might be time to call Darryl Sutter
- edric77

What do we want to call him?

[quote=jdfitz77]

Agree coaches are hard to gauge, like goalies, but that's why I'd argue that you can't confidently say that coach isn't available right now. Won't know until we see a season or two...

He's not the only one at fault, but he should have accepted some fault in his many, many comments since. Plus, you know how many 1 goal games we lost that year. It may not be a scientific stat, but I think we all remember his proclivity to let in a softy at the worst time possible.
- jcragcrumple

That's definitely true, I also remember Chad "They'll have to show me more" Johnson was way worse with that.

Dahlin trumps all.

might be time to call Darryl Sutter
- edric77

Does he know a guy we could hire?

That's definitely true, I also remember Chad "They'll have to show me more" Johnson was way worse with that.

Dahlin trumps all.
- Wetbandit1

That's fact.

My point in all of this wasn't his poopty play. The record shows I was rather bullish on him through his first two years.

All I would have liked from him was an "I (frank)ed up" moment. He was in a bad place. He made it worse. Own it, and don't blame the fans for being negative because you were hungover and lost us some games.

might be time to call Darryl Sutter
- edric77

In the retirement home

Ed Olczyk???

That's fact.

My point in all of this wasn't his poopty play. The record shows I was rather bullish on him through his first two years.

All I would have liked from him was an "I (frank)ed up" moment. He was in a bad place. He made it worse. Own it, and don't blame the fans for being negative because you were hungover and lost us some games.
- jcragcrumple

Who cares about the dude he will get overpaid in the summer

I’m still hoping he wins the cup get that money

Excellent blog Michael

I have this feeling that the pegulas are the ones hiring the coach separate from the GM.

Could be why the philosophies differ between the coach and gm

When did bylsma and gmtm work together?
What ties did phail and botts have?

Maybe they actually let botts hire "his guy". That could be what's taking so long, botts patience

My 3 year old black lab could have coached those SJ teams to the playoffs, and probably achieved the same results

And he would look adorable in a little suit
- jcragcrumple

Love black labs

Is his name evan?

Love black labs

Is his name evan?
- Boss34

Bort

Like they always say, 3ER isn't always right, but aint ever been wrong. Kudos Gerbe old boy for acknowledging it. Same to you notalent. Godspeed to you both for bending the knee.
- Hatboro_Swords

Seems like your bending both knees in regards to tmgm

Bort
- jcragcrumple

Bort - Erod

Interesting?
3 year old lab?
2016-17 erods 1st real season


Edit - Mike tolbert 2017
Tolbert- Bort

???

Bort - Erod

Interesting?
3 year old lab?
2016-17 erods 1st real season


Edit - Mike tolbert 2017
Tolbert- Bort

???
- Boss34

For the record, my scale of players goes:

Core
Complimentary
Serviceable
Disposable

I'd put Erod at serviceable because of his speed and versatility. I think Pominville was better this year. And it's a damn shame that Okposo is here, because I would take Pominville back in a heartbeat if not for him. I would bet Botts thinks the same

People seriously want Lindy Ruff back as coach? Are you mad?

For the record, my scale of players goes:

Core
Complimentary
Serviceable
Disposable

I'd put Erod at serviceable because of his speed and versatility. I think Pominville was better this year. And it's a damn shame that Okposo is here, because I would take Pominville back in a heartbeat if not for him
- jcragcrumple

I like erod alot
Had a good season, second half for sure.
His play per $ contract is excellent

Just not sure if we are making a real playoff type team with erod and/or pommer
I'd like to see both back year, but I'm sentimental and enjoy going to the games to see players I like.

Winning is starting to take precedent over enjoying underachieving favorites.

Risto is fun to watch. But the Sabres would have a better. Chance of winning without him.

Mabe it was a bad grasp of the system?

I like erod alot
Had a good season, second half for sure.
His play per $ contract is excellent

Just not sure if we are making a real playoff type team with erod and/or pommer
I'd like to see both back year, but I'm sentimental and enjoy going to the games to see players I like.

Winning is starting to take precedent over enjoying underachieving favorites.

Risto is fun to watch. But the Sabres would have a better. Chance of winning without him.

Mabe it was a bad grasp of the system?
- Boss34

If not for current roster constraints, I think you could make a good case for him to come back. And if he wants to keep playing, someone will pay him $1-2m if he wants to keep going somewhere else

Pominville "the salary" was a problem. Pominville "the player" was not

If not for current roster constraints, I think you could make a good case for him to come back. And if he wants to keep playing, someone will pay him $1-2m if he wants to keep going somewhere else

Pominville "the salary" was a problem. Pominville "the player" was not
- jcragcrumple

Do you think the Sabres could advance a round or 2 with a 4th line of (37 year old) pommer - erod - okposo

I'm not sure anymore. I think the we need to be better.
We would need to let girgs, Wilson, sobotka, Larsson, all go.

