Ryan Wilson: Botterill may be a mediocre GM, but Pegulas a stain on Western New York Botterill may be a mediocre GM, but Pegulas a stain on Western New York

Alright. I know nothing about the Pegulas so they very well may be scumbags for all I know, but come on. If a player explicitly says they want out, it's just good business to trade them before all their bonuses kick in. Asking someone to pay $7 million so that the GM can be afforded an extra handful of weeks/months to negotiate with teams isn't reasonable. Billionaires don't serve at the behest of their millionaire employees.

Seems like you’re looking for ways to blame saber ownership.
Yes, ownership did him no favors, but Jason made a huge blunder with the O’Reilly trade. He then stock pile defenseman and had no answers for scoring woes. Fully agreed that mistakes were made sitting Skinner on Eichels wing to hit 40 goals, Increasing his market value then having to pay to keep them around. Same thing with Reinhardt.

Nonetheless, Botterill made some awful trades, did not get good value for Kane or O’Reilly, And was below average at best.

Wow you blowtorched both Pegulas ... Not that they don’t deserve it because they do..
well done ...

https://pickinsplinters.c...an-endless-dumpster-fire/

Thanks, Sabres fan know what Hell is like. But we don't need to be reminded of it everywhere. You guys have had your fair share of success. Great Hockey Teams. But I could also bring up some horrible times in Penguins history. But I won't because of the good history.

Thanks, Sabres fan know what Hell is like. But we don't need to be reminded of it everywhere. You guys have had your fair share of success. Great Hockey Teams. But I could also bring up some horrible times in Penguins history. But I won't because of the good history.
- Buff36

If it makes you feel better, RW isn't dumping on the Sabres because he thinks its funny. He lives in Buffalo and is a Sabers fan, and he's been Botts' number one fan since day one. A rant about how much of a dumpster fire Buffalo is and making excuses for why it wasn't Botts' fault was forthcoming. Don't get me wrong, I think a lot about what happened in Buff wasn't unforced errors by Botts and he was forced into a tough corner on a lot of his bad moves, and I'll also admit I was in the forefront of giving Botts too much credit during his tenure in Pittsburgh, but given how RW's brain works, a reasonable blog about this was never in the cards. He's infallible and can't conceive of being even a tiny bit wrong about Botts.

If it makes you feel better, RW isn't dumping on the Sabres because he thinks its funny. He lives in Buffalo and is a Sabers fan, and he's been Botts' number one fan since day one. A rant about how much of a dumpster fire Buffalo is and making excuses for why it wasn't Botts' fault was forthcoming. Don't get me wrong, I think a lot about what happened in Buff wasn't unforced errors by Botts and he was forced into a tough corner on a lot of his bad moves, and I'll also admit I was in the forefront of giving Botts too much credit during his tenure in Pittsburgh, but given how RW's brain works, a reasonable blog about this was never in the cards. He's infallible and can't conceive of being even a tiny bit wrong about Botts.
- Victoro311

It's cool, just gets tiring seeing it everywhere. It's a poop show for sure.

I may be in the minority, but I thought Botts deserved one more year. He inherited a dumpster fire. It takes time to turn that around when you have empty cupboards in Rochester. You hire a rookie GM expecting mistakes to be made, and he did make his fair share. But I don't put O'Rielly on him. That's on the Pigulas. I admit I drank the kool-aid when they bought the team. Now I hope season ticket holders kick them in the only place that matters to the Pigs. Right in the wallet.

I may be in the minority, but I thought Botts deserved one more year. He inherited a dumpster fire. It takes time to turn that around when you have empty cupboards in Rochester. You hire a rookie GM expecting mistakes to be made, and he did make his fair share. But I don't put O'Rielly on him. That's on the Pigulas. I admit I drank the kool-aid when they bought the team. Now I hope season ticket holders kick them in the only place that matters to the Pigs. Right in the wallet.
- Sir Tindoom

Funny he took over dumpster fire, and left a poop show. A little info on that ROR trade, about 2 weeks before the trade with St.louis Botts was in talks with Arizona for Domi and a Prospect at the time Garland, but that deal went nowhere because Arizona did not want to pay the Bonus and Pegula would not budge on his stance. 2 days later Domi was traded to Montreal.

Funny he took over dumpster fire, and left a poop show. A little info on that ROR trade, about 2 weeks before the trade with St.louis Botts was in talks with Arizona for Domi and a Prospect at the time Garland, but that deal went nowhere because Arizona did not want to pay the Bonus and Pegula would not budge on his stance. 2 days later Domi was traded to Montreal.
- Buff36

If true, that makes me even more pissed about the ROR situation. I would love Domi on this team. Botts was doing his job making a decent hockey trade, and the cheap fracker wouldn't make it happen. Why would anyone want to be the GM here?

If true, that makes me even more pissed about the ROR situation. I would love Domi on this team. Botts was doing his job making a decent hockey trade, and the cheap fracker wouldn't make it happen. Why would anyone want to be the GM here?
- Sir Tindoom

Botts didn't do nearly enough, but he wasn't helped a lot with ownership either.

Great article...really thorough.

Between this very thorough article and the other few pieces that have targeted the Pegulas over the past couple of days, I’ve learned a whole lot about that family.

The biggest thing I came away with?

I’d totally hit that 50 year old milf. Mhm. Would do. Can’t lie.

Between this very thorough article and the other few pieces that have targeted the Pegulas over the past couple of days, I’ve learned a whole lot about that family.

The biggest thing I cane away with?

