Locker Clean Out Day 1, 4/17/2024; Day 2 4/18/2024

[RefsIdeas]

A lot of these quotes just scream being mad at Jeff Skinner to me. Who else would stand out for not playing “winning hockey” on a regular basis? Cozens?

 

[Beerz]

A lot of these quotes just scream being mad at Jeff Skinner to me. Who else would stand out for not playing “winning hockey” on a regular basis? Cozens?

All of them.?

Except maybe Benson,Girgs, Dahlin and Krebs.

Edit. Oh you said winning hockey not effort.... then remove Krebs he played with lots of effort but his game isn't winning hockey

 

[MeenOlViks]

PHam's fat finger petting Dahlin's glove at 0:43 was kinda creepy

 

[enthusiast]

The phrasing on some of these quotes is far from the best. Granted they aren’t poet laureates but despite the accountability theme there’s a lot of semantic distancing

 

[Dingo44]

 

[dortt]

I may be nit-picking but Tuch’s comment doesn’t sit well with me. They are craving accountability? Are they not professional athletes? Can’t they be accountable to each other?

If that is the case, do the Sabres really have a Captain candidate within that room?

I have not seen a captain on this roster

Dahlin is the best player and a good A, but he is not leading the team like a C should. A good C will drag the team kicking and screaming if need be

Dom was that kind of player. As was Briere and Drury. We havn't had a real captain since we lost Briere and Drury

 

[5 Minute Major]

Do you want the players to bench other players and manage icetime?

Well, it looks like Tage said the same thing I did. How do you feel about that now?

 

[HaNotsri]

I wouldn't mind having guys tell someone who is slacking to get the f*** to work or else.

Yeah, they have really reacted well to getting called out by the fans. Booing and the fire donny-chant during a blowout was obviously more than they could take.
If someone stepped up these *** would probably turn their backs on that teammate.

Well, it looks like Tage said the same thing I did. How do you feel about that now?

About what? I expect the coaches to be actual leaders. Players have no power in regards to icetime and roles. Tage can't take someone away from the powerplay.

 

[Chainshot]

Thompson: "We didn't have enough structure."

 

[Chainshot]

Yeah, they have really reacted well to getting called out by the fans. Booing and the fire donny-chant during a blowout was obviously more than they could take.
If someone stepped up these *** would probably turn their backs on that teammate.


About what? I expect the coaches to be actual leaders. Players have no power in regards to icetime and roles. Tage can't take someone away from the powerplay.

I have worked on teams where we as teammates could tell one another to get the f*** to work while also telling people outside the team to go f*** themselves for criticizing my teammate. And we got shit done.

 

[Dingo44]

Thompson: "We didn't have enough structure."

Clifton said the exact same thing. Said in Boston they had team structure on which they could fall back and didn't have that here.

Structure and accountability. Donnie built them up as players but not as a team. They need the next guy to make them a team and give them the structure in which to succeed - and if they don't play in that structure, then there are repercussions.

 

[5 Minute Major]

About what? I expect the coaches to be actual leaders. Players have no power in regards to icetime and roles. Tage can't take someone away from the powerplay.

About Thompson saying the players needed to start be accountable to each other.

What exactly do you think a team has a Captain for? For photo ops and to accept the Stanley Cup?

It became very obvious that there no holding each other accountable after the blowout loss and three quarters of the players not being a available to the press after the game.

A true leader stands up and tells his teammates to pull their heads out of their ass and stop acting like children. And you don’t need a C or an A to do that, though ideally they should be leading the charge.

 

[Mattilaus]

It sounds like the players are saying a lot of the stuff these boards have said. While it's initially discouraging to hear they didn't have accountability and didn't play with structure, at least they are able to identify the problem. That's the first step towards fixing it. I would be far more concerned if we just got a lot of vague "we need to be better" statements.

 

[Dubi Doo]

I have worked on teams where we as teammates could tell one another to get the f*** to work while also telling people outside the team to go f*** themselves for criticizing my teammate. And we got shit done.

Sounds like a tight nit team to me!

 

[CowbellConray]

These comments from the players show that they knew the problem, but maybe didn’t have the leaders in place to fix it.
Granato was a guy who came in to fix players who were struggling (Dahlin, Thompson). Now bring in a coach that puts the structure in place to win

 

[MOGlLNY]

I expected guys to be a bit more deflated about Don getting fired. All of the big guns definitely seem like they're ready for a new style of coach and agreed things were a bit to o ax.

 

[CrazyWayne]

What these players are saying is way too similar to what fans have been saying since October

It's actually starting to worry me that the players are actually just telling the media what they want to hear

 

[Chainshot]

I expected guys to be a bit more deflated about Don getting fired. All of the big guns definitely seem like they're ready for a new style of coach and agreed things were a bit to o ax.

Clifton did and then at the end of his talked about being excited for somebody to come in to put that in place. I’m curious how they respond because they seem to realize they got a good person fired and there are deficiencies in what they do that a different coach can draw forward.

 

[Ace]

He structure point is one that has come up on Sabres podcasts a lot about the bad starts. They get scored on and have nothing at all to fall back on to weather the storm while they get things figured out. It’s why the hole got bigger so often and we were down two or three (once four) by the first commercial. A basic understanding of how to slow it down and prevent chances from raining down before you drown is day one stuff. Donnie never got around to it. Not that these players are all stupid and couldn’t figure out what to do…that they literally had no plan for it. And drowned all the time. Last year they scored their way out of trouble more…but it’s been an issue the whole time.

 

[Chainshot]

He structure point is one that has come up on Sabres podcasts a lot about the bad starts. They get scored on and have nothing at all to fall back on to weather the storm while they get things figured out. It’s why the hole got bigger so often and we were down two or three (once four) by the first commercial. A basic understanding of how to slow it down and prevent chances from raining down before you drown is day one stuff. Donnie never got around to it. Not that these players are all stupid and couldn’t figure out what to do…that they literally had no plan for it. And drowned all the time. Last year they scored their way out of trouble more…but it’s been an issue the whole time.

Even more simplistic than that, there is no answer to the question “What do I do now?” when another rush chance turns into a giveaway or a breakdown that’s coming back into their zone. Basics are lacking. Being on the right side of the puck is VERY lacking.

 

[toddkaz]

Listening to Dahlin talk about the power play is just sad. Granato had no plan for the power play. Just the same as last year.

Talk about lazy AF.

About Thompson saying the players needed to start be accountable to each other.

What exactly do you think a team has a Captain for? For photo ops and to accept the Stanley Cup?

It became very obvious that there no holding each other accountable after the blowout loss and three quarters of the players not being a available to the press after the game.

A true leader stands up and tells his teammates to pull their heads out of their ass and stop acting like children. And you don’t need a C or an A to do that, though ideally they should be leading the charge.

Worst thing the team did was bring back Okposo as captain. You could see it at the beginning of the year. It took Okposo 40 games to get going along with the team.

 

[DJN21]

Listening to Dahlin talk about the power play is just sad. Granato had no plan for the power play. Just the same as last year.

Talk about lazy AF.


Worst thing the team did was bring back Okposo as captain. You could see it at the beginning of the year. It took Okposo 40 games to get going along with the team.

Free agency!.....bring bak jost, okie and girgs.

I was pining for Hathaway back in his free agent year and what did he do? Sign elsewhere and end up punching one of our most promising players into another galaxy ruining his year. Thats not to say a Hathaway would've made us a playoff team this year but look at the effect players like that can have.....

ffs if Foligno isnt back this year to right this ship I'm going to a ledge....

 

[paulmm3]

I realize from a lot of this and a lot that's been said over the last few weeks that Kyle Okposo was a really, really bad captain.

Good human being, had his day as a hockey player for sure. But he didn't hold players accountable, when the the "fire Donny chants happened and the players didn't salute" - that was Okposo making the players believe the fans were the problem, not the on ice product. Okposo did not bring nearly enough to the team in terms of will to win at all costs. He coddled the kids. Again, nothing bad about him as a man, but we are much better off for him no longer being with the franchise.

 

[Snippit]

Man those interviews are damning for Donny.

Lack of structure, lack of accountability, lack of consequences.

Those are all on the coach.

If those comments don’t make it obvious certain guys (Skinner) need to go then I don’t know what does.

A lot of respect for Tage for making it clear.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

I realize from a lot of this and a lot that's been said over the last few weeks that Kyle Okposo was a really, really bad captain.

Good human being, had his day as a hockey player for sure. But he didn't hold players accountable, when the the "fire Donny chants happened and the players didn't salute" - that was Okposo making the players believe the fans were the problem, not the on ice product. Okposo did not bring nearly enough to the team in terms of will to win at all costs. He coddled the kids. Again, nothing bad about him as a man, but we are much better off for him no longer being with the franchise.

I've been on the fence about posting this, but based on several convos and factors I agree. He is/was a bit overly emotional and not the type of mentally strong captain that the roster needed. He was behind the backlash to the "fire Donny" chant, and he was more a supportive big brother type. With Granato there needed to be a couple strong and demanding personalities in the locker room, and Okposo was totally NOT that.

Girgensons is a good soldier but not a strong and demanding personality, has no winning moments to draw on, doesn't speak out when it's needed. Players need to bring a certain amount of motivation but like I complained about since November, a young team needs a strong coach to help lead them and Granato was a cushy stuffed animal to a crib full of toddlers...and one older softie. Today's comments from the players fairly well verifies this, although it doesn't in my mind exonerate them from any blame. Collectively they came out flat and soft, losing games in ten minutes over and over. Not being prepared is a coaching issue.

There's just so much else to point at for why this team stinks though...players...Adams...Pegula too. I'm just worn out by having to talk about why they stink every year...it's exhausting.