Cj smith- mitts - sheary - 3rd line
Player x - player y - Sam - 2nd line
Skinner- John Jack- goaloffson - 1st line

I don't know. Lots of egos on the 2015 Sweden World Cup of Hockey team:

TEAM SWEDEN

Forwards:

Mikael Backlund, Calgary Flames; Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals; Loui Eriksson, Vancouver Canucks; Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators; Carl Hagelin, Pittsburgh Penguins; Patric Hornqvist, Pittsburgh Penguins; Marcus Kruger, Chicago Blackhawks; Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche; Patrik Berglund, St. Louis Blues; Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks; Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks; Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks; Carl Soderberg, Colorado Avalanche

Defensemen:

Mattias Ekholm, Nashville Predators; Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes; Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning; Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago Blackhawks; Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators; Hampus Lindholm, Anaheim Ducks; Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Goalies:

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks Jhonas Enroth, Toronto Maple Leafs;


I think if one can handle the egos of Eric Karlsson and Hank Lundquist, that one can manage the egos of Jack n Sam and guide the team through turbulence. Don't you?

He coached a team that beat Russia and Finland in that World Cup, and lost in OT to the N.A. team featuring Matthews, McDavid, Eichel, Mackinnon, et al. Sweden was knocked out by Team Europe 3-2 in OT in the Semi's when Yaro Halak stood on his head in a game Sweden dominated.

I've yet to read a legitimate 'con' to hiring Gronberg. Every 'con' I've read here or on other Sabres blogs just doesn't hold up to a round of critical thinking.
- Jack Straw

Not gonna find much of that around these parts.

I don’t think anyone ever argued they weren’t good hockey players (except Lehner)

It was the timing of acquiring them and the assets paid/given up at the very start of a rebuild.

It also just doesn’t matter to me if they each had 100 point years. We have a three year sample of them here, and it wasn’t great.

Kane and O’Reilly are at the peak at this point. Both have played since 18/19 and have 700+ games under their belt. In two years we will be talking about our young core while St. Louis and San Jose are trying to get out of those contracts
- sbroads24

wadr, I recall someone here saying that o'reilly was overrated and wasn't anything close to a selke candidate...someone also said that kane was overrated, wouldn't hit 30 goals


*shrugs*

Tim Murray gets thrown under the bus for his forced rebuild, and it does warrant criticism but if he doesn't "speed up the process" by paying market value for those vets, the Sabres are way worse than they actually were under Bylsma.

Giving a GM a short leash of 2 years is forcing the GM to make those moves, when we should have been giving Murray and now Botts a flat 5 years to turn the ship. The owners just got to choose there guy, recognize the situation they're in and realize it's going to take that amount of time.

Murray was supposed to tank and then somehow turn this team into a winner in 2 years as evidenced by how he was fired.

Now the pressure is on Botts to do make some more potentially stupid moves to save his own ar$3.

Rant. Over.
- notalent

I believe the main reason he was fired, from what I can recall, was Bylsma-related...he didn't want to fire him

I believe the main reason he was fired, from what I can recall, was Bylsma-related...he didn't want to fire him
- Michael Pachla

Maybe that and drafting

Sam over leon
Nylander over svech and other nhl players
Trading for ek9 and his baggage

wadr, I recall someone here saying that o'reilly was overrated and wasn't anything close to a selke candidate...someone also said that kane was overrated, wouldn't hit 30 goals


*shrugs*
- Michael Pachla

They weren’t Selke finalists or 30 goal scorers here.

I’d also still call O’Reilly very over rated. Very good player, not a #1 center.

He also shouldn’t have been nominated over Barkov, Crosby and Couturier, but he’s on a team who’s hot.

Kane, O’Reilly and Lehner are all good players.

Did one of them have a season as impressive as Skinner? Why didn’t he get sucked down into mediocrity?

Maybe that and drafting

Sam over leon
Nylander over svech and other nhl players
Trading for ek9 and his baggage
- Boss34

Skinner was acquired for nothing and we had to give up a recently drafted first rounder (Armia), Myers (Top 4 RHD), Stafford, Lemieux (31th overall pick) and another first rounder in Roslovic. GMTM got a raw deal though just bend the knee to the only right once in a blue moon and wrong all the time Hatboro Swords.

I believe the main reason he was fired, from what I can recall, was Bylsma-related...he didn't want to fire him
- Michael Pachla

GMTM wasn't shy about the fact that he wanted to acquire young vets and rebuild quickly. When it failed, the system was barren and he had no plan B.

JB clearly sold a longer, methodical, full organizational rebuild that was going to take a few years just to repair the damage GMTM did.

This isn't about treating 2 GM's differently. It's about judging their performance based on the plan they laid out. You can hate the Sabres season and still see how much the organization was improved in 2 years.