Official Ralph Krueger named Sabres Head Coach

[LGR4GM]

53 minutes ago, SDS said:

Phil Housley wasn’t a grown-up? ?

Sure was. He wasn't a leader though. 

[That Aud Smell]

22 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Seriously, he is still that 18 year old kid to me with big ears. I know that's not fair, but he just seems like one of the players, not the coach. 

 

That gravitas thing is real. This man seems more fitted to the job by his appearance, demeanor and confidence. Yes, that is kind of a superficial appraisement and might mean nothing, but there it is. 

I think this is fair.

I’m not sure whether RaKru will succeed. But I am more than encouraged by what he’s said, how he conducts himself, etc.

[WildCard]

13 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

RaKru

?

[Weave]

If there is anything that gives me hope this offseason, it is that we have a coach who seems to be inclined to implement a system that fits the roster we have, and not try to shoehorn the players into a system that we might someday have the players to run.

That alone should improve the climate in the room, and we should see it on the ice.

[LGR4GM]

Korg!

[North Buffalo]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Korg!

The Bkorg... long live the collective

[Doohicksie]

2 hours ago, Weave said:

If there is anything that gives me hope this offseason, it is that we have a coach who seems to be inclined to implement a system that fits the roster we have, and not try to shoehorn the players into a system that we might someday have the players to run.

That alone should improve the climate in the room, and we should see it on the ice.

I hope you're right.  To be honest I'm kind of expecting more of the same.  At this point, this team sucks until otherwise proven.

[erickompositör72]

3 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Seriously, he is still that 18 year old kid to me with big ears. I know that's not fair, but he just seems like one of the players, not the coach. 

 

That gravitas thing is real. This man seems more fitted to the job by his appearance, demeanor and confidence. Yes, that is kind of a superficial appraisement and might mean nothing, but there it is. 

I think it means something. People respond to that. If it's genuine (and it appears to be), people respond. If you're a phony, pro hockey players will sniff that out pretty quickly. 

[Weave]

52 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I hope you're right.  To be honest I'm kind of expecting more of the same.  At this point, this team sucks until otherwise proven.

Truthiness.

[Cheektorado]

At the end of the Ruff era the team was stale.  After the Ruff era it has been rotten.

Call it team culture or direction or any other cliché term you want to give it, the bottom line is it has been negative.

The Sabres stink of losing and a pine tree scented air freshener isn't going to fix it.

 

Listening to this new Sabres HC he just might be the guy to scrub this thing clean.

[Doohicksie]

To carry your metaphor to its conclusion, the team was stale, then rotten, but now it's been composting and ready to bloom.

 

(?)

[#freejame]

7 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

To carry your metaphor to its conclusion, the team was stale, then rotten, but now it's been composting and ready to bloom.

 

(?)

?? It’s the circle of life ??

[Marvin]

9 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

To carry your metaphor to its conclusion, the team was stale, then rotten, but now it's been composting and ready to bloom.

 

(?)

We hope.

[Weave]

56 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

To carry your metaphor to its conclusion, the team was stale, then rotten, but now it's been composting and ready to bloom.

 

(?)

The compost is still pretty ripe. 

[Sabel79]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

The compost is still pretty ripe. 

 

[MattPie]

On 5/26/2019 at 1:30 PM, woods-racer said:

Ras-moose Doll-een

If he doesn't make it as coach I wonder if he liked to be a color commentator.

I heard he says it, "acroast" instead of acrost.

[ddaryl]

On ‎5‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 7:30 AM, LGR4GM said:

I'm sorry but the number of quality UFA players in the NHL compared to the NFL is like 5%. There are just hardly any good UFA's each year. This year is probably the best we have seen in years. There simply are not UFA options like the NFL and due to the age stuff in the NHL, UFA's are older. 

you complete bypassed all meaning of what I was trying to say.

 

Botteril sucks at this junction Beane is good to put it bluntly. I like how the Bills are being built I saw how the Sabres are being built and I do not like it. The O'reilly trade didn't have to happen the way it did and we got FLEECED.

 

When the Bills make a blunder or pick up a player that just doesn't work out they are easily and quickly able to shed a contract and not take a big hit on the cap. That's how you make deals. 

 

Yes there are differences between the sports for crying out loud. The Sabres have been managed badly by their GMS. The Bills were managed badly but now have good vision and management. Sabres still have Botteril who has failed to shed salary cap or get a decent player in return fro the O'reilly trade and we have been set back a few years because of this.

Krueger is the ONLY saving grace here. If he can coach this squad can improve, but my faith in Botterill is very bery very low now and I want a GM in here who can find value and diamonds in the rough and not try to trade for Kane's and O'Reillys, or sign the Moulson's and Okposo's to really really realy stupid deals.. This what the Sabres are doing and is the opposite of what the Bills are doing.
 

[IKnowPhysics]

As mentioned in the Around the League thread:

 

 

Was Botterill interested in interviewing Tippett?

Did Botterill get an opportunity to interview Tippett?

Did Botterill come to the conclusion that Krueger was a better candidate than Tippett?

Did Botterill make an offer to Tippett?

 

Doesn't matter now, but that's never stopped us before.  Discuss.

[dudacek]

Yes, yes, yes (although that may have nothing to do with his coaching ability), according to Jeremy White, yes but I don’t believe him.

[erickompositör72]

8 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Yes, yes, yes (although that may have nothing to do with his coaching ability), according to Jeremy White, yes but I don’t believe him.

