This franchise is an absolute mess right now

[truthbluth]

To those saying there’s a plan that we can’t see, that’s bullshit. The plan is very clearly to build slowly and from the back out, which is fine, and is what f***ing Murray should done 4 1/2 years ago, but this team will be borderline unwatchable this year unless more is coming. To think otherwise is based on little more than blind faith.

 

[stokes84]

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.

Honestly, I think the plan is pretty obvious to anyone who will take off the blinders. Build around this young core, let the bad contracts expire while we acquire draft picks and young depth, and be set up when Jack/Casey/Dahlin are ready to shine.

It's not an immediate return on investments plan, but it's the right way to do it.

 

[BuffaloGooner]

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

So one side can be super negative and the other side can’t be even the slightest bit positive? Misery loves company boys. Don’t even watch games this year! First team in history to finish 31st TWICE!

 

[HaNotsri]

To those saying there’s a plan that we can’t see, that’s bull****. The plan is very clearly to build slowly and from the back out, which is fine, and is what ****ing Murray should done 4 1/2 years ago, but this team will be borderline unwatchable this year unless more is coming. To think otherwise is based on little more than blind faith.

I'm cool with that but I just want to puke when it comes to free agency+ROR trade. We've been the charity of this league for too long.

 

[haseoke39]

So one side can be super negative and the other side can’t be even the slightest bit positive? Misery loves company boys. Don’t even watch games this year! First team in history to finish 31st TWICE!

Be as positive as you want to. I just won't agree?

 

[The Red Helmet]

So one side can be super negative and the other side can’t be even the slightest bit positive? Misery loves company boys. Don’t even watch games this year! First team in history to finish 31st TWICE!

The team has been horrible for quite awhile now and when you look at the roster, we would have to take some big strides to make the playoffs in 2019-2020. Botterill walked into a bad situation and I understand what he is trying to do, but fans are sick of losing and when the immediate future looks like heavy losing, the fans are going to be upset.

 

[Reddawg]

Us...collectively:

Fans - "Do something!!!"
Team - Does something
Fans - "No! Not that!!! God you're incompetent."

The doom and gloom around here really got old a long time ago. At this point we're the ones making hockey less fun.

 

[haseoke39]

Honestly, I think the plan is pretty obvious to anyone who will take off the blinders. Build around this young core, let the bad contracts expire while we acquire draft picks and young depth, and be set up when Jack/Casey/Dahlin are ready to shine.

It's not an immediate return on investments plan, but it's the right way to do it.

I think you're right about what the plan is. And I think patient is the way to go over acquiring prime aged pieces for sure.

I just think it's going to be a long, painful process, that could've used a shot in the arm in the worst way in terms of at least bringing in a young core player or two for what we're selling off. The fact that we're not going to get that kind of shot means we have to be very, very good drafters, and the fanbase is going to have to be very, very patient.

And there is a non-negligible scenario where the Sabres become a toxic development environment while they wait for their youth movement to take over. We certainly saw the seeds planted last year.

 

[OkimLom]

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?

And if the opposite happens, are you willing to admit ROR was an important part of their success, or will you do you and move the goal posts, while twisting excuses to try and explain why you're not wrong?

The reality of the situation is we don't know how this will impact the team going forward. To have such confidence that this will make the team better makes is laughable. If we were treating ROR like we acted with Carrier, and ROR wasn't our 2nd leading scorer, our best faceoff man by a mile, played the hardest minutes than anybody, then I can see where everyone is wrong in thinking this will hurt the team, but he was, and to act so smug about the move, when we haven't seen any hint of the results of this move, it paints a bad picture of the rest of the pro-trading ROR crowd.

 

[wshahbaz]

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.

No one has the patience to wait around for this plan to "possibly" work

its a huge risk to try and build thru Rochester and the youth. By the time it works we could lose Eichel

 

[HaNotsri]

Us...collectively:

Fans - "Do something!!!"
Team - Does something
Fans - "No! Not that!!! God you're incompetent."

The doom and gloom around here really got old a long time ago. At this point we're the ones making hockey less fun.

It's more like we asked someone to take care of the dog and they go and KILL IT instead of feeding it and taking it for walks.

I think many fans were fine with slow but steady incremental improvement. I wanted better depth around the core a long with the smart moves we've made to fix the D long term.
I'm not very fond of dog meat.

 

[haseoke39]

Us...collectively:

Fans - "Do something!!!"
Team - Does something
Fans - "No! Not that!!! God you're incompetent."

The doom and gloom around here really got old a long time ago. At this point we're the ones making hockey less fun.

I'm quite confident my posts have had no bearing on how fun Sabres games are.

But in all seriousness: this is supposed to be a fun hobby. If my posts make you miserable, block me. If the boards make you miserable, go out on a boat. If the games make you miserable, take a break and climb back on when they get out of the bottom 10. I hope this is a positive community. It's just that for some folks, being honest and critical is how they feel positive about their fandom.

 

[Reddawg]

I'm quite confident my posts have had no bearing on how fun Sabres games are.

