Buffalo Sabres GM Candidates ?

[The Red Helmet]

I don't need another year to know he sucks. We have Eichel and Dahlin and that should be enough to entice a real GM and coach to come here. No more moral victories or talk of progress (which was an idiotic statement and slap in the face to fans who know better.) Fire him.

 

[MagnumForce2]

It’s pretty interesting that they went from Murray, who was too bombastic, to Botterill, who is clearly too gun shy. Need to find a happy medium.

Both of them have been loyal to their coaches to a fault.

Good analogy.

 

[Tatanka]

I mean, that’s a decent core. Most teams don’t have a much deeper or talented core than that. Yes, we lack depth, but it shouldn’t be this type of disaster or anywhere close to this.

I am not being argumentative or snarky but do you really think that matches up with the teams in our divison much less our conference? And don’t look now but Ottawa has the look of a team that will retool quickly. I object to the idea that structure, whatever the hell that means, is the issue. A forward that can’t beat a goaltender uncovered in the slot, a dman who can’t get a shot through from the point, a goalie who can’t control rebounds is not a result of bad structure but a lack of talent. Fans, here and elsewhere, have become enamored with 200 feet players. I suggest we have too many of them. Dmen who want to play more in the ozone than dzone. Forwards with goal scoring touch of goalies. We need guys who can capitalize on the opportunities created. We had one less shot than then Pens. Is it their structure that resulted in 5 goals? I would posit it was their ability to execute. They score, they make saves, they clear the zone and tie up people in front of the net. That is talent not structure. And again this not a swipe at you but more of a cathartic rant

 

[Professor Chaos]

Give me Mark Hunter. Bighead has taken this team backwards. For all the Murray and Bylsma hate they will have set the bar so high Bighead won't have reached the total point output from their last year. I mean, none of us thought it was a lofty goal to reach but alas...JB can't reach the bar!

 

[Buffaloed]

I'm not greedy. I'll be happy if the Bills win a couple Super Bowls while the Sabres work out their problems.

 

[is the answer jesus]

Darcy Regier

Correct the mistake

Apparently people remember a lot different Darcy Regier than I do. Our drafting was dog shit for the last several years with Regier running the show. It's a huge reason why we are still spinning our tires in the mud. How much of that is "video scouting" and how much of that was Regier dropping the ball? When he eventually made trades he "won" the deal. Great. It was always a day late and a dollar short in Regiers tenure. I want nothing to do with a completely risk averse GM like Regier ever again.

 

[Buffaloed]

I think Ron Hextall is the best GM without a job. Who cares if nobody likes him? Gandhi could be the Sabres GM and we'd end up hating him.

 

[GellMann]

I mean, that’s a decent core. Most teams don’t have a much deeper or talented core than that. Yes, we lack depth, but it shouldn’t be this type of disaster or anywhere close to this.

It's last year's last place team with one fewer top-six NHLer and arguably the worst center depth behind the 1C in franchise history, that is struggling to match the scoring paces of the likes of Flynn and Mitchell on the tank teams despite playing in a higher-scoring league. There are pieces here, but the team is built on an incredibly low foundation with no support in the middle.

This is not necessarily an excuse but absolutely needs to be incorporated into analysis of the state of the team.

 

[stokes84]

It's last year's last place team with one fewer top-six NHLer and arguably the worst center depth behind the 1C in franchise history, that is struggling to match the scoring paces of the likes of Flynn and Mitchell on the tank teams despite playing in a higher-scoring league. There are pieces here, but the team is built on an incredibly low foundation with no support in the middle.

This is not necessarily an excuse but absolutely needs to be incorporated into analysis of the state of the team.

Dahlin, Skinner, and Montour were not here last year, so I don’t but that.

 

[MayDayMayDay]

Keep Botts. For now.

 

[GellMann]

Dahlin, Skinner, and Montour were not here last year, so I don’t but that.

For 42 straight games we threw a bottom 10 skater in the entire league out against Backstrom, Matthews, Malkin, Point etc. as the 2C, and he didn't score a single goal, while the center he was sheltering managed about 10 points.

