yave1964 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 (edited) Seriously, no disrespect to the Sabres but in my memory I cannot remember a last place team spending the entire season on the front page like Buffalo has. John Scott and Phill Kessel kicked it off in the preseason Patrick Kaleta draws a suspension for cheap hit on Jack Johnson Sent to minors Injured in AHL game, out for the year Fan favorite Thomas Vanek dealt for Matt Moulson and picks Sabres fire long time GM Darcy Regier and first year coach Ron Rolston Classy former coach Ted Nolan brought in Long speculative search for a GM ends with hiring of Tim Murray The Ryan Miller saga an ongoing situation that finally ends in is trade Stil in the news as speculation that Ehrhoff and Moulson are on the block I am sure I have missed one or two but MY GOD first place teams do not have this much ink in a season. Seriously, I can think of twenty clubs ahead of them, some WAY ahead of them in the standings who haven't had half as much ink as these guys. And I am sure there are some things I have missed just throwing this together off the top of my head. Somehow with a last place team the Sabres have managed to keep it interesting in Buffalo..... Edited March 1, 2014 by yave1964 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 (edited) Well, from a fan's viewpoint, if a team is going to be terrible on a given year, better to be talked about throughout the year rather than buried and forgotten. Honestly, it may very well be because this group in Buffalo (or, at least what the group WAS...some changes already with some more in the works) is NOT too far removed from the kind of bunch that were expected to contend for their division. I don't think the ideology and talent was ever in question.Always has and continues to be there for this team, but the confidence and 'swagger' took a nosedive, and the locker room culture (i.e. the losing attitude) just set in for these guys to the point where changes in management and personnel are a must. I know lots here like to give a certain Buffalo fan all kinds of crap, but the truth is, these Sabres could be a contender sooner than people think..This Ryan Miller deal for instance....personally, I think the Sabres did very well for themselves on it. Getting back 3 players (2 NHL and 1 prospect, PLUS two MORE picks), for a goalie whose heart seems to have left Buffalo long ago, and an agitator, who while valuable, really shouldn't be that hard to replace. Issues in goal will still remain for this team.Juroslav Halak will have to prove he can stay healthy and play well even without the suffocating Blues defense in front of him....if the Sabres can even retain him (he's a UFA I believe).Meanwhile Enroth or whomever else the Sabres have in the system (or possibly trade for) have to step up their game and prove they can be the next Ryan Miller-esque type goalie in consistent play for this team. I think the Sabres will be fine in the forwards department, they are ok for now in the d-men area (though that will need some improvement to be real contenders), but they looked like they finally fixed what I always percieved to be the REAL issue with this team: Overall attitude. Now they will need to properly manage and develop the load of picks they have around the good players on the team already, get rid of dead weight players like John Scott, and make smart contract extensions and/or signings to solid vets, and this team will continue to provide things for people to talk about for quite a while yet. Edited March 1, 2014 by TropicalFruitGirl26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 @TropicalFruitGirl26 This is absolutely bar none the worst bunch of forwards in the game today. That is assuming that Moulson is dealt. Actually evin if Moulson stays I wil stick with that. They have some decent young prospects at forward in Girgensens and Grigorenko, but players such as Flynn and even Foligno aren't really much. Hodgson is the top line center and is better suited for the second line, Ennis is okay but again, second or third liner really. Beyond that, too many Staffords and Leinos and not enough real players. I have to respectfully disagree with you about their forwards, they are really bad, almost biblically bad. The draft as well as potentially lots of salary cap room could change that in a hurry, but this group? God awful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 I think they're 4-6 years away. Need time for the draft picks to develop into NHL players, McDavid not withstanding if they get him. Young teams need to grow as a core. The Pens and Hawks both did it this way, with specific niche free agents and trades. Buffalo is poised to do the same thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blocker Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 too many Staffords and Leinos I really like Ted Nolan, But, what the hell is he thinking of when he puts Leino on the ice, especially during power plays. He has NO goals this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 @TropicalFruitGirl26 One of the players on the defensive bubble is Brayden McNabb. He has shown promise during brief call ups. They need to get a long look at him, see if he fits into future plans etc.....the only way to do that is call the kid up and let him play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Well, from a fan's viewpoint, if a team is going to be terrible on a given year, better to be talked about throughout the year rather than buried and forgotten. Honestly, it may very well be because this group in Buffalo (or, at least what the group WAS...some changes already with some more in the works) is NOT too far removed from the kind of bunch that were expected to contend for their division. I don't think the ideology and talent was ever in question.Always has and continues to be there for this team, but the confidence and 'swagger' took a nosedive, and the locker room culture (i.e. the losing attitude) just set in for these guys to the point where changes in management and personnel are a must. I know lots here like to give a certain Buffalo fan all kinds of crap, but the truth is, these Sabres could be a contender sooner than people think..This Ryan Miller deal for instance....personally, I think the Sabres did very well for themselves on it. Getting back 3 players (2 NHL and 1 prospect, PLUS two MORE picks), for a goalie whose heart seems to have left Buffalo long ago, and an agitator, who while valuable, really shouldn't be that hard to replace. Issues in goal will still remain for this team.Juroslav Halak will have to prove he can stay healthy and play well even without the suffocating Blues defense in front of him....if the Sabres can even retain him (he's a UFA I believe).Meanwhile Enroth or whomever else the Sabres have in the system (or possibly trade for) have to step up their game and prove they can be the next Ryan Miller-esque type goalie in consistent play for this team. I think the Sabres will be fine in the forwards department, they are ok for now in the d-men area (though that will need some improvement to be real contenders), but they looked like they finally fixed what I always percieved to be the REAL issue with this team: Overall attitude. Now they will need to properly manage and develop the load of picks they have around the good players on the team already, get rid of dead weight players like John Scott, and make smart contract extensions and/or signings to solid vets, and this team will continue to provide things for people to talk about for quite a while yet. Sorry. This was about talent, not swagger. I'll agree that "talent and ideology was never in question," but only because there's no doubt that it's talent and ideology. "Question" would indicate some doubt. They may have the worst group of NHL-level talent in the league. They have a goalie and about 4 players worth press. After that, it's an AHL team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 @TropicalFruitGirl26 This is absolutely bar none the worst bunch of forwards in the game today. That is assuming that Moulson is dealt. Actually evin if Moulson stays I wil stick with that. They have some decent young prospects at forward in Girgensens and Grigorenko, but players such as Flynn and even Foligno aren't really much. Hodgson is the top line center and is better suited for the second line, Ennis is okay but again, second or third liner really. Beyond that, too many Staffords and Leinos and not enough real players. I have to respectfully disagree with you about their forwards, they are really bad, almost biblically bad. The draft as well as potentially lots of salary cap room could change that in a hurry, but this group? God awful. Agreed. I saw the "it's not talent" line and just about choked on my drink. It's not talent only because there is NO talent. They have some good prospects and more draft picks than is fair, but at the NHL level they are a cluster. No, this is not about swagger or confidence. This is 100% about poor ideology and lack of talent. I'm kind of with Polaris on the 4-6 but I think quite possibly you'll see a playoff team at 3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blocker Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 He played his best game as a Sabre in beating Boston Well, considering his games as a Sabre, that ain't saying much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Will be interesting to see if the Sabres do indeed flip both Stewart and Halak....thought they would try to keep them for the rebuild. All the talk now is neither of those guys will be Sabres past Wed.More picks? Hmm...not bad having a bunch of picks, but picks by themselves won't win you anything, and those picks STILL need to pan out...I would think the Sabres would want NHL tested bodies out there with their young players. Yea....the NHL hasn't heard the last of Sabres Adventures even though they sit dead last in the East. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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