Player Discussion Worst Sabre 2010-2020 - Nominations (Deadline february 28th)

[JLewyB]

Oh. Derrick Grant who had a season worth of games at the start of his career with no goals including 40 with the Sabres. And yet Tim Murray threw a fit when he was picked up off of waivers by Nashville. He’s carving out an ok career now. But the no goals thing was confounding. Both becaUse he had so many chances to score and so many chances in terms of games played

 

[enthusiast]

For all of Tim Murray's screwups and mouth diarrhea, he got this team ROR and made no fuss about tanking for McDavid. For that alone, I don't think he belongs on this list

well, I think that’s why he’s the most emblematic. The franchise before, during, and after him did big things right but failed to follow through once the plate was set

 

[SabresFan26]

Kim/Terry Pegula?

 

[HaNotsri]

That's just flatout wrong.

I'm open to the possibility of being wrong but didn't GMTM count on him as a weapon from the blueline and at least solid top 4 d performance?
I vaguely remember a quote from him about a certain play where Kulikov scored and GMTM went "that's what I envisioned when I traded for him'"

 

[brian_griffin]

First team:

Leino/Berglund/Moulson, Gorges/Bogosian, Hutton

The force of painful memories are strong with this one...

I'll need to rethink Gorges, but the rest are excellent nominations.

Matt Ellis had some of the worst offensive skills I've ever seen for an NHL regular. I get that he had "intangibles", but watching him with the puck on his stick was painful.

I'll go with him or Leino. Honorable mentions to Franson, Cal O'Reilly, and Carlo Colaiacovo.

I'd be willing to bet the Sabres record with Ellis in the lineup isn't as bad as you think it is. Nearly 300 games in BUF, ~40 points. He wasn't paid to score. I can think of several Sabres with far more talent who tried one-tenth as hard as Matt Ellis, and I have no particular fondness for Ellis, per se.

 

[OkimLom]

I'm open to the possibility of being wrong but didn't GMTM count on him as a weapon from the blueline and at least solid top 4 d performance?
I vaguely remember a quote from him about a certain play where Kulikov scored and GMTM went "that's what I envisioned when I traded for him'"

He saw him as being a weapon for the defense, much like Botts thought with Montour. But Murray did not focus his roster build around anything to do with Kulikov.

 

[BFLO]

If skinner continues on his Leino like trajectory he'll be the worst player of 2010-2020 and 2020-2030 as he bridges both decades. His cap hit is literally double Leino's and the contract is 2 years longer.

 

[OkimLom]

With the amount of people saying Leino, I was beginning to think this was a question of the "worst investment vs return contract" for the timeline and not worst Sabres player. Leino, despite what he represented at the time, was a middle of the road player here at worst.

I understand people have an unhealthy obsession with their emotions and sports, but if you think Leino was the worst player during that time, then you are ignoring the absolute garbage that played here during the tank years, and the years that led the team to begin the rebuild in the first place.

 

[Daz28]

If skinner continues on his Leino like trajectory he'll be the worst player of 2010-2020 and 2020-2030 as he bridges both decades. His cap hit is literally double Leino's and the contract is 2 years longer.

This is what I came to say. I can't even imagine the type of miscalculation it would take for Skinner not to already have 2021-203o wrapped up already. Taylor Hall maybe??

 

[Ralonzo]

Better off calling it the Ville Leino award and giving it to the runner-up.

 

[buffalowing88]

The force of painful memories are strong with this one...

I'll need to rethink Gorges, but the rest are excellent nominations.

I'd be willing to bet the Sabres record with Ellis in the lineup isn't as bad as you think it is. Nearly 300 games in BUF, ~40 points. He wasn't paid to score. I can think of several Sabres with far more talent who tried one-tenth as hard as Matt Ellis, and I have no particular fondness for Ellis, per se.

That’s fine but this is an arbitrary thread for the most part. I can honestly say that Matt Ellis, with the puck on his stick, was an automatic wasted possession 95 percent of the time.

The other purposes he filled weren’t great enough to wash that away. He wasn’t as good as our best defensive forwards, he couldn’t fight at all (although he was willing, I’ll give him that), and he had no presence in the offensive zone. His role was to be a high-energy guy, I guess, but all I ever saw were wasted plays. This is the hill im sadly willing to die on with this team.

But I entirely respect your opinion.

 

[Jim Bob]

I watched that movie way too much as a kid.

 

[Bobby Bottle Service]

The fact that the Sabres traded for Vesey twice must be added for consideration.

 

[5 Minute Major]

First team:

Leino/Berglund/Moulson, Gorges/Bogosian, Hutton

Not bad though I give the nod to Lehner in goal.

 

[Zman5778]

First team forwards: Pouliot-Leino-Deslauriers
Defense: Alexander Sulzer-Jaime McBain
Goalie: Matt Hackett

There are soooooo many defenseman who could qualify here.

 

[threeVo]

Goalie

Hackett, Matt

2013–2015

13

1

10

—

2

0

3.71

.871

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

1 Win in 13 Starts (He claims he was rushed back from a ACL injury which I dont doubt)

HM.

Hutton, Carter

2018–2020

81

30

39

—

9

2

3.07

.904

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

He just sucks.

Forward

Sheary, Conor

LW

2018–2020

133

23

30

53

20

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

This bum was supposed to be a goal scorer, but he was next to useless. Leaching points off icetime with Eichel for a bit and otherwise useless.

