For all of you who justify not signing Briere & Drury...listen up!

[Nighthawk]

Don't justify it by the outrageous numbers being thrown around today. These dollar figures should never have been an issue if the Sabres would have renegotiated these contracts months ago or even before last season. So, if you're going to argue your point, please come with something else.

[Dr. Lecter]

They had no cap room to sign Drury until the offseason.

Plus, there is no guarentee anybody would have signed with the idea of UFA coming up.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Don't justify it by the outrageous numbers being thrown around today. These dollar figures should never have been an issue if the Sabres would have renegotiated these contracts months ago or even before last season. So, if you're going to argue your point, please come with something else.
Why should I have to. The guys that have built our team didn't want to do that and it isn't part of their plan. I will trust them rather than whine like a ***** especially after hailing them has genious's over the last 2 years.

[THATHURMANATOR]

They had no cap room to sign Drury until the offseason.

Plus, there is no guarentee anybody would have signed with the idea of UFA coming up.
Exactly...

[Nighthawk]

Why should I have to. The guys that have built our team didn't want to do that and it isn't part of their plan. I will trust them rather than whine like a ***** especially after hailing them has genious's over the last 2 years.

AGain, please find me a post where I personally have hailed them as genious??? It never happened...everybody on this board will back me up on that!

[Nighthawk]

They had no cap room to sign Drury until the offseason.

Plus, there is no guarentee anybody would have signed with the idea of UFA coming up.

True enough, but both players stated that they would have liked to been signed earlier in the season. Now, I don't believe either is worth the money they got today, but Briere, for a fact, could've been signed for 5 years, 25 million at the start of last season. I'm fine with waiting until we see what their plan is, but don't take the blame away from where it should be and that is on the front office.

[chernobylwraiths]

They had no cap room to sign Drury until the offseason.

Plus, there is no guarentee anybody would have signed with the idea of UFA coming up.

Complete BS! Signing an extension would have had NO effect on last year's cap. New numbers wouldn't do anything until the next year.

[THATHURMANATOR]

AGain, please find me a post where I personally have hailed them as genious??? It never happened...everybody on this board will back me up on that!
NO Just stop whining and we will leave it at that.

[chernobylwraiths]

NO Just stop whining and we will leave it at that.

He might be going a little overboard, but your PollyAnna approach is even more sickening.

[Nighthawk]

He might be going a little overboard, but your PollyAnna approach is even more sickening.

I'm too negative, but you are not even correct in your arguments!

[chernobylwraiths]

I'm too negative, but you are not even correct in your arguments!

Huh?!

[THATHURMANATOR]

He might be going a little overboard, but your PollyAnna approach is even more sickening.
Sorry if I am going let things play out. Reiger has been at this a long time and has built some very good teams.

[Nighthawk]

Huh?!

Sorry, was a little worked up...that was to Thurm, not you. My apologies.

[chernobylwraiths]

Sorry, was a little worked up...that was to Thurm, not you. My apologies.

I figured that.

[SabreEleven]

I think the coutdown until the next lockout is ON!!!! 3, maybe 4 years, with the way salaries are already rising...When are the owners going to wake up and fire Butman....

[Nighthawk]

I think the coutdown until the next lockout is ON!!!! 3, maybe 4 years, with the way salaries are already rising...When are the owners going to wake up and fire Butman....

Excellent post! It's getting ugly...not a good sign.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Or when these big market teams that waste all their cap on a few players don't succeed things will even out.

[BSU Drew]

Why should I have to. The guys that have built our team didn't want to do that and it isn't part of their plan. I will trust them rather than whine like a ***** especially after hailing them has genious's over the last 2 years.

HOOORAY!!! HOOORaY!! :bravo::bf1:

[Philagape]

Darcy also took us through a three-year stretch of no playoffs. It's been a cycle, and now we're on the way back down

[clumping platelets]

No excuses..............honeymoon is over..........raise prices but then let your 2 top players leave when at least making an effort to resign them with respectable offers could have made a difference a month ago

:down:

[Dr. Lecter]

According to Quinn, they were prepared to go into the same area the Rangers did for Drury, but they never got a counter offer from Drury's agent.

If that is true, it makes this even more frustrating.

