News Article: Jason Botterill Has Buffalo on the Right Track

[Aladyyn]

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.

Lost a lottery?

 

[sincerity0]

Botterill has the Sabres on the right path*

*by lucking into Dahlin via a lottery

Buffalo is on a better path than they were previously when they got Eichel (then Dahlin). The same is true for Leafs/Matthews and Oilers/McDavid, Pens/Crosby, Caps/Ovi, etc etc etc.

Getting top prospects will always right the ship to a certain extent.

Edit: by no means am I anti-Botterill. There were expectations that the team would improve (again) and they finished dead last. As with Murray, he should be given an opportunity to assemble a team. There is honesty in saying that Buffalo has a brighter future now, by default, because they got Dahlin. A superstar prospect like Dahlin is going to cover up a lot of poor decisions made by their team’s GM.

 

[Reddawg]

I mean, it's the same "lucky" that delivered Matthews to Toronto.

 

[Chad Thundercock]

Why is that?

I would argue negative press sells more these days.

It's much easier to be positive about the unknown. Humans want to have hope until cruel reality hits, and then we drown ourselves in the misery.

That's why draft picks are exponentially more valuable before any picks are made.

 

[Yatzhee]

I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. The article doesn't even have Eichel wearing the right number on his jersey...…….now what kind of article doesn't even get the visuals right I ask...…….

 

[5 Minute Major]

Lost a lottery?

I think he means not trading valuable high draft picks and young players away to speed up the process.

Cute on your part though.

 

[Duddy]

Of course, trading magic beans for proven NHL talent is a horrible thing to do.

 

[Royal Thunder]

Dahlin, Eichel, Mitts, Reinhart, Risto is a downright filthy core. 4 more first rounders coming in the next two years. We're going to be ok.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

Dahlin, Eichel, Mitts, Reinhart, Risto is a downright filthy core. 4 more first rounders coming in the next two years. We're going to be ok.

And Risto is the elder statesman, turning 24 at the end of October. As bleak as these past few seasons have been, this could be a core that stays together as perennial contenders for 5+ years.

 

[5 Minute Major]

Of course, trading magic beans for proven NHL talent is a horrible thing to do.

It is when one doesn’t know what the f*** they are doing, which Tim Murray didn’t.

 

[Montag DP]

It is when one doesn’t know what the **** they are doing, which Tim Murray didn’t.

I don't think he didn't know what he was doing. It's just that he took a bunch of big gambles to try to make the team competitive right away, and they pretty much all flopped, depleting our assets in the process. Imagine if Kane and Bogosian had played at a level worthy of their draft status, Lehner had not been a head case, and Okposo's play had not fallen off a cliff. Even without that, it might have worked out well enough for him to avoid getting fired if he had hired a decent coach.

Though I guess you could make the case that being so wrong about those guys amounts to not knowing what the **** he was doing.

 

[valet]

I don't think he didn't know what he was doing. It's just that he took a bunch of big gambles to try to make the team competitive right away, and they pretty much all flopped, depleting our assets in the process. Imagine if Kane and Bogosian had played at a level worthy of their draft status, Lehner had not been a head case, and Okposo's play had not fallen off a cliff. Even without that, it might have worked out well enough for him to avoid getting fired if he had hired a decent coach.

Though I guess you could make the case that being so wrong about those guys amounts to not knowing what the **** he was doing.

player evaluation is the most important part of trades tho. if you trade for guys that you have misplaced confidence in you're a bad GM. it's his fault for 'accelerating' the rebuild via asset depleting trades, not the players' he traded for.

i think even if kane, bogo, and lehner actually do what we need them to do we still lack depth and a steady prospect pool to develop players from... then end up drafting in a useless spot like 10 where we don't get access to the elite level prospects that we need to properly fill out a core. TM was all ideas and no plan, the anti-strategist.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Lost a lottery?

