GDT: Buffalo at Carolina, 4 Dec 2021, 7:30 pm ET, MSG, WGR

[nucci]

but it's entertaining and we're going to win next year, right?

[triumph_communes]

This stopped being entertaining

[LabattBlue]

3 hours ago, Kr632 said:

This isn't KA fault at all. The previous GMs are at fault and KA is cleaning up their mess the right way. 

A simple waiver claim last season could have brought Detroits starting goalie here instead of there, but Commander Adams didn’t put the claim in.  Yeah…not his fault. 

Edited December 5, 2021 by LabattBlue

[Buffalonill]

3-14  in the last 17

 

 

Thats a ralph krueger special 

[Indabuff]

3 hours ago, triumph_communes said:

This stopped being entertaining

I had that exact thought last night.  Then I realized I'm just rubbernecking now.

[Believer]

Just read Granato’s post game comments in the BN… He is saying the right things… If the team is learning from their mistakes as he suggests, Granato must keep them focused on

-Breaking out of their own zone; Attacking the offensive zone; Shooting and buzzing the net; Clearing the puck   from their own zone when under pressure… 

It’s up to the Coach to get his team to be positive and focused… It’s up to the Coach to create motivation… Results will come if the team is learning from its mistakes…

[SDS]

2 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

A simple waiver claim last season could have brought Detroits starting goalie here instead of there, but Commander Adams didn’t put the claim in.  Yeah…not his fault. 

The restricted free agent goalie that was traded to the Detroit red wings for Jonathan Bernier and a third round pick and signed a 2-year contract for $6 million? That waiver claim?

[JohnC]

7 minutes ago, SDS said:

The restricted free agent goalie that was traded to the Detroit red wings for Jonathan Bernier and a third round pick and signed a 2-year contract for $6 million? That waiver claim?

He was traded in July but prior to that he was put on waivers in January. It is very likely that KA thought that he was going to get a deal done with Ullmark who was going to be a free agent. It didn't work out as the GM hoped. He should have had some better options ready for the possibility of not being able to sign Ullmark. 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31863098/carolina-hurricanes-trade-goalie-alex-nedeljkovic-detroit-red-wings

[Eleven]

6 minutes ago, JohnC said:

He was traded in July but prior to that he was put on waivers in January. It is very likely that KA thought that he was going to get a deal done with Ullmark who was going to be a free agent. It didn't work out as the GM hoped. He should have had some better options ready for the possibility of not being able to sign Ullmark. 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31863098/carolina-hurricanes-trade-goalie-alex-nedeljkovic-detroit-red-wings

Yes, he should have.

It is ridiculous to see this team without a goaltender.  This is Buffalo.  The freaking TEAM IDENTITY IS GOALTENDING and always has been.  This is like watching Penn State with no linebackers or the Yankees without a homerun hitter.

We got so caught up in the stupid "franchise center" concept.  Good teams should be built from the net out.  Good Buffalo teams MUST be built from the net out.

Edited December 5, 2021 by Eleven

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, Eleven said:

Yes, he should have.

It is ridiculous to see this team without a goaltender.  This is Buffalo.  The freaking TEAM IDENTITY IS GOALTENDING and always has been.  This is like watching Penn State with no linebackers or the Lakers without a guard.

We got so caught up in the stupid "franchise center" concept.  Good teams should be built from the net out.  Good Buffalo teams MUST be built from the net out.

My main criticism of the GM is that even if he couldn't secure a long-term quality goalie to build around he could have done a much better job at securing a better quality goalie/s for the short term. Not having that baseline level of competent netminding is sabotaging the rest of the rebuild. 

[Eleven]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

My main criticism of the GM is that even if he couldn't secure a long-term quality goalie to build around he could have done a much better job at securing a better quality goalie/s for the short term. Not having that baseline level of competent netminding is sabotaging the rest of the rebuild. 

I couldn't agree more--and I think he does have the long-term goalie somewhere in the vicinity of Boston.  But putting all of his faith in Ullmark returning was a grave error.

[LabattBlue]

39 minutes ago, SDS said:

The restricted free agent goalie that was traded to the Detroit red wings for Jonathan Bernier and a third round pick and signed a 2-year contract for $6 million? That waiver claim?

My mistake…but he was on waivers. 

[Eleven]

5 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

My mistake…but he was on waivers. 

No mistake.  The Sabres could've had him for nothing.

[Pimlach]

I watched the game highlights.   Some bad puck luck for sure but this team is dying. 
 

Team defense is terrible right now.  Every defensive pair is making mistakes. They give up second and third chances.  
 

What is going on here?  It sure looks like they are quitting.   DG - is he losing them?   
 

58 games to go.  Never has a bar been set so low.  This team will not have any fans if this continues.  

Edited December 5, 2021 by Pimlach

[SDS]

3 minutes ago, Eleven said:

No mistake.  The Sabres could've had him for nothing.

You mean any team. 

[Eleven]

2 minutes ago, SDS said:

You mean any team. 

Did "any team" need a goalie?  No.  The Sabres did.

[Taro T]

5 hours ago, Kr632 said:

What do you expect him to do? No free agents wanted to come here. A lot of players have us on their no trade lists and giving up assets to rush the rebuild is a big reason why were in the mess were in. This isn't KA fault at all. The previous GMs are at fault and KA is cleaning up their mess the right way. 

Expect him to do?  Not a God blessed thing.

Expected him to do?  Give Ullmark the contract offer before FA opened that he received after it opened. 

Hoped he'd've done?  Taken a flier on Nedelkovic when it would only have cost a $500 waiver claim.  Or better yet, pulled the trigger on at least 1 of the 3 deals he was "close" on back coming out of the leaguewide COVID shutdown.

