Adam Proteau: Ownership, not Eichel, is to blame for Sabres' housecleaning The Buffalo Sabres fired GM Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma Thursday, but don't believe anyone who tells you young star Jack Eichel is responsible for both men being unemployed. The truth is, the blame lies with the Sabres' owners, and nowhere else.

What did Kim Pegula ever do besides see an old guy with some money and think, Things could be worse.....?

I dunno

If they don't fire all the people they have, they'd be accused of being intimidated. Whether it's the Bills or Sabres.

When he first bought the Sabres, I thought he did the safe thing and keep Ruff and Regier.....our complaint back then was our owner was cheap.

Pegula spends cash. It doesn't work out. People complain they kept Ruff and Regier too long.

Rex Ryan's hired. People in general were happy. Fired 2 years later with a record of 14-16? I mean not saying his firing wasn't justified....personally, I'm glad Pegula drops the hammer like he does.....but we ran him out of town like he was a dirt ball - even he was on TOPS commercial ten minutes after getting here - everyone loved him then.


.....I dunno. Seems to me, a lot of people playing both sides of the fence here in Buffalo.

I always found it a little comical Regier/Ruff were the villains. Regier, at least, realized the team was trending in the wrong direction and had the rebuild well in progress that TM inherited and largely squandered. As an outsider, watching the moves the team has made, it seems hubris was the name of the GMTM regime's game. Lots of splashy moves, not a lot of which fans would be clamoring to be done in hindsight. The guy appeared to be a jerk, and he did a poor job despite all the arrogant talk. How is a team with the point totals of the past 3 season so tight against the cap?

The handling of the Pat LaFontaine saga is the karma payback for the Sabres. But you also have to wonder about the people advising the Pegulas, because the Bills and the Sabres have both been mired in mud since they took over and it seems to be a trend...

Love him or hate him -

Darcy Regier was 25-2 W/L in making trades. Never lost. I strain to find one he lost. He gave CLarke MacArthur away...mabye. He was forced into the Hasek trade - albeit I do wish he had called his bluff.

I find it laughable that you think that Darcy was 25-2 in the trades he made or that he was a good GM. He overvalued a lot of people and missed out on making trades because of this. He didn't make deadline deals to help the team in the playoffs. He signed guys to bad contracts and kept some guys longer than he should have. Lastly, because he screwed up the Drury and Briere situation so badly, he panicked and matched Vanek's offer sheet instead of taking the 4 first round picks Edmonton would have given us for that deal.

I find it laughable that you think that Darcy was 25-2 in the trades he made or that he was a good GM. He overvalued a lot of people and missed out on making trades because of this. He didn't make deadline deals to help the team in the playoffs. He signed guys to bad contracts and kept some guys longer than he should have. Lastly, because he screwed up the Drury and Briere situation so badly, he panicked and matched Vanek's offer sheet instead of taking the 4 first round picks Edmonton would have given us for that deal.
- adambuffalo

i agree, its laughable. its more damning if you think about the ones he actually should have made. plus i hated the type of players he seemed to covet. he kept the lights on when money was tight, iced teams a bunch of milquetoast teams, never drafted a player that finished in the top 10 in scoring, and ultimately never won a damn thing. what exactly did he get for "winning" a bunch of trades? ridiculous.

i agree, its laughable. its more damning if you think about the ones he actually should have made. plus i hated the type of players he seemed to covet. he kept the lights on when money was tight, iced teams a bunch of milquetoast teams, never drafted a player that finished in the top 10 in scoring, and ultimately never won a damn thing. what exactly did he get for "winning" a bunch of trades? ridiculous.
- rover16

Two Stanley Cup Finals, perennial playoff appearances, all while dealing with a small time owner and a crook owner.

