The only two reasons the tank didn’t work

[tom webster]

Now, I know there are multiple reasons, opinions, variable universe possibilities that could have changed everything. 
As I approach my 60th birthday, I have had many revelations but one thing that keeps hitting me in the face is how much luck, fate and happenstance plays into how things play out. I can shout it out publicly now because my four children have become awesome, successful adults and I don’t have to worry about them just lazing about waiting for their life to be determined by some uncontrollable circumstance or circumstances. They bought all that stuff about hard work, getting an education and treating everyone with respect even if you think ninety percent of them are dumb as a bag of rocks.

So I’m going to say it, The Buffalo Sabre’s would be one if the best teams in the league if Robin L. had figured out his mental issues sooner and Elias Petterson fell to them instead of Casey.

Now obviously that didn’t happen and it’s incumbent on them to find a true number two center and number one goaltender but my point is that all the rest of it is irrelevant.

According to a study in 2018, they were number 11 in drafting the last ten years prior. They have their share of diamonds in the rough, dumb decisions, poor development, dumb coaching hires, head scratching ownership moves.....Even Bill Belichek doesn’t look so smart when his QB can’t complete NFL required throws.

None if it matters, a true number two center and top ten goaltending make them cup contenders. Everything else takes care of itself.

 

FIRE AWAY

[WildCard]

Dan Bylsma

Tim Murray

Jason Botterill

Phil Housley

[Doohicksie]

I would say this:  In his zeal to shorten the rebuild time, XGMTM was too liberal in spending assets (draft picks, prospects, etc.) banked by Darcy.  He tried the short cut and it didn't work.  I think JBot's approach is better, but it's too late with respect to the core; we should be there already instead of still a year or three out.  Had the Sabres gone with a GM that would have done a patient rebuild when XGMTM was hired, the assets would have been maturing about now and we'd be a very deep team.

I'm still not sure JBot is the right guy, but the stated approach of building up from the farm, I think, is the right one.

[tom webster]

8 minutes ago, WildCard said:

Dan Bylsma

Tim Murray

Jason Botterill

Phil Housley

Ron Meyer

Raymond Berry

Rod Rust

Dick MacPhearson

[WildCard]

Just now, tom webster said:

Ron Meyer

Raymond Berry

Rod Rust

Dick MacPhearson

I don't know who any of those people are

[tom webster]

1 minute ago, WildCard said:

I don't know who any of those people are

Exactly. 

[WildCard]

Just now, tom webster said:

Exactly. 

Do you want to explain your point?

[SABRES 0311]

20 minutes ago, WildCard said:

Dan Bylsma

Tim Murray

Jason Botterill

Phil Housley

Boom.

[Huckleberry]

20 minutes ago, WildCard said:

Dan Bylsma

Tim Murray

Jason Botterill

Phil Housley

He still has time for me ?

[GASabresIUFAN]

What do Football people have anything to do with a hockey rebuild?

There is a substantial difference between the advisability of a “tank” or selling off vet assets strategy from the GMs in Buffalo that executed the strategy.

The Sabres GM, mostly TM, who wasted the assets that DR and he, TM, collected is the hole in execution of the strategy not the fault of the strategy itself.  

However for the strategy to work we needed to draft and develop well and then make strategic acquisitions.  This is also where we failed.

Jbot is trying to reverse the errors of the past and it may or may not be working.  

[Huckleberry]

I think the Casey Mittelstadt draft is a week one.    Makar and petersson will probably come out on top of that one leaving the rest way behind.

[#freejame]

19 minutes ago, WildCard said:

I don't know who any of those people are

Ron Meyer is Toby MacGuires former father in law. Or so I just learned. 

[Cascade Youth]

Agree that lights-out goaltending would've helped mask much of the stink. 

[I-90 W]

We must not forget the players we got for that; Samson and Jack. Eich is a legit star, and worth the tank alone. Think we will be a bubble team again soon enough. Remember those days? I miss them now. We also have two other stud rookies.

[Zamboni]

Owners “ Allegedly“ meddling

The hiring of Tim Murray

Bylsma

Housley

not surrounding Eichel with quality veteran leadership early in his career. Or another way to put it, is not having a deep team.

