Hey Terry, Do Us A Favor and SELL

[Fjordy]

A problem is, even when they get players from the outside, they look great for a short period of time, seem to have a hunger that lacks on the current roster.... then they get Sabreized and fall back into the mass of malaise. Greenway, Zucker, Byram come to mind.

Then on the other end, so many players seem miserable here, then leave and find great success. I don't think I need to list all those.

We even had an ex-player create a clothing line based on how much he hated playing here.

I don't think Zucker, Greenway and Byram look bad here. Zucker seems to be playing even better than he did last season in Arizona. Byram is also playing better than he did last season. Greenway was fine before his injury too, but he's just a 3rd liner with 30 points, but a useful player.

The problem is obvious to me. The GM is an idiot and couldn't build the team properly. He put the youngest team in the league on the ice, while hiring an experienced coach who wants proven and good players. He built the defense wrong, he built the offense wrong with kids in the top 6 and made a bottleneck of other kids in the AHL. He just sat there and saved up all these draft picks and prospects for almost five years.

Look at some teams that regularly play in the playoffs. If they add some young players, they add them to an already formed core of good veterans, but we have the opposite, adding a few veterans to a young core and it doesn't do much.There's a lot more I can say, but I think it's clear that the problem is simply that our GM is not able to build the team properly.

Do you have a source for this, or just making things up?

Well, they're not the GM or the president or are they the final decision maker? I doubt it. I have no idea what advice they give Adams or how things are set up there, but it's not working.

 

[Jim Bob]

Stahl ?, c'mon Jim, you know what I'm saying
We were told having Lindy would change it, it didn't
There must be some bad bad juju

Who said Lindy would change it without the on-ice results changing first?

If anyone said that, you shouldn't trust what they say.

Winning cures all. It doesn't matter who the GM or coach is if the results aren't there first.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Who said Lindy would change it without the on-ice results changing first?

If anyone said that, you shouldn't trust what they say.

Winning cures all. It doesn't matter who the GM or coach is if the results aren't there first.

GMKA said it, I remember it distinctly. But Adams says lots of things.

 

[Jim Bob]

GMKA said it, I remember it distinctly. But Adams says lots of things.

Adams talks 11th pick, potential trades during pre-Draft press conference | Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres GM met with the media alongside assistant GM Jerry Forton on Thursday.

www.nhl.com

4. The Lindy effect​

Adams was asked if he expects the hiring of Lindy Ruff, who ranks fifth in NHL history in coaching wins, to have an impact on the willingness of players to waive no-trade clauses in deals to Buffalo or sign with the Sabres via free agency.

“It has come up, yeah, a few times,” Adams said. “Lindy has a lot of credibility in this league and a lot of respect in this league from players, agents, other general managers, which he’s earned, and that’s a great thing for us. So, yeah, I obviously can’t give you specifics, but I have had conversations where that exact thing has come up.”

That may have been something that players were contemplating prior to the season. But, given that the team is under .500 today, I doubt that is still the case.

 

[May Day 10]

his quotes are so punchable

 

[TehDoak]

That is not true. Adams convinced Staal to waive to come here. And that is just one example off of the top of my head. I am sure there have been others over the past 14 years.

I do not expect players to waive to come here this year, though.

IIRC (and someone can correct me if I am wrong) Staal had a partial NTC and said he 'gamed' his list a bit so he wouldn't be traded. He figured he would be most likely moved at the deadline so he included contenders (I believe he cited Boston as an example here) rather than places he didn't want to go. I don't think he waived, he simply miscalculated when he would be traded.

 

[May Day 10]

Staal was visibly miserable here.

 

[TageGod]

They hired Lindy to attract free agents.

 

[Jim Bob]

IIRC (and someone can correct me if I am wrong) Staal had a partial NTC and said he 'gamed' his list a bit so he wouldn't be traded. He figured he would be most likely moved at the deadline so he included contenders (I believe he cited Boston as an example here) rather than places he didn't want to go. I don't think he waived, he simply miscalculated when he would be traded.

I actually looked and the last contract that Staal signed with Minnesota had no trade protection. The previous one had a M-NTC.

I wonder if Skinner was the last guy to waive to come to Buffalo...

 

[Zman5778]

Not ONE NHL player has or will waive his NTC to come here. That's on Pegula for having a shit organization and treating players like shit. Word gets around the league very quick what do you think Jack, Sam, Casey, ROR, etc have told other players about their time here ?

Skinner waived his NMC to come here (because we're close to his family).

Beyond that though -- you're right.

 

[BFLO]

That is not true. Adams convinced Staal to waive to come here. And that is just one example off of the top of my head. I am sure there have been others over the past 14 years.

I do not expect players to waive to come here this year, though.

No he didn't.

Real Story Behind the Surprising Staal Trade to the Sabres

The acquisition of Eric Staal has the makings for a good fit in Buffalo.

nhltradetalk.com

Staal had a 10 team M-NTC. Staal tailored his 10 teams to be the ones he thought most likely to trade for him, as he didn't want to leave MN.

He never thought in his wildest dreams that Buffalo would trade for him. He thought only contenders would want him.

Him not wanting to be here helps explain why he was such a slug for us.

 

[Chainshot]

Skinner waived his NMC to come here (because we're close to his family).

Beyond that though -- you're right.

Robyn Regehr did too... 13 years ago when this fiasco first started.

