If the season continues to play out like this, is missing the playoffs acceptable?

[Sabresfansince1980]

Eichel doesn't have to be a UFA to go to the Sabres GM and say he's had enough, he wants out.
And that 24-26 age range.......yea, I can see that being YOUR window, I highly doubt its Eichel's, or other players on the Sabres.
I mean do you honestly believe these players think: "we'll compete when I'm 24 to 26 for cup contention"?

If you do my apologies.
I don't think they do.

Then don't use Tavares as an example. Eichel won't force a trade, that's extreme. And I said a Cup window will open up in 2-4 yrs when Eichel is 24-26. That absolutely does not suggest any player thinks about or prefers any certain age to contend. That's a strange and off base comment to make.

 

[Gordo21]

Then don't use Tavares as an example. Eichel won't force a trade, that's extreme. And I said a Cup window will open up in 2-4 yrs when Eichel is 24-26. That absolutely does not suggest any player thinks about or prefers any certain age to contend. That's a strange and off base comment to make.

Agree

 

[Gordo21]

I have faith in Botterill. For some reason, just because Murray ran this team like a video game fantasy league, people still clamor to him, despite the enormity of his failures.

 

[Yatzhee]

Then don't use Tavares as an example. Eichel won't force a trade, that's extreme. And I said a Cup window will open up in 2-4 yrs when Eichel is 24-26. That absolutely does not suggest any player thinks about or prefers any certain age to contend. That's a strange and off base comment to make.

I'll use whatever example I prefer. The bottom line is, 4 yrs into Eichel's career, and 6 yrs in to Risto's with no playoffs it not only wouldn't surprise me but I'm saying straight out guys will start to "check out", of this organization in search of the Cup.
Eichel's not the only fire brand competitor on this team, Risto won the WJC with a goal. Some of our core are winners.
If we don't make the playoffs again, that's 6 yrs for Risto.
Think what you will, but that type of atmosphere most certainly affects players.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

I'll use whatever example I prefer. The bottom line is, 4 yrs into Eichel's career, and 6 yrs in to Risto's with no playoffs it not only wouldn't surprise me but I'm saying straight out guys will start to "check out", of this organization in search of the Cup.
Eichel's not the only fire brand competitor on this team, Risto won the WJC with a goal. Some of our core are winners.
If we don't make the playoffs again, that's 6 yrs for Risto.
Think what you will, but that type of atmosphere most certainly affects players.

Use whatever nonsense example you want.

 

[K8fool]

I'm going to ramble on again.

A month after scoring 49 November GF, the Sabres reverted back to their 31 October GF clip and have only 29 December GF. Skinner was second in goals for November and same with Eichel now for December. To illustrate, Skinner-Eichel-Reinhart have combined for 18 GF this December with one game left to play. They contributed assists on each of the 4 GF gotten from the defense too. Further, Eichel-Reinhart assisted on Sheary's lone ENG contribution in a 3-0 ANA win. Quick math, that's 23 of 29 December GF, or 79.3%, purely coming from top line offense. The fourth line of Girgensons-Larsson-ERod have chipped in an admirable 5 December GF, or 17.2%, scoring three counter goals and two more at the backdoor, while also regularly contributing to the top PK unit [3 PPGA (1st), 34 TS (7th), 91.2 PK% (1st)] of the NHL month. Again, some quick math leaves just 1 December GF, or 3.4%, unaccounted for and that's your lone middle-six contribution for the month among Sheary-Mittelstadt-Okposo and Thompson-Sobotka-Pommer: one Mittelstadt goal vs ARZ, assisted by Sheary. Their only other "middle-six" points came from Sheary's previously mentioned ENG and Thompson playing with the two mainstay fourth-liners vs WSH, where Oshie deflected Thompson's shot to Larsson at the backdoor for a tap-in. Elie has contributed nothing to the cause when rotated in either. This is all pitiful and redundant news to most, but somehow they're still riding this depth as if an Amerks winger couldn't possibly be any worse at scoring. Even if Smith and Olofsson only spark PP2 into contributing a few goals, that's something, not nothing. This is why I'll kindly tune out anyone who thinks an Amerks winger could possibly contribute less because, rather than a 4-5-3 December, it could have been better with just one more goal in any of these games swinging some points your way. It definitely won't matter in March and April if you piss away points now because you want to ride out major slumps, right? It's definitely rewarding players of deserving TOI, right?

The improvement or exceeding expectation season narratives shouldn't ignore that each of these points are seemingly required for them to consistently win: that the top-line creates 2+ GF every game; that the improved healthy defense, top PK, and stable goalies be flawless and can't possibly falter after normal game/growing pains like PIM, mistakes, bad bounces, etc.; or that the defense and fourth line have to provide all the depth scoring. Instead, it should continually be asked where the heck in this roster construction is there any semblance of consistent scoring/center/wing depth to make up for the nights when any of those aspects are absent and when is it going to be addressed before they piss away more points likely needed in the wildcard race. That includes the PP2 going dead quiet, because if you didn't already know, Skinner, Eichel, and Dahlin have 11 of the last 13 PPG scored since Nov.1 and all six in December. Those Amerks wingers don't create goals on their AHL PP opps, right, right?

