What did we do to deserve this?

[Cascade Youth]

Most sports teams are owned by family offices.  If you’ve ever worked with or for a family office you understand how dysfunctional they are.  The Pegulas are nice people who have absolutely no idea what they’re doing.  They just extended the entire Sabres regime simply for not embarrassing them to the level of their predecessors.  They are clueless.  The good news is the odds are stacked in their favor - it’s nearly impossible to be this bad for this long and odds are good that simply staying the course should do it.  But man, they are really bad at running a business.

[grinreaper]

17 minutes ago, Cascade Youth said:

Most sports teams are owned by family offices.  If you’ve ever worked with or for a family office you understand how dysfunctional they are.  The Pegulas are nice people who have absolutely no idea what they’re doing.  They just extended the entire Sabres regime simply for not embarrassing them to the level of their predecessors.  They are clueless.  The good news is the odds are stacked in their favor - it’s nearly impossible to be this bad for this long and odds are good that simply staying the course should do it.  But man, they are really bad at running a business.

Yes. billionaires are terrible at running businesses. They just don't know how to make money. They're like those restaurant owners that don't realize that long waiting lines and full parking lots keep customers away.

The Pegulas have set the tone for the Bills to be a Super Bowl contender by being patient and hiring people who know how to build a franchise that should have long-term success. They think they have the people and pathway for the Sabres to do the same. Buffalo is not the biggest market and to have the owners of two major sports franchises with their kind of commitment to the community is certainly a blessing. Let me ask you a question: Would you have made the above post if the Sabres had not had this 4 game skid? Is that 4 game skid a reason to change the direction of the franchise?

[Pimlach]

28 minutes ago, Cascade Youth said:

Most sports teams are owned by family offices.  If you’ve ever worked with or for a family office you understand how dysfunctional they are.  The Pegulas are nice people who have absolutely no idea what they’re doing.  They just extended the entire Sabres regime simply for not embarrassing them to the level of their predecessors.  They are clueless.  The good news is the odds are stacked in their favor - it’s nearly impossible to be this bad for this long and odds are good that simply staying the course should do it.  But man, they are really bad at running a business.

I am not so sure about that, counting on the odds that is.    

I like a lot about what Adams is doing to bring in talented prospects and stick to a plan to develop them.  However, his reluctance to improve the roster by not adding "blockers" in front of his band of prospects is curious.   Unless a prospect beats out a real NHL player you may not have improved the team by moving him up.  He can improve the roster without hurting the cap.   

Granato looks like a decent developer of young talent.   As far as him winning on game day in the NHL, that is still TBD.  When I read the comments here about him waiting to teach winning hockey versus developing players, I get perplexed.    Winning breeds winning.  At the professional level winning what this is all about.   

I am not an advocate for change right now, stability is what this program needs.  I am not anointing either of them as savior either.  

[PerreaultForever]

7 hours ago, Radar said:

Agree. I'm still hopeful the owners stumbled on a good guy in Adams. He seems to have a plan and seems also to be a stable type to carry it out. Do wish he'd have done more about goalkeeper.

As we all know, he's pretty much relying on the draft and is comfortable building slowly. Lybushkin was a good add but he really hasn't done a whole lot in terms of immediate hole filling and improvements. For the drafting, well we shall see in time. 

[Stoner]

29 minutes ago, grinreaper said:

Yes. billionaires are terrible at running businesses. They just don't know how to make money. They're like those restaurant owners that don't realize that long waiting lines and full parking lots keep customers away.

The Pegulas have set the tone for the Bills to be a Super Bowl contender by being patient and hiring people who know how to build a franchise that should have long-term success. They think they have the people and pathway for the Sabres to do the same. Buffalo is not the biggest market and to have the owners of two major sports franchises with their kind of commitment to the community is certainly a blessing. Let me ask you a question: Would you have made the above post if the Sabres had not had this 4 game skid? Is that 4 game skid a reason to change the direction of the franchise?

