News Article: Jason Botterill Has Buffalo on the Right Track

[brian_griffin]

While Mittelstadt obviously looks like a great pick at this point in time, it strikes me as a little odd to see people cite him as a reason the team is headed in a good direction moving forward, since supposedly the scout that was the biggest advocate for the pick is no longer with the organization.

With all respect, I fail to see how the two concepts need to be linked in any way.

Mittelstadt could be valued on his own merits - or not.

The scout who advocated for him could have been pushing him towards the top of the Sabres list. Or Mittelstadt could have fallen into the Sabres lap somewhat where he would have been a "no brainer" selection not requiring any particular advocacy from any scout.

The scout could have been released because of the Mittelstadt recommendation.
Or he could have been released for any number of reasons: He could have requested it (family needs, burnout, another organization wanted him, etc.). He could have had "issues" - health, substance abuse, didn't play well with others, etc., Botts may have wanted another person in the role, with absolutely no malice toward the incumbent, etc.

Not arguing, I'm just failing to see how the organization releasing a scout who advocated a certain pick / player is in any way a commentary on the current or future perceived value of a pick / player. Or vice versa. Not arguing, maybe I'm just missing something.

====
To bring back a theme from a prior post, I remain interested in whether the Sabres focus / approach to scouting the SHL is more intense / biased / effective than the majority of the other NHL clubs.

 

[valet]

Because a GM who is trying to make his team come in last place, will make sure they receive assets, especially for a team that apparently is devoid of prospects that the previous GM failed to fill. A GM purposely shooting for last place is tanking, and is making moves to bolster their pipeline/youth during the season. Well that’s what a competent GM that is tanking does. Instead it just looks like Botts is lazy.

Botts had an uphill battle and he somehow was able to go backwards. We’re now looking at another offseason in which he’s doing the absolute minimum and at best is at the same level of talent the previous two seasons had. It’s laughable the absolute trust Botts has from posters.

We’re back to the days of Darcy where those lessons of inactivity and just doing enough will be repeated.

I think the people that trust in his management style just aren't as invested in hating things in general tbh. Hockey isn't all there is to life. There's a whole world out there

I think the obsessive hatred is weird and is an indicator of other issues unrelated to watching NHL games

Also no one can really substantiate anything they say because none of us are fortune tellers. If everyone just admitted that their feelings of insecurity (hence a willingness for such 'debate') were rooted in the uncertainty of any possible future outcome and stopped fixating on mostly incomplete pieces of information it would make everyone's lives a bit better

People arent even debating tho, it's like fox news vs CNN at this point until the season starts and we see what we really have

Idk what you're seeing here but it looks like Botts has done significant work on the pipeline.... so that's probably the last place you'd want to put a rational criticism towards

 

[Bearbait]

I dont think the Sabres are going to make it to the plagoffs this year, mainly because of the strength of TB, BOS and TOR. Considering the GM and coaching personnel we had from the time Darcy left until Botts was hired, this was bound to be a 3 year rebuild by Botts. The pipeline sucked, we had 4 NHL quality d-men in our entire organization, and the man games lost by that group alone crushed any hope we might have had.

This offseason seems to have a "replenish" feel to it. Get some young players in the pipeline that could actually make it to the NHL someday. God knows we needed that! Some of those call ups last season were brutal.

Im going to trust Botts' plan for now, I still don't quite understand that ROR trade, but hopefully we benefit from it. Housley isnt the problem in my opinion. He worked with what he had most of the time, several times he made some decisions I didnt quite get and maybe he learned from those mistakes. Only time will tell but I believe he deserves another season behind the bench before we start doing anything crazy.

I dont know how this roster is going to pan out yet, but I'll still root for them and be glued to my TV during the games.

 

[Jim Bob]

how do you know botts wasn't doing it on purpose?

If he did, then he lied to everyone at all his press conferences.

 

[Dreakon13]

I think it's a stretch to believe Botts went through last offseason planning on tanking for Dahlin on purpose.

But I fully believe he overestimated what he had (afterall can only pull so much from video and a large roster turnover in his first half-an-offseason), and when the wheels flew off the first few months of the season, he opted to let his guys play it out and make minor moves like waiving Moulson/picking up Wilson... versus the "bench everyone not named Kane, Eichel, Reinhart and ROR and fill out the rest of the roster from waivers" plan everyone wanted him to do.

 

[Team Cozens]

The NHL network is starting their GM report cards today at 4:00PM and Botts is one of
the 4 teams they are doing today. I can't listen but hoping someone can take coles notes.

 

[Chainshot]

how do you know botts wasn't doing it on purpose?

This has been gone over at length for almost 6 months. Botterill's reaction to the LA game in January, his comments both last summer and all year long indicate a guileless individual. He wasn't trying to tank. He had a direct hand in the poor coaching decision and the lukewarm roster building last summer are all on him.

Do we have to have everyone talk about this same conversation yet again? Seriously.

 

[valet]

This has been gone over at length for almost 6 months. Botterill's reaction to the LA game in January, his comments both last summer and all year long indicate a guileless individual. He wasn't trying to tank. He had a direct hand in the poor coaching decision and the lukewarm roster building last summer are all on him.

Do we have to have everyone talk about this same conversation yet again? Seriously.

I'm aware of most of the facts, or whatever we want to call them... Maybe more supported assumptions?

but a lil deep state conspiraxy talk never hurt anyone, did it?

 

[TheMistyStranger]

but a lil deep state conspiraxy talk never hurt anyone, did it?

I’d hazard a guess that Alex Jones has hurt a lot of people

 

[Chainshot]

I'm aware of most of the facts, or whatever we want to call them... Maybe more supported assumptions?

but a lil deep state conspiraxy talk never hurt anyone, did it?

