We need to remain even keeled. Things were never as good as they were when we were winning, and won’t be as bad as people make it out to be as we go down the stretch here. I’m sure 28/32 GM’s would trade their situation for ours starting next year unless you are Tampa, Toronto, Winnipeg, or Nashville. San Jose potentially as well but they ain’t getting younger and their cup window is 2 years realistically.

We have the two franchise players at positions some teams have been trying to fill for a decade. We have young players in Mittelstadt and Reinhart who will be, or already are very good supporting players in the top 6. We don’t know what will happen with skinner but for the time
Being we have the 2nd leading goal scorer in the league. We have Dahlin and Risto on the backend.

Keep calm, tank on.

Botts will have this team in the playoffs next year or he will bite the dust I’m sure of it.
- Pegullaville

This team isn't good offensively, they don't play well defensive hockey, the goalies aren't very good and they have no depth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7vtWB4owdE
- dadeadhead

This team isn't good offensively, they don't play well defensive hockey, the goalies aren't very good and they have no depth.
- mattmoulson

Hopefully the tank leads to Housley’s demise. If Botts can clear the deadweight on the roster we go into June 30th with a boatload of pics and with quite possibly the best cap situation of any team not on the verge of bankruptcy. The battle is lost, but the war lives on. There can only be one winner, but the Sabres can surpass many of the mediocre playoff teams “treading water” so to speak with a really good offseason.

This team isn't good offensively, they don't play well defensive hockey, the goalies aren't very good and they have no depth.
- mattmoulson

aside from skinner and dahlin

this team is no better then last year

in many ways the middle 6 is much worse


and the d is no better then last year, as a group


pp sucks

pk, decent

a few more clutch saves from the goalies vs last year, say 5 a week

Hopefully the tank leads to Housley’s demise. If Botts can clear the deadweight on the roster we go into June 30th with a boatload of pics and with quite possibly the best cap situation of any team not on the verge of bankruptcy. The battle is lost, but the war lives on. There can only be one winner, but the Sabres can surpass many of the mediocre playoff teams “treading water” so to speak with a really good offseason.
- Pegullaville

botts has a clean slate after the 19-20 season, minus okposo


so there is no excuse why we can't be good in 2 years

Botterill was one of the top candidates league wide to become a GM. Housley was a top 2 or 3 candidate. It's your right as a fan to hate the job these two are doing, but don't act like the owners hired two schmucks no one would have hired.

Should the Pegula's have gone off the board and hired someone who wasn't a top candidate because you're too impatient to allow the prospects he's drafting, trading for and signing to develop?
- Powerslave

I don't have a problem with Botts. Phil is the issue IMO.

The frustration for me is how this team has played during this Year of Transition.

I expected the team to start poorly but improve over time to gel into a decent team, a playoff bubble team. The slow start would have been understandable given the number of new players and breaking in a few key rookies... that would be overcome with proper coaching/development and players building chemistry off each other.

Nope. They experienced success early on, but through unsustainable methods (winning 7 of 10 in OT/SO). I thought the lessons they were learning about never being out of it would pay huge dividends down the road. It may, but their play after that anomaly has bigger concerns as their play has regressed to a bottom 5 team...not a bubble team. Yes, they are still "in it", only because of that anomaly..the true reflection of their play shows they will continue a long slow decline back to a ~82 point team.

it isn't good enough and Botts needs to figure-out where the problems are in his developing core. He simply can't retain whomever they are, no matter the name plate. Botts has a ton of work to do...not simply talent wise, but commitment wise as well.

aside from skinner and dahlin

this team is no better then last year

in many ways the middle 6 is much worse


and the d is no better then last year, as a group


pp sucks

pk, decent

a few more clutch saves from the goalies vs last year, say 5 a week
- homiedclown

Could say the same thing about the Oilers and Avs in the West yet I’d wager they are closer to winning a cup then the other 4 playoff teams in the west not named Jets, Preds, Flames, or Sharks.

Could say the same thing about the Oilers and Avs in the West yet I’d wager they are closer to winning a cup then the other 4 playoff teams in the west not named Jets, Preds, Flames, or Sharks.
- Pegullaville

that's coaching

colorado is easily top 6 talent roster in the west


oilers, bad trades killed them
eberle
hall
reinhart
etc

Did I dream this or did someone post a link of some guys power rankings a few months ago where he had us dead last ? And that was DURING the win streak ? Man, that guy nailed it.
- kritter65

That was me that posted that link.

I thought the guy was out to lunch, but he appears to be spot on.

