GDT-LAST GAME OF THE SEASON, Philadelphia Flyers @ Buffalo Sabres 7pm 4/17, ESPN+ MSG

[DarthEbriate]

30 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I don't understand starting Reimer. There is no point to that and you might as well give UPL the reps unless he is injured. The 4th line is quite interesting with Rosen and Östlund together, they may actually produce. I think we win 6-2.

Retirement game on home ice. Because...  I don't know. He's been overplayed (not over the course of the season, but over the course of the last month.) There is an imbalance in the Force concept of goaltending with the Grand Ruff.

What little I saw of it, Östlund and Rosén looked good on the fourth line last game. I still want Östlund to notch his first career goal this season.

[DarthEbriate]

This is it.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Sure but winning game 82 of the season doesn't really matter either. Winning being the expectation should be the cultural norm even though Adams has failed to make it so. 

Which is the major difference between everyone that the Sabre's have hired and Sean McDermott.  

McDermott said he had to own drought to end it, even if he didn't cause it.  Owning it is the start.   

The culture change was the first thing that he did.  He constantly talked to players about about self improvement and accountability, about earning the right to win, and he did simple things like putting up signs to remind and motivate.  He drove the message down their throats, and those that did not buy-in were sent away and replaced with those who did. 

Adams plan has always had the fall back of blaming it on youth, but next year will be better.   

[7+6=13]

22 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Which is the major difference between everyone that the Sabre's have hired and Sean McDermott.  

McDermott said he had to own drought to end it, even if he didn't cause it.  Owning it is the start.   

The culture change was the first thing that he did.  He constantly talked to players about about self improvement and accountability, about earning the right to win, and he did simple things like putting up signs to remind and motivate.  He drove the message down their throats, and those that did not buy-in were sent away and replaced with those who did. 

Adams plan has always had the fall back of blaming it on youth, but next year will be better.   

You don't think we got rid of players without the buy in?  The youth movement was a universally agreed upon strategy by most, IMO.  Obviously it hasn't worked but to crap on him for what obviously needed to be done, to me, is not being fair.

[Mustache of God]

I hope they go out there and lay a big sloppy ol' turdburger on the ice, a real paint-job, if you will.

Philly wins 1-0 on a shot that goes off a Sabre and into the  net.

[Mr Peabody]

Im playing for 5th place in my fantasy league and saved all my moves for today and starting an all Sabres line-up!  Only players who weren’t available were Tage, Tuch and Ras. 

[Weave]

[HumanSlinky39]

Man, seems like the opener against NJ was just yesterday. Another wildly disappointing season limps to a finish. I won't be watching (or will at least miss most of it) because of a prior engagement and I'm not sad about that. Apathy is a bitch. Win, lose, whatever. Hoping for some surprises this offseason (Adams fired, aggressive moves to improve the roster), but not expecting much of anything at all.

[Ogelthorpe]

3 hours ago, French Collection said:

Yeah, help through the draft is years away. We need to see improvements this off season to take the next step. Most of us doubt there will be any major changes, so there goes that avenue.

Win this game for the fans in attendance, put on a show of some kind.

Sabres system is filled with 2nd and 3rd liners and 4th and 5th defenseman. A superstar in the system would be nice. This is a meaningless game and staying healthy is really the biggest point. 

[kas23]

I had a dream about this game 2 night ago. We won 11-4. Or, maybe it was 7-4. 

Edited Thursday at 05:16 PM by kas23

[pastajoe]

4 hours ago, SwampD said:

I honestly can’t believe that people still give a crap about that. 

A higher draft pick is worth more in a trade, which is what Adams should do with it this draft in a package for a veteran defenseman.

[Pimlach]

29 minutes ago, 7+6=13 said:

You don't think we got rid of players without the buy in?  The youth movement was a universally agreed upon strategy by most, IMO.  Obviously it hasn't worked but to crap on him for what obviously needed to be done, to me, is not being fair.

