Time to be Optimistic

Dirty Dog

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Jul 11, 2013
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The doghouse
Our rebuild was a failure. Our high end draft picks from 2012-2016 (Grigorenko, Girgensons, McCabe, Ristolainen, Zadorov, Compher, Reinhart, Guhle, Nylander, and Eichel) and our sleepers from those years (Bailey, Baptiste, Peterson, Possler, Malone, Karabacek, Borgen, and Pu) never delivered. The latest season was four years after this crop of prospects—the time when they should be leading the franchise. Again, it did not happen. The ever-revolving door for the front office and coaches are the likely blame, not the players.

The next batch of youngsters will mostly be here within the next year or so. Our big names: Mitts, Luukkonen, Dahlin, Samuelsson, Johnson, Asplund, Quinn, Peterka, Cozens, and Power) . Our sleepers (laaksonen, Bryson, Pekar, and Portillo). Our picks after Power made one thing clear, the rest of the reinforcements aren’t coming any time soon.

A defensive core of Dahlin and Power along with a forward core of Mitts, Cozens, Quinn IS our next team for the foreseeable future. But there is a reason for optimism!

One: We are not treading out the same crap. It’s something new! Maybe it’ll also be crap, but maybe not. And at the very least, it’ll be new crap! By god hutton won’t be our goalie! We won’t be having Ristolainen debates every GDT. We won’t be bitching why Reinhart isn’t at center. And (sadly) some of you won’t get to complain about Eichel looking like he is sulking. This will be a new team. That’s FUN

Two: we have some decent supporting players. Joker, Oloffson, R2, and whatever Eichel brings back. Hey those are maybe good young players to go along with the core. If the new core works, and these players develop…why can’t it work.

Three: cap space! We are going to have a lot of cap in a flat cap world. Perhaps for once we can find the right vets to overpay on short term deals! Thow in some vets and fix the goaltending. Maybe we get lucky and compete this year

Four: new coach and management. For the first time, we have a coach who doesn’t seem incompetent. Played and developed the young kids. LOL’d at the idea of not playing reinhart at center. And what’s that? A GM who values skill at the draft. A bunch of fast skilled players were drafted…regardless of size and ethnicity. COOL

Five: the main reason to be optimistic…WHY NOT. It’s hockey. It’s a game. We’re fans. It’s so much more fun to be optimistic. This is a new group of players. New GM. New Coach. New season. Give them a shot?

I bet we make the playoffs next year and things change. You’re a goof if you don’t agree. If I’m wrong, that’s okay. I’ll make the same bet next year
 
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elchud

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Nov 1, 2015
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I think you can be realistic. Its clear what direction management is headed. Playoffs are unrealistic but I can easily root for a non playoff roster to win every game they play. Whats the worst case scenario? A team overachieves and makes the playoffs and there is still a boatload of futures coming up?

Isolating a mere fact (the Sabres tanked to get Reinhart&Eichel) independent of every contemptible decision made in the seasons that followed doesn't align with objective reality. Objective reality is the management sucked and the coaching sucked. Tank+awfulmanagement+awfulcoaching does not equal never-tank-again.

We can only hope the team is being run well currently, that we have the correct coaching based on our current roster, and that decision making will go from catastrophic to competent. In this framework, the team is obviously tanking for a 2022 top-3 pick and arguably a top-7 pick in 2023. If we secure those picks, properly develop our current prospects, and have the players buy in to the coaching and direction of the team, things will be fine.

If we are trying to tank yet still make the playoffs that means our current core like Dahlin/Mitts/Ullmark?/etal will be playing at an elite or near elite level. Fantastic. We will still have three 1sts (im sure we will get one in an Eichel trade) next draft and the prospect pipeline is looking good.

You can always be optimistic. It is a matter of free will. Understand the situation and the big picture. Recognize that once Eichel leaves, the best way if not only way to get a top-5 NHL center is in the draft. Do not be despondent, do not despair. If you can't control your feelings and emotions you have bigger issues than how a hockey team is doing.
 
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sabremike

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#SaveUsTage
 

Archie Lee

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I agree that there is reason for optimism.

This will not be a tank. I don't think there will be any roster manipulation that is intended to ensure we lose (ie: goalies who are playing well won't be traded or benched).

The optimist in me sees that there is a plan to do this differently. We are going to stockpile young assets, let them develop and try to make sound judgments on which ones to keep and which ones (at some point) can be moved to fill the inevitable roster holes. That is no guarantee for success, but it seems like a legitimate plan.

The HUGE optimist in me looks at the team that ended last year 9-11-3, and thinks that even with the loss of Reinhart and Risto from that roster, if:

- we add Ullmark and Girgs and maybe McCabe back to the line-up; and
- we add 2-3 other targeted veterans either through the Eichel trade or free agency; and
- 3-4 of our young players (Dahlin, Joker, Mitts, ???) take a significant jump; and
- Granato and his staff prove to be legit

That we can take a jump and be an 85-90 point team. I realize that is too many "ifs" to truly take serious, but I don't think it is outright crazy.

