Friedman believes changes are coming to Sabres Front Office; UPL Available?

[HumanSlinky39]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

I agree with bolded.

What's weird is the amount of substantial changes they have actually made over this 14-year debacle:

• Embark on an aggressive fantasy GM plan to push a middling team into contention
• Open the checkbook for the most high-profile free agents willing to sign.
• Fire the most successful coach in franchise history
• Embark on a deliberate two-year effort to be overtly terrible in an attempt to acquire a franchise player(s) and build with youth.
• Fire the most successful GM in franchise history
• Hire a beloved former captain and star to run the team, and a former cup-winning GM to advise him.
• Hire a beloved former coach to teach grit and passion.
• Hire a gunslinging super-scout to be GM
• Trade away the captain and pretty much all your key skaters
• Trade away your all-star goalie and the face of the franchise
• Embark on a fast-track plan to flip your futures for a contending core, built around a size model
• Sign a name free agent scoring winger to a multi-year, big money deal
• Sign an older well-respected name free agent scoring winger to a smaller deal to be leader
• Make one of the biggest blockbuster multi-player trades in franchise history
• Trade away a first round draft pick for a new franchise goalie
• Open up your treasure chest of futures to trade for the biggest-name player on the trade market, sign him to a huge contract
• Draft a franchise centre, sign him to a huge contract and eventually name him captain
• Sign a high-profile former Stanley Cup winning coach
• Sign another bigger-name free agent scoring winger to a bigger multi-year, big money deal
• Fire your high-profile former Stanley Cup winning coach
• Fire your gunslinging GM
• Hire a touted up-and-comer from a Stanley Cup winning organization to be your GM
• Embark on a slow, methodical plan to build through bargain basement shopping, mobile defencemen, and a aversion to long-term contracts
• Hire a touted up-and-comer who used to be a star player for you to be your coach
• Draft a franchise defenceman, sign him to a huge contract and eventually name him captain
• Trade one of your biggest-name players for a big package of middling veterans and futures.
• Acquire a soon-to-be UFA one-way scoring winger sign him to the 2nd-biggest contract in franchise history after a great half-season
• Fire the touted up-and-comer who used to be a star player for you as your coach
• Let the "franchise" goalie you paid a first-rounder to acquire walk for free.
• Hire a completely out-of-the-box choice as your coach
• Fire the touted up-and-comer from a Stanley Cup winning organization as your GM, not because of slow progress, but because he wouldn't listen
• Hire a completely out-of-the-box choice as your GM because he used to play in the NHL and you know him and trust him.
• Embark on on a last-ditch plan of telling the out-of-the-box GM to give the out-of-the-box coach the players he wants in order to make your franchise centre captain stop complaining and asking to be traded.
• Sign yet another big-name free agent scoring winger, this time to a short-term contract with full trade protection.
• Fire your completely out-of-the box coach
• Embark on another sell-off aimed at rebuilding from with in with youth, and this time really mean it.
• Trade away the captain and pretty much all your key skaters for futures, or let them walk for free
• Let your goalie walk for nothing and continue what is now an annual tradition of starting the season with troubled or unproven players in net
• Draft another franchise defenceman, sign him to a huge contract and eventually name him...no wait, he's not captain yet.
• Stop spending to the cap
• Hire a long-time NHL assistant with a reputation for player development as your coach
• Invest heavily in an analytics department led by one of the field's most touted minds
• Patiently wait for the kids to develop, and betting on their progress by signing some to long-term deals before they've fully earned them.
• Fire the long-time NHL assistant with a reputation for player development as your coach
• Re-hire the most-succcessful coach franchise history
• Start making a few changes to and around your wrong core.
• ????

The only thing that hasn't changed over the years — aside from the magic veteran winger band-aids — is the losing.

As much as it's a tragedy for us, it's also a true comedy, actually. 

Really, not making a substantial change when one is clearly needed might be the one thing they haven't tried. 🤣

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

I agree with bolded.

What's weird is the amount of substantial changes they have actually made over this 14-year debacle:

• Embark on an aggressive fantasy GM plan to push a middling team into contention
• Open the checkbook for the most high-profile free agents willing to sign.
• Fire the most successful coach in franchise history
• Embark on a deliberate two-year effort to be overtly terrible in an attempt to acquire a franchise player(s) and build with youth.
• Fire the most successful GM in franchise history
• Hire a beloved former captain and star to run the team, and a former cup-winning GM to advise him.
• Hire a beloved former coach to teach grit and passion.
• Hire a gunslinging super-scout to be GM
• Trade away the captain and pretty much all your key skaters
• Trade away your all-star goalie and the face of the franchise
• Embark on a fast-track plan to flip your futures for a contending core, built around a size model
• Sign a name free agent scoring winger to a multi-year, big money deal
• Sign an older well-respected name free agent scoring winger to a smaller deal to be leader
• Make one of the biggest blockbuster multi-player trades in franchise history
• Trade away a first round draft pick for a new franchise goalie
• Open up your treasure chest of futures to trade for the biggest-name player on the trade market, sign him to a huge contract
• Draft a franchise centre, sign him to a huge contract and eventually name him captain
• Sign a high-profile former Stanley Cup winning coach
• Sign another bigger-name free agent scoring winger to a bigger multi-year, big money deal
• Fire your high-profile former Stanley Cup winning coach
• Fire your gunslinging GM
• Hire a touted up-and-comer from a Stanley Cup winning organization to be your GM
• Embark on a slow, methodical plan to build through bargain basement shopping, mobile defencemen, and a aversion to long-term contracts
• Hire a touted up-and-comer who used to be a star player for you to be your coach
• Draft a franchise defenceman, sign him to a huge contract and eventually name him captain
• Trade one of your biggest-name players for a big package of middling veterans and futures.
• Acquire a soon-to-be UFA one-way scoring winger sign him to the 2nd-biggest contract in franchise history after a great half-season
• Fire the touted up-and-comer who used to be a star player for you as your coach
• Let the "franchise" goalie you paid a first-rounder to acquire walk for free.
• Hire a completely out-of-the-box choice as your coach
• Fire the touted up-and-comer from a Stanley Cup winning organization as your GM, not because of slow progress, but because he wouldn't listen
• Hire a completely out-of-the-box choice as your GM because he used to play in the NHL and you know him and trust him.
• Embark on on a last-ditch plan of telling the out-of-the-box GM to give the out-of-the-box coach the players he wants in order to make your franchise centre captain stop complaining and asking to be traded.
• Sign yet another big-name free agent scoring winger, this time to a short-term contract with full trade protection.
• Fire your completely out-of-the box coach
• Embark on another sell-off aimed at rebuilding from with in with youth, and this time really mean it.
• Trade away the captain and pretty much all your key skaters for futures, or let them walk for free
• Let your goalie walk for nothing and continue what is now an annual tradition of starting the season with troubled or unproven players in net
• Draft another franchise defenceman, sign him to a huge contract and eventually name him...no wait, he's not captain yet.
• Stop spending to the cap
• Hire a long-time NHL assistant with a reputation for player development as your coach
• Invest heavily in an analytics department led by one of the field's most touted minds
• Patiently wait for the kids to develop, and betting on their progress by signing some to long-term deals before they've fully earned them.
• Fire the long-time NHL assistant with a reputation for player development as your coach
• Re-hire the most-succcessful coach franchise history
• Start making a few changes to and around your wrong core.
• ????