Traded 1sts instead of acquiring them, trading 2 2nds and a legit top 4 dman for 2 scrubs not even in the org anymore, traded a first for Robin Lehner, let teams behind him draft the better forward (Reinhart). Jason Botterill without a doubt hit a grand slam in Mittelstadt. Name one player taken after that is worth more or will be better? I can name several taken after Reinhart?Oh and the coup de grace to end all the Murray backers.

Tim Murray To his Uncles Team : 21st overall in an elite deep draft where several elite prospects were available for Robin Lehner and a 36 year old garbage $3 mil cap dump 4C.


Jason Botterill to his former employers (no nepotism/Botts earned his respect from sheer talent and smarts and respect): pretty much a 3rd round pick for a 26 year old 2x cup winning legit top 6 LW and a minor cap dump in Hunwick.

Murray signs Ghostposo 6/42. Botts signs the best goalie 3x2.75. There is no competition. Botts destroys Murray in every way. The sad thing is people don't realize that 16-17 was meant to be the year we were a serious contender. Eichel in year 2. RoR in year 2 and first year of major extension. Reinhart another year of experience. Kane with only 2 years left. Kulikov an impending UFA.

And we finished 6th worst and ended up picking 8th in an even worse blow. Thank the hockey gods from hockey heaven that Botts was sent to us. When hired and found out we finished 6th worst yet were picking 8th, Botts laughed at Murrays first draft in 2014 and straight up demolished it by taking Mittelstadt at #8. I wouldn't trade the entire 2014 Sabres draft for Mittelstadt now or then not to mention the rest.

Sabres make the playoffs by 2020. Guaranteed. Botts is too good to go 3+ seasons no playoffs like Murray.



Murray was the worst GM in Sabres history.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

I like the stockpiling of draft picks.

IMO It’s what should have been done the first time around. That was the plan under Darcy, and then that plan changed abruptly under Murray.

It’s kind of a shame Botterill wasn’t hired the first time. At least he would have most likely used all those picks.


What has really yet to be seen though is Botterill’s ability to hit on late 1st round picks.

He HAS TO hit on those 1sts. And preferably he’s able to turn up at least 1 impact player out of those 2 1sts.
Getting a depth/role player is nice and all, but when you consider that 2 impact players were traded away to get those 2 picks, it makes it more important to draft at least one in replacement.


His success here will most likely ultimately be determined by his drafting, as he seems intent on building through the draft.


Obviously it is still way too early to tell, but I am not totally sold on his drafting yet.
The Dahlin pick was a no-brainer.
Love the Mittelstadt pick so far. That appears to have been a great selection.
Liked, not loved, the Samuelsson pick.
Kind of in wait and see mode on his 2nd last year. Same with the majority of his 3rd+ round picks. Some off the board type picks, and some lesser known European prospects.
Let’s hope he turns over some gems.
Like I said, too early for me to judge yet...


His trades have been a bit up and down, too.

I loved the Scandella trade. That was a steal.
I liked the Besulieu trade a the time. I figured it was a low risk, high reward potential trade. I can’t criticize in hindsight. That’s not fair.
Liked the Sheary trade a lot too. Another low risk, High reward type of trade. Didn’t car much about taking on Hunwick as long as it didn’t have any effect on Hickey signing, which it didn’t.
The Kane trade wasn’t great. I hated th conditional pick, and the prospect was B at best. But he did end up with a 1st. And I give him a bit of a pass there because it was reported he only had 1 legit offer for Kane. Can’t blame him for Kane’s rep.
Not sure on the ROR trade yet. Thompson and the picks will decide it.

 

[Sabretip]

But let’s look at what Botterill has accomplished during his short tenure.

Other than Dahlin falling into his lap and the drafting of Mittelstadt, who of Botterill's other personnel changes have really impressed? Sure, we don't know yet how this summer's acquisitions will pan out this coming season but from last year's acquisitions, Scandella and Wilson were really middling contributors. The balance of Beaulieu, Pominville, Antipin, Pouliot, Josefson, Johnson and Nolan were flops. Drafting Mittelstadt was a good move but not without some luck of him falling in the draft below his ranking.

