great post


the revisionist history people use to describe the genius of Lombardi, tallon and shero makes me laugh. all of La, Pittsburgh and Chicago were absolutely brutal for long stretches.
it wasn't even shero that made those picks actually....

winning is the cure all and does tend to give people amnesia I suppose....
- Ihateallofu

As a native Buffalonian, I don't expect to get McDavid. I'll be pleasantly surprised if we do. Most of us from Buffalo have learned not to hope for anything. That way, we don't get disappointed....again. I'm looking forward to having a cohesive team in a few years with several talented players on it.

This is the part I hate

Certainly Shouldn't be questioning the players/coaching integrity. But does management get questioned? Still no I say.

What's the solution here? Overpay for some guy who's not gonna make much difference anyway? Trade a young prospect for help now to get back to middle of the pack?
Uve been there. It didn't work
- Ihateallofu

This is the only solution at this point. That is the scary part. Its the way we got to this point that makes me mad.

When you sign guys like leino its pretty easy to look back and say the free agency route didnt work out. Doesnt mean it couldnt have been done better.

A. He wasn't our best defensemen for pretty much all of last season
B. Our point is that the way he played last year, makes the trade off a wash

He was being wasted here, same with Moulson now

In 2 years, Gorges playing against 2nd tier competition with less minutes will make him much more effective
- sbroads24

Lol he wasn't our best defenseman? You watch the Sabres last season? He was easily our best defensman.

itl get worse. trust me
- Ihateallofu

Hopefully not, this is essentially the third year of the Sabres' "rock bottom" finish. They'll probably be near the bottom next year as well, but hopefully improve from there. They do have young kids that are still learning how to be pros. Hopefully that, along with improved coaching, starts to manifest itself over the next couple of seasons.

Had jury duty last week and come back to this gold..Win or lose ther's always the buzz.

After 16 games i can sadly say this season is worse than expected. Coming into this season i was projecting a (bad) team that would finish around the 4-6 selection in the 2015 draft. No nhl team should give close to 40 shots a game EVER. Even with a mcEichel type player this team still has a LONG road compared to what i imagined.
Thankfully this appears to be the rock bottom of the rebuild..i hope
- yen6d1

If we would finish in the 4-6 range from the bottom. This would be the worst season of sabre hockey I would have had to watch. What's the point in finishing 4th from the bottom? It shows we try harder? And get less of a reward?

Hopefully not, this is essentially the third year of the Sabres' "rock bottom" finish. They'll probably be near the bottom next year as well, but hopefully improve from there. They do have young kids that are still learning how to be pros. Hopefully that, along with improved coaching, starts to manifest itself over the next couple of seasons.
- buffalofan19

Agreed and when youre not even a quarter into the season and you already doubling the second to worse differential team it makes it that much harder
29) Blue Jackets -15
30) Sabres -34

Lol he wasn't our best defenseman? You watch the Sabres last season? He was easily our best defensman.
Gorges playing against 2nd tier competition? The guy was playing with Subban and playing over 22 mins a game.
- Jammerz04

Not really.

It not that we feel sorry. Im just tired of everyone bashing the Sabres for not having any honor. They chose to rebuild. They were not satisfied with average. They tried the trade and FA route and that failed.

So they are now going the route of "Get the best players" and that can only be done by being bad and picking at the top.

The constant "The Sabres are embarrassing the league" is a bit over the top by members of the media to the north. (No offense)
- ImThatGuy

Being labeled a "Tank Team" is part of the rebuild. Particularly when you are projecting to come in dead last and have no qualms about it.
The blog seems to be defensive about this attitude. Its unavoidable.

This is the only solution at this point. That is the scary part. Its the way we got to this point that makes me mad.

When you sign guys like leino its pretty easy to look back and say the free agency route didnt work out. Doesnt mean it couldnt have been done better.
- MCGUIZZY

True, but it's hard to think of a team in the cap era that won without drafted really high. I understand there are exceptions to every rule, but more often than not this is usually how winning teams are built.

Personally I hate the situation and I could not be more upset with this team and how we ended up in this position. I did not sign up for this. There plenty of sabres fans that did not want this to happen. I dont believe this is the best way to go about things. There is absolutely nothing I can do at this point as a fan other than pray that all of our prospects work out because frankly we are F*%*&# if they do not. despite all of the ownership/GM/coaching/personnel changes that have happened over the past few years, I do not have a ton of faith in this organization. That being said I will continue to be as cautiously optomistic as I possibly can while their plan unfolds.
- MCGUIZZY

You are one of the dumbest sabre fans i know. The only way to succeed in this league is with top end talent which you only get high in the draft, which means being bad for a couple years. All the top teams in the league have player that were taken top 5 or 3 in the draft in multiple years. How else do expect the sabres to become a stanely cup favorite. no one is trading a crosby, toews, kopitar, bergeon, or Pietangelo. You have to pick high.

I hate these fans that want us to try to make playoffs. We cant we dont have the talent right now. We picked up the best players we could and it doesnt matter we are a bad team. We need are players to grow and improve and draft high one more year.

Get mcdavid or Eichel please

Being labeled a "Tank Team" is part of the rebuild. Particularly when you are projecting to come in dead last and have no qualms about it.
The blog seems to be defensive about this attitude. Its unavoidable.
- gzatron

I think its more defensive against the fact that "journalists" suddenly are appalled by it, when it's been done by countless other teams in the past.

