As a Fan, where do the Sabres rank?

[JLewyB]

So as a Sabres fan, over the next ten years we are going to see some happy times with our bright future but are guaranteed some abysmal times for the time being. So try to take an objective approach, over the next years or so, what team's situation would you take over ours? Which ones would you not? rank them if you like...

My process: the biggest factor is the likeliness of winning a Stanley Cup in the next ten years. But being consistently competitive and entertaining also has to factor in a bit especially since a cup isn't guaranteed for anyone.

I'll do this in a Simmonsesque kinda way and group them. The groups ahead of the Sabres I believe will bring a fan more joy/utility over the next ten years, while the ones after won't.

The Perennials
Chicago
Pittsburgh
Boston
LA Kings

Their elite players are all young enough that they should stay competitive during this time frame and they are the favorites to win the cup for the next couple of years.


Good now, Elite Later
Tampa Bay
Colorado

Probably the group I'm most jealous. 4 or 5 years from now, TBvBuf will be a great rivalry. If we ended with the same core as Colorado, I would call our rebuild an unbridled sucess.


Establish Cores with a dash of Youth
St Louis
Anaheim
Detroit
New York Rangers

Chances at the cup we will be about the same or maybe a little bit less but more spread out yet they won't have the agony of the next few years that we will have. The additions of Stastny and Kesler, and the revelation of Nyquist and Hagelin put their respective teams over the edge.


The Tank has Arrived
Buffalo Sabres. I'm probably conservatively low here but if we get our generational player in next years draft then we skyrocket up the charts.


You're Probably Right
Minnesota
Columbus
Montreal
Nashville

All of these teams have that underdog feeling where you cant help but root for them. They're all well run organizations , who are competitive now and have a bright future which could lead to argument against putting the Sabres above them But I personally think they all got good too soon. I'll take the Sabres.


IF Only...
New York Islanders didn't have Snow and Wang at the helm.
Phoenix-weren't on the verge of moving every year.
Ottawa- kept the right Murray.
Philadelphia-didn't burn their money like its the Weimar Republic.



We're doing it Better
Florida
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver

I'll take you're draft picks and raise you 15 more.


Just let it go, Indy. Let it go.
San Jose
Toronto
Carolina
Dallas
Washington
New Jersey

All these teams reminds me of us before the tank. Time for a rebuild.



Did I forget anyone...Oh yeah thats right:
Winnepeg.
Okay so I didn't have a place to put them.

Edit: I've had the idea for this post for a while. Wanted to save it for slow days of summer. Never really figured out exactly how to frame it. Hope you guys enjoy/get it. Even though, this year is going to bad. I keep thinking to myself, "at least I'm not a fan of (insert NHL team)."

Click to read more...

 

[ZeroPT*]

So as a Sabres fan, over the next ten years we are going to see some happy times with our bright future but are guaranteed some abysmal times for the time being. So try to take an objective approach, over the next years or so, what team's situation would you take over ours? Which ones would you not? rank them if you like...

My process: the biggest factor is the likeliness of winning a Stanley Cup in the next ten years. But being consistently competitive and entertaining also has to factor in a bit especially since a cup isn't guaranteed for anyone.

I'll do this in a Simmonsesque kinda way and group them. The groups ahead of the Sabres I believe will bring a fan more joy/utility over the next ten years, while the ones after won't.

The Perennials
Chicago
Pittsburgh
Boston
LA Kings

Their elite players are all young enough that they should stay competitive during this time frame and they are the favorites to win the cup for the next couple of years.


Good now, Elite Later
Tampa Bay
Colorado

Probably the group I'm most jealous. 4 or 5 years from now, TBvBuf will be a great rivalry. If we ended with the same core as Colorado, I would call our rebuild an unbridled sucess.


Establish Cores with a dash of Youth
St Louis
Anaheim
Detroit
New York Rangers

Chances at the cup we will be about the same or maybe a little bit less but more spread out yet they won't have the agony of the next few years that we will have. The additions of Stastny and Kesler, and the revelation of Nyquist and Hagelin put their respective teams over the edge.


The Tank has Arrived
Buffalo Sabres. I'm probably conservatively low here but if we get our generational player in next years draft then we skyrocket up the charts.


You're Probably Right
Minnesota
Columbus
Montreal
Nashville

All of these teams have that underdog feeling where you cant help but root for them. They're all well run organizations , who are competitive now and have a bright future which could lead to argument against putting the Sabres above them But I personally think they all got good too soon. I'll take the Sabres.


IF Only...
New York Islanders didn't have Snow and Wang at the helm.
Phoenix-weren't on the verge of moving every year.
Ottawa- kept the right Murray.
Philadelphia-didn't burn their money like its the Weimar Republic.



We're doing it Better
Florida
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver

I'll take you're draft picks and raise you 15 more.


Just let it go, Indy. Let it go.
San Jose
Toronto
Carolina
Dallas
Washington
New Jersey

All these teams reminds me of us before the tank. Time for a rebuild.



Did I forget anyone...Oh yeah thats right:
Winnepeg.
Okay so I didn't have a place to put them.

Dallas needs a rebuild? In what universe? They have one of the best prospect pools, a top 5 LW, one of the best young 1C's, legit goaltending at the NHL and prospect level (Lethonen and Campbell) and just traded for another legit 1C. Why do they need a rebuild?

