News Article: Jason Botterill Has Buffalo on the Right Track

[TehDoak]

Good: Won Draft Lottery, secured a lot of draft picks next year. Sheary was a good low risk move.

Bad: Took on Salary dumps that go beyond next year with Sobotka, Hunwick. Berglund isn't a salary dump...yet, but is a depreciating asset. Didn't address top 4 of defense other than Dahlin. Downgraded top 6 forwards compared to last year.

 

[truthbluth]

I don’t really blame Botterill, b cause he’s learning on the job, but I think he’s pretty bad at negotiating trades, and that he panicked on RoR. He got pennies on the dollar for his 2 biggest trade chips, but I don’t necessarily disagree with his strategy other than doing nothing to shore up the top 4, ensuring Dahlin will be thrust into big minutes prematurely. Good ideas, bad execution.

 

[Sam Spade]

You're next Buffalo, get it done!!!!

 

[Sabre Dance]

I don’t really blame Botterill, b cause he’s learning on the job, but I think he’s pretty bad at negotiating trades, and that he panicked on RoR. He got pennies on the dollar for his 2 biggest trade chips, but I don’t necessarily disagree with his strategy other than doing nothing to shore up the top 4, ensuring Dahlin will be thrust into big minutes prematurely. Good ideas, bad execution.

What's the difference with playing a #1 pick center top 2C minutes vs a #1 pick D playing top 4D minutes?

Adding another D is more about not trusting Bogo. Dahlin was penciled into 4D no matter what.

Botterill does fine buying, he's bad at selling so far. The biggest question I have in the O'Reilly trade is why did O'Reilly have to go? The return is taking over conversation, but the why is the real story.

 

[truthbluth]

What's the difference with playing a #1 pick center top 2C minutes vs a #1 pick D playing top 4D minutes?

Adding another D is more about not trusting Bogo. Dahlin was penciled into 4D no matter what.

Botterill does fine buying, he's bad at selling so far. The biggest question I have in the O'Reilly trade is why did O'Reilly have to go? The return is taking over conversation, but the why is the real story.

Top 4 minutes are different from top pair minutes. One is fine, the other is too much. If nobody is added, Dahlin will be 1st or 2nd in TOI by the end of the year. That is not a good developmental strategy.

 

[CatsforReinhart]

I don’t really blame Botterill, b cause he’s learning on the job, but I think he’s pretty bad at negotiating trades, and that he panicked on RoR. He got pennies on the dollar for his 2 biggest trade chips, but I don’t necessarily disagree with his strategy other than doing nothing to shore up the top 4, ensuring Dahlin will be thrust into big minutes prematurely. Good ideas, bad execution.

How do you expect to get top dollar on the pennies when you are a last place team, RoR gives a terrible interview and the rumors are out that he is a bad locker room guy. Kane was a disaster we are lucky we got a 1st rounder for him. I think the return on RoR was pretty good and I reserve my judgement on that trade of a 1st is used to bring in a top 6 winger.

I am just glad we turned the page on that saga and we can move on.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Top 4 minutes are different from top pair minutes. One is fine, the other is too much. If nobody is added, Dahlin will be 1st or 2nd in TOI by the end of the year. That is not a good developmental strategy.

Scandella and Ristolainen are still here. Dahlin doesn't have to get those minutes.

 

[Aladyyn]

Murray had us on the right track too.

 

[Dahlin 2 Eichel]

Murray had us on the right track too.

There was never any tracks under Murray’s plan

 

[Deleted member 27798]

What's the difference with playing a #1 pick center top 2C minutes vs a #1 pick D playing top 4D minutes?

Adding another D is more about not trusting Bogo. Dahlin was penciled into 4D no matter what.

Botterill does fine buying, he's bad at selling so far. The biggest question I have in the O'Reilly trade is why did O'Reilly have to go? The return is taking over conversation, but the why is the real story.

Why did they trade him? No one here will probably ever know. We know it wasn’t because they were up against the cap. IMO...it seems like a good guess to say that there was something going on off ice that was causing problems....and they probably decided that these issues were not correctable. Otherwise, he’d still be a Sabre.

 

[BananaSquad]

Top 4 minutes are different from top pair minutes. One is fine, the other is too much. If nobody is added, Dahlin will be 1st or 2nd in TOI by the end of the year. That is not a good developmental strategy.

Tell me why isn’t that good? Kid is the most hyped dman coming into the draft in a very long time, but here in Buffalo him playing too many minutes is gonna ruin him! This board is a joke sometimes. He’s going to be our best defenceman on this team by end of the season by a mile.

 

[Ralonzo]

The problem is media pressured to write stuff 24/7/365 leading to "This summer is already a success" fluff pieces.

i.e. Islanders bet on Lehner, land best goalie in thin market

Edit: griffin beat me to it

There was never any tracks under Murray’s plan

Lack of tracks, lack of ground...

 

[cramdizzl]

Top 4 minutes are different from top pair minutes. One is fine, the other is too much. If nobody is added, Dahlin will be 1st or 2nd in TOI by the end of the year. That is not a good developmental strategy.

I trust that if Dahlin is 1st in TOI, it's because he's taken the job. I don't think even Housley would play an 18 year old like that when he has Risto and Scandella around. Although if he lives up to the hype, it shouldn't take long.

Murray had us on the right track too.

Murray did the exact opposite of JB and built a rickety house of cards that collapsed instead of starting with a strong foundation. Problem is a good foundation takes time and this fanbase is very impatient.

 

[ISeeStars]

Botterill does fine buying, he's bad at selling so far. The biggest question I have in the O'Reilly trade is why did O'Reilly have to go? The return is taking over conversation, but the why is the real story.

