Time for Darcy to finally see that this team is not Championship material.

[Nighthawk]

The team has been soft all year long and never put 60 minutes together almost the entire year. However, Darcy failed to shake up the team because he, like most people, fell in love with the players and couldn't see that they weren't good enough to win the championship. This team will never win a cup if they don't address the toughness, grit and heart aspect...that is what cost them a shot at the cup. Ryan Smyth would be a great start to winning the cup next year. They need to resign Drury and Vanek, dump some salary of some of the soft players on this team (i.e. Kotalik, Kalinin, Numminen, Afiniginov) and change the makeup of this team. We had the right idea about the skating well, but somewhere along the way we just built the Ottawa Senators from the past 10 years. Remember, they were full of talent, but not a lot of heart. Well, folks, that describes your Sabres and it must change to win the Cup. Let's hope Darcy doesn't do his usual crap and does actually wake up and see the flaws with this team and maybe we can take another run at it next year. However, we just made it to 2 straight conference championships and lost both times...the odds are not with us.

[camelcowboy]

spacek, kalinin, Kotalik, are on my hit list. I like max's game sense the benching i think he may lifted the playoff monkey off his back. Briere is a good player but Drury has to be resigned.

[chernobylwraiths]

Spacek will probably not be dealt because of his salary.

My opinion:

Sign Drury at all cost, overpay if you have to. Sign Vanek and Miller long term. Vanek will only get better as well as Miller. Miller is the kind of player to build around for a long time.

Now the hard ones. Let Briere and Zubrus walk if they want more than what they got this year. That means we have no chance to resign. I like Briere, but he is not the kind of player that will be a force in the playoffs. He is too small and too easily pushed off the puck. Zubrus is the kind of player we want, but 4 to 5 million is too much to tie up in a guy that is as much of a role player as he would be.

There is no shortage of players I would like to go after in free agency. Guys like Souray and Ryan Smyth, but to be honest, we are the Sabres and there is virtually no way possible to get a big tickets guys like this, nor would Darcy look to bring any in. BUT, there are guys I like that play the kind of game that would be beneficial in the playoffs. Dean McAmmond comes immediately to mind, Stu Barnes (although he might be a bit old) Tomas Holmstrom (probably couldn't be pried from Detroit).

I certainly don't want to blow up the roster, but I would like to get a bigger hitter on the blueline who can skate and a couple of forwards who aren't afraid to get their nose dirty to go with Gaustad and Mair if we can resign him.

This team isn't THAT far away.

[Dr. Lecter]

If anybody watched today's game and still throws out **** about heart, they are blind and clueless.

[camelcowboy]

If anybody watched today's game and still throws out **** about heart, they are blind and clueless.your kidding right? just because they put up a fight going down should excuse there seemingly lack of interest for games 1 and 3 of this series. They're effort was questionable against the rangers and isle as well. Just because they played well today doesn't make anyone who questions their heart is blind and clueless, where was that desperation when it mattered. Just because they played hard today does not give them the excuse to get off scott free from a clearly poor overall play off effort. They need to play every playoff game like its a elimination game,

[Dr. Lecter]

If anything they were pressing and feeling too much pressure in those games. Coming in as a favorite is much different and more difficult than being an underdog,

They, especially the coaching staff, did not react well to being favorites and played scared.

[Dozerdog]

Spacek will probably not be dealt because of his salary.

My opinion:

Sign Drury at all cost, overpay if you have to. Sign Vanek and Miller long term. Vanek will only get better as well as Miller. Miller is the kind of player to build around for a long time.

Now the hard ones. Let Briere and Zubrus walk if they want more than what they got this year. That means we have no chance to resign. I like Briere, but he is not the kind of player that will be a force in the playoffs. He is too small and too easily pushed off the puck. Zubrus is the kind of player we want, but 4 to 5 million is too much to tie up in a guy that is as much of a role player as he would be.

There is no shortage of players I would like to go after in free agency. Guys like Souray and Ryan Smyth, but to be honest, we are the Sabres and there is virtually no way possible to get a big tickets guys like this, nor would Darcy look to bring any in. BUT, there are guys I like that play the kind of game that would be beneficial in the playoffs. Dean McAmmond comes immediately to mind, Stu Barnes (although he might be a bit old) Tomas Holmstrom (probably couldn't be pried from Detroit).

I certainly don't want to blow up the roster, but I would like to get a bigger hitter on the blueline who can skate and a couple of forwards who aren't afraid to get their nose dirty to go with Gaustad and Mair if we can resign him.

This team isn't THAT far away.


