You're just plain wrong sir
If Driry and Briere were "stars" before they got here they wouldn't have been traded for Chris Gratton and Rhett Warrener...

Not saying the sucked prior, but They became "stars" here
That's a fact
- jdfitz77

Breire was a 30goal scorer before he came here. That's a fact. Drury was a 20 goal scorer, that's a fact. Ruff making them "stars" is an opinion.

Breire was a 30goal scorer before he came here. That's a fact. Drury was a 20 goal scorer, that's a fact. Ruff making them "stars" is an opinion.
- sbroads24

I think Drury and Briere flourished in Ruff's system though especially Drury. Briere still produces now and Drury never did after he left here.

I agree it's both but I just have never really seen what it is that make people think Ruff is so good. I'm not being a smartass, I really don't think he's anything special
- ZamboniMassacre

I dont think most coaches are anything special. Coaches win Jack Adams awards and then get fired two years later..it happens a lot. The players win and lose games more so than coaches IMO.

please elaborate
- keptupl8

Hahaha....
Sorry, but I feel the need to spell things out as clearly as possible for those who think things like Leopold is worthy of top4 min on a good team

It just isn't true

Do we need a coaching change?
Pretty tough to argue at this point

But we also need better players, particularly on defense

Homer any new news? Trade market still "soft" from what you're hearing?
- sabresfandan

I havent heard anything that seems pending

You're just plain wrong sir
If Driry and Briere were "stars" before they got here they wouldn't have been traded for Chris Gratton and Rhett Warrener...

Not saying the sucked prior, but They became "stars" here
That's a fact
- jdfitz77

Getting Drury was a big deal when we got him. He had an off year in Calgary but he had already made a name for himself with his playoff heroics in Colorado. He was the best forward this team had in almost a decade. Lindy didn't make him a star, Drury gave this team credibility and made the players accountable. Something Pominville can't do

Briere wasn't a star before he got here but it isn't like Ruff turned a beer league player into an all star. He did score 30 in PHX the year before

I think Drury and Briere flourished in Ruff's system though especially Drury. Briere still produces now and Drury never did after he left here.
- sabresfandan

Ruff's system or arguably the most talented team the Sabres have ever had?

I havent heard anything that seems pending
- Homer

Any tidbits on if Darcy is being active?

Breire was a 30goal scorer before he came here. That's a fact. Drury was a 20 goal scorer, that's a fact. Ruff making them "stars" is an opinion.
- sbroads24

There is something to be said for the fact that Drury never came close to the player he was here when he left to go to NY. He had also pretty much been completely forgotten about while he was in Calgary. Most of his "magic" had worn off at that point.

I think it really had more to do with the team in general than it did with Ruff though. Right out of the lockout the league was more focused on offense and that team had more than most teams could handle.

Heard Kaleta's interview. He was really pissed about losing that game. Too bad the rest of them don't feel the same.

I dont think most coaches are anything special. Coaches win Jack Adams awards and then get fired two years later..it happens a lot. The players win and lose games more so than coaches IMO.
- Homer

True. And coaching changes have a bigger impact on a meandering team much more than a meaningless trade and no accountability

Ruff's system or arguably the most talented team the Sabres have ever had?
- RDRoach16

That team did have a ton of talent but I think Drury especially flourished in Ruff's system.

I dont think most coaches are anything special. Coaches win Jack Adams awards and then get fired two years later..it happens a lot. The players win and lose games more so than coaches IMO.
- Homer

This is pretty accurate.

There is something to be said for the fact that Drury never came close to the player he was here when he left to go to NY. He had also pretty much been completely forgotten about while he was in Calgary. Most of his "magic" had worn off at that point.

I think it really had more to do with the team in general than it did with Ruff though. Right out of the lockout the league was more focused on offense and that team had more than most teams could handle.
- HonkFortheGoose

2nd paragraph. Bingo.

Most teams don't have 40 goal scorers on the third line, unless it is Team Canada in the Olympics.

Ruff's system or arguably the most talented team the Sabres have ever had?
- RDRoach16

I don't know that I'd say most talented team ever, but it's definitely up there.

I would love to see you list 28 teams with better talent on defense than ours. And then you will prove that it's a talent problem, we are 28 in the NHL in GAA with a Vezina goalie, A calder winning defenseman, and a bunch of veterans that have played on good and bad teams in the NHL, compare our defense to the Islanders and tell me their better, they gave up 15 shots to us compared to 43 for them, are their forwards that much better?
- sbroads24

yeah we get out shot alot.