Hopefully the tank leads to Housley’s demise. If Botts can clear the deadweight on the roster we go into June 30th with a boatload of pics and with quite possibly the best cap situation of any team not on the verge of bankruptcy. The battle is lost, but the war lives on. There can only be one winner, but the Sabres can surpass many of the mediocre playoff teams “treading water” so to speak with a really good offseason.
- Pegullaville

What gives you that much faith in botterill?

that's coaching

colorado is easily top 6 talent roster in the west


oilers, bad trades killed them
eberle
hall
reinhart
etc
- homiedclown

Colorado is a carbon copy of Buffalo but in the West. The wheels just fell off the bus there quicker and they’ll be better off for it next year. Oilers could walk out with Hughes/Kakko in the draft this year and they’ll win a playoff series next year with adequate goaltending.

While teams like the Blues, Wild, Habs, Ducks, Rangers (before this year) have been playoff teams frequently throughout the last decade and as medicore as can be yet won’t be cheering when the likes of Oilers, Avs, Coyotes, Sabres, and Isles (already have this year) surpass them due to being crappy instead of medicore.

What gives you that much faith in botterill?
- ImThatGuy

We already tried to speed up the rebuild once, and look what happened.

Why is everyone so upset that we aren't mortgaging the future for a 1 and done in the playoffs.

I agree it isn't fun to watch the team the way it is, and it's not fun to see nothing happen from the front office, but this is and always was supposed to be a transition year.

The win streak ruined most of the fans because it made it seem like we rounded the corner already when in reality we were nowhere close.

That was me that posted that link.

I thought the guy was out to lunch, but he appears to be spot on.
- ImThatGuy

Yep. We all thought he was nuts. Shows you what we all know ! Jack sh!t.

Colorado is a carbon copy of Buffalo but in the West. The wheels just fell off the bus there quicker and they’ll be better off for it next year. Oilers could walk out with Hughes/Kakko in the draft this year and they’ll win a playoff series next year with adequate goaltending.

While teams like the Blues, Wild, Habs, Ducks, Rangers (before this year) have been playoff teams frequently throughout the last decade and as medicore as can be yet won’t be cheering when the likes of Oilers, Avs, Coyotes, Sabres, and Isles (already have this year) surpass them due to being crappy instead of medicore.
- Pegullaville

As bad as this organization has been, that statement right there is downright embarrassing. It's a joke of a once storied franchise unfortunately.

Hopefully the tank leads to Housley’s demise. If Botts can clear the deadweight on the roster we go into June 30th with a boatload of pics and with quite possibly the best cap situation of any team not on the verge of bankruptcy. The battle is lost, but the war lives on. There can only be one winner, but the Sabres can surpass many of the mediocre playoff teams “treading water” so to speak with a really good offseason.
- Pegullaville

I think 2019-2020 will be better, but still have concerns given the sheer number of upgrades this roster requires and the associated cost of doing so. It will be quite a bit to do in one offseason...

1LW = Skinner
1C = Jack
1RW = hole
2LW = hole. It ain't Sheary to be sure
2C = hole. Unless Mitts takes a big step forward
2RW = Sam, unless he keeps him up top with Jack, then they have a hole here instead
3LW = Sheary for 1 season
3C = Mitts
3RW = hole, maybe Tage depending on the C
4LW = ERod? dump Girg's as he is too expensive for what he brings
4C = Slobotka for 1 season
4RW = Okposo. we are stuck with him for at least another season, unless he pulls a Bergie

1LhD = Dahlin (unless they move him to 1RhD, if that happens, = hole
1RhD = see above 1LhD
2LhD = Pilut
2RhD = Risto
3LhD = McCabe
3Rhd = Bogo for 1 year
7th = Hunwick

Goalies = Ullmark / Hutton = fine for 1 more season.

man, that is a lot of moves / money

I'm just gonna stay comfortably numb the rest of this season. no sense getting upset anymore. This team is not very good.. there is always next year....

Dahlin (he could of made moves to ensure we didn’t finish last), Mittelstadt, Skinner, 2 first round picks, Thompson (He’ll be a late bloomer and be a guy who scores
15-20 on the third line with PP time), Pilut, UPL, Laaksonen, Samuelsson, Pekar, Sheary more productive then a 4th rounder and allowed guys to develop properly in the AHL. He turned over half the roster this year and I’m hoping he will turnover a lot of the players this year.
- Pegullaville

He doesn't get credit for Dahlin, anybody would have picked him.
Middlestadt is up in the air still
Skinner up in the air (he walks and it a total failure)
2 mid to last first round picks to guys that are probably not getting replaced by those two picks
Thompson.... Eh between last year and this year, call me VERY skeptical.
Pilut, UPL, Laaksonen, Samuelsson, Pekar, UPL looks like maybe the biggest win.
too early on the other guys, Pekar I don't think he willl amount to a hill of beans myself. Laaksonen, and Samuelson (def maybes) Hopeful they pan out.

