What next???

[Crusader1969]

The season is officially done on the news of Ullmark out for at least a months   Odds of them making the playoffs this season has gone from slim to none

Is there anything they can do to make you optimistic for the 21-22 season? 

I’d like for them to play the young players from here out. Mitts, Tage, Asplund and Bryson.  Let them make their mistakes, hopefully they improve and you get to see if there is any hope for them

Maybe they should Cozens be moved to Center? Or put Mitts between Cozens and Hall?  AgAin with an eye for next season 

I’m pretty optimistic for next season  I think they will be a playoff team  maybe even top 10  

 

 

 

[COSabreFan]

7 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

The season is officially done on the news of Ullmark out for at least a months   Odds of them making the playoffs this season has gone from slim to none

Is there anything they can do to make you optimistic for the 21-22 season? 

I’d like for them to play the young players from here out. Mitts, Tage, Asplund and Bryson.  Let them make their mistakes, hopefully they improve and you get to see if there is any hope for them

Maybe they should Cozens be moved to Center? Or put Mitts between Cozens and Hall?  AgAin with an eye for next season 

I’m pretty optimistic for next season  I think they will be a playoff team  maybe even top 10  

 

 

 

Not sure if your being sarcastic about next season, if not Respect your optimism.  

This organization from top to bottom is making me hate hockey.  They can’t seem to get anything right.  The Pegulas seemed to always hire the wrong people at every level, draft the wrong players, and screw up so many decisions dealing with the fans and their experience.  I just don’t understand why this happens year after year.  The organization seems cursed or being fed a large helping of karma.  I have started to wonder lately if they will even be in Buffalo in 5 years.

Edited February 27, 2021 by COSabreFan

[Scottysabres]

Posted this in the GDT just in the past hour

"I would fire Adams and Krueger, trade Eichel, Reinhart, Olofsson, Ullmark, Staal, Hall, Risto, Montour, Dahlin and Miller for packages of draft picks and prospects still developing. Let other contracts run out, try to move Skinner and Okposo, but wouldn't be paramount if we dumped all of the salary in the trades mentioned above. The Eichel and Reinhart trades alone could rebuild your top 6 center spine and then some, let alone the other trades.

It's just not worth it to try and continue on with this nonsense, because that is just what it is, a joke, pure nonsense.

Hire a well known successful President of Hockey operations and the GM and coaching staff will fill out.

This isn't working, and it's actually harmful to the organizational brand on a broader scale."

This would be a rebuild, but, NOT A TANK! Just a rebuild. Prospects that can play, young roster players, draft picks. A do over, if you will, without intentionally losing games. The driving force would be, TO WIN!

[IKnowPhysics]

[Brawndo]

They are horrible 

[Cal Naughton Jr]

12 minutes ago, IKnowPhysics said:

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, Crusader1969 said:

I’d like for them to play the young players from here out. Mitts, Tage, Asplund and Bryson.  Let them make their mistakes, hopefully they improve and you get to see if there is any hope for them

I'd actually prefer if they sent them all to Rochester to make that team a winning team and save them from a year of losing culture. Gut it, start over. 

[IKnowPhysics]

36 minutes ago, Cal Naughton Jr said:

Who else wants to hop in the toaster tub before the fuse blows?

 

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

48 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

They are horrible 

How long have I been saying this?  There is to much talent on this team to be this bad.  They need to fire RK now, even if this isn't entirely his fault, just to hit the reset button since we can't fire 25 players.  Yes it looks bad, but I'm not sure they have a choice any longer.  The fan base is ready with the pitchforks.  

[Scottysabres]

1 minute ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

How long have I been saying this?  There is to much talent on this team to be this bad.  They need to fire RK now, even if this isn't entirely his fault, just to hit the reset button since we can't fire 25 players.  Yes it looks bad, but I'm not sure they have a choice any longer.  The fan base is ready with the pitchforks.  

