Oh Captain My Captain: Former Sabres weigh in on this disaster

[Norcal]

17 minutes ago, John Tucker said:

His departure was so shady and felt like it was the start of what we all know as a trend with this ownership.  

Yeah, looking back there's still alot of unanswered questions. 

[JKB1646]

3 hours ago, matter2003 said:

With how well the Bills are being run now with Beane and McDermott and how fast they have turned around, how is it they struggle so badly in doing the same thing with the Sabres?

I read a piece that quoted Beane and McDermott saying the number one priority in assembling the team is we look for Character People first! 
As much as RK should be held to the fire, less so KA, the players are to blame for this fiasco! Did the piece with quotes from the Rangers MSG analyst not hit home! To me Eichel is the worse Captain in Sabres History. He needs to go now while we can still cash in on him and not let it get to the RO situation where we get fleeced.

Someone start a poll ranking the past Captains please!

[Randall Flagg]

54 minutes ago, SDS said:

Are we now at the point where we glamorize the players here during the tank years? 

Maybe my memory is faulty, but I don't remember many fond words written about that group here. My memory isn't the greatest though.

Pain is fresh. This season hurts roughly as much as 17-18, though I probably hated that one more. 

 

13-15 were on another plane of existence. We probably couldn't field a team like that again if we tried...again.

[matter2003]

1 hour ago, JKB1646 said:

I read a piece that quoted Beane and McDermott saying the number one priority in assembling the team is we look for Character People first! 
As much as RK should be held to the fire, less so KA, the players are to blame for this fiasco! Did the piece with quotes from the Rangers MSG analyst not hit home! To me Eichel is the worse Captain in Sabres History. He needs to go now while we can still cash in on him and not let it get to the RO situation where we get fleeced.

Someone start a poll ranking the past Captains please!

Absolutely.  With any new regime the first thing you have to do in ANY business is to identify the right people and keep them on the bus and identify the wrong people and get them off the bus as soon as possible.  Eichel is in no way Captain material.  He doesn't hold people accountable, he doesn't lead, the team looks at him playing like he doesn't give a f**k and they are like, "Well, this is the highest paid payer and captain of the team, so this apparently is acceptable here" and they do the same thing.

[Figster]

52 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Absolutely.  With any new regime the first thing you have to do in ANY business is to identify the right people and keep them on the bus and identify the wrong people and get them off the bus as soon as possible.  Eichel is in no way Captain material.  He doesn't hold people accountable, he doesn't lead, the team looks at him playing like he doesn't give a f**k and they are like, "Well, this is the highest paid payer and captain of the team, so this apparently is acceptable here" and they do the same thing.

Somewhere down the line having fun playing the game of hockey got lost in the shuffle.

So as captain do you laugh or cry when your starting goalie is so pathetic the opposition smiles with glee at just the thought of facing him. As captain do you scream profanities at fellow teammates because someone did a bad job getting the proper player personnel into the building before the season started. As captain how do you help a team gain confidence when you have none.

Buffalo Sabre's are a different hockey team with Ullmark in net. There is no substitute for good goaltending in my humble opinion.

 

Edited March 5, 2021 by Figster

[Marvin]

21 minutes ago, Figster said:

Somewhere down the line having fun playing the game of hockey got lost in the shuffle.

So as captain do you laugh or cry when your starting goalie is so pathetic the opposition smiles with glee at just the thought of facing him. As captain do you scream profanities at fellow teammates because someone did a bad job getting the proper player personnel into the building before the season started. As captain how do you help a team gain confidence when you have none.

Buffalo Sabras are a different hockey team with Ullmark in net. There is no substitute for good goaltending in my humble opinion.

I agree with the goaltending.  However, we can't score 5-on-5.  We are getting mediocre but not horrible goaltending.  But our scoring is way, way down.  How much does lack of confidence in the goaltending feed the scoring drought and vice-versa?

[inkman]

Can we shoot this Captain my Captain poem reference to the sun?  It sucks.  It makes me think of this fanbase sucking off Drury and Briere.  Just be done with the stupid ***** saying.  

[LGR4GM]

4 minutes ago, inkman said:

Can we shoot this Captain my Captain poem reference to the sun?  It sucks.  It makes me think of this fanbase sucking off Drury and Briere.  Just be done with the stupid ***** saying.  

I was referencing the movie scene more than the poem when I thought of that. 

[Thorner]

3 hours ago, SDS said:

Are we now at the point where we glamorize the players here during the tank years? 

Maybe my memory is faulty, but I don't remember many fond words written about that group here. My memory isn't the greatest though.

