Hey Terry, Do Us A Favor and SELL

[Dubi Doo]

Lucky hire of the HC that lead them to Beane, lucked into Allen being as good as he is.

Everything they have done with the Sabres has been the wrong move almost without fail. It is amazing really.

I will say, they didn't luck into Allen. Beane and co. Specifically targeted him, and made some savvy trades to get the assets needed to draft him. They then did damn near everything right to develop him. They traded for a top tier WR which helped him breakout, they fire OCs or coaches who weren't helping him, and now theyve built him one of the best OLs in football. Beane is just a damn good GM.

I agree with the sentiment, though. Seems like dumb luck at this point.

This is why it's going to be a while before they make the playoffs. Pegula just isnt fully invested in this team. I can't believe he called this hockey heaven at one point. It's a hockey wasteland, and he's made it this way.

 

[Chainshot]

I will say, they didn't luck into Allen. Beane and co. Specifically targeted him, and made some savvy trades to get the assets needed to draft him. They then did damn near everything right to develop him. They traded for a top tier WR which helped him breakout, they fire OCs or coaches who weren't helping him, and now theyve built him one of the best OLs in football. Beane is just a damn good GM.

I agree with the sentiment, though. Seems like dumb luck at this point.


This is why it's going to be a while before they make the playoffs. Pegula just isnt fully invested in this team. I can't believe he called this hockey heaven at one point. It's a hockey wasteland, and he's made it this way.

I posted it the time and I will stand by it buying the football team would be a distraction and he wouldn’t be as involved with making sure they actually win on the hockey side. And here we are.

 

[ckg927]

The nasty part of me says "Let the Sabres KEEP losing. Make it so putrid that Pegs has no choice but to SELL the team. That's the only way it'll make it clear to Pegula that he's totally ****ed up this team."

 

[May Day 10]

I'm firmly rooting for losses at this point. There is no redeeming quality with this organization at this point, other than nostalgia... but pegula has also managed to kill that too

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

If this man still thinks he's capable of turning this organization into "hockey heaven" he is quite literally insane

 

[ckg927]

I'm firmly rooting for losses at this point. There is no redeeming quality with this organization at this point, other than nostalgia... but pegula has also managed to kill that too

And apparently, this malaise is extending to the PWHL game coming here in late February; ticket sales are STILL sluggish. Granted, the fact that we got Boston v New York is likely part of the reason, but right now hockey in this market is mud.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

This is why I have little hope of anything changing

https://www.audacy.com/espnrochester/articles/wgr-am-article/pegulas-familiarity-was-a-big-factor-in-the-hiring-of-adams-as-general

 

[Sabre Dance]

Has there been a season since they drafted Jack Eichel that you went into thinking the team has no shot to make the playoffs? Probably only the year after they traded Eichel.

That’s the amazing thing about the drought. I don’t think they should’ve been this bad. So why are they this bad?

 

[TehDoak]

I posted it the time and I will stand by it buying the football team would be a distraction and he wouldn’t be as involved with making sure they actually win on the hockey side. And here we are.

I don't doubt that the Bills have taken away attention from the Sabres...but part of the issue is how the Pegulas have chose to run the teams.

Most "rich guys" who buy sports teams don't attempt to manage them. For the Pegulas, that has been part of the 'fun'. While I think the level of his involvement can be debated, whatever the level of involvement of the day to day is, it needs to be reduced to 0.

Go find someone competent to run the team and stay away until its fun again and you can do interviews around your teams turnaround.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Has there been a season since they drafted Jack Eichel that you went into thinking the team has no shot to make the playoffs? Probably only the year after they traded Eichel.

That’s the amazing thing about the drought. I don’t think they should’ve been this bad. So why are they this bad?

Nobody outside of Buffalo thinks this every year. Nobody thought they would make the playoffs this year.

 

[Fjordy]

Has there been a season since they drafted Jack Eichel that you went into thinking the team has no shot to make the playoffs? Probably only the year after they traded Eichel.

That’s the amazing thing about the drought. I don’t think they should’ve been this bad. So why are they this bad?

Because you're wrong, they should be that bad given our roster.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

If this man still thinks he's capable of turning this organization into "hockey heaven" he is quite literally insane

I'm beginning to wonder what the mental state of the owner is. There is no denying what ours is.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Nobody outside of Buffalo thinks this every year. Nobody thought they would make the playoffs this year.

Nobody outside of Buffalo pays any attention to the Sabres.

And I’m talking about people who cover the team and follow the team. Pretty much everyone has been excited about the Sabres every single season since they drafted Eichel.

Why have all these teams failed? Worse rosters have made the playoffs.

 

[Jim Bob]

Nobody outside of Buffalo pays any attention to the Sabres.

And I’m talking about people who cover the team and follow the team. Pretty much everyone has been excited about the Sabres every single season since they drafted Eichel.

Why have all these teams failed? Worse rosters have made the playoffs.

Given all the national podcast episodes talking about the issues with the Sabres over the last two weeks, I beg to differ.

 

[Fjordy]

Nobody outside of Buffalo pays any attention to the Sabres.

