Housley firing watch. 4-3-2-1 Toast

[Hockey Junkie 332]

IF Housley survives this meltdown of epic proportions, the NHL will have shockwaves.  I say he is fired day after last game. He should have been fired two months ago.  

[JR Ewing 1,839]

The Sabres improved their goal differential by about 30 goals this season, over last year, after trading away their best two-way centre and replacing him with a guy that couldn't care less about the net in his own end of the ice. Unless Housley has disobeyed direct orders from management, I'd be surprised if he was canned.

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26 3,581]

Fired because the Sabres still lack depth, experience and a solid top 6?
Fired because the goaltending, while ok, still was behind what contenders in the East were putting out there?
Fired because the Sabres played WAY over their heads early on and simply fell back to earth as the season wore on...IN a super deep Eastern Conference to boot?

Hmmm.
Like JR said...the Sabers did improve from last year, and I see no reason, if they continue to retool the lineup, make good decisions, and draft well (they are in line for some MORE good draft picks!), why they can't continue to do so.

Granted, the East will continue to be very competitive, so "ok personnel" decisions ain't gonna cut it. Decisions need to be "outstanding", with little room for error.

I don't think ANY coach could have gotten much more out of the Sabres as currently constructed.
Sure, maybe they could have had a few extra wins here and there...for a variety of reasons....but still, not enough, IMO, to make the playoffs.

But you know, overall, Buffalo still has a good thing going and if all the pieces are in place (make no mistake, they are NOT right now) and Housely still can't move the competitive needle on this team, THEN a Housely firing might be in the cards.
But right now, why create an unnecessary instability behind the bench?

 

I say its on ownership and the front office to increase the depth of the team and on the players to actually perform when given the opportunity to.

Edited March 31 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[radoran 6,137]

Rearranging the deck chairs behind the bench annually is not a recipe for success.

 

I think a better question is whether a 25-30 goal, 75-80 point guy is worth $10M a year.

 

Because that's what Bill S. Preston, Esq. is making.

[Hockey Junkie 332]

On 4/1/2019 at 10:52 AM, radoran said:

Rearranging the deck chairs behind the bench annually is not a recipe for success.

 

I think a better question is whether a 25-30 goal, 75-80 point guy is worth $10M a year.

 

Because that's what Bill S. Preston, Esq. is making.

When you are going well like the Sabres were and then totally collapse, and on a team with talent enough to at least be competitive, its the coach's fault when you fall apart to the tune the Sabres did.  Its on Housley.  Are you saying he should stay?  This team can be fixed fast, with using the many picks they have from St Louis and San Jose, and making the right moves in FA, and considering the young talent.   Replacing Housley is a must and so is the goalie Hutton who sucks.

[flyercanuck 7,892]

2 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

When you are going well like the Sabres were and then totally collapse, and on a team with talent enough to at least be competitive, its the coach's fault when you fall apart to the tune the Sabres did.  Its on Housley.  Are you saying he should stay?  This team can be fixed fast, with using the many picks they have from St Louis and San Jose, and making the right moves in FA, and considering the young talent.   Replacing Housley is a must and so is the goalie Hutton who sucks.

 

 Take out the fluky 10 game win streak and the Sabres are, by far, the worst team in the league. Again. 

 

 Hutton sucks? Last year it was Lehner who sucked. He has the 2nd best goalie stats in the entire NHL this year....on a different team. 

 

 Buffalo supposedly has not one, but two "generational" talents and has picked top ten for what....a decade?  The sucking should have stopped by now. Something has to change. Jerry Korab for coach?  Bill Hajt? Gates Orlando?

 

 

[Hockey Junkie 332]

25 minutes ago, flyercanuck said:

 

 Take out the fluky 10 game win streak and the Sabres are, by far, the worst team in the league. Again. 

 

 Hutton sucks? Last year it was Lehner who sucked. He has the 2nd best goalie stats in the entire NHL this year....on a different team. 

 

 Buffalo supposedly has not one, but two "generational" talents and has picked top ten for what....a decade?  The sucking should have stopped by now. Something has to change. Jerry Korab for coach?  Bill Hajt? Gates Orlando?

 

 

Coach and goalie. And of course they have more moves to make. Nobody expected them to be a playoff team.  They are young.  You have to give them that.  Guys like Middlestadt and Dahlin and Nylander will be better.  Skinner got his 40 last night. The Sabres will be better next year.  I would rather be in our shoes with our young talent and our picks than being in your teams shoes. Gauranteed.  

[flyercanuck 7,892]

38 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Coach and goalie.

 

 Well it looks like you had your goalie.

 

38 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

And of course they have more moves to make.

 

 Who doesn't? 

 

38 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Nobody expected them to be a playoff team.

 

 Other than you....no.

 

38 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

They are young.  You have to give them that.  Guys like Middlestadt and Dahlin and Nylander will be better.

