The wing core is just as bad
- gerbe75pts

yeah so trade the guy that got 25 goals last year


we can replace him with pommer on the top line


dumb a$$

um?
- Sabresfan-365

he is not wrapped right today

I am not going to respond to that cheap shot

antipin had talent and played D

that's like comparing dahlin to cam barker
- homiedclown

I agree. More than anyone else this season, I think Antipin got handled very poorly. I don't think he was ever given a fair chance to show what he's got. I don't blame the guy at all for heading back to Russia. Baptiste would be the #2 guy for not being handled very well by the Sabres.

I agree. More than anyone else this season, I think Antipin got handled very poorly. I don't think he was ever given a fair chance to show what he's got. I don't blame the guy at all for heading back to Russia. Baptiste would be the #2 guy for not being handled very well by the Sabres.
- SabreWest

that's skunk and Antipin who were handled poorly at least to begin the year...

anyone else we can add to this list?

I am not going to respond to that cheap shot

antipin had talent and played D

that's like comparing dahlin to cam barker
- homiedclown

We were the team that scored the fewest goals, and antipin didn't score any goals. Sometimes John Scott scored a goal.

I don't think he was mishandled, I think he just wasn't that good.

We were the team that scored the fewest goals, and antipin didn't score any goals. Sometimes John Scott scored a goal.

I don't think he was mishandled, I think he just wasn't that good.
- jcragcrumple

"he's the wildcard, thinking of him as bottom pair is wrong, he could be a top 4 get for us"

that's skunk and Antipin who were handled poorly at least to begin the year...

anyone else we can add to this list?
- Michael Pachla

Ah yes, I forgot about Skunk being put at centre to start the season. That was a disaster. He probably vaults to the top of the list. My top three for being mishandled:

Skunk
Antipin
Baptiste

Baptiste would play 9 or 10 minutes a night with the likes of Girgs and Jordan Nolan. Really would have liked to see him skating up and down the wing with Jack for 5 or 10 games consistently to see what we have in him. The guy skated with McJesus in Erie so that says something to me.

in that scenario a trade of ror or risto is what's left when it comes to players...

it will be interesting to watch this play out...i'm fine with keeping all three despite how the team performed last season...like has been posted by others, I think ror can provide a year of protection for Eichel and mittlestadt and i'd like to see risto carry the weight while dahlin gets his feet wet
- Michael Pachla

If they do, then they better rid themselves of almost everyone else and find takers for Bogo and Okposo.

Dahlin or no Dahlin, this fanbase won’t stomach a starting lineup that includes the same slow forwards playing boring hockey. Pegula won’t allow it even if Botterill wanted it.

They are making big changes

I agree. More than anyone else this season, I think Antipin got handled very poorly. I don't think he was ever given a fair chance to show what he's got. I don't blame the guy at all for heading back to Russia. Baptiste would be the #2 guy for not being handled very well by the Sabres.
- SabreWest

How so? They let him play 47 games and he didn't show much. P Ham either lied -or simply didn't ask anybody - when he said they didn't get him somebody to help with his English. He got his shot in the show, and he didn't really have the goods.

The sabres took a flyer on him and it didn't work out. It happens

This is perfect timing to make big changes.

You have the two pillars of your team set.

Go get guys that play the GM and coaches system now

I think people are misunderstanding what a core player is ..


A core player to me is a player that you need to win a championship that gets you to the next step and puts the team first at any means necessary

Will we miss a step if we trade sam ?
- gerbe75pts

I think your definition is pretty close.
I’d add in that they hold others accountible and force them (through various methods, not only yelling as some on here translate that into) to give their best consistently...practice, team meetings, in games. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

I’m not sure that is Sam.
I do like his determination starting in game 41sh...but do have questions about the motivation.

Jack has it, Dahlin purportedly has it in spades ... a great start there.
That could be Gretzky / Messier-like. Now we need Fuhr, Coffey...etc.

I think your definition is pretty close.
I’d add in that they hold others accountible and force them (through various methods, not only yelling as some on here translate that into) to give their best consistently...practice, team meetings, in games. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

I’m not sure that is Sam.
I do like his determination starting in game 41sh...but do have questions about the motivation.

Jack has it, Dahlin purportedly has it in spades ... a great start there.
That could be Gretzky / Messier-like. Now we need Fuhr, Coffey...etc.
- IonSabres

I think a core player remains passionate about the game he gets handsomely paid to play even when the going gets tough

If they do, then they better rid themselves of almost everyone else and find takers for Bogo and Okposo.

Dahlin or no Dahlin, this fanbase won’t stomach a starting lineup that includes the same slow forwards playing boring hockey. Pegula won’t allow it even if Botterill wanted it.

They are making big changes
- sbroads24

bogo's not slow...nor is Okposo...they're not hagelin fast but neither are they pylons

How so? They let him play 47 games and he didn't show much. P Ham either lied -or simply didn't ask anybody - when he said they didn't get him somebody to help with his English. He got his shot in the show, and he didn't really have the goods.

