Guerin Named New Wild GM

Jaded-Fan

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Mar 18, 2004
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Botts in a nutshell: in 2018 the Sabres had the top pick in every round. Toronto wanted our 6th rounder and Botts gave it to them for their 6th rounder in 2019 and nothing else (straight swap). I think anyone here can see how comically stupid that was: it would literally be impossible for the pick we got to be equal to the one given up. It was like something out of a comedy sketch and should've been a huge red flag that he was a total mark. Everything he's done since has done nothing but confirm it.

Not commenting on his job overall, but that is not a great example. For one reason that GM is a very very small close group and they do tend to do small solids for one another and then get ones back later.

In this case as one example of may have been what happened, Toronto must have liked a certain player and Botts did not have much of a preference so banked a favor.

The chances of a sixth round pick at any order making the team is not high, becoming anything of note even longer odds, so unless he really liked someone there is not that great a difference. I mean yeah, a pick later in the sixth is worth less on paper than the first pick, but not markedly at that point so bank that solid and get it back later.
 
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BlindWillyMcHurt

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May 31, 2004
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I personally think Botterill has gotten a bit overrated around here over the years. Though I think in a AGM role he was generally solid. I just haven't seen much from him in Buffalo to move the needle much. Though to be fair his job there currently should probably be marked down as an incomplete. You wanna talk about marks... the Sabres hiring this team's former nimrod coach probably set them back a year or two, alone.
 

sabremike

Friend To All Giraffes
Aug 30, 2010
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Not commenting on his job overall, but that is not a great example. For one reason that GM is a very very small close group and they do tend to do small solids for one another and then get ones back later.

In this case as one example of may have been what happened, Toronto must have liked a certain player and Botts did not have much of a preference so banked a favor.

The chances of a sixth round pick at any order making the team is not high, becoming anything of note even longer odds, so unless he really liked someone there is not that great a difference. I mean yeah, a pick later in the sixth is worth less on paper than the first pick, but not markedly at that point so bank that solid and get it back later.

All he does is make moves as favors for other teams (like when he took Sheary and Hunwick from you (guys you needed to unload because of the cap) and put in a stip that if we flipped Hunwick we would pay a penalty). But mysteriously nobody seems willing to do favors for us. And as for the 6th round thing: multiple teams in that draft traded their 6th and they all got additional value for doing so. And we won't even get into him trading ROR for literally the 3 worst players on the entire Blues roster.
 

Night Shift

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Nov 3, 2014
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All he does is make moves as favors for other teams (like when he took Sheary and Hunwick from you (guys you needed to unload because of the cap) and put in a stip that if we flipped Hunwick we would pay a penalty). But mysteriously nobody seems willing to do favors for us. And as for the 6th round thing: multiple teams in that draft traded their 6th and they all got additional value for doing so. And we won't even get into him trading ROR for literally the 3 worst players on the entire Blues roster.

Kind of changing the subject..Was Bylsma the worst coach you've experienced as a Buffalo fan?
 

sabremike

Friend To All Giraffes
Aug 30, 2010
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I personally think Botterill has gotten a bit overrated around here over the years. Though I think in a AGM role he was generally solid. I just haven't seen much from him in Buffalo to move the needle much. Though to be fair his job there currently should probably be marked down as an incomplete. You wanna talk about marks... the Sabres hiring this team's former nimrod coach probably set them back a year or two, alone.
It's terrifying that we actually went out and found a coach in Housley who was 10 times as bad as Abysmal. At least Dan had enough sense to realize that with the roster he had the only way to have success was to play low event hockey (which is what Trotz did on the Island this past season) but unfortunately he wasn't good enough to pull it off.
 
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BlindWillyMcHurt

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May 31, 2004
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It's terrifying that we actually went out and found a coach in Housley who was 10 times as bad as Abysmal. At least Dan had enough sense to realize that with the roster he had the only way to have success was to play low event hockey (which is what Trotz did on the Island this past season) but unfortunately he wasn't good enough to pull it off.

Oh god... he was really that bad? I admit I didn't follow much after the hot start last year.

Listen... I generally despise every other team but I seriously just want the Sabres to stop being bad. This is all too much. That city needs something.
 
