The Buffalo Sabres have officially been eliminated for the 14th season

[LGR4GM]

7 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

So ultimately, Adams not signing Ullmark leads to all of this. That's the biggest mistake. So why on earth does he still have a job???

[Thorner]

20 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

So ultimately, Adams not signing Ullmark leads to all of this. That's the biggest mistake. So why on earth does he still have a job???

One of life’s great mysteries 

Tide goes in, tide goes out. Can’t explain that 

[inkman]

23 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

So ultimately, Adams not signing Ullmark leads to all of this. That's the biggest mistake. So why on earth does he still have a job???

 

16 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

 

3 minutes ago, Thorner said:

One of life’s great mysteries 

Tide goes in, tide goes out. Can’t explain that 

He’s Terry’s lapdog.  

[PerreaultForever]

2 minutes ago, inkman said:

 

 

He’s Terry’s lapdog.  

I'm thinking more hairless cat

 

[LGR4GM]

9 minutes ago, Thorner said:

One of life’s great mysteries 

Tide goes in, tide goes out. Can’t explain that 

Gravitational pull of the moon.

[Thorner]

6 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Gravitational pull of the moon.

Surprised you didn’t get the reference 

Edited Wednesday at 11:12 PM by Thorner

[LGR4GM]

17 minutes ago, Thorner said:

Surprised you didn’t get the reference 

I've tried to block O'Reilly from my brain... in all forms.

[Brawndo]

21 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

This season's Luukkonen was not last season's Luukkonen. Last year, he was much more positionally sound and let the puck find his massive frame. This year, he was constantly overcommitting and sliding himself out of position. His skaters didn't do him any favors, but he was a significant contributor to their failed season.

 

Speaking of failed seasons, Adams managed all this with $8.246 million to spare under the cap in an "all-in" season. Hope they can roll those savings over to next season like in the NFL and don't have issues getting all those RFAs re-signed.

Matthew Fairburn reported the Sabres are the only team in the league that have left over six million dollars in unspent cap space the past five seasons and any savings from the cap disappears on June 30th every year. 

[jahnyc]

It has been a nice run, but with with no chance to make the playoffs, all they really have done is ruined their chances at a top five pick in the draft.  Is TP going to use the team's recent performance as a potential reason to keep KA and our coaches around for another year?  I really hope not.  The bar was very low this year to make the playoffs and we were out of the race months ago.

[Broken Ankles]

There are 14 Stations of the Cross.  The 14th is ‘Jesus is placed in the tomb’.  It’s the last and final station, as we allow know happens three days later.   

 

“Jesus saves…Perreault rebounds and scores”.

[JohnC]

12 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Was Adams the GM who declined to sign Reinhardt when the player was willing to sign the extension? 
 

My sense is that Ullmark wanted to string KA along in contract negotiations so he could finish his UFA contract and get in the open market. 
 

When you run a dysfunctional franchise the incentive is for players to maneuver to get out. Hopefully the tide is changing in that area where players are more receptive to sign contracts to stay.

[OrangeSeatVertigo]

but making that annual run to .500 by season - end.   highlight of the year ! 🙂

[Weave]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

Was Adams the GM who declined to sign Reinhardt when the player was willing to sign the extension? 
 

My sense is that Ullmark wanted to string KA along in contract negotiations so he could finish his UFA contract and get in the open market. 
 

When you run a dysfunctional franchise the incentive is for players to maneuver to get out. Hopefully the tide is changing in that area where players are more receptive to sign contracts to stay.

There is no need for speculation regarding Ulmark’s contract situation here. He was very forthcoming about it in an interview that was thoroughly discussed here.  After his father died he determined that he needed to make some changes in his life, including his employer.  There was no stringing along.  There was no offer KA could have made.  Linus decided he needed to be elsewhere, and made good on it.

[DarthEbriate]

14 hours ago, Brawndo said:

Matthew Fairburn reported the Sabres are the only team in the league that have left over six million dollars in unspent cap space the past five seasons and any savings from the cap disappears on June 30th every year. 

