Sure, it plays a part. It's massively exaggerated and a very convenient excuse when a player we like doesn't work out.

If anyone says Bailey or Baptiste failed because they were developed poorly, I just roll my eyes. They both had plenty of time and NHL jobs were sitting there for both with their names penciled in.
- Lunaion

Disagree, but whatever
Not like it matters

Sure, it plays a part. It's massively exaggerated and a very convenient excuse when a player we like doesn't work out.

If anyone says Bailey or Baptiste failed because they were developed poorly, I just roll my eyes. They both had plenty of time and NHL jobs were sitting there for both with their names penciled in.
- Lunaion

Except no. I'm not here beating their drums and writing home about them but each time they got called up, they would have a great game or two, score a goal, then get demoted to the 4th line and play 4 minutes a game and then sent back down to the AHL, rinse, repeat.

I highly doubt either of them would have been worse than Girgensons, Sobotka, etc...

Except no. I'm not here beating their drums and writing home about them but each time they got called up, they would have a great game or two, score a goal, then get demoted to the 4th line and play 4 minutes a game and then sent back down to the AHL, rinse, repeat.

I highly doubt either of them would have been worse than Girgensons, Sobotka, etc...
- BeadyEyedDouche

The last sentence is probably true but it doesn’t really mean Bailey/Baptiste we’re good.

I also wanted them to get a longer look, but once they failed elsewhere it was meh

Except no. I'm not here beating their drums and writing home about them but each time they got called up, they would have a great game or two, score a goal, then get demoted to the 4th line and play 4 minutes a game and then sent back down to the AHL, rinse, repeat.

I highly doubt either of them would have been worse than Girgensons, Sobotka, etc...
- BeadyEyedDouche

They both had around 50 NHL games. It's more than they would have gotten anywhere else.

The last sentence is probably true but it doesn’t really mean Bailey/Baptiste we’re good.

I also wanted them to get a longer look, but once they failed elsewhere it was meh
- OneKaneOneCup

Ask JT Compher what it's like to ACTUALLY get a shot at the NHL level and to see himself progress and improve over the course of those 3 years?

Sometimes the AHL has taught a player all he needs to know and transitioning to the NHL is always going to take about a season for a player who has better work ethic than talent.

I think they both could have and would have been serviceable bottom-6 players.

Ask JT Compher what it's like to ACTUALLY get a shot at the NHL level and to see himself progress and improve over the course of those 3 years?

Sometimes the AHL has taught a player all he needs to know and transitioning to the NHL is always going to take about a season for a player who has better work ethic than talent.

I think they both could have and would have been serviceable bottom-6 players.
- BeadyEyedDouche

But Compher had 16 goals in his first 90 games with limited ice time

Bailey has 5 in 63 career games.

It was apparent early that Compher was going to be a top 9 contributor

They both had around 50 NHL games. It's more than they would have gotten anywhere else.
- Lunaion

I just don't think giving a guy his "shot" in spaced-out handfuls of games does anything for him.

Tage Thompson got basically all of last season in St. Louis and this season in Buffalo. I saw nothing from him that says he should have had those opportunities at the NHL-level over literally dozens of other players.

Some players get more than a chance and some get only a fraction of one.

I wonder if 7 and the pick between 28-31 could be packaged to move up to the Hawks pick at 3. Turcotte would be perfect here, he would be our Bergeron.

I just don't think giving a guy his "shot" in spaced-out handfuls of games does anything for him.

Tage Thompson got basically all of last season in St. Louis and this season in Buffalo. I saw nothing from him that says he should have had those opportunities at the NHL-level over literally dozens of other players.

Some players get more than a chance and some get only a fraction of one.
- BeadyEyedDouche

Well this is kinda unfair

He had a 20 game stretch where he was legit good and then the wheels fell off and he stayed way too long

Ask JT Compher what it's like to ACTUALLY get a shot at the NHL level and to see himself progress and improve over the course of those 3 years?

Sometimes the AHL has taught a player all he needs to know and transitioning to the NHL is always going to take about a season for a player who has better work ethic than talent.

I think they both could have and would have been serviceable bottom-6 players.
- BeadyEyedDouche

I wanted to see a line of Bailey-E Rod-Baptiste get a shot

Maybe they still wouldn’t have worked out
But it would’ve been nice to see that for 40games or so instead of total crap like Criscuolo, Nolan, Josefson, Pouliot, Sobotka... and on & on & on the past couple years

Are we good yet?

I wonder if 7 and the pick between 28-31 could be packaged to move up to the Hawks pick at 3. Turcotte would be perfect here, he would be our Bergeron.
- Pegullaville

We definitely need a 2way center for our Top9

Trying to trade for William Karlsson is very interesting to me
Depending on the cost of course

Well this is kinda unfair

He had a 20 game stretch where he was legit good and then the wheels fell off and he stayed way too long
- OneKaneOneCup

His confidence was shot, it was pretty evident. He has good hands and a good shot (when it hits the net) he needs to add 15-20 pounds of muscle and I think he can carve out a role in the middle 9 as a big winger with scoring touch.

