👌 GMTM didn’t trade a Conn Smythe Selke winner for Super Sniper Tage Thompson. Way to blow Botts! You created this disaster. Hey thanks for turning down two 1sts for Kane so you could get absolutely nothing for him instead. What a moron. Goes out and gets a goon to get even with Tampa and wasn’t smart enough to think Tampa would too. Running scared! Lol! 👌 again. What an idiot. You can’t make this poop up. Good thing he likes the toughness of his team.
- Hatboro_Swords

Yeah, ok

👌 GMTM didn’t trade a Conn Smythe Selke winner for Super Sniper Tage Thompson. Way to blow Botts! You created this disaster. Hey thanks for turning down two 1sts for Kane so you could get absolutely nothing for him instead. What a moron. Goes out and gets a goon to get even with Tampa and wasn’t smart enough to think Tampa would too. Running scared! Lol! 👌 again. What an idiot. You can’t make this poop up. Good thing he likes the toughness of his team.
- Hatboro_Swords

GMTM was so great that he’s still jobless
Hmmmmm...

Agreed. But there may be a time to do exactly that. When you have a team with a solid core that is close to contending I would argue it is a good time to cash in some futures for another piece that might get you over the top.

The problem with TM was that he shot his load way too early. He never waited for the high draft picks to develop. He just cashed in most of our assets to see what he could make immediately. It was arrogant and unnecessarily risky. And we will be paying the price for years more.
- Beethoven

So “we’ll be paying the price for years more” bc of what GMTM did...
but it’s still Botts’ fault??

Hmmm....

So “we’ll be paying the price for years more” bc of what GMTM did...
but it’s still Botts’ fault??

Hmmm....
- jdfitz77

Can’t it be both?

Agreed. But there may be a time to do exactly that. When you have a team with a solid core that is close to contending I would argue it is a good time to cash in some futures for another piece that might get you over the top.

The problem with TM was that he shot his load way too early. He never waited for the high draft picks to develop. He just cashed in most of our assets to see what he could make immediately. It was arrogant and unnecessarily risky. And we will be paying the price for years more.
- Beethoven

We are not there yet.

Can’t it be both?
- Beethoven

Can include Darcy in this also.

Botts wears the hat though cause he sits in the chair.

I still reserve my judgements until I see what he does this offseason with the amount of options he’ll have and no more excuses.

We are not there yet.
- Pegullaville

This is an understatement.

Wallace a no go? Kevin Johnson vs. his old team. Dudes been waiting for his opportunity. Bring the pain. Let’s see a pick sixski. Get it effin crankin.

Obviously, he wasn't that highly thought of around the league.
- GilPerreault11

Except for that time he was hired to be Senior VP and Assistant GM for Arizona.

Darcy was a terrible drafter, I'd hate to see how he would have missed on so many of those picks. He was done, finished after all those years. If he had anything to offer as a GM he would have got offered another job as a GM. Obviously, he wasn't that highly thought of around the league.
- GilPerreault11

Not that this is a valid excuse, but haven’t the Sabres honestly spent the least amount of capital and resources to their amateur departments over the years ?

May have played a role.

My position, that I am sure you’re all sick of hearing, is that Pegula is the real problem.

He’s the one that hired the GMs. He’s the one that wants to meddle with the decision making.

Sure he cried when he got to meet the Sabre’s legends and he’s a lovable dimwit. But he hasn’t really helped with any of his actions. He’s hired bad GMs, he’s been a part of hiring bad coaches. He was the reason we brought in some terrible UFAs. He appointed his completely inexperienced and unqualified wife as president. He has hurt way more than he has helped.

There’s a salary cap and his deep pockets can’t buy us a Yankee’s roster. His deep pockets haven’t landed us anything special as coach or GM. Besides buying the team and building up the infrastructure downtown and creating great locker rooms, all very laudable things btw, he hasn’t done anything to help our on ice product, but he’s done some things to hurt it.

But what can we do about it? Absolutely nothing, so I guess constantly complaining about it is useless. Although it does make me feel a little better.

Honestly, who thought this team had a true shot at the playoffs this season? If you were forced to put $100 on whether they would make the playoffs or not what would you have put your money on with this team at the beginning of the year? I know I would have put it on no playoffs.

Everyone wants trades and JB's head but he has little to offer from the current roster except for scrubs or like I would do Reinhart and a D for an upgrade to the top 3 forwards. Go big or go home!

Most of their prospects are in college, Europe or Juniors and JB is trying to replenish the pipeline that is has been barren so not sure if he trades any top prospect from there, def not Cozens, not the 1st this year. He has a bad hand to play it seems.

My position, that I am sure you’re all sick of hearing, is that Pegula is the real problem.

He’s the one that hired the GMs. He’s the one that wants to meddle with the decision making.

Sure he cried when he got to meet the Sabre’s legends and he’s a lovable dimwit. But he hasn’t really helped with any of his actions. He’s hired bad GMs, he’s been a part of hiring bad coaches. He was the reason we brought in some terrible UFAs. He appointed his completely inexperienced and unqualified wife as president. He has hurt way more than he has helped.

