Post-Game Talk (GBU): When does the sun come out again?

[GrierIsGod123]

My view:

Did we play poorly? Yes, of course. But I think we also have to give massive credit to Vegas too. They looked like the team that went to the Cup finals last night. We don't have the speed to keep up with them, nor the relentless work ethic.

This is what happens when you rely on youth. You get games like that. We've also legit won 2 games and have had Hutton steal us one. These things will happen with a young team early in a season. It doesn't mean the tank failed. It doesn't mean we're going to continue to suck. It simply means we're not there yet, and if anyone expected otherwise then I really don't know what to say.

If Jack/Sam/winger don't carry our offense, then it's on Skinner to do so -- and his line (with Mitts and Okposo) were easily the best of the night and were slightly unlucky not to pot one or two.

But our team as presently constituted and coached just can't compete with Vegas when they're firing.........or any top team.

I thought Skinner had a bad night. He played carelessly throughout the night, but I do give him credit for trying to make plays. More than you can say for a lot of these schmucks.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

I chose a great season to become a fan and cheer for Buffalo.

Especially since my former team Ottawa, who I had enough of, is setting villages on fire both left and right.

 

[SabresSharks]

You would have a point if we actually were the better team in any of our wins, two of which came against the worst teams in the entire league. This team isn't "young", it's slow and terrible. Watch a game with any halfway decent team, then watch us. We look like a team skating and speed wise from the 1970's. If you want a "young" team look at Ottawa, a team that right now looks very respectable despite an off season that was the most embarrassing and spectacular tire fires in league history. If they can improve, if Montreal, Carolina, Jersey and even the Islanders can improve then why the heck am I asking for a miracle to see improvement? I'll get people to attack me for being negative but I was at least optimistic going into this season that for my birthday in November I am taking an 8 hour bus ride each way from Manhattan to Buffalo for the game vs. Tampa with the expectation that this team would be fun. Now I am almost dreading the thought of us getting boatraced in front of a half empty KBA while the only people who stay are doing so to boo the team off the ice. Closer to home I will be at the Garden on November 4th, and again the thought of being there in my Perrault jersey getting laughed at by mutants in the blue seats just brings me total sadness. I just want some progress this season, and I'm not even getting that.

This post genuinely made me sad. There are no guarantees in life, nor in sports, but you deserve better, Mike. We all deserve better.

The multi-gazillionaire owner with big dreams gave us hope. Since then ...

After Lindy, head coaching has been a revolving door of inferiority. The latest GM is green, and it shows. Our franchise center and captain doesn't appear to be the player or leader we had expected. Other high picks are inconsistent or have regressed. Most of us are concerned how this mess will affect our new generational defenseman. Every year October optimism yields to November despair and resignation. 7+ years of new ownership and there is still no stability at the GM and head coaching positions, and the Sabres have missed the playoffs every full year since changing hands.

I've got no answers here, guys. Talk me off the ledge, please.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

Trade Risto, Scandella, Reinhart and get younger, faster A(A-) prospects back, for a quick re-tool over 2 years.

Also aquire two stay at home defencemen (usually really cheap these days), to guide our young defencemen the coming 2-3 years.

Robert Hagg in Philly for instance. Then go after Stralman HARD this off-season, as Tampa can't afford to give him a new contract.

Swedish Army, assemble!

 

[brian_griffin]

did you mean "mule"?

Ahh yes, mule not donkey. I feel like a jackass. Pun intended


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Separate but related, someone needs to take a blown-up image of an opened multi-tool Swiss army knife and photoshop onto the various tools images of Dahlin, Nylander, Oloffson, Asplund, Pilut, etc., Make Larsson the gadget no one ever really needs or uses.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Trade Risto, Scandella, Reinhart and get younger, faster A(A-) prospects back, for a quick re-tool over 2 years.

Also aquire two stay at home defencemen (usually really cheap these days), to guide our young defencemen the coming 2-3 years.

Robert Hagg in Philly for instance. Then go after Stralman HARD this off-season, as Tampa can't afford to give him a new contract.

Swedish Army, assemble!

This is basically what Botts is already doing. Risto and Reinhart were on the table for a trade this past offseason but no one was offering enough, according to off-season reporting.

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

This is basically what Botts is already doing. Risto and Reinhart were on the table for a trade this past offseason but no one was offering enough, according to off-season reporting.

I've meant to ask you this for a minute, but where were the Risto reports? I remember him as "on the block" per Tradecentre, but never saw so much as a tweet.

 

[wnysupport]

U: I was there, and it looked worse than was on TV

G: T-Mobile Arena is awesome. The presentation that the Knights put on is amazing. I have partial seasons and I've never been as entertained as I was in T-Mobile....sure most of the fans have no clue about hockey, but the atmosphere made it a memorable night.

 

[Prospero]

Trade Risto, Scandella, Reinhart and get younger, faster A(A-) prospects back, for a quick re-tool over 2 years.

Also aquire two stay at home defencemen (usually really cheap these days), to guide our young defencemen the coming 2-3 years.

Robert Hagg in Philly for instance. Then go after Stralman HARD this off-season, as Tampa can't afford to give him a new contract.

Swedish Army, assemble!

Would you take the good Nylander (William) for Risto?

 

[sabremike]

Would you take the good Nylander (William) for Risto?

*insert gif of Daniel Bryan doing the Yes chant*

 

[Dreakon13]

I've got no answers here, guys. Talk me off the ledge, please.

I've tried, believe me I've tried. I've tried reasoning with it, tried ignoring it, tried getting angry at it... but people here have some strange form of Stockholm syndrome developing with the ledge. They'd sooner invite you up to the big party on the ledge and explain to you why jumping is the only realistic option, rather than talk you off.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

Would you take the good Nylander (William) for Risto?

Without a doubt, value wise, but Buffalo needs a defenceman who is really good defensively.

 

[OkimLom]

I've tried, believe me I've tried. I've tried reasoning with it, tried ignoring it, tried getting angry at it... but people here have some strange form of Stockholm syndrome developing with the ledge. They'd sooner invite you up to the big party on the ledge and explain to you why jumping is the only realistic option, rather than talk you off.

Not really. We're more like the people warning you to be careful and that there's a chance you can fall off the ledge because we've seen it multiple times.

The more optimistic people like yourself, are those that say they will hold onto you while you look over the ledge while you look down, but you need to experience it, because of the rush of facing your fears.

 

[GameMisconduct]

At this point, though the valence and focus of my outlook on the team has shifted since the offseason (trying to be somewhat optimistic to trying not to get too discouraged) I still think it comes back to the same point I kept getting stuck on then.

You can tweak the roster or even make a major move (we've tried both!) but until you improve the coaching and management, none of it is going to matter that much. We've picked up some undeniably talented pieces, but throughout the last ~4 years, none of them have really been consistently deployed in an ideal position to facilitate their development. We need our players to develop and some of this performance is undeniably on them, but we do very little to help offset their limitations or foster their growth in the way they are used. We're essentially depending on them to overcome their own limits and transcend bad coaching.

Fire Housley. I would argue this should be done sooner rather than later. Bylsma was a coach who made bad decisions. There is precious little evidence that Housley is even competent and at this point their is enough of a basis to reasonably conclude he's unlikely to ever be. Though an in-season firing means there will be a shallower pool of replacement candidates, I think eliminating the continual direct and collateral damage from his ongoing decisions and stewardship is an overriding priority. Bring in a president of hockey ops now (preferable) or in the offseason to shepherd Botts and the new coaching staff and to evaluate the GM.