[kgun12]

I have to repost this! I honestly don't understand the panic! Since he has been the GM, Darcy Regier, and the Sabres drafted and developed such players as Maxim Afinogenov, Henrik Tallinder, Ales Kotalik, Ryan Miller, Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. He has also made some important acquisitions as well, such as trading for Chris Drury, Tim Connolly, Daniel Briere and J.P. Dumont while trying to maintain a strict budget. Why would we assume they are going to stop now? Drury and Briere didn't take us to a Stanley cup championship, let alone get us to the finals. Maybe the folks that brought in all this talent have a better plan, it has only been 1 day of FA, I for one am willing to give them at least 2 days to make this team better! :;

[Philagape]

I have to repost this! I honestly don't understand the panic! Since he has been the GM, Darcy Regier, and the Sabres drafted and developed such players as Maxim Afinogenov, Henrik Tallinder, Ales Kotalik, Ryan Miller, Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. He has also made some important acquisitions as well, such as trading for Chris Drury, Tim Connolly, Daniel Briere and J.P. Dumont while trying to maintain a strict budget.

Gone ... gone ... gone ... gone .... gone ....

[LABillsFan]

According to Quinn, they were prepared to go into the same area the Rangers did for Drury, but they never got a counter offer from Drury's agent.

If that is true, it makes this even more frustrating.

The reason is because they screwed around with him and Briere for 6 weeks.

[kgun12]

Gone ... gone ... gone ... gone .... gone ....\

I'll quote the rest for you...

...Why would we assume they are going to stop now? Drury and Briere didn't take us to a Stanley cup championship, let alone get us to the finals. Maybe the folks that brought in all this talent have a better plan, it has only been 1 day of FA, I for one am willing to give them at least 2 days to make this team better!

[Philagape]

\

I'll quote the rest for you...

...Why would we assume they are going to stop now? Drury and Briere didn't take us to a Stanley cup championship, let alone get us to the finals. Maybe the folks that brought in all this talent have a better plan, it has only been 1 day of FA, I for one am willing to give them at least 2 days to make this team better!

Name two players that will be an improvement over Drury and Briere.

Name five, together.

Day 1 of FA saw most of the blue-chip players scooped up.

The plan is to not commit to our stars and leaders. It's been that since the beginning of Darcy's regime, when we blew off Nolan. The plan is to use them and throw them away.
However many good players we acquire and develop (and there's no reason to assume that will continue because our scouting department's been decimated), what good is it if we don't retain them?
Maybe after the next lockout ....

[kgun12]

Name two players that will be an improvement over Drury and Briere.

Name five, together.

Day 1 of FA saw most of the blue-chip players scooped up.

The plan is to not commit to our stars and leaders. It's been that since the beginning of Darcy's regime, when we blew off Nolan. The plan is to use them and throw them away.
However many good players we acquire and develop (and there's no reason to assume that will continue because our scouting department's been decimated), what good is it if we don't retain them?
Maybe after the next lockout ....

Good God man haven't the big spenders in FA in any sport proved anything to you? The Skin, Cowboys, Rangers, Yankee's the only team that won a championship since Regier took over the Sabre's is the Yanks and that was what 2000 and before that was 194!!! So before we all start jumping off bridges, let's wait and see what the final product looks like. We have a GREAT CORE of players on this team, we don't need 2 half pint players on this team. I was hoping to keep Drury, but oh well, bye bye, don't let the door hit you. They have no loyalty to the fans or city, screw them!

[LABillsFan]

I remember listening to an interview on GR with Quinn talking about the salaries. Quinn stated that it used to be if a player wanted too much or was about to cash in on a deal it was easy to ship them to the NYR. I said it once, I'll say it again, how many times have the Rangers, Blues, Red wings etc gone out and tried to buy themselves a cup. It hardly works. Maybe it will be the Ranges year, but no one can say for sure. Maybe it will back fire on them once again.

[kgun12]

I remember listening to an interview on GR with Quinn talking about the salaries. Quinn stated that it used to be if a player wanted too much or was about to cash in on a deal it was easy to ship them to the NYR. I said it once, I'll say it again, how many times have the Rangers, Blues, Red wings etc gone out and tried to buy themselves a cup. It hardly works. Maybe it will be the Ranges year, but no one can say for sure. Maybe it will back fire on them once again.

Once Jagr sees Drury working hard every shift and the media starts noticing, he will start taking shifts off complaining and the in fighting will start.

[LABillsFan]

Once Jagr sees Drury working hard every shift and the media starts noticing, he will start taking shifts off complaining and the in fighting will start.

