Biggest Sabres blunders since 2013

[RVJ]

Signing Christian Ehrhoff to a 10-year, $40 million dollar contract.

. The team used a compliance buyout in June 2014 after just three seasons of the 10-year contract.

Though Ehrhoff doesn't count toward the Sabres' salary cap, he is on their payroll for $857,143 through the 2027-28 season.

[Curt]

13 minutes ago, RVJ said:

Signing Christian Ehrhoff to a 10-year, $40 million dollar contract.

. The team used a compliance buyout in June 2014 after just three seasons of the 10-year contract.

Though Ehrhoff doesn't count toward the Sabres' salary cap, he is on their payroll for $857,143 through the 2027-28 season.

Technically does not qualify because the contract was signed 2011, but, WOW, that buyout length is crazy.

[Sabel79]

7 minutes ago, RVJ said:

Signing Christian Ehrhoff to a 10-year, $40 million dollar contract.

. The team used a compliance buyout in June 2014 after just three seasons of the 10-year contract.

Though Ehrhoff doesn't count toward the Sabres' salary cap, he is on their payroll for $857,143 through the 2027-28 season.

There are many substantial sticks to beat the franchise with, but this isn't really one of them.  The contract was fine, and IMHO he was worth it, with the understanding that Ehrhoff wasn't ever going to see the end of it, until the league changed the buyout rules to front-loaded contracts and applied them ex post facto.  

If the buyout hadn't been made ridiculously onerous nobody'd have batted an eye, and Ehrhoff would have been traded to someone wanting the cap hit without spending the actual money toward the end.  Since the compliance buyout gave teams an out as to the cap anyway on two bad deals in the CBA dealing with this, the only one impacted is Terry's wallet.

[Curt]

2 minutes ago, Sabel79 said:

There are many substantial sticks to beat the franchise with, but this isn't really one of them.  The contract was fine, and IMHO he was worth it, with the understanding that Ehrhoff wasn't ever going to see the end of it, until the league changed the buyout rules to front-loaded contracts and applied them ex post facto.  

If the buyout hadn't been made ridiculously onerous nobody'd have batted an eye, and Ehrhoff would have been traded to someone wanting the cap hit without spending the actual money toward the end.  Since the compliance buyout gave teams an out as to the cap anyway on two bad deals in the CBA dealing with this, the only one impacted is Terry's wallet.

Considering the actual contract, the buyout was not that crazy.  Sabres actually end up paying him less over the 17 years of the contract + buyout than they would have over the 10 years of the contract.

Its just the length of the buyout which is ridiculously long, 14 years!

The contract got a lot of attention because of its length and because it made Ehrhoff the top paid D in the league for a year or two.  That and the fact that it didn’t turn out well at all.  Ehrhoff and Leino were supposed to be the couple pieces added to the core after Briere/Drury left that could get the team over the hump.  Both ended up being very negative value deals for Buffalo.

[LGR4GM]

34 minutes ago, Curt said:

Considering the actual contract, the buyout was not that crazy.  Sabres actually end up paying him less over the 17 years of the contract + buyout than they would have over the 10 years of the contract.

Its just the length of the buyout which is ridiculously long, 14 years!

The contract got a lot of attention because of its length and because it made Ehrhoff the top paid D in the league for a year or two.  That and the fact that it didn’t turn out well at all.  Ehrhoff and Leino were supposed to be the couple pieces added to the core after Briere/Drury left that could get the team over the hump.  Both ended up being very negative value deals for Buffalo.

Never sign UFAs to long deals for high money. 

 

[Stoner]

53 minutes ago, Sabel79 said:

There are many substantial sticks to beat the franchise with, but this isn't really one of them.  The contract was fine, and IMHO he was worth it, with the understanding that Ehrhoff wasn't ever going to see the end of it, until the league changed the buyout rules to front-loaded contracts and applied them ex post facto.  

If the buyout hadn't been made ridiculously onerous nobody'd have batted an eye, and Ehrhoff would have been traded to someone wanting the cap hit without spending the actual money toward the end.  Since the compliance buyout gave teams an out as to the cap anyway on two bad deals in the CBA dealing with this, the only one impacted is Terry's wallet.

The problem was it was the introduction of Terry the Meddler.

[Sabel79]

30 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

The problem was it was the introduction of Terry the Meddler.

Perhaps fair, but Ehrhoff wasn't even remotely the most egregious case (See: Leino and Regehr) and in any event, well prior to the actual purview of this thread.

Buying out Ehrhoff was a necessity forced upon them by cap recapture applying backwards; his contract was not actually an albatross when it was signed nor would it have been had the rules not changed.

[dudacek]

17 hours ago, SwampD said:

I have and yes, but I always knew when a line mate was better than me at something (usually everything). Does Skinner do that? If so, why was he so prolific with Eichel early on? Does Eichel defer too much and need a Skinner? If so, that’s on coaching to make it work, then.

Am I the only one who thinks Eichel is fully on board with Krueger’s decision to keep him separate from Skinner?

[LabattBlue]

2 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Am I the only one who thinks Eichel is fully on board with Krueger’s decision to keep him separate from Skinner?

Are you implying that Jack has say in to who his linemates are, or that RK's line combos get a thumbs up from him?

[dudacek]

28 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Are you implying that Jack has say in to who his linemates are, or that RK's line combos get a thumbs up from him?

I am implying Jeff is not one of Jack’s favourite wingmen.

