as much as i hate the bruins, this is pretty amazing
- gerbe42

I watched that game tonight. Dude didnt quit on that play. And NJ just isnt much of a team without a lights out goalie in net.

"I don't know if I can judge a player on points," Murray said, seemingly in all seriousness, before saying, "We don't score in this organization."

His humor was very much appreciated.

http://www.democratandchr...ing-best-lineup/18835427/

If anyone doesn't think Murray isn't eying that 1st or 2nd pick this year just needs to see this quote from the D&C initially regarding the Amerks inability to score but as you can see he expanded it out to include the whole organization.

"I don't know if I can judge a player on points," Murray said, seemingly in all seriousness, before saying, "We don't score in this organization."

His humor was very much appreciated.

http://www.democratandchr...ing-best-lineup/18835427/

If anyone doesn't think Murray isn't eying that 1st or 2nd pick this year just needs to see this quote from the D&C initially regarding the Amerks inability to score but as you can see he expanded it out to include the whole organization.
- GilPerreault11

I dont like hearing that rochester is playing pretty much as bad as the sabres

"I don't know if I can judge a player on points," Murray said, seemingly in all seriousness, before saying, "We don't score in this organization."

His humor was very much appreciated.

http://www.democratandchr...ing-best-lineup/18835427/

If anyone doesn't think Murray isn't eying that 1st or 2nd pick this year just needs to see this quote from the D&C initially regarding the Amerks inability to score but as you can see he expanded it out to include the whole organization.
- GilPerreault11

I knew we would be way worse then last year .




he went billy bean and researched all the high end free agents and studied what ones would make us worse

Anybody else notice that while only having 4 points, carrier has the best plus minus on the team by a mile? Despite the recent losses there's no denying the talent they have in Rochester. They'll pick themselves back up, the Sabres are a different story.

The bottom line is this. There are plenty of teams, such as Pittsburgh, Chicago, and even LA, that employed the "tank" method properly. There are also teams such as the Islanders and Edmonton that didn't. There's enough of an example of what and what not to do. If the Sabres screw it up, it's their own damn fault.
- buffalofan19

no

the pens had 5 lottery picks in a row. and still had a lottery finish (staal) with Crosby and malkin in the lineup. didn't make the playoffs for another full year after the last lottery pick. and then didn't win the cup for another 2 beyond that.
by your 'success vs failure' logic, the oilers don't have to make the playoffs till next year, and essentially have just under 4 full seasons to win it all.
and are still one lottery pick shy of the pens 5. and didn't get a Crosby or even a malkin with our picks.
got hall tho



the kings had missed the playoffs for 4 straight years when Lombardi took over. and still had 3 more bottom feeder finishes with him. and he blew the hickey lottery pick, then got doughty and schenn with 2 more lottery picks. he didn't make the big move for Richards and then carter for almost 5 years after he took over. and lets not forget hitting the jackpot with quick.
by this 'failure vs success' logic, mact still gets two lottery picks and 3 more offseasons before he has to pull the trigger on a massive deal. and 5 more years to win a cup.

from 98-2008 the hawks were consistently way back in the pack minus a first round exit in 02. talon got 2 lottery picks as soon as he took over and still missed the playoffs for another year after that.
had the luxury of stars signing with a big market (Campbell, hossa, even kopecky was a solid signing) etc etc. and lets not forget getting keith in the second round before the lottery picks.. so again; by this logic, mact still gets another lottery finish and 2 more seasons to make the playoffs.

there was some ugly times for all of these teams for long stretches. a ton of luck was involved and the ability to sign free agents went a long way to their success.
if u think its just black and white, this is how its done, you're wrong

I personally thing the best thing the sabres got going for them is that zadarov and ristolainen will already be reasonably mature when things are meant to be coming together in about 2 seasons

no

the pens had 5 lottery picks in a row. still had a lottery finish (staal) with Crosby and malkin in the lineup. didn't make the playoffs for another full year after the last lottery pick. and then didn't win the cup for another 2 beyond that.
by your 'success vs failure' logic, the oilers don't have to make the playoffs till next year, and they essential have just under 4 full seasons to win it all.
and still need two more lottery picks to match the pens 5. and didn't get a Crosby or even a malkin with our picks.
got hall tho



the kings had missed the playoffs for 4 straight years when Lombardi took over. and he still had 3 more bottom feeder finishes with him. and blew the hickey lottery pick, then got doughty and schenn with 2 more lottery picks. he didn't make the big move for Richards and then carter for almost 5 years after he took over. and lets not forget hitting the jackpot with quick.
by this 'failure vs success' logic, mact still gets two lottery picks and 3 more offseasons before he has to pull the trigger on a massive deal. and 5 more years to win a cup.