Actually, yes, yes we can fire 25 players. It's called trades, buyouts and burying those players.

But, I also agree, the first thing that needs to happen is Adams and Krueger need to go, like last year.

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, Scottysabres said:

Actually, yes, yes we can fire 25 players. It's called trades, buyouts and burying those players.

But, I also agree, the first thing that needs to happen is Adams and Krueger need to go, like last year.

Adams isn't going anywhere.  He needs a mentor, but we are 18 games into his first season and his actions in his first off-season weren’t bad just conservative.  We all understood that Staal and Hall ever risks and neither has set the world on fire but neither have been awful either.   His other additions have been ok to very good.  Rieder and Sheahan have added good depth and have played above expectations.  Keeping Lazar for two years at 800k each is looking like a huge bargain. His biggest mistake was not replacing Hutton.  The overpayments to Thompson, Girgensons and Eakin weren't smart, but their not anchors on the team.  

Cozens and Mitts look like real players and part of the future.  Their ceilings are unknown.  

Risto and McCabe (UFA) are solid players that contribute and the rest of the D group, while not being stellar, haven't been bad either.  I still really like Dahlin and Jokiharju but think they need a better more active system to succeed.  

My first step is to kick RK upstairs.  I'd interview our current assistants to see who will open up the offense and give that person the interim tag.  

My next step is to trade Montour or Miller to get a defensive D to help balance the pairing and replace McCabe.

My 3rd steps is send waive KO and when not claimed send him to Rochester and then buy him out this off-season. 

My next step is trade Thompson, Hall and Staal at the deadline for whatever we can get.  None are part of the solution.  Maybe even try to find a RW in the deals

My 5th step is to move Cozens to center and see how he does.  

My 6 - play the kids, Thompson, Mitts, Cozens, Asplund, Borgen and Bryson as often as possible. Lets see what we have.  

Off-season

1) Hire a mentor for KA 

2) Hire a new coach who can actually coach offense.  Gallant or Julien maybe?  

3) Decide on the expansion protection

F- Eichel, Reinhart, Mitts, Lazar, VO, Skinner (required) and R2 (if he isn't exempt).  D- Dahlin, Jokiharju and Risto

4) The Sabres only have 9 players under contract for next year (for 42.5 mill).  8 Once KO is bounced and 7 is Thompson is traded.  Relevant RFAs: Reinhart, Mitts, Borgen, Dahlin, Jokiharju. Relevant UFAs: McCabe, Rieder, Sheahan and Ullmark.  Outside Reinhart, the rest will be cheap or reasonable to retain, even Dahlin.  His big decisions will be whether to retain Ullmark and McCabe who certainly aren't the problem here.  I'm re-signing McCabe and Ullmark to identical 4 year 16 mill deals right after the expansion draft.

5) Acquire a decent backup goalie and RW depth.  If Cozens isn't ready for the 2C role, try to find a playmaking center for the 2C role.  No idea who that is right now, but I suspect someone will be in a cap squeeze and have to make a deal.

6) Balance the D.  I'm going to assume we lose Miller in the expansion draft.  I could be wrong and someone like Asplund, Thompson or Borgen will be lost, but Miller is a perfect expansion pickup; a PP QB vet on a reasonable deal with only one year left.  If we start off with Joki, Dahlin, McCabe, Risto and Borgen as 5/7 of the D, Ka should be on the lookout for a good skating defensive D to play with Dahlin and one more LD to play with Jokiharju or Borgen on the 3rd pair.  

7) What do the Sabres really have on offense - Jack, VO and Reinhart.  Mitts and Cozens are developing and Lazar is a good depth player.  That's it.  Everyone else is expendable, fill in depth or PKers.  Skinner is also an unknown and unless full time with Jack may never be something again but we are stuck with him. I'm going to assume for arguments sake that Skinner can rebound and that neither Mitts or Cozens is ready for the 2C role.  Who fills out the balance, no idea, but a 2C and a RW are a necessity.

