This franchise is an absolute mess right now

[wshahbaz]

No leadership, no clear idea, no plan. Mediocre team and coaching staff. Mediocre front office

And it all starts from the top. Pegula has NO idea how to assemble a successful hockey franchise. The fact he was in charge of hiring our GM and most likely had a hand in hiring coaches is embarrassing. We just traded our 2nd best player for practically nothing, one of the worst Sabres trades of this generation. I do not see this team competing for the next 3 years.

We are ticking time bomb right now until Eichel finally hands in his trade request. It will be the death kiss on the franchise. I have no doubt in my mind it might happen 3 seasons later and we are still a bottom 5 team in the league.

Click to read more...

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Pegula is an absolute disaster. The message coming from management has been inconsistent when it isn’t incoherent.

And now Toronto is adding both DeHaan and Tavares while we tear down again for cultural reasons. What a mess.

 

[wshahbaz]

Pegula is an absolute disaster. The message coming from management has been inconsistent when it isn’t incoherent.

And now Toronto is adding both DeHaan and Tavares while we tear down again for cultural reasons. What a mess.

Yup. I don't see this team realistically competing in the next 3-5 years If I'm being perfectly honest, and that will be majorly due to the ROR trade.

Pegula is doing the exact same thing he did with the Bills. He really needs to piss off and hire some hockey guys to come in. the club is slowly being driven into the ground

 

[Ace]

This is the first time they've had a plan that wasn't "Oh he's available...take anything you want" like Murray did.

I'm so sorry they couldn't keep the last place team and broken core together for you so you could have hope.

 

[CaptPantalones]

This is the first time they've had a plan that wasn't "Oh he's available...take anything you want" like Murray did.

I'm so sorry they couldn't keep the last place team and broken core together for you so you could have hope.

This

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

I'm glad everyone ran Darcy & Lindy out of town.

 

[Ace]

Ryan O'Reilly is the most overrated player I've ever seen. But only right here in this forum. Only here. It's like a f***ing cult that ignores reality. However will they replace his 9 even strength goals and allowing the most lopsided goals scored vs. goals against in the entire league 5 on 5?

Clearly we can't.

Sell the franchise!

 

[The Red Helmet]

I still think Botterill has a chance to turn this around, but more than ever, I want a proven GM and proven coach to take hold of this organization and have some direction. Maybe handing over the total rebuild, restructuring of this organization shouldn't have been given to two GM"s who have never done the job before.

 

[Ace]

I'm looking forward to discovering what the narrative is when the team is better this year.

Will you all come up with one together...or will there be different shots taken at it?

 

[Gabrielor]

I actually think we may win this year, surprisingly, and a lot of it will be due to Dahlin, mittelstadt, and puck luck.

 

[jc17]

Not thrilled with the return on the trade, but this franchise is no more a disaster today than it was yesterday, a year ago, or 5 years ago.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Don’t worry, we’ll be making the playoffs in 5 years. Have some patience!

If you want to win in the near term, you’re being unreasonable. You have to give botterill time to implement his 10 year plan!

 

[Captain Holt]

This franchise is a mess because of Tim Murray.

Tim Murray traded a #1 in a loaded draft for Robin Headcase Lehner
Tim Murray gave away 3 guys and a #1 for Evander Kane and Broke
Tim Murray traded for ROR who is a really good player but just hasn't fit in here for whatever the reason.
Tim Murray drafted Alex Nylander
Tim Murray ignored Rochester
Tim Murray gave away Pysyk for Kulikov.

 

[Dingo44]

When is this thread getting locked?

 

[debaser66]

This is the first time they've had a plan that wasn't "Oh he's available...take anything you want" like Murray did.

I'm so sorry they couldn't keep the last place team and broken core together for you so you could have hope.

It wasn't a last place team even with Bysmalala before they added Housley.
How the team fared last season was in part to the new GMs descicions or is idleness.

