I want Buffalo to draft McDavid or Eichel, of course - every team would want one of them. And, every team would be better next year with them. The thing is this; Buffalo has horrendous possession stats. They're bad because they're horrible. The team is made up largely by players that should be in the AHL or they're teenagers. They had a pretty good run for about six weeks, but they simply cannot sustain that pace. Next year the prospects should contribute meaningfully, and if they ge McEichel they may challenge for the playoffs. They could be next year's Flame. But if we're talking strictly about this season, I'm here to tell you they're a lot worse than they look. My hope - and expectation - is that the young players will not get mired in a loser's mentality. They're good players and they know it. But this year? Arrrrrgh!
I hold WGR 550 SportsRadio in Buffalo in low esteem. Their sports jockeys have perfected the attitude of "when we want your opinions we'll give them to you!" If they had a greater capacity for insight into the Bills and Sabres then I might give them a little leeway, but they compound their arrogance with insipid drivel most of the time. Nevertheless, I have the WGR app because every once in a while they have something worth reading. This is such a case: http://www.wgr550.com/What-do-stats-say-about-where-the-Sabres-will-fini/20684208 The team has abysmal Corsi/Fenwick stats; far worse than any other team in the league. They are not "unlucky" either, (EDM & CAR are, statistically speaking). There are few things to quibble over, for instance: "PDO", when it was first promulgated, was the online name for a hockey geek. "Percentage Driven Outcomes" was construed at a later date to help make sense of what most assume to be an acronym, but it isn't/wasn't. The article points out that the Buffalo goaltending has been the explanation for their "winning streak" in late 2014. Neither goalie is outstanding, but they played like they were at times - especially Enroth, but see skinny's post above. Also, both are pending UFA's and one of them is likely to be traded. Stewart and Stafford are also mentioned as likely trade commodities. The end result is from a statistical and logical perspective, we should assume that Buffalo will be putrid for the rest of this season. At least this year, if the 30th place team loses the lottery then the #2 pick will net an elite player. I think we should expect Buffalo to finish in last place.
We're finally, after more than half the season, starting to see some separation. The Buffalo Sabres are officially in last place in the NHL. The only team that stands in their way of a second straight 30th place finish appears to be the amusing Edmonton Oilers. Even that team is not bad enough to sustain Buffalo's suckiness. I doubt that Ted Nolan will be coaching the team next season. One could argue that he got more out of this collection of so-called hockey players than should be expected. He has some players, (such as Myers and Ennis), playing harder and better. However, there are other talented players, (e.g., Cody Hodgson), that have not appeared to embrace his message. Nolan is an authoritarian-style coach, and that wears thin for any team eventually. Since it's inevitable that he will overstay his welcome, and because the team is horrible in virtually every category, and because Tim Murray did not hire him, and because he's been quoted to say snarky things about the team, I expect Pegula and Murray will say "enough already", and send his ass back to the OHL or to Latvia, or wherever never to be seen or heard of again. The current 10 game losing streak is worse even than what I had called, (a 7 game skein). If they don't pull a few wins out soon, then Ted could be gone by the all-star break.
did u watch the game, skinny? the wings came out sleepwalking, and the sabres were skating, hence the 3-0 first. during the break, i have zero doubt that babs tore everyone a new one, and they responded. from that point on, both teams played like what they actually are, and the final score reflects it. babs' comment to engblom at the end of the first was something to the effect of "u get out what u put in, and we've put in zero so far."
I was just following the score online, I had the football game on, but I can only imagine how pissed babbs must've been.
lol yes. one of the funniest books i've ever read, if not the funniest, is the satire of The Lord of the Rings written by the Harvard Lampoon called Bored of the Rings. if u don't know LOTR, this won't mean much - but this is how their version of the council of elrond ends. everyone has just volunteered the other guy to join Frito on his trip to destroy the ring... that's the look babs had.
That's why we want him in TO, even though that move would probably end up being a career killer for him lol.
There are a couple of interesting reports, (really they're commentary; not true reporting), about the state of the current Sabres and of Buffalo, and for their future: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer Team wants same revitalization on the ice as has happened in downtown Buffalo By Pierre LeBrun, ESPN.com http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/12209280/nhl-accused-tanking-buffalo-sabres-insist-part-rebuild I know that none of the players are playing to lose. I also think the FO is trying to make them a winner; the FA's they signed in June establishes that as a fact, IMO. Meanwhile, I do believe there's merit to the notion that now that it's established that Buffalo has a horrible team this season, they do not want to act too quickly and botch their chance for McEichel. The second report is from a Sabres blog: The Deck is Stacked in Murray?s Favor by Chris Ostrander, Two in the Box http://twointhebox.com/2015/01/19/the-deck-is-stacked-in-murrays-favor/ I think this is rather balanced commentary on the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. For those who do not follow the team closely, you may be surprised at just how good the prospect pipeline is. Of course, having a strong pipeline does not guarantee a great future, but it certainly is a solid foundation for Tim Murray et al to build on.
The best part of being from buffalo is? You're right next the canada, hey buffalo's alright, I mean that, the whole area is buzzing with football and hockey, you have niagara falls nearby, cool place in the summer to party.
Yup, they've got this bridge in Buffalo and if you cross it you're in a whole different country. I like that about Buffalo - it does not take long to get the hell outta there. In reality, Buffalo has always been a fun and friendly city. Pegula is doing a lot to make it an interesting place too. I expect he'll have his new stadium for the Bills built downtown, and that'll add to the buzz that's starting to develop.
Buffalo has a bright future, everytime I go there I see progress from the last time I was there. They have their nice areas, and then you have the many towns that surround it. A lot of those people come into the city to work and even come in on the weekend to spend money and have a good time.
Do large scale rebuilds work in the salary cap era NHL? An analysis on "blowing it up" http://www.diebytheblade.com/2015/2...work-in-the-salary-cap-era-nhl-an-analysis-on I will post this on the Stats. message board too. It is an interesting look back at the draft since 2001 and how teams have gone about the process of rebuilding. My major quibble with this report is that it relies on the Schucker Draft Value Chart from several years ago, and that has been largely discarded. It either understated the value of first round picks, or overstated the value for later rounds. Nevertheless, this provides a know constant to compare how teams have done. No team has gone through such a thorough burnt-earth approach as the Sabres, and it is amazing to see how much the team has amassed in terms of recent and future high draft picks. I maintain that the key to the Sabres' rebuild is more dependent on how they manage the players in the organization than what future assets they may accumulate in trades. They're already pushing the organizational limit (50 contracts), and they have a lot more high picks to sign over the next few years. Deciding which prospects to let go may be as important as deciding which ones to draft.
This is both a very high-risk trade, and also exactly the type of trade that BUF has to make. They need talent - the lack of talent in BUF is the reason the team sucks. They also have too many prospects; the NHL would literally prevent them from signing all of them, (50 contract org. limit). They got the best talent in the trade, and they alleviated an organizational logjam that could have derailed prospect development. The risk? That can be summed up succinctly with two words: Evander Kane.