It seems that team has a lot of "leaders", too many cooks.....

[Philagape]

Good God man haven't the big spenders in FA in any sport proved anything to you? The Skin, Cowboys, Rangers, Yankee's the only team that won a championship since Regier took over the Sabre's is the Yanks and that was what 2000 and before that was 194!!! So before we all start jumping off bridges, let's wait and see what the final product looks like. We have a GREAT CORE of players on this team, we don't need 2 half pint players on this team. I was hoping to keep Drury, but oh well, bye bye, don't let the door hit you. They have no loyalty to the fans or city, screw them!

THE SABRES have NO LOYALTY to the FANS or PLAYERS. The SABRES are the ones who made no serious effort to retain their best players and laders. THEY CUT THEIR OWN HEAD OFF.

And I don't give a crap what other teams have done. I'm sick of the LAME, BS EXCUSE that other teams have spent and not won. IRRELEVANT. That's the kind of stupid reasoning that homers use who can't bear to face the reality of their teams' screw-ups; the same homers who come off like 12-year-old ******s bashing players who leave just because they left. You say we have a great core of players, but you'll be insulting them when they leave, too.

Whether you spend or don't spend, the teams that assemble the right players win, whether it's through the draft or from other teams. The Hurricanes spent on rentals last year and won the Cup. The Ducks went out and got TWO $6 million defensemen and WON THE CUP. Want to tell them that spending doesn't work?

[kgun12]

THE SABRES have NO LOYALTY to the FANS or PLAYERS. The SABRES are the ones who made no serious effort to retain their best players and laders. THEY CUT THEIR OWN HEAD OFF.

And I don't give a crap what other teams have done. I'm sick of the LAME, BS EXCUSE that other teams have spent and not won. IRRELEVANT. That's the kind of stupid reasoning that homers use who can't bear to face the reality of their teams' screw-ups; the same homers who come off like 12-year-old ******s bashing players who leave just because they left. You say we have a great core of players, but you'll be insulting them when they leave, too.

Whether you spend or don't spend, the teams that assemble the right players win, whether it's through the draft or from other teams. The Hurricanes spent on rentals last year and won the Cup. The Ducks went out and got TWO $6 million defensemen and WON THE CUP. Want to tell them about the Rangers?



Dude take a sleeping pill and rest. Seriously your heart is going to explode. It might be that you are very young, but if you have been following the Sabres and Bills as long as I have as well as some of the others here, you get use to it. You don't like it, but you get use to it. We survive and enjoy seasons like this last one. Please take the pills and good night!

As far as your question about the Rangers yes, and I will tell you that I believe the Sabres said they will sign Chis and Dan for Sabre friendly contracts, if not they weren't OVER PAYING for 2 HALF PINT PLAYERS. And BTW one that is more afraid of contact then Satan was and takes the worst playoff penalties EVER!!! What Captain sets that kind of example for their team?

[LABillsFan]

....And BTW one that is more afraid of contact then Satan was and takes the worst playoff penalties EVER!!! What Captain sets that kind of example for their team?

He is not a contact player, Mair is a contact player, Peters is a contact player, Briere is a finese player. I agree he shys away from it and usually gets put on his butt when contact is made, but I look(ed) to Briere for points not hits. I think that is a little too much to put on him. You're right about the penalties however.

[Philagape]

Dude take a sleeping pill and rest. Seriously your heart is going to explode. It might be that you are very young, but if you have been following the Sabres and Bills as long as I have as well as some of the others here, you get use to it. You don't like it, but you get use to it. We survive and enjoy seasons like this last one. Please take the pills and good night!

As far as your question about the Rangers yes, and I will tell you that I believe the Sabres said they will sign Chis and Dan for Sabre friendly contracts, if not they weren't OVER PAYING for 2 HALF PINT PLAYERS. And BTW one that is more afraid of contact then Satan was and takes the worst playoff penalties EVER!!! What Captain sets that kind of example for their team?


I'm 36, and I like seasons like the last one too. We had that kind of season, and the one before it, largely because of the half-pints. They led us there. You think we score as many goals without a top-10 scorer? You think a young team goes to the final four twice in a row without a leader who's been there before?
And we COULD HAVE signed them to Sabre-friendly contracts a year ago. We chose not to.
And I shudder to think of the kind of fan you are who "gets used" to failure. If failure is all you know, of course you'll accept anything your teams do.

