Jason Botterill Discussion 3

[Tatanka]

The offseason isn't over yet. Let's see what happens over the coming weeks. I'm just as concerned over our lack of scoring as anybody. But, the dam finally seems to be released on trades....so let's see what happens.

Trades are zero sum moves. You give from area of strength to address an area of weakness. You build areas of strength through the draft. Currently we have no area of strength due to this arse hat. To address our weakness, scoring, we will open a hole somewhere else. Bottom five finish, rinse repeat. Presented with the opportunity in three consecutive drafts to add scoring forwards he has either drafted obscure d men, goalies or in the laugher traded a pick for a later pick the following year in the same round. He is a spineless tool of the Pegulas. He should have walked when they wanted he who should not be named moved. He would have at least been employable going forward. Now he just fiddles about like he has a clue and no one question hims. Where were the Pegulas demanding answers when he regressed two consecutive years like they did Murray after one? The whole organization, PSE that is, is mired in the incompetence and hubris of two charlatans who operate for the value of their own personal brand in a market that is too scared to complain or better, refuse to consume the product. If they tried their bullshit in Boston, Chicago, LA, or NY they would have their teams play to empty buildings. Everyone wants to praise him for the luck of Dahlin and Skinner when everyone of his conscience moves have been shyte.

Not a personal attack, far from from it. Just an opposing point of view. UFA and trades aren’t going to do anything but put bailing wire and duct tape on this team.

 

[Jame]

Botterill made 18 picks over the last 3 drafts.... for comparison Murray made 25 picks over 3 drafts.

 

[Gabrielor]

We must always make 6 picks. No more, no less. Now that is the Botterill way.

 

[Ace]

Botterill when asked about the Devils adding Hughes and Subban as a team in the east they’re trying to pass

“Look...teams are going to improve this time of year”

...

Can I have one of those teams?

 

[AustonsNostrils]

'Look' is the new 'It's a situation'

I long for the days of ju jubes and rainbows and slappin' peepees

 

[Chainshot]

 

[Chainshot]

This afternoon will firm up my opinion of him as a drafter. I still don’t think his first is indicative of him since the scouting and draft book was written by Murray’s guys. Last year however and this one will certainly give us all a wider view. I don’t think anybody has been good at drafting for Buffalo since before they went to video scouting.

Circling back, I liked the direction on day 2. I would have liked more picks obviously, but there were no low risk/minimal reward guys in the later rounds. I wanted that and he and his staff delivered. Baby steps.

 

[Fearnot]

'Look' is the new 'It's a situation'

I long for the days of ju jubes and rainbows and slappin' peepees

You forgot month-long Halo binge gaming sessions.

 

[sabremike]

Botterill when asked about the Devils adding Hughes and Subban as a team in the east they’re trying to pass

“Look...teams are going to improve this time of year”

...

Can I have one of those teams?

The most damning statement about the rancid and embarrassing job Botts has done is this: having a roster with Jack, Sam, Skinner and Dahlin Botts has still managed to build a team in his 3rd year that has about a 5% chance of making the playoffs, and that figure is probably wildly optimistic (Don't believe me? Look at every other team in the East besides Detroit and Ottawa.).

 

[stokes84]

I almost forgot this is year 3. Have we already seen his plan play out? Year 3 should be time to shake and move, but here we are.

 

[Chainshot]

We must always make 6 picks. No more, no less. Now that is the Botterill way.

And the Lord Bob spake, saying, "First shalt though take out thy draft guide. Then, shalt though count to six. No more. No less. Six shalt be the number though shalt daft and the number of the drafting shall be six. Seven shalt thou not count, neither counting five, excepting that thou proceed to six. Eight is right out. Once at the number six, being the sixth selection reached, then, lobbest thou they selections towards they foe, who being naughty in my sight, with a face I do not like, shall snuff it with the league."


Apologies to Palin, Chapman, Cleese, Idle, Jones, and Gilliam.

 

[Buffaloed]

We're in year 3 of Botterill's 5 year plan. This blueprint Botterill developed in Pittsburgh is what Botterill used to sell himself to the Pegula's.
“You have to have that projection standpoint on five years down the road,” Botterill explains, “especially when we’re getting into contracts in the summer for defensemen who will be with us four or five years.”
https://thehockeywriters.com/jason-botterill-pittsburgh-penguins-blueprint/

Or if you want to use the Vogl tank time theory of lottery picks the Sabres are in year 4 of an 8 year window.
The Athletic - Putting the ‘tank’ on trial

This is the year the Sabres must contend for a playoff spot but not necessarily secure one. They're right on schedule.

 

[old kummelweck]

@Buffaloed posted this in the draft thread, but the author makes a compelling argument on the job Crisp and Botterill have done drafting since 2017.

How Jason Botterill is using the NHL draft to rebuild the Sabres

How Jason Botterill is utilizing the NHL draft to rebuild the Sabres - fooshya.com
Thanks to Paul Hamilton for translating into Finnish then back into English.