 

[Zman5778]

Robyn Regehr did too... 13 years ago when this fiasco first started.

At the start of 11/12, we had just come off of a 7-game series loss to Philly and there was hope.

........yeah.

 

[Beerz]

Not ONE NHL player has or will waive his NTC to come here. That's on Pegula for having a shit organization and treating players like shit. Word gets around the league very quick what do you think Jack, Sam, Casey, ROR, etc have told other players about their time here ?

This simply isn't true. Players don't come here because they don't want to live and Buffalo and the team sucks.

Why we have to turn Terry Pegula into some sort of monster is just dumb.

We went from "take the fireplace out of the players lounge they are too pampered" to...the organization treats it's players like shit.

 

[RWatson29]

No he didn't.

Real Story Behind the Surprising Staal Trade to the Sabres

The acquisition of Eric Staal has the makings for a good fit in Buffalo.

nhltradetalk.com

Staal had a 10 team M-NTC. Staal tailored his 10 teams to be the ones he thought most likely to trade for him, as he didn't want to leave MN.

He never thought in his wildest dreams that Buffalo would trade for him. He thought only contenders would want him.

Him not wanting to be here helps explain why he was such a slug for us.

Lmaoooo

 

[sabremike]

This simply isn't true. Players don't come here because they don't want to live and Buffalo and the team sucks.

Why we have to turn Terry Pegula into some sort of monster is just dumb.

We went from "take the fireplace out of the players lounge they are too pampered" to...the organization treats it's players like shit.

I mean it's not like he literally blocked a guy from getting a medical procedure he wanted and needed (and that ended up 100% successful) or anything...

 

[ValJamesDuex]

I mean it's not like he literally blocked a guy from getting a medical procedure he wanted and needed (and that ended up 100% successful) or anything...

We ran into Jack a couple times around town, was always nice to us but he became a fall guy. Good for him.

 

[Beerz]

I mean it's not like he literally blocked a guy from getting a medical procedure he wanted and needed (and that ended up 100% successful) or anything...

Why would a team allow a player to go under the knife for a procedure that had limited knowledge of its effectiveness when the player just signed an 80 million dollar contract and is demanding a trade... of all things to bag on the Sabres about this isn't it. ... All reports show it was Team Doctors who discouraged the surgery.

 

[BFLO]

I mean it's not like he literally blocked a guy from getting a medical procedure he wanted and needed (and that ended up 100% successful) or anything...

The risk in the short term for both options were equal. It's no surprise that it has worked out fine for Jack so far.

The risk with the artificial disk is that it won't last over the course of an NHL career.

The disk could still fail the next time Jack gets hit, potentially leading to his permanent paralysis or death on the ice. Or maybe it'll be 5 years from now. Or maybe it'll be fine. We just don't know yet.

 

[sabremike]

 

[Fjordy]

 

[sabremike]

If all 800 NHL Players were asked "Who is the worst owner in the league" how many wouldn't answer "Terry Pegula"?

Over/Under 50?

 

[DapperCam]

I wish he would just pass responsibility of the Sabres down to one of his kids now. I have to think they would do a much better job. They would probably do the rational thing by hiring qualified people and getting out of the way.

Unlike Terry who supposedly has daily conversations with the GM.

 

[Tijuana Donkey Show]

The president of hockey operations is the dumbest argument. What teams have a president of hockey operations? All you need is a GM in the NHL. How many GMs have Pegula given a chance to? Murray, and Botterill were both considered highly qualified GM candidates. Adams is the former player route that many teams have gone to recently (Drury, Briere, Guerin, Yzerman, Grier).

Washington Capitals
Minnesota Wild
Vegas Golden Knights
New Jersey Devils
Florida Panthers
LA Kings
Edmonton OIlers

This is just me going through the top 10 teams in standings. The Leafs, Hurricaine, and Jets all have somebody who carries some sort of EVP or similar of Hockey Ops who sit between the owner and the team.

Should be noted that in some cases the GM is also the POHO. But to the general point of fans clamoring for a POHO, the point is to remove the flat management structure that Pegula has relied on for eternity, and put somebody fully in charge of the hockey team, having the FO staff, scouts, coaches, etc. roll up to that person.

 

[OkimLom]

If all 800 NHL Players were asked "Who is the worst owner in the league" how many wouldn't answer "Terry Pegula"?

Over/Under 50?

From a player's perspective, there are probably a lot more that would view him favorably than you think or view him as neutral, even guys that may have had issues with management and higher ups. There tends to be a more personal relationship where the players see a little bit more of said owner/ownership, than what fans will experience. Fans most likely are experiencing a "narrative" built perception of someone, usually shaped by media sources, or limited viewings of a press conference or interview.

Nothing has really come up from players that would indicate that Pegula is a major problem with them, though I'm sure there are those that might not like the guy like any other owner or person might run into. You're not going to be the favorite of everyone, or looked at favorably. That's just how things go.

There are a lot more emotional connections between fans and an ownership/management team because the fans feel a sense of living through their sports teams a lot more often, and most likely with more passion. You have fans that have been around since the beginning. Expecting that fan to have a more emotional reaction to the organization than say a player that might've played on the team for 1-15+ years, in some case, shouldn't be shocking.

I know this might be disheartening to hear, but players most likely aren't going to have the same emotional reaction as the fans do.