 

 They are. And they should.

 

38 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Skinner got his 40 last night.

 

 There'll be a bidding war for his services I'm sure.

 

38 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

 

 

 

The Sabres will be better next year.  I would rather be in our shoes with our young talent and our picks than being in your teams shoes. Gauranteed.  

 

 You've been saying this for a decade.

[Hockey Junkie 332]

43 minutes ago, flyercanuck said:

 

 Well it looks like you had your goalie.

 

 

 Who doesn't? 

 

 

 Other than you....no.

 

 

 They are. And they should.

 

 

 There'll be a bidding war for his services I'm sure.

 

 

 You've been saying this for a decade.

OK.  Does Housley get fired this week?

[ruxpin 9,261]

42 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

OK.  Does Housley get fired this week?

 

No.

[Hockey Junkie 332]

34 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

 

No.

This is the NHL where coach's are always held accountable.  Whats wrong with you?  Why should Housley be any different?

 

I give his ass til sundown on Monday

Edited April 7 by Hockey Junkie

[JR Ewing 1,839]

17 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

This is the NHL where coach's are always held accountable.  Whats wrong with you?  Why should Housley be any different?

 

I give his ass til sundown on Monday

 

The team improved, though. They cut their goal differential in half despite trading a stud two-way centre and bringing in a guy who can't spell defense, let alone play it. Perhaps YOU saw the playoffs as a reasonable goal, but if the Sabres did, then I think they were kidding themselves. I'd be surprised if they're greatly upset with Housley, so long as he didn't ignore direct orders from management.

 

This is what it can be like when you tank in an effort to get the 1st overall pick. If you spend years losing on purpose, you're much more likely to continue losing for just as long after you begin to rebuild. Trust me, I know it very very well.

 

[ruxpin 9,261]

33 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

This is the NHL where coach's are always held accountable.  Whats wrong with you?  Why should Housley be any different?

 

I give his ass til sundown on Monday

 

Because he actually did well given the team he has to work with.  They're getting there, but they're not there.   I mean, team management may feel otherwise.  They might have bought (like someone here I know) that signing a career backup who had only once played 40 games (the next highest was 32) in 5 years in the league to be their starter was a recipe for post-season berth and success.   I mean, some people gulped that down and acted like he was the second-coming of Jacques Plante.  And to hell with anyone pointing out that this wasn't realistic.   If management was swallowing this, too, then maybe Housley is toast.

 

Maybe team management bought that trading one of the better two-way centers in the league for a collection of misfits and depending on a rookie to be 2C was a recipe for playoff berth and success.   I mean, it's not Housley's fault that one of the misfits up and quit.  Or that while said rookie was decent, he wasn't ready to carry that kind of load.  That's not Housley's fault.

 

They still lack depth.   That's from years of horrible drafting and trading picks.  They're getting there.   But changing coaches right now would be a horrific mistake (which is probably a good argument that it will happen).

Edited April 7 by ruxpin

[Hockey Junkie 332]

13 minutes ago, JR Ewing said:

 

The team improved, though. They cut their goal differential in half despite trading a stud two-way centre and bringing in a guy who can't spell defense, let alone play it. Perhaps YOU saw the playoffs as a reasonable goal, but if the Sabres did, then I think they were kidding themselves. I'd be surprised if they're greatly upset with Housley, so long as he didn't ignore direct orders from management.

 

This is what it can be like when you tank in an effort to get the 1st overall pick. If you spend years losing on purpose, you're much more likely to continue losing for just as long after you begin to rebuild. Trust me, I know it very very well.

 

They were in position to make the playoffs.  Not only did he F$ck it up, he alienated a very good player in Bergland who is in Sweden thanks to the prick.  i was so happy to get Bergland and then he plays Tage Thomson for more minutes than Bergland.  STUPID ass coaching. And the dumb ass shuffled lines more than a Vegas dealer.  FIRE THE PRICK

[Hockey Junkie 332]

8 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

 

Because he actually did well given the team he has to work with.  They're getting there, but they're not there.   I mean, team management may feel otherwise.  They might have bought (like someone here I know) that signing a career backup who had only once played 40 games (the next highest was 32) in 5 years in the league to be their starter was a recipe for post-season berth and success.   I mean, some people gulped that down and acted like he was the second-coming of Jacques Plante.  And to hell with anyone pointing out that this wasn't realistic.   If management was swallowing this, too, then maybe Housley is toast.

 

Maybe team management bought that trading one of the better two-way centers in the league for a collection of misfits and depending on a rookie to be 2C was a recipe for playoff berth and success.   I mean, it's not Housley's fault that one of the misfits up and quit.  Or that while said rookie was decent, he wasn't ready to carry that kind of load.  That's not Housley's fault.

 

They still lack depth.   That's from years of horrible drafting and trading picks.  They're getting there.   But changing coaches right now would be a horrific mistake (which is probably a good argument that it will happen).