Turn over is great if you are turn over with better players, not much better IMHO from the slug this year to last.

Botts pro player management has been BAD... (other than Skinner)

What gives you that much faith in botterill?
- ImThatGuy

Hired the 2 Time cup winning coach in Pittsburgh, developed Matt Murray, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust, signed Sheary as an undrafted college player. Managed the Penguins cap to allow them to stay compliant with all the stars they had there. Had his hand in the most successful AHL franchise the past decade that just spat out another bottom 6 forward in Theodor Blueger who is producing there. Since he left Pittsburgh they have made questionable roster decisions, lost in the 2nd round to the Caps, and are a fringe playoff team this year cause Jack Johnson was somehow a good idea.

Remained patient in his first full season in Buffalo and allowed us to draft Dahlin. Mittelstadt will be a good player in this league for a long time. Traded for Skinner. Managed to land us 2 additional first round picks while surpassing last years point total with a month and a half left to go in the season. Made low risk moves in Beaulieu, Sheary, Hunwick that although may not have worked out, are easy fixes. The ROR move is the only thing you can hang over his head right now yet Thompson isn’t fully developed, the first round pick hasn’t even be drafted yet, and we have no idea what he’ll do with the additional 6M in cap space. Sobotka was a clear cap dump that he’ll have to get rid of but even then he’s gone after next season anyways.

As bad as this organization has been, that statement right there is downright embarrassing. It's a joke of a once storied franchise unfortunately.
- dadeadhead

same could be said for the sabres, once briere and drury walked

Hired the 2 Time cup winning coach in Pittsburgh, developed Matt Murray, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust, signed Sheary as an undrafted college player. Managed the Penguins cap to allow them to stay compliant with all the stars they had there. Had his hand in the most successful AHL franchise the past decade that just spat out another bottom 6 forward in Theodor Blueger who is producing there. Since he left Pittsburgh they have made questionable roster decisions, lost in the 2nd round to the Caps, and are a fringe playoff team this year cause Jack Johnson was somehow a good idea.

Remained patient in his first full season in Buffalo and allowed us to draft Dahlin. Mittelstadt will be a good player in this league for a long time. Traded for Skinner. Managed to land us 2 additional first round picks while surpassing last years point total with a month and a half left to go in the season. Made low risk moves in Beaulieu, Sheary, Hunwick that although may not have worked out, are easy fixes. The ROR move is the only thing you can hang over his head right now yet Thompson isn’t fully developed, the first round pick hasn’t even be drafted yet, and we have no idea what he’ll do with the additional 6M in cap space. Sobotka was a clear cap dump that he’ll have to get rid of but even then he’s gone after next season anyways.
- Pegullaville

also got in position to clean out most of murray's mess in 16 months, minus okposo

Botterill was one of the top candidates league wide to become a GM. Housley was a top 2 or 3 candidate. It's your right as a fan to hate the job these two are doing, but don't act like the owners hired two schmucks no one would have hired.

Should the Pegula's have gone off the board and hired someone who wasn't a top candidate because you're too impatient to allow the prospects he's drafting, trading for and signing to develop?
- Powerslave

top Candidates according to whom??? There was way more choices than Housley to be coach... Yeah lets add a Rookie head coach to a team FULL of rookie players... Makes sense. (frank) that get the experienced head coach so when he says something the kid listen, two years later and the kids still are NOT listening.


not to mention the fact that the same owner (frank)ed up the prior choices....

Why can’t we give Botts credit for selecting Dahlin when he could of traded the measely first rounder to give us a better shot at the playoffs last year

Why can’t we give Botts credit for selecting Dahlin when he could of traded the measely first rounder to give us a better shot at the playoffs last year
- Pegullaville

yeah history shows he good at this.... Giving credit for something he hasn't done Brilliant! he plan was to tank all last year and this year... come on!

top Candidates according to whom??? There was way more choices than Housley to be coach... Yeah lets add a Rookie head coach to a team FULL of rookie players... Makes sense. (frank) that get the experienced head coach so when he says something the kid listen, two years later and the kids still are NOT listening.
- gordong

If you don't remember all the lists of top candidates that were being written about, talked about and thrown around, then you're either too stubborn or were under a rock.