This Team is Heading Nowhere Yet Again

[Flashsabre]

Change the HC. Reshape the bottom 6, nothing has changed at all.

Cozens and Quinn are completely lost.

IDK what the answer is. Just not good enough yet again.

A new owner and FO would be a start.

Bringing back Ruff and keeping all the other coaches was the first red flag that they aren’t serious about winning. All the cap space is the second sign.

Either Pegula is handcuffing Adams or Kevyn is incompetent. Problem is who would take the job? Adams does and says whatever Pegula wants and Terry doesn’t trust NHL people so what’s the answer? Moving Adams to another position and making Karmanos the GM seems par for the course. No extra money spent.

Just don’t Adams make a panic move and trade Helenius or Wahlberg for and underwhelming vet.

Its just so hard to stay invested at all when this team gives you no reason to.

[Carmel Corn]

3 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Change the HC. Reshape the bottom 6, nothing has changed at all.

Cozens and Quinn are completely lost.

IDK what the answer is. Just not good enough yet again.

A new owner and FO would be a start.

Bringing back Ruff and keeping all the other coaches was the first red flag that they aren’t serious about winning. All the cap space is the second sign.

Either Pegula is handcuffing Adams or Kevyn is incompetent. Problem is who would take the job? Adams does and says whatever Pegula wants and Terry doesn’t trust NHL people so what’s the answer? Moving Adams to another position and making Karmanos the GM seems par for the course. No extra money spent.

Just don’t Adams make a panic move and trade Helenius or Wahlberg for and underwhelming vet.

Its just so hard to stay invested at all when this team gives you no reason to.

Some answers might include:

1. Yes, Kevyn is incompetent and needs to be replaced with a credible GM

2. Retrain our defense to actually play defense (more stay at home)

3. Go get an actual playmaker, somebody who can carry the puck with speed and maintain possession while his linemates join the rush

4. Shoot the puck and swarm the net, not this ridiculous one and done crap

5. Switch out some top 6 for other top 6 that play a more aggressive and physical style.

[Idemo Buffalo]

They need to do 1 thing.  Fix the Power Play.  Once that falls into place they will be fine. We lost back to back games by a goal. Not the end of the world.

Lindy will get the Power Play fixed. Lot of hockey left.  

[JoeSchmoe]

44 minutes ago, Idemo Buffalo said:

They need to do 1 thing.  Fix the Power Play.  Once that falls into place they will be fine. We lost back to back games by a goal. Not the end of the world.

Lindy will get the Power Play fixed. Lot of hockey left.  

Don't let us break you down!!!! Keep up hope!

[EM88]

54 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Change the HC. Reshape the bottom 6, nothing has changed at all.

Cozens and Quinn are completely lost.

A new owner and FO would be a start.

Either Pegula is handcuffing Adams or Kevyn is incompetent. Problem is who would take the job? Adams does and says whatever Pegula wants and Terry doesn’t trust NHL people so what’s the answer? Moving Adams to another position and making Karmanos the GM seems par for the course. No extra money spent.

 

I do not think Cozens is 'lost'.  I think he is an inconsistent $4m player that was signed to a $7m contact.

As far as the Pegula and Adams point, I'm more on the side that Pegula is handcuffing him.  Adams may be incompetent, but we really don't know because of the handcuffing.  You have a GM that is an artist, the roster is his painting. To use your analogy, adams may be a great painter or he may be awful, but as he is wearing handcuffs we really do not know.

[Pimlach]

59 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Change the HC. Reshape the bottom 6, nothing has changed at all.

Cozens and Quinn are completely lost.

IDK what the answer is. Just not good enough yet again.

A new owner and FO would be a start.

Bringing back Ruff and keeping all the other coaches was the first red flag that they aren’t serious about winning. All the cap space is the second sign.

Either Pegula is handcuffing Adams or Kevyn is incompetent. Problem is who would take the job? Adams does and says whatever Pegula wants and Terry doesn’t trust NHL people so what’s the answer? Moving Adams to another position and making Karmanos the GM seems par for the course. No extra money spent.

Just don’t Adams make a panic move and trade Helenius or Wahlberg for and underwhelming vet.

Its just so hard to stay invested at all when this team gives you no reason to.

The man pulling the strings is failing.  He can’t find and trust anyone that can do a good job.  

 

[Pimlach]

22 minutes ago, EM88 said:

I do not think Cozens is 'lost'.  I think he is an inconsistent $4m player that was signed to a $7m contact.

As far as the Pegula and Adams point, I'm more on the side that Pegula is handcuffing him.  Adams may be incompetent, but we really don't know because of the handcuffing.  You have a GM that is an artist, the roster is his painting. To use your analogy, adams may be a great painter or he may be awful, but as he is wearing handcuffs we really do not know.

Everyone says Pegula is handcuffing Adams, but I doubt Pegula ran out and said “let’s give Cozens $7M”.  

