Ya know what was a really bad trade ? The ROR trade. Unnecessary, dumb, and the Blues fleeced us. Berglund is gone (and sucked). Sobotka would have been a decent pickup - like 6 years ago. Thompson is a project. # 1 pick is a crap-shoot. Meanwhile, O'Reilly is still super and doing it all in St Louis. I realize he's not coming back - I get it. But that trade ruined this season. So sick of trades made to change culture. Who gives a crap about culture. I prefer good/great players.

ROR trade gets an F- from me.

On a more positive note, followed by a negative note - we'll win the next game (but lose the following one - can't win back to back games).
- kritter65

And he definitely did that here, right?

how is Phil better now?

what has he learned in his 140 games behind the bench?
- homiedclown

I have no idea if he's a good coach. He's been given a .500 team with a lot of issues and has done what's expected.

The Pegula coaching treadmill bothers me. If they forced JB's hand on this one, why should I feel better about the next guy?

People would be complaining about ROR floating and talking incessantly about his contract still (myself absolutely included) if he was still here.

We’d be in slightly better shape still talking about how far away we are, but just with less cap space and 1st round picks to try and fix it

People would be complaining about ROR floating and talking incessantly about his contract still (myself absolutely included) if he was still here.

We’d be in slightly better shape still talking about how far away we are, but just with less cap space and 1st round picks to try and fix it
- sbroads24

Slightly better position now possibly. But in a year or two that RoR contract is going to be absolutely awful.

People would be complaining about ROR floating and talking incessantly about his contract still (myself absolutely included) if he was still here.

We’d be in slightly better shape still talking about how far away we are, but just with less cap space and 1st round picks to try and fix it
- sbroads24

I'm not even sure we'd be in slightly better shape this year.

I'm not even sure we'd be in slightly better shape this year.
- kingcong39

We wouldn't, but that's not the way RoR fans think. I have no idea how they ignore the problems this team had last year.

We wouldn't, but that's not the way RoR fans think. I have no idea how they ignore the problems this team had last year.
- Lunaion

The team is vastly better this year without him, even being a one line time. That should speak volumes.

I have no idea if he's a good coach. He's been given a .500 team with a lot of issues and has done what's expected.


- Lunaion

then I will take it a step further


how much better is risto now, vs 140 games ago?
how much better is scandella?
how much better is tage vs 50 games ago?
how much better is mccabe vs 140 games ago?
how much better is sheary vs 50 games ago?

where is the growth on the pp?


aside from a few more clutch saves in each game vs last season, I do not see the D being any better as a whole

nor do I see the pp being better


the middle 6 is worse, no clue how that could happen


and every game, we save the timeout for the last 40 seconds so we can ride skinner, eichel, reinhart, dahlin and risto for that hope to get a tying goal



skunk is better, dahlin is dahlin
skinner scores more then kane
goalies make 4 or 5 more clutch saves a week then lehner and johnson



so what has phil done to make this team better?
or is he just a guy behind the bench?



is he the coach you want for eichel, reinhart, dahlin, risto, mccabe, pilut, casey, tage, olofsson, etc?

Tim Army, Brett Larson, Greg Carvel, Spencer Carbery, and kick the tires on JQ

Only one that seems interesting on that list is Coach Q.

Two of the better options in the AHL would be Sheldon Keefe and Pascal Vincent.

And he definitely did that here, right?
- sbroads24

He actually did that here. Just didn’t enjoy the losing.

Only one that seems interesting on that list is Coach Q.

Two of the better options in the AHL would be Sheldon Keefe and Pascal Vincent.
- Jammerz04

I want a young coach if not Q

The team is vastly better this year without him, even being a one line time. That should speak volumes.
- kingcong39

Skinner Eichel Reinhart
Rodrigues O'Reilly Pomminville
Sheary Mittelstadt Okposo
Girgs Larsson Smith ?

Not sure if it was even feasible cap-wise, but we seem better with O'Reilly in there (over Sobotka, Berglund, and Thompson). We lost a good player, for no reason. We weren't a talented team last year - that was the bottom line. Him saying he lost his love of the game had zero impact on any player in that locker room. I don't LOVE the guy, but it's obvious we lost someone who could play the game well, for nothing.