I think Terry the football owner is the same as Terry the hockey owner, and it's not because he's finally hired good people and let them do their thing. It's because he's an activist, meddling owner. The difference that no one talks about is that Terry is a football guy. He has said as much. He's recruited for colleges. He was and is a power player in PSU football. He admitted to working on behalf of a PSU assistant coach in an effort to get him the head job at Pitt. It's very likely he knows what he's doing with the pigskin (urban dictionary). There, there's a nice compliment for the guy.

Hockey? He went to some games at the Aud. He coached kids in Olean. Period. End of resume. No reason to use the back of the paper. He'd be the 432nd most respected poster on this site if this site had 436 posters. When they used to let him open his mouth about hockey, it was evident. He was one rung above Wang on Long Island and his sumo goalie.

Edited November 12, 2022 by PASabreFan

[Thorner]

4 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I think Terry the football owner is the same as Terry the hockey owner, and it's not because he's finally hired good people and let them do their thing. It's because he's an activist, meddling owner. The difference that no one talks about is that Terry is a football guy. He has said as much. He's recruited for colleges. He was and is a power player in PSU football. He admitted to working on behalf of a PSU assistant coach in an effort to get him the head job at Pitt. It's very likely he knows what he's doing with the pigskin (urban dictionary). There, there's a nice compliment for the guy.

Hockey? He went to some games at the Aud. He coached kids in Olean. Period. End of resume. No reason to use the back of the paper. He'd be the 432nd most respected poster on this site if this site had 436 posters. When they used to let him open his mouth about hockey, it was evident. He was one rung above Wang on Long Island and his sumo goalie.

enjoy your exceedingly long hot shower 

[Stoner]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

enjoy your exceedingly long hot shower 

Then a cold one bc you've paid attention to me again.

I've actually said many nice things about TP over the years. It doesn't get acknowledged because it doesn't fit NARRATIVE.

[Thorner]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

Then a cold one bc you've paid attention to me again.

I've actually said many nice things about TP over the years. It doesn't get acknowledged because it doesn't fit NARRATIVE.

No, i think your arguments there are well-formed, regardless of my views. The "nice things" you allude to do well enough to lend merit to balance, the lack of acknowledgement you speak of probably just stems from the fact your overall view is articulated in a such a way so as to leave no doubt as to what you believe to be the KEY points, and at least in my estimation represent such a definitive stance on TP that it would seem somewhat fruitless to focus on your.._i dunno..."good poster scholarly efforts" in service of thoroughness

Prob same w/ me and Jack 

Evoking the negative connotation of "narrative" is needless, agree there

it took me 35 mins to type this on a ps4 web browser

Edited November 12, 2022 by Thorny

[grinreaper]

56 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

As we all know, he's pretty much relying on the draft and is comfortable building slowly. Lybushkin was a good add but he really hasn't done a whole lot in terms of immediate hole filling and improvements. For the drafting, well we shall see in time. 

Boosh seemed like a very good add at the beginning of the season but then he got injured and it appears that he is playing while still being affected by that injury. The jury is still out but he did appear to be what the Sabres needed before he got injured.

In general there is nothing more counterproductive than switching management and coaching staffs often and the systems that change with those regimes. I remember when Greg Whatshisname became the Bill's coach and decided to change their defense all around when the Bills had the 2nd ranked defense in the NFL. His reasoning was that the Titans (where he came from) had the #1 ranked defense in the previous year. Different systems often take different types of players and the constant changing of systems create the need to get different players and get rid of players that might not fit the new system. In addition it can wreak havoc with the salary cap. Because the NFL draft allows teams to pick players that are ready or close to ready to play in the NFL it's a little easier to see what you are getting and the systems changes are a little more palatable than the way it works in the NHL. The NHL draft is more of a crap shoot. With few exceptions drafted players in the NHL need years of development before being ready to play in the NHL. If systems have changed since they were drafted then they may not fit the new system. Anyway, the successful  franchises in whatever sport normally have stability and changing direction every couple of years is a recipe for disaster. 