Being labeled a "Tank Team" is part of the rebuild. Particularly when you are projecting to come in dead last and have no qualms about it.
The blog seems to be defensive about this attitude. Its unavoidable.
- gzatron

Pretty much how I feel. Ever since Darcy Regier's "suffering" quote, the Sabres have been unabashed about "tanking". That attitude is going to rub people the wrong way. The best medicine is to brush it off and move on, something Buffalo doesn't have a history of doing very well when it comes to criticism from the outside.

My identity?? I'm Batman........................ you?
- SABRES 89

You are one of the dumbest sabre fans i know. The only way to succeed in this league is with top end talent which you only get high in the draft, which means being bad for a couple years. All the top teams in the league have player that were taken top 5 or 3 in the draft in multiple years. How else do expect the sabres to become a stanely cup favorite. no one is trading a crosby, toews, kopitar, bergeon, or Pietangelo. You have to pick high.

I hate these fans that want us to try to make playoffs. We cant we dont have the talent right now. We picked up the best players we could and it doesnt matter we are a bad team. We need are players to grow and improve and draft high one more year.

Get mcdavid or Eichel please
- hanleyaj

That's not entirely true. It's not the "only" way to get top end talent, but it's the way that carries the highest likelihood, especially in a market like this.

Not really.
- sbroads24

Yes really. Who was the best, Weber?

You are one of the dumbest sabre fans i know. The only way to succeed in this league is with top end talent which you only get high in the draft, which means being bad for a couple years. All the top teams in the league have player that were taken top 5 or 3 in the draft in multiple years. How else do expect the sabres to become a stanely cup favorite. no one is trading a crosby, toews, kopitar, bergeon, or Pietangelo. You have to pick high.

I hate these fans that want us to try to make playoffs. We cant we dont have the talent right now. We picked up the best players we could and it doesnt matter we are a bad team. We need are players to grow and improve and draft high one more year.

Get mcdavid or Eichel please
- hanleyaj

Wow. There's ways to get your point across without having to calls someone dumb. To be honest, I was going to stop reading your post after that first sentence, and you weren't even saying it to me.

You make some good points, but at the same time it's not as cut and dry or black and white as you're making it out to be. There are other ways to get top talent. It is possible for it to happen via trade or free agency. The likelihood is more slim, but it's not improbable either. Wayne Gretzky was traded, so nothing is impossible.

Yes really. Who was the best, Weber?
- depezpoosie

Myers ended up looking better than Ehrhoff did last year, in large part because Ehrhoff mailed it in.

That's not entirely true. It's not the "only" way to get top end talent, but it's the way that carries the highest likelihood, especially in a market like this.
- buffalofan19

And to further your point. We actually DID try to do it another way....we ended up with Erhoff and Leino to support our "core" who couldn't get the job done.

That's not entirely true. It's not the "only" way to get top end talent, but it's the way that carries the highest likelihood, especially in a market like this.
- buffalofan19

The sabres are not lucky enough to sign St.louis as an undrafted player or shea weber in the second round. It would be nice for that to happen but odds are against us. If it were to happen it would happen with this rebuild. We had the most picks in the top two rounds with this draft and last three then anyone in nhl history. SO we are doing the right thing either way.

If you want to go trade route, usually you trade nhl ready player for young prospects or players that need a change and turn out to be great players. They are good player but never a crosby. Goalies are different story, no one knows how a goalie will develop. A.K.A hasek.

We need mcdavid or Eichel it is are only hope.

I think its more defensive against the fact that "journalists" suddenly are appalled by it, when it's been done by countless other teams in the past.
- seedy

that's my point. Rebuilding isn't just losing. Its knowing you are a joke to the rest of the league and accepting it. After 8 years of being a laughing stock my club still sucks but I cant be defensive... what would I say.

You are one of the dumbest sabre fans i know. The only way to succeed in this league is with top end talent which you only get high in the draft, which means being bad for a couple years. All the top teams in the league have player that were taken top 5 or 3 in the draft in multiple years. How else do expect the sabres to become a stanely cup favorite. no one is trading a crosby, toews, kopitar, bergeon, or Pietangelo. You have to pick high.

I hate these fans that want us to try to make playoffs. We cant we dont have the talent right now. We picked up the best players we could and it doesnt matter we are a bad team. We need are players to grow and improve and draft high one more year.

Get mcdavid or Eichel please
- hanleyaj

What pick did Dallas take Tyler Seguin again. He might be ok

Yes really. Who was the best, Weber?
- depezpoosie

Myers.

Ehrhoff gave up more goals against per 60 minutes, faced lesser competition, had better linemates, more offensive zone starts, less goals etc.

Myers played with two players (Tallinder and Weber) that dragged his numbers down yet still produced 9 goals (in 60 games) and created more offense despite being handicapped with a 41% offensive zone start %

Not really though. We are bad by design. Is there really a difference?
- MCGUIZZY

What could the Sabres have done to not be in this scenario?

The sabres are not lucky enough to sign St.louis as an undrafted player or shea weber in the second round. It would be nice for that to happen but odds are against us. If it were to happen it would happen with this rebuild. We had the most picks in the top two rounds with this draft and last three then anyone in nhl history. SO we are doing the right thing either way.

If you want to go trade route, usually you trade nhl ready player for young prospects or players that need a change and turn out to be great players. They are good player but never a crosby. Goalies are different story, no one knows how a goalie will develop. A.K.A hasek.

We need mcdavid or Eichel it is are only hope.
- hanleyaj

you might want to take down that max Domi thing..

you might want to take down that max Domi thing..
- gerbe75pts

Or just change it to " Sam Gagner will score 70 points" by James Tanner