Right- wouldn't that mean JBOT would have been making an offer to Tippett while simultaneously trying to convince Krueger to come back to the NHL as a coach?

unless I don't have my timeline straight...

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, ddaryl said:

you complete bypassed all meaning of what I was trying to say.

 

Botteril sucks at this junction Beane is good to put it bluntly. I like how the Bills are being built I saw how the Sabres are being built and I do not like it. The O'reilly trade didn't have to happen the way it did and we got FLEECED.

 

When the Bills make a blunder or pick up a player that just doesn't work out they are easily and quickly able to shed a contract and not take a big hit on the cap. That's how you make deals. 

 

Yes there are differences between the sports for crying out loud. The Sabres have been managed badly by their GMS. The Bills were managed badly but now have good vision and management. Sabres still have Botteril who has failed to shed salary cap or get a decent player in return fro the O'reilly trade and we have been set back a few years because of this.

Krueger is the ONLY saving grace here. If he can coach this squad can improve, but my faith in Botterill is very bery very low now and I want a GM in here who can find value and diamonds in the rough and not try to trade for Kane's and O'Reillys, or sign the Moulson's and Okposo's to really really realy stupid deals.. This what the Sabres are doing and is the opposite of what the Bills are doing.
 

Okay well you missed my point. It is easier for the Bills to cut players (you can't cut NHL players) and also to fill gaps via free agency. 

Botterill didn't sign Okposo or Moulson. The ROR trade was bad, everyone agrees there. You could argue the Bills not drafting Mahomes was bad. As for Botterill not shedding salary, why does he have to? The only truly bad contract going forward is Okposo. In fact I would challenge you to find a contract right this moment that Botterill gave out to a player that is bad. Reinhart I suppose could be argued because he will get a raise now but that's about it. Everyone else is gone now or after the 2019/20 season. I fail to see how Botterill has failed on this. ROR, yes major failure but the rest just isn't how the NHL works. 

My biggest gripe in your argument here is that without the ROR trade there is nothing true about it. Botterill hasn't given out bad contracts. There are only 5 NHL players signed though 2021 on this entire roster. Yea, he blew the ROR trade, I have said it multiple times but the rest just doesn't hold any validity. From a cap standpoint we are poised to make some additions. Also IMPO the Kane trade was fine. He got basically the going rate for a UFA they weren't going to re-sign. He traded 17 games of Kane for a pick that he turned into Montour. Would you trade Kane straight up for Brandon Montour? I might. 

As far as value and diamonds in the rough, that comes from drafting and the general consensus is that Botterill has drafted well. If we are talking about UFA value than I think this year we will have that answer. Should be interesting. 

The point still stands, it is easier for a NFL team to cut players, add impact players immediately at the draft, and add substantial players via free agency than the NHL. 

Edited May 28, 2019 by LGR4GM

[nfreeman]

Regarding the Bills and BB/McD:  while I am optimistic about the Bills, it's awfully early to proclaim that BB and McD have succeeded in putting together a good team, or that BB is a good GM.  If they were that good, why were they drafting 8th this year?  Why didn't they get anything out of any of the FAs they signed last year?  Why were their OL and receiver groups so freaking terrible last year?  Why didn't they draft Mahomes, who looks like he's going to be in the running for MVP for the next decade?

Speaking of QBs, the Bills put a ton of eggs in Allen's basket, and if he doesn't improve significantly this year, they are going to stink again.

[Pimlach]

10 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Regarding the Bills and BB/McD:  while I am optimistic about the Bills, it's awfully early to proclaim that BB and McD have succeeded in putting together a good team, or that BB is a good GM.  If they were that good, why were they drafting 8th this year?  Why didn't they get anything out of any of the FAs they signed last year?  Why were their OL and receiver groups so freaking terrible last year?  Why didn't they draft Mahomes, who looks like he's going to be in the running for MVP for the next decade?

Speaking of QBs, the Bills put a ton of eggs in Allen's basket, and if he doesn't improve significantly this year, they are going to stink again.

Beane was not the GM during the Mahommes draft.  The trade of the Mahommes pick was the work of Whaley and Coach McD. 

The Bills cleaned house over the past 2 years.  The first year they made it to the playoff despite cleaning house because they were well coached and some things worked in their favor (tie breakers).  They stock piled picks in order to draft two hopeful franchise cornerstones - Allen and Edmunds.   The second years' house cleaning essentially cleaned their books and provided cap space.  It left them they had no OL, no WRs, and no QB experience to start the season, hence the 6 win season. 

Beane just had his second draft and is now on the clock.  I am expecting 10 wins and playoffs this year.  If Allen progresses from were he ended last season they can do it.   If not we will be stuck in the middle once again. 

[Thorner]

2 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

As mentioned in the Around the League thread:

 

 

Was Botterill interested in interviewing Tippett?

Did Botterill get an opportunity to interview Tippett?

Did Botterill come to the conclusion that Krueger was a better candidate than Tippett?

Did Botterill make an offer to Tippett?

 

Doesn't matter now, but that's never stopped us before.  Discuss.

Yes, Yes, more available, yes. 

[TrueBlueGED]

On 5/27/2019 at 10:04 AM, Weave said:

If there is anything that gives me hope this offseason, it is that we have a coach who seems to be inclined to implement a system that fits the roster we have, and not try to shoehorn the players into a system that we might someday have the players to run.

That alone should improve the climate in the room, and we should see it on the ice.

Maybe. I generally like the hire, but doesn't every coach say this before they actually have to do anything? Every new hire by every team in every sport talks about putting players in a position to succeed or equivalent cliche.