We know that Adam’s sucks as a GM. He didn’t bring in enough good players with all the capital he acquired from gutting the team post Krueger.  He botched the goaltending, giving a rebuilding team no chance and costing a young Core a Playoff birth  

Adams thought all his draft picks would quickly develop into stars.  They haven’t yet.  He never understood the timeline.  

He failed at finding high quality coaches, and he let one go to the Rangers.    

Still waiting for Kevyn to do something truly positive with this team.  

Edited November 3 by Pimlach

[jad1]

1 hour ago, Idemo Buffalo said:

They need to do 1 thing.  Fix the Power Play.  Once that falls into place they will be fine. We lost back to back games by a goal. Not the end of the world.

Lindy will get the Power Play fixed. Lot of hockey left.  

The power play hasn't worked since opponents started over playing Thompson's one timer from the faceoff circle.

The problems are not unique to the power play, they the same as the core problems with the roster.

This team is weak at puck retrieval, weak in front of the net, overpass in danger areas, weak with the puck when pressured, and overall have an innate lack of urgency, detail, and desperation in their game.

To fix this, Ruff will need to break these players down and rebuild their game with a focus on fundamentals.  It's going to take months, not games.

Edited November 3 by jad1

[calti]

16 minutes ago, jad1 said:

The power play hasn't worked since opponents started over playing Thompson's one timer from the faceoff circle.

The problems are not unique to the power play, they the same as the core problems with the roster.

This team is weak at puck retrieval, weak in front of the net, overpass in danger areas, weak with the puck when pressured, and overall have an innate lack of urgency, detail, and desperation in their game.

To fix this, Ruff will need to break these players down and rebuild their game with a focus on fundamentals.  It's going to take months, not games.

Thats reality.  Its gotta be broken down and put together again. And those who cant play fundamentally gotta  go asap

[DarthEbriate]

Just remember... since GM Sheevyn was given the job because JBott wasn't willing to axe his AHL and other staff.

[SABRES 0311]

Careful, if the fans judge them too harshly they won’t do their little center ice salute. 🫡 😂 

[Alaska John]

I was pretty much done with the Sabres last year, when they followed up a season just barely missing the playoffs, with a complete collapse.  So they do their thing, they show up and skate around and screw up and lose.  And every so often I check in to see if they're still sabreing, and yep they still are, so I check back out for a few weeks.  I do this a few times and then it's December and they're in a hole too deep to dig out of.  

I was willing to put up with the Bills going through long stretches of mediocrity, still watching the games and paying attention to the players.  I'm just not willing to do it with the Sabres.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

"Economic. Effective. Efficient." equals failure.

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Change the HC. Reshape the bottom 6, nothing has changed at all.

Cozens and Quinn are completely lost.

IDK what the answer is. Just not good enough yet again.

A new owner and FO would be a start.

Bringing back Ruff and keeping all the other coaches was the first red flag that they aren’t serious about winning. All the cap space is the second sign.

Either Pegula is handcuffing Adams or Kevyn is incompetent. Problem is who would take the job? Adams does and says whatever Pegula wants and Terry doesn’t trust NHL people so what’s the answer? Moving Adams to another position and making Karmanos the GM seems par for the course. No extra money spent.

Just don’t Adams make a panic move and trade Helenius or Wahlberg for and underwhelming vet.

Its just so hard to stay invested at all when this team gives you no reason to.

I wouldn't say nothing has changed. More than any recent year this team now resembles the bare bones of an actual roster but there are holes in it and the GM seems content to let their be holes in it and if you have holes things fall apart like dominos. The biggest hole is of course because we traded away Mitts. We didn't replace him. 

There's also a constant expectation that the new kid will fill the old gap and it'll just happen (presumably because they firmly believe in their drafting genius) and that's all they have to do. Wait. They never create much of a situation where the young guys have to earn their spots. Cozens was just given his 2C spot and he's never had to earn anything. Quinn was just given his second line spot. Peterka stepped up for their plan but not every guy does. It's rare. 

Youngest team in the league. Again, not an accomplishment.

Cap money to burn, because we will need it later. Except it seems we won't. 

[PerreaultForever]

9 minutes ago, Alaska John said:

I was pretty much done with the Sabres last year, when they followed up a season just barely missing the playoffs, with a complete collapse.  So they do their thing, they show up and skate around and screw up and lose.  And every so often I check in to see if they're still sabreing, and yep they still are, so I check back out for a few weeks.  I do this a few times and then it's December and they're in a hole too deep to dig out of.  

I was willing to put up with the Bills going through long stretches of mediocrity, still watching the games and paying attention to the players.  I'm just not willing to do it with the Sabres.  

Always a false illusion. Sure, late in the year, out of it, they place loose and get some points. Opposition teams give us their back up goalies and their lazy trap game efforts. We have not been as good as our late season point totals in any of these years. 

[gomper]

Some very good and unfortunately familiar points. I honestly would rather be San Jose right now. 

[pi2000]

They look lost out there... all of them.   Like they're all playing a different system.    It seemed like evey shift guys are running into each other, misreading plays, just a big jumbled mess.    

Hoping by game 20 they figure it out, but man, seems ike they're going backwards right now, tough to watch.