I’d totally hit that 50 year old milf. Mhm. Would do. Can’t lie.
- Hesh_

Have you seen GM Jim Rutherford's wife? Not bad, either, given the crusty old (frank)er she's with, too.

Suffice to say that Asians age really well.

Funny he took over dumpster fire, and left a poop show. A little info on that ROR trade, about 2 weeks before the trade with St.louis Botts was in talks with Arizona for Domi and a Prospect at the time Garland, but that deal went nowhere because Arizona did not want to pay the Bonus and Pegula would not budge on his stance. 2 days later Domi was traded to Montreal.
- Buff36

That's crazy. Cheapness gets to a point where it's cutting off your nose to spite your face. Imagine how much more revenue a winning team brings in. Just a single playoff series, even losing in a sweep, probably covers the ROR bonus.

That's crazy. Cheapness gets to a point where it's cutting off your nose to spite your face. Imagine how much more revenue a winning team brings in. Just a single playoff series, even losing in a sweep, probably covers the ROR bonus.
- Hockey66

That's the thing I really don't understand, cause they have brought most of the failures on themselves. Cause of the crap they have done. You order your GM to trade ROR cause your Butthurt cause he said something, but then you handcuff him in trying to make the trade.

It's almost like a Gold Digging Ex cocktail waitress and a guy dumb enough to get hoodwinked by a Gold Digging Ex cocktail waitress aren't good or smart people

She probably didn't make Terry pay for the extras, and that made him feel special

Great article...really thorough.
- bruceflyers

You troll through every team blog to add your BS ?

Wow, this is a slanted article. Just a few of the ridiculous homer comments:

1. Bringing in Sheary was a bust.

2. Rochester has failed to develop anyone meaningful for a long time including under Taylor. Winning at the AHL level is secondary to player development. They've been screwing that up for years by prioritizing lifetime AHLers over opportunity for young players.

3. He also got nothing in return for Evander Kane, one of the best goal scorers in the league.

4. He loaded up on 1800 RDs so everyone in the league knew he had to deal one. Stupidity. He then offloaded Scandella for nothing when he obviously should have waited for the deadline (and not just in hindsight).

5. The 2020 trade deadline.

6. Whose fault is it that O'Reilly wasn't moved until the last minute? Botterill knew he had to go and knew the bonus wouldn't be paid. Yet he waited until he was under the gun. You have to have the leverage to use that tactic, not be the forced seller. Just idiocy. He could definitely have gotten a better deal earlier.

7. If nothing else, Botterill is pathetic for caving on the O'Reilly trade. If your owner makes a stupid demand like that which will destroy your credibility YOU SAY NO. You don't fold like a coward, you LEAD. The O'Reilly trade was a hill to die on. Does that mean you get fired? Maybe but look where you ended up anyway. At least you have a good story for interviews. When the story got out (they always do), he'd have been the front runner for every GM job coming open.

End of the day, Botterill was a complete and total failure on every level except needlessly making Rochester competitive by overpaying lifetime AHLers. He destroyed the team through brutal mismanagement, lack of leadership, and cowardice.

But yeah, the Pegulas suck. No doubt. You're points on them are 100% on point (toxic culture, rich dbags, etc.). But this flimsy attempt to make excuses for Botterill not standing up and being a man is frankly pathetic. Turn your limbic system off and your prefrontal cortex on for a change.

If a player explicitly says they want out, it's just good business to trade them before all their bonuses kick in.
- Victoro311

You evidently know nothing about good business. You MAXIMIZE the asset. If that means eating $7 million in the short term to make a better team which drives gate, concession, merchandise, suite, advertising, and ancillary revenue you do it. 100% of the time. You rarely find ROI like that. Stick to hockey talk stay out of the business side.

Those penn state hockey players must curse Terry’s name each time they hit the ice.

Botterill was awful. He had 24 picks in 4 four years of drafts for an average of 6 per year. For a guy whose line was "draft and develop," thats woefully inadequate.

He was obsessed with mediocre players and spending assets to get them - Beaulieu, Vesey, Frolik, Simmonds, Miller - the list goes on.

Since February of 2019 he spent a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and two 5ths to get Miller, Montour, Vesey, Frolik and Simmonds.

He left the Sabres with a cap overage for next year.

Good riddance to bad news. You guys can have him back

Botterill was awful. He had 24 picks in 4 four years of drafts for an average of 6 per year. For a guy whose line was "draft and develop," thats woefully inadequate.

He was obsessed with mediocre players and spending assets to get them - Beaulieu, Vesey, Frolik, Simmonds, Miller - the list goes on.

Since February of 2019 he spent a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and two 5ths to get Miller, Montour, Vesey, Frolik and Simmonds.

He left the Sabres with a cap overage for next year.

Good riddance to bad news. You guys can have him back
- jcragcrumple

18 in 3 years. Didn’t get to draft this year, obviously. 17-19 with 6 picks each. We’ll see how it plays out with them.

You evidently know nothing about good business. You MAXIMIZE the asset. If that means eating $7 million in the short term to make a better team which drives gate, concession, merchandise, suite, advertising, and ancillary revenue you do it. 100% of the time. You rarely find ROI like that. Stick to hockey talk stay out of the business side.
- cjp2112

There is absolutely no guarantee a better trade comes on the table given that asset self-tanked his value by demanding a trade. At that point your stuck with a bad trade and 7 mil paid.

I didn’t know about the Domi thing. There’s a point to be had there, but then the AZ ownership is equally guilty for not wanting to pay the bonus.