[sweetlou]

On 2/4/2021 at 1:29 PM, inkman said:

I hadn’t realized the tenuous nature of the collective fanbase until I made this thread.  I only made it because SweetLou had the ridiculous notion that drafting Sam over Leon was the biggest blunder by the Sabres in the last seven years.  Turns out he was wrong but I’m not sure The result is uh...healthy.  

to defend my initial notion, I don't think the Sabres trade for ROR in the first place if they have jack and Leon as the top two centers.  Therefore they never trade him away.  

how much of these other moves would not have been made if the tank actually worked and they drafted the right players.  so the biggest mistakes the last ten years has been in the scouting and drafting departments and not getting the right players. 

imagine what this team would have looked like if the tank worked and McDavid and Draisaitl are the top two players on this team.

[dudacek]

5 minutes ago, sweetlou said:

imagine what this team would have looked like if the tank worked and McDavid and Draisaitl are the top two players on this team.

Like the Oilers?

[GASabresIUFAN]

40 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Like the Oilers?

Hasn't worked for them either.  Since 2007 they have drafted 6, 22, 1 (Hall), 1 (RNH), 1 (Yakupov), 7 (Nurse), 3 (Draisaitl), 1 (McDavid), 4 (Puljujarvi), 22 (Yamamoto), 10 (Bouchard), 8 (Broberg), 14 (Holloway).

Despite some good to great players, are they any better off then we are? I guess they made the playoff once.  In 13 games they have 12 points with a 6-7-0 record.  They are scoring, but they give up nearly 4 goals a game.  Leon and McJesus are scoring 23 and 26 pts respectively, but their goaltending and defense stink.  

At least, despite for horrid play at times, we play decent defense and Ullmark keeps us in games.  Now if we could just get some scoring.  This assumes we play again this season.

I ask again, how is the hiring of TM or LaFontaine not in the poll?  The Kahun walk, Montour trade and Dahlin draft pick, don't even register on the blunder meter.

Edited February 7, 2021 by GASabresIUFAN

[Andrew Amerk]

16 hours ago, #freejame said:

Getting hammered and killing yourself driving was enough to get the actual Tim Horton his number retired in Buffalo. Getting the C after only crashing into a Tom Horton’s seems like a reasonable expectation. 

Was he driving drunk that night? Or just going too fast in his Porsche?

[LabattBlue]

16 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said:

Was he driving drunk that night? Or just going too fast in his Porsche?

Yes to both.

[Taro T]

28 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said:

Was he driving drunk that night? Or just going too fast in his Porsche?

He broke his jaw in Filly but was allowed to drive up to TO for the game because his family was there.  Between pain meds & alcohol after hanging with them, he should not have been on the QEW.  He wasn't on it for long.  😞

[Doohicksie]

I think we can all agree the worst blunder was playing the New Jersey Devils last weekend.

[Tony P]

On 2/4/2021 at 2:04 PM, freester said:

Their firing wasn’t the problem. The problem was hiring an utter and complete incompetent in Botteril. He will go down as one of the worst GMs in NHL history. How Seattle hired him is shocking. 

Bots made a good number of the moves on that list. Can't be sure that a stronger, more experienced GM makes the same decisions but I'd bet not. Total disaster.  

[Stoner]

9 hours ago, Doohickie said:

I think we can all agree the worst blunder was playing the New Jersey Devils last weekend.

That's the narrative/propaganda.

[Stoner]

10 hours ago, Andrew Amerk said:

Was he driving drunk that night? Or just going too fast in his Porsche?

It was a De Tomaso Pantera that Punch put in the contract as a bonus. I bet that weighed on him for the rest of his life.

[Stoner]

10 hours ago, Taro T said:

He broke his jaw in Filly but was allowed to drive up to TO for the game because his family was there.  Between pain meds & alcohol after hanging with them, he should not have been on the QEW.  He wasn't on it for long.  😞

Wikipedia page says no pain killers were found in his blood, but there were traces of a drug (then legal) commonly referred to as "speed." Dexamyl. His BAC was approximately twice the legal limit at the time.

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

Wikipedia page says no pain killers were found in his blood, but there were traces of a drug (then legal) commonly referred to as "speed." Dexamyl. His BAC was approximately twice the legal limit at the time.

Interesting.  🍺

[Drag0nDan]

On 2/6/2021 at 11:43 AM, Curt said:

When Mittelstadt was drafted, they didn’t need a 2nd line C.  That was a full year before O’Reilly was traded.

And yet - it made o'reilly "expendable"

[pi2000]

Their highest point total in the last 8 years is 81. 

Second highest is 78.

Both under Disco Dan.  81 points in Eichel's rookie season, with a lineup that featured the likes of Cody Franson, Delauriers, Legwand, Gorges, Colaiaccovo, and Chad Johnson in net.

It's not a popular opionion but firing him was a huge mistake.   They regressed by 3 points in his second season.  He was without Eichel for 3 months, drops 3 points in the standings, and he gets the boot for Phil Housley.  Phil. HOUSLEY. 

A guy with zero pro head coaching experience... but hey Eichel didn't like Disco Dan right?  Eichel was what 20 years old at the time?   Smh. 

Atleast Eichel really likes RK.  Good. Great.  They continue to suck but hey the players love the coach!  Is there a banner for that?

[Weave]

Dammit.  I agree with Pi again.

I need a shower now.

Edited February 8, 2021 by Weave