from 98-2008 the hawks were consistently way back in the pack minus a first round exit in 02. talon got 2 lottery picks as soon as he took over and still missed the playoffs for another year after that.
had the luxury of stars signing with a big market (Campbell, hossa, even kopecky was a solid signing) etc etc. and lets not forget getting keith in the second round before the lottery picks.. so again; by this logic, mact still gets another lottery finish and 2 more seasons to make the playoffs.

there was some ugly times for all of these teams for long stretches. a ton of luck was involved and the ability to sign free agents went a long way to their success.
if u think its just black and white, this is how its done, you're wrong
- hugefemale dog77

http://youtu.be/80YFtnTBApU

no

the pens had 5 lottery picks in a row. still had a lottery finish (staal) with Crosby and malkin in the lineup. didn't make the playoffs for another full year after the last lottery pick. and then didn't win the cup for another 2 beyond that.
by your 'success vs failure' logic, the oilers don't have to make the playoffs till next year, and they essential have just under 4 full seasons to win it all.
and still need two more lottery picks to match the pens 5. and didn't get a Crosby or even a malkin with our picks.
got hall tho



the kings had missed the playoffs for 4 straight years when Lombardi took over. and he still had 3 more bottom feeder finishes with him. and blew the hickey lottery pick, then got doughty and schenn with 2 more lottery picks. he didn't make the big move for Richards and then carter for almost 5 years after he took over. and lets not forget hitting the jackpot with quick.
by this 'failure vs success' logic, mact still gets two lottery picks and 3 more offseasons before he has to pull the trigger on a massive deal. and 5 more years to win a cup.

from 98-2008 the hawks were consistently way back in the pack minus a first round exit in 02. talon got 2 lottery picks as soon as he took over and still missed the playoffs for another year after that.
had the luxury of stars signing with a big market (Campbell, hossa, even kopecky was a solid signing) etc etc. and lets not forget getting keith in the second round before the lottery picks.. so again; by this logic, mact still gets another lottery finish and 2 more seasons to make the playoffs.

there was some ugly times for all of these teams for long stretches. a ton of luck was involved and the ability to sign free agents went a long way to their success.
if u think its just black and white, this is how its done, you're wrong
- hugefemale dog77

Well reasoned and well supported with specific details. Punctuation and capitalization need work. And points off because the essay was due last Friday. B-

http://youtu.be/80YFtnTBApU
- Orphen22

its what I do.
suck the fun out of myths with the facts.

its a thankless job, but someones gotta do it

Well reasoned and well supported with specific details. Punctuation and capitalization need work. And points off because the essay was due last Friday. B-
- Der Kaiser

This is literally verbatim what my history professor said. Me and my effing grammar issues

She gave me a B+ though cause i kiss her azz...

Amerks lost 5 straight. I give up.

no

the pens had 5 lottery picks in a row. and still had a lottery finish (staal) with Crosby and malkin in the lineup. didn't make the playoffs for another full year after the last lottery pick. and then didn't win the cup for another 2 beyond that.
by your 'success vs failure' logic, the oilers don't have to make the playoffs till next year, and essentially have just under 4 full seasons to win it all.
and are still one lottery pick shy of the pens 5. and didn't get a Crosby or even a malkin with our picks.
got hall tho



the kings had missed the playoffs for 4 straight years when Lombardi took over. and still had 3 more bottom feeder finishes with him. and he blew the hickey lottery pick, then got doughty and schenn with 2 more lottery picks. he didn't make the big move for Richards and then carter for almost 5 years after he took over. and lets not forget hitting the jackpot with quick.
by this 'failure vs success' logic, mact still gets two lottery picks and 3 more offseasons before he has to pull the trigger on a massive deal. and 5 more years to win a cup.

from 98-2008 the hawks were consistently way back in the pack minus a first round exit in 02. talon got 2 lottery picks as soon as he took over and still missed the playoffs for another year after that.
had the luxury of stars signing with a big market (Campbell, hossa, even kopecky was a solid signing) etc etc. and lets not forget getting keith in the second round before the lottery picks.. so again; by this logic, mact still gets another lottery finish and 2 more seasons to make the playoffs.

there was some ugly times for all of these teams for long stretches. a ton of luck was involved and the ability to sign free agents went a long way to their success.
if u think its just black and white, this is how its done, you're wrong
- hugefemale dog77

Edmonton has picked in the top ten 7 of the past 8 years.

