Now What? Setting a New Course or Rebuild 5.0?

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, Curt said:

On the one hand I agree with you, but on the other hand, I think a team needs more leadership than just the guy wearing the C, so I hate to pin it on Eichel, even if he shouldn’t really be the captain.

It's not about laying it on one guy but it does make a difference imo. Eichel just doesn't have the right personality for it and would be better just focusing on scoring and not having to be that guy. ROR should have been given the C.  Remember when Eichel got the C there was lots of talk about leading by example on the ice and so forth but clearly that wasn't leadership. 

Reinhart should also be a vocal leader at this point, but he's not. You can argue about his skill level and committment, but neither of those core players has leadership skills. We don't have enough leaders imo and that's what we need to address more than anything in terms of trades or free agents. 

[Randall Flagg]

What measure are we using to determine which players lead and which ones don't? Is it just that our good players are good players on a bad team, therefore they aren't real leaders? 

[GASabresIUFAN]

I don’t know if Granato is the coach of the future, but after reading the article in TBN today, the changes he’s making are clearly on the right track.  The article also made despise RK even more if that is possible.  
 

https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/observations-don-granatos-changes-making-big-difference-for-sabres/article_0af0824a-9268-11eb-aa40-c7a43418b9e1.html

Changes:  Focused practice and using on ice drills to reinforce film study. Letting players use their skill set and focusing on team speed.  Allowing the D to take calculated risks.  A blend of structure with freedom. Guys going to the net.  Smart puck decisions etc.  

The Great Motivator must have been the Bully Dictator.  

[Weave]

He’s making a case for a head coaching job elsewhere, if nothing else.  He should get interviews.

[Marvin]

12 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The Great Motivator must have been the Bully Dictator.  

"Inflexible, close-minded dingbat" would be my choice.

[dudacek]

16 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I don’t know if Granato is the coach of the future, but after reading the article in TBN today, the changes he’s making are clearly on the right track.  The article also made despise RK even more if that is possible.  
 

https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/observations-don-granatos-changes-making-big-difference-for-sabres/article_0af0824a-9268-11eb-aa40-c7a43418b9e1.html

Changes:  Focused practice and using on ice drills to reinforce film study. Letting players use their skill set and focusing on team speed.  Allowing the D to take calculated risks.  A blend of structure with freedom. Guys going to the net.  Smart puck decisions etc.  

The Great Motivator must have been the Bully Dictator.  

I think the most notably improved player has been Brandon Montour.

It's too bad he will be remembered most for the 70 games with Krueger, not the 30 with Housley and Granato. What might have been.

I predict he will do well if he ends up in a place that allows him to play his game. Another asset squandered.

Edited April 2, 2021 by dudacek

[Curt]

10 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I think the most notably improved player has been Brandon Montour.

It's too bad he will be remembered most for the 70 games with Krueger ot the 30 with Housley and Granato. What might have been.

I predict he will do well if he ends up in a place that allows him to play his game. Another asset squandered.

It’s almost incredible how much what Krueger wanted the D’s to do, did not fit the style of D’s on the roster.

[Thorner]

2 minutes ago, Curt said:

It’s almost incredible how much what Krueger wanted the D’s to do, did not fit the style of D’s on the roster.

Firing him definitely seems to have made a difference. Him and goaltending are the two main things that have changed lately 

We are playing better...the fact we only have 1 win to show for it is still a testament to areas we need to improve..and Jack being out 

[LabattBlue]

19 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I think the most notably improved player has been Brandon Montour.

It's too bad he will be remembered most for the 70 games with Krueger, not the 30 with Housley and Granato. What might have been.

I predict he will do well if he ends up in a place that allows him to play his game. Another asset squandered.

...and he will still suck in his own end of the rink. I will be glad to see him and his ice capades style of play succeed somewhere else. 

[Curt]

2 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

...and he will still suck in his own end of the rink. I will be glad to see him and his ice capades style of play succeed somewhere else. 

Could you elaborate on what this is?

[LabattBlue]

Just now, Curt said:

Could you elaborate on what this is?