Yes, I know this. But based on their operations of the Sabres and the dual-ownership with the Bills which could cause confusion, it's not clear that the ownership does.

[Thorner]

4 hours ago, JohnC said:

Was Adams the GM who declined to sign Reinhardt when the player was willing to sign the extension? 
 

My sense is that Ullmark wanted to string KA along in contract negotiations so he could finish his UFA contract and get in the open market. 
 

When you run a dysfunctional franchise the incentive is for players to maneuver to get out. Hopefully the tide is changing in that area where players are more receptive to sign contracts to stay.

He was, ya. Him and Botts both 

1 hour ago, Weave said:

There is no need for speculation regarding Ulmark’s contract situation here. He was very forthcoming about it in an interview that was thoroughly discussed here.  After his father died he determined that he needed to make some changes in his life, including his employer.  There was no stringing along.  There was no offer KA could have made.  Linus decided he needed to be elsewhere, and made good on it.

The issue is that Kevyn knew this and didn’t have a backup plan 

[HILLsabre]

On 4/9/2025 at 7:28 AM, CallawaySabres said:

March and April are never the time to judge bad hockey teams. When October hits and teams need to get off to a fast start, Buffalo will be facing starting goalies, intensity will be higher, and our true colors will be revealed once again. These guys need to figure out what changes need to be done in order to survive the first half of the season while sticking in the top 8.

Florida, Toronto and Tampa will obviously be above them next year so once again, their goal has to be the 7/8 seed.

Just trying to make the playoffs cannot be the goal... recipe for mediocrity!! I think this is been big part of the problem here....just do the minimum.

[Sidc3000]

On 4/9/2025 at 7:00 AM, HOUSE said:

Next year will be different 

[Rasmus_]

This team starts winning when its far too late.  Same story. its the players that are broken.  Regardless of the changes to the coaching.  Fundamentally broken. 

[CallawaySabres]

15 hours ago, HILLsabre said:

Just trying to make the playoffs cannot be the goal... recipe for mediocrity!! I think this is been big part of the problem here....just do the minimum.

14 years of missing the playoffs, I am totally fine if their goal is 8 seed next year. Just give me a freaking reason to be interested after the month of December. This organization is never winning the Cup. 

[DarthEbriate]

20 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

14 years of missing the playoffs, I am totally fine if their goal is 8 seed next year. Just give me a freaking reason to be interested after the month of December. This organization is never winning the Cup. 

Just get in first. Then, be better the next year and the next. 

Then, it’s always a crapshoot and the bounces of the puck, injuries, a hot goalie, or a red-hot power play for a series. Let the chips fall where they may. But get in the dance. 

[JP51]

I just think that we won enough at the end of the season for Pegula to see a glimmer and not overhaul... run it back... stay the course... and a 15th year of no playoffs to me is likely....  I am just not sure there is a reasonable end in sight... 

[Mr Peabody]

1 hour ago, JP51 said:

I just think that we won enough at the end of the season for Pegula to see a glimmer and not overhaul... run it back... stay the course... and a 15th year of no playoffs to me is likely....  I am just not sure there is a reasonable end in sight... 

last night should cure that:

 -Conceding the puck when equi-distant as the opposing player

-forwards leaving the D zone before the D had clean 

- collapsing in d zone under heavy forecheck 

We were in mid season form 

 

[JP51]

45 minutes ago, Mr Peabody said:

last night should cure that:

 -Conceding the puck when equi-distant as the opposing player

-forwards leaving the D zone before the D had clean 

- collapsing in d zone under heavy forecheck 

We were in mid season form 

 

One can only hope

[Crusader1969]

Next year! 

[Thorner]

On 4/11/2025 at 9:36 AM, CallawaySabres said:

14 years of missing the playoffs, I am totally fine if their goal is 8 seed next year. Just give me a freaking reason to be interested after the month of December. This organization is never winning the Cup. 

I’ve said this for a long time but until proven otherwise…

they won’t make the playoffs until they stop treating it as the natural side-affect of the process of building a cup team 

It’s never THE goal. They expect it to arrive as a symptom 

It’s hubris