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Posted
4 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

If they don't do something soon they are going to alienate what remains for their fanbase.  I'm so disgusted that I haven't even watched the last couple of games because I knew they stood no chance of winning them.  Edm was right to dump RK when they did.  We should as well.  He has no clue what to do. 

The owners should, but they won't. There is no sense of urgency anymore. Disobedience (like JBott refusing to axe everyone) or financial-based decisions (like the decision to axe the AHL staff), sure...  but until RK stands up to them or offends them in a way they don't like, he's going to be the guy.

I seriously wonder why the players aren't more upset. Why isn't anyone lashing out in some capacity? What do they have to fear? They'll get traded? That the word of being a malcontent in this mess will somehow haunt them? Heck, if I'm a GM on another team I see capitulation and acceptance and indifference to what's happening here as a reason not to sign anyone from this spot. Especially the established veterans, Staal, Hall, Eakin, heck, they might all be washed up, but they could still get traded to a contender for the playoffs. Ristolainen and Reinhart should be absolutely begging to get out of here while they still have value on the market.

Their fear has not led to hate... but it has led to suffering.

Posted

When other teams get the puck, they turn and explode towards the offensive zone. When we get the puck, with no fans in the arena, you can actually hear them thinking about what to do next. It's ****ing painful to watch. It is so painfully slow and it gives the other team so much time to recover and defend.

The backhand passes, the backwards through the leg passes, the pass pass pass pass pass just for the sake of passing passes. Just awful. 

 

 

 

 

... and people were grousing about Bylsma's stretch passes.

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Posted
3 minutes ago, SwampD said:

When other teams get the puck, they turn and explode towards the offensive zone. When we get the puck, with no fans in the arena, you can actually hear them thinking about what to do next. It's ****ing painful to watch. It is so painfully slow and it gives the other team so much time to recover and defend.

The backhand passes, the backwards through the leg passes, the pass pass pass pass pass just for the sake of passing passes. Just awful. 

 

 

 

 

... and people were grousing about Bylsma's stretch passes.

Truth!

Not only that, I have a freind who's a psychic, she swears her word to me she hears the cardboard cutouts actually booing the play by the team in the arena. And I believe her, because if I was a cardboard cutout during these games, I'd by puking all over the arena.

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Posted

I have an interesting suggestion for a coaching addition possibility, HC or assistant, that I saw suggested by someone on another site.

If Buffalo wants to make a change, no quality, experienced NHL coaches are interested in the job, an interesting candidate that Buffalo could look at is Mike Vellucci, Penguins Assistant Coach.  He has a very diverse experience background.  A longtime OHL HC/GM, and then Carolina Hurricanes Assistant GM/Director of Hockey Operations/AHL HC.

He is someone who could serve as a coach, as a new assistant in not HC, and also an experienced advisor to GM Kevy.  

Posted
5 minutes ago, Curt said:

I have an interesting suggestion for a coaching addition possibility, HC or assistant, that I saw suggested by someone on another site.

If Buffalo wants to make a change, no quality, experienced NHL coaches are interested in the job, an interesting candidate that Buffalo could look at is Mike Vellucci, Penguins Assistant Coach.  He has a very diverse experience background.  A longtime OHL HC/GM, and then Carolina Hurricanes Assistant GM/Director of Hockey Operations/AHL HC.

He is someone who could serve as a coach, as a new assistant in not HC, and also an experienced advisor to GM Kevy.  

While I'm open to ALL forward progress type possibilities, I must confess, I am not interested in anything Pittsburgh. Sorry.

Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

The owners should, but they won't. There is no sense of urgency anymore. Disobedience (like JBott refusing to axe everyone) or financial-based decisions (like the decision to axe the AHL staff), sure...  but until RK stands up to them or offends them in a way they don't like, he's going to be the guy.

I seriously wonder why the players aren't more upset. Why isn't anyone lashing out in some capacity? What do they have to fear? They'll get traded? That the word of being a malcontent in this mess will somehow haunt them? Heck, if I'm a GM on another team I see capitulation and acceptance and indifference to what's happening here as a reason not to sign anyone from this spot. Especially the established veterans, Staal, Hall, Eakin, heck, they might all be washed up, but they could still get traded to a contender for the playoffs. Ristolainen and Reinhart should be absolutely begging to get out of here while they still have value on the market.

Their fear has not led to hate... but it has led to suffering.

I think my bolded is what you would call Skinner. 

Besides Staal and Okposo, he’s the most veteran player on the team. He probably sensed something wrong last season, and is paying the price for saying something. 

Edited by Andrew Amerk
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Posted

It’s very possible Skinner is rebelling as best he can. But he also isn’t saying anything until he waives his NMC. Reinhart. Or someone like Montour who’s been elsewhere. Okposo. One of those guys saying “get me out of here” would be doing something.  

Posted
1 minute ago, DarthEbriate said:

It’s very possible Skinner is rebelling as best he can. But he also isn’t saying anything until he waives his NMC. Reinhart. Or someone like Montour who’s been elsewhere. Okposo. One of those guys saying “get me out of here” would be doing something.  

Clearly, pretty much the entire team has already given up. It’s not just Skinner. 

Bye Ralph. 

Posted
Just now, Andrew Amerk said:

Clearly, pretty much the entire team has already given up. It’s not just Skinner. 

