Dead Team Walking - Are the Sabres Even Fixable?

[Kruppstahl]

Fire Botterill immediately and replace him with someone with experience and success in building a young team. 

I would also look to move the long time tank players off the team ASAP, including Reinhart most of all. 

If a guy like Rodriguez is publicly asking to be traded, you know we have one of the worst locker rooms in the league.

And then folks wonder why Dahlin's progress is going sideways. 

I shudder to think what sort of environment that kid is currently being ruined in! 

 

 

On 12/28/2019 at 9:17 PM, New Scotland (NS) said:

This was never going to be 'the' season.

The team is set up to be in line for a huge make over this coming offseason with all the contracts coming off the books.  This was the RaKru coming out party and he has shown that he can take a rag-tag outfit and have them play reasonable well at times.

The Sabres will contend for the playoffs next season and the real push is the season following that.

Oh, so it's been a 10 year plan all along.

No worries then.

?

 

Edited January 1, 2020 by Kruppstahl

[Curt]

10 hours ago, calti said:

like the twilight zone. even if we get the top pick---the next superstar this team will still suck...after starting the yr 10-0...

??????  They did not.

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

I think the only real fix for this team is for Pegula to find an interested group of investors willing to move this franchise to Quebec (or some obscure place far, far away) and start over as an expansion team.

[sabremike]

I am reminded of a great Bobby Heenan line on how he would've fixed WCW:

"I'd get everyone in charge of it in a room and roll in a hand grenade.".

[LGR4GM]

I'd pick 4 defenders, 4 forwards, 1 goalie and get rid of the rest. 

[sweetlou]

To everyone on this team could go except Eichel and Dahlin.  Don't get me wrong there are some good players, they just need to be plugged into the right area in order to succeed. 

Skinner and Olofson are pieces that fit as top two LW's.  Bur we need to add some muscle to the top lines so they are not pushed around. 

Risto has had a good year.  Still makes the occasional mistake but everyone does.  They have been far less this year.

[Crusader1969]

It will be “wait till next season until you either get a true 2C on the team  OR you get a superstar goalie 

Hopefully by next season they have both at least in the organization.  

[pi2000]

7 hours ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

I think the only real fix for this team is for Pegula to find an interested group of investors willing to move this franchise to Cheektowaga and start over as an expansion team.

fixed

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

fixed

Cheektowaga is ECHL amirite? LOL

Edited January 2, 2020 by MakeSabresGrr8Again

[PerreaultForever]

13 hours ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

I think the only real fix for this team is for Pegula to find an interested group of investors willing to move this franchise to Quebec (or some obscure place far, far away) and start over as an expansion team.

I think this is kinda true. I don't see a "fix" outside of a total team and organizational tear down and start over from scratch. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

There are 3 centers I think if acquired would solve our issues for years to come.  One has 3 years left and the other 2 have four years left.

2 guys are unlikely but would change the face of the franchise. One I think is reasonably possible and would make a great fit.

My dream player is Larkin. I know Det is unlikely to move him given his age and reasonable deal (3 years left at 6.1per season), but a great addition.  A one two punch of speedsters Jack and Larkin would make us very very dangerous especially when the snipers come back.

My second choice is Kopitar, but at 32, a NMC and a 10 mill cap hit he is likely out of our cap range.  He is also unlikely to waive his NMC to come here, but what an addition he would make. Cup leadership.  High skill still intact.  

My 3rd choice is probably the best choice and that is Adam Henrique.  He is 29 and can still score.  He also is good in the faceoff circle and has a manageable 4 years left at 5.85 per season.  He has a M-NTC and I believe Ana would be willing to move him for a reasonable price to create cap space and open slots for their rebuild. I think he’d hold the 2C job as Cozens develops and then hold the 3C for the last 2 years of his deal.  

Edited January 4, 2020 by GASabresIUFAN

[Crusader1969]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

There are 3 centers I think if acquired would solve our issues for years to come.  One has 3 years left and the other 2 for years left.

2 guys are unlikely but would change the face of the franchise. One I think is reasonably possible and would make a great fit.

My dream player is Larkin. I know Det is unlikely to move him given his age and reasonable deal (3 years left at 6.1per season), but a great addition.  A one two punch of speedsters Jack and Larkin would make us very very dangerous especially when the snipers come back.

My second choice is Kopitar, but at 32, a NMC and a 10 mill cap hit he is likely out of our cap range.  He is also unlikely to waive his NMC to come here, but what an addition he would make. Cup leadership.  High skill still intact.  

My 3rd choice is probably the best choice and that is Adam Henrique.  He is 29 and can still score.  He also is good in the faceoff circle and has a manageable 4 years left at 5.85 per season.  He has a M-NTC and I believe Ana would be willing to move him for a reasonable price to create cap space and open slots for their rebuild. I think he’d hold the 2C job as Cozens develops and then hold the 3C for the last 2 years of his deal.  

Good post.  Thanks 

[mjd1001]

I have to keep looking at the Sabres Roster and realize how few players are under contract for next year:  up front, Eichel, Johanson, Okposo, and Skinner (not counting the Roch guys). That it is.

On the back-end..Risto, Miller, McCabe, Joki, and Dahlin.  That is really it.

