A year ago Donnie was the prospect whisperer and the best coach since Lindy....he is a product of the enviornment built by the GM. You are correct that all of the moves you noted are horrible, I agree he should not be the coach, but at the end of the day, the problem is so deep in Buffalo you need the head to be removed, not the hands
- washedup20

So it’s Adams fault that the PP isn’t working?

It’s Adams fault that Kyle Okposo played with the 1st to 3rd lines this year?

Tuch, tage, skinner, and cozens (until recently) games have fallen off a cliff. That’s on Adams and not coaching?

Again. Granato has been so bad. I would want to see what a real coach would do.

I actually wouldn’t hate Lindy. He would be hard on them and make them accountable

It's worse than that, I don't think he's worth keeping around even when he's at his best. I know many agree, and to each their own, but I wouldn't want him at half cost to be quite honest. His lack of effort in the defensive zone will always be a liability and his streakiness goes back to his days in Carolina.

However, I will say that while I don't know if it's injury related, he certainly snapped back to form against Montreal. That tells me it isn't an injury, it's desire, which is far more damning.
- QuinnFan

So it’s Adams fault that the PP isn’t working?

It’s Adams fault that Kyle Okposo played with the 1st to 3rd lines this year?

Tuch, tage, skinner, and cozens (until recently) games have fallen off a cliff. That’s on Adams and not coaching?

Again. Granato has been so bad. I would want to see what a real coach would do.

I actually wouldn’t hate Lindy. He would be hard on them and make them accountable
- Sabretooth9

Yes

Donnie.

Adams gave him a wild card team on paper, we aren’t a wild card team today.

Is criticism of Adams warranted ? 100%. With the cap space and assets we have, we should have strived for more than just “getting in”. But not getting in at all to begin with will fall on the coach.
- Swedish_Jesus

That makes some sense. Looking at the eastern conference, penciling this roster into a wild card was a bit premature, but I do agree they're underperforming as well. Interesting to see we're pretty split so far on this.

Valid...every player signed long term has bent when the pressure gets turned up.....in the regular season. The talent is there, why regardless of the nameplate on the back, they break when it matters?

The assumption Adams drafts well will be exposed by training camp next year IMO.
- washedup20

I don't see how you can say that the talent breaks when it matters. We were very good at the end of last year and the same is true this year. The problems were earlier in the season. I actually think we play better against better teams (Cozens is the poster child for this).

Also, what do you think gets exposed in training camp? Training camp is just so... meaningless.

So it’s Adams fault that the PP isn’t working?

It’s Adams fault that Kyle Okposo played with the 1st to 3rd lines this year?

Tuch, tage, skinner, and cozens (until recently) games have fallen off a cliff. That’s on Adams and not coaching?

Again. Granato has been so bad. I would want to see what a real coach would do.

I actually wouldn’t hate Lindy. He would be hard on them and make them accountable
- Sabretooth9

I think Lindy as preside of Hockey Ops is what is needed.

If you listen closely to Adams, he clearly doesn't like some of what Metaballs is doing. He is spot on with his statements about the team being boring. Will anything be done? That is a different question. But yeah, I'd like to see a better coach as well.

I pointed out that the gm probably cost us 2 playoff appearances - how is that going easy on him? I have more questions about the coach and gm than I did last summer. I am legit concerned, and last summer I was their biggest supporter here.

Also not sure why being tired of the whining is a weird take. The problem is that it gets in the way of legit discourse. We all know the history and are tired of it. We've all been there. Having the last 13 years injected into regular conversation just gets old after a while, especially since it was the same 3 or 4 people doing it over and over. I wish we could just pin something like "we know that the last 13 years sucked" at the top of this page so that people didn't have to remind us all of the time. So yeah, I took that advice and ejected.
- Slump Buster

Legit discourse is talking about the current problems that never change. You’re asking people to not talk about those problems. That is definitely a weird ass take. Trust me, none of us want to be repetitive but the discourse will change when the problems do. Plus it’s not like other things weren’t discussed, you just objected to the singular observations that the GM and coach are bad?

