Confirmed with Link: Jason Botterill Hired As General Manager -- MOD WARNING #1851
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Having been an advocate that Botterill make a bolder move early in the season, before pre-deadline price inflation set in by targeting Hayes when the Rangers were experiencing pressure in the standings to begin a retool. He slots in right now as a 2C and can then be displaced down to a 3C. The bold part is both making the move and having the moxy to get him signed to an extension. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Hayes signs with whoever rents him out at the deadline -- which likely won't be Buffalo.
And yet it gets brought up by those who both participate in the game and commentate on it at a high (ie. professional) level.
DatGuy
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- Sep 25, 2015
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Agreed, but is this something we go for in the off season? Is it to late for this year?
And if I wanted a collection of people least likely to understand statistics I'd interview jocks.
truthbluth
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- Feb 2, 2011
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The only move Botts could make that would rectify my opinion of him would be to acquire and sign Mark Stone. Anything short of that, and I’m just counting the days until he’s gone. The RoR trade will go down as the worst trade in team history.
Botterill's inaction on defense has been alarming. Going into the season the Sabres had 10 defensemen that were realistic options to play in the NHL. He even later added an 11th in Tennyson. That left them with:
Dahlin
Risto
Bogosian
Scandella
Beaulieu
McCabe
Hunwick
Nelson
Guhle
Pilut
Tennyson
While Guhle has been a disappointment this year, Pilut and Nelson have solidified themselves as NHL players. Even with sending Tennyson down via waivers, the Sabres still have played most of the season with 9 defensemen on the NHL roster. This has resulted in a stupid carrousel of players going in and out of the bottom pair in a futile attempt to keep everyone happy. Better players are being left in the press box because "it was the other guy's turn". Beaulieu requested a trade over a month ago. Botterill has had all season to make moves to clean up this mess and has done nothing. All he had to do was ship a guy like Beaulieu/McCabe/Scandella out for a mid-late round pick. Five months later and we're still here in this situation with zero action or plan
Dahlin
Risto
Bogosian
Scandella
Beaulieu
McCabe
Hunwick
Nelson
Guhle
Pilut
Tennyson
While Guhle has been a disappointment this year, Pilut and Nelson have solidified themselves as NHL players. Even with sending Tennyson down via waivers, the Sabres still have played most of the season with 9 defensemen on the NHL roster. This has resulted in a stupid carrousel of players going in and out of the bottom pair in a futile attempt to keep everyone happy. Better players are being left in the press box because "it was the other guy's turn". Beaulieu requested a trade over a month ago. Botterill has had all season to make moves to clean up this mess and has done nothing. All he had to do was ship a guy like Beaulieu/McCabe/Scandella out for a mid-late round pick. Five months later and we're still here in this situation with zero action or plan
Kyndig
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- Jan 3, 2012
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Skinner-Eichel-Olofsson
Sheary-Mitts-Reinhart
Smith-Erod-Thompson
Girgs-Larry-Beaulieu...yes Beaulieu! haha was trying to use someone on our roster but all I saw was trash. Hey hes got just as many goals as Suckbotka while playing 27 fewer games as a defenseman!
Honestly though your lines look good. We haven't really seen Erod with Eichel even though they dominate when they're together.
brian_griffin
"Eric Cartman?"
baby steps. They have a 1C, 4C, a young learning C who shouldn't be relied on yet to drive a line, and a boat anchor in Sobotka whom you pair with teammates who need to work on their D-zone game, because it's a guaranteed 45-75 second shift running around your own D-zone any time Vlad hops the boards.
Smith-Upgrade-Thompson will be caved in unless Upgrade is major upgrade.
Doak gets it, as usual.
And, in particular, that trigger should have been pulled 2 months ago when Berglund's cap went away. Botts signs Reinhart to a bridge to save cap this/year next, yet doesn't act on anything.
If there was a time to take a cap dump, or lose a trade, it would / should have been for a (another, i.e., mid-season) depth center who could have bumped Sobotka to the wing / down in TOI, and similarly sheltered Mittelstadt. What's a million or two incremental cap spend to lose a trade in value to finally get the Sabres back to the playoffs (or at least have a decent shot at them)?
Rail away at Murray all you wish, but bringing in ROR to shelter Eichel was both the right tactical and strategic move. Eichel's grown and developed. Maybe an ROR-like talent isn't needed, but an upgrade on Berglund / Sobotka sure was / is.
- Aug 19, 2005
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Bott’s is going 100% in on Mittelstadt as a legit 2C, and I hate that bet. Seems risky and stupid, almost ego driven.
So basically you're saying that it is all politics? Sobotka is playing, Thompson too, because they were part of the ROR deal and Botts wants to justify this trade.
Additionally, Oloffson is not playing because either Thompson takes his spot, or he was part of a former regime.
If this is true, if there are politics involved here, then this would be f***ing disgusting. I hope it's not.
sufferer
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- Dec 6, 2017
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Definitely. It's exactly why Thompson has been up all season hell or high water.
fingerpainter
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- Dec 20, 2018
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He's using the assets the Sabres have acquired over time, and not making impulsive decisions. I respect that. After Berg and Sobots didn't pan out, they for sure need some secondary support, but I'm grateful JB isn't jumping the gun just yet.
brian_griffin
"Eric Cartman?"
I'm not saying it, although others have suggested it.
Botts / Housley look at Sobotka in the same vein some people watch Jenny Craig commercials and see Kirstie Alley in her Cheers / Star Trek II TWOK days.
sabremike
I didn't even know he was sick!
Giving away our second best player last summer sure seems like an impulsive decision to me.
It never crossed my mind. I read about it here, but ignored it.
It started to creep in, with Oloffson playing so well, and Thompson deserving a benching at least once. Also that Sobotka thing, i guess it's true, he really doesn't produce at all, and a cheap acquisition for a 3C was possible i guess.
Please, Botts, don't be an idiot, you would deserve losing your job if that is the case..
fingerpainter
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- Dec 20, 2018
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Sure, but I'm saying now - midseason. Not grabbing a rental so they can finish 9th and miss playoffs.
If Botts was keeping Olofsson down for political reasons why bring up Smith? Thompson plays the right side Olofsson plays the left. Olofsson plays his off side during the power play. Not 5v5.
Getting a 2C 35 games into the season is nearly impossible. How many teams want to openly tank like that so early? Dylan Strome was moved, but for an almost equally young 2C.
Agreed, I would have loved for him to make a move when Berglund took off, but not sure what would've really been out there outside the likes of the Gagners/Spooners of the league. Even Rask returned a good player in Nino. Should he have looked towards an Anisimov/Wennberg type? But those contracts...
It would have been nice to get a midstream 2C, but I don't view it as plausible.
It could be ego. I just think he thought Casey was further along the development curve than he actually is. And that scares me.
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