Draft Top 3 This Year, Win the Lottery Next Year

[Archie Lee]

9 minutes ago, Jorcus said:

 

I look at this a different way. Unless Zach Benson can get faster and get a harder shot we are seeing all that Zach Benson will ever be. He skates well in short spaces but does not have up and down the ice speed. In that respect he is one of he slowest players on the team. He also has the weakest shot. He does have high end hockey smarts he can rob pucks off others sticks but the more I see him the less I think he will be a top 6 forward any time soon. I just don't know where he fits on this team right now. You might have to wait 3-4 years to hope he gets faster and develops a hockey shot but Is that what we need. We all like that he is one of the few who goes to the front of the net but most goalies see right over the top of him. I know this team needs net front guys but we need big ones who can tip them in.  

The reality is there are very few players that have NHL level skills in terms of athleticism. We have to keep and coach the ones we have and try to find more. Isn't that what the Bills do? I hope Zach does well, he certainly try's hard. I would not call him a sure thing.

People thought similar things about Reinhart. Not that I think Benson will be that good. Like Reinhart, who was a year older (by birth year) when we drafted him, Benson should have gone back to junior. Reinhart played 4 years in junior including his 19 yr old season, which Benson would be in now. That Benson can hold his own in the NHL is a terrible reason for him to play here. It is a leading example of our GM’s failures. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

If that ends up being the plan, I'm out.

Seriously, who would think that following a disaster with doing the same thing would not be even worse?

Let's hear it for no playoffs for 20+ years.

I don't have time for that nonsense again.

[bob_sauve28]

 

[JoeSchmoe]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

We did this, and it failed, and it basically destroyed the team for oh about 14 years now. 

So you want to tank for two years.  Maybe get another 18 year old savior. And then what, wait 4 more to build around him?  

So 20 years without playoffs.  Have you learned anything from the last tank?  

We can't tank intentionally like last time. That's what killed us... The cupboards were so bare that the pieces Murray brought in weren't enough to overcome how badly he decimated the lineup. Same went for Edmonton.

Between Tage, UPL, Dahlin, Tuch and a few others, we have some building blocks this time. Keep putting the best lineup we can out there and get high draft picks organically. 

[Pimlach]

2 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

We can't tank intentionally like last time. That's what killed us... The cupboards were so bare that the pieces Murray brought in weren't enough to overcome how badly he decimated the lineup. Same went for Edmonton.

Between Tage, UPL, Dahlin, Tuch and a few others, we have some building blocks this time. Keep putting the best lineup we can out there and get high draft picks organically. 

Ok.  Fine.  So we might get a top 3 pick this year.   It will still take years for him to reach his peak.  In the meantime you build and try to win asap. 

[Gatorman0519]

We might win the lottery this year. 

[JoeSchmoe]

21 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Ok.  Fine.  So we might get a top 3 pick this year.   It will still take years for him to reach his peak.  In the meantime you build and try to win asap. 

The whole point of this thread is that no trade clauses killed the ability for struggling teams in high tax markets to dig themselves outta a hole. The only way is through the draft.

[PerreaultForever]

10 hours ago, Kristian said:

We don’t break them, they score 50 goals and win cups once they leave 🤣

No, we break them, then somebody else fixes them. 

If you remember when Reinhart first went to Florida some people were questioning it and he got off to a slow start. We were used to those slow starts but Florida fans weren't. He got it figured out pretty quick and he's a different player now. Similar, but just that little extra he was missing here. When Eichel went to Vegas there were the back issues but also the issue of two way Cassidy hockey. Something he never did here. Remember how delighted everyone was here when it first looked like it would be a bust? People here mocked him. Then he won a cup. Risto? We really broke him and it's taken a couple years to get him back on track on a bad team but now even he looks like a top 4 D man and a guy who would pair nicely with Power but we couldn't get that out of him. Florida even figured out how to utilize E-Rod's speed. They all get fixed when they leave. 

[LGR4GM]

56 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

No, we break them, then somebody else fixes them. 

If you remember when Reinhart first went to Florida some people were questioning it and he got off to a slow start. We were used to those slow starts but Florida fans weren't. He got it figured out pretty quick and he's a different player now. Similar, but just that little extra he was missing here. When Eichel went to Vegas there were the back issues but also the issue of two way Cassidy hockey. Something he never did here. Remember how delighted everyone was here when it first looked like it would be a bust? People here mocked him. Then he won a cup. Risto? We really broke him and it's taken a couple years to get him back on track on a bad team but now even he looks like a top 4 D man and a guy who would pair nicely with Power but we couldn't get that out of him. Florida even figured out how to utilize E-Rod's speed. They all get fixed when they leave. 

Lol, using Ristolainen in this comparison is a choice. 

[Pimlach]

47 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

The whole point of this thread is that no trade clauses killed the ability for struggling teams in high tax markets to dig themselves outta a hole. The only way is through the draft.

Your thread title says Draft #3 this year, and win the lottery next year.   That spells lose on purpose => TANK.  Why not just win the lottery this year?  Is it  because you want a guy two years out?  That is tanking my friend.  

The draft is just one way to improve the team.  It is a slow process and its a crap shoot.  

There are players with NMC/NTC's, looks like about 40%,  but not all have it.  ->    https://www.thefourthperiod.com/no-trade-clauses

Adams has been using draft and fast development and avoiding veteran blockers.   He signed a few vets and mostly JAGs, and we have learned that it does not improve the culture or the provide a good environment to grow players in.  