Buffalo has 12 top ten picks in their entire history. They haven't been this bad since they drafted Shawn Anderson and Pierre Turgeon #5 and #1 almost 30 years ago.

This is also their worst stretch in team history by far. Missed the playoffs 6 of their 1st 31 years. Have/will miss the playoffs 9 of the past 13.

I dont like hearing that rochester is playing pretty much as bad as the sabres
- seedy

They're not though.

Buffalo: 20 goals for, 54 goals against in 16 games
Rochester: 38 goals for, 39 goals against in 13 games

Goaltending has fallen apart for Rochester right now (19 goals allowed in the last 5 games)

no

the pens had 5 lottery picks in a row. and still had a lottery finish (staal) with Crosby and malkin in the lineup. didn't make the playoffs for another full year after the last lottery pick. and then didn't win the cup for another 2 beyond that.
by your 'success vs failure' logic, the oilers don't have to make the playoffs till next year, and essentially have just under 4 full seasons to win it all.
and are still one lottery pick shy of the pens 5. and didn't get a Crosby or even a malkin with our picks.
got hall tho



the kings had missed the playoffs for 4 straight years when Lombardi took over. and still had 3 more bottom feeder finishes with him. and he blew the hickey lottery pick, then got doughty and schenn with 2 more lottery picks. he didn't make the big move for Richards and then carter for almost 5 years after he took over. and lets not forget hitting the jackpot with quick.
by this 'failure vs success' logic, mact still gets two lottery picks and 3 more offseasons before he has to pull the trigger on a massive deal. and 5 more years to win a cup.

from 98-2008 the hawks were consistently way back in the pack minus a first round exit in 02. talon got 2 lottery picks as soon as he took over and still missed the playoffs for another year after that.
had the luxury of stars signing with a big market (Campbell, hossa, even kopecky was a solid signing) etc etc. and lets not forget getting keith in the second round before the lottery picks.. so again; by this logic, mact still gets another lottery finish and 2 more seasons to make the playoffs.

there was some ugly times for all of these teams for long stretches. a ton of luck was involved and the ability to sign free agents went a long way to their success.
if u think its just black and white, this is how its done, you're wrong
- hugefemale dog77

Nobody expects Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel to take this team to the playoffs next year. They will most likely get another very high pick next year as well. Among Reinhart, McEichelfin (I'm still not ruling out something stupid happening where the Sabres miss out on both), and whoever the 2016 lottery pick is, they will have quite a few potential marquee players to build around. It's the "build around" part they have to get right, something Edmonton and the Islanders have not done.

its what I do.
suck the fun out of myths with the facts.

its a thankless job, but someones gotta do it
- hugefemale dog77

Pittsburgh's last non playoff team didn't have Malkin on it as it was 05/06.

They drafted Staal #2.

Malkin and Staal were both rookies in 06/07 when they had a 1st rd exit.

So they did not in fact have a lottery pick with both Crosby and Malkin on the team.

Nobody expects Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel to take this team to the playoffs next year. They will most likely get another very high pick next year as well. Among Reinhart, McEichelfin (I'm still not ruling out something stupid happening where the Sabres miss out on both), and whoever the 2016 lottery pick is, they will have quite a few potential marquee players to build around. It's the "build around" part they have to get right, something Edmonton and the Islanders have not done.
- buffalofan19

The Sabres have depth at nearly all positions currently. It's the difference between them and all the other organizations that have gone through this. It's not a knock against those teams. They just didn't hit on their 2nd and 3rd rd picks.

