Everyone got their hopes up when they had a decent western trip.......but they are this bad. With that said, EVERY player on the roster should be up for discussion. Even Gretzky was traded, and JE is not WG. Botteril is doing a good job, his blueprint is working....unfortunately though, it means "in three years...."
- mark19

Better to take time and do things correctly then to rush and screw things up, right?

Everyone got their hopes up when they had a decent western trip.......but they are this bad. With that said, EVERY player on the roster should be up for discussion. Even Gretzky was traded, and JE is not WG. Botteril is doing a good job, his blueprint is working....unfortunately though, it means "in three years...."
- mark19

Ok, but how do we know this though?
We don’t even know what his blueprint is.
Wilson, Nolan, Tennyson, Criscarlo, Pouloiut, etc.
those moves don’t overwhelm me to be sure.
Mittlestadt fell to him.

I want to believe, but it is simply more hope than any evidence so far.

Sabres finished last that year, correct? They were hurdled by The Oil as my fastly fading memory recalls.
That was a weird year with AZ breathing down our neck, and Toews making super plays to win thereby helping the Sabres solidify last, barely.
- IonSabres

After a decent start to that season, the Leafs were tanking like a submarine doing a deep dive to the ocean floor.

After a decent start to that season, the Leafs were tanking like a submarine doing a deep dive to the ocean floor.
- kingcong39

That’s what I remember as well, I didn’t get the inference that we were destined for 30th like it was a nice Coast to the bottom ... it was a nail biter to the end.

Everyone got their hopes up when they had a decent western trip.......but they are this bad. With that said, EVERY player on the roster should be up for discussion. Even Gretzky was traded, and JE is not WG. Botteril is doing a good job, his blueprint is working....unfortunately though, it means "in three years...."
- mark19

Wayne wasn't traded until he started to decline
Eichel is becoming a star.

Jbotts watched Crosby and Malkin
Now eichel and mitts is the plan

Ok, but how do we know this though?
We don’t even know what his blueprint is.
Wilson, Nolan, Tennyson, Criscarlo, Pouloiut, etc.
those moves don’t overwhelm me to be sure.
Mittlestadt fell to him.

I want to believe, but it is simply more hope than any evidence so far.
- IonSabres

Jbotts plan is to finish in the bottom. Ive been saying that all year. Still not seeing it?

Wouldn't he have traded something future to improve, if this year was a winning attempt?

Jbotts plan is to finish in the bottom. Ive been saying that all year. Still not seeing it?

Wouldn't he have traded something future to improve, if this year was a winning attempt?
- Boss34

I get that.
Blueprint?
Suggests rebuilding, havent seen an ounce of it yet, so how do we know what it is, and furthermore if it is working?

Why I loved the Kane trade. Not having him that year while injured and downgrading from Myers to Bogosian got us jack instead of Strome.

Sbroads loves to forget that when he continuously bashes the trade.
- Fattony1187

I didn’t forget at all, it’s an awful point.

You could’ve traded Stafford as a rental, to any team. Traded Myers, and not took on Bogo, and kept the 1st, Armia etc.

We’d still have Eichel, and would be better now and down the road

Great blog Michael

Just my opinion, but the off season and trades by jbotts has worked out perfect.

Sabres are in 2nd last and going to hopefully pick top 5

Rochester has been able to keep the prospects learning and not forced into nhl action chasing 8th place

We can unload the useless fa players and not worry about backlash of chasing 8th.

Imagine if we were in 9th a few points out and we traded instead of adding after 11 years of not advancing
- Boss34

Rochester winning is a good thing, no doubt. Do you really feel good about the prospects there?

Guhle could/should be in Buffalo already.
Ullmark is ready.
Nylander isn't ready, but is still very young for the AHL and his contract will slide again.

Criscoulo, Griffith, and Redmond look like strong AHL players, with no NHL future.

Bailey, Fasching, Baptiste, Nelson, and Smith are all older prospects who haven't made the team yet. They are about to be passed by the next wave. Mittlestadt, Borgen, Asplund, Pu, and Davidson are all better prospects.