First step is to dump Adams and hire serious hockey people to run the team, hire hockey execs with Cup pedigree that have done it before.  Give them full control and let them work.   Let them improve the coaching from the development coaches, to AHL, to the NHL HC - get better everywhere. 

They MUST bring in some help for the young and struggling players, this is the problem that we have right now, we lack the players with know how that don't fall apart under pressure. 

The combination of competent POHO/GM, competent coaches, a true hockey town, and proximity to Canada will all help to reduce the impact of taxes and no palm trees.   But they have to look and act like serious team.  They are a total clown show right now.  

You are listening to Adams which is bad, and you are telling us to repeat the biggest failure this franchise has ever made, which is to tank on purpose. 

If we get the #1 this year fine, at least we didn't try to lose on purpose.  Thinking that the luck that happened to Pittsburgh or Chicago will happen to Buffalo  is not realistic.  

 

 

[JoeSchmoe]

17 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

That spells lose on purpose => TANK.  Why not just win the lottery this year?  Is it  because you want a guy two years out?  That is tanking my friend.  

Tanking is getting rid of anyone who shows any promise to help the team and trading them out for picks and prospects... even at a loss, just to get better lottery odds.

Let's keep everyone that'll help the team and not overpay for any veterans on trade. There's relatively few players available to us via trade that we'd want anyways. Most players we'd want had the bargaining power to get the NMC and NTC even if the NHL total was 40% as you say.

But in short, they'll have to end no trade clauses and raise caps in high tax jurisdictions for league parity. Otherwise, the drought will continue for Canada and other similar teams like the Sabres.

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Lol, using Ristolainen in this comparison is a choice. 

Not really. The point was we break players and they get better in new settings. Risto's not an all star, he's not the top pairing guy we insisted he was when we played him in that role but he's been solid this year. He's been playing exactly like the rugged stay at home guy people say we need to pair with Power. 

That isn't suggesting we should have kept him, we broke him, but it does suggest that it's not the players, it's our poor player development that is a big part of the problem here.

[SwampD]

6 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

No, we break them, then somebody else fixes them. 

If you remember when Reinhart first went to Florida some people were questioning it and he got off to a slow start. We were used to those slow starts but Florida fans weren't. He got it figured out pretty quick and he's a different player now. Similar, but just that little extra he was missing here. When Eichel went to Vegas there were the back issues but also the issue of two way Cassidy hockey. Something he never did here. Remember how delighted everyone was here when it first looked like it would be a bust? People here mocked him. Then he won a cup. Risto? We really broke him and it's taken a couple years to get him back on track on a bad team but now even he looks like a top 4 D man and a guy who would pair nicely with Power but we couldn't get that out of him. Florida even figured out how to utilize E-Rod's speed. They all get fixed when they leave. 

I don't remember any of that. Now you're just making stuff up.

Reinhart, Eichel, O'Reilly were all the exact same player they were here once they moved. They were just slotted properly on the new team and had veteran leadership so they didn't need to save those teams.

[Pimlach]

4 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Tanking is getting rid of anyone who shows any promise to help the team and trading them out for picks and prospects... even at a loss, just to get better lottery odds.

Let's keep everyone that'll help the team and not overpay for any veterans on trade. There's relatively few players available to us via trade that we'd want anyways. Most players we'd want had the bargaining power to get the NMC and NTC even if the NHL total was 40% as you say.

But in short, they'll have to end no trade clauses and raise caps in high tax jurisdictions for league parity. Otherwise, the drought will continue for Canada and other similar teams like the Sabres.

Tanking is losing on purpose.  Period.  How you do it, or rationalize it is irrelevant   

Trying to get the #1 pick in 2026, as you suggest, is tanking.  There are no caveats.  
 

[LGR4GM]

9 hours ago, Jorcus said:

 

I look at this a different way. Unless Zach Benson can get faster and get a harder shot we are seeing all that Zach Benson will ever be. He skates well in short spaces but does not have up and down the ice speed. In that respect he is one of he slowest players on the team. He also has the weakest shot. He does have high end hockey smarts he can rob pucks off others sticks but the more I see him the less I think he will be a top 6 forward any time soon. I just don't know where he fits on this team right now. You might have to wait 3-4 years to hope he gets faster and develops a hockey shot but Is that what we need. We all like that he is one of the few who goes to the front of the net but most goalies see right over the top of him. I know this team needs net front guys but we need big ones who can tip them in.  

The reality is there are very few players that have NHL level skills in terms of athleticism. We have to keep and coach the ones we have and try to find more. Isn't that what the Bills do? I hope Zach does well, he certainly try's hard. I would not call him a sure thing.

You haven't even seen 50% of what Benson will be yet. 

[JoeSchmoe]

26 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Tanking is losing on purpose.  Period.  How you do it, or rationalize it is irrelevant   

Trying to get the #1 pick in 2026, as you suggest, is tanking.  There are no caveats.  
 

I'm not saying they're trying to. I'm saying that given no one wants to come here, we're not getting better via trade or free agency and this may be our only way out.

[Pimlach]

16 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I'm not saying they're trying to. I'm saying that given no one wants to come here, we're not getting better via trade or free agency and this may be our only way out.

It didn’t work then, it won’t work now for the same reasons. 

If we get a top player in this coming draft that’s great.  But the Sabres FO needs to try to win right now.  
 

 

 

Edited 51 minutes ago by Pimlach

[Crusader1969]

11 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

It didn’t work then, it won’t work now for the same reasons. 

If we get a top player in this coming draft that’s great.  But the Sabres FO needs to try to win right now.  
 

 

 

Tanking with honour ?   
 

will you be upset if they trade away all the UFA's by the trade deadline?