First off, I have been quiet because I truly needed to see how things evolved over the last week. Too much noise. I had a commitment to myself to take it all in. The Sabres faithful community provide a lot of scenarios and we are all passionate about our team. The bottom line, as I said before, is there are a lot of ways to skin the proverbial buffalo. I truly understand that there is disappointment in my role to keep up with the chatter, but I am the eternal optimist when it comes to our club. Deep within all of you the spirit of our city exists. We all express ourselves in different ways, and this platform in the modern world excels that hunger. I am aware of the content in my past blogs, and I am conscious of being defined as a hypocrite. Sometimes in the moment, our desire to achieve above the rest of the league takes over, and we grasp at hypothetical schemes for the proverbial fix. The big picture however, is that the powers in charge are there for a reason. I am not pulling the trigger, and neither are you. As this sport evolves with the existing collective bargaining agreement, we all need to adapt to different philosophies. Shorter contracts, aging players, hometown discounts, favorable destinations. General Managers who drink the cool aid and hurt futures for an immediate fix walk a tightrope. Sometimes it works, and most of the time it fails. It is called building for a reason. We apparently have somebody who doesn’t cave under the pressure from the outside. He understands the ever-developing nuances of the formula for sustained prosperity.
I was happy with the way Adams dealt with the draft and am impressed with our first three picks. Just like many of you notwithstanding, I was miffed by the fact that there was no action. I wanted more. I was perplexed because I thought the inactivity was negligent. Benson was a catch and puts our prospect pool to another level. Unfortunately, trepidation leads to unnecessary speculation. I am guilty of the lack of patience it takes to make the movie, and am critical of the first roll out of the plot. This was me before July 1st –
Complacency creates fan base turmoil, but Adams has proved to be the Julie McCoy of this ship. When the love boat seems to have problems, there are active solutions. It always seems to be solved until the next episode. We all have to step back and breathe in the smoke from Canada. We do not have control. Kevyn and his crew didn’t tackle free agency like drunken sailors.
They didn’t spend Friday evening with Isaac Washington, like some of our teams up north and around the league did. Adams was true to his word and he provided immediate help without sacrificing the future. The three-year deal for Clifton filled the need we have all been clamoring for, and it seemed to be from left field. It simply wasn’t. It was a target. Veteran leadership from Erik Johnson for a one-year stint was a calculated move as well. Granato and his string puller are on the same page. They are working in conjunction with each other. It is a plan that I do not think by any means is finished this summer. The signing of Tokarski and Cooley on the other hand was a curve ball. Comrie on waivers? UPL traded with a piece from our newly overcrowded blueline? Olofsson?, Bryson?, Jokiharju?, Lyubushkin? It will all shake out. They can’t all pull on the sweater, there is not enough room.
Back to the Achilles heel…
I am going to back off our management team. Fiscal responsibility and long-term success looks like to be a steadfast mantra. They also seem to believe in formulating a squad that seriously competes in the Eastern Conference for a playoff spot this year. I am just going to have faith that they are not the ones holding us back. Gopher and Krueger might have tripped over the anchor and it deployed, but I can hear the chain ratcheting it up from the bottom.
So unfortunate to hear about the setback for Jack Quinn with his ruptured tendon. Not sure if the Jost inking was predicated because of this injury, but it is calamitous that we don’t get to see our 2020 first round pick lace them up at camp. Hopefully upon recovery, he immediately continues his upward trend to becoming a solid component to the core group.
Still hope something comes to existence up front with a proven game changer from the outside, but it is yet to be seen. A guy like Toffoli might have been nice. I have also reiterated that I would like to see one of our prospects get a shot, beyond the void of number 22 until late in the year. Pieces have to be moved in order for that to happen, but all of the rhetoric in regards to possible targets for our defensive core never manifested. It makes me believe that anything can come into being with Captain Merrill Stubing Pegula trusting his staff. The internet and all of the babble about who we needed never came to fruition, but what we got projects to be a good fit without sacrificing our draft picks. It goes to show you anything can transpire, and the organization keeps things close to the vest. We do know that they are trying, and that they deserve the benefit of the doubt.
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