Hey Terry, Do Us A Favor and SELL

[Ace]

Another reminder that the reason the salary cap didn’t rise the last several years is because owners were being reimbursed for losses in revenue during the pandemic. Pegula had them paying tens of million under an already artificially deflated cap. He’s not in the red. He’s conning you.

 

[Jim Bob]

The only difference between the teams is one of Pegula’s weird management ideas actually worked out. I think the Bills success has allowed people to forget how odd the management structure was after McDermott’s hiring. He was a first time NFL head coach given a ton of management power with no relevant experience and only answered to owner. Essentially sidelining the existing GM (Whaley) from having full control

That set up was another of Pegula’s hare-brained ideas where he gives a ton of power to someone because he really likes them. It’s a testament to McDermott’s abilities that it worked out. It’s a fairly dysfunctional set up that should have lead to failure. We got very lucky as Bills fans. So far we haven’t had the same luck with the Sabres. Its has nothing to do with Pegula taking a different approach with the Bills. It’s also pretty naive to think he’s not as involved with the Bills as he is with the Sabres. (My version of involved, not yours).

———————————————————————-

You are one of the sharper posters on here. So I’m a little surprised you’re pushing this nonsense that they stopped spending after Botts got fired.

1) The first season after Botts firing was the Covid season with almost no revenue. Yet they still spent to the upper limit. Which ensured Pegula’s losses would be 15+mil more than they would have been if they just spent to the lower limit.

2) Krueger got fired during the middle of the Covid season as well. He had another year left on a 3yr contract at 3.75mil per. So thats 4-5mil on a coach not coaching the team.

Neither of these things would happen if your assertion was correct.

It’s also weird that an obvious hockey reason for their lack of roster spending exists and you pretend that it doesn’t. I know you know what it is. It’s not like they haven’t talked about 1000x. That they were rebuilding with youth, drafting and development.


What sounds more logical?

1) That the owner who almost always spends on the roster. Even if it means he loses millions and possibly 10s of millions doing so. That he suddenly decided not to do that anymore.

OR

2) The current GM made his case for his plan to rebuild , the owner signed off on it and the GM is has been carrying through on it. Not unlike when Murray got the green light to go hard with the tank. Which is another time when the owner signed off on something knowing it would lead to losing initially and spending less on roster. Hopefully Adams’ year 4 (of current front office) is much better than Murray’s. Because I don’t see him getting fired.


THE DIFFERENCE between the teams is one lucked into a very good coach/management team and the other has not.

I said a number of fronts and not all fronts.

They spent to the limit for one season after Botts was fired apparently for refusing to layoff a huge chunk of the front office staff a few weeks after Kim Pegula said they had faith in Botts and the direction he was taking the team.

And Ralph had to go. Everyone could see it.

You still take the "Hmmm, I don't know" path to the questions about why, if money is no object, have they not done standard maintenance to KBC, why do they have one of the smallest pro scouting staffs in the NHL (they have 0 scouts listed as pro scouts on their website today and just Jeremiah Crowe as the director of Pro Scouting specifically named to a pro scouting role. The Flyers have 6 pro scouts for comparison), why have they not added picks by brokering deals and retaining salary or taking on LTIR deals when they have had so much unused cap space over recent years?

You are smart as well and I don't know why you look at all those areas where the Sabres are not acting like money is no object and wondering what has changed.

 

[Jim Bob]

Official Detroit Red Wings Website | Detroit Red Wings

The official National Hockey League website including news, rosters, stats, schedules, teams, and video.

www.nhl.com

Detroit also has 20 people in their scouting department (21 if you add in Kris Draper who is their Asst GM/Director of Amateur Scouting).

Buffalo Sabres Staff | Buffalo Sabres

Complete list of Buffalo Sabres staff

www.nhl.com

The Sabres have 3 scouting director level people (Jeremiah Crowe as Dir of Pro Scouting, Jerry Forton as Dir of Am Scouting, & Jason Nightingale as Asst Dir of Am Scouting) and 11 people generically listed as scouts.

Having 50% more people out scouting might be helping, too.

 

[TehDoak]

In the end, this is about broken promises from the Pegulas to the fans

He stood up, in front of god and everyone, and told us the goal was to win the cup.

That he didn't care about money. Told us there was no cap on off ice spending and he was going to make us on par with the major markets.

