The What if ... thread

[enthusiast]

What if Jay McKee washed his equipment

 

[Sabre the Win]

What if McDonalds didnt remove Szechuan sauce?

 

[Dreakon13]

I found this instruction manual

Spoiler: How To Be A Sabres Fan

View attachment 276333

I know this is probably some kinda joke... but I like that quote. I saved the pic down lol. Feel like I can use it in general (ie. not Sabres related) right now.

... though Buffalo sports aren't helping matters lately.

 

[kirby11]

My two biggest are always what if McKee or one of the other d-men didn't get hurt vs. Carolina and what if Connolly hadn't gotten concussed vs. Ottawa.

Also what if Max buried the breakaway chance in OT of game 5 vs. Carolina

 

[brian_griffin]

What if...
-Ice was denser than liquid water?
-No one crossed the Bering land bridge?
-All the gates in Constantinople remained locked in 1453?
-USA's founding fathers were too timid to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor?
-John Wilkes Booth had the aim of a Stormtrooper?
-Archduke Francis Ferdinand was only wounded?
-The Bolshevik revolution failed?
-Neville Chamberlain and the British public rejected appeasement?
-Castro launched the missiles?
-Mick Jagger gave Mick Taylor the writing credit he deserved?
-No one ever fell with a chocolate bar into a tub of peanut butter?
-Superman's Fortress of Solitude was available as a VRBO?

 

[Derg12]

What if we let Edmonton have Thomas Vanek and what success would we have had with those picks?

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

What if Reinhart wasn't the 2014 pick?

 

[FloridaSabresFan]

I found this instruction manual

Spoiler: How To Be A Sabres Fan

View attachment 276333

I have been doing that for 20 years. Thank god I did the just breathe part.

 

[sabrebuild]

If Vanek doesn't get Boychuk'd while beasting in 2010 I think they have a legitimate shot of making the Finals.

That's a good one. He was playing like an animal and Myers wasn't confused yet about being Pronger.

 

[old kummelweck]

what if both captains signed.

 

[sabrebuild]

Whay if the lottery goes Buffalo's way for the Crosby year?

We had the same chance to win him as the top third of the league as I remember the rules. Instead we get Marek Zagrapan, flat out bust.

Hypothetically the entire franchise future changes from ownership to championships.

Golisano either doesn't sell or wants a mint.

Crosby joins a surprisingly super deep team just about to take off for the next two years and is cap unicorn.

With what we know now, those Sabres teams likely win the Cup in at least one of those two years.

Crosby Briere Afinogenov
Hecht Drury Kotalik
Vanek Connolly Dumont
Gaustad Grier Pominville

The defense stays the same, young Miller is taking over with great quality from Biron.

We add a 100 point player from a dumpster fire team, to one of the highest scoring teams of the era for free.

We would not be affected by his cap hit until after the team would have had the opportunity to choose correctly a core around him. Ideally the Vanek offersheet still happens and we let him go, creating the best dynasty in decades, Briere scoring goals at a Richard pace for the next half decade.

Oh what an if.

 

[joshjull]

What if we had big money owner who would drill a well if needed money coming out of the 04-05 lockout? Where were able to give out those super long, ridiculously front loaded deals the big markets did to work the salary cap set up at the time and keep the bulk, if not all, of their key players. Where we could could even add to that since we played with the cap.

 

[dkollidas]

What if they signed Briere, let Drury walk, and took 4 1st’s from Edmonton for Vanek...

Oh god I hope to all hope that there is a dimension in the multiverse where this happened.

 

[toomuchsauce]

What if McKee took care of his wound?

What if McKinley's doctors had taken better care of his wound?

 

[Chainshot]

What if the Eichel won't sign an extension if Bylsma stays allegation had never been made/revealed?
Would Bylsma and Murray still be here? ROR and Kane? Lehner? Would the Sabres be a playoff team?
The Sabres were 33-37-12 in Bylsma's final season

Did the Pegula's make the right decision?
Did PHam make the whole thing up? Hamilton: Eichel is not the only one who doesn't like playing for Bylsma and should he be fired into the sun?

Eichel clarifies his Bylsma comments

Will asking what if lead to insanity?

Pose your own what ifs or respond to this one

There was so much dysfunction with that team. Too many important players who weren't well in mind and deed. One of the biggest failings of Murray was not getting his guys help. There was just too many things going on with too many guys.