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by GASabresIUFAN

[Crusader1969]

When he’s back play Borgen with Dahlin. 
It’s was a small sample size but they looked like the perfect fit

Assuming both McCabe and Risto have come into their own. You have a pretty good top 2 pairs 

I sign Hall still.  At least he’s dangerous and is a big part of the best PP in league. He’s not getting 8*8 though.  
It’s time to reunite Jack with Skinner and Reinhart.   If you are grooming Cozens to be a centre, keep with Staal. I have no issue with Staal being his mentor for the season  though you do trade Staal at the deadline 

you have to put Casey as 3rd line centre. Give him Oloffson and Tage.  
figure out what you have with Tage - if anything.  I know most want to give up on him but let him play night in night out to know for sure 

I still am a big fan of Lazar   You play him with Girgenson and another high energy player   Maybe play them between Asplund ?

I won’t count on Quinn to be ready next year   
 

the main thing is improve the goaltending!!! UPL with Ullmark should be good   Get UPL acclimated to the league  as a 1b 

IF 1)Ullmark plays like he did as  a true #1, 
2) Risto and McCabe have in fact turned the corner on their careers  

3) Borgen is the perfect compliment to Dahlin

4) Eichel, Hall (if back) and Skinner figure out how to score again

5) stay relatively healthy

they are a playoff team next season and all this losing will be finally put behind us

I honestly believe it will happen  maybe it’s just blind hope at this point  

 

 

 

[Cal Naughton Jr]

[Carmel Corn]

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Adams isn't going anywhere.  He needs a mentor, but we are 18 games into his first season and his actions in his first off-season weren’t bad just conservative.  We all understood that Staal and Hall ever risks and neither has set the world on fire but neither have been awful either.   His other additions have been ok to very good.  Rieder and Sheahan have added good depth and have played above expectations.  Keeping Lazar for two years at 800k each is looking like a huge bargain. His biggest mistake was not replacing Hutton.  The overpayments to Thompson, Girgensons and Eakin weren't smart, but their not anchors on the team.  

Cozens and Mitts look like real players and part of the future.  Their ceilings are unknown.  

Risto and McCabe (UFA) are solid players that contribute and the rest of the D group, while not being stellar, haven't been bad either.  I still really like Dahlin and Jokiharju but think they need a better more active system to succeed.  

My first step is to kick RK upstairs.  I'd interview our current assistants to see who will open up the offense and give that person the interim tag.  

My next step is to trade Montour or Miller to get a defensive D to help balance the pairing and replace McCabe.

My 3rd steps is send waive KO and when not claimed send him to Rochester and then buy him out this off-season. 

My next step is trade Thompson, Hall and Staal at the deadline for whatever we can get.  None are part of the solution.  Maybe even try to find a RW in the deals

My 5th step is to move Cozens to center and see how he does.  

My 6 - play the kids, Thompson, Mitts, Cozens, Asplund, Borgen and Bryson as often as possible. Lets see what we have.  

Off-season

1) Hire a mentor for KA 

2) Hire a new coach who can actually coach offense.  Gallant or Julien maybe?  

3) Decide on the expansion protection

F- Eichel, Reinhart, Mitts, Lazar, VO, Skinner (required) and R2 (if he isn't exempt).  D- Dahlin, Jokiharju and Risto

4) The Sabres only have 9 players under contract for next year (for 42.5 mill).  8 Once KO is bounced and 7 is Thompson is traded.  Relevant RFAs: Reinhart, Mitts, Borgen, Dahlin, Jokiharju. Relevant UFAs: McCabe, Rieder, Sheahan and Ullmark.  Outside Reinhart, the rest will be cheap or reasonable to retain, even Dahlin.  His big decisions will be whether to retain Ullmark and McCabe who certainly aren't the problem here.  I'm re-signing McCabe and Ullmark to identical 4 year 16 mill deals right after the expansion draft.