***

Also, below are some monthly stat capsules (with poor notes) that I didn't feel like formatting or delving into further. Just play around with the calendar parameters on NHL.com if anyone's curious to look at them further.

• October: 12GP, 6-4-2, 14pts (t-11th); 31 GF (t-25th), 35 GA (18th); 0 SOW, 0 SOL; 364 SF (15th), 386 SA (21st); 9 PPG (t-9th), 45 PP (t-3rd), 20.0 PP% (17th); 8 PPGA (t-15th), 38 TS (t-14th), 78.9 PK% (15th); 49.0 FOW% (19th).
  • Sheary, Okposo, Mittelstadt, Pommer combine to score 7 of the 9 PPG
  • Risto 1+3 -10, Okposo 3+4 -6, Sheary 3+2 -7, Reinhart 1+3 -7
• November: 14GP, 11-3-0, 22pts (1st); 49 GF (t-6th), 38 GA (t-10th); 3 SOW (1st), 0 SOL; 466 SF (10th), 464 SA (t-24th); 7 PPG (t-21st), 38 PP (t-19th), 18.4 PP% (19th); 7 PPGA (t-4th), 39 TS (t-11th), 84.6 PK% (6th); 46.0 FOW% (30th).
  • Eichel one goal
  • Bogo 4+ TOI/GP bump
  • Tage, ERod score 2 of 7 PPG; Skinner scores rest
  • Dahlin +9, Okposo +8
• December: 12/13GP, 4-5-3, 11pts (t-24th); 29 GF (28th), 35 GA (t-8th); 0 SOW, 1 SOL; 390 SF (21st), 400 SA (t-14th); 6 PPG (t-19th), 36 PP (t-21st), 16.7 PP% (19th); 3 PPGA (1st), 34 TS (7th), 91.2 PK% (1st); 49.2 FOW% (17th).
  • Eichel ten goals
  • Dahlin 3+ TOI/GP bump
  • Bogo another 1+ TOI/GP bump
  • Up to three injured defense, recalls rotated in
  • Eichel, Dahlin, Skinner combine for the 6 PPG
  • Sobotka, Okposo each 0+0 -7

I believe gm knows he must help now by seeing talent and maturity , work ethic of guys that are already under. contract... And trade to fix those stats you assembled .. I believe it will happen and we will know what we have after mid january.. still in the hunt.. No way he or phil loses trust with the core , nor do they want to add wrong person to the room.

 

[ZZamboni]

These questions are interesting ... when I read “is it acceptable” I think ... ok and if you don’t accept it, what are ya gonna do about it? Nothing. That’s what. Well, nothing accept get pissed off and post on HF.

 

[debaser66]

The 2004-05 Amerks didn't need NHL playoffs. They learned how to win together in Rochester. I'll say it again since I was very famously quoted (sarcasm) a month or so ago...this team is the 2004-05 Sabres if they had an NHL season that year. They're about to turn a corner, but the biggest improvements include what Botterill can't do anything about, time and development. He doesn't have a time machine.

No not really Vanek, Roy and Pominville wouldn have been kept in the minors if Briere s line would have been the only one scoring.

They re squandering a possible chance for the playoffs.
Its certainly more important to have the big club winning.
You sure can be a bit too fetish with your farm.

 

[debaser66]

If you re afraid and might think Tavares when Eichel hits his last contract year just take some Ovechkin to ease your fear

 

[CatsforReinhart]

If you re afraid and might think Tavares when Eichel hits his last contract year just take some Ovechkin to ease your fear

I am not worried about Eichel whatsoever. Its 7 years from now. If we haven't made the playoffs by then I will have given up before Eichel has

 

[Not Sure]

Are we resigning Skinner? That's the biggest question for me, if we barely miss the playoffs but resign Skinner to a decent contract and fight till the end, awesome. If we wasted another year of Eichel only to watch the only goal scorer hes ever had walk away and start over next year, then that's a huge failure.

I can accept a competitive team working on progress while dropping bad contracts and bringing youth into the lineup. If we are just gonna sit on our hands and not even try to find replacements for underperforming, slowing vets who cant keep up with today's game, I would rather get another high draft pick. Housley should have been let go after the islanders game where he decided E-Rod should just take Eichels minutes and do nothing else. If he cant adjust for injuries and at least try to shake things up when our best player is out he wont yo far in the playoffs. He basically let Boston dictate line assignments when we were at home, and wont change anything after puck drop. It's not all his fault, but hes gotta go, so at least if we miss the playoffs this year we won't have to wait till december next year to get a new coach behind the bench and start working with the team.