[PromoTheRobot]

On 11/11/2022 at 9:31 AM, PASabreFan said:

Seriously. I wanna know.

What? Lose 4 games in November? Really? I thought your prayers were answered.

Edited November 12, 2022 by PromoTheRobot

[7+6=13]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

I think Terry the football owner is the same as Terry the hockey owner, and it's not because he's finally hired good people and let them do their thing. It's because he's an activist, meddling owner. The difference that no one talks about is that Terry is a football guy. He has said as much. He's recruited for colleges. He was and is a power player in PSU football. He admitted to working on behalf of a PSU assistant coach in an effort to get him the head job at Pitt. It's very likely he knows what he's doing with the pigskin (urban dictionary). There, there's a nice compliment for the guy.

Hockey? He went to some games at the Aud. He coached kids in Olean. Period. End of resume. No reason to use the back of the paper. He'd be the 432nd most respected poster on this site if this site had 436 posters. When they used to let him open his mouth about hockey, it was evident. He was one rung above Wang on Long Island and his sumo goalie.

This post is pretty obnoxious. 

[rickshaw]

I think this team is finally heading ⬆️ and it’s going to have some pains along the way.  I could care less about Jack and his big night the other day, we’re better off wo him. Reinhart (2-3-5) we’re hopefully gonna get Levi signed and Kulich will turn out nicely, we’re better off there too.

Future is bright. It sucks we are in the division we are in so playoffs still look a ways away. But I’m finally at the point where I’m starting to care again.

Buffalo will have its day soon. The Vegas game hurt but it was bound to happen. 
 

side note, we need our defense injuries to end and we need better goaltending. Offense is fine.

 

[Second Line Center]

I answer this question by understanding - teams that win championships aren’t because the fan base pleased the hockey gods or some nonsense

They win because from the top down nothing but excellence is acceptable.  
 

Oh and key players stay healthy when it matters.  That’s the luck part of sports.  

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, 7+6=13 said:

This post is pretty obnoxious. 

Come up with your own catchphrase.

P.S. Do you really think Terry knows hockey?

Edited November 12, 2022 by PASabreFan

[Stoner]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

What? Lose 4 games in November? Really? I thought your prayers were answered.

Right. That's the problem. This losing streak.

[Marvin]

2 hours ago, rickshaw said:

I think this team is finally heading ⬆️ and it’s going to have some pains along the way.  I could care less about Jack and his big night the other day, we’re better off wo him. Reinhart (2-3-5) we’re hopefully gonna get Levi signed and Kulich will turn out nicely, we’re better off there too.

Future is bright. It sucks we are in the division we are in so playoffs still look a ways away. But I’m finally at the point where I’m starting to care again.

Buffalo will have its day soon. The Vegas game hurt but it was bound to happen. 
 

side note, we need our defense injuries to end and we need better goaltending. Offense is fine.

 

Welcome back!

I would like higher-end reserves on defence.  I think the franchise has a shortage of defenceman who do the boring things well.

[rickshaw]

Samuelson is a perfect example. Sorely missed. Great long term signing btw

[K-9]

5 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

I think Terry the football owner is the same as Terry the hockey owner, and it's not because he's finally hired good people and let them do their thing. It's because he's an activist, meddling owner. The difference that no one talks about is that Terry is a football guy. He has said as much. He's recruited for colleges. He was and is a power player in PSU football. He admitted to working on behalf of a PSU assistant coach in an effort to get him the head job at Pitt. It's very likely he knows what he's doing with the pigskin (urban dictionary). There, there's a nice compliment for the guy.

