TBN: Yet again, Sabres just leave you scratching your head

[Buffaloed]

Column: Yet again, Sabres just leave you scratching your head
Harrington goes on quite a rant. It's all inclusive. This is just a tiny excerpt.

* I don't get how Jake McCabe can say one problem with this club is the big bad media. We've seen this kind of collapse before. So how, I asked, does this team snap out of yet another rut?

McCabe: "To be honest, tune you guys out. Tune the negativity out. We've got a lot of good guys in here, a group that's really focused. Just tune the negativity out. Just focus on the positive. Focus on the small picture."

Ooooooook.

* I don't get how McCabe or anyone else didn't hear all those boos at the end of the second period -- after the Habs outshot Buffalo, 14-3. Didn't hear any boos in the press box.

* I don't get how the Sabres are so fragile that they can fall apart when they give up a couple goals like they did early in the second period.

"That hit us hard, the 1-2 punch in the second period," Krueger said. "All of us felt that, the whole building did."

Toughen up, buttercups.

* I don't get how nobody will admit to the big picture. You know, the one that has them 10 points out of the playoffs and looking about 98 percent certain to miss the postseason for the ninth straight year.

The gloves are off. Good work Jake. I'm sure Ralph appreciates it.

Click to read more...

 

[Sabre the Win]

A lot of his rants I think are misguided. I am not in the boat with him and a few other posters driving the trade Reinhart posts.

Honestly, who are they going to get better than Reinhart for Reinhart?

Trading Reinhart is just like trading ROR for scraps all over again. Some posters get couple new faces for them to only be hated a few months later because the team is swiming the same circles and it now takes 2 guys to fill the hole of one guy.

Knock it off with the trade Reinhart.
It's a bad idea.

Asides from that, Harrington is defeated like the rest of us but this post seems rushed and misplaced with random thoughts jumping everywhere.

 

[Hasek]

I am one of those hoping for a Reinhart trade because it would be insane not to. Keepin the same core and expecting different results is insanity.

 

[RazielMoshman]

A lot of his rants I think are misguided. I am not in the boat with him and a few other posters driving the trade Reinhart posts.

Honestly, who are they going to get better than Reinhart for Reinhart?

Trading Reinhart is just like trading ROR for scraps all over again. Some posters get couple new faces for them to only be hated a few months later because the team is swiming the same circles and it now takes 2 guys to fill the hole of one guy.

Knock it off with the trade Reinhart.
It's a bad idea.

Asides from that, Harrington is defeated like the rest of us but this post seems rushed and misplaced with random thoughts jumping everywhere.

While I think we should trade him if the right offer comes up I have no reason to believe that Botts is the person to do that. My biggest problem is that he's stuck on wing, I don't think RK has tried him once at C, has he? I don't get a chance to watch every game so please correct me. Just once I want to see Skinner-Reinhart-Johannsen (sp?). Eichel could probably make it work with anyone.

 

[HaNotsri]

I am one of those hoping for a Reinhart trade because it would be insane not to. Keepin the same core and expecting different results is insanity.

Not when the core is young and developing. A GM that actually tries to fix the problems with the roster would be better. We have more than a whole line of complete trash and one top 9 c. Just swapping parts on a flawed roster won't save us.

 

[5 Minute Major]

I am one of those hoping for a Reinhart trade because it would be insane not to. Keepin the same core and expecting different results is insanity.

Exactly.

Look no farther than the Bills when Beane and McDermott came in. What did they do? They traded away talented players they felt they couldn’t move forward as a franchise with.

Whether they keep or trade anyone is a moot point until they get someone that knows what the hell they are doing at the helm making the calls.

However, no player is bigger than the team. Especially Sam freaking Reinhart.

 

[Aladyyn]

Exactly.

Look no farther than the Bills when Beane and McDermott came in. What did they do? They traded away talented players they felt they couldn’t move forward as a franchise with.

Whether they keep or trade anyone is a moot point until they get someone that knows what the hell they are doing at the helm making the calls.

However, no player is bigger than the team. Especially Sam freaking Reinhart.

Worked out so well the last time we traded one of our best players for no reason!

 

[SackTastic]

Not when the core is young and developing. A GM that actually tries to fix the problems with the roster would be better. We have more than a whole line of complete trash and one top 9 c. Just swapping parts on a flawed roster won't save us.

Reinhart is in his 6th NHL season. He'll cross the 400 game mark this season.

At some point you are what you are.

 

[SackTastic]

It's downright impressive that the Sabres have managed to taken the massive passion that Sabres fans have and convert it to pure apathy.

 

[Zip15]

Worked out so well the last time Botts traded one of our top forwards. But, hey, since the Botts set the bar at “setting the organization back 5 years,” Botts MIGHT be able to clear it this time around.

 

[MeenOlViks]

 

[5 Minute Major]

Worked out so well the last time we traded one of our best players for no reason!

Sam Reinhart is no Ryan O'Reilly.