[THATHURMANATOR]

THE SABRES have NO LOYALTY to the FANS or PLAYERS. The SABRES are the ones who made no serious effort to retain their best players and laders. THEY CUT THEIR OWN HEAD OFF.

And I don't give a crap what other teams have done. I'm sick of the LAME, BS EXCUSE that other teams have spent and not won. IRRELEVANT. That's the kind of stupid reasoning that homers use who can't bear to face the reality of their teams' screw-ups; the same homers who come off like 12-year-old ******s bashing players who leave just because they left. You say we have a great core of players, but you'll be insulting them when they leave, too.

Whether you spend or don't spend, the teams that assemble the right players win, whether it's through the draft or from other teams. The Hurricanes spent on rentals last year and won the Cup. The Ducks went out and got TWO $6 million defensemen and WON THE CUP. Want to tell them that spending doesn't work?
Then stop watching them then. What does the whining and crying accomplish?

[Philagape]

Then stop watching them then. What does the whining and crying accomplish?

Venting. What does accepting failure accomplish?

[clumping platelets]

:bf1:

[THATHURMANATOR]

Venting. What does accepting failure accomplish?
What a gay response. Like ANY of us have any control either way.

[Philagape]

What a gay response. Like ANY of us have any control either way.

Nothing's gayer than bashing people for expressing opinions.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Don't accept it guys! Lets riot! Lets boycott. :puke:

[THATHURMANATOR]

Nothing's gayer than bashing people for expressing opinions.
No your response definitly was.

[Philagape]

No your response definitly was.

I know you are but what am I!

[THATHURMANATOR]

LOL!

I just can't stand complainers and whining though man. It just bugs me.

[kgun12]

I'm 36, and I like seasons like the last one too. We had that kind of season, and the one before it, largely because of the half-pints. They led us there. You think we score as many goals without a top-10 scorer? You think a young team goes to the final four twice in a row without a leader who's been there before?
And we COULD HAVE signed them to Sabre-friendly contracts a year ago. We chose not to.
And I shudder to think of the kind of fan you are who "gets used" to failure. If failure is all you know, of course you'll accept anything your teams do.

I don't believe I said I like losing. I have just learn to except the fact that winning a championship just doesn't come that easy. I look at the Bills, who had the best team in the league the year they lost the SB to the Giants and were good enough to win the last Dallas SB. Failure isn't all I know however I do know that letting something that you have absolutely no control over get you this upset, I don't think you have any room to talk to me about being a failure!

[kgun12]

Don't accept it guys! Lets riot! Lets boycott. :puke:


:spit:

[Philagape]

LOL!

I just can't stand complainers and whining though man. It just bugs me.

The title and creator of this thread kinda gave a clue as to what followed, but you came in anyway. No sense farting against the wind.

[kgun12]

The title and creator of this thread kinda gave a clue as to what followed, but you came in anyway. No sense farting against the wind.

I guess your right, but it's getting harder and harder to go into any room on this board!

[Philagape]

I don't believe I said I like losing. I have just learn to except the fact that winning a championship just doesn't come that easy. I look at the Bills, who had the best team in the league the year they lost the SB to the Giants and were good enough to win the last Dallas SB.

But by your reasoning, they should have dumped their best players.

[kgun12]

But by your reasoning, they should have dumped their best players.

Dumping implies that the Sabre's released them. They were Free agents that wanted more then the organization was willing to pay for 2 players of smaller size that couldn't get us to the finals. Besides they didn't score ALL those goals without help from a few of the guys Reiger drafted and or traded for. Again give the team a few days to work there plan A, B or whatever. Hell I know this is not a popular thought, but hell I'm willing to give them to the start of the season to put this team together! I would have liked to see Drury resign, but I didn't like Danny. You can go back and look at the threads right after Drury got knocked out of the Ottawa game. I started on his case. I think he is a dirty player and I think he is a low life, cheap shot artist. I say bye bye!!!

[SkateZilla]

these GMs are shooting themselves in the foot, they are the ones that harped about players getting greedy, yet they throw $10 Million at a player for next season...

and Ironic, Philly's GM was the #1 Person whining about players being greedy.

[kgun12]

these GMs are shooting themselves in the foot, they are the ones that harped about players getting greedy, yet they throw $10 Million at a player for next season...

and Ironic, Philly's GM was the #1 Person whining about players being greedy.