DID WELL?  Seriously?  He ran Bergland out of town.  A damn good player. And he shuffled the freaking lines more than I could count.  He also put too much faith in guys like Tage Freakin Thomson who I would ship.  Big, slow, stupid.

[ruxpin 9,261]

He did not run Bergland out of town.  Bergland had no interest in playing.  And when he did play, his play showed that.    And t was your GM who traded for Tage Freakin Thompson.

 

So, let's review:

The GM brings in a career backup who ONCE played more than 32 games/season.

The GM trades one of the best 2-way centers in the league (with 77 pts. and led the league in faceoff wins) for a guy who quits his sport and goes away, Tage Freakin Thompson, and Sobotka (he of -20)

He traded Skinner for 3 picks and Cliff Pu.   This one actually works for me, but I'm betting this is a rental.

Their top pairing all year consisted of a rookie (who was, is and will be fantastic) and Risto the Turnstile. Let's be honest about Risto: He is entirely worthless behind his blueline.  Behind them, until they got Montour, was nothing.  No defense, no goaltending, and this is Housley's fault?

 

It's still half of a team with no goaltending at best.   This isn't a coach's fault.   The line shuffling was because he had to try a mishmosh jigsaw puzzle with no box lid to try to figure out what works.

 

I know it when I see it because I just watched the exact same thing in Philly (minus the goaltending issue from December on, but even there we're relying on a 20-year old rookie--not too dissimilar from relying on a 6th year backup goalie).

 

I get why you want a coaching change.  I wanted/want one in Philly.   But in the case of the Sabres, they're just not ready for primetime yet.  You have good times coming, though, if your GM doesn't screw it up.   Hey, when your team is ready, I really don't know whether Housley is the right guy.  He may not be even now.  But given the other multitude of still-gaping holes, it's really hard to point at him.

 

 

(I know you're going to seize on the Risto comment, but honestly, he's been really bad.  I think he can be a ton better, but they need to fix whatever is wrong).

[radoran 6,137]

18 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

DID WELL?  Seriously?  He ran Bergland out of town.  A damn good player. And he shuffled the freaking lines more than I could count.  He also put too much faith in guys like Tage Freakin Thomson who I would ship.  Big, slow, stupid.

 

Berglund was a malcontent who didn't want to play in Buffalo. Had nothing to do with the coach.

 

He got screwed by the Blues and then lost his desire to play hockey.

 

Did you even read anything Berglund said after he left?

[Hockey Junkie 332]

48 minutes ago, radoran said:

 

Berglund was a malcontent who didn't want to play in Buffalo. Had nothing to do with the coach.

 

He got screwed by the Blues and then lost his desire to play hockey.

 

Did you even read anything Berglund said after he left?

Yes but there are conflicting stories.  Dont believe everything you read.  We are not privy to all that goes on in a locker room. Housley  messed it up

[JR Ewing 1,839]

1 hour ago, Hockey Junkie said:

They were in position to make the playoffs.  Not only did he F$ck it up, he alienated a very good player in Bergland who is in Sweden thanks to the prick.  i was so happy to get Bergland and then he plays Tage Thomson for more minutes than Bergland.  STUPID ass coaching. And the dumb ass shuffled lines more than a Vegas dealer.  FIRE THE PRICK

 

No, this isn't what happened at all. He didn't want to leave St Louis, and was unhappy about being traded to Buffalo:

 

"I want to say that I'm really sorry about leaving and letting Buffalo down as a team," Berglund said in the interview. "The players were wonderful, and I wish the players and the organization nothing but the best in the future. The have not done anything wrong."

 

"Berglund added that the NHL and its players' association helped him following his abrupt exit. Shortly after the suspension was announced, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that Berglund had been upset since arriving in Buffalo because he failed to turn in his list of approved trade destinations to the Blues on time.

 

In the recent interview, Berglund said outwardly he tried to act as if he was content with the move. However, he struggled with the transition, which forced him to leave Sweden earlier than usual to arrange a move to Buffalo."

 

The situation with Berglund just isn't Phil Housley's fault.

 

 

 

[JR Ewing 1,839]

3 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Yes but there are conflicting stories.  Dont believe everything you read.  We are not privy to all that goes on in a locker room. Housley  messed it up

 

There's no irony in THAT post...

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26 3,581]

3 hours ago, JR Ewing said:

 

There's no irony in THAT post...

 

 

NONE whatsoever... 

[ruxpin 9,261]

4 hours ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Yes but there are conflicting stories.  Dont believe everything you read.  We are not privy to all that goes on in a locker room. Housley  messed it up

Nah. I think you have to read something. That was 100% the player. 

 

 

Edited April 7 by ruxpin

[ruxpin 9,261]

4 hours ago, JR Ewing said:

 

There's no irony in THAT post...

 

So awesome...