Regardless, the key to this is going to be progression. O'Reilly was brought in and 3 years later he had lost his love of the game. Three years after that, Eichel and Reinhart had both had enough. The current legitimate concern is that 2-3 years from now we are at the same place with Dahlin and Mitts and Cozens. I maintain though, that it was not missing the playoffs specifically that caused O'Reilly, Eichel and Reinhart to want out. Rather, it was the complete lack of on-ice progression in their time here.

The Sabres don't need to make the playoffs this year, or even next. But they need to progress and, at the very least, by the end of 22-23 they have to be knocking on the door.
 
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Chainshot

Give 'em Enough Rope
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Note, I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade about being optimistic about the team. It is only personally that I would be more optimistic that they're going to get moving forward via goaltending (think back to two years ago when a .500 goalie would've put them in playoff contention until the final week of the season).
 

The Blunder Years

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You sir, have just pumped me up. Maybe being a Sabres fan has done this to me but there is nothing I enjoy more about hockey than watching players develop. The constant progression of young talent through different leagues and eventually the pro club.

That is the entertainment I am looking for over the next few years. Watching Dahlin have a shit game then come out the next game with a 3 point night. Seeing Cozens frustrated in a 4-1 game only to light some one up and drop the gloves.

I trust our new management and direction. I never once felt comfortable with Murray, Botts, Bylsma, Housely, or Krueger, even at their highest. Granato, KA, Ventura, and Karmanos are really something different though. Instantly the front office does not make me laugh nervously and expect disastrous moves. We are looking to 1. Develop, 2. Create an identity, and 3. Win.

Let’s all move on from everything OP mentioned and…

trust the process.
 

Ace

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Oct 29, 2015
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The biggest thing they could do to make people optimistic? Fix the goaltending.

yeah…no….for me it’s get a great return for Jack. I don’t care if putting questionable goalies in net hast paid off behind this joke of a roster for years. I’m no less optimistic that one will because it happens everywhere all of the time. I’m more sure what people think will be a good goalie will be bad here until they fix the roster in front of him than the other way around
 
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Chainshot

Give 'em Enough Rope
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yeah…no….for me it’s get a great return for Jack. I don’t care if putting questionable goalies in net hast paid off behind this joke of a roster for years. I’m no less optimistic that one will because it happens everywhere all of the time. I’m more sure what people think will be a good goalie will be bad here until they fix the roster in front of him than the other way around


Goalies who can't see and have vertigo issues are no way to go into a season.
 

gvandeke

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Apr 1, 2015
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I'm looking forward to this next season. Seeing the young guns play some exciting hockey with some big minutes.

Part of me also hopes Eichel connects with Granato and digs the new atmosphere and changes his mind as the season progresses.

I look at Stamkos. He's 31. He didn't win his first cup until 30. Eichel can totally be with this team as they build. He's a franchis center that can insulate Mitts and Cozens.
 

Gabrielor

"Win with us or watch us win." - Rasmus Dahlin
Jun 28, 2011
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Power was the right pick.

Dahlin can still be an impact player, Norris-caliber.

The rest of my optimism rests on the Eichel result.
 

sabremike

Friend To All Giraffes
Aug 30, 2010
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Note, I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade about being optimistic about the team. It is only personally that I would be more optimistic that they're going to get moving forward via goaltending (think back to two years ago when a .500 goalie would've put them in playoff contention until the final week of the season).

WE JUST ACQUIRED DUNCAN!!!!!
 
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The Blunder Years

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Every year there’s a projected bottom feeder that ends up overachieving due to a hot goalie. That’s the easiest 1st move for Adam’s. Get 2 good goalies.
 
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elchud

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Resign Ullmark. Sign a veteran D to eat some minutes and add stability/leadership, like Goligoski. A couple of veteran forwards like Glendening and Bellemare. Other than that you gotta let *some* of the kids play. Every year there will be reinforcements. In 2022 guys like Olofsson or Bryson, who probably aren't part of the long term plan, can be moved to improve draft position. Im excited, but can accept that other people have had enough of this tank business.

Life is short. If the situation is mentally crushing you, cut your losses, moveondotorg.
 

The Red Helmet

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Dec 19, 2007
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Great post and I feel pretty much the same. Adams seems to want to hold use his picks instead of trading them which imo is the right idea. I am suprisingly excited but I bet guys like Tage, Mitts, Asplund and others are more excited. This is a chance for a lot of young guys to prove they can be regular NHLer's, it should be fun to watch.
 

Sabre the Win

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Jun 27, 2013
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I am excited about this rebuild simply for the fact we actually have quality all over the line-up and prospects coming up. When Reinhart and Eichel came into the league for the Sabres we were coming off seasons that has Mezaro's and others in it. We literally had to retool our depth around Reinhart and Eichel plus find quality top 6 players and it was a giant undertaking. Now we have that depth built up a lot more and this team is ready to get a Wright or Bedard to propel it.

We aren't trading out prospects for NHL players like we had to do before after doing the scorched earth rebuild to insulate young Reinhart and Eichel from the AHL talent we put in after getting rid of EVERYONE.

Our drafting has been a lot better compared to what was left of Regiers time, Armia being our top prospect.

We are almost at a new chapter and I am personally excited.
 
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