 

[Jim Bob]

Murray was the worst GM in Sabres history.

Scotty Bowman says hi.

 

[Aladyyn]

Traded 1sts instead of acquiring them, trading 2 2nds and a legit top 4 dman for 2 scrubs not even in the org anymore, traded a first for Robin Lehner, let teams behind him draft the better forward (Reinhart). Jason Botterill without a doubt hit a grand slam in Mittelstadt. Name one player taken after that is worth more or will be better? I can name several taken after Reinhart?Oh and the coup de grace to end all the Murray backers.

Martin Necas

 

[Jim Bob]

Martin Necas

I like Middlestadt a ton.

But, I could also see Tolvanen, Thomas, and one of the second tier D that went 14-18 being better all around players.

Middlestadt is going to be a very entertaining and offensively productive player. Time will tell whether he develops the all around game that will be required to take him from an entertaining offensive player to a great all around player.

It's the same evolution that players like Sakic, Yzerman, and Modano made that we need to see if Eichel and Middlestadt can make.

 

[truthbluth]

Am I the only one in the, “Botts hasn’t been very impressive and Murray was also pretty bad too,” camp?

 

[Aladyyn]

I like Middlestadt a ton.

But, I could also see Tolvanen, Thomas, and one of the second tier D that went 14-18 being better all around players.

Middlestadt is going to be a very entertaining and offensively productive player. Time will tell whether he develops the all around game that will be required to take him from an entertaining offensive player to a great all around player.

It's the same evolution that players like Sakic, Yzerman, and Modano made that we need to see if Eichel and Middlestadt can make.

Or we could put more effort into developing our one great young player who already possesses these traits.

 

[Aladyyn]

Am I the only one in the, “Botts hasn’t been very impressive and Murray was also pretty bad too,” camp?

You don't have an agenda? Get out then. You don't belong here

 

[Dreakon13]

Right now the two best things Botteril has done is win the lottery, and not trade the farm for any big names. This means a stronger team in Rochester, and while he didn't draft/sign all of the reinforcements coming to Rochester this year (credit to Murray there too), not getting rid of 75% of them as soon as they starting showing some promise has value after Murray's tenure. Honorable mention to the Scandella and Sheary trades.

Doesn't mean everything else he's done was bad, but they didn't help the team (taking a flyer on Beaulieu) or might've been out of his hands (getting whatever he could for Kane) or the jury is still out IMO (ROR trade). Not going to hound him too much for the one year FA's he picked up last offseason that didn't quite work out... that kinda shit happens when you have half an offseason with a new team and a limited FA pool to choose from. They were all safe/low risk at least (by design I'm sure).

He's also taken on a lot of cap to make some of these deals work... but in fairness whether its old cap he inherited and new cap he acquired, it's mostly inconsequential as that cap will clear in one way or another by the time we need it to sign the young guns.

 

[Montag DP]

Other than Dahlin falling into his lap and the drafting of Mittelstadt, who of Botterill's other personnel changes have really impressed? Sure, we don't know yet how this summer's acquisitions will pan out this coming season but from last year's acquisitions, Scandella and Wilson were really middling contributors. The balance of Beaulieu, Pominville, Antipin, Pouliot, Josefson, Johnson and Nolan were flops. Drafting Mittelstadt was a good move but not without some luck of him falling in the draft below his ranking.

Huh? I thought Scandella has been as advertised -- a solid defensive defenseman. I can only imagine how much trash our D would have been without him last year. And Housley being a bonehead does not make Antipin a flop. Plus, he was Murray's acquisition anyway. Let's not twist reality to fit a narrative.

 

[UnleashRasmus]

Ryan Kennedy has a very positive view point and to be honest the Sabres are on the right path. They've added some speed and gotten younger on the back end. As well as the fact that they're done with contracts this season. I expect Botterill to be active throughout the year adding and purging when given the opportunity. We didn't see him bring back a scrub like Nolan at least.

 

[N.Y. Orangeman]

Martin Necas

You would really take Necas over Mitts?