There are a LOT of spots on this team that might be/are going to be open. The question/problem is...is there anyone good to fill them?  Right now no-one currently on the Amerks Roster is even in the top 50 in AHL scoring.

RFAs you might want to bring back include Reinhart, Olofsson, Montour, and Ulmark.  

A lot of room to work with this offseason.

Edited January 4, 2020 by mjd1001

[bunomatic]

20 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I have to keep looking at the Sabres Roster and realize how few players are under contract for next year:  up front, Eichel, Johanson, Okposo, and Skinner (not counting the Roch guys). That it is.

On the back-end..Risto, Miller, McCabe, Joki, and Dahlin.  That is really it.

There are a LOT of spots on this team that might be/are going to be open. The question/problem is...is there anyone good to fill them?  Right now no-one currently on the Amerks Roster is even in the top 50 in AHL scoring.

RFAs you might want to bring back include Reinhart, Olofsson, Montour, and Ulmark.  

A lot of room to work with this offseason.

And a lot of room to screw things up.

[Curt]

17 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

And a lot of room to screw things up.

I’m glad to take the risk that things might get screwed up.  God forbid.

[bunomatic]

1 minute ago, Curt said:

I’m glad to take the risk that things might get screwed up.  God forbid.

Things have been screwed up for close to 10 years . Where ya been ?

[Curt]

43 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Things have been screwed up for close to 10 years . Where ya been ?

I know.  It was a joke.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Another C of note is Nick Bonino.  Preds could have a fire sale and Bonino is a former Pen and is having a great year for the Preds despite their bad record.  He is also a ROR caliber faceoff guy which he also need.  Might be a great fit for the remaining 1 year remaining at 4.1 after this season as our temporary 2nd line center until Cozens or Mitts mature into the role.

[MattPie]

The Sabres need 1.37 PPG for the rest of 39 games this season to hit 98 (Taro-Pie .600) points. That's 10-game records of 5-1-4 (that's that streak we all excited about), 6-2-2, 7-3, or better. Playing a whole season at that pace would net 112 points. Do the 2020 Sabres have it in them to be among the best teams in a decade? (Answer: really unlikely)

Edited January 8, 2020 by MattPie

[Doohicksie]

On 1/1/2020 at 11:28 PM, PerreaultForever said:

I think this is kinda true. I don't see a "fix" outside of a total team and organizational tear down and start over from scratch. 

That's just giving up.

Additional changes are necessary, sure, but I think this forum is enamored with what VGK did their first season.  You might think starting with a clean sheet would be better, but that's bogus.  We have several good pieces and a lot of cap space next year.  That's realistically as close to a clean sheet as we're ever going to get.

[Doohicksie]

On 1/4/2020 at 11:35 AM, mjd1001 said:

RFAs you might want to bring back include Reinhart, Olofsson, Montour, and Ulmark.  

Realistically we'll bring back 2-3 more.  I can see them keeping the LOG line together for another year or two, and one of Frolik, Sheary, Vesey and Lazar (although most of that group is more AHL/NHL depth that front line players).

[Zamboni]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

That's just giving up.

Additional changes are necessary, sure, but I think this forum is enamored with what VGK did their first season.  You might think starting with a clean sheet would be better, but that's bogus.  We have several good pieces and a lot of cap space next year.  That's realistically as close to a clean sheet as we're ever going to get.

Agree.

I think Some fans confuse the words ... total and partial. Just like they confuse the terms of Tank and Rebuild. They like to use them interchangeably. Like regardless and irregardless. Or could care less and couldn’t care less. ?

Like every team in the NHL, the Sabres are no different… They need to move pieces in and out to improve. And in my opinion starting with getting a solid #2 center. As nice as a fantasy story it may seem, Cozens won’t be the answer next season.

 

[Doohicksie]

24 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

Like every team in the NHL, the Sabres are no different… They need to move pieces in and out to improve. And in my opinion starting with getting a solid #2 center. As nice as a fantasy story it may seem, Cozens won’t be the answer next season.

To me, the "and out" has been my frustration.  Sure he brought in Vesey and Lazar and Mojo, and depth is good and all that, but there needs to be a point where we start moving players who are *not* part of the solution out.  I understand that there will be a number of those at the end of the season on expiring contracts but I honestly expected the "addition by subtraction" to start this past off-season.

Maybe they just want to give the players coming up through the system another year to ripen.

[Crusader1969]

9 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

To me, the "and out" has been my frustration.  Sure he brought in Vesey and Lazar and Mojo, and depth is good and all that, but there needs to be a point where we start moving players who are *not* part of the solution out.  I understand that there will be a number of those at the end of the season on expiring contracts but I honestly expected the "addition by subtraction" to start this past off-season.

Maybe they just want to give the players coming up through the system another year to ripen.

like Scandella?

[Kruppstahl]

On 1/1/2020 at 7:03 PM, Crusader1969 said:

It will be “wait till next season until you either get a true 2C on the team  OR you get a superstar goalie 

Hopefully by next season they have both at least in the organization.  

We had as good of a 2C as you could hope for on the team and we were horrible, with largely the same cast of characters.

We then traded him away for nothing, but that's beside the point.

A lights out goaltender would make a difference, but it still wouldn't correct the flawed construct of this team.

I would really like to see a package of players pushed out with Reinhart at its center, in exchange for another group with a little more natural competitiveness, and see what that does.