Every year gets harder than the last because the total duration becomes a greater burden

[dudacek]

This to me is the money quote:

"As for the players, once you’re in a losing situation — and I would never have admitted this publicly when I played — many of them think in the back of their heads “I just want to get out of here” because ***** is not changing. And once that mentality seeps into a team setting, then you have a losing team. Guys don’t even have to talk about it. Even if they just think it. When you have two or three guys thinking like that, then pretty soon you have seven, eight, nine, 10 guys thinking like that, and you cannot win. That’s what I see here."

We've seen multiple seasons in a row that when times get tough, the players check out, even when they are different players. We lost a number of games even when we played pretty well, we got COVID, and we checked out.

The number of players we have who are pending free agents hasn't helped.

[inkman]

20 minutes ago, dudacek said:

This to me is the money quote:

"As for the players, once you’re in a losing situation — and I would never have admitted this publicly when I played — many of them think in the back of their heads “I just want to get out of here” because ***** is not changing. And once that mentality seeps into a team setting, then you have a losing team. Guys don’t even have to talk about it. Even if they just think it. When you have two or three guys thinking like that, then pretty soon you have seven, eight, nine, 10 guys thinking like that, and you cannot win. That’s what I see here."

We've seen multiple seasons in a row that when times get tough, the players check out, even when they are different players. We lost a number of games even when we played pretty well, we got COVID, and we checked out.

The number of players we have who are pending free agents hasn't helped.

Blow it all up then.  Trade every asset. Eichel, Dahlin, Hall, Skinner (throw in Dahlin to get rid of him).  Just get these losers off the team.  Fire Ralph first. He doesn’t deserve to speak to the players or fans for one more second. Do something already. 

[Weave]

25 minutes ago, dudacek said:

This to me is the money quote:

"As for the players, once you’re in a losing situation — and I would never have admitted this publicly when I played — many of them think in the back of their heads “I just want to get out of here” because ***** is not changing. And once that mentality seeps into a team setting, then you have a losing team. Guys don’t even have to talk about it. Even if they just think it. When you have two or three guys thinking like that, then pretty soon you have seven, eight, nine, 10 guys thinking like that, and you cannot win. That’s what I see here."

We've seen multiple seasons in a row that when times get tough, the players check out, even when they are different players. We lost a number of games even when we played pretty well, we got COVID, and we checked out.

The number of players we have who are pending free agents hasn't helped.

It's a damn shame that being put in a losing situation was forced upon this team by upper management.  KA just expressed very eloquently how dangerous that is.

[woods-racer]

10 minutes ago, Weave said:

It's a damn shame that being put in a losing situation was forced upon this team by upper management.  KA just expressed very eloquently how dangerous that is.

Maybe now Terry also knows this. I'm sure Terry was talked into it by all the ex Pittsburgh people he brought in and Darcy got caught between a rock and hard place. Tanking never ends well when you don't have the farm team loaded for bear.

Edited March 5, 2021 by woods-racer
I am bad with the English language.

[JKB1646]

2 hours ago, Figster said:

Somewhere down the line having fun playing the game of hockey got lost in the shuffle.

So as captain do you laugh or cry when your starting goalie is so pathetic the opposition smiles with glee at just the thought of facing him. As captain do you scream profanities at fellow teammates because someone did a bad job getting the proper player personnel into the building before the season started. As captain how do you help a team gain confidence when you have none.

Buffalo Sabre's are a different hockey team with Ullmark in net. There is no substitute for good goaltending in my humble opinion.

 

As a captain you give 110% on and off the ice! Period. This turd glides form center ice on line changes and roles his eyes more than bozo the clown

[Figster]

35 minutes ago, JKB1646 said:

As a captain you give 110% on and off the ice! Period. This turd glides form center ice on line changes and roles his eyes more than bozo the clown

I agree with the giving 110 % as captain and I understand your frustrations. Although I think its easier said then done when the organization you play for sucks and has for years now. Its hard to watch and I imagine its even harder to take part in. Well how about shouldering all the blame for managements failures. Jack came into the league with a bright future ahead of him.

Not on this team...

Edited March 6, 2021 by Figster

[Andrew Amerk]

Well, that was a downright depressing article. 

[inkman]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I was referencing the movie scene more than the poem when I thought of that. 

Is that from an Avengers movie?  🤢

[triumph_communes]

Steve Smith is the main problem. Krueger doesn’t even do Xs and Os. The guy survived the last coaching can and is destroying all our players in the process. 

[Second Line Center]

10 hours ago, nucci said:

then why is he HC?

 

 

Because no one wanted the job. 

No one with a brain was going to make this disaster their first HC job.

And no one with experience is going to waste their time.  

 

RK was Pegula "doing something," kind of a Hail Mary pass because the structure of everything is a mess so why not.   

[Second Line Center]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

This to me is the money quote:

"As for the players, once you’re in a losing situation — and I would never have admitted this publicly when I played — many of them think in the back of their heads “I just want to get out of here” because ***** is not changing. And once that mentality seeps into a team setting, then you have a losing team. Guys don’t even have to talk about it. Even if they just think it. When you have two or three guys thinking like that, then pretty soon you have seven, eight, nine, 10 guys thinking like that, and you cannot win. That’s what I see here."