The sabres took a flyer on him and it didn't work out. It happens
- jcragcrumple

I thought that the sabres did get someone to help him with his English...did I hear that incorrectly?

bogo's not slow...nor is Okposo...they're not hagelin fast but neither are they pylons
- Michael Pachla

well, not physically anyways

bogo's not slow...nor is Okposo...they're not hagelin fast but neither are they pylons
- Michael Pachla

Okposo is pretty slow. Bogo can skate but is just not a good player nor ever healthy.

The fans will revolt if this team is similar to last year

skunk after 3 years has already crushed the great tim connolly's goal production as a sabre


timmy never got 19 in any season


skunk averaged 22 a year for the last 3 years

not bad for a 20, 21 and a 22 year old


I will never get the hate for him on this site



ever
- homiedclown

It’s stupid,
yet nylander gets a a pass every year, oh he was hurt, oh he came from Sweden. Let’s just call it what it this, some people would rather be right then admit that player x is better then player y. And sorry folks this isn’t ea sports, you don’t get to have a team of all stars.... you need guys like that can score, guys that can hit, and guys that can kill penalties.

Okposo is pretty slow. Bogo can skate but is just not a good player nor ever healthy.

The fans will revolt if this team is similar to last year
- sbroads24

See, I don't actually believe that. you and I might, but most are still pretty fond of guys like ROR an Risto. As long as they add to it, I think most fans will be happy.

Okposo is pretty slow. Bogo can skate but is just not a good player nor ever healthy.

The fans will revolt if this team is similar to last year
- sbroads24

mmmmmm...I don't think they'll revolt at all...some will, but most will be riding the dahlin wave into the season...regardless of what they do or don't do, if they get off to another slow start this season, that's when I think people will be pissed and probably calling for Housley's head

I think a core player remains passionate about the game he gets handsomely paid to play even when the going gets tough
- sbroads24

Not a shot directly at you...
It seems this board has no or at least very little appreciation for leadership and accountability.
I say this because comments seem to revolve around a players individual contributions...not how they lead others to play their best..thereby impacting the team more positively in a much more significant manner.

Whenever this topic is raised, many want to put Franchise, Great, Good players back into a box that considers their own production only.

And yet, we sit with a team that has a culture of accepting mediocrity since its’ inception,with few exceptions. Guys like Peca, Drury, Briere standout for reasons not limited to their own production.

See, I don't actually believe that. you and I might, but most are still pretty fond of guys like ROR an Risto. As long as they add to it, I think most fans will be happy.
- Sabresfan-365

I don’t think you need to move both.

You need to move an O’Reilly and get speed, and you need to get rid of one bad contract whether that’s Bogo or Okposo.

You cannot keep this group together. 0% chance it happens man.

Pegula and Botterill have basically said it

I thought that the sabres did get someone to help him with his English...did I hear that incorrectly?
- Michael Pachla

They did, but p ham said about halfway through the year that they didn't. Then in his wrap up interview with antipin, antipin told him he did in fact have a tutor. I like p ham, but that's not a great look to just pull something out of the air without looking into it. The media around here - present company excluded, of course - tends to say negative things about the organization without giving specifics.

From the BN article on Kim Pegula

One exception was the brief tenure of Pat LaFontaine, who resigned under murky circumstances after just 3 1/2 months as president of hockey operations in 2014.

But it is well-known in hockey circles that Kim Pegula has often been the main player prodding her husband to take action with top Sabres officials, and that she particularly did not see eye-to-eye with LaFontaine and Murray.

- mark gaughan with Harrington

Nobody will say what they know - if they know - what happened, but they'll take the shot at the Pegulas nonetheless

It’s stupid,
yet nylander gets a a pass every year, oh he was hurt, oh he came from Sweden. Let’s just call it what it this, some people would rather be right then admit that player x is better then player y. And sorry folks this isn’t ea sports, you don’t get to have a team of all stars.... you need guys like that can score, guys that can hit, and guy that can kill penalties.
- gordong

tampa bay has Braydon Coburn on the back end and Mr. Glue on the team...yet they somehow managed to get themselves on the verge of the ecf

They did, but p ham said about halfway through the year that they didn't. Then in his wrap up interview with antipin, antipin told him he did in fact have a tutor. I like p ham, but that's not a great look to just pull something out of the air without looking into it. The media around here - present company excluded, of course - tends to say negative things about the organization without giving specifics.

From the BN article on Kim Pegula




- mark gaughan with Harrington

Nobody will say what they know - if they know - what happened, but they'll take the shot at the Pegulas nonetheless
- jcragcrumple

that's what I thought I heard...I really like pham, but not when things like that happen

I don’t think you need to move both.

You need to move an O’Reilly and get speed, and you need to get rid of one bad contract whether that’s Bogo or Okposo.

You cannot keep this group together. 0% chance it happens man.

Pegula and Botterill have basically said it
- sbroads24

i know they said that but it's all relative. They could move on from Lehner and maybe okposo and sell that as "core changes"