Yes
- washedup20

In what world is that Adams fault??

Adams job is to attempt to build a good talented roster.

He provided that to Donny

And Donny has massively failed this year.

Coaches are supposed to do this thing called “coaching.”

The only coach that deserves a raise is the goalie coach with UPL.

We'd be in a better spot if the questions about the gm, coach and owner did not exist.

(And this is NOT to absolve Adams for not making more moves)
- Slump Buster

lol what. So we’d be better if we didn’t have questions around the entire ownership, front office and coaching structure is a wild statement.

In what world is that Adams fault??

Adams job is to attempt to build a good talented roster.

He provided that to Donny

And Donny has massively failed this year.

Coaches are supposed to do this thing called “coaching.”

The only coach that deserves a raise is the goalie coach with UPL.
- Sabretooth9

Which of these guys do you consider talented?

Okposo
Girgensons
Olofsson
Robinson
Clifton
Bryson
Eric Johnson

IMO, if you have 7 untalented players on your team, you're not going to do well. Robinson, I think, you can make a case for but only as a 4th line energy guy and he still produces very little.

- washedup20

I was adamant about keeping GMTM. I said he was a first time GM, needed to learn on the job. I said the same thing about Botts, I will say the same thing about KA.

I also never wanted Bylsma or Housley fired.

Donnie is a goon.

In what world is that Adams fault??

Adams job is to attempt to build a good talented roster.

He provided that to Donny

And Donny has massively failed this year.

Coaches are supposed to do this thing called “coaching.”

The only coach that deserves a raise is the goalie coach with UPL.
- Sabretooth9

The team that Adams provided Granato is talented individually but flawed as a unit. That’s just one of Adams failures.

I don't see how you can say that the talent breaks when it matters. We were very good at the end of last year and the same is true this year. The problems were earlier in the season. I actually think we play better against better teams (Cozens is the poster child for this).

Also, what do you think gets exposed in training camp? Training camp is just so... meaningless.
- Slump Buster

They lost games big late in the season when it was must win situations. The entire team completely folded game 1 of this season and rode that energy up until February when they were reduced to less than 4% chance of making the playoffs.

The GM and coach were afraid to put expectations on the season, the environment Adams built is soft.

The result last season and currently a 98% likely chance of missing the playoffs this season should be the only measuring stick IMO.

Rosen, Savoie, Ostlund, Kulich and the 24' 1st (high probability its a small skilled center, who will jump the prospects in the system immediately) couldn't make the Sabres team this season when the roster literally didn't have a 3rd line.

I don't know what people are expecting out of this group of prospects but they won't be a driving factor in the team becoming sustainably successful. Too much of the same on a team that is already overloaded with it.

UPL has played good in 24' when they were already pretty much out of it for the season.

I have yet to see a player in Buffalo rise to the occasion and play at a high level consistently while the team is winning.

Thats on Adams, the coach and the players - adding rookies won't solve that problem IMO it will only grow.

Donnie.

Adams gave him a wild card team on paper, we aren’t a wild card team today.

Is criticism of Adams warranted ? 100%. With the cap space and assets we have, we should have strived for more than just “getting in”. But not getting in at all to begin with will fall on the coach.
- Swedish_Jesus

In what world did Adams give Granato a wildcard team?

I pointed out that the gm probably cost us 2 playoff appearances - how is that going easy on him? I have more questions about the coach and gm than I did last summer. I am legit concerned, and last summer I was their biggest supporter here.

Also not sure why being tired of the whining is a weird take. The problem is that it gets in the way of legit discourse. We all know the history and are tired of it. We've all been there. Having the last 13 years injected into regular conversation just gets old after a while, especially since it was the same 3 or 4 people doing it over and over. I wish we could just pin something like "we know that the last 13 years sucked" at the top of this page so that people didn't have to remind us all of the time. So yeah, I took that advice and ejected.
- Slump Buster

It doesn't help that the entire organization, from the top to the players, run and hide from the decade plus of ineptitude, to the point of absolving themselves by saying they haven't been on the team the entire time and it's not all on them.