The Sabres have depth at nearly all positions currently. It's the difference between them and all the other organizations that have gone through this. It's not a knock against those teams. They just didn't hit on their 2nd and 3rd rd picks.
- dadeadhead

They do, but just about every one of those "depth" players have yet to prove they can play at this level. I'm confident they'll be okay, but they haven't shown it yet.

They do, but just about every one of those "depth" players have yet to prove they can play at this level. I'm confident they'll be okay, but they haven't shown it yet.
- buffalofan19

Agreed but it is something that was lacking in many of those other organizations.


Hell from 93-01 Pittsburgh didn't hit on a single 1st-4th rounder with the exception of Ryan Malone in 99, Brooks Orpik in 00, and to an extent Colby Armstrong in 01. That's 3 hits on 37 picks. I'm not counting Richard Park or Rozsival as they didn't do much for or get Pittsburgh anything when they left. Park got them Roman Oksiuta who never played for them and Rozsival left as a UFA.


That's part of what put them in that 5 yr in a row with a top 5 pick.


Edit: you could add 91 and 92 in there adding 8 more picks as Naslund and Straka were given away.

Agreed but it is something that was lacking in many of those other organizations.


Hell from 93-01 Pittsburgh didn't hit on a single 1st-4th rounder with the exception of Ryan Malone in 99, Brooks Orpik in 00, and to an extent Colby Armstrong in 01. That's 3 hits on 37 picks. I'm not counting Richard Park or Rozsival as they didn't do much for or get Pittsburgh anything when they left. Park got them Roman Oksiuta who never played for them and Rozsival left as a UFA.


That's part of what put them in that 5 yr in a row with a top 5 pick.
- dadeadhead

Someone's on top of their game early this morning

Someone's on top of their game early this morning
- HonkFortheGoose

Hey just saying Pittsburgh had a bad decade of drafting which put them in the position they were in from 02-06. You need depth organizationally in order to succeed.

This is the 1st tear down rebuild for this team really since it came into the league. They've always rebuilt on the fly which is why they've only had 12 top 10 picks in team history. 8 of which were top 5 picks. Only 3 have been a 1 or 2 pick. The rest were 5-10.

Hey just saying Pittsburgh had a bad decade of drafting which put them in the position they were in from 02-06. You need depth organizationally in order to succeed.

This is the 1st tear down rebuild for this team really since it came into the league. They've always rebuilt on the fly which is why they've only had 12 top 10 picks in team history. 8 of which were top 5 picks.
- dadeadhead

I was impressed. But I agree. For the most part, the Sabres have generally done well as far as depth goes within the organization. It's part of why they haven't had high picks for most of their existence. But being in the middle of the pack all the time isn't really the best either.

As terrible as they are to watch right now, I'm excited to see how things actually turn out when all is said and done. It's the only reason I'm still watching and paying any attention at all at this point.

Well, that and I'm a hockey addict.

Hey just saying Pittsburgh had a bad decade of drafting which put them in the position they were in from 02-06. You need depth organizationally in order to succeed.

This is the 1st tear down rebuild for this team really since it came into the league. They've always rebuilt on the fly which is why they've only had 12 top 10 picks in team history. 8 of which were top 5 picks. Only 3 have been a 1 or 2 pick. The rest were 5-10.
- dadeadhead

I never understood the "Shero is a genius" movement. He drafted Crosby. Any idiot could do that.

Can anyone tell me what else he did?

I was impressed. But I agree. For the most part, the Sabres have generally done well as far as depth goes within the organization. It's part of why they haven't had high picks for most of their existence. But being in the middle of the pack all the time isn't really the best either.

As terrible as they are to watch right now, I'm excited to see how things actually turn out when all is said and done. It's the only reason I'm still watching and paying any attention at all at this point.

Well, that and I'm a hockey addict.
- HonkFortheGoose

The same thing happened to Chicago over the same time frame too. They hit on a few more players but from the time they went to the finals in 91/92 through 01 they missed more than they should have in rds 1-4.


Also it's early but if you look at 05-11 there is a lot left to be desired.

06, 07, 08 yes they got Toews and Kane but Ben Smith (6th rd) is the only one to become a regular. 12 NHL games played between the other 20 drafted players.

I never understood the "Shero is a genius" movement. He drafted Crosby. Any idiot could do that.

Can anyone tell me what else he did?
- ImThatGuy

He drafted Staal.

Craig Patrick drafted Crosby.