What would be considered a successful season?

What would you consider a successful season?


  • Total voters
    153
  • Poll closed .

Sabretooth

Registered User
May 14, 2013
3,098
635
Ohio
I wonder how different the poll results would look if this was done prior to July 1st. That's when the season really started. I'd have said make the playoffs then to be successful and that starts with making the right offseason moves to look like a team capable of making the playoffs come october 1st. If we're sitting here now looking at the roster and saying there's no way this team can make the playoffs, it doesn't change where I set the bar of success, it just means the first 3 months of the "season" are already trending towards an unsuccessful result before the games even begin. It's less to do with the performance expectations of the current roster of players, and more to do with failing to assemble a roster of players where an expectation of playoffs would be reasonable.
 

SnuggaRUDE

Registered User
Apr 5, 2013
8,946
6,480
The problem is that Botterill created the problem on 7/1/2018 and he hasn't solved the problem in the 15 months since.

He seems to be planning on waiting for Mitts or Cozens to fill that hole one day. So, we have a roster to start the second straight season without a really good answer at 2C.

It has been the same approach in goal where Hutton and Ullmark weren't great last year and the answer has appeared to be a hope that coaching will change things as he didn't make a personnel move beyond adding Hammond as the 3rd goalie in the organizational depth chart.

Longer term, Botts appears to be hoping that UPL develops into a franchise goalie one day.

So, I get that you want the 2c situation solved. I do too. I can't imagine a way to solve it. Can you?
 

Panthaz89

Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Panthers fan
Dec 24, 2016
13,190
5,710
Buffalo,NY
why are people so damn fixated on the goalies? Do people really think the goaltenders were costing us games when we were watching easily one of the worst team defensive performances of any team in the league and beyond stupid giveaways that were happening even when we were winning? Remember when Bogosian gave the puck to Laine with 7ish seconds left right in front of the goalie only for Hutton to make a point blank save to help us stay alive for an OT victory? Sure Ullmark was bad some nights but Hutton was pretty consistently solid in net. We had a 3 game shutout streak against us so what the heck are the goalies supposed to do when you score 0 goals and get outchanced heavily for the most part later in the season and a lot of these shots were from dangerous areas.
 

Driftwood

Ron Rolston Forever
Mar 21, 2002
463
9
Buffalo
Visit site
Botterill fired before the deadline.
"New GM" hires Eric Tulsky away from Carolina, builds the strongest and largest analytic team in professional sports.
Win the draft lottery.
 

VaporTrail

Registered User
Mar 2, 2011
5,236
1,356
Playoffs or close to the playoffs while continuing to trim the rubbish from off this roster and adding a #2c.
 
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SpinninRodIntoArmpit

Registered User
Apr 8, 2015
199
53
Should be in the run for the last wc spot against Habs/whoever's 4th and 5th in the Metro. For me the season's a success if they make the cut. But honestly, I'm expecting 6th in division.

Also dropping s-ts off the wagon (i.e. getting rid of Sobotka etc.) is what I'm hoping for.
 

Push Dr Tracksuit

Gerstmann 3:16
Jun 9, 2012
13,219
3,293
Finishing the season in a position that I don’t feel so hopeless going into the summer. The bottom of the barrel would feel like a dramatic improvement right now.

Treating them like a real NHL team? When I go to the annual birthday game in late March, the game matters.

If by game 75 I still feel like posting, it was a successful season.
 

sabrebuild

Registered User
Apr 21, 2014
10,517
2,770
Pittsburgh
Success would be competent coaching and roster management all year long. No dumb dumb trades without a plan to replace holes, no playing garbage vets if not necessary.

Not a great start to see Sobotka in the lineup.
 

Man of Principles

The Krueger Effect
Nov 30, 2011
2,277
383
The league has gotten so much more talented. We may have our Briere and our Drury (I'm referring to Eichel and Reinhart in terms of importance to the team). Dahlin is going to be insane and there are some good defensive pieces around him. With that said, there's a lot left to be desired.

I'm going to predict that our eventual disappointment is going to be attributed to everything we thought it would. There is still a lack of depth on the wings, and they don't really have a clear cut 2C. They decided to hold on to the same bottom 6 forward garbage that should have been gone yesterday.

I went with high 80s-low 90s and miss the playoffs. There will be improvement, but some critical games will be lost.
 

jputt99

Registered User
Nov 24, 2016
173
68
Charlotte NC
Competing for a playoff spot right up to the end of the season is my choice .
If they can earn right around 90 points , they will be in the mix . I think everyone should realize the overall skill on this team is still lacking compared to Tampa Bay , Boston and Toronto . That means they have to compete for a wild card spot . It's been tough the last 3+ years and what I want to see is progression from our young players . Hopefully , Ralph will instill the stability and growth that we've been looking for .
 

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