1. He has extended the playoff drought by not utilizing his resources on veteran players the last 3 seasons and spending below the cap floor 2 years and well below the cap this year.
2. He refuses to pay for and hire a veteran GM or veteran coach. He refuses to fully staff the scouting department
3. The arena and fan experience have to be bottom 5 in the league.

I was the biggest Pegula defender here for the first 5 years or so of his ownership. However, he's been proven to be a fraud with everything he claimed to be.

Until he starts fufilling his promises to the fans, we should be mad at him. If he's not going to spend on the team, Chain is right, sell the team. The fans deserve better.

 

[sabremike]

In the end, this is about broken promises from the Pegulas to the fans

He stood up, in front of god and everyone, and told us the goal was to win the cup.

That he didn't care about money. Told us there was no cap on off ice spending and he was going to make us on par with the major markets.

1. He has extended the playoff drought by not utilizing his resources on veteran players the last 3 seasons and spending below the cap floor 2 years and well below the cap this year.
2. He refuses to pay for and hire a veteran GM or veteran coach. He refuses to fully staff the scouting department
3. The arena and fan experience have to be bottom 5 in the league.

I was the biggest Pegula defender here for the first 5 years or so of his ownership. However, he's been proven to be a fraud with everything he claimed to be.

Until he starts fufilling his promises to the fans, we should be mad at him. If he's not going to spend on the team, Chain is right, sell the team. The fans deserve better.

It's amazing that he can't understand that the money he would spend hiring a legit coach that got this team to the playoffs would pay for itself many times over through increased ticket and playoff revenue.

 

[Jim Bob]

In the end, this is about broken promises from the Pegulas to the fans

He stood up, in front of god and everyone, and told us the goal was to win the cup.

That he didn't care about money. Told us there was no cap on off ice spending and he was going to make us on par with the major markets.

1. He has extended the playoff drought by not utilizing his resources on veteran players the last 3 seasons and spending below the cap floor 2 years and well below the cap this year.
2. He refuses to pay for and hire a veteran GM or veteran coach. He refuses to fully staff the scouting department
3. The arena and fan experience have to be bottom 5 in the league.

I was the biggest Pegula defender here for the first 5 years or so of his ownership. However, he's been proven to be a fraud with everything he claimed to be.

Until he starts fufilling his promises to the fans, we should be mad at him. If he's not going to spend on the team, Chain is right, sell the team. The fans deserve better.

He has hired Bylsma and Ralph who were both coaches who had prior NHL coaching experience. And Disco Dan did win a Cup in Pittsburgh.

They have hired too many rookie head coaches. But, at least he has made one coaching hire (Bylsma) that had winning at the NHL level on his resume. And there was the dance with Babcock, too.

I think the much bigger problem is the three straight rookie GM hires. The hindsight is 20/20 discussion that would be the most painful for me would be to look back to when they hired Tim Murray and think about who was available then and how things might have been better if they went in a different direction.

Like what if Julien BriseBois was the rookie GM hire instead of Murray? Or what if they had hired GMGM?

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

Ottawa is only 7 pts back of us with a game in hand in the standings and fired everyone for repeated failure. Get a f***ing hint, Terry

 

[Jim Bob]

Ottawa is only 7 pts back of us with a game in hand in the standings and fired everyone for repeated failure. Get a f***ing hint, Terry

Ottawa also has a recent ownership change that factors into their front office turnover.

 

[Reddawg]

I agree with a lot being said in this thread, but not really the narrative that we’re not signing quality veterans because Terry doesn’t want to spend the money on them. No team has the ability to sign a player that doesn’t want to sign with them and has other suitors. If we were spending a $2m per season per player premium on desperately throwing money at vets that aren’t worth that price tag, then that situation would be the collective gripe.

 

[kirby11]

Remember when this snake oil salesman said Buffalo was gonna be hockey heaven?

 

[Fjordy]

Sell

 

[TehDoak]

Anyone want to bring a deordorant to the game on Thursday. Typically that’s what you give to stinky 13 year olds.

 

[Jim Bob]

Sabres miss playoffs, tie longest active playoff drought in pro sports

The Sabres’ 13-season playoff drought is tied with the NFL’s New York Jets for the longest in professional sports.

theathletic.com

The fans’ ultimate concern may be with ownership, though. Terry Pegula bought the Sabres in February of 2011 and said, “Starting today, the Buffalo Sabres’ reason for existence will be to win a Stanley Cup.” They made the playoffs that spring but haven’t made it in any of the 13 seasons since. The Sabres’ payroll has been in the bottom five of the league each of the last four seasons. And this season, the Sabres rank second to last in average attendance by capacity.