5) Acquire a decent backup goalie and RW depth.  If Cozens isn't ready for the 2C role, try to find a playmaking center for the 2C role.  No idea who that is right now, but I suspect someone will be in a cap squeeze and have to make a deal.

6) Balance the D.  I'm going to assume we lose Miller in the expansion draft.  I could be wrong and someone like Asplund, Thompson or Borgen will be lost, but Miller is a perfect expansion pickup; a PP QB vet on a reasonable deal with only one year left.  If we start off with Joki, Dahlin, McCabe, Risto and Borgen as 5/7 of the D, Ka should be on the lookout for a good skating defensive D to play with Dahlin and one more LD to play with Jokiharju or Borgen on the 3rd pair.  

7) What do the Sabres really have on offense - Jack, VO and Reinhart.  Mitts and Cozens are developing and Lazar is a good depth player.  That's it.  Everyone else is expendable, fill in depth or PKers.  Skinner is also an unknown and unless full time with Jack may never be something again but we are stuck with him. I'm going to assume for arguments sake that Skinner can rebound and that neither Mitts or Cozens is ready for the 2C role.  Who fills out the balance, no idea, but a 2C and a RW are a necessity.

 

Sorry, but Ralph has done absolutely nothing to justify getting kicked "upstairs".   Granted the Pegula's probably don't want to keep paying for their bad hires, but I don't want any more of Ralph's BS in the organization.  I don't think much of our assistants either.

And for god's sake, keep him FAR AWAY from the Buffalo Bills!

Edited February 28, 2021 by Carmel Corn

[nucci]

Adams isn't going anywhere.  He needs a mentor, 

 

Our GM needs a mentor? How about getting a real GM and an actual hockey coach?

31 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

Sorry, but Ralph has done absolutely nothing to justify getting kicked "upstairs".   Granted the Pegula's probably don't want to keep paying for their bad hires, but I don't want any more of Ralph's BS in the organization.  I don't think much of our assistants either.

And for god's sake, keep him FAR AWAY from the Buffalo Bills!

then stop hiring bad people

[Norcal]

What happens if they fire RK, as some have requested, and bring up Appert from Rochester to coach the Sabres till the end of the year? Sighting Covid protocol etc etc quarantine such and such. Then what? 

[Kruppstahl]

6 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

Posted this in the GDT just in the past hour

"I would fire Adams and Krueger, trade Eichel, Reinhart, Olofsson, Ullmark, Staal, Hall, Risto, Montour, Dahlin and Miller for packages of draft picks and prospects still developing. Let other contracts run out, try to move Skinner and Okposo, but wouldn't be paramount if we dumped all of the salary in the trades mentioned above. The Eichel and Reinhart trades alone could rebuild your top 6 center spine and then some, let alone the other trades.

It's just not worth it to try and continue on with this nonsense, because that is just what it is, a joke, pure nonsense.

Hire a well known successful President of Hockey operations and the GM and coaching staff will fill out.

This isn't working, and it's actually harmful to the organizational brand on a broader scale."

This would be a rebuild, but, NOT A TANK! Just a rebuild. Prospects that can play, young roster players, draft picks. A do over, if you will, without intentionally losing games. The driving force would be, TO WIN!

There is no way we should go through something like this without at least first trying a real HC.

I would try to get Claude Julien in here tomorrow if I could, and replace Ralph immediately.

Let Claude do whatever he wants roster wise going forward, including moves at the deadline.

 

 

[Andrew Amerk]

55 minutes ago, Norcal said:

What happens if they fire RK, as some have requested, and bring up Appert from Rochester to coach the Sabres till the end of the year? Sighting Covid protocol etc etc quarantine such and such. Then what? 

Then it looks idiotic that they let Chris Taylor go for no reason. He was doing very good, and looked on the cusp of landing an NHL position. 

And, a couple weeks later, he did. 

