Around the NHL 2024-2025

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Buffalo has lost 10 in a row. I'm 10,000% confused. The owner of the team tells the players he believes in them. Buffalo has missed the playoffs 13 years in a row and are 1 point above the last place team in the East.

I don't get it. It looks to be a 20 year rebuild.

Looks like they're experiencing the expected trajectory of a team who just hired a 64-year old HC who got canned after he couldn't get another promising young team over the hump.

That organization is a mess. To squander Eichel, Reinhart, Ullmark, and Montour over the course of a handful of seasons is some really nasty work.

Certain teams are destined to be bad for decades. The Bruins, under their current ownership, appear to be one of them.

 

[Brian39]

Buffalo has lost 10 in a row. I'm 10,000% confused. The owner of the team tells the players he believes in them. Buffalo has missed the playoffs 13 years in a row and are 1 point above the last place team in the East.

I don't get it. It looks to be a 20 year rebuild.

I assume that the GM explored the trade market, got a bunch of lowball offers from GMs who smell blood in the water and decided that trading another core player for pennies on the dollar wasn't going to do any good. Either that or the owner has decided to fire the GM and has informed that GM that he is not authorized to make any big trade.

Either way, the owner recognized that he is probably stuck with this roster for the foreseeable future and tried to do something to shake them out of their funk. What would threatening the players with a fire sale do besides give frustrated players an incentive to phone it in until that trade gets them the hell out of there?

I'm not defending Buffalo's management or the way they have built their team. I think they have been a complete train wreck. But I don't believe for a second that the owner is actually happy with the team and wants to keep everyone around forever. I think he is recognizing the reality and trying a long shot bid to rally the group improve.

 

[StlBigFly]

It’s gotta be near impossible for the Sabres to be consistent with 3 centers under 25. (Krebs, McLeod, Cozens). They can be good but they cannot be consistent.

I think their ownership and management should expect inconsistency if they build their team this way.

Hopefully for them they can get over the hump the coming 2-3 years. Their defense is so stout.

I think I’ve probably said the last sentence about Buffalo every year for the last decade.

 

[PocketNines]

Given their proximate intro date to the NHL, plus sport-share-relative-to-city, the Sabres are like an alternate history for the Blues. It's a nightmare way of experiencing hockey fanship

 

[PocketNines]

Big salute to the Blues by the way for sweeping the Rangers this season for only the third or fourth time since 1920, per John Kelly, the Ottawa native. Been a LONG 104 years

 

[ArenaRat]

over on the Buffalo board things are getting, uhh, well I don't know the word...

 

[PocketNines]

as far as I'm concerned the Ryan Miller conversations were unacceptable and they haven't been back in the playoffs since, so whatever, devolve, do it

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Well Kakko might be on his way out of NY after those comments today.

 

[BrokenFace]

Well Kakko might be on his way out of NY after those comments today.

Kakko for Saad and a 2029 2nd

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Kakko for Saad and a 2029 2nd

My issue with trading for Kakko is it just gives us another winger when we need a Center.

 

[Drubilly]

My issue with trading for Kakko is it just gives us another winger when we need a Center.

I thought KK is still used occasionally as a center?

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I thought KK is still used occasionally as a center?

Very Rarely.

 

[Majorityof1]

I thought KK is still used occasionally as a center?

It doesn't appear he plays much given his faceoff #s. That's not the end all be all. He could play C but someone else takes the draws. That is rare. Kk is around 60 faceoffs this year, compared to Holloway at 100+. So he may have played a few games at C like Holloway but that is mostly showing a W who takes draws when the C us booted from the dot.

His faceoff numbers in previous years are so low as to be non existent.

 

[Celtic Note]

It’s gotta be near impossible for the Sabres to be consistent with 3 centers under 25. (Krebs, McLeod, Cozens). They can be good but they cannot be consistent.

I think their ownership and management should expect inconsistency if they build their team this way.

Hopefully for them they can get over the hump the coming 2-3 years. Their defense is so stout.

I think I’ve probably said the last sentence about Buffalo every year for the last decade.

Gross incompetence from ownership down has not helped Buffalo.

 

[BadgersandBlues]

I'd be willing to take a flyer on Kaapo, but I'm sure so would 30 other teams. I'm not really sure what I'd be willing to give up, but if they would do Saad for Kaapo with us retaining a bit of salary I wouldn't say no.

 

[Drubilly]

My bad on KK. I thought I’ve read some of his frustration stems from not getting more time at center. I’d still take him as a winger though.