But in all seriousness: this is supposed to be a fun hobby. If my posts make you miserable, block me. If the boards make you miserable, go out on a boat. If the games make you miserable, take a break and climb back on when they get out of the bottom 10. I hope this is a positive community. It's just that for some folks, being honest and critical is how they feel positive about their fandom.

Is it all about you now? I didn't quote you or reference you...wasn't even remotely thinking of you when I posted. Just saying that the pulse of our room around here...sucks.

 

[HaNotsri]

I'm quite confident my posts have had no bearing on how fun Sabres games are.

But in all seriousness: this is supposed to be a fun hobby. If my posts make you miserable, block me. If the boards make you miserable, go out on a boat. If the games make you miserable, take a break and climb back on when they get out of the bottom 10. I hope this is a positive community. It's just that for some folks, being honest and critical is how they feel positive about their fandom.

Wrong. The GDT is almost always better than the actual game.

 

[haseoke39]

Is it all about you now? I didn't quote you or reference you...wasn't even remotely thinking of you when I posted. Just saying that the pulse of our room around here...sucks.

Nope, you can ignore anyone else here, too, I just thought I'd offer myself up as an example to make the point without being a dick to some third party.

 

[kirby11]

Honestly, I think the plan is pretty obvious to anyone who will take off the blinders. Build around this young core, let the bad contracts expire while we acquire draft picks and young depth, and be set up when Jack/Casey/Dahlin are ready to shine.

It's not an immediate return on investments plan, but it's the right way to do it.

So by, what, year 6 or 7 of his career, Eichel finally gets a taste of the playoffs?

The issue with Botts resetting the timeline so drastically is that most of the core young pieces on the team have already experienced a ton of losing. If I were them, I wouldn't be super thrilled that the solution seems to be "wait a couple more years for us to be good."

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Botterill needs to dust off Darcy’s old “suffering” speach. At least Darcy was honest and gave his actual thoughts in interviews. Botterill keeps feeding us the same canned, nonsensical sound bites that tell us nothing.

This is going to be such a long rebuild.

 

[Icicle]

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.

Great analogy. Terry has bought into "the process" from the Bills and is happy to have Botterill do the same.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

It feels a lot like setting the clock back to 2014. Except this time instead of Reinhart and dreams they also have Eichel, Middle, Dahlin, and with any luck won't piss away their 3 first rounders this time.

Had Murray kept those extra picks this team would look a lot like it does now except +2 impact players.

 

[Sabre Dance]

We're going to be in trouble until Pegula hires an experienced GM or a top head coach comes in to fix the problem.

 

[Icicle]

So by, what, year 6 or 7 of his career, Eichel finally gets a taste of the playoffs?

The issue with Botts resetting the timeline so drastically is that most of the core young pieces on the team have already experienced a ton of losing. If I were them, I wouldn't be super thrilled that the solution seems to be "wait a couple more years for us to be good."

We just signed/traded for half of Eichel's best friends from home. We just traded away his biggest rival in the locker room for 'leadership' so he can take over with Dahlin. It's actually kind of funny how Eichel tailored every move this year has been. I bet he sure as hell likes that vote of confidence.

 

[haseoke39]

So by, what, year 6 or 7 of his career, Eichel finally gets a taste of the playoffs?

The issue with Botts resetting the timeline so drastically is that most of the core young pieces on the team have already experienced a ton of losing. If I were them, I wouldn't be super thrilled that the solution seems to be "wait a couple more years for us to be good."

To take the other side, this puts the onus on the young core. The third line is going to be NHL quality, at least in the short term with the addition of Berglund and Sobotka. The fourth line is probably going to be NHL quality if they let a real competition happen and aren't afraid to demote someone, given all the depth there. Jack is going to have Sidney Crosby's old winger on one side. Reinhart is going to probably center his own line with competent wingers for once. The goaltending isn't going to blow as many games.

But Jack and Sam also won't be sheltered by ROR. They will have to play 200 feet and take tough matchups. And to the extent that this team finishes in the basement, Jack and Sam are going to have to look in the mirror more. If the top 6 are now the biggest weakness, Jack and Sam can't just point fingers.

 

[stokes84]

So by, what, year 6 or 7 of his career, Eichel finally gets a taste of the playoffs?

The issue with Botts resetting the timeline so drastically is that most of the core young pieces on the team have already experienced a ton of losing. If I were them, I wouldn't be super thrilled that the solution seems to be "wait a couple more years for us to be good."

Because we were going to be a playoff team next year by keeping Ryan O'Reilly?

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

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

Ryan O’Reilly sure would have been nice to add to all this elite youth, instead of the trash our kids pushed out of the lineup.

 

[Jim Bob]

Us...collectively:

Fans - "Do something!!!"
Team - Does something
Fans - "No! Not that!!! God you're incompetent."

The doom and gloom around here really got old a long time ago. At this point we're the ones making hockey less fun.

I don't think fans wanted them to do something, I think fans wanted them to improve the team.

Some people look at the moves and think they got better. Others look at the moves and think that they got worse, at least in the short term.

Time will tell. But, I am expecting a bottom 5 finish this year.