You are not following me.   The tear down and youth movement was a choice, not a need.  

When Krueger was fired the youth movement rebuild  was not the only option, but it became the only option because of Pegula's EEE direction.  The roster had Eichel, Reinhart, Montour, McCabe, Dahlin, Thompson, Ullmark, and others  - there was more than enough there to build a playoff team  

Jason Boterill chose not to follow Terry's EEE  direction and was fired.  Enter Adams.  

Pegula was spooked by Covid and he chose to streamline his PSE  business world (accept the Bills), and to cut all facets of the Sabres payroll, and to get the roster to the salary cap floor.  Meanwhile the vets had no choice, most were moved out for draft picks and prospects.  The big piece was Eichel, but even before that Reinhart was only given a one year extension.  

Once you decide you are going to be a cap floor team you just forced a youth movement.  Right?   

So yes, I can crap on both Terry and Adams because they failed once again.  They failed miserably at that. Maybe next year,  right?  

But my comments are fair and I always try to be fair.   Montreal, Ottawa, Columbus, and even Detroit  have all passed the Sabres and their vaunted "prospect pool" and they had a youth movements too.   

 

[HOUSE]

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Ogelthorpe said:

Sabres system is filled with 2nd and 3rd liners and 4th and 5th defenseman. A superstar in the system would be nice. This is a meaningless game and staying healthy is really the biggest point. 

Dahlin? JJP? Tage?

[DarthEbriate]

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

Dahlin? JJP? Tage?

By system, I think @Ogelthorpe means the planets prospects not the star NHL roster.

[PromoTheRobot]

Just now, DarthEbriate said:

By system, I think @Ogelthorpe means the planets prospects not the star NHL roster.

You can say anything about prospects and you can't prove it true or false. It's just opinion. @Ogelthorpe might think they're all JAGs but many sites including the Athletic rates the Sabres system at or near the top. Of course believing we have talent in the pipeline would also mean Adams is finding good players, and we can't have that, can we.

[DarthEbriate]

5 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

You are not following me.   The tear down and youth movement was a choice, not a need.  

When Krueger was fired the youth movement rebuild  was not the only option, but it became the only option because of Pegula's EEE direction.  The roster had Eichel, Reinhart, Montour, McCabe, Dahlin, Thompson, Ullmark, and others  - there was more than enough there to build a playoff team  

Jason Boterill chose not to follow Terry's EEE  direction and was fired.  Enter Adams.  

Pegula was spooked by Covid and he chose to streamline his PSE  business world (accept the Bills), and to cut all facets of the Sabres payroll, and to get the roster to the salary cap floor.  Meanwhile the vets had no choice, most were moved out for draft picks and prospects.  The big piece was Eichel, but even before that Reinhart was only given a one year extension.  

Once you decide you are going to be a cap floor team you just forced a youth movement.  Right?   

So yes, I can crap on both Terry and Adams because they failed once again.  They failed miserably at that. Maybe next year,  right?  

But my comments are fair and I always try to be fair.   Montreal, Ottawa, Columbus, and even Detroit  have all passed the Sabres and their vaunted "prospect pool" and they had a youth movements too.   

 

There were so many other avenues available beyond going cheap (until the owner says "tear it down, EEE only"). But Adams had to say that he could do the teardown and keep it cheap, he was fully complicit. If he had gone to TPeg and said, "Keep the core, I can get this roster to the playoffs" they could have extended Reinhart and not alienated Eichel, and built around them and Dahlin.

And the kicker, once the cap rose, you could pay all those players their current salaries and still fill out a roster. And you'd have made the playoffs in '22-23. You wouldn't have Power and you wouldn't have been able to extend Skinner for 8, but whatever.

[DarthEbriate]

2 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

You can say anything about prospects and you can't prove it true or false. It's just opinion. @Ogelthorpe might think they're all JAGs but many sites including the Athletic rates the Sabres system at or near the top. Of course believing we have talent in the pipeline would also mean Adams is finding good players, and we can't have that, can we.