That's what he got for winning trades. Im not saying bring him back but name a trade he got smoked on - please

I find it laughable that you think that Darcy was 25-2 in the trades he made or that he was a good GM. He overvalued a lot of people and missed out on making trades because of this. He didn't make deadline deals to help the team in the playoffs. He signed guys to bad contracts and kept some guys longer than he should have. Lastly, because he screwed up the Drury and Briere situation so badly, he panicked and matched Vanek's offer sheet instead of taking the 4 first round picks Edmonton would have given us for that deal.
- adambuffalo

Chris Drury shook on a deal. Then renigged. I suppose you don't remember that?

Golisano didn't want to pay Broere the first time. The second Danny said FU - it was the same deal as the year previously. How is that Darcy's fault?

Two Stanley Cup Finals, perennial playoff appearances, all while dealing with a small time owner and a crook owner.

That's what he got for winning trades. Im not saying bring him back but name a trade he got smoked on - please
- -JCDC-

That was all Hasek. Give him credit for getting him, but he gave him no support. He lost a lot of trades. Maybe not have gotten smoked, but didn't win as many as you think.

Chris Drury shook on a deal. Then renigged. I suppose you don't remember that?

Golisano didn't want to pay Broere the first time. The second Danny said FU - it was the same deal as the year previously. How is that Darcy's fault?
- -JCDC-

Drury was going to sign and the Regier took the deal off the table and said they do not do deals during the season. They then focused on Briere and Drury said F that and went to the rangers. Then they lost Briere. The whole situation can be blamed on Regier.

Drury was going to sign and the Regier took the deal off the table and said they do not do deals during the season. They then focused on Briere and Drury said F that and went to the rangers. Then they lost Briere. The whole situation can be blamed on Regier.
- adambuffalo

Drury and Regier had a deal, but ownership balked and Drury understandably left. Sabres only turned their interest to Briere when they knew Drury wasn't coming back, and by then it was too late. I think Regier's biggest mistake of the whole thing was not taking the 1sts from Edm for Vanek, but that's all hindsight...

That was all Hasek. Give him credit for getting him, but he gave him no support. He lost a lot of trades. Maybe not have gotten smoked, but didn't win as many as you think.
- adambuffalo

gerry meehan acquired hasek, 4 years before regier was hired as gm. so dont give him credit for that either.

If the league is sweating that the Sabres pipeline is empty, and that they had to trade in order to acquire whatever stars they have, that all falls on Regier. Tim Murray was hired Jan 2014 - a shade over three years ago. This is exactly when Darcy's guys should be hitting the league and making their impact.

Ristolainen made it. Everybody else is middling, or a dud. Girgensons? Meh. Ennis? OK. McCabe? Promising, but not established.

Grigorenko is gone and is a 4th liner? Zadarov is barely in the league. Mark Pysyk? Please. Joel Armia? Woof. McNabb - Nobody has his poster on their wall.

The drafting sucked for years before Murray came in. Regier was too tight with the trades, too miserly to let go of any of this pablum. Murray didn't succeed in his effort to get things turned around fast, but it's pretty hard to argue that things absolutely had to change.

If the league is sweating that the Sabres pipeline is empty, and that they had to trade in order to acquire whatever stars they have, that all falls on Regier. Tim Murray was hired Jan 2014 - a shade over three years ago. This is exactly when Darcy's guys should be hitting the league and making their impact.

Ristolainen made it. Everybody else is middling, or a dud. Girgensons? Meh. Ennis? OK. McCabe? Promising, but not established.

Grigorenko is gone and is a 4th liner? Zadarov is barely in the league. Mark Pysyk? Please. Joel Armia? Woof. McNabb - Nobody has his poster on their wall.

The drafting sucked for years before Murray came in. Regier was too tight with the trades, too miserly to let go of any of this pablum. Murray didn't succeed in his effort to get things turned around fast, but it's pretty hard to argue that things absolutely had to change.
- Der Kaiser

Ennis was better than you gave him credit for. Injuries have him playing scared and it appears to have too much of an effect.

I can't stand Semgus, but he should be one of the best 3Cs in the game but he is not for some reason.

DDM coga thinx Zadorov is Bobby orr Jr. - ask him.

Grigerkenko still in it, look at Zack Kasssian, a pulse, who could have guessed Hodgson was the dud?