 

[5 Minute Major]

Worked out so well the last time we traded one of our best players for no reason!

I'm glad you left out the part of my post that stated it doesn't matter until we get someone in running the team that knows what the hell they are doing.

I've seen teams trade players better than Sam Reinhart and end up just fine.

 

[sabremike]

The misspelled name puts it over the top.

 

[sabremike]

I'm glad you left out the part of my post that stted it doesn't matter until we get someone in running the team that knows what the hell they are doing.

I've seen teams trade players better than Sam Reinhart and end up just fine.

Mike Milbury traded guys as good or better than Sam on a routine basis. That sure worked out well. Only really stupid organizations trade a top 6 player when they only have 3 legit ones in their entire organization.

 

[kirby11]

...we literally JUST went through this with RoR. We need to get more good players, not jettison the few that are currently on the roster.

Still, I'm fully expecting a Reinhart trade that returns, at best, 2 3rd liners and a mediocre prospect.

 

[Jim Bob]

I am one of those hoping for a Reinhart trade because it would be insane not to. Keepin the same core and expecting different results is insanity.

That was the logic that led to the ROR trade.

People said that the Sabres lost with ROR, so why not trade him.

Only trade Reinhart if they get an offer that makes the team better. Don't trade him to "change the culture" or "shake up the core".

 

[Jim Bob]

Reinhart is in his 6th NHL season. He'll cross the 400 game mark this season.

At some point you are what you are.

Yeah and Reinhart is as much of the problem here as Eichel is.

Right now, guys like Skinner, Okposo, Johansson, ERod, Thompson, Middlestadt, Risto, Miller, Montour, McCabe, and Hutton are the non-UFAs-to-be to look at moving before you get to guys that should be the ones you are building around, including Reinhart.

If Edmonton wants to trade LD for Reinhart, then sure. But short of a no brainer deal for a 2C, there is no way that Reinhart should get traded.

 

[Artemis Clyde Frog]

I'd like to keep Renhart but only if he signs for 6-7. Already have a few horrible contracts with Skinner leading the pack.

Put Skinner with Eichel for at least 10 games and see what happens, plz. The fact they even split them blew my mind and the fact they still haven't got a stretch of games together blows it even more. Also skip the 7 D-men and rotating partners.

Chill on the dump and chase. Team isn't even good at it and it feels like they're just giving the puck away 9/10 times.

Other than that the team has looked real slow since the break.

 

[Myllz]

My biggest fear is that Botts trades Reinhart as a last ditch effort to save his job, gets completely wrecked on the value and then ends up fired soon after. I really don't want anyone traded until there's a new GM looking at the roster.

 

[BananaSquad]

I am one of those hoping for a Reinhart trade because it would be insane not to. Keepin the same core and expecting different results is insanity.

100 percent

 

[Gabrielor]

I am one of those hoping for a Reinhart trade because it would be insane not to. Keepin the same core and expecting different results is insanity.

I can take this post, verbatim, replace Reinhart with OReilly, and would be able to find it on a search in April-June, 2018.

Now, almost everyone agrees how big of a mistake that was.

You really want to double down on terrible, franchise crippling decisions? Then go for it. Trade Reinhart, and I’ll see you on 2021, when he’s a key piece to a cup win, while the 2 of the 3 pieces we get from team X have quit hockey, and the 3rd is the 31st pick used on a low-ceiling defensemen.

 

[EmeraldCitySabre]

My biggest fear is that Botts trades Reinhart as a last ditch effort to save his job, gets completely wrecked on the value and then ends up fired soon after. I really don't want anyone traded until there's a new GM looking at the roster.

I agree with this. I don't want Botts making ANY trades, I want him fired ASAP. Bring in a new GM and see if he can do something with the roster. Playoffs are pretty much gone, so no reason to keep Botts around so he can do more damage.

 

[SackTastic]

Yeah and Reinhart is as much of the problem here as Eichel is.

Right now, guys like Skinner, Okposo, Johansson, ERod, Thompson, Middlestadt, Risto, Miller, Montour, McCabe, and Hutton are the non-UFAs-to-be to look at moving before you get to guys that should be the ones you are building around, including Reinhart.

If Edmonton wants to trade LD for Reinhart, then sure. But short of a no brainer deal for a 2C, there is no way that Reinhart should get traded.

I don't think that Reinhart is a huge problem by and large. Certainly not advocating for him to be moved. I do think he's never going to be the mythical 2nd line center that so many assume he will be; never gonna gonna get there by playing 95% of his games on the wing.

They just need to make a choice; if you bridge deal him after this year to "see what might happen", it's going to cost you stupid money to keep him from UFA. If you buy some of his UFA years now, it saves you some cash later, but you better be right. And nothing this current management team has done convinces me that they can make the right decision.

 

[CrazyPsycho]

Still, I'm fully expecting a Reinhart trade that returns, at best, 2 3rd liners and a mediocre prospect.

I mean you obviously move Reinhart for a real return, we arent saying to trade him for the ROR value. This core needs to go.