They may have self-destructed in a spectacular fashion. Would they have stopped the party life? Would they collectively sobered up and started to act like professionals? In the what if of what we know and then the speculation about what we don't... someone may have wound up dead or in jail.

That said... maybe if they had landed Babcock, they would be in a different conversation and we'd be railing about how dare he use Girgensons on Eichel's wing.

 

[Montag DP]

There was so much dysfunction with that team. Too many important players who weren't well in mind and deed. One of the biggest failings of Murray was not getting his guys help. There was just too many things going on with too many guys.

They may have self-destructed in a spectacular fashion. Would they have stopped the party life? Would they collectively sobered up and started to act like professionals? In the what if of what we know and then the speculation about what we don't... someone may have wound up dead or in jail.

That said... maybe if they had landed Babcock, they would be in a different conversation and we'd be railing about how dare he use Girgensons on Eichel's wing.

Or playing Eichel 16 minutes a night while playing Sobotka for 20.

 

[Blitz]

What if, in 1992 Gerry Meehan had decided n Stephane Beauregard & future considerations (Eric Daze) was too rich of a price for a 27yo backup goalie from Pardubice?

 

[Chainshot]

What if they hadn't traded with the Caps to make sure they didn't take Housley (they didn't want him) and instead did it to make sure they got Scott Stevens?

What if the Knoxes had told Bowman to stop yo-yo'ing himself behind the bench and stick to GMing?

What if Horton had ridden the team bus back to Buffalo instead of driving his signing bonus GT after another night out with the lads?

What if they took Bossy instead of Seiling?

What if Brad May hadn't blown out his knee at the Nats camp in 1991?

What if Tim Rigas had been prompt in the communication with Darcy Regier about Mike Peca's contract negotiations and didn't drag it out, alienating Peca and ultimately leading to Dom putting a metaphorical gun to the organizations head to leave after they didn't either sign Peca or deal him for immediate help?

What if they had been good at scouting for the last 20 years?

What if they had been good at development in the AHL for the last 20 years?

What if they had signed both Paetsch and Wideman?

.............................................................................

What if they had brought in a quality hockey person to evaluate the operation when the Pegulas bought the team?

 

[valet]

I found this instruction manual

Spoiler: How To Be A Sabres Fan

View attachment 276333

this is what I've been saying since day 1!

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

My two biggest are always what if McKee or one of the other d-men didn't get hurt vs. Carolina and what if Connolly hadn't gotten concussed vs. Ottawa.

Also what if Max buried the breakaway chance in OT of game 5 vs. Carolina

I'm with you on all of those.

 

[threeVo]

The end all be all for me was not getting Sid in 2005. WE likely win 2 cups in the next 5 years and never have to endure this stretch we are in. Marek Zagrapan was a pretty good consolation prize tho

 

[brian_griffin]

What if Morris Titanic’s NHL career was more successful than the maiden voyage of the White Star Line craft?

 

[Montag DP]

The end all be all for me was not getting Sid in 2005. WE likely win 2 cups in the next 5 years and never have to endure this stretch we are in. Marek Zagrapan was a pretty good consolation prize tho

We still would have had an owner who didn't want to spend money, though.

 

[Zip15]

What if they hadn't traded with the Caps to make sure they didn't take Housley (they didn't want him) and instead did it to make sure they got Scott Stevens?

What if the Knoxes had told Bowman to stop yo-yo'ing himself behind the bench and stick to GMing?

What if Horton had ridden the team bus back to Buffalo instead of driving his signing bonus GT after another night out with the lads?

What if they took Bossy instead of Seiling?

What if Brad May hadn't blown out his knee at the Nats camp in 1991?

What if Tim Rigas had been prompt in the communication with Darcy Regier about Mike Peca's contract negotiations and didn't drag it out, alienating Peca and ultimately leading to Dom putting a metaphorical gun to the organizations head to leave after they didn't either sign Peca or deal him for immediate help?

What if they had been good at scouting for the last 20 years?

What if they had been good at development in the AHL for the last 20 years?

What if they had signed both Paetsch and Wideman?

.............................................................................

What if they had brought in a quality hockey person to evaluate the operation when the Pegulas bought the team?

What if, when trading Dan Paille, Darcy Regier hadn't preferred a 3rd and conditional 4th to a young Brad Marchand?

 

[dortt]

We still would have had an owner who didn't want to spend money, though.

Golly spent to the cap nearly every year. Saying he didn't want to spend is a total myth.

We didn't sign the captains because we were in total cap prison after going for it in 2006-2007