Michael Pachla: Krueger Crisis? A 2-6-2 slide makes you wonder what's next for the Sabres

looks like the new gm will be set up nicely

same for the new coach
- homiedclown

This is quite the paradox. So Botts’ tenure here would definitely point to long term success and setting up the next GM, but due to not finding success this season he is going to get canned for it ?

I always thought this team was not a bottom 10 team, but I didn’t think it was a playoff team either.

Looking at it now, we are playing like a team that is going to be picking in the latter half of the top 10 which would signify a mild disappointment (at least in my eyes but everyone has their own opinion and beliefs on what they thought this team would be)

Regardless of how you look at it though, the team is set up to compete 2020 and beyond as long as he doesn’t bring back 90% of our impending UFA’s and uses the cash to bring in useful hockey players.

Now, Botts did acquire a lot of those underperforming forwards moving out mid-round picks to do so, however at the cost of mid-round picks it was a lot better risk then swinging for the fences and missing and depleting an asset pool that to this day is still deficient. He tried to appease the win now crowd while also not overspending premium assets.

In the meantime his drafts have yielded some very interesting names and two guys that are already playing prominent roles on the club in Mitts and Dahlin.

Aside: If Botts gets the axe for our performance this year and last (bottoming out for Cozens) why does he not get credit for Fallin for Dahlin ? That I’ll never understand, but to each their own.

In conclusion, if the team is bottom 5 I think he gets the axe, if not he gets a playoff or bust year in 2020.

I’ll open it up to the floor. Have a good day folks.

Meh

Michael Pachla: Krueger Crisis? A 2-6-2 slide makes you wonder what's next for the Sabres
- Michael Pachla

Look on the bright side: at least you won't have Leafs fans coming in here to troll about the Sabres' recent slide.

Look on the bright side: at least you won't have Leafs fans coming in here to troll about the Sabres' recent slide.
- Atomic Wedgie

gotta home and home coming up soon...should be interesting, especially if babcock's butt is on the line

It looked like the Hawks were fortunate to catch the Sabres during a down period. Not trolling, 2 serious questions.

1. With the lack of secondary scoring, why did the Sabres trade Nylander for Jokiharju. The blog mentions Sabres having excess D. Nylander may have flaws, but he does have a goal scorer’s skill set.

2. Is Eichel always that bad defensively? He lost Dach on the 1st Hawk goal, and let him skate right by on the 2nd.

Good luck the rest of the way, hopefully the Sabres get it turned around.

It looked like the Hawks were fortunate to catch the Sabres during a down period. Not trolling, 2 serious questions.

1. With the lack of secondary scoring, why did the Sabres trade Nylander for Jokiharju. The blog mentions Sabres having excess D. Nylander may have flaws, but he does have a goal scorer’s skill set.

2. Is Eichel always that bad defensively? He lost Dach on the 1st Hawk goal, and let him skate right by on the 2nd.

Good luck the rest of the way, hopefully the Sabres get it turned around.
- scottak

1. Nylander wasn't panning out. Too much of a perimeter player that disappeared way too often
2. Jack has his moments defensively, but he's better than that. Perhaps he was a little sore from carrying the team on his back the night before

Jokers a much better player than Nylander. Make that trade every day.

Summary:

We're soft.

Pach says "we look for the pretty goals." That's pretty much correct. We need grinders who can put biscuits in baskets. Our grinders are dull, and we still don't have secondary scoring.

IMO, so far, Botterill is showing that he's good with the cap, but maybe not so good at finding the effective talent.

1. Nylander wasn't panning out. Too much of a perimeter player that disappeared way too often
2. Jack has his moments defensively, but he's better than that. Perhaps he was a little sore from carrying the team on his back the night before
- Michael Pachla

Thanks!

It has all been discussed to death.

Botts controls this roster, he controls his destiny to a large degree.
He knows the deficiencies on this team, and he knows the current roster imblance.

If he is content to watch this team go through another free-fall, that tells me he has nothing to worry about...his employer is on-board with the plan.

Whatever.

Could he have made a single move, or even two, that would have gotten them into the playoffs? Probably not. No single move, like the one for defenseman Brandon Montour would get them there while multiple moves weren't in the cards for a GM who was trying to rebuild the entire hockey department.

Nice piece.

My reply to the line of thinking above is that the passivity and "patience" breeds a result of being many pieces away, because he hasn't chipped away at it to a meaningful degree.

