Can’t it be both?
- Beethoven

Kind of
You’ve got to at least recognize that us paying for GMTMs mistakes is a huge thing that’s hindered Botts
And by your own words, will continue to do so

That doesn’t make Botts blame free
But it’s got to at least mitigate the amount of blame placed on him to a degree

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.
- Beethoven

True, but a couple were brought in with ROR and Kane and still flopped. Or it's just no heart

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.
- GilPerreault11

Or should have asked him "What if we fire Phil?" and everything could have been fine.

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?
- PrinceChill

There are so few players under contract and so much cap space it is far too early to say but with what other teams have and what the Sabres have I would lower my bet to $50 and say they don't.

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.
- GilPerreault11

Out went Kane and ROR, in came Skinner and Montour.

Now we just need to deal from a position of strength. Whether it’s Risto for a top 6 forward. Whether it’s packaging Miller and a 2021 first.

He needs to deal one of the RHD and get an asset back for Scandella.

Dahlin-Montour
Pilut-Joker
McCabe-Miller/Risto

Oilers have two guys on pace to score 120+ points and are currently out of a playoff spot.

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

Very good fitz

Your new one should be IMAWankerWhoNeverLetsAnythingDieEver
- Wetbandit1

Who says wanker, really?

And maybe u should look in the mirror instead of continuing to chirp at me randomly
But u do u brah

There are so few players under contract and so much cap space it is far too early to say but with what other teams have and what the Sabres have I would lower my bet to $50 and say they don't.
- GilPerreault11

I’m glad you mentioned other teams. Incremental improvements to a 76 point team will most likely not be enough to surpass the Bruins, Leafs, Lightning, Panthers, or even the Canadiens. Senators and Wings will be nipping at our heels sooner than later as well.

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.
- Buff36

Or were bad picks made by GMTM

“Thanks for his service” though! 😂😂😂

Kind of
You’ve got to at least recognize that us paying for GMTMs mistakes is a huge thing that’s hindered Botts
And by your own words, will continue to do so

That doesn’t make Botts blame free
But it’s got to at least mitigate the amount of blame placed on him to a degree
- jdfitz77

Agreed. It does mitigate the blame to a large degree. But we should still be able to critique his performance.

He has had three years. He hasn’t addressed the obviously soft roster. He brought in ten NHL caliber defensemen with obvious needs at forward. He kept the last coach too long.

He was quoted earlier in November as saying he thought we had the players we needed at forward and that injuries were to blame for the lack of scoring. He obviously doesn’t understand that wingers need a center to help them score. Injuries aren’t an excuse, they’re an expectation.

You are right when you say it takes two to tango and if he doesn’t have a trade partner he can’t really do much. But he should have addressed this in the off-season when it would have been easier to make a trade for a center or add one via FA. Foresight and having a realistic grasp at what you have regarding your roster is something you need as GM.

This is a results based business. You have to find a way to get it done.

I expected improvement over last year and right now I don’t see it. Eichel is having a break out season and is a superstar now. Risto is having the best season of his career. Our young players are a year older and more mature. He swindled Chicago with a steal for Jokiharju for our garbage and I give him credit for that. Yet we are only marginally better than last year.

Our special teams are terrible which is on the coaching staff. But he hired the coach and that’s on him too.

I am sorry he was dealt a bad hand. But it doesn’t relieve him from criticism of what he has and hasn’t done. I think there are people out there that could have done a better job. Maybe I am being unfair. But that’s my honest opinion.

Or were bad picks made by GMTM

“Thanks for his service” though! 😂😂😂
- jdfitz77

GMs be lining up for job after GMTM was poop canned. They’ll be happy to stay unemployed when this brain damage inducing GM is let go. I’ve been saying it for years folks and it really isn’t even close.

game over bro

I’m glad you mentioned other teams. Incremental improvements to a 76 point team will most likely not be enough to surpass the Bruins, Leafs, Lightning, Panthers, or even the Canadiens. Senators and Wings will be nipping at our heels sooner than later as well.
- PrinceChill

Sharks are currently doing them a solid as well. Don’t you love those big blockbuster trades to “win now”.

Sens hand Colorado a top 4 pick for Duchene

Preds hand the Avs a top 4 d-man in Girard for a depreciating asset in Turris

CBJ sells their souls for Duchene and Dzingel instead of accepting their fate and moving Panarin and Bob the year before and replenishing the asset mix

Sharks hand us a first for Kane that is parlayed into Montour

Sharks make the blockbuster for Karlsson which right now looks like they are handing the Sens a top 15 pick.

Florida handed Pittsburgh McCann and Bjugstad for Brassard (which isn’t even close to the worst move involving him the last 5 years).

If this is what got him it wasn’t me.

I don’t flag anybody. Its a Douche move under any circumstance.
- Der Kaiser

It's not what got me.

You drive a very expensive and exotic vehicle.