[SabreFinn]

Donny Granato last season. Lindy Ruff now. A psychiatrist next season.

That is where we are going.

[Sidc3000]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Everyone says Pegula is handcuffing Adams, but I doubt Pegula ran out and said “let’s give Cozens $7M”.  

We know that Adam’s sucks as a GM. He didn’t bring in enough good players with all the capital he acquired from gutting the team post Krueger.  He botched the goaltending, giving a rebuilding team no chance and costing a young Core a Playoff birth  

Adams thought all his draft picks would quickly develop into stars.  They haven’t yet.  He never understood the timeline.  

He failed at finding high quality coaches, and he let one go to the Rangers.    

Still waiting for Kevyn to do something truly positive with this team.  

“Economic, Efficient, Effective” 

Noticed economic is first. Those three words is 1000% a directive from Pegula. 
 

Has Adams made some bad decisions, yep. He’s a first time GM so I expect him to make wrong decisions. Pegula will only hire first time GM’s because they’re cheap. 
 

Did he fail to find high quality coaches or did he make sure his coaches were best economically? Lindy is absolutely an economic hire. They got him at a discount because he is still being paid by NJ. 

[#freejame]

You guys are all just soft fans. I went out and bought six jerseys after last night lost. Hopefully we can go get a center now for the top 6! Be part of the solution!

[phil_soisson]

8 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Don't let us break you down!!!! Keep up hope!

The antithesis of the "Emperor has no clothes" fable.

Edited November 3 by phil_soisson

[CallawaySabres]

The top eight has for the most part settled for the rest of the year. Maybe Washington or Ottawa Falls back in Detroit or Boston jumps up.
 

Buffalo won’t see it again as they currently sit at the basement of the conference, looking up to all

[mjd1001]

9 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Everyone says Pegula is handcuffing Adams, but I doubt Pegula ran out and said “let’s give Cozens $7M”.  

We know that Adam’s sucks as a GM. He didn’t bring in enough good players with all the capital he acquired from gutting the team post Krueger.  He botched the goaltending, giving a rebuilding team no chance and costing a young Core a Playoff birth  

Adams thought all his draft picks would quickly develop into stars.  They haven’t yet.  He never understood the timeline.  

He failed at finding high quality coaches, and he let one go to the Rangers.    

Still waiting for Kevyn to do something truly positive with this team.  

I could see him having a big-time influence in that for sure.  He seems to run the team as an owner like people run their fantasy teams, or their franchise in the NHL video game.  I could certainly see 'hockey' people looking at Cozens one good year and thinking "lets not rush into this" while Pegula looks at one good year and says "I like him! Lock him up now, Lock him up now!"

Again, no proof he did that, but all the other moves this team has made over the years, he seems like an emotional owner, one who is like a fan but wants to exercise his power as owner....one who won't defer much to his hockey department if he really wants something.   So maybe he didn't draft the $7m deal himself, but I can see Pegula as one who pushed for it....'I've seen enough, lets lock that kid up long term'.

[GASabresIUFAN]

What more really needs to be said.  The Sabres continue to be bad.  Bad GM, bad roster construction, bad defense and no depth scoring.  

I’m not blaming the goalies or Lindy.  They can only do so much with the mess Adams created with the skaters.  The defense is leaving the goalies out to dry.  Lindy has no one who can actually play defense and no playmakers to help guys like Cozens or Quinn.  This team really misses Benson.  

I’m not sure it’s fixable in season unless Adams is able to make a trade for a real defender or two and someone like Zegras.  

 

[EM88]

4 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I could see him having a big-time influence in that for sure.  He seems to run the team as an owner like people run their fantasy teams, or their franchise in the NHL video game.  I could certainly see 'hockey' people looking at Cozens one good year and thinking "lets not rush into this" while Pegula looks at one good year and says "I like him! Lock him up now, Lock him up now!"

Again, no proof he did that, but all the other moves this team has made over the years, he seems like an emotional owner, one who is like a fan but wants to exercise his power as owner....one who won't defer much to his hockey department if he really wants something.   So maybe he didn't draft the $7m deal himself, but I can see Pegula as one who pushed for it....'I've seen enough, lets lock that kid up long term'.

That is the best explanation that describes how I feel about Terry Pegula also.  He hides behind the GM but Adams has to do what Pegula wants when Terry gets something on his mind.

Pegula has been impulsive. The quotes like the existence of this team is to win a cup. The no cap on scouting and facilities.  The way he ended up hiring Rex Ryan. His involvement in Erhoff and Leino.  The Eichel situation.  He seems to run the franchise with more emotion and less letting the people below him do their job 100%.  I could also certainly see him being very instrumental in the Thompson and Cozens deals, in so far as pushing to get them done.

Its a lazy and easy argument to say this is Adams mess.  Pegula went with Adams to the supermarket, let Adams put some items in the cart but then Pegula filled the cart up with stuff he wanted, and now Adams is charged with preparing the meal with a lot of what Pegula told him to do, not what he wanted.

Edited November 3 by EM88