Rochester will be good again next season. Guhle, Mittlestadt, and Ullmark will most likely be in Buffalo. They need a few others to take the next step and be a legit top 9F, top 4D. It feels like Asplund is the best bet.

Tim Murray never saw the big picture. He saw guys he liked when he scouted and had to have them.

Hudson Fasching is tearing it up in the NHL, I mean AHL, I mean no he isn’t.

I get that.
Blueprint?
Suggests rebuilding, havent seen an ounce of it yet, so how do we know what it is, and furthermore if it is working?
- IonSabres

I think the blueprint is to win in Rochester and keep the good young talent there.

Rid ourselves of toughness, Foligno and d low. Make it easy to be pushed around and lose.

Not trade anyone to get some how better and lose the top 5 pick

Wait as long as you can to drive up prices before you unload.

Sign mitts, let him play a few games in buffalo then Rochester playoffs.

Sign other college free agents and dangle the nhl and burn a year of ecl to attract them. But first make sure the sabres are locked in at the bottom.

The plan is working.

Don't be surprised if some ufas remain.
What better losing formula, then having guys that already suck, not be traded and be miserable and pack it in.

I didn’t forget at all, it’s an awful point.

You could’ve traded Stafford as a rental, to any team. Traded Myers, and not took on Bogo, and kept the 1st, Armia etc.

We’d still have Eichel, and would be better now and down the road
- sbroads24

Pretty sure Myers would have difficult to move. He wasn't playing well and was making way too much $. Only way was to take a similar player i n the same situation. Poor on ice and making too much.

Myers was good as a rookie, but he fell off big time

Pretty sure Myers would have difficult to move. He wasn't playing well and was making way too much $. Only way was to take a similar player i n the same situation. Poor on ice and making too much.

Myers was good as a rookie, but he fell off big time
- Boss34

Vancouver offered us a 1st and Shinkaruk for him at the ‘14 draft (supposedly) and Murray said no.

And if he was terrible.....how did he effect us getting Eichel then?

The point overall just makes 0 sense, and is a poor excuse for an all time bad trade for a rebuilding team

Pretty sure Myers would have difficult to move. He wasn't playing well and was making way too much $. Only way was to take a similar player i n the same situation. Poor on ice and making too much.

Myers was good as a rookie, but he fell off big time
- Boss34

They had offers coming in for him IIRC. They wouldn't have gotten a guy like kane, but they definitely could've moved both separately

Vancouver offered us a 1st and Shinkaruk for him at the ‘14 draft (supposedly) and Murray said no.

And if he was terrible.....how did he effect us getting Eichel then?

The point overall just makes 0 sense, and is a poor excuse for an all time bad trade for a rebuilding team
- sbroads24

I thought that was 2013 where the canucks offered pick #24?

Rochester winning is a good thing, no doubt. Do you really feel good about the prospects there?

Guhle could/should be in Buffalo already.
Ullmark is ready.
Nylander isn't ready, but is still very young for the AHL and his contract will slide again.

Criscoulo, Griffith, and Redmond look like strong AHL players, with no NHL future.

Bailey, Fasching, Baptiste, Nelson, and Smith are all older prospects who haven't made the team yet. They are about to be passed by the next wave. Mittlestadt, Borgen, Asplund, Pu, and Davidson are all better prospects.

Rochester will be good again next season. Guhle, Mittlestadt, and Ullmark will most likely be in Buffalo. They need a few others to take the next step and be a legit top 9F, top 4D. It feels like Asplund is the best bet.
- Lunaion

I agree, the Bailey, fashing , babtiste all are looking like non nhlers.

Even if ullmark, guhle and mitts play . That's 3 out of 20 guys 15% of the roster right there.

Maybe Nylander or cj smith?
High pick from this year?

Your right though, I'm not sold on the other guys

I thought that was 2013 where the canucks offered pick #24?
- Sabresfan-365

Eh, I thought it was when Murray was here, but I could be wrong.

Maybe it was Detroit in ‘14 offering a 1st

Eh, I thought it was when Murray was here, but I could be wrong.

Maybe it was Detroit in ‘14 offering a 1st
- sbroads24

I know in months leading up to the kane trade Detroit had made a few offers. I dont know if it was this place or the other forum gerbe links when there's trade talks but someone mentioned something around Mantha.


Edit: Oh my i forgot this one too https://broadstreetbuzz.c...an-couturier-tyler-myers/

Tim Murray never saw the big picture. He saw guys he liked when he scouted and had to have them.

Hudson Fasching is tearing it up in the NHL, I mean AHL, I mean no he isn’t.
- sbroads24[/quote

Tmgm just added guys with warts.
Like you said no big picture in mind, just guys he liked over the years.

Just plug in nhl guys. I think he thought we had mcdavid locked in.

On paper he probably thought

Reinhardt eichel Nylander
Kane ror okposo.

1st line drafted
2nd line trade or fa.

Add babtiste and fashing erod for the 3rd line

Vancouver offered us a 1st and Shinkaruk for him at the ‘14 draft (supposedly) and Murray said no.

And if he was terrible.....how did he effect us getting Eichel then?

The point overall just makes 0 sense, and is a poor excuse for an all time bad trade for a rebuilding team
- sbroads24

That's a rumor. Murray didn't want Myers, thats why he traded him . He would have taken that all day long.

Myers definitely helped with securing eichel. He helped us to last, then bogo came in as a closer.

I couldn't agree more though: the trades were premature.
Could have sucked for 1 more year and had a shot picking higher then 8th (nylander)

Eh, I thought it was when Murray was here, but I could be wrong.

Maybe it was Detroit in ‘14 offering a 1st
- sbroads24

Back when Myers looked really good. Few years made for a big difference.

Also he was a regier guy. Darcy gave him the $$$

After a decent start to that season, the Leafs were tanking like a submarine doing a deep dive to the ocean floor.
- kingcong39

They most certainty did. And, if you look at the Leafs 2015-16 season, their transactions match what we did the year previous to get McEichel.

We moved Vanek,. They moved Kessel. We iced a team of scrubs. They iced a team of scrubs. We moved Myers for Kane who could not help us win that season. They moved Phaneuf for guys who could not help them win that season. We moved our UFA goalies (Enroth, Neuvirth) and were immediately called out for tanking. They moved their UFA goalies(Reimer, Bernier) and were called for making smart decisions.

Sabres 2014-15 season = shameless tanking
Leafs 2015-16 season = losing with dignity

They most certainty did. And, if you look at the Leafs 2015-16 season, their transactions match what we did the year previous to get McEichel.

We moved Vanek,. They moved Kessel. We iced a team of scrubs. They iced a team of scrubs. We moved Myers for Kane who could not help us win that season. They moved Phaneuf for guys who could not help them win that season. We moved our UFA goalies (Enroth, Neuvirth) and were immediately called out for tanking. They moved their UFA goalies(Reimer, Bernier) and were called for making smart decisions.

Sabres 2014-15 season = shameless tanking
Leafs 2015-16 season = losing with dignity
- sskkoo1

Meh, who cares.

Leafs were smarter with their rebuild by bringing in a management team 2nd to none.
Sabres brought in two friggin space rangers in Patty Loco and Murray...then left a new GM on his own when Patty walked.
Pegula’s screwed the pooch themselves, and still have not learned by having a proven hockey man at the top. While I like JBotts, He should have to answer to a hockey guy, not a fan-boy owner.
Dumb.

Strome is horrible
- SABRES 89

What ?????????

Meh, who cares.

Leafs were smarter with their rebuild by bringing in a management team 2nd to none.
Sabres brought in two friggin space rangers in Patty Loco and Murray...then left a new GM on his own when Patty walked.
Pegula’s screwed the pooch themselves, and still have not learned by having a proven hockey man at the top. While I like JBotts, He should have to answer to a hockey guy, not a fan-boy owner.
Dumb.
- IonSabres

Toronto is playing on a different playing field.
Most of their management team is Canadian.
And its a huge city, lots to do for the entire family.

Pegula got it right this time , same with the bills.

How would he anticipate la la quitting abruptly?
Then was he supposed to fire Murray?
The tank plan was in place and tpegs was on board.

This tank is looking good. Starting with mitts at pick 8
Compared to busthard at 2 overall.