And I’m talking about people who cover the team and follow the team. Pretty much everyone has been excited about the Sabres every single season since they drafted Eichel.

Why have all these teams failed? Worse rosters have made the playoffs.

That's why we have a terrible team, the youngest, poorly built, almost no good vets with questionable coaches and idiot GMs, and the cherry on the cake is a stupid owner who thinks he is POHO and the smartest. That's why.

 

[Chainshot]

I don't doubt that the Bills have taken away attention from the Sabres...but part of the issue is how the Pegulas have chose to run the teams.

Most "rich guys" who buy sports teams don't attempt to manage them. For the Pegulas, that has been part of the 'fun'. While I think the level of his involvement can be debated, whatever the level of involvement of the day to day is, it needs to be reduced to 0.

Go find someone competent to run the team and stay away until its fun again and you can do interviews around your teams turnaround.

I don't think he has a clue how to find competent based on who he hired for both teams at HC and GM until whatever criteria he used dropped McDermott in his lap with the Bills. And I suspect that has more to do with things that have nothing to do with football but just happened that one time to work out. And it doesn't seem like he's figured out how to make those hires based on succeeding at the sport.

He needs to sell.

 

[TehDoak]

I don't think he has a clue how to find competent based on who he hired for both teams at HC and GM until whatever criteria he used dropped McDermott in his lap with the Bills. And I suspect that has more to do with things that have nothing to do with football but just happened that one time to work out. And it doesn't seem like he's figured out how to make those hires based on succeeding at the sport.

He needs to sell.

I don't disagree, but I think it would actually be harder to find a local buyer willing to pay the NHL mandated price (probably 900M to 1B+) than it would be to find a good GM, especially if he's willing to pay a premium price to do it.

At this point, show me that the owner has learned his lesson and he actually hires someone competent and I'll be happy. That would be an improvement on the last 14 years.

 

[Chainshot]

I don't disagree, but I think it would actually be harder to find a local buyer willing to pay the NHL mandated price (probably 900M to 1B+) than it would be to find a good GM, especially if he's willing to pay a premium price to do it.

At this point, show me that the owner has learned his lesson and he actually hires someone competent and I'll be happy. That would be an improvement on the last 14 years.

HE wasn't a local buyer. Move easily off that idea. We're talking about a guy from Pennsylvania who lives in Miami.

 

[Jim Bob]

I don't think he has a clue how to find competent based on who he hired for both teams at HC and GM until whatever criteria he used dropped McDermott in his lap with the Bills. And I suspect that has more to do with things that have nothing to do with football but just happened that one time to work out. And it doesn't seem like he's figured out how to make those hires based on succeeding at the sport.

He needs to sell.

Here is a part of the McDermott hire that gives more fuel to the "Pegula got lucky" theory:

There are reports that they hired a search firm when they hired Rex Ryan and they suggested that they hire McDermott. Pegula was entranced by Rex Ryan in his face to face interview and hired him.

When Rex didn't work out, they hired the same search firm, they once again suggested McDermott, and the Pegulas listened that time.

If that is how it played out...

 

[ValJamesDuex]

I will say, they didn't luck into Allen. Beane and co. Specifically targeted him, and made some savvy trades to get the assets needed to draft him. They then did damn near everything right to develop him. They traded for a top tier WR which helped him breakout, they fire OCs or coaches who weren't helping him, and now theyve built him one of the best OLs in football. Beane is just a damn good GM.

I agree with the sentiment, though. Seems like dumb luck at this point.


This is why it's going to be a while before they make the playoffs. Pegula just isnt fully invested in this team. I can't believe he called this hockey heaven at one point. It's a hockey wasteland, and he's made it this way.

If you remember reports, Pegula really liked Sam Darnold. He's playing well in MN now, but still imagine how that could of worked out if some some yes man was in charge of the Bills.

There was also reports in the past that McD/Beane were not always happy with the involvement of the owner if I remember correctly.

Maybe Pegula or most owners have a inner Jerry Jones entitlement complex because they made it in business.

 

[5 Minute Major]

I’d like to think Pegula hasn’t pulled the trigger yet because he’s doing a clandestine search for a legitimate President for his team to let run the franchise.

But I know better.

 

[Dreakon13]

As much as I can understand the idea of rooting for losses so someone at/near the top of this pile does something drastic, I'd still rather they win a few and redeemable players in this group figure something out.

It's a poorly constructed team, and thats Adams fault (and Pegulas for hiring him), but the players are the on-ice product and most of them are young enough to learn, adapt and add more dimensions to their game. The worse this gets, the less likely it is to happen (or to happen here).

Plus... damn man, I just want some even remotely enjoyable hockey to watch for a few months. I'm not even asking for playoffs, just give me something that doesn't make me sick to turn on ffs.

 

[Deevo]

Can the NHL just step in already? This is beyond words

 

[slip]

Can the NHL just step in already? This is beyond words

And shut town the top farm team for the next big market Cup contender? Not a chance.

 

[debaser66]

Remember all that talk about culture in the early Eichel years and how they changed and trying to build a roster with better character.
I think it was all bullshit back then.
Now you got some wusses with good "character" and a lot less actual talent on the ice.