We have an absolutely cratered roster, and Montour has been here for about ten seconds. They were 40+ games into this slide before he got here. Like I said, there are pieces, but when you take a last place team and net fewer top-six-NHLers the following season, with the worst center depth, like I said, in franchise history, and definitely worst in the league, you shouldn't be surprised at a bad record and a long bad stretch of hockey.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Apparently people remember a lot different Darcy Regier than I do. Our drafting was dog **** for the last several years with Regier running the show. It's a huge reason why we are still spinning our tires in the mud. How much of that is "video scouting" and how much of that was Regier dropping the ball? When he eventually made trades he "won" the deal. Great. It was always a day late and a dollar short in Regiers tenure. I want nothing to do with a completely risk averse GM like Regier ever again.

Let's not forget video scouting. Try fo find film on kids in late rounds

 

[Tatanka]

Dahlin, Skinner, and Montour were not here last year, so I don’t but that.

Neither were Vlad or Hunwick or Sheary. Plus Kane and Skimmer are a wash, and we lost ROR for nothing. We have an AHL level 2 c who may be ready next year. This a talent/roster comstruction issue as much as it is a coaching system one.

 

[Montag DP]

Coaching makes a huge difference. I know Botterill is responsible for hiring Housley, but you have to at least give him a chance to correct that mistake. It's not like his roster moves have been an unmitigated disaster. This roster is underachieving now because the coach is incompetent and has no clue how to fix the issues.

There's no GM that will come in and fix everything that's wrong with this team overnight. More likely, we'd be starting over again. Let's fix things incrementally rather than blowing it up every couple years. Priority #1 is finding a coach with a clue. If Botterill fails at that again, then I can get on board with replacing him.

 

[sabrebuild]

Undoubtedly, Botts effed up the O’Reilly deal and other things. That being said, this has always been a multi-year rebuild. He is doing the right things in Rochester, has had a couple good drafts and now will need to make some changes in the coaching staff and the roster.

Blockhead’s dismissal this year is counterproductive

This would totally make sense if we were watching a team that had shown improvement both years and was just missing the playoffs. Under those circumstances, sure I could live with this talking point.

When you say this after a last place season and another year likely to be worse than the last two Bylsma/Murray seasons, it comes off as nonsense.

I mean what are we waiting for? For Botts to build the team into an 80 point dynasty?

Even a huge improvement next year, will be the equivalent of winning 2-3 more games than the previous regime. The team likely finishes at about 74-75 points. Next year they could win 5 extra games, a tidy improvement, and barely be better over 3 full seasons.

What kind of plan is that?

 

[sabrebuild]

Coaching makes a huge difference. I know Botterill is responsible for hiring Housley, but you have to at least give him a chance to correct that mistake. It's not like his roster moves have been an unmitigated disaster. This roster is underachieving now because the coach is incompetent and has no clue how to fix the issues.

There's no GM that will come in and fix everything that's wrong with this team overnight. More likely, we'd be starting over again. Let's fix things incrementally rather than blowing it up every couple years. Priority #1 is finding a coach with a clue. If Botterill fails at that again, then I can get on board with replacing him.

Bold indeed sir.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

I am not being argumentative or snarky but do you really think that matches up with the teams in our divison much less our conference? And don’t look now but Ottawa has the look of a team that will retool quickly. I object to the idea that structure, whatever the hell that means, is the issue. A forward that can’t beat a goaltender uncovered in the slot, a dman who can’t get a shot through from the point, a goalie who can’t control rebounds is not a result of bad structure but a lack of talent. Fans, here and elsewhere, have become enamored with 200 feet players. I suggest we have too many of them. Dmen who want to play more in the ozone than dzone. Forwards with goal scoring touch of goalies. We need guys who can capitalize on the opportunities created. We had one less shot than then Pens. Is it their structure that resulted in 5 goals? I would posit it was their ability to execute. They score, they make saves, they clear the zone and tie up people in front of the net. That is talent not structure. And again this not a swipe at you but more of a cathartic rant

buffalo generates a smaller % of scoring chances and high danger chances than shot attempts. they arent getting as much out of their possession. And i believe a huge reason for that is the way they're coached.

if they get offensive possession they're coached to punt back to the left point, and use the LHD has an option man. Either swing it to the RHD for a shot, or shoot themselves. It's a terrible system, and indicative of the way the team is generally structured to keep the defense and forwards separated.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

Bold indeed sir.

If getting Skinner isn't a mitigation I'm not sure what would rate as one.

 

[dortt]

Apparently people remember a lot different Darcy Regier than I do. Our drafting was dog **** for the last several years with Regier running the show. It's a huge reason why we are still spinning our tires in the mud. How much of that is "video scouting" and how much of that was Regier dropping the ball? When he eventually made trades he "won" the deal. Great. It was always a day late and a dollar short in Regiers tenure. I want nothing to do with a completely risk averse GM like Regier ever again.

the same GM who traded for Briere and Drury? The same one who brought in Juneau and Warrener at the deadline?

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Regier and Ruff might be just what this team needs. Until they get here and Regier is too gun shy to pull the trigger and Ruff starts taking Sobotkas mistakes out on Dahlin.

Make Sabres Great Again

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

This would totally make sense if we were watching a team that had shown improvement both years and was just missing the playoffs. Under those circumstances, sure I could live with this talking point.

When you say this after a last place season and another year likely to be worse than the last two Bylsma/Murray seasons, it comes off as nonsense.

I mean what are we waiting for? For Botts to build the team into an 80 point dynasty?

Even a huge improvement next year, will be the equivalent of winning 2-3 more games than the previous regime. The team likely finishes at about 74-75 points. Next year they could win 5 extra games, a tidy improvement, and barely be better over 3 full seasons.

What kind of plan is that?

Outside of getting a new coach what are you expecting a new GM to do? They don't have the power to appeal to the league and undo the RoR trade. If we want a new GM because we're hoping they'll conjure up a huge winning trade that isn't a good strategy either.

If we want a new GM because we believe Botts won't fire Housley than I can at least understand.

 

[Buffaloed]

Would it be fair to say that both Botterill and Housley lack compete? That they're not driven to be the best. The contrast with Beane and McDermott is night and day.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

There's something fundamentally wrong with the Sabres organization. They've thrown money at the roster. That didn't work so we tanked. They made trades for big names - and traded them away again. They a hired Stanley Cup winning coach and a GM supposedly mutually responsible for building another SC winner. They then went back to basics and brought in a player's coach and a supposed cap wizard. They've built the players a superlative dressing room and training facility. Yet, every year since Pegula took over the team, no season has met expectations (other than the tank year). It's not being overly dramatic to say that the whole enterprise has turned to shit.

So what is the common thread running through all of this? What's the root cause of the problems here? Somebody needs to do some independent cause and effect analysis which would likely demonstrate that there's a strong correlation between the Pegula's as owners and how old man Wirtz nearly ran the Chicago franchise into the ground.

I love their money. I love the financial stability that they have brought to this franchise and the region. I love their enthusiasm and commitment to the franchise and WNY. But they don't know hockey and need to stay as far away from that end of the operation as possible. They can start by hiring a top flight Director of Hockey Operations. (Even though they had one of these once.)

My cynicism suggests that they'll just screw that up too but I don't know what else to suggest. I'll just end there.

 

[sabremike]

I think Ron Hextall is the best GM without a job. Who cares if nobody likes him? Gandhi could be the Sabres GM and we'd end up hating him.

Well Gandhi was assassinated so SOMEBODY hated him.

 

[Buffaloed]

There's something fundamentally wrong with the Sabres organization. They've thrown money at the roster. That didn't work so we tanked. They made trades for big names - and traded them away again. They a hired Stanley Cup winning coach and a GM supposedly mutually responsible for building another SC winner. They then went back to basics and brought in a player's coach and a supposed cap wizard. They've built the players a superlative dressing room and training facility. Yet, every year since Pegula took over the team, no season has met expectations (other than the tank year). It's not being overly dramatic to say that the whole enterprise has turned to ****.

So what is the common thread running through all of this? What's the root cause of the problems here? Somebody needs to do some independent cause and effect analysis which would likely demonstrate that there's a strong correlation between the Pegula's as owners and how old man Wirtz nearly ran the Chicago franchise into the ground.

I love their money. I love the financial stability that they have brought to this franchise and the region. I love their enthusiasm and commitment to the franchise and WNY. But they don't know hockey and need to stay as far away from that end of the operation as possible. They can start by hiring a top flight Director of Hockey Operations. (Even though they had one of these once.)

My cynicism suggests that they'll just screw that up too but I don't know what else to suggest. I'll just end there.

I plan on introducing the term "full Pegula" to characterize incompetent ownership in pro sports.