I can hear the end of year excuse(press) conference now....

[LabattBlue]

Pandemic...two week shutdown during the season blah blah blah

Risto extended absence, covid related blah blah blah

McCabe out for the year blah blah blah

Playing in front of no fans blah blah blah

 

The stars are aligning perfectly for Kym and her lapdog Kevyn.   Now there is no urgency to make any moves except for dumping Staal and Hall at the TDL.

[Scottysabres]

Not for nothing, but Risto's situation is tragic. I really like him as a Sabres, warts and all.

The rest, sure, why not. 

[Marvin]

Don't give them any ideas.

I will stay off my anti-tank hobby-horse to point out that all of the excuses hold some water -- just not enough for me.  They should have figured out a way to get out of goalie gaol before the season began.

[Carmel Corn]

Borgen out, Rieder out (?), assistant coach Granato absent on bench, Girgensons out, players don't like the new jerseys, no kiss-cams, no bubble-hockey between periods, no Doug Allen anthems, no protective netting behind the goals, no Rob Ray between the benches, blah-blah-blah.  It's amazing they can even play under such horrendous conditions. 

[North Buffalo]

So do we bring out the Tanks again?? 

Edited February 23, 2021 by North Buffalo

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

So do we brink out the Tanks again?? 

Should we have put them away?

[Marvin]

Let's turn this around: assuming that the don't write off the season, what do they need to do which makes the playoffs more likely this year but does not require spending prime assets?  Are there teams in a similar situation where we can make a mutually beneficial trade?  Nashville, Dallas, Anaheim, and San Jose leap to mind.

2 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Should we have put them away?

Have we ever put them away?

[Huckleberry]

[Gatorman0519]

It is not even a deep draft class this year either save maybe defenseman.

[Huckleberry]

1 minute ago, Gatorman0519 said:

It is not even a deep draft class this year either save maybe defenseman.

Every draft has a gem 🙂

[LabattBlue]

10 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

So do we brink out the Tanks again?? 

I never ever want to go down the tank road again.  I'm just saying they are going nowhere this year, and all it took was a couple of weeks of play to figure that out....but that won't stop the powers that be, to try and make excuses for another dismal season.

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, Gatorman0519 said:

It is not even a deep draft class this year either save maybe defenseman.

Add in the lack of development for the class on top of the lack of evaluations for the class. This draft will be a nightmare for basically everyone. 

[North Buffalo]

22 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Add in the lack of development for the class on top of the lack of evaluations for the class. This draft will be a nightmare for basically everyone. 

Or an opportunity???

[Thorner]

30 minutes ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

Let's turn this around: assuming that the don't write off the season, what do they need to do which makes the playoffs more likely this year but does not require spending prime assets?  Are there teams in a similar situation where we can make a mutually beneficial trade?  Nashville, Dallas, Anaheim, and San Jose leap to mind.

Have we ever put them away?

If they write-off the season, they deserve every bit of the fan-revolt. 

Krueger has talked endlessly of their psyche being the issue - what would giving up do? It's absolutely unacceptable when considering the future of this roster. Adams needs to NOT pull a Botterill and make a timely move to help out now. For heaven's sakes guys stand by the roster you created! In the offseason vids you were saying you thought Hall made you cup contenders! If losing 2 starters on D is enough to throw in the towel, it was doomed from the start.

There are no excuses here. We aren't ravaged by injuries. Make a move. They willingly came into the season shallow at LHD - they don't get the benefit of the doubt. 

[mjd1001]

So where do we stand right now as far as making the playoffs?  

It looks like to finish 4th, you are going to have to get close to 60% of your total available points.  That will make it in some divisions, but in others maybe not. But it is what you want to aim for in order to get that 4th spot.  That would mean ending the season with 67-68 points.

The Sabres have 12 points in 15 games so far. To get to 68 points, they need to get 56 points in their remaining 41 games.  Or 1.37 points per game....Or 68.3% of available points from here to the end of the season. Only 6 teams as of right now are playing at a better pace than that.

