News Article: What will it take to get Regier fired?

[Sabretip]

Nothing new to most of us but at least another voice beyond the TBN crew that has some undeniable, salient and even comical points - apologies in advance if this only refreshes the frustration most of us feel about the situation:

If I ever have the opportunity to be reincarnated, my preference would be to come back as Sabres general manager Darcy Regier.

Having the safest GM job in the National Hockey League seems as if it would be a pretty cushy gig:

— Being rewarded with a contract extension for failing to meet even modest expectations ... unless making only two playoff appearances in six years could be seen as acceptable — assuming this campaign plays out as it appears it will — in a league where 16 of 30 teams (over half) make the post-season .

— Lame excuses galore, starting with the always-popular “limited financial resources,†a crutch that disappeared the moment billionaire Terry Pegula bought the team. So, last year it was injuries. And this disastrous season, first it was coach Lindy Ruff, summarily fired to protect Regier’s position, and now, according to some reports, media negativity gets the blame.

Regier’s hope, seemingly, is that rather than answering for his previous dubious decisions, if he declares this a lost (read: rebuilding, though he won’t use that word) season, he can hold off the critics by selling the Sabres as a team in transition.

Basically, he’s saying, “This season is gone ... and don’t expect much next year, we’re a team in flux.â€

All the while the rest of the league is laughing at the Sabres whose limitless resources have been so poorly utilized a GM of unsubstantiated credentials.

FULL DISCLOSURE, I don’t blame Pegula, a friend of mine for over 30 years, dating back to his days in Olean.

I fully understand the impact of going from being a Sabres’ fans, to one of the country’s richest men, to buying the team that you’ve loved all of your life, to being the boss of men (Regier and Ruff) whom he had idolized over the years.

But the reality is, the Sabres have been worse in Pegula’s two full seasons as owner, than they were in the disorganized tenures of the Rigas family and Tom Golisano.

And an inking as to why Pegula, uncomfortable in press conference settings, is so defensive of his general manager is that he’s insulated by an inner circle of advisers with Penguins’ pedigrees, who incomprehensibly feel that Regier is a “hockey genius.â€

http://www.oleantimesherald.com/sports/article_4ee783de-a04c-11e2-8edd-0019bb2963f4.html

The Regier bashings have been present before but it's become more grim now that, just 2 years after riding into town like a breath of fresh air and bringing renewed hope, the Pegula/Black regime appears to be adopting a misguided / convoluted / self-serving mindset on the status of their situation that is becoming as infuriating to listen to as it was under the Golisano/Quinn regime.

Click to read more...

 

[Sabretip]

I know many are tired of Bucky's rants - for various reasons, the primary of which is that he keeps emphasizing the negative state of affairs now with the organization but I'm still glad he's not resigned himself to complacent acceptance of what's happening - and this column had some well-written commentary IMO:

Ted Black can talk all he wants about the Sabres being better off now than when Terry Pegula bought the franchise. He might be kidding himself, but he’s not fooling anybody here. The Sabres are spending more, winning less, going in the wrong direction and refusing to make the necessary changes at the top. For him to pass the season off as improvement insults the intelligence of the people who have spent good money on a lousy product. The Sabres are a day closer to winning the Stanley Cup the way people are a day closer to death. Progress can be found at the construction site across the street from First Niagara Center. What you’ve watched all season inside the arena is actually destruction.

You can see where the Sabres are going. They have lowered their standards, which makes it easier to sell progress next season and beyond. Regier will likely stick around. Ron Rolston has a reputation for being a good teacher, which will likely be enough to stay and oversee the development of a young team. They’ll buy more time.

http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130412/SPORTS/130419715

 

[Mit Yarrum]

I kind of hate myself for typing this, but I think I want to see what Darcy can do with a full rebuild, unlimited funds, a ton of draft picks, and the current crop of young guys he's assembled.

 

[aceface33]

This guy makes some good points but it reads like a message board rant. Yeah the main purpose of the Leopold, Rheger, and Pominville trades were for Regier to "buy time" and escape personal criticism. Ok.

 

[couture23]

I kind of hate myself for typing this, but I think I want to see what Darcy can do with a full rebuild, unlimited funds, a ton of draft picks, and the current crop of young guys he's assembled.

This guy.

Hell, I kinda like Darcy.

 

[Beerz]

"Ted Black can talk all he wants about the Sabres being better off now than when Terry Pegula bought the franchise."

This seems to be the battle cry for the feeble minded idiots at TBN now.


They just harp and harp on this statement from Black.

Why is it so hard for them to understand that..in the 2 plus years Pegula has been here they've come to the realization that this core is not right for winning the Stanley Cup... they made a go at it..and have quickly turned the ship around to head in a new direction.

 

[Mit Yarrum]

Who can we bring in who will do better than Darcy? I'd rather not take the chance, but I admit I'm not up to date with the up-and-coming candidates.

 

[Royisgone]

I kind of hate myself for typing this, but I think I want to see what Darcy can do with a full rebuild, unlimited funds, a ton of draft picks, and the current crop of young guys he's assembled.

I've seen enough of what Darcy can--or more to the point, can't--do.

His time was up a while ago, just like Lindy's.

As long as he is retained, it will be the same old same old.

Watch.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Ask any of those "writers", and most any poster around here to come up with a better plan with specific details of specific personnel moves and you'll get a great big laugh. Remember Bucky's "GM for a day" articles??? They were a friggin' joke. The above snippets do what they all do - minimize the good, exaggerate the bad, and claim the answers are just SO obvious.

