Sabres becoming a perennial playoff team

[LabattBlue]

Probably not a good time to ask the question as most fans are disgusted with another season being flushed down the drain, but..how far away are they?

[Taro T]

One good off-season is all it takes.

[Radar]

10 minutes ago, Taro T said:

One good off-season is all it takes.

I'm afraid it's going to take longer.

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, Radar said:

I'm afraid it's going to take longer.

Well, nobody said WHICH off-season. ?

[Randall Flagg]

Just now, Radar said:

I'm afraid it's going to take longer.

You could both be right. They only need one offseason's worth of very good work to get it done. But it might not all get done in one offseason especially if more mistakes get made

[Scottysabres]

21-22 at the earliest, with the "right" roster subtraction and additions COMBINED with the proper adherence to "not accepting poor culture standards". And when I say culture standards, I mean accepting under performing and under achieving.

[KC Scouts]

21-22, too much to pull together in one year, will need some minor success to prove to real talent that it is worth it to come here

[Radar]

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

You could both be right. They only need one offseason's worth of very good work to get it done. But it might not all get done in one offseason especially if more mistakes get made

I'm not a big fan of free agency and don't see a whole lot of hope there. I suppose Cousins could come in and make a difference next year but it's asking a lot. I've got serious doubts Mitts will have any impact. So let's talk trades. Who can we afford to trade that gets us an impact player that we can afford to trade? Let's face it. We don't have much to offer. I hope I'm wrong but it looks to me like 2-3 years and that's it our GM performs above what I've seen this far. JMO.

 

Edited January 31, 2020 by Radar

[Sidc3000]

I don't see this being fixed in the near future.  I agree with Radar on his thoughts of free agency.  This team will  only be better with those in the pipeline.  Unfortunately you have to hope and pray that they have drafted well and those prospects develop correctly.  There is no easy answer in my opinion.

Edited January 31, 2020 by Sidc3000

[Curt]

People keep saying that Buffalo has no one with any value to trade.  I don’t see how that’s true.  Risto, Montour and a bunch of D prospects (Pilot, Borgen, Samuelsson, Laksonen, Johnson and others).  For forwards: Mittelstadt, Thompson, Asplund, Pekar, Davidsson.  Even Reinhart COULD be traded, but almost definitely won’t.  They also have picks to move.

Now, not all these players have tons of value, but good, quality players get traded every season for a grab bag return of pieces and parts.  That’s probably more common than straight up good player for good player trades.  Buffalo has the ability to trade for good players.

[I-90 W]

Can't even imagine it anymore. To think, less than a decade ago our fanbase was sick of being an annual bubble team; now even that feels impossible.

[Curt]

Is this question:  How long should this take?  Or, How long do we feel like it will take?

The answer to those questions is probably very different for most.  I believe it is possible to start a string of playoff appearances next season, but I don’t have any real confidence that it will actually happen.  The team isn’t that far away, but I have lost faith that the required combination of luck and quality moves come to pass.

[Scottysabres]

13 minutes ago, Curt said:

Is this question:  How long should this take?  Or, How long do we feel like it will take?

The answer to those questions is probably very different for most.  I believe it is possible to start a string of playoff appearances next season, but I don’t have any real confidence that it will actually happen.  The team isn’t that far away, but I have lost faith that the required combination of luck and quality moves come to pass.

It should have already have happened, that is the ONLY correct answer.

[dudacek]

The Sabres have a 23-year-old franchise centre under contract for another six years, a teenage potential franchise defencemen who will be here for at least another five, some other good/promising pieces under 25 and $34 million in cap space to play with this summer.

It's the type of starting canvas that a good GM should be able to parlay into a team that can be competitive for a long time.

Edited January 31, 2020 by dudacek

[Scottysabres]

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

The Sabres have a 23-year-old franchise centre under contract for another six years a teenage potential franchise defencemen, some other good/promising pieces under 25 and $34 million in cap space to play with.

It's the type of starting canvas that a good GM should be able to parlay into a good team for a long time.

Thoughts on who that GM should be dudacek?

[dudacek]

1 minute ago, Scottysabres said:

Thoughts on who that GM should be dudacek?

Well, you can cross off Terry Pegula...

[Hawerchuk]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

It's the type of starting canvas that a good GM should be able to parlay into a good team for a long time

JBotts better get started this summer. So much dead weight on this G Damn team!!

[Scottysabres]

Just now, dudacek said:

Well, you can cross off Terry Pegula...

 

[LTS]

For all those who said they can't see that far into the future... please remember that vote when you call a player a bust. ?

[tom webster]

3 hours ago, Taro T said:

One good off-season is all it takes.

Still believe they are only a true 2C and 1G away. That’s why I’m so down on JBOT, he had the 2C, actually had the 1G too but you can’t really blame him for that but he has had opportunity to make it happen and hasn’t had the ability to close the deal.

[Thorner]

3 hours ago, Curt said:

Is this question:  How long should this take?  Or, How long do we feel like it will take?

The answer to those questions is probably very different for most.  I believe it is possible to start a string of playoff appearances next season, but I don’t have any real confidence that it will actually happen.  The team isn’t that far away, but I have lost faith that the required combination of luck and quality moves come to pass.

It should absolutely be next season, and it should absolutely be their bare minimum expectation. 

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, tom webster said:

Still believe they are only a true 2C and 1G away. That’s why I’m so down on JBOT, he had the 2C, actually had the 1G too but you can’t really blame him for that but he has had opportunity to make it happen and hasn’t had the ability to close the deal.

We're going to need an awful lot of seats in this club.  I'll bring wings if somebody else gets the beer.  ?

Hard to fathom how, if every single person here sees it, and most all saw it 2 years ago, how Botterill didn't &/or couldn't convince Pegula what he had.  (And agree that there really wasn't a way to keep Lehner as prior to getting clean he wasn't close to UFA tender.)

[Thorner]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

We're going to need an awful lot of seats in this club.  I'll bring wings if somebody else gets the beer.  ?

Hard to fathom how, if every single person here sees it, and most all saw it 2 years ago, how Botterill didn't &/or couldn't convince Pegula what he had.  (And agree that there really wasn't a way to keep Lehner as prior to getting clean he wasn't close to UFA tender.)

 It only makes sense if we accept Botterill was on board and complicit in moving ROR. 

[Sabre1974]

I'm just fed up with the whole situation. Probably why I've not posted much this last week

[Gatorman0519]

75% of the roster needs to be turned over.  With good drafting and development and good FA signings that will probably take 4-5 years to truly become a mature contender.  That is IF we draft and sign the right guys.  There is no quick fix to this.