There’s a salary cap and his deep pockets can’t buy us a Yankee’s roster. His deep pockets haven’t landed us anything special as coach or GM. Besides buying the team and building up the infrastructure downtown and creating great locker rooms, all very laudable things btw, he hasn’t done anything to help our on ice product, but he’s done some things to hurt it.

But what can we do about it? Absolutely nothing, so I guess constantly complaining about it is useless. Although it does make me feel a little better.
- Beethoven

I don't know who the problem is, it's very interesting when you bring in FA that have been productive for other teams and they fall into a black hole when they get here.

Valid argument if Mittelstadt could do a single pull-up or bench press 160lbs at all, which any adult male should be able to do but I digress... There are fat people who cannot.
- U Sir Name

IIRC he had a legit shoulder injury, just like Sam Bennett when he couldn't do a pull-up. At that point you gotta just skip it though.

None of those 3 guys are improvements over really anything. Sobotka was literally the 2nd worst forward in the league last year. He could have done basically the same on the waiver wire

He was given:

Olofsson-Eichel-Reinhart
Kane-ROR-Blank
Girgs-Larry-Okposo
Blank -Asplund- Erod

Kane and ROR - that's a can of worms - I get it. But the forwards have gone backward. Even on the Scandella trade, we'd be better off having saved that 3rd and kept Foligno. Ennis's contract would have ran out last year. We could sure use Foligno.

This team has gotten worse on the forward ranks, and like I said, there isnt a lot coming
- jcragcrumple

Good post. Solid

Honestly, who thought this team had a true shot at the playoffs this season? If you were forced to put $100 on whether they would make the playoffs or not what would you have put your money on with this team at the beginning of the year? I know I would have put it on no playoffs.

Everyone wants trades and JB's head but he has little to offer from the current roster except for scrubs or like I would do Reinhart and a D for an upgrade to the top 3 forwards. Go big or go home!

Most of their prospects are in college, Europe or Juniors and JB is trying to replenish the pipeline that is has been barren so not sure if he trades any top prospect from there, def not Cozens, not the 1st this year. He has a bad hand to play it seems.
- GilPerreault11

I thought they would pick in the 10-15 range, even after this team was “finally for real” after game 15.

Can’t let stretches of games and small sample sizes detract from the overall team outlook.

This team is what it is at this point.

Pray to the lotto gods, don’t frank up Cozens development, and hope Mitts figured it out.

Not that this is a valid excuse, but haven’t the Sabres honestly spent the least amount of capital and resources to their amateur departments over the years ?

May have played a role.
- Pegullaville

Yes. Cutting scouting and going all video. Scouting provides much more than what you can see on a video. However, that wasn't the case for the entire time he was here. After 16 years and 149 draft picks, only 4 players he drafted were selected as all stars.

Tampa just traded for a goon defensemen.

I’ll bet money he’s dressed tomorrow
- sbroads24

Goon? He averages a goal a game!

Except for that time he was hired to be Senior VP and Assistant GM for Arizona.
- adambuffalo

By a friend and Assistant GM - he got the senior VP because of his tenor in the league and he was friends with Don Maloney.

Your new screen name should be E Rod 45pts
- jdfitz77

Your new one should be IMAWankerWhoNeverLetsAnythingDieEver

Honestly, who thought this team had a true shot at the playoffs this season? If you were forced to put $100 on whether they would make the playoffs or not what would you have put your money on with this team at the beginning of the year? I know I would have put it on no playoffs.

Everyone wants trades and JB's head but he has little to offer from the current roster except for scrubs or like I would do Reinhart and a D for an upgrade to the top 3 forwards. Go big or go home!

Most of their prospects are in college, Europe or Juniors and JB is trying to replenish the pipeline that is has been barren so not sure if he trades any top prospect from there, def not Cozens, not the 1st this year. He has a bad hand to play it seems.
- GilPerreault11

Without seeing the offseason moves, (which, come on, most likely will be just be bringing everyone back again) would you put that 100 on missing or making the playoffs next year?

I don't know who the problem is, it's very interesting when you bring in FA that have been productive for other teams and they fall into a black hole when they get here.
- Buff36

It’s true. But if the same thing keeps happening over and over aren’t the people bringing them in to blame? Either they don’t have the roster in place for these FAs to succeed or they can’t assess talent.

We have to stop blaming the players and start placing the blame where it belongs, on the management.

Good post. Solid
- Boss34

Cozens, Pekar, Weissbach, Ruotsalainen, Davidsson, Cederqvist, Rousek. There's forwards coming just not yet. The one's that should have been taking spots the last couple years were traded away.

Good post. Solid
- Boss34

They were never going to re-sign Kane. He wouldn't have re-signed here anyway so moot point about him except JB dropped the ball in what he got in return for him.

ROR, they should have said (frank) you, you are staying so get back to liking it. We gave up a lot for you, you are a pillar to this team now and going forward so deal with it. Pegula should have drilled for more gas and paid him his money.

Not top8 picks

And Richer was a secondary guy on those teams
Not a core member of that dynasty


With all those picks,
they got Guerin... that’s it
- jdfitz77

Gotta love those secondary guys that finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in scoring in his first 4 seasons with the team.