 

[SabresFan26]

Dallas needs a rebuild? In what universe? They have one of the best prospect pools, a top 5 LW, one of the best young 1C's, legit goaltending at the NHL and prospect level (Lethonen and Campbell) and just traded for another legit 1C. Why do they need a rebuild?

plus signed some good FA's

 

[JLewyB]

Dallas needs a rebuild? In what universe? They have one of the best prospect pools, a top 5 LW, one of the best young 1C's, legit goaltending at the NHL and prospect level (Lethonen and Campbell) and just traded for another legit 1C. Why do they need a rebuild?

Debated putting them in the You're Probably Right section. I just think those teams are notch above the Stars, hence Dallas needs to rebuild/retool their team. Dallas and Winnipeg were the toughest teams to place. Maybe should have put them together and created an enigma group.

 

[ZeroPT*]

Debated putting them in the You're Probably Right section. I just think those teams are notch above the Stars, hence Dallas needs to rebuild/retool their team. Dallas and Winnipeg were the toughest teams to place. Maybe should have put them together and created an enigma group.

I don't see why a team with a top 10 prospect pool, with the likes of Seguin,Benn,Lethonen,Spezza,Hemsky and competent coaching/management would need a rebuild.

I also don't see how Columbus is on the move to compete but Dallas needs to rebuild, when both are similar situations, and actually, Dallas is better

 

[EichHart]

Dallas is going to surprise people this year. They are a team we should emulate. (Seguin & Spezza for scraps) Dream worthy...

 

[Beerz]

Anaheim and Tampa are the only 2 I'm jealous of.

Stacked NHL team

Stacked Prospect pool.


Avs get Honorable mention because they're going to be flat out exciting.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

Anaheim and Tampa are the only 2 I'm jealous of.

Stacked NHL team

Stacked Prospect pool.


Avs get Honorable mention because they're going to be flat out exciting.

Wee still need our Stamkos super star

 

[jBuds]

Wee still need our Stamkos super star

Like all those other teams with Stamkos, right?

Nope just Tampa. The hope is that Reinhart develops into that main franchise guy, hopefully on par with the others from various teams... But only Tampa bay has Stamkos, so it's not like we are behind fourteen other teams like that.

 

[Bps21*]

The hope is that Reinhart is centering the second line of a perennial Stanley cup contender. I can't be alone in that.

 

[TyMy57]

Wee still need our Stamkos super star

Meet Connor McDavid

 

[Bearbait]

Meet Connor McDavid

While McDavid would be nice if we get him, there are no guarantee's that we will. With all due respect, I'm not placing the entire future of our franchise on a guy that's not even in our organization. And even Perreault needed Martin and Robert. It's a team game, that's the beauty of it, I'd rather get 20 complete players rather than rely on one player to lead us to the promised land.

As for where I as a fan think we rank? I think were right where we should be in this rebuild process, if anything, were further ahead than I ever thought we would be with the moves Murray has made.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

Like all those other teams with Stamkos, right?

Nope just Tampa. The hope is that Reinhart develops into that main franchise guy, hopefully on par with the others from various teams... But only Tampa bay has Stamkos, so it's not like we are behind fourteen other teams like that.

There is a reason I only quoted a post that talked about Tampa

 

[Sabre the Win]

As a fan the Sabres will always rank #1 to me even if we're in the lottery.

 

[jBuds]

There is a reason I only quoted a post that talked about Tampa

Got it. Sorry.

 

[joshjull]

You have Colorado WAY too high. The backbone of a Cup winning team is a strong two way center core and a strong d-corp. They need a lot of work in both areas. Losing Stastny didn't help at center. They have exciting offensive players but in possession world they need more than Lodeskog/ROR. They were destroyed in possession by Minny in the playoffs. It took Varly standing on his head, MInny having issues in end and Stastny scoring at an absurd unsustainable pace (38.5 shooting %).


Which brings me to the Wild. They should be with Tampa or at least in the group right below. They have the perfect blend of young rising stars and established vets. In both series they controlled possession.

 

[buffalowing88]

You have Colorado WAY too high. The backbone of a Cup winning team is a strong two way center core and a strong d-corp. They need a lot of work in both areas. Losing Stastny didn't help at center. They have exciting offensive players but in possession world they need more than Lodeskog/ROR. They were destroyed in possession by Minny in the playoffs. It took Varly standing on his head, MInny having issues in end and Stastny scoring at an absurd unsustainable pace (38.5 shooting %).


Which brings me to the Wild. They should be with Tampa or at least in the group right below. They have the perfect blend of young rising stars and established vets. In both series they controlled possession.

Not to mention ROR is out the door within the year via trade.

 

[JLewyB]

joshjull;88488935]You have Colorado WAY too high. The backbone of a Cup winning team is a strong two way center core and a strong d-corp. They need a lot of work in both areas. Losing Stastny didn't help at center. They have exciting offensive players but in possession world they need more than Lodeskog/ROR. They were destroyed in possession by Minny in the playoffs. It took Varly standing on his head, MInny having issues in end and Stastny scoring at an absurd unsustainable pace (38.5 shooting %).

My jealously of Denver begins and ends with MacKinnon. That kid was absolutely force on the rush in that series with Minny. It shouldn't have been that surprising but I expected his abilities to be somewhat smothered by playoff hockey. Instead since everybody elses talents were stifled, his abilities become that more valuable.
And as for Minnesota...

Which brings me to the Wild. They should be with Tampa or at least in the group right below. They have the perfect blend of young rising stars and established vets. In both series they controlled possession.

You're probably right.