Bye Ralph. 

Yeah. This team is flat and lost. And has been since December of last season. Any self-respecting owner/GM fires their coach after this much garbage. The coach has lost the team. That is rule number one for making a coaching change. 

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Posted
Just now, DarthEbriate said:

Yeah. This team is flat and lost. And has been since December of last season. Any self-respecting owner/GM fires their coach after this much garbage. The coach has lost the team. That is rule number one for making a coaching change. 

I agree 100%. It’s frustrating to watch, and weird how the people writing the checks don’t see it. 

Posted
12 hours ago, nfreeman said:

OK, here's a question:  last season, the Sabres finished, based on %ages,  #30 on the PK and #20 on the PP.  A number of observers, including me, felt that these results, especially the PK, indicated a coaching issue.

This season, the Sabres are #21 on the PK and #1 on the PP with a bullet.  So they have improved substantially on the PP and a decent amount on the PK.  I think coaching should get some credit for this, although it's a small sample size and we can't get carried away here.

IMHO, the team shows up and plays hard for RK, and the issues that have kept them in the dumpster this year are goaltending and low production from their top guys.  It might be fair to attribute the top guys' underperformance to RK, but Eichel had his best season last year under RK, and Reino and VO are both having good seasons this year.

Is it crazy to think that the top guys will start to revert to their career standards and that RK's 5-on-5 coaching will improve, just like the special teams have improved?

 

This is the only correct answer.

To compare this team statistically to past seasons, or any other team in a different division, is apples to oranges.    

They're playing in an 8 team league, 6 of which made the playoffs last season.

They had a 10 month hiatus, replaced half their forwards, a 1 week training camp, no pre-season, play 10 games, then a 2 week break... come out of break sans their top defensive pairing,  then their #1 goalie and #1 player get injured.     To bundle that up and use it as ammo to say this is the worst Sabres team that ever existed, and the coach should be fired, and the captain traded...    is simply being short sighted and hitting the panic button.      

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Posted (edited)
12 hours ago, pi2000 said:

This is the only correct answer.

To compare this team statistically to past seasons, or any other team in a different division, is apples to oranges.    

They're playing in an 8 team league, 6 of which made the playoffs last season.

They had a 10 month hiatus, replaced half their forwards, a 1 week training camp, no pre-season, play 10 games, then a 2 week break... come out of break sans their top defensive pairing,  then their #1 goalie and #1 player get injured.     To bundle that up and use it as ammo to say this is the worst Sabres team that ever existed, and the coach should be fired, and the captain traded...    is simply being short sighted and hitting the panic button.      

That’s all fine but the excuses need to end somewhere. They now need to improve over the course of the season. 

It’s one thing to account for external factors, and adjust expectations accordingly - but it’s also possible to *still* fall woefully short of expectations even while allowing for those factors. 

The Sabres need to be way better and they need to do it this season. 

Accounting for those factors, the team has still underachieved to this point. 

They are beginning to look listless on the ice and they’ve been incapable of scoring. And many of the things being used as excuses (injuries) could have been far better planned for in the offseason. 

Everyone knew the goaltending and left side of the D were an injury away from disaster coming in. That’s on them. They also bare some responsibility for the media fiasco that has been Jeff Skinner. 

It’s not about firings at this immediate time, but those in charge must be accountable for their performance this season. 

Edited by Thorny
Posted

Krueger's complete mis-management and destruction of Skinner's game--alone--is grounds for termination.

That entire ongoing saga is entirely coach created and it has effectively removed a 30-40 goal scorer from the lineup.

Any HC is supposed to be smart enough to develop strategy and tactics that get the most out of what he has--not throw assets in the trash can.

The fans in Edmonton made it clear that Ralph was a stubborn SOB, and man, were they right! 

 

 

 

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Posted

Posted in another thread but worth posting in here.

Plenty of good arguments for firing and keeping HCRK and plenty of suggestions of who to hire to replace him but I think people are missing an option. 

If they fire RK this season, they will likely just promote Appert from Rochester.

I think it comes down to money but the excuse will be Covid etc

How do we feel about Appert as HC? 

Posted
2 hours ago, Norcal said:

Posted in another thread but worth posting in here.

Plenty of good arguments for firing and keeping HCRK and plenty of suggestions of who to hire to replace him but I think people are missing an option. 

If they fire RK this season, they will likely just promote Appert from Rochester.

I think it comes down to money but the excuse will be Covid etc

How do we feel about Appert as HC? 

Has he coached any professional hockey over the last 5 years? Yes? Then he's a definite upgrade over the current guy.

Posted
1 minute ago, Carmel Corn said:

Ha-ha...Jack said he got hurt in New Jersey, not in pre-game this weekend.  Krueger is a LIAR.  Try to BS your way out of this one Ralphie!

And there we have it.

So Krueger didn’t know of Skinner/his agent’s comments, didn’t know Jack was hurt...

Pay no attention the the man behind the curtain! 

Posted (edited)

Ralph just said post game his system is beyond question but the execution/implementation of it is not 

Says it has a proven NHL track record

Edited by Thorny
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Posted (edited)


Replace Ducks w/ Sabres.  What Boudreau says at the end may be exactly what Buffalo needs.  Fire Krueger.  
 

And hire Boudreau.... 

Edited by GoPre
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