I just don't think giving a guy his "shot" in spaced-out handfuls of games does anything for him.

Tage Thompson got basically all of last season in St. Louis and this season in Buffalo. I saw nothing from him that says he should have had those opportunities at the NHL-level over literally dozens of other players.

Some players get more than a chance and some get only a fraction of one.
- BeadyEyedDouche

I know people think there's some kind of conspiracy in play here, but they just didn't play well enough.

But Compher had 16 goals in his first 90 games with limited ice time

Bailey has 5 in 63 career games.

It was apparent early that Compher was going to be a top 9 contributor
- OneKaneOneCup

The entire point is that he got a large portion of consecutive games at the NHL-level. Neither Bailey nor Baptiste did in their time here in Buffalo.

They didn't make the Sabres roster out of training camp, and that's on them, but this team was so epically mis-managed and badly coached for a half a decade when they were within the organization that they can hardly be a fault for never getting an actual chance with the NHL team. Instead, they sign and play bums, trade for bums with bloated contracts, hand out money like it's tootsie rolls and wonder why they can't buy a winning team.

So them some fracker's wife starts calling around asking people why throwing money around like lunatics trying to buy credibility isn't working and you're so dumb, naive, sincere or all three that you think the people on the other end of the phone are being honest with you and not laughing at you as soon as you hang up the phone.

They have erected a big, neon sign the entire circumference around Buffalo within a 50 mile radius that says:

HAS MONEY

WILL BUY CHAMPIONSHIP

JUST SHOW UP

GUARANTEED 2 YEAR JOB SECURITY

I wanted to see a line of Bailey-E Rod-Baptiste get a shot

Maybe they still wouldn’t have worked out
But it would’ve been nice to see that for 40games or so instead of total crap like Criscuolo, Nolan, Josefson, Pouliot, Sobotka... and on & on & on the past couple years
- jdfitz77

At least you understand that giving your actual draft picks a chance instead of waiver-wire drifters is the right way to do things.

I'm not sure what people find hard to understand here, it's blatant. Sometimes you catch fire in a bottle and that guy, you know, who is from Buffalo, was drafted by Buffalo and loves Buffalo might just find a spark with someone on the main team if given the chance?

His confidence was shot, it was pretty evident. He has good hands and a good shot (when it hits the net) he needs to add 15-20 pounds of muscle and I think he can carve out a role in the middle 9 as a big winger with scoring touch.
- Pegullaville

This doesn’t happen.

His confidence was shot, it was pretty evident. He has good hands and a good shot (when it hits the net) he needs to add 15-20 pounds of muscle and I think he can carve out a role in the middle 9 as a big winger with scoring touch.
- Pegullaville

He will never have scoring touch.

He will need to just learn to stand in front of the net like Vanek and hope to cherry-pick 10-15 goals a year because he has no finesse. He is basically Evander Kane but white, doesn't hit and won't fight.

We can only hope he learns how to score those sloppy goals.

He will never have scoring touch.

He will need to just learn to stand in front of the net like Vanek and hope to cherry-pick 10-15 goals a year because he has no finesse. He is basically Evander Kane but white, doesn't hit and won't fight.

We can only hope he learns how to score those sloppy goals.
- BeadyEyedDouche

He has three moves:

Toedrag blocked by dman and
Toedrag off the glass
Toedrag into the endboards.

He has three moves:

Toedrag blocked by dman and
Toedrag off the glass
Toedrag into the endboards.
- Der Kaiser

Don't forget:

Spin-rama on a break-away in the opposite direction of the goalie and take yourself into the boards and completely out of the play

Don't forget:

Spin-rama on a break-away in the opposite direction of the goalie and take yourself into the boards and completely out of the play
- BeadyEyedDouche

I don’t think that was a move I think he lost his balance.

He will never have scoring touch.

He will need to just learn to stand in front of the net like Vanek and hope to cherry-pick 10-15 goals a year because he has no finesse. He is basically Evander Kane but white, doesn't hit and won't fight.

We can only hope he learns how to score those sloppy goals.
- BeadyEyedDouche

He had 6 goals in 8 Rochester games.

How about he gets an extended look away from Sobotka before we deem him useless?

He had 6 goals in 8 Rochester games.

How about he gets an extended look away from Sobotka before we deem him useless?
- OneKaneOneCup

Can't wait, oh gosh

He had 6 goals in 8 Rochester games.

How about he gets an extended look away from Sobotka before we deem him useless?
- OneKaneOneCup

Was their best player in the playoffs too.

At least you understand that giving your actual draft picks a chance instead of waiver-wire drifters is the right way to do things.

I'm not sure what people find hard to understand here, it's blatant. Sometimes you catch fire in a bottle and that guy, you know, who is from Buffalo, was drafted by Buffalo and loves Buffalo might just find a spark with someone on the main team if given the chance?
- BeadyEyedDouche

Better to give fringe kids a legit shot than to play career AHLers that we know for sure have no future here
That’s how i see it
But the Sabres Mgmt has disagreed with me the last few years on that