I think Drury and Briere flourished in Ruff's system though especially Drury. Briere still produces now and Drury never did after he left here.
- sabresfandan

Drury had 5 20+ goal seasons in a row before he came here and scored 30+ on the highest scoring team in the NHL, then he had 2 more 20+ goal seasons in New York. Breire was in his prime and had a 30 goal season before he came here. They flourished here because they were on the most talented team post lockout. Ruff did nothing special to make them "stars", they were already very good players.

I think Drury and Briere flourished in Ruff's system though especially Drury. Briere still produces now and Drury never did after he left here.
- sabresfandan

Not just Drury but alot of players tend to see their #s decline a bit in NY. It's just the way they play there, plus I don't think he was really able to be the leader there that he was here. That lockerrom was still infected with the cancer that was Jagr at the time. That and injuries got the best of Drury

That team did have a ton of talent but I think Drury especially flourished in Ruff's system.
- sabresfandan

I think Drury flourished in Drury's system. It was his team. He held guys accountable. Not the coaching staff. Do you think Ruff has changed the way he coaches since Drury left? Probably not. Drury is the type of player that tends to make the players around him better.

I don't think he meshed well in NY because the personalities there were too big to buy into what he was selling. Here, the guys did because they had been so bad for so long. Many of them went through the bankruptcy thing with the team. It's a much different dynamic.

Ruff's system or arguably the most talented team the Sabres have ever had?
- RDRoach16

Talent

Drury had 5 20+ goal seasons in a row before he came here and scored 30+ on the highest scoring team in the NHL, then he had 2 more 20+ goal seasons in New York. Breire was in his prime and had a 30 goal season before he came here. They flourished here because they were on the most talented team post lockout. Ruff did nothing special to make them "stars", they were already very good players.
- sbroads24

I disagree there, I think they both were good players before they got here but Drury's best years were as a Buffalo Sabre, he wasn't even close to the player he was here in New York.

I agree with pretty much all of this.....
- Homer

Thanks sir

I also think that we don't need to make drastic changes for our team to drastically improve...

Get me Dubinsky & Helm...
Improved grit, secondary scoring helped, FACEOFFS improved

Vanek-Hodgson-Pominville
Foligno-Ennis-DUBINSKY
Ott-Grigorenko-Stafford
Hecht-HELM-Kaleta
Gerbe
Scott

Get me Giordano to help steady our defense
Ehrhoff-GIORDANO
Sekera-Myers (as goose points out, they were good together last year)
Weber-Sulzer/Regehr

None of those 3 trades should cost us much more than picks & prospects
Then in the offseason,
Take advantage of the brutal cap trouble Vancouver and/or Chicago are in, and get me someone like Bieksa, Hamhuis, Hjalmarsson...

Then we'd have a solid freaking defense!
And Miller will again be of Vezina quality

There is something to be said for the fact that Drury never came close to the player he was here when he left to go to NY. He had also pretty much been completely forgotten about while he was in Calgary. Most of his "magic" had worn off at that point.

I think it really had more to do with the team in general than it did with Ruff though. Right out of the lockout the league was more focused on offense and that team had more than most teams could handle.
- HonkFortheGoose

Drury only played in Calgary for 1 season. It's not like he was forgotten. He still had a 20 goal season there. He also had 2 20 goal seasons in NY playing in a more limited role than here before injuries took their toll

I think Drury flourished in Drury's system. It was his team. He held guys accountable. Not the coaching staff. Do you think Ruff has changed the way he coaches since Drury left? Probably not. Drury is the type of player that tends to make the players around him better.

I don't think he meshed well in NY because the personalities there were too big to buy into what he was selling. Here, the guys did because they had been so bad for so long. Many of them went through the bankruptcy thing with the team. It's a much different dynamic.
- HonkFortheGoose

I feel differently about that I think Drury was the exact player Ruff loved to have. Drury and Peca. The bottom line is we haven't found that player again since Drury left.

Breire was a 30goal scorer before he came here. That's a fact. Drury was a 20 goal scorer, that's a fact. Ruff making them "stars" is an opinion.
- sbroads24

They left and signed $7mil per deals
And their stats (and most would say leadership & other intangibles) were better here than anywhere else