29 starts. All three statistics regressed from last season, when he played the same amount of games with the Calgary Flames.

 

"For a lot of games, for like 20 out of 29, it just seemed like a mess," Johnson said. "Things need to obviously change for a goalie to have success. You look at any team, if they play the way that we play ... I think any goalie, whether you're Pekka Rinne or (Andrei) Vasilevskiy, if a team doesn't play a certain basic standard, it's going to be a mess."

 

As Johnson heads to free agency, he said he hopes teams understand the context of his decreased numbers.

 

shut your mouth goalie and do your job

[GASabresIUFAN]

The problem with Risto remains the same problem that DD had with Risto.  To much ice time.  With literally no one else to eat up minutes, DD and Wowie have had no choice but to over play the kid.  Jbot made a miracle and got Scandella.  Now he needs to someone find at least one more top 4 D.  Not sure how, but he needs to find at least one.  We have to get his minutes down to 23-24 a night.  Not 28-30 minutes.  He wears down and makes mistakes.  

 

While I don't think Risto is a No.1 D, I think he is an excellent PP QB, is physical, skates well for a bigger guy and overall is a upper end top 4 D.  He's not Hedman, but how many guys are?  With Risto and Scandella we are 1/2 of the way to a really solid top 4.  Our bottom pairing is also shaping up with Nelson, Guhle and McCabe all part of that mix.  Maybe Guhle continues his development and becomes a top 4 guy, but that is asking a lot for next season.  

 

If this team is really going to take a step forward, Jbot's top task to improve the D.  I actually believe if we just stick to our internal guys, our offense will improve next season, but everything in Wowie's system keys off mobile talented D.  Fix the D and we help fix both the offense and lower the amount of rubber thrown at our goalies. 

[Randall Flagg]

The problem with Risto remains the same problem that DD had with Risto.  To much ice time.  With literally no one else to eat up minutes, DD and Wowie have had no choice but to over play the kid.  Jbot made a miracle and got Scandella.  Now he needs to someone find at least one more top 4 D.  Not sure how, but he needs to find at least one.  We have to get his minutes down to 23-24 a night.  Not 28-30 minutes.  He wears down and makes mistakes.  

 

While I don't think Risto is a No.1 D, I think he is an excellent PP QB, is physical, skates well for a bigger guy and overall is a upper end top 4 D.  He's not Hedman, but how many guys are?  With Risto and Scandella we are 1/2 of the way to a really solid top 4.  Our bottom pairing is also shaping up with Nelson, Guhle and McCabe all part of that mix.  Maybe Guhle continues his development and becomes a top 4 guy, but that is asking a lot for next season.  

 

If this team is really going to take a step forward, Jbot's top task to improve the D.  I actually believe if we just stick to our internal guys, our offense will improve next season, but everything in Wowie's system keys off mobile talented D.  Fix the D and we help fix both the offense and lower the amount of rubber thrown at our goalies. 

+1000