Miller is already signed for the next 2 seasons and cheap- 2.5-3 million

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

The team has been soft all year long and never put 60 minutes together almost the entire year. However, Darcy failed to shake up the team because he, like most people, fell in love with the players and couldn't see that they weren't good enough to win the championship. This team will never win a cup if they don't address the toughness, grit and heart aspect...that is what cost them a shot at the cup. Ryan Smyth would be a great start to winning the cup next year. They need to resign Drury and Vanek, dump some salary of some of the soft players on this team (i.e. Kotalik, Kalinin, Numminen, Afiniginov) and change the makeup of this team. We had the right idea about the skating well, but somewhere along the way we just built the Ottawa Senators from the past 10 years. Remember, they were full of talent, but not a lot of heart. Well, folks, that describes your Sabres and it must change to win the Cup. Let's hope Darcy doesn't do his usual crap and does actually wake up and see the flaws with this team and maybe we can take another run at it next year. However, we just made it to 2 straight conference championships and lost both times...the odds are not with us.

:no: you got it all wrong how about this, if it wasn't for the NHL changing the stupid rules and going back to they're old ways I loved how they played the games last year but because the dinosaur hockey players couldn't admit that the new NHL was to fast for them so the NHL had to change it! These playoffs have been so :boring: to watch. It's time for the old dinosaur hockey players retire and let these young kids play in the NHL and go back to how they said the new NHL would be played. The refs were calling everything in the damn book last year and this year their letting the teams get away with penalties and :oj: you know why they changed it because the Sabres were too fast for teams to keep up with and the NHL doesn't want the Buffalo Sabres to win the Stanley Cup! God I'm tired of being right.

[camelcowboy]

:no: you got it all wrong how about this, if it wasn't for the NHL changing the stupid rules and going back to they're old ways I loved how they played the games last year but because the dinosaur hockey players couldn't admit that the new NHL was to fast for them so the NHL had to change it! These playoffs have been so :boring: to watch. It's time for the old dinosaur hockey players retire and let these young kids play in the NHL and go back to how they said the new NHL would be played. The refs were calling everything in the damn book last year and this year their letting the teams get away with penalties and :oj: you know why they changed it because the Sabres were too fast for teams to keep up with and the NHL doesn't want the Buffalo Sabres to win the Stanley Cup! God I'm tired of being right.

Don't give me that crap, the sabres play in the national hockey league they know the rules and they know how its officiated. They also know that the league will call everything in the begining of the year, and let alot go in the playoffs. Its worked like that for years. Its the teams job to overcome that. To be honest the sabres had plenty of opportunies to score on the power play. Whats the point of the refs making calls if your team can't cash in anyway. In the end special teams should be the biggest lesson this team should have learned from this year. Your statement that the NHL doesn't want the sabres to win is just bs. They had many questionable goals go their way, and they are averaged 7 power plays a game the last series. Take off your blinders and realize the sabres dropped the ball. The only ones responsible for them not winning is them. Hopefully they address the problems and come back strong next year. If the sabres special teams had any bite they would be in the stanley cup finials. In the end the biggest difference between this team this year and last year is last years team was average 5-5 and dominate on special teams. This years team is great 5-5 but blows on special teams non-existant power play. No short handed goals and didn't consistantly stuff the other teams power play.

[chernobylwraiths]

Miller is already signed for the next 2 seasons and cheap- 2.5-3 million

I know, but I don't see anything wrong with trying to tie him up longer term.

[Jan Reimers]

I think we need a little more speed on defense, which might lead to Teppo and Spacek leaving. And Kalinin, if he can't gain some focus and grit - even though he is fast and skilled - might have to go, too. So if there is going to be a major shake up, I think it's on the blue line. We do have a good player in Paetch waiting in the wings.

I love our small, fast, skilled forwards, but I would like to see one more Vanek-like power forward. Too many of our small guys get pushed out of the front of the goal when it really counts. Maybe Stafford develops into that guy, but for now, I would even sacrifice Briere for a bigger player who doesn't get knocked off the puck as much.

But all-in-all, I like our nucleus, and feel we're only a couple of players from a Cup team.

[Nighthawk]

:no: you got it all wrong how about this, if it wasn't for the NHL changing the stupid rules and going back to they're old ways I loved how they played the games last year but because the dinosaur hockey players couldn't admit that the new NHL was to fast for them so the NHL had to change it! These playoffs have been so :boring: to watch. It's time for the old dinosaur hockey players retire and let these young kids play in the NHL and go back to how they said the new NHL would be played. The refs were calling everything in the damn book last year and this year their letting the teams get away with penalties and :oj: you know why they changed it because the Sabres were too fast for teams to keep up with and the NHL doesn't want the Buffalo Sabres to win the Stanley Cup! God I'm tired of being right.

How can you be tired of being right, when you are never right?:wtf: