The Most Buffalo Thing Ever

[Bear of Bad News]

This is dumb. Maybe someone will blame Ted Nolan for not tanking right, and he won't get another job for a decade.

IMHO, the only thing the Sabres have really done "wrong" with the rebuild is pick Grigorenko.

The Grigorenko pick was just fine - he's looking great this year so far.

The handling of Grigorenko post-pick wasn't done the way that it should have been done.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

He was always being shipped to Arizona and then being sold to the highest bidder in relocation anyway.

Who's the "he" in that sentence?

 

[Bps21*]

Mcdollarsignsfortheleague

 

[Beerz]

He was always being shipped to Arizona and then being sold to the highest bidder in relocation anyway.

Would have been elated about Eichel too.

 

[Bps21*]

Then we should have tanked. A third of the league is having unbelievably down years...cough...for some reason. We are ahead of a team that finished SIXTY POINTS above us last year.

Strange right?

 

[cgf]

Wait...buffalo has the number one prospect pool, three more first round picks this year, and former first round picks that are already playing like it (Girgensons, ristolainen, zadorov) not to mention Myers and Ennis have both stepped way up to form a new core, we have leadership on and off the ice which has led to a total 180 in culture and attitude...

And I'm supposed to be mad that they're winning...too early?

Not mad, no. It's just, buffalo has everything lining up to build something really special with just one more piece being added to the mix to top it off, a superstar like McEichel. While Reinhart was an excellent prospect, and even if the Sabres miss out on McEichel they'll get an excellent prospect this year, neither will have the same kind of leaguewide superstar potential that I thought would've pushed the Sabres foundation over the top and put them in the same category with Tampa in the category of teams I expect to fear coming out of the east over the next decade.

As is the future still looks very bright in buffalo. They may well come out of the east multiple times and even lift a cup or cups once their kids mature, but with one of McEichel I'd feel really confident about the east going through Buffalo and Tampa by the end of this decade so that one of those two teams would be in 4 out of every 5 SCFs when their day comes the way the West currently runs through LA and Chicago.

 

[Bps21*]

The most Buffalo thing ever would be finishing second worst on a tie breaker and then a team behind them winning the lottery btw.

 

[CH25]

Even if they finish dead last they wouldn't win the lottery because they are Buffalo

 

[Bps21*]

That is correct. Buffalo is never handed anything. I don't know why that's always stated as a negative about them.

 

[Moskau]

The most Buffalo thing ever would be finishing second worst on a tie breaker and then a team behind them winning the lottery btw.

The most Buffalo thing would be doing that in a year with a huge drop off like 2007 or 2009. Even at 3-5 this year Buffalo is likely getting a player who is just as good as the player they got at #2 last year.

 

[Bps21*]

The most Buffalo thing would be doing that in a year with a huge drop off like 2007 or 2009. Even at 3-5 this year Buffalo is likely getting a player who is just as good as the player they got at #2 last year.

But not a generational offensive talent. Which they haven't had since...I don't know...the 70s.

 

[MayDay]

But not a generational offensive talent. Which they haven't had since...I don't know...the 70s.

"Generational" gets over-used (how can there be 2 once-in-a-generation players in the same draft?), so let's go with "exceptional."

I'd say the Sabres' last exceptional offensive player was LaFontaine. Those early 90s seasons with LaFontaine and Mogilny. 148 pt season - still the best ever statistical season by an American.

 

[Brooklanders*]

If McDavid is the real deal several teams will regret not tanking.

 

[Dutchess]

The most Buffalo thing ever would be finishing second worst on a tie breaker and then a team behind them winning the lottery btw.

Absolutely true, now that I think about it.