This years team - with ROR, with Dahlin, with actual good goaltending would be better.

then I will take it a step further

- homiedclown

More interested in the second half of what i said. Why should I have any confidence that the next guy is better than the first 4 TP hired?

I want a young coach if not Q
- homiedclown

if Housley's gone after this season the guy i'd look at is Swedish national coach rickard gronborg...last may alexander nilsson tweeted about sabres interested in him in some capacity but he had one year left on his contract

We lost a good player, for no reason. .
- kritter65

we lost him because botts did not want him moving forward

he was not a botts guy and botts did not want him here for 5 years when botts may have his only chance to be an NHL gm


RoR gave Jason over a year to figure out if Jason wanted him, he chose not to


you get hired to run a business

you have 80 widgets a year to pay your staff, one guy costs 10% of your widgets a year

you don't like the direction the business is going with him, do you risk your job hoping he turns it around, or do you move on?

Skinner Eichel Reinhart
Rodrigues O'Reilly Pomminville
Sheary Mittelstadt Okposo
Girgs Larsson Smith ?

Not sure if it was even feasible cap-wise, but we seem better with O'Reilly in there (over Sobotka, Berglund, and Thompson). We lost a good player, for no reason. We weren't a talented team last year - that was the bottom line. Him saying he lost his love of the game had zero impact on any player in that locker room. I don't LOVE the guy, but it's obvious we lost someone who could play the game well, for nothing.

This years team - with ROR, with Dahlin, with actual good goaltending would be better.
- kritter65

You're making an awfully large assumption that the Skinner trade would have happened with ROR not gone first.

More interested in the second half of what i said. Why should I have any confidence that the next guy is better than the first 4 TP hired?
- Lunaion

is this the guy for eichel, dahlin, reinhart, skinner and risto



you have 2 generational players in eichel and dahlin on the roster


only other time that happened was with 16 and 89


do you want this guy, or what's behind the curtain?

Ya know what was a really bad trade ? The ROR trade. Unnecessary, dumb, and the Blues fleeced us. Berglund is gone (and sucked). Sobotka would have been a decent pickup - like 6 years ago. Thompson is a project. # 1 pick is a crap-shoot. Meanwhile, O'Reilly is still super and doing it all in St Louis. I realize he's not coming back - I get it. But that trade ruined this season. So sick of trades made to change culture. Who gives a crap about culture. I prefer good/great players.

ROR trade gets an F- from me.

On a more positive note, followed by a negative note - we'll win the next game (but lose the following one - can't win back to back games).
- kritter65

I liked the o'reilly trade for buffalo, liked what he did here to an extent (thought he could be better) and thought an Eichel/o'reilly one-two punch down the middle would be formidable...

that said, he didn't want to be here and imo, Botterill did the best he could under the circumstances

if Housley's gone after this season the guy i'd look at is Swedish national coach rickard gronborg...last may alexander nilsson tweeted about sabres interested in him in some capacity but he had one year left on his contract
- Michael Pachla

I like this

I like this
- homiedclown

yeah...if i'm not mistaken he'd be the first-ever Swedish head coach in the nhl...the style they play seems to fit what botts wants the sabres to be...

something to keep an eye on

is this the guy for eichel, dahlin, reinhart, skinner and risto



you have 2 generational players in eichel and dahlin on the roster


only other time that happened was with 16 and 89


do you want this guy, or what's behind the curtain?
- homiedclown

I have a fear Lindy is behind the curtain. I want to believe TP is developing.

I want a young coach if not Q
- homiedclown

Wouldn’t mind Torts either if he somehow gets let go.

Wouldn’t mind Torts either if he somehow gets let go.
- Pegullaville

agreed

I always liked torts, even when he was in rochester

I have a fear Lindy is behind the curtain. I want to believe TP is developing.
- Lunaion

lindy is not behind the certain, he is under the box

lindy is not behind the certain, he is under the box


- homiedclown

Bowman behind the curtain? 4th time might be the charm.