What’s Going on with Buffalo?

[BayStreetBully]

Eichel in his 4th year and may still not know what playoff hockey feels like. Crazy that if Buffalo misses the playoffs this year, they will basically have gone this entire decade without the playoffs. Last time in 2011.

For all this talk of McDavid getting sick of losing and possibly wanting out, Eichel must be feeling it too.

 

[Thorton02]

Overachieved for a bit, built a cushion in the playoff race and then the GM sat on his hands and watched the team burn down.

Also the Ryan O'Reilly trade might be the worst move of the last 10 years.

This sums up the season. Botts showing patience with Rochester was one thing when this team was winning. Why we have Connor Sheary & Frank Sobotka up here while Nylander and Goalofson are in Rochester makes no sense. Those changes should have been made 10 or 15 games ago.

Unless Botts thinks he can win the draft again, but that's no way to run an organization.

 

[Captain Mountain]

They were pretty clearly out-resulting their performance.

They're better than they were in years past, but they still lack depth and have holes at important positions.

 

[Falco Lombardi]

Not to rub salt in the wound, but I think it comes down to the Ryan O'Reilly trade and the guy who was supposed to replace him.

While everyone else knew it was a horrific move immediately, they felt they could afford to move him because they had Casey Mittlestadt ready to step in. Clearly he's not ready.

They should have either kept O'Reilly, gotten a quality return back, or at the very least made sure his replacement was ready. None of that happened so they are where they are: slightly improved thanks to a career year from Jeff Skinner but otherwise, in the same spot.

 

[Mickey Marner]

They seem to have performed about as well as a roster like that should be expected to perform. The issue is people on HF like to extrapolate tiny sample sizes into infinity, then throw their hands up in confusion when that's not how it plays out.

 

[AveryStar4Eva]

They are still a young team learning how to win in this league. Their biggest mistake was trading O’Rielly, but seems like he wanted out so there isn’t much you can do there. Besides that they’ve made big steps forwards. Last year they only won 25 games. This year they are at 28 wins with 23 more games to play. They should be easily on track for 35 wins which is a huge increase.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

However you slice it not winning consecutive games in 2 months is terrible.

It's not a very good team.

You can win 10 games in a row and be mediocre. As proven by the 16/17 Flyers who missed the playoffs. As proven by last years Avalanche who could've just as easily missed if the Blues didn't choke against the Hawks or won the last game of the season.

 

[sessiroth]

They need a better 2nd line.

Ryan O'Reilly would be a great fit right now down the middle

 

[ffh]

Ryan O'Reilly would be a great fit right now down the middle

its moves like that that separate good teams from also rans. literally sent the franchise back years. as bad as Chiarelli trade for reinheart. franchise killing

 

[Club]

Same thing. Different year.

 

[FamilyGuy716]

Same thing that happened to the Avs. They are overly reliant on one line. They lack scoring depth, and Hutton has reverted to what he previously was. They currently have 1 of the key 3 pieces they need, which is a franchise center. Dahlin is likely to be that anchoring franchise number 1 d, he just isn't there yet (no 18-year-old D-men are). They lack a clear #1 in net. They need Skinner or Reinhart to constantly drive a 2nd offensive unit.

Dahlin and Eichel will make solving this problem significantly easier, but they don't automatically solve everything. Losing ROR for what they got in return is a setback, as he would have helped reduce the offensive load. They've also misused cap space on guys like Okposo.

This is 100% correct.

 

[Dbrownss]

Sabres were in fantastic shape till December 15th, the day Berglund was suspended.
Botterill never replaced him and banked n Mittelstadt who was a year and half out of high school into
the 2C (maybe 2/3C) slot exclusively. Mittelstadt has really come on lately but he was overmatched the
first 4 months. Really looking forward to watch him out of the gate next year. Dahlin as well of course.

The Sabres are desperate for a 2/3C to replace Sobotka who has one goal in something like 33 games.
Patience seems to be the key with the 3 first round picks and some potential UFA signings available.

People keep saying "next year" with the Sabres but you can really see it lining up.

Losing Berglund is what did it, huh? Is this sarcasm?

I just think there's something strange that 3, 4 or the major stories about people's mental health in the NHL (Berglund, Ryan O'Reilly, Okoposo, Lehner) have all been coming out of Buffalo. Now, it could be that it's just there's good reporting going on around there. But it doesn't irk anyone that all these players are coming out of the same place? That just strikes me as odd.

what the heck are you talking about? O'Rielly didnt have metal issues, he just admitted to losing all the time f***ing ducks, Okposo had concussion problems, Lehner was an Alcoholic....and Bergy wasnt happy about leaving Stl. I dont see how this is a Buffalo thing

 

[PB37]

There's still a lot to like with Buffalo. They have a really great young core to build their team around, especially on D.

Biggest weakness as an outsider looking in is their goaltending.

 

[Tatre]

Great that some people with an outside perspective are offering reassurances for the future. It sucks when management does the same thing year after year with little in the way of results.

 

[sabremike]

Interesting how the perception of this team around the league is stuck in November and has yet to catch up with the reality of us being every bit as big a train wreck as the Oilers today.

 

[Voight]

They had a month where literally everyone hyped them up just because they won a bunch of OT games... now they are right where they should be.

If Housleys bad, I wonder who GM Jack hires next?

 

[Pens x]

Has anyone in the Buffalo media asked Botterill why the eff he made that ROR deal????

Housley gets way too much blame when you have that schmuck Botts. I hope the Gm shouldered most of the blame for this season.

 

[Yatzhee]

They over achieved.

They achieved what they achieved. Over achieved isn't a thing, and in the Sabres case, they earned those victories early in the season, they aren't working like they did then now to earn them.

They are exactly where almost every analyst pegged them, improved with more work on the roster to do and very little veteran leadership. Go back to late September's TSN on them.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

They are still a young team learning how to win in this league. Their biggest mistake was trading O’Rielly, but seems like he wanted out so there isn’t much you can do there. Besides that they’ve made big steps forwards. Last year they only won 25 games. This year they are at 28 wins with 23 more games to play. They should be easily on track for 35 wins which is a huge increase.

The "Young team excuse needs to die it's bullshit, Eichel is in his 4th year, it's time to do something, it's time to get better, it's time to show progress, and no finishing with 80 points is not progress they have done that before

 

[sabremike]

 

[Quiet Jack]

I just think there's something strange that 3, 4 or the major stories about people's mental health in the NHL (Berglund, Ryan O'Reilly, Okoposo, Lehner) have all been coming out of Buffalo. Now, it could be that it's just there's good reporting going on around there. But it doesn't irk anyone that all these players are coming out of the same place? That just strikes me as odd.

seriously?

 

[PlamsUnlimited]

No depth. Rely on 3 players. Doing stupid things. Same old.

 

[Tatre]

View attachment 189315

Credit?

 

[sabremike]

Credit?

If you were the one who came up with that:

 

[Yatzhee]

The "Young team excuse needs to die it's bull****, Eichel is in his 4th year, it's time to do something, it's time to get better, it's time to show progress, and no finishing with 80 points is not progress they have done that before

Well, this is one opinion, but not the opinion of every hockey guru out there.