This lack of capable goaltending IS affecting their play.  Dahlin was a mess last night.  Back in October & most of the 1st half of November he was arguably their best D-man and wasn't a disaster in his own zone.  They weren't getting hemmed in every single night when Anderson was still available.  They are now.  Yes, the competition is tougher, but not THAT much every night.

That poor goaltending would affect their play was predicted by several of us here and Adams is bright enough that he should have & likely did realize that as well.  And that's why it's so darn frustrating.  It was obvious that this was a very likely development. 

[JohnC]

11 minutes ago, Eleven said:

I couldn't agree more--and I think he does have the long-term goalie somewhere in the vicinity of Boston.  But putting all of his faith in Ullmark returning was a grave error.

I made some related comments in a prior post so I apologize for the redundancy. KA on WGR made comments about Ullmark's departure. He stated that when negotiating a contract he places a value on the player and then he wasn't going to go beyond the boundaries of the designated value/cost. Without explicitly saying it he wasn't going to go take the same route that resulted in an over-compensated player such as Skinner. I have no problem with that approach. The problem is that when negotiating with any player in a free agent status, such as Ullmark, you have to have a reasonable fallback position just in case a deal can't get done. In business you don't always have a perfect or even a good option. But you still have to come up with an acceptable option that will tide you over until a better solution can be found for your problem. That didn't happen here. The options that he took with the goaltending position put this fragile team in a precarious position. He played some long odds and lost the bet. It has proved to be very damaging. 

[SDS]

2 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Did "any team" need a goalie?  No.  The Sabres did.

And even the team that signed him didn’t make the waiver claim.

I’m just wondering… Do you guys dismiss the constant discussion in almost every thread about how crazy goalies are? The discussion of how they are great one year and they’re awful the next and nobody really knows what you’re going to get year after year?

personally, I find the 20/20 hindsight to be super disingenuous.

[Eleven]

Just now, JohnC said:

I made some related comments in a prior post so I apologize for the redundancy. KA on WGR made comments about Ullmark's departure. He stated that when negotiating a contract he places a value on the player and then he wasn't going to go beyond the boundaries of the designated value/cost. Without explicitly saying it he wasn't going to go take the same route that resulted in an over-compensated player such as Skinner. I have no problem with that approach. The problem is that when negotiating with any player in a free agent status, such as Ullmark, you have to have a reasonable fallback position just in case a deal can't get done. In business you don't always have a perfect or even a good option. But you still have to come up with an acceptable option that will tide you over until a better solution can be found for your problem. That didn't happen here. The options that he took with the goaltending position put this fragile team in a precarious position. He played some long odds and lost the bet. It has proved to be very damaging. 

Again, I couldn't agree more.

[Eleven]

Just now, SDS said:

And even the team that signed him didn’t make the waiver claim.

I’m just wondering… Do you guys dismiss the constant discussion in almost every thread about how crazy goalies are? The discussion of how they are great one year and they’re awful the next and nobody really knows what you’re going to get year after year?

personally, I find the 20/20 hindsight to be super disingenuous.

We are Sabres fans.  We are used to superb goaltending that is consistent from year to year.  And I don't see the discussions you're referring to in almost every thread or even in almost several threads.  Carey Price isn't great one year and bad the next.  Nor is Tukka Rask.  Nor was Ryan Miller.

[LabattBlue]

4 minutes ago, SDS said:

And even the team that signed him didn’t make the waiver claim.

I’m just wondering… Do you guys dismiss the constant discussion in almost every thread about how crazy goalies are? The discussion of how they are great one year and they’re awful the next and nobody really knows what you’re going to get year after year?

personally, I find the 20/20 hindsight to be super disingenuous.

I don’t think it is hindsight now for anyone to say they knew the Sabres goaltending going into the season was going to be bad…scary bad.  

[Ross Rhea]

Just now, LabattBlue said:

I don’t think it is hindsight now for anyone to say they knew the Sabres goaltending going into the season was going to be bad…scary bad.  

I agree,  although I do think Anderson is a decent goalie, better than anyone that's been here in years, unfortunately he's hurt significantly, enough to miss substantial time, which isn't helping at all.

[Pimlach]

2 minutes ago, SDS said:

You mean any team. 

Yes.   But not. every team needed a goalie.  Buffalo did and they missed the opportunity to grab a goalie. 
 

There is no defense for this abomination of a franchise. None at all.  Everyone in the Sabres organization is accountable for this season, especially Adams.   There should be no blaming the past.   Adams took the job and he will be evaluated on results going forward. 
 

If Adams isn’t checking waivers every day and on the phone constantly looking to improve this team then he is not doing his job. Waiting until next year will not work, you never get there.  
 

He brought in ANOTHER AHL goalie.  But he got him for free  -  Economic, just like Terry wants   

 

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, SDS said:

And even the team that signed him didn’t make the waiver claim.

I’m just wondering… Do you guys dismiss the constant discussion in almost every thread about how crazy goalies are? The discussion of how they are great one year and they’re awful the next and nobody really knows what you’re going to get year after year?

personally, I find the 20/20 hindsight to be super disingenuous.

You are correct that the year to year play of goaltenders is very mercurial. But the situation in Buffalo isn't so much about finding an elite long-term goalie who will anchor this franchise. Rather it is about finding a capable netminder who can play at a level that will allow this incomplete team to reasonably compete for this year or a little longer. Ullmark would certainly be a goalie who would have played at an acceptable level. That didn't materialize. The GM should have had better fallback positions. I don't fault our goalies for all of the ills of this team. But there shouldn't be much dispute that they are one of the main factors for the rapid descent of this team.