His freewheeling style of play.  I just always viewed it as kind of reckless.  
 

I especially didn’t like it when he was paired with Dahlin over the last couple of years, and the more talented of the two is left back as the last line of defense. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

No new course.  No new rebuild.

The Sabres, I will maintain, are not that far away.  Some tweeking of the roster and the right coach (the key thing, IMO ... even though I fully supported RaKru) and we are getting there.

[LabattBlue]

1 hour ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

No new course.  No new rebuild.

The Sabres, I will maintain, are not that far away.  Some tweeking of the roster and the right coach (the key thing, IMO ... even though I fully supported RaKru) and we are getting there.

So the core should stay together?  Because tweaking IMO implies bottom 6 forwards, 5-6-7 dmen , and a new backup goalie. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by LabattBlue

[Curt]

28 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

His freewheeling style of play.  I just always viewed it as kind of reckless.  
 

I especially didn’t like it when he was paired with Dahlin over the last couple of years, and the more talented of the two is left back as the last line of defense. 

Ok, fair enough.  He is a bit of a wild card out there.  I don’t hate that, but I think he needs a partner that suits him, and Dahlin isn’t that guy right now.  Plus I would say that Buffalo needs a couple more solid, stay at home types as opposed to Montour’s kind of wild transition style.

[GASabresIUFAN]

51 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I think the most notably improved player has been Brandon Montour.

It's too bad he will be remembered most for the 70 games with Krueger, not the 30 with Housley and Granato. What might have been.

I predict he will do well if he ends up in a place that allows him to play his game. Another asset squandered.

Look what RK did to the games of all of our skilled skating D.  He decimated Dahlin, Joker, Miller and Montour.  He kept trying to pound square pegs into round holes because he had zero idea on how utilize the skills they have while teaching them to improve in their own zone.  Granato, who was on RK's staff, obviously knows how to utilize his players.  This angers me a little.  Either Granato and Smith knew what was wrong and didn't speak up (or were bullied not to speak up) or RK was to hard headed to listen.  Either way it was a significant problem.  

Thus another wasted asset and the near ruination of two key kids. 

I don't think keeping a core of Reinhart, Eichel, Dahlin, Jokiharju, Risto and Ullmark is a mistake.  I also don't think it implies that there won't be significant change to the roster.  Kids like Bryson and Borgen replacing Montour and Miller is not a bad thing.  Also moving out VO, Staal, and Hall is also significant change.  We probably won't keep McCabe.  The question is who takes their place.  Certainly Lazar returns and Mitts and Cozens seemed locked in to jobs next season. 

I'm trading VO this off-season.   That leaves top 9 forwards Reinhart, Skinner, Mitts, Cozens and Eichel.  That leaves openings for 4 top 9 wingers.  Could some internal guys like Thomspon and R2 earn a few of those jobs?  Absolutely, but even still KA has a ton of flexibility to remake this roster in the off-season while maintaining our most talented players.    

[matter2003]

The Sabres are the equivalent of the guy from The Old Man and the Sea...sitting in a raft with no sail, drifting aimlessly in the middle of the ocean talking to their hand, at the mercy of whatever way the ocean currents decide to take take them that day...

Edited April 2, 2021 by matter2003

[Kruppstahl]

8 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

The Sabres are the equivalent of the guy from The Old Man and the Sea...sitting in a raft with no sail, drifting aimlessly in the middle of the ocean talking to their hand, at the mercy of whatever way the ocean currents decide to take take them.

If we are going to go all literary, I would suggest Heart of Darkness is more appropriate.

I'm thinking of the manager telling Marlow that Kurtz's methods are unsound.

I'm further thinking of the later adaptation in Apocalypse Now when Captain Willard responds to that suggestion by saying "I don't see any method at all."

 

 

 

[Radar]

17 hours ago, Weave said:

He’s making a case for a head coaching job elsewhere, if nothing else.  He should get interviews.

Agree but the team has to continue in it's improvement for a bit longer to make any determination on his status.