My biggest question is everyone is trying to justify this trade by saying O'Reilly was this locker room cancer and he had to go. I just don't see it from an outside perspective and how much does Botts really know about what is going on in the Sabres locker room? Even if Housley or an assistant coach directly relays the locker room situation to him I don't think he knows anymore than we do on the character of each player. Usually the coaches deal with the personalities and the development of players. Botterill deals with the money and the managing of how those players perform. Management tends to stay away from players in order to not develop a personal connection and let it affect business.

I believe Botterill panicked a little on trying to get rid of O'Reilly with the bonus looming over his head but I also believe he didn't think we would be trending into the playoffs anytime soon and Ryan's "love of the game" was probably not going to get better because of it. I definitely don't mind him trading O'Reilly and it makes sense but I am disappointed that the bonus was that big of a deal that we had to settle for a deadline trade instead of playing it out and getting someone to bite hard for him, (the Isles perhaps.)

 

[Captain Holt]

how much does Botts really know about what is going on in the Sabres locker room? Even if Housley or an assistant coach directly relays the locker room situation to him I don't think he knows anymore than we do on the character of each player. Usually the coaches deal with the personalities and the development of players. Botterill deals with the money and the managing of how those players perform. Management tends to stay away from players in order to not develop a personal connection and let it affect business.

WHAAAAAT?

 

[cramdizzl]

My biggest question is everyone is trying to justify this trade by saying O'Reilly was this locker room cancer and he had to go. I just don't see it from an outside perspective and how much does Botts really know about what is going on in the Sabres locker room? Even if Housley or an assistant coach directly relays the locker room situation to him I don't think he knows anymore than we do on the character of each player. Usually the coaches deal with the personalities and the development of players. Botterill deals with the money and the managing of how those players perform. Management tends to stay away from players in order to not develop a personal connection and let it affect business.

I believe Botterill panicked a little on trying to get rid of O'Reilly with the bonus looming over his head but I also believe he didn't think we would be trending into the playoffs anytime soon and Ryan's "love of the game" was probably not going to get better because of it. I definitely don't mind him trading O'Reilly and it makes sense but I am disappointed that the bonus was that big of a deal that we had to settle for a deadline trade instead of playing it out and getting someone to bite hard for him, (the Isles perhaps.)

Seriously?

I guarantee the GM knows the players 10,000 times better than we do and knows whatever the hell is going on in that locker room. Mindblowing but he actually has meetings with the coaches and players quite often

 

[Dreakon13]

WHAAAAAT?

Seriously?

I guarantee the GM knows the players 10,000 times better than we do and knows whatever the hell is going on in that locker room. Mindblowing but he actually has meetings with the coaches and players quite often

Ridiculous as it is, I feel the idea that "we" know better (or at least on the same level) than the Sabres brass about virtually every aspect of this team is actually a common theme around here. Especially in a situation like this, where this team is perpetually bad, Housley/Botts are officially hated after the first year, and people are fishing for answers/reasons for all of it.

Though I think most posters have enough sense to not outright say it.

 

[ISeeStars]

Ridiculous as it is, I feel the idea that "we" know better (or at least on the same level) than the Sabres brass about virtually every aspect of this team is actually a common theme around here. Especially in a situation like this, where this team is perpetually bad, Housley/Botts are officially hated after the first year, and people are fishing for answers/reasons for all of it.

Though I think most posters have enough sense to not outright say it.

It was more of a bad sentence from an amateur online poster than a "I know better than Botts and he is bad".

Rephrasing what I meant is he isn't in the locker room every day for games and practices. I didn't mean to say that he has no idea what is going on with him or has no contact with him. Again my bad.

 

[truthbluth]

Tell me why isn’t that good? Kid is the most hyped dman coming into the draft in a very long time, but here in Buffalo him playing too many minutes is gonna ruin him! This board is a joke sometimes. He’s going to be our best defenceman on this team by end of the season by a mile.

JFC this thread. Dahlin could have the best 18 y/o rookie season in 50 years and it still wouldn’t reach what seems to be the basic expectations of posters here.

 

[Tsyolin]

Yes we are headed in the right direction, it's just gonna take a bit longer than me and probably everyone else here was hoping it would.

 

[Jim Bob]

We have no idea if they are on the right track or not.

We will have an idea in about four months.

 

[Tsyolin]

Murray had us on the right track too.

The only time I thought Murray had us on the right track was the very beginning of his tenure. He made a solid trade in moving Miller/Ott to St. Louis and then Moulson to Minny for picks. That was the end of it though. All those picks were dealt away in the Fasching, Kane, and Lehner deals which were universally awful deals. This is why people are saying that we'd be best off holding on to our picks this year rather than repeating those same mistakes.

 

[JThorne]

I trust that if Dahlin is 1st in TOI, it's because he's taken the job. I don't think even Housley would play an 18 year old like that when he has Risto and Scandella around. Although if he lives up to the hype, it shouldn't take long.



Murray did the exact opposite of JB and built a rickety house of cards that collapsed instead of starting with a strong foundation. Problem is a good foundation takes time and this fanbase is very impatient.

This fan base is VERY patient. But even that runs out. How can you call us impatient?? Patience isn't an everlasting thing. If you are infinitely patient, you are apathetic.

 

[N.Y. Orangeman]

In my opinion, being on the right track, loathing the ROR return and having significant questions about Big Head are contradictory concepts.

 

[Moncton man]

If Botts got a better prospect or the first rounder wasn't protected the ROR deal would be easier to digest.

People also act like he's done shaping the roster for this year. That probably isn't the case.

There is a decent core on the team to build around but the last few years make it hard to believe there really is smooth sailing ahead.