HM

Whitmore, Derek

LW

2011–2012

2

0

0

0

0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I hated this guy for whatever reason and was shocked he played in the NHL for 2 games. Half the roster must have been out


Defense

Strachan, Tyson

D

2014–2015

46

0

5

5

44

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The definition of trash. Thankfully he only played 46 games but that was 46 too many.

HM

Pardy, Adam

D

2012–2013

17

0

4

4

14

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Montag DP]

With the amount of people saying Leino, I was beginning to think this was a question of the "worst investment vs return contract" for the timeline and not worst Sabres player. Leino, despite what he represented at the time, was a middle of the road player here at worst.

I understand people have an unhealthy obsession with their emotions and sports, but if you think Leino was the worst player during that time, then you are ignoring the absolute garbage that played here during the tank years, and the years that led the team to begin the rebuild in the first place.

Or, you didn't read the OP.

You get to nominate 1 player along with a written motivation. The first of march I will compile all the nominated players and motivations that made the deadline in one huge post along with a poll.

I'm probably too lazy to do a huge ceremony and send a prize to the "winning" player but after the poll is closed we will know who truly is the worst Sabre 2010-2020 and that is reward enough.

Please consider:

• On ice performance
• Off ice performance

Feel free to consider:

• Time spent on the Sabres roster
  
• Intangibles
  
• Cap hit
  
• Critical moments of failure

Poetic descriptions are welcome but if you prefer to just post stats as proof that works as well.

May the sabrest of all the dull sabres win a shoplifted billebeino cap!

 

[OkimLom]

Or, you didn't read the OP.

I did, but again, Leino is not even close to being the worst Sabres player of all time during this stretch. He was a bad part of the team. But nowhere close.

 

[Caroline Says ll]

For me Leino began the misery which I was oblivious would last an entire decade. It was bad but I didn't know the terrible would last so long so it wasn't so suffering to see him.

Players like Benoit, Mezarhos, etc came at a time where we knew we were awful, and we were in full tanking. So it was suffering but I was palpable to it.

A player like Sobotka though... We experienced this dumpster fire between two garbage coaches. A player who put up some of the worst stats and metrics for players with his minutes under Housley. Who then for some reason became anchored to the 2nd line for Krueger in the start of year two. A player that despite both analytics and eye test coming together in a rare blessed union to show arguably the the worse Sabre to ever dress in a prominent role - somehow managed to be penciled in to top lines, the penalty kill and the powerplay via two coaches.

This player was involved in two seasons where the expectations were playoffs. He was the product of one of the most lopsided trades in our history. He epitomizes this organizations utter failure in not only assessing talent to bring in to the organization BUT also the organizations failure to create and role out a lineup with players in proper positions to succeed.

Sobotka to me will remain one of the worst experiences I have ever watched. He had no good element left to his game - his play was detrimental to any measure of success this team could have. Sobotka book ended the terrible decade of Sabres hockey in not only the way he was brought in but also how he played and how he was deployed.

 

[WoahBoy]

In no order I nominate:

A) Christian Ehrhoff
B) Ville Leino
C) Patrik Berglund
D) Zach Bogosian
E) Derek Grant
F) Dmitri Kulikov
G) David Legwand
H) Jordan Nolan
I) Tyson Strachan
J) Matt Tennyson

 

[dortt]

Pegula and it is not even close

Sadly, I called this debacle the day he was introduced as the owner

 

[HaNotsri]

Pegula and it is not even close

Sadly, I called this debacle the day he was introduced as the owner

I'll do one for staff and owners between 2010-2030.

 

[HaNotsri]

Here's my own nominee Zach Bogosian:

We dreamt of Dylan Larkin in exchange for Myers, instead we gave up a big package to get Bogo and Kane in return. As usual cognitive dissonance was our best friend as fans and we prized Bogo as a useful part of the return, to be fair his 21 games for us the season 14/15 was probably his best period as a Sabre.

Then the injuries hit and his level of play dropped. From being a useful physical presence to defensive liability, constantly behind the play and if we somehow recovered the puck you could count on Bogo to throw it away like a handgranade in his own zone. Bogo meant defensive mayhem in the worst possible sense.

This probably wouldn't have been that bad if it wasn't for our GM and coach somehow counting Bogo as an important part of the roster. Not a leading player but someone that was expected to bring something useful to our abysmal defense. Instead Bogo made an effort to be the absolute worst of the craptastic Buffalo defense.

The last year with us he was gifted minutes in what many perceived as an attempt to get him traded, instead he hurt the trade value of other players (Scandella). After being scratched and somehow scoring a goal he had no grace whatsoever and made a snarky comment about "knowing something about how to play in this league."
Once he collected most of his money from us it ended in triumph for Bogosian, a mutual contract termination and deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

His reward for being complete shit for the Sabres ended up being the Stanley Cup. Then he signed with the Leafs.

So, to summarize:

• Started out as part of bad trade
• Injuries
• Hade a pretty high cap hit
• Had a role on the roster that he never could fill
• Took no responsiblity for his shitty performance
  
• Gifted minutes and hurt the value/development of other players
• Collected his money and then got rewarded with the f***ing cup on another team
  
• Signed with the Leafs

It's like having a terrible ex that treated you bad and then somehow gets to live a life that you deserved but never got. I hate Bogo on every level and this makes him the WORST Sabre for me when considering on ice performance, off ice behaviour and what he respresented before and after his time here.

 

[HaNotsri]

Deadline! I'll start compiling the great poll