I'm not saying it is impossible...but the Sabres have to play and earn points like a top 6 team for the rest of the season..with a very condensed schedule, and probably missing their 2 top defensemen for the forseeable future.

[Thorner]

8 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

So where do we stand right now as far as making the playoffs?  

It looks like to finish 4th, you are going to have to get close to 60% of your total available points.  That will make it in some divisions, but in others maybe not. But it is what you want to aim for in order to get that 4th spot.  That would mean ending the season with 67-68 points.

The Sabres have 12 points in 15 games so far. To get to 68 points, they need to get 56 points in their remaining 41 games.  Or 1.37 points per game....Or 68.3% of available points from here to the end of the season. Only 6 teams as of right now are playing at a better pace than that.

I'm not saying it is impossible...but the Sabres have to play and earn points like a top 6 team for the rest of the season..with a very condensed schedule, and probably missing their 2 top defensemen for the forseeable future.

To me the crux of it is - do we give up and ease up on expectations as a franchise because playoffs might be out of reach, or do they value growth over the course of the year and a strong finish? When do we actually BUILD something? You can't keep tossing seasons away because things aren't ideal. @dudacek before the season started said he didn't think we'd make the playoffs, but he was looking for a strong season nonetheless - one where we got better over the course of it. 

It's something we need to fight for. 

Edited February 23, 2021 by Thorny

[mjd1001]

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

To me the crux of it is - do we give up and ease up on expectations as a franchise because playoffs might be out of reach, or do they value growth over the course of the year and strong finish? When do we actually BUILD something? You can't keep tossing seasons away because things aren't ideal. @dudacek before the season started said he didn't think we'd make the playoffs, but he was looking for a strong season nonetheless - one where we got better.

It's something we need to fight for. 

In the end, I think a big thing that will determine this is something as fans we have little knowledge of....what do the players think, what is their attitude toward the team and how badly do they want to put the effort into pushing for a playoff spot that may not come?  Do they like playing for this team? In this city? for this coach? 

The attitude of the player and their outlook....may determine almost as much as their on-ice performance just how hard this team should push to get the most points on a season even if/when they are out of the playoffs, vs how much you should think of moves with next year in mind.

[Thorner]

19 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

In the end, I think a big thing that will determine this is something as fans we have little knowledge of....what do the players think, what is their attitude toward the team and how badly do they want to put the effort into pushing for a playoff spot that may not come?  Do they like playing for this team? In this city? for this coach? 

The attitude of the player and their outlook....may determine almost as much as their on-ice performance just how hard this team should push to get the most points on a season even if/when they are out of the playoffs, vs how much you should think of moves with next year in mind.

But what they usually do is a patented blend of inaction on either front in season. 

[Kruppstahl]

On 2/23/2021 at 1:14 PM, LabattBlue said:

Pandemic...two week shutdown during the season blah blah blah

Risto extended absence, covid related blah blah blah

McCabe out for the year blah blah blah

Playing in front of no fans blah blah blah

 

The stars are aligning perfectly for Kym and her lapdog Kevyn.   Now there is no urgency to make any moves except for dumping Staal and Hall at the TDL.

The funny thing is they are talking like maybe they will try to extend Hall, which is kind of hilarious.  Or tragic.

That is actually something to keep a close eye on.  A Sabres team committed to winning is not going to come close to extending Hall.

A Sabres team not trying to win but just in survival mode might very well extend Hall.

This all assumes his play remains about the same until the trade deadline.  Comes late this season on April 12.

 

 

 

 

[Kruppstahl]

On 2/23/2021 at 1:34 PM, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

Don't give them any ideas.

I will stay off my anti-tank hobby-horse to point out that all of the excuses hold some water -- just not enough for me.  They should have figured out a way to get out of goalie gaol before the season began.

Standing still with our goalie lineup, last off-season, is this organization's greatest sin.

It tells you where they are in their thinking.  Wins and losses are not the top priority now.