Hockey? He went to some games at the Aud. He coached kids in Olean. Period. End of resume. No reason to use the back of the paper. He'd be the 432nd most respected poster on this site if this site had 436 posters. When they used to let him open his mouth about hockey, it was evident. He was one rung above Wang on Long Island and his sumo goalie.

 

https://www.oleantimesherald.com/sports/columnists/remember-when-pegula-was-a-local-hockey-coach/article_b369f874-d847-11e5-b387-67e32cba2312.html

Edited November 13, 2022 by K-9

[7+6=13]

4 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Come up with your own catchphrase.

P.S. Do you really think Terry knows hockey?

Do you really think you could possibly know what Terry does and doesn't know?

[Stoner]

12 minutes ago, 7+6=13 said:

Do you really think you could possibly know what Terry does and doesn't know?

Have we no evidence?

[PerreaultForever]

7 hours ago, grinreaper said:

Boosh seemed like a very good add at the beginning of the season but then he got injured and it appears that he is playing while still being affected by that injury. The jury is still out but he did appear to be what the Sabres needed before he got injured.

I don't think Boosh was any sort of genius move or anything but he was an addition (not a draft pick) and he is an improvement over what we had. If he's playing above third pairing though it really says your D isn't that good. 

[Taro T]

8 hours ago, grinreaper said:

Boosh seemed like a very good add at the beginning of the season but then he got injured and it appears that he is playing while still being affected by that injury. The jury is still out but he did appear to be what the Sabres needed before he got injured.

In general there is nothing more counterproductive than switching management and coaching staffs often and the systems that change with those regimes. I remember when Greg Whatshisname became the Bill's coach and decided to change their defense all around when the Bills had the 2nd ranked defense in the NFL. His reasoning was that the Titans (where he came from) had the #1 ranked defense in the previous year. Different systems often take different types of players and the constant changing of systems create the need to get different players and get rid of players that might not fit the new system. In addition it can wreak havoc with the salary cap. Because the NFL draft allows teams to pick players that are ready or close to ready to play in the NFL it's a little easier to see what you are getting and the systems changes are a little more palatable than the way it works in the NHL. The NHL draft is more of a crap shoot. With few exceptions drafted players in the NHL need years of development before being ready to play in the NHL. If systems have changed since they were drafted then they may not fit the new system. Anyway, the successful  franchises in whatever sport normally have stability and changing direction every couple of years is a recipe for disaster. 

Lyubushkin was playing well and then w/in 3 games he got injured though he's played through it for the most part and the team's better defensive D-man also went out injured.  So, not only is he still learning the Sabres system, he's also finding himself playing tougher minutes while being at, what, 80%.  Not surprising at all his play has tailed off since the Western road trip.

When he was signed, though it was a good move but expected he'd be better next year than this one as he'd be fully acclimated.  The injury seems to make that a reasonably safe assumption. 

Edited November 13, 2022 by Taro T

[calti]

it may be that album that those 70s sabres put out 

[SwampD]

On 11/12/2022 at 4:47 AM, 7+6=13 said:

We are a team absolutely trending in the right direction.   We are not the laughing stock of the NHL.  When we started hot we got plenty of accolades,  we've cooled off and that has stopped.  Very normal from a national perspective.   

What's also very normal is free agents want to either go to a winner or get the most money.  We've wisely chosen not to do the latter.  As we win, this will change. To win its got to come from development.  That means there will be inconsistent play.

It's hard to ask fans for patience but the mature ones know that's what's needed.  Its likely we're going to be good and there's good things to enjoy as we develop.   To think we're in the same mire we've been in is just not understanding what's happening. 

I get that it's frustrating but we're so loaded with prospects,  it's more likely we're going to be an excellent team.  The organization set themselves so far back from the possibility of developing that caused the prolonging.   Well we're here now, it's not the time to be at the low point.  

The mature fans knew what was needed ten years ago. I’m sick of waiting for the path they chose.

[7+6=13]

23 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Have we no evidence?

No you do not.