It's like me having a deadline and saying "I can't possibly get this done today because I haven't been working on it all"

That's not a valid excuse

Thanks!
- scottak

Kirby looks like the real deal...any chance he falls into Colliton's doghouse?
I mean, if so Stan would need to move him, right

This is quite the paradox. So Botts’ tenure here would definitely point to long term success and setting up the next GM, but due to not finding success this season he is going to get canned for it ?

I always thought this team was not a bottom 10 team, but I didn’t think it was a playoff team either.

Looking at it now, we are playing like a team that is going to be picking in the latter half of the top 10 which would signify a mild disappointment (at least in my eyes but everyone has their own opinion and beliefs on what they thought this team would be)

Regardless of how you look at it though, the team is set up to compete 2020 and beyond as long as he doesn’t bring back 90% of our impending UFA’s and uses the cash to bring in useful hockey players.

Now, Botts did acquire a lot of those underperforming forwards moving out mid-round picks to do so, however at the cost of mid-round picks it was a lot better risk then swinging for the fences and missing and depleting an asset pool that to this day is still deficient. He tried to appease the win now crowd while also not overspending premium assets.

In the meantime his drafts have yielded some very interesting names and two guys that are already playing prominent roles on the club in Mitts and Dahlin.

Aside: If Botts gets the axe for our performance this year and last (bottoming out for Cozens) why does he not get credit for Fallin for Dahlin ? That I’ll never understand, but to each their own.

In conclusion, if the team is bottom 5 I think he gets the axe, if not he gets a playoff or bust year in 2020.

I’ll open it up to the floor. Have a good day folks.
- Pegullaville

Why would we assume that he will do a good job with that when we cant wait for most of the players he acquired to leave?

Nice piece.

My reply to the line of thinking above is that the passivity and "patience" breeds a result of being many pieces away, because he hasn't chipped away at it to a meaningful degree.

It's like me having a deadline and saying "I can't possibly get this done today because I haven't been working on it all"

That's not a valid excuse
- jcragcrumple

he got the Montour piece, then followed it up in the off season...he wasn't gonna sell the farm for some pipe dream of making the playoffs...

that was last year...

he really needs to do something now to help shake this team up...and nothing should be off the table save for jack, dahlin and cozens

8-1-1 on pace for 139 pts.
2-6-2 on pace for 49 pts.
-------
10-7-3 on pace for 94 pts.

Will the real Buffalo Sabres please stand-up

he got the Montour piece, then followed it up in the off season...he wasn't gonna sell the farm for some pipe dream of making the playoffs...

that was last year...

he really needs to do something now to help shake this team up...and nothing should be off the table save for jack, dahlin and cozens
- Michael Pachla

Your article was more nuanced. I was just using that as a jumping off point. His "steady hand" approach is fine for a team like the Penguins or Capitals who have the firepower consistently to compete. But when you're trying to build something, you have to, you know, build it. And his attempts at building a forward group are pathetic, sans Skinner and to a lesser degree Mojo.

The "grinders" that GMJB has brought here have done nothing to help improve secondary scoring and that is all on him. Was JV really this bad in NY ? How are we paying CS 3M per year to be invisible? Is Montour added any more then Guhle could have? How could they not find a real center for Skinner?

Is Dahlin as afraid as he appears?

Just am tired of waiting for this team to be entertaining as last night was a joke.. Really, Jack that 18 year old kid ate you alive...Until you do it consistently night in and night out this team will never improve.

Babcock watch is on !!!!

Hey Homie,
Any fights in the Conference Rooms?
Any reports of Deep Dish Pizza stains all over a certain box suite in Chicago?
Any reports of Sam looking at the asses of you g woman, or Jacking mumbling how he is beginning to hate hockey?

At this point in time, I’m not really thinking about who should and shouldn’t get the credit, when or if the team ever becomes successful.

Stuck in the mud: The Story of the 2011-2xxx Buffalo Sabres

- adambuffalo

While the numbers are alarming, the names, sans 2, invoke a "meh" response.
Meh.

Michael Pachla: Krueger Crisis? A 2-6-2 slide makes you wonder what's next for the Sabres
- Michael Pachla

stink is stink

This is quite the paradox. So Botts’ tenure here would definitely point to long term success and setting up the next GM, but due to not finding success this season he is going to get canned for it ?
.
- Pegullaville

what is your basis for long term success


this is year 5 of eichel

and right now we are not going to sniff the playoffs in any of these 5 seasons



pretty sure that's a first for a team having drafted a young all star center in the top 2 in the draft