We've seen multiple seasons in a row that when times get tough, the players check out, even when they are different players. We lost a number of games even when we played pretty well, we got COVID, and we checked out.

The number of players we have who are pending free agents hasn't helped.

 

 

This. 

Everyone but Cozens should be on the table.  

I think a good GM would have blown it up 3 years ago.  A good GM doesn’t get garbage for ROR btw.

 

Personally I think they been hesitant to do it because it's an admission the tank failed.

This is all on Terry imo.   

[matter2003]

4 hours ago, Figster said:

Somewhere down the line having fun playing the game of hockey got lost in the shuffle.

So as captain do you laugh or cry when your starting goalie is so pathetic the opposition smiles with glee at just the thought of facing him. As captain do you scream profanities at fellow teammates because someone did a bad job getting the proper player personnel into the building before the season started. As captain how do you help a team gain confidence when you have none.

Buffalo Sabre's are a different hockey team with Ullmark in net. There is no substitute for good goaltending in my humble opinion.

 

Ullmark is near league average and certainly good enough to win with

[gilbert11]

12 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

Rieder has played his role and is a solid pickup. I still like Staal for MoJo simply so Cozens can play with a center and not a left-wing at center; by April I expect to see Cozens taking faceoffs as it's obvious that Staal retires after this season.

Thompson's contract should have instantly protected him from waivers and he should be in ROC. Girgs is overpaid but incomplete. Sheahen has been pleasantly surprising as I expected him to be a taxi squad guy all season so either Thompson or Mitts could be ROC.

It's Hall that I don't understand now that I've seen him in RaKru's alleged system. You want an offense-first puck carrier to play with Eichel, except that's Eichel. Now he's on the second line with a slow-footed center, and NOW with Okposo too, rather than Cozens... So he's not being re-signed. Why would he sign here? Which means he's got to get moved.

We're paying the price for our lack of vision.

 

[JKB1646]

15 hours ago, Figster said:

Somewhere down the line having fun playing the game of hockey got lost in the shuffle.

So as captain do you laugh or cry when your starting goalie is so pathetic the opposition smiles with glee at just the thought of facing him. As captain do you scream profanities at fellow teammates because someone did a bad job getting the proper player personnel into the building before the season started. As captain how do you help a team gain confidence when you have none.

Buffalo Sabre's are a different hockey team with Ullmark in net. There is no substitute for good goaltending in my humble opinion.

 

Eichel’s history as a pouter goes back to his USNTDP days. Just because your the highest paid player doesn’t mean your captain material. When Ullmark was in net Jack still played the same, scored as much, excuse me none, and still pouts and whines and glides to the bench. I think in the coming months there are some very very hard decisions to make on coaching, management and players. Everyone in the league knows this is gonna be a dumpster fire. A good GM still has an opportunity to get the most return for these turds! 
I own a Construction company. Highly skilled carpenters are hard to find but do I keep a guy that I know clocks in late, leaves early, takes a long lunch and steals from me. Especially when he is the highest paid guy on the job site. Hell no because then everybody else will be robbing me blind too. At $11M I would have a problem with this employee! 

[Curt]

This is embarrassing obviously, but embarrassment seems like the only thing that the Pegulas truly respond to.  I hope that they feel embarrassed enough to find some humility, take a step back, and act on that other rumor floating around.  They need help running this team, and I hope that they do bring in a very experienced FO person to oversee the hockey department and be the conduit between owners and everyone below.

Edited March 6, 2021 by Curt

[Pimlach]

23 hours ago, Ice Cold said:

I think Pegula was on the right track hiring LaFontaine to be President of Hockey Ops.  You look at executives like Shanahan, or Neely, or Yzerman as the foundation.  How many other guys like that are out there?  Who would you suggest in that mold of unquestionable leader?

You let that guy hire the GM, coach, and run the whole shebang without interfering as an owner.  It's got to be a guy that can really be trusted.  I can't think of who that would be from the Sabres.  Not Drury, not Ruff, and obviously not LaFontaine.

Drury has a front office job.  Ruff is once again a head coach.  LaFontaine works for the league I guess?   None are ever going to happen.  
 

Michael Peca is a player development coach for Washington.  Recently hired by MacLellan to coach the taxi squad and keep them ready to play during the season.  Prior to that he was GM and Director of Hockey Operations for the junior Sabres.  
 

Great guy, working his way up slowly and steady.  His work at Junior level was impressive.   With the Caps he will be exposed to high quality  Hockey Operations, coaching, and a culture of winning.  
 

He is not ready yet but a name to keep an eye on in the coming years.  
 

His ties to Buffalo are still strong.