Edited February 28, 2021 by Andrew Amerk

[klos1963]

6 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Adams isn't going anywhere.  He needs a mentor, but we are 18 games into his first season and his actions in his first off-season weren’t bad just conservative.  We all understood that Staal and Hall ever risks and neither has set the world on fire but neither have been awful either.   His other additions have been ok to very good.  Rieder and Sheahan have added good depth and have played above expectations.  Keeping Lazar for two years at 800k each is looking like a huge bargain. His biggest mistake was not replacing Hutton.  The overpayments to Thompson, Girgensons and Eakin weren't smart, but their not anchors on the team.  

Cozens and Mitts look like real players and part of the future.  Their ceilings are unknown.  

Risto and McCabe (UFA) are solid players that contribute and the rest of the D group, while not being stellar, haven't been bad either.  I still really like Dahlin and Jokiharju but think they need a better more active system to succeed.  

My first step is to kick RK upstairs.  I'd interview our current assistants to see who will open up the offense and give that person the interim tag.  

My next step is to trade Montour or Miller to get a defensive D to help balance the pairing and replace McCabe.

My 3rd steps is send waive KO and when not claimed send him to Rochester and then buy him out this off-season. 

My next step is trade Thompson, Hall and Staal at the deadline for whatever we can get.  None are part of the solution.  Maybe even try to find a RW in the deals

My 5th step is to move Cozens to center and see how he does.  

My 6 - play the kids, Thompson, Mitts, Cozens, Asplund, Borgen and Bryson as often as possible. Lets see what we have.  

Off-season

1) Hire a mentor for KA 

2) Hire a new coach who can actually coach offense.  Gallant or Julien maybe?  

3) Decide on the expansion protection

F- Eichel, Reinhart, Mitts, Lazar, VO, Skinner (required) and R2 (if he isn't exempt).  D- Dahlin, Jokiharju and Risto

4) The Sabres only have 9 players under contract for next year (for 42.5 mill).  8 Once KO is bounced and 7 is Thompson is traded.  Relevant RFAs: Reinhart, Mitts, Borgen, Dahlin, Jokiharju. Relevant UFAs: McCabe, Rieder, Sheahan and Ullmark.  Outside Reinhart, the rest will be cheap or reasonable to retain, even Dahlin.  His big decisions will be whether to retain Ullmark and McCabe who certainly aren't the problem here.  I'm re-signing McCabe and Ullmark to identical 4 year 16 mill deals right after the expansion draft.

5) Acquire a decent backup goalie and RW depth.  If Cozens isn't ready for the 2C role, try to find a playmaking center for the 2C role.  No idea who that is right now, but I suspect someone will be in a cap squeeze and have to make a deal.

6) Balance the D.  I'm going to assume we lose Miller in the expansion draft.  I could be wrong and someone like Asplund, Thompson or Borgen will be lost, but Miller is a perfect expansion pickup; a PP QB vet on a reasonable deal with only one year left.  If we start off with Joki, Dahlin, McCabe, Risto and Borgen as 5/7 of the D, Ka should be on the lookout for a good skating defensive D to play with Dahlin and one more LD to play with Jokiharju or Borgen on the 3rd pair.  

7) What do the Sabres really have on offense - Jack, VO and Reinhart.  Mitts and Cozens are developing and Lazar is a good depth player.  That's it.  Everyone else is expendable, fill in depth or PKers.  Skinner is also an unknown and unless full time with Jack may never be something again but we are stuck with him. I'm going to assume for arguments sake that Skinner can rebound and that neither Mitts or Cozens is ready for the 2C role.  Who fills out the balance, no idea, but a 2C and a RW are a necessity.

 

A mentor for your GM? How about just get a good GM, we haven't had one since Regier.

[Andrew Amerk]

5 minutes ago, klos1963 said:

A mentor for your GM? How about just get a good GM, we haven't had one since Regier.

You’re not wrong. 