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

Was Richer a top8 pick of Jersey in any of those years? NOPE

And he was back with Montreal when their dynasty was in full swing
Maybe he was there for the 1st cup,
but that’s it

So no... he wasn’t a big part of their dynasty,
no matter how u wanna frame it

Sharks are currently doing them a solid as well. Don’t you love those big blockbuster trades to “win now”.

Sens hand Colorado a top 4 pick for Duchene

Preds hand the Avs a top 4 d-man in Girard for a depreciating asset in Turris

CBJ sells their souls for Duchene and Dzingel instead of accepting their fate and moving Panarin and Bob the year before and replenishing the asset mix

Sharks hand us a first for Kane that is parlayed into Montour

Sharks make the blockbuster for Karlsson which right now looks like they are handing the Sens a top 15 pick.

Florida handed Pittsburgh McCann and Bjugstad for Brassard (which isn’t even close to the worst move involving him the last 5 years).
- Pegullaville

Let’s see what JB pulls off at the deadline. But if history is any indication, it will be minimal or nonexistent.

Everybody says this, but he had a big hand in putting together 2 cup teams in Pittsburgh.
- Buff36

crosby and malkin
- homiedclown

I was literally quoting him to say this and backed off, then saw your post right below. Seriously.

Neither did Botts.
- adambuffalo

Uh. Tell me how the GM who traded ROR... didn't trade ROR?

Uh. Tell me how the GM who traded ROR... didn't trade ROR?
- U Sir Name

I think his point was that Pegula made the decision. At least that’s how I read it.

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 have gotten banned for suggesting Pegula has mild Asperger's Syndrome, seeing as it's a topic I have read a ton about and am very interested in...

I'm positive he has Asperger's Syndrome but he does not have a learning disability as you have suggested, which can actually be a thing. You can be mentally disabled and have Asperger's...

But Terry Pegula is about as Aspie as they come. It explains his prowess for making money and being a vanilla clone of a conservative white baby-boomer male of the human-species but having absolutely no social skills or ability to judge one person from another.

Thank god he let his wife take control of the Bills, at least she is a vicious Dragon-Lady hell-bent on success with ambition that could fuel a rocket ship.

But I'm serious when I say Terry Pegula has Asperger's Syndrome. It literally explains everything about him.

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.
- Wetbandit1

I can probably do 1 pull up one-armed. It would be a struggle, but your dominant hand does all the work while your off hand just gives you leverage.

Sounds like a "phantom" injury.

I’m glad you mentioned other teams. Incremental improvements to a 76 point team will most likely not be enough to surpass the Bruins, Leafs, Lightning, Panthers, or even the Canadiens. Senators and Wings will be nipping at our heels sooner than later as well.
- PrinceChill

Boston is the 3rd oldest team in the league. Good pieces moving forward, but should start to come down.
Toronto has 1 defenseman and 7 forwards signed next year with 16m in cap space
Tampa has a lot of talent, but only 13 players signed and 8m in cap space
Florida and Montreal I would say are close to us in talent, however both have about the same amount of players signed with about 16m in space. We have 34m in space, and are not paying a 32 or 33 year old goalie for 7 more years like those two teams
Ottawa has potential to improve quickly, however with their ownership you can't bet on them doing things right
Detroit will be our biggest competitor for the next decade I would bet. Good foundation set up. Another high draft pick this draft, and Yzerman there to run the show with 45m in space to work with next summer.

Sharks are currently doing them a solid as well. Don’t you love those big blockbuster trades to “win now”.

Sens hand Colorado a top 4 pick for Duchene

Preds hand the Avs a top 4 d-man in Girard for a depreciating asset in Turris

CBJ sells their souls for Duchene and Dzingel instead of accepting their fate and moving Panarin and Bob the year before and replenishing the asset mix

Sharks hand us a first for Kane that is parlayed into Montour

Sharks make the blockbuster for Karlsson which right now looks like they are handing the Sens a top 15 pick.

Florida handed Pittsburgh McCann and Bjugstad for Brassard (which isn’t even close to the worst move involving him the last 5 years).
- Pegullaville

None of these teams are us.

I have gotten banned for suggesting Pegula has mild Asperger's Syndrome, seeing as it's a topic I have read a ton about and am very interested in...

I'm positive he has Asperger's Syndrome but he does not have a learning disability as you have suggested, which can actually be a thing. You can be mentally disabled and have Asperger's...

But Terry Pegula is about as Aspie as they come. It explains his prowess for making money and being a vanilla clone of a conservative white baby-boomer male of the human-species but having absolutely no social skills or ability to judge one person from another.

Thank god he let his wife take control of the Bills, at least she is a vicious Dragon-Lady hell-bent on success with ambition that could fuel a rocket ship.

But I'm serious when I say Terry Pegula has Asperger's Syndrome. It literally explains everything about him.
- U Sir Name

I can’t stop laughing.

It would explain a lot. I joke that he is borderline retarded. I don’t really think he is, but I do think he is slower than average and something is off with him. I’ll have to read up on Asperger’s.

I enjoy your posts man.