Right, but the folks you listed: Dahlin, JJP, and Tage aren't in the system. They're already on the Sabres.

[JustOutsideChicago]

Cool.

[Ogelthorpe]

49 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

You can say anything about prospects and you can't prove it true or false. It's just opinion. @Ogelthorpe might think they're all JAGs but many sites including the Athletic rates the Sabres system at or near the top. Of course believing we have talent in the pipeline would also mean Adams is finding good players, and we can't have that, can we.

I'm not saying we don't have a good minor system.  I'm saying we don't have any bona-fide superstars on the horizon.  Just like what you sd is an opinion

55 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

By system, I think @Ogelthorpe means the planets prospects not the star NHL roster.

Yes, I mean the young guys not here yet. . 

[Ogelthorpe]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Dahlin? JJP? Tage?

My God you are Clueless.  And you thinking jjp is a superstar proves my point even more. Keep your rose colored glasses on

Edited Thursday at 06:52 PM by Ogelthorpe

[JP51]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

You are not following me.   The tear down and youth movement was a choice, not a need.  

When Krueger was fired the youth movement rebuild  was not the only option, but it became the only option because of Pegula's EEE direction.  The roster had Eichel, Reinhart, Montour, McCabe, Dahlin, Thompson, Ullmark, and others  - there was more than enough there to build a playoff team  

Jason Boterill chose not to follow Terry's EEE  direction and was fired.  Enter Adams.  

Pegula was spooked by Covid and he chose to streamline his PSE  business world (accept the Bills), and to cut all facets of the Sabres payroll, and to get the roster to the salary cap floor.  Meanwhile the vets had no choice, most were moved out for draft picks and prospects.  The big piece was Eichel, but even before that Reinhart was only given a one year extension.  

Once you decide you are going to be a cap floor team you just forced a youth movement.  Right?   

So yes, I can crap on both Terry and Adams because they failed once again.  They failed miserably at that. Maybe next year,  right?  

But my comments are fair and I always try to be fair.   Montreal, Ottawa, Columbus, and even Detroit  have all passed the Sabres and their vaunted "prospect pool" and they had a youth movements too.   

 

Let us not forget expansion teams that are better than we are as well...  unfair is 14 years not making the playoffs when half the teams do... we have had teams rebuild win the cup, fall down and rise back up in that time.... Adams is the current incompetent shill... and thus he gets the blame... but in the end Pegula has presided over this abject hockey he// and nothing changes until he does...  if he keeps Adams... we are cooked... if he gets rid of Adams and hires another incompetent yes man.. the beat goes on... if he decides NHL Hockey belongs in Buffalo and hires competent professionals and gives them the resources, then maybe we can begin the process of digging out... until then... we are going to continue to be irrelevant.. what is sad is this notion of making the playoffs means a day off from work and a down town parade...  this is so sad... I remember when we aspired to win a cup... that notion is laughable... I dont know if we can ever get back to that hope realistically... a lot of change would need to happen... in the meantime...  we get nothing and are forced to like it...  this is utter ineptitude at its finest... 

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 but many sites including the Athletic rates the Sabres system at or near the top. 

Actually they don't. 

Wheeler put them 11th which is at or near the middle. Further to your point about stars, the Wheeler ranking says "none of their five top guys project to be true top-of-the-lineup types."

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5919859/2025/01/08/nhl-prospects-rankings-2025/

Elite Prospect who I trust more put Buffalo at 16th which is literally the middle. 

https://www.eliteprospects.com/news/prospect-pool-rankings/ep-rinkside-2024-nhl-prospect-pool-rankings-no-16-ranked-buffalo-sabres

 

[LGR4GM]

Hockey writers put Buffalo's pool at 7th but considering their gushing praise of Savoie while spelling Östlund's name wrong... idk if I trust that much. Still that would be "near the top" I think. https://thehockeywriters.com/nhl-farm-system-rankings/

[pi2000]