[Zamboni]

Is it just me or is a new thread made every other game or so that pretty much asks in different ways ... 

“So, what’s next?”

 

😂

[pi2000]

7 hours ago, Brawndo said:

They are horrible 

IMO this is simply a product of the league re-alignment, schedule, and covid outbreaks.  

1. They replaced 50% of their forwards this offseason (counting Girgensons).    It takes about 20-25 games to sort things out.    Even longer without a proper training camp and pre-season.
2. They had a 10 month break, whereas 6 of the 8 teams in their division played in the playoffs. 
3. They played 10 games to start the year, then got shut down for 2 weeks.    They were averaging over 3 goals a game in their last 5 before the shut down.   All the while other teams are continuing to building chemistry and fine tune their play after the long off season.   

The wrong thing to do right now is to panic and pull the plug on RK and Eichel and other guys that haven't hit their stride yet.    

We knew going in that there was a very distinct possibility they would struggling this season.    

It's not what anybody wants to hear, but the right thing for them do right now is to be patient and to stick it out.  In the long run, playing the likes of WSH, BOS, PHI, NYI, and PIT... will be best for their development.

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, klos1963 said:

A mentor for your GM? How about just get a good GM, we haven't had one since Regier.

 

2 hours ago, Andrew Amerk said:

You’re not wrong. 

Yes a mentor.  It can be a consultant with past GM experience like Rick Dudley has done for various organizations or an Ast GM with real NHL experience.  Someone like Sexton who we fired.  What he really needs to someone around that can help him make good decisions.  Someone to help take away the fear of being wrong.  

We need KA to step up and take a bold stance right now to help this team.  Jbot failed in this area as well (even w Sexton), but it can be done and others have done it.  

Remember that TP hired KA who literally is completely unqualified for the job.  That said I respect what KA did this off-season.  He truly tried to fix the top 6; something we had been asking Jbot to do since the day he traded ROR.  It hasn't worked as hoped (I blame RK), but the decisions were reasonable.  

However he needs help.  He needs someone with experience to teach him the ropes.  It's not KA's fault that TP seems to do things back ass-wards with his NHL team.  

Edited February 28, 2021 by GASabresIUFAN

[Kruppstahl]

3 hours ago, klos1963 said:

A mentor for your GM? How about just get a good GM, we haven't had one since Regier.

 

12 hours ago, COSabreFan said:

Not sure if your being sarcastic about next season, if not Respect your optimism.  

This organization from top to bottom is making me hate hockey.  They can’t seem to get anything right.  The Pegulas seemed to always hire the wrong people at every level, draft the wrong players, and screw up so many decisions dealing with the fans and their experience.  I just don’t understand why this happens year after year.  The organization seems cursed or being fed a large helping of karma.  I have started to wonder lately if they will even be in Buffalo in 5 years.

You answered your own question; it happens year after year because of the Pegulas, the one variable in all this that never changes.

We can only pray they (the Pegulas) won't be around in 5 years.

I continue to hold out hope that they will sell the Sabres when they realize it just isn't working and they can't focus their efforts on two franchises at the same time. 

A Pegula sale of the Sabres is the fastest way out of the woods for Sabres fans, but only as long as the new owner isn't equally inept.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sabre1974]

21 minutes ago, Kruppstahl said:

 

You answered your own question; it happens year after year because of the Pegulas, the one variable in all this that never changes.

We can only pray they (the Pegulas) won't be around in 5 years.

I continue to hold out hope that they will sell the Sabres when they realize it just isn't working and they can't focus their efforts on two franchises at the same time. 

A Pegula sale of the Sabres is the fastest way out of the woods for Sabres fans, but only as long as the new owner isn't equally inept.

 

 

 

 

 

That's what needs to happen and hopefully if it does the new owner isn't as incompetent. Would just love to see this group of players under a different coach. Let them play the game to there strengths and hopefully we can start scoring. Please don't systemise them.