How Jason Botterill is utilizing the NHL draft to rebuild the Sabres - fooshya.com

 

[Montag DP]

@Buffaloed posted this in the draft thread, but the author makes a compelling argument on the job Crisp and Botterill have done drafting since 2017.


How Jason Botterill is utilizing the NHL draft to rebuild the Sabres - fooshya.com

Non-native English speaker? I read the first few sentences of that article, and they were barely intelligible.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

How Jason Botterill is using the NHL draft to rebuild the Sabres

Just use this normal English language version. It's a decent read, but full of stuff that most fans around here won't want to hear.

 

[Ace]

This five year plan stuff really affirms to me that this year is just about waiting out the end of some bad contracts.

Bogo
Scandella
Sobotka
Hunwick

Are about 15 million and not one of them should be here now let alone next season.

If you want to add Sheary that’s another 3 but I can believe they think they’ll get more production if they had a center worth anything to play with.

They don’t have many contracts locked in beyond next year so they can reshape the roster however they want...

But that just exasperates the point about not drafting offensive skill. There are no answers coming in that department and his plan sure seems to be to build a team that still isn’t going to score.

...

Happy 50th Anniversary everyone!

 

[sabremike]

How Jason Botterill is using the NHL draft to rebuild the Sabres

Just use this normal English language version. It's a decent read, but full of stuff that most fans around here won't want to hear.

When he used Brandon Lemieux as an example of us foolishly giving up a prospect my eyes rolled right into the back of my head. He basically told us he didn't want to be here. If you want to question taking him in the first place that would certainly be fair.

 

[old kummelweck]

Non-native English speaker? I read the first few sentences of that article, and they were barely intelligible.

That's too bad because it was enlightening and not a perspective you see very often written about the sabres drafting.

It was an AI translation I am assuming (or Paul Hamilton). Not sure what the original language was.

 

[hizzoner]

I am not going to go nuts over the ROR trade. I fully expected a mid round first in this year's draft and I think so did everyone else. I was wrong and the trade looks bad now but I do not think Botts had a lot of choice. Having said that the Skinner deal was a good one. But that was luck--Skinner wanted to be closer to home. So some bad luck and some good. Now for Botts to do something not dependent on luck. Nothing has happened so far to make this team better than last year UNLESS our new coach can actually bring a structured scheme to the team then teach it to the players and dump those who cannot or will not learn it.

 

[HaNotsri]

'Look' is the new 'It's a situation'

I long for the days of ju jubes and rainbows and slappin' peepees

I actually looked up some studies regarding brain damage and repeating phrases...

 

[Archie Lee]

....

They don’t have many contracts locked in beyond next year so they can reshape the roster however they want...

But that just exasperates the point about not drafting offensive skill. There are no answers coming in that department and his plan sure seems to be to build a team that still isn’t going to score.

...

I've seen this comment or variations of the same in multiple posts. I'm a bit confused by the point of view because it seems obvious to me that the team has been acquiring and stockpiling young assets with offensive upside, primarily through the draft, since the tank years. Here is a list of players under 24 years of age who are in the NHL or in the pipeline and who either have not reached their offensive ceiling at the NHL level or have yet to fully break-in at the NHL level or are a year or two away from the NHL.

Reinhart, Olofsson, Pilut, Eichel, Thompson, Nylander, Mittelstadt, Dahlen and Cozens.

This list ignores some other players who may have offensive upside who are either a little older but may yet have additional offensive upside at the NHL level or who are not generally considered purely offensive players, such as:

Montour, Rodriguez, Smith, Ristolainen, Asplund, Ruotsolainen, Bryson, Pekar and Laaksonen.


Of course, not all of those players will make the NHL let alone reach their "offensive ceiling", but isn't it clear that this is the group that the team will be getting its offence from? Looking at the 2018-19 team that struggled to put the puck in the net and concluding there is no offensive upside to the group seems to ignore that outside of Skinner and perhaps Sheary, practically every player in the system who will be looked to for offence is still on the lower portion of their development curve.

 

[Montag DP]

That's too bad because it was enlightening and not a perspective you see very often written about the sabres drafting.

It was an AI translation I am assuming (or Paul Hamilton). Not sure what the original language was.

I read the original article. I agree it was good. Just wasn't sure why the other one was posted.

 

[Ace]

Botterill said the draw for players to come in will be playing with Jack and Sam and Skinner and Dahlin.

So it’s your fault Botterill is about to have another bad offseason guys.

 

[TehDoak]

I'm typically pretty ambivalent about trying to judge a GM on individual moves. Or even a season's worth of moves.

But, given GMJB is on his 3rd offseason, IMHO, this is where he needs to show he has a plan and ability to execute. He's set himself up to have a hard time this summer by walking away from the draft with no help for the upcoming season. Hoping the trades continue to pick up through the week

 

[GOALOFSSON]

Looking at the 2018-19 team that struggled to put the puck in the net and concluding there is no offensive upside to the group seems to ignore that outside of Skinner and perhaps Sheary, practically every player in the system who will be looked to for offence is still on the lower portion of their development curve.

But, we have to win now...