Edit:I just dont like the return he got in the ROR deal, we will be better next season, just not because of this deal.

 

[boots electric]

It's like a ****ing cult that ignores reality

lol 1000x

 

[Dirty Dog]

Lol I remember all these posts and stuff about the bills last off-season. Just because you can’t see the plan, doesn’t mean it’s not there. I like their drafting, lack of overpaying for FAs, accumulation of young talent, and addition of leadership this offseason. This is like month 13 or 14 of this regime.

 

[Duddy]

Lol I remember all these posts and stuff about the bills last off-season. Just because you can’t see the plan, doesn’t mean it’s not there. I like their drafting, lack of overpaying for FAs, accumulation of young talent, and addition of leadership this offseason. This is like month 13 or 14 of this regime.

The bills lucked into the playoffs and won't be close this season.
Amazing plan.

 

[Jim Bob]

It will be interesting to look back at some of these takes if Kane and O'Reilly are on winners this season and the Sabres are buried in the basement for the 4th time in 6 years.

 

[Dirty Dog]

The bills lucked into the playoffs and won't be close this season.
Amazing plan.

Think whatever you want, or don’t think!

 

[BuffaloGooner]

It will be interesting to look back at some of these takes if Kane and O'Reilly are on winners this season and the Sabres are buried in the basement for the 4th time in 6 years.

And what will the takes be if the Sabres are in contention for a playoff spot in March?

 

[haseoke39]

Good things in our universe right now:
- Deeper pipeline than a year ago, especially at D.
- Rasmus Dahlin fills the biggest need this core ever posed, in the long term. Has the potential to change the franchise.
- Goaltending improved this weekend.
- Culture?? Might improve??
- A little more bottom 6 depth.

Bad things in our universe right now:
- Top 6 is weaker. The scoring and defensive game that ROR and Kane brought will not be replaced by Casey Mittelstadt and Connor Sheary. Emphatically not in Casey's rookie year.
- Sabres used their best trade piece and their most depended-on forward to basically get a couple more depth forwards and a couple picks. In other words, the odds of bringing in a core piece via trade shot to very, very low.
- Still sitting on cap dumps that won't go away next year. Potentially added to them depending on how Berglund and Sobotka age.
- Sabres still have at best 3 top 4 guys on defense, which could potentially jeopardize Dahlin's development if they put him out there putting out a tire fire all the time.
- Pegula might not have the appetite to waste money on a losing team. I think we should all be optimistic that he will spend to win, but there's a real question about whether he wants to blow money on little things to improve a roster that will still be bad at the end, based on last night.
- Culture?? Might not improve??

This is not the darkest timeline. Not yet. But this is an ambitiously dark timeline, and there's a realistic world where this team doesn't make the playoffs until after Dahlin's ELC is up, because the cavalry right now is basically going to come from within, and they might not arrive soon.

 

[Jim Bob]

And what will the takes be if the Sabres are in contention for a playoff spot in March?

Don't wake me up from this dream.

 

[haseoke39]

And what will the takes be if the Sabres are in contention for a playoff spot in March?

Holy f*** what the f*** is going on I can't believe it this is amazing.

 

[sabrefan27]

They absolutely have a plan, and I’ve listened to most of everything Botterill and Sexton have said since they were hired. They want to build through Rochester and youth. The Amerks are going to have Olofsson, Asplund, Oglevie, Pu, Pilut, O’Regan, Borgen and Hickey on the roster this season and possibly Guhle and Thompson, too. That’s more talent in prospect form than all of Murray’s years put together.

Rochester was a toxic situation in Murray’s years. The team stunk, the players hated it there and they had no talent. Sexton and Botterill managed to turn around that organization in one year. Yes, I had my complaints about certain decisions last year, but overall, what they did there was impressive. Players like it there now. It’s a positive environment now. There’s way more depth and talent. They have a plan, it’s just not quick enough for some.