The answers aren't obvious in a sport with 18 yr old draftees and guaranteed contracts that suck the motivation out of proven players. People can call for a GM's job every day, but they should be willing to post non-video game personnel moves and stand behind them when they fail or are proven to be terrible ideas.

 

[tsujimoto74]

I kind of hate myself for typing this, but I think I want to see what Darcy can do with a full rebuild, unlimited funds, a ton of draft picks, and the current crop of young guys he's assembled.

I kind of agree. He's did a real good job getting max value out of Pominville and Gaustad, and to a lesser extent Regehr and Leo to kick start the rebuild. We have 8 top 60 picks in the next 2 drafts. If he can hit on them at an above league average rate, we'll be in great shape for the future.

 

[sabrefan27]

Only in Buffalo will you find people defending the deadbeat GM after years of failure.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Only in Buffalo will you find people defending the deadbeat GM after years of failure.

Peanut gallery commentary.

 

[beerme1]

Only in Buffalo will you find people defending the deadbeat GM after years of failure.

Not all of us. But it is rather amusing that the Darcy supporters or Pegula apologists label us as peanut gallery types while we rant about this crap. All the while becoming the Buffalo Bills of the NHL.
That said the answer to the question on Darcy is after missing the playoffs again next year.

 

[stokes84]

The media holds the opinion that this mess is completely on Darcy, but it's pretty obvious he was just following a directive from the top that led to this mess. Three year plan. We have no idea how Darcy felt about this plan before embarking on this course. Who knows, maybe he wanted to blow it up before t-pegs got here. We just have no idea how the conversations went that led to this situation, so it's really impossible to blame him for it from the outside. And if you do, you are simply being emotional and not actually thinking it through.

 

[Karate Johnson*]

Darcy isn't a good team builder. That doesn't mean he's ignorant or not good at other things. He should be a member of the front office, but report to a GM tasked with assembling the roster.

 

[SoFFacet]

I just don't know what specific recent moves anyone can point to that were so bad.

Gaustad = 1st
Kassian = Hodgson
Roy = Ott
Pominville = Larsson Hackett 1st 2nd
Regehr = 2nd 2nd
Leopold = 2nd
Ehrhoff @ 4M/y
Drafts Armia, Grigs, Girgs

The only ones that really stick out as bad are Leino and maybe Boyes.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Not all of us. But it is rather amusing that the Darcy supporters or Pegula apologists label us as peanut gallery types while we rant about this crap. All the while becoming the Buffalo Bills of the NHL.
That said the answer to the question on Darcy is after missing the playoffs again next year.

It's "peanut gallery commentary" because it's exactly what you said - a rant. A rant that offers no specific alternative, no specific moves, no specific reasons why it's the GM's fault.

It's real easy to say, "No Cup = fire everybody". It's hard to say what changes would actually work AND be able to actually back up those claims.

 

[start winnin]

I just don't know what specific recent moves anyone can point to that were so bad.

Gaustad = 1st
Kassian = Hodgson
Roy = Ott
Pominville = Larsson Hackett 1st 2nd
Regehr = 2nd 2nd
Leopold = 2nd
Ehrhoff @ 4M/y
Drafts Armia, Grigs, Girgs

The only ones that really stick out as bad are Leino and maybe Boyes.

He gets good value in trades for sure, but he hasn't shown he can build a competitive roster in today's NHL.

 

[Dutchess]

While I understand the logic for wanting to keep Darcy -- he's very good with trades, he's getting a chance to scrap it all and start over -- how can anyone possible want to keep a guy who's made two playoff appearances in six years?

I'd be okay with it either way; I definitely see both sides of the fence.

 

[Beerz]

He gets good value in trades for sure, but he hasn't shown he can build a competitive roster in today's NHL.

But he did build one.

Only to have it torn down by Ownership.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Every GM gets to re-build a franchise 5 times without winning anything.

 

[aceface33]

Only in Buffalo will you find people defending the deadbeat GM after years of failure.

More like in Buffalo we respect well thought out analysis instead of ranting and conspiracy theories.

 

[Karate Johnson*]

I just don't know what specific recent moves anyone can point to that were so bad.

Gaustad = 1st
Kassian = Hodgson
Roy = Ott
Pominville = Larsson Hackett 1st 2nd
Regehr = 2nd 2nd
Leopold = 2nd
Ehrhoff @ 4M/y
Drafts Armia, Grigs, Girgs

The only ones that really stick out as bad are Leino and maybe Boyes.

"Moves" don't make you a good GM. They make you good at negotiated trades, and drafting (although his drafting is overrated)

Each trade or pick, in a vacuum, can be good. That doesn't mean he's succeeding at his job as GM.... "moves" are just part of the job description.

 

[Karate Johnson*]

While I understand the logic for wanting to keep Darcy -- he's very good with trades, he's getting a chance to scrap it all and start over -- how can anyone possible want to keep a guy who's made two playoff appearances in six years?

I'd be okay with it either way; I definitely see both sides of the fence.

If he cans Rolston and brings in a coach from outside the organization I'm willing to give him one more chance

If he takes the stupid and lazy route and just retains Rolston I will be livid

 

[HockeyH3aven]

I think Darcy is a very good GM. He built a power-house out of nothing after the last lockout, only to have to dismantled by the pencil pushers.

Still, he was given a chance and his attempt at re-tooling the team has flopped and that's definitely on him. His ability to make very good trades still gives me some hope, so I'm willing to let him work his way through this re-build and see where it takes us.

I will be very disappointed if he doesn't go outside of the organization for a coach next year.