The only thing that hasn't changed over the years — aside from the magic veteran winger band-aids — is the losing.

As much as it's a tragedy for us, it's also a true comedy, actually. 

Really, not making a substantial change when one is clearly needed might be the one thing they haven't tried. 🤣

That hurt my brain.

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

Pope?

He said imminent not eminence.

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

I agree with bolded.

What's weird is the amount of substantial changes they have actually made over this 14-year debacle:

• Embark on an aggressive fantasy GM plan to push a middling team into contention
• Open the checkbook for the most high-profile free agents willing to sign.
• Fire the most successful coach in franchise history
• Embark on a deliberate two-year effort to be overtly terrible in an attempt to acquire a franchise player(s) and build with youth.
• Fire the most successful GM in franchise history
• Hire a beloved former captain and star to run the team, and a former cup-winning GM to advise him.
• Hire a beloved former coach to teach grit and passion.
• Hire a gunslinging super-scout to be GM
• Trade away the captain and pretty much all your key skaters
• Trade away your all-star goalie and the face of the franchise
• Embark on a fast-track plan to flip your futures for a contending core, built around a size model
• Sign a name free agent scoring winger to a multi-year, big money deal
• Sign an older well-respected name free agent scoring winger to a smaller deal to be leader
• Make one of the biggest blockbuster multi-player trades in franchise history
• Trade away a first round draft pick for a new franchise goalie
• Open up your treasure chest of futures to trade for the biggest-name player on the trade market, sign him to a huge contract
• Draft a franchise centre, sign him to a huge contract and eventually name him captain
• Sign a high-profile former Stanley Cup winning coach
• Sign another bigger-name free agent scoring winger to a bigger multi-year, big money deal
• Fire your high-profile former Stanley Cup winning coach
• Fire your gunslinging GM
• Hire a touted up-and-comer from a Stanley Cup winning organization to be your GM
• Embark on a slow, methodical plan to build through bargain basement shopping, mobile defencemen, and a aversion to long-term contracts
• Hire a touted up-and-comer who used to be a star player for you to be your coach
• Draft a franchise defenceman, sign him to a huge contract and eventually name him captain
• Trade one of your biggest-name players for a big package of middling veterans and futures.
• Acquire a soon-to-be UFA one-way scoring winger sign him to the 2nd-biggest contract in franchise history after a great half-season
• Fire the touted up-and-comer who used to be a star player for you as your coach
• Let the "franchise" goalie you paid a first-rounder to acquire walk for free.
• Hire a completely out-of-the-box choice as your coach
• Fire the touted up-and-comer from a Stanley Cup winning organization as your GM, not because of slow progress, but because he wouldn't listen
• Hire a completely out-of-the-box choice as your GM because he used to play in the NHL and you know him and trust him.
• Embark on on a last-ditch plan of telling the out-of-the-box GM to give the out-of-the-box coach the players he wants in order to make your franchise centre captain stop complaining and asking to be traded.
• Sign yet another big-name free agent scoring winger, this time to a short-term contract with full trade protection.
• Fire your completely out-of-the box coach
• Embark on another sell-off aimed at rebuilding from with in with youth, and this time really mean it.
• Trade away the captain and pretty much all your key skaters for futures, or let them walk for free
• Let your goalie walk for nothing and continue what is now an annual tradition of starting the season with troubled or unproven players in net
• Draft another franchise defenceman, sign him to a huge contract and eventually name him...no wait, he's not captain yet.
• Stop spending to the cap
• Hire a long-time NHL assistant with a reputation for player development as your coach
• Invest heavily in an analytics department led by one of the field's most touted minds
• Patiently wait for the kids to develop, and betting on their progress by signing some to long-term deals before they've fully earned them.
• Fire the long-time NHL assistant with a reputation for player development as your coach
• Re-hire the most-succcessful coach franchise history
• Start making a few changes to and around your wrong core.
• ????

The only thing that hasn't changed over the years — aside from the magic veteran winger band-aids — is the losing.

As much as it's a tragedy for us, it's also a true comedy, actually. 

Really, not making a substantial change when one is clearly needed might be the one thing they haven't tried. 🤣