We don't know that Botterill planned to be bad. It stretches credulity to think that he both expected to be as epicly bad as they were or to win the lottery for Dahlin, given his commentary throughout last summer, the fall, into the season and even on into the early parts of the new year. He has a hand in how the team finished. So does Murray. So too did Regier. None of them are absolved from this tire fire

Aren't people sick to death of trying to parse out blame? I know I'm sick to death of it, of the cattiness and the ceaseless factionalism.

 

[ZZamboni]

Let’s start crazy unsubstantiated reasons. Because those are “fun” to stir up for no other reason other than to get reactions.

Leino is a deep undercover saboteur who is in a mental jail. Makes the Sabres locker room toxic to this day.

Regier and Murray are still sore about getting fired so they badmouth Pegula, and the concession stand managers to anyone who will listen. Causes domino effects all over the organization.

Oh giggity. I hope someone tweets out those reasons I laid out in convincing fashion and it gets believed by thousands including Mike Harrington and Eklund.

 

[valet]

We don't know that Botterill planned to be bad. It stretches credulity to think that he both expected to be as epicly bad as they were or to win the lottery for Dahlin, given his commentary throughout last summer, the fall, into the season and even on into the early parts of the new year. He has a hand in how the team finished. So does Murray. So too did Regier. None of them are absolved from this tire fire

Aren't people sick to death of trying to parse out blame? I know I'm sick to death of it, of the cattiness and the ceaseless factionalism.

just tryin to lighten the mood, chain....

 

[Chainshot]

just tryin to lighten the mood, chain....

Oh. Okay! That works too.

My apologies.

 

[valet]

Oh. Okay! That works too.

My apologies.

I really wish text wasn't so ambiguous, I'll slip in an emoji or two next time

 

[valet]

I’d hazard a guess that Alex Jones has hurt a lot of people

 

[Zman5778]

The NHL network is starting their GM report cards today at 4:00PM and Botts is one of
the 4 teams they are doing today. I can't listen but hoping someone can take coles notes.

NHL Radio did the Sabres today. My radio blipped out for Boomer's grade (even though he made a big deal about how he was going to give Botts an incomplete), but Alberga gave him a C+. They basically both said that he inherited an unbridled mess and needs time to sort it out. Both were lukewarm on Housley, but said he did better as the year went on.

Both liked the ROR deal, saying it improved depth immensely. Both dislike the goalie situation going into the year and the defense behind Dahlin/Risto/Scandella. Both lauded his draft.

Both think the Sabres will improve this year, but won't be a serious playoff contender largely due to the stacked Atlantic.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

I really wish text wasn't so ambiguous, I'll slip in an emoji or two next time

Way to choose a totally not ambiguous emoji.

 

[valet]

Way to choose a totally not ambiguous emoji.

it might be ambiguous, but it's funny

 

[Montag DP]

Both liked the ROR deal, saying it improved depth immensely.

It's interesting how the general response to the ROR deal by the guys who cover the entire league seems to be much less negative than the general response here. It ranges anywhere from "not terrible" to "pretty good," whereas the general response here has been "terribad." I am personally in the "not terrible" camp.

 

[Dingo44]

It's interesting how the general response to the ROR deal by the guys who cover the entire league seems to be much less negative than the general response here. It ranges anywhere from "not terrible" to "pretty good," whereas the general response here has been "terribad." I am personally in the "not terrible" camp.

Zman is correct - Boomer and Albergha both really liked us getting Thompson plus a first and a second for ROR - but I didn't hear any mention of the other pieces. But they thought Botts didn't handle the Kane deal well - should have traded him sooner and also not having him play on the third line if we're trying to showcase him for a trade. Also wondered about us having so few draft picks the last two years with such a poor team.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

There is no doubt Botterill is benefiting from his long association with the Penguins, his MBA and career at Michigan, his family - the media thinks highly of him. He's got the 'smart young exec' rep for now.

If Jim Benning makes the same deal the media judges the ROR trade differently.

 

[joshjull]

It's interesting how the general response to the ROR deal by the guys who cover the entire league seems to be much less negative than the general response here. It ranges anywhere from "not terrible" to "pretty good," whereas the general response here has been "terribad." I am personally in the "not terrible" camp.

Probably has to do with being able to assess the trade dispassionately.

 

[OkimLom]

Probably has to do with being able to assess the trade dispassionately.

Or the pieces he received are what you would expect in that type of deal. a 1st, a near NHL ready Prospect, a 2nd, and two NHL players are what you expect to get for a guy like ROR (being a low end #1 center high end #2 center), without looking at the context of the contract situation, or the value of those pieces.

When I look at ROR's Contract of 5 more years + his age + his role and what he accomplished with the talent he had played with, I expect a little more value in some of the pieces; the 1st Round pick (I wish it was NOT top 10 protected), the near NHL ready Prospect (I didn't need Thomas but I expected better than Thompson), the 2nd is a throwaway for me for taking on two NHL contracts of Berglund (who I like a lot) and Sobotka(who had past issues in a locker room that has a much better history of success). My thought is that Botts settled on every single piece of the trade, when he didn't need to settle. He made himself have a deadline, HE decided ROR needed to go without exploring other avenues of addressing fixing the locker room impact. I don't like the decision, and I don't believe I will ever like the decision.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

I don't quite understand the fervor over the STL pick being top 10 protected. That pick is top 10 protected because STL is a really good team now.

 

[Chainshot]

I don't quite understand the fervor over the STL pick being top 10 protected. That pick is top 10 protected because STL is a really good team now.

Probably just people dreaming of having multiple top 10 picks. That they have two additional, Even with conditions, should give them the ability to have additional trade ammo if they so choose to go in that direction or, plump up there blue-chip prospect pool. Who can say?