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Pens x

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Oct 8, 2016
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Please, tell me who is out there right now, available, that would be a better combo then the men who brought back to back Cups to this team?

Honestly, I think we could have won the last 4 Cups and people would still *****.
Let me guess, you didn’t want Shero and Bylsma fires in 2014 because they won a cup 5 years prior? Both of these chooches have been big failures for 2 years, especially JR. JR was unbelievable in 2014 and 2015, but he’s been abysmal since 2017.
 

sabremike

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Aug 30, 2010
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Kind of changing the subject..Was Bylsma the worst coach you've experienced as a Buffalo fan?
Amazingly there are two that were worse: Housley (who is tied with Pierre (any of you remember the Jagr OT game at The Mall in 1994?)and Doug Weight for worst coach I've ever seen) and Ron Rolston.
 

sabremike

Friend To All Giraffes
Aug 30, 2010
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Oh god... he was really that bad? I admit I didn't follow much after the hot start last year.

Listen... I generally despise every other team but I seriously just want the Sabres to stop being bad. This is all too much. That city needs something.
It's even worse for me: I became a Sabres fan on April 14th, 1997. If you are familiar with hockey you know what happened the day before. I'll give you a hint: I literally was uncontrollably crying my eyes out the entire day, saying goodbye to the team I loved more than anything and will never stop missing.
 
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Night Shift

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Nov 3, 2014
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Amazingly there are two that were worse: Housley (who is tied with Pierre (any of you remember the Jagr OT game at The Mall in 1994?)and Doug Weight for worst coach I've ever seen) and Ron Rolston.

I never saw the OT goal, a year short. I became a NHL/Pens fan in 95, the lockout shortened season. One thing I do miss is the Fox games on Sunday that year lol
 
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Night Shift

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It's even worse for me: I became a Sabres fan on April 14th, 1997. If you are familiar with hockey you know what happened the day before. I'll give you a hint: I literally was uncontrollably crying my eyes out the entire day, saying goodbye to the team I loved more than anything and will never stop missing.

Hartford
 
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BlindWillyMcHurt

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May 31, 2004
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It's even worse for me: I became a Sabres fan on April 14th, 1997. If you are familiar with hockey you know what happened the day before. I'll give you a hint: I literally was uncontrollably crying my eyes out the entire day, saying goodbye to the team I loved more than anything and will never stop missing.

Oh man, I gotcha. Great old team that had/still have extremely loyal fans. Mutual tip of the cap to Cullen, Rob Brown and uh... Zarley Zalapski?

But for real anything can happen and happen quick, it seems like. You can go from looking like a machine to getting swept out of the first round, for instance. The Sabres have some nice pieces, granted, with a little work to do. Never know.
 
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Night Shift

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It looks like a Norman Rockwell picture of the town drunk.

Ever see Killer Klowns from outer space?

KillerKlownsBluray.jpg
 
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NMK11

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Apr 6, 2013
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And as his first move, he'll do the old man a solid and take JJ our hands...right? Guys?
 
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Peat

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Jun 14, 2016
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Congrats to Guerin. Gives the Pens a stronger connection to the Wild for future trades. Opens up a spot to groom a more preferable replacement to GMJR - the sooner the better.

I dunno about anyone else, but I figure this tilts the odds to Rutherford's replacement coming from outside the org quite heavily. And I don't think that'll be all that bad a thing.
 

Malkinstheman

Registered User
Aug 12, 2012
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Jim Rutherford: Bill Guerin 'worked hard to get to this place'

Sounds like his successor might already be in the organization.
Indeed, when the subject of him possibly grooming an eventual successor was broached, Rutherford was quick to shoot it down.
"You're getting ahead of yourself," he said.
He acknowledged, though, that he has a few candidates in mind to inherit his duties at some point in the future.
"We have some guys I feel can do that role, within time," he said. "I'll get to that at the right time."

"I'll definitely take my time, maybe up to the end of this season, as to (deciding on) somebody who will officially get his title as assistant GM," Rutherford said. "I try to put people in place who, if somebody moves out for whatever reason, we have insurance, we have backup people, people who can fill roles. And we're going to be able to do that in this case."
 

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