While true, no fan wants to hear that poop.

Until the entire organization embraces the drought fully, they won't be successful.

So I still haven't gotten a answer, if I keep Granato and Fire Adams. Can I atleast change the Assistant Coaches or do I have to keep them all for 2 years ?

If it's allowing even more teams into the playoffs, then that's a hard no from me.
- Frizzlefry

I get why some don't like it, but I love the idea of a one game play-in as a non-top 3 seed in either division, or even a 2 game series, where the higher seed would only need to win one game, while the lower seed would need to win both to advance.

It would add more importance to not being a wild card team, as you could get bounced out before the playoff best of 7 fully began.

So it’s Adams fault that the PP isn’t working?

It’s Adams fault that Kyle Okposo played with the 1st to 3rd lines this year?

Tuch, tage, skinner, and cozens (until recently) games have fallen off a cliff. That’s on Adams and not coaching?

Again. Granato has been so bad. I would want to see what a real coach would do.

I actually wouldn’t hate Lindy. He would be hard on them and make them accountable
- Sabretooth9

Not getting a Net Front presence for the PP is Adams fault.
Even bringing Okposo back was Adams Fault.

The team that Adams provided Granato is talented individually but flawed as a unit. That’s just one of Adams failures.
- SoCalPucks

It’s as simple as this.

Are we winning games because of Donnie ? I don’t think so.

Are the Flyers winning games because of Torts ? I think they are 100%.

Coaching is supposed to extract the most value out of what they are given, Donnie isn’t getting enough juice out of the orange.

Which of these guys do you consider talented?

Okposo
Girgensons
Olofsson
Robinson
Clifton
Bryson
Eric Johnson

IMO, if you have 7 untalented players on your team, you're not going to do well. Robinson, I think, you can make a case for but only as a 4th line energy guy and he still produces very little.
- QuinnFan

I’ve liked Bryson this year.

And if you keep okposos robinson and girgensons on the 4th line and don’t force them up the lineup. Then they are fine

But too many times Donny would those okposos up the lineup and slow everything depth.

I’ve liked Bryson this year.

And if you keep okposos robinson and girgensons on the 4th line and don’t force them up the lineup. Then they are fine

But too many times Donny would those okposos up the lineup and slow everything depth.
- Sabretooth9

…..because the Sabres didn’t bring in anyone better.

It’s as simple as this.

Are we winning games because of Donnie ? I don’t think so.

Are the Flyers winning games because of Torts ? I think they are 100%.

Coaching is supposed to extract the most value out of what they are given, Donnie isn’t getting enough juice out of the orange.
- Swedish_Jesus

Granato is poop, too. You won’t get any argument from me on that. The inmates are running the asylum in that organization which would never be tolerated in an organization with any pride.

It’s as simple as this.

Are we winning games because of Donnie ? I don’t think so.

Are the Flyers winning games because of Torts ? I think they are 100%.

Coaching is supposed to extract the most value out of what they are given, Donnie isn’t getting enough juice out of the orange.
- Swedish_Jesus

Adams went out of his way to bring back Okposo and Girgensons because he believed they were paramount to building a winning team despite the fact that a kid with an IQ of 12 could see that a decade's worth of data said the opposite. The orange was rotten to begin with.

In what world did Adams give Granato a wildcard team?
- ImThatGuy

The Sabres have a better roster on paper than a few of the teams that are ahead of them in the standings.

You taking Philly, NYI, and Detroit’s roster over ours ? I’m not

It doesn't help that the entire organization, from the top to the players, run and hide from the decade plus of ineptitude, to the point of absolving themselves by saying they haven't been on the team the entire time and it's not all on them.

While true, no fan wants to hear that poop.

Until the entire organization embraces the drought fully, they won't be successful.
- kingcong39

I obviously don't hear all of the interviews, but has a player ever said that? I've heard that they have been known to hide after losses, but that's different. The worst I have heard was that Mitts told the players not to salute the fans after the 'fire Donnie' chant, which is pretty bad.