[Eleven]

44 minutes ago, WildCard said:

I don't know who any of those people are

 

40 minutes ago, WildCard said:

Do you want to explain your point?

They are former NE Patriots coaches, I think.

[North Buffalo]

6 minutes ago, Eleven said:

 

They are former NE Patriots coaches, I think.

They are and the Patriots struggled with them.

[GASabresIUFAN]

24 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

They are and the Patriots struggled with them.

So, the Bills struggled with tons of coaches and GMs.  We have the right guys now. Still don’t understand what NE’s poor past choices have anything to do with Hockey and the Sabres.

We have found out that football teams with the right coach and front office can be rebuilt faster then hockey teams because of the softer cap and non guaranteed contracts. 

Edited January 6, 2020 by GASabresIUFAN

[inkman]

6 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

So, the Bills struggled with tons of coaches and GMs.  We have the right guys now. 

About that...

[tom webster]

12 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

So, the Bills struggled with tons of coaches and GMs.  We have the right guys now. Still don’t understand what NE’s poor past choices have anything to do with Hockey and the Sabres.

We have found out that football teams with the right coach and front office can be rebuilt faster then hockey teams because of the softer cap and non guaranteed contracts. 

The point is; I believe that none of the other stuff matters if they have a legitimate number two center and quality goaltending. I thought I made myself clear, but sorry if I didn’t.

It doesn’t matter if it’s hockey or football, baseball or basketball, my belief, opinion, whatever you want to call it, is that because there is no perfect way, a lot of it depends on luck. 

 

[Doohicksie]

49 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

not surrounding Eichel with quality veteran leadership early in his career.

I thought Gionta was a decent add, plus O'Reilly.  They *should* have been good for Jack.  But there are indications/rumors/whatever that they didn't mix well with Eichel.  To be honest, I think Eichel was probably a brash young kid that rankled the other potential leaders in the room, and he himself was not ready to be a team leader.

[North Buffalo]

15 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

So, the Bills struggled with tons of coaches and GMs.  We have the right guys now. Still don’t understand what NE’s poor past choices have anything to do with Hockey and the Sabres.

We have found out that football teams with the right coach and front office can be rebuilt faster then hockey teams because of the softer cap and non guaranteed contracts. 

Oh I agree, but look at Cleveland.  IMO it takes both talent and good coaches and I agree with above that TM blew it with trading too much of higher draft capital trying to rush rebuild.  Lehner was the case study... Cleveland seems to done something similar.

3 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I thought Gionta was a decent add, plus O'Reilly.  They *should* have been good for Jack.  But there are indications/rumors/whatever that they didn't mix well with Eichel.  To be honest, I think Eichel was probably a brash young kid that rankled the other potential leaders in the room, and he himself was not ready to be a team leader.

And there was this and coaches didnt properly set him straight or mediate this situation well. Some of that was ROR too.

[Gatorman0519]

We had a Stanley Cup MVP quality number 2 center which JBot inexplicably gave away for a bag of pucks.  He then whiffed on Mitts draft pick and development.  Those 2 decisions by themselves sank any hope of competing anytime soon for a Cup.

[North Buffalo]

1 minute ago, Gatorman0519 said:

We had a Stanley Cup MVP quality number 2 center which JBot inexplicably gave away for a bag of pucks.  He then whiffed on Mitts draft pick and development.  Those 2 decisions by themselves sank any hope of competing anytime soon for a Cup.

By the time he had to weigh in imo it was too late on ROR... mistake or inexperience was hiring Phil. 

[Doohicksie]

2 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

And there was this and coaches didnt properly set him straight or mediate this situation well. Some of that was ROR too.

Oh yeah, for sure.  I was just countering the point that Zamboni made that the team didn't provide enough veteran leadership.  You look at ROR and he was coming from a situation where he wanted to be a team leader but didn't get the chance due to personalities... but the thinking was he could lead the way on the Sabres.  And Gionta seemed like a good choice to take the C because he was a former captain of the Habs and has WNY roots.  On paper it seemed like it should have worked and we were all optimistic at the time, but that things didn't pan out.  I can't blame the management for bringing them in though.

I think the characteristics that are making Jack a good leader now might have made him a pain in the butt when he first came into the league.  Too good to take advice, but young enough to need it.