2020-21 NHL Team Salary Cap Tracker

A real-time look at the 2020-21 salary cap totals for each NHL team, including estimated cap space.

www.spotrac.com

According to Spotrac, the Sabres payroll has ranked 28th, 31st, 32nd, and 28th in Kevyn Adams' four seasons as the Sabres GM.

Even in the season where they supposedly went for it with the Hall & Staal signings, they were 28th in the NHL in payroll.

 

[Gabrielor]

Sabres miss playoffs, tie longest active playoff drought in pro sports

The Sabres’ 13-season playoff drought is tied with the NFL’s New York Jets for the longest in professional sports.

theathletic.com

2020-21 NHL Team Salary Cap Tracker

A real-time look at the 2020-21 salary cap totals for each NHL team, including estimated cap space.

www.spotrac.com

According to Spotrac, the Sabres payroll has ranked 28th, 31st, 32nd, and 28th in Kevyn Adams' four seasons as the Sabres GM.

Even in the season where they supposedly went for it with the Hall & Staal signings, they were 28th in the NHL in payroll.

Embarrassing.

 

[slip]

You can fire Granato, but the GM who thought it was a good idea to extend him two years before he had to is still here. You could fire the GM, but the owner who has failed to make the playoffs in his 13 years of ownership because of multiple bad GM hires is still here.

Until experienced adults enter the organization and start calling the shots, nothing changes.

 

[Jim Bob]

Going from 21 scouts to 13 and only one person with Pro Scouting in their title might not be ideal, either.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Going from 21 scouts to 13 and only one person with Pro Scouting in their title might not be ideal, either.

We have the wealthiest owner and he's running the club like Golisano did.

Actually, worse -- at least Galisano didn't insist on being part of hockey decisions. We have Terry in prospect interviews like he's a friggin scout, it's embarrassing.

 

[TehDoak]

We have the wealthiest owner and he's running the club like Golisano did.

Actually, worse -- at least Galisano didn't insist on being part of hockey decisions. We have Terry in prospect interviews like he's a friggin scout, it's embarrassing.

He's not even top 5 anymore.

Lots of big money out there now.

In the end though.....they need to stop acting like a small market team and fulfill their promises. Or sell the team to someone who will.

 

[Tijuana Donkey Show]

We have the wealthiest owner and he's running the club like Golisano did.

Actually, worse -- at least Galisano didn't insist on being part of hockey decisions. We have Terry in prospect interviews like he's a friggin scout, it's embarrassing.

The craziest thought is, that if Terry did absolutely nothing other than hand over his checkbook the day he bought the team, and Lindy and Darcy were still our HC/GM the Sabres attendance would still be 99.8% on average and the playoff drought record wouldn't be what it is.

 

[TehDoak]

The craziest thought is, that if Terry did absolutely nothing other than hand over his checkbook the day he bought the team, and Lindy and Darcy were still our HC/GM the Sabres attendance would still be 99.8% on average and the playoff drought record wouldn't be what it is.

Yeah no. Darcy was a deeply flawed GM.

 

[Tijuana Donkey Show]

Yeah no. Darcy was a deeply flawed GM.

I don’t disagree.

I’m saying that we wouldn’t have a 13 year playoff drought.

 

[jd1970]

They haven't jumped ahead of Buffalo.

 

[TehDoak]

They haven't jumped ahead of Buffalo.

In terms of actual success? That's not really debatable, they are ahead of us.

In terms of long term? I think we have a more talented and deeper prospect group, but we've also selected higher and more often than them.

The biggest difference is the ownership and front office.

 

[Jim Bob]

In terms of actual success? That's not really debatable, they are ahead of us.

In terms of long term? I think we have a more talented and deeper prospect group, but we've also selected higher and more often than them.

The biggest difference is the ownership and front office.

If Washington or Pittsburgh beat them out for WC2, I wouldn't say they are ahead of the Sabres.

Until one of the teams breaks through, I view Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo in the same boat.

 

[Zman5778]

Until one of the teams breaks through, I view Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo in the same boat.

I mostly agree with this.....however I see Detroit has having a lower ceiling if everything works out right. IMO, they're a team that maxes out as "playoff team, not a real contender" type.

Buffalo and Ottawa have the components to be a real playoff threat if/when things come together.