Very true, I hope the get there money out of Briere the last few years of that contract!

[snow1989]

Personally....I don't find Briere worth 10 million a yr and 8 million the next. That is 1/5th the cap! For one player! Albeit, a good one, but he did disappear at times in the play-offs and had trouble in the corners...and let's face the fact you have to have some other players to pass to, and receive passes from - one guy doesn't do it by himself....

Drury?...he got fair market value and the offers were close....which tells me one of two things....he didn't like the way Briere was handled so he bolted, OR he wasn't really intent on staying....might be a combination of both.....but I'm not going to go screaming off into the night because of it.....I'll wait and see what hits the ice in Oct. and how they perform.....

[kgun12]

Personally....I don't find Briere worth 10 million a yr and 8 million the next. That is 1/5th the cap! For one player! Albeit, a good one, but he did disappear at times in the play-offs and had trouble in the corners...and let's face the fact you have to have some other players to pass to, and receive passes from - one guy doesn't do it by himself....

Drury?...he got fair market value and the offers were close....which tells me one of two things....he didn't like the way Briere was handled so he bolted, OR he wasn't really intent on staying....might be a combination of both.....but I'm not going to go screaming off into the night because of it.....I'll wait and see what hits the ice in Oct. and how they perform.....



:goodpost:

[mchurchfie]

Sorry if I am going let things play out. Reiger has been at this a long time and has built some very good teams.
Right Thurm, and how many Stanley cups does he have???

[Typ0]

I don't know how you can defend the FO of the sabres. Is DB worth being strapped by his salary for 8 years? Hell no. But we had success with DB and when the seasons over you call the guy. You don't wait until a week before FA opens and then offer him the same offer he probably would have signed for last year...before a great season and the ability to hit FA. It was a major slap in the face to every single player on this team. No doubt, Drury was just as disinterested in playing here as we were disinterested in signing DB because of the lame ass way these guys are treated. Mike Griere said it last year....DOM said it on his way out...this team is never going to win because they don't respect their players.

[Night Train]

Darcy also took us through a three-year stretch of no playoffs. It's been a cycle, and now we're on the way back down

Agreed and I found his re-signing a little curious. I realize you can only do what the Owner allows you to do.

It starts at the top and Quinn already had a notorious rep in a prior stint here. Tom G. may be looking at a .500 team next year and smaller crowds.

Bucky Gleason just unloads in todays Buff News and I agree. You extend your players, prior to FA ( at far cheaper rates ) and quit making financial excuses. Now the fanbase has to wonder WTF is going on. The remaining roster can't see themselves here long term. Works like a domino effect. How to you motivate a locker room that isn't commited to rewarding talent ?

Dumb,dumb,dumb...

[snow1989]

I agree with Typo and Night Train.....IF....those are the blatant facts....problem is, none of us really knows for sure. Was it the money?...the length of contract?...a clause....frankly we don't really know. Maybe management doesn't want to be handcuffed bringing up replacements for injuries like we were (and yes people screamed about that too) ....it looks like they're being cheap, but can anyone honestly say?? I only know Philly now has 39% of their payroll wrapped up in 3 players...if 2 of them were to get injured...what would they do then? Would we want to be in the position?

[Typ0]

I agree with Typo and Night Train.....IF....those are the blatant facts....problem is, none of us really knows for sure. Was it the money?...the length of contract?...a clause....frankly we don't really know. Maybe management doesn't want to be handcuffed bringing up replacements for injuries like we were (and yes people screamed about that too) ....it looks like they're being cheap, but can anyone honestly say?? I only know Philly now has 39% of their payroll wrapped up in 3 players...if 2 of them were to get injured...what would they do then? Would we want to be in the position?

you still talk to the players even if it's to say thank you and you are going in a different direction.

[Night Train]

They should have at least made an attempt to go after 1 of the 2 in a strong way, instead of offering them contracts which were small compared than what they received yesterday. Drury would have been my pick.

Regardless, this could have been avoided in the last year. Not talking to the players agents was a bad move.

[BlackMetalNinja]

They should have at least made an attempt to go after 1 of the 2 in a strong way, instead of offering them contracts which were small compared than what they received yesterday. Drury would have been my pick.

Regardless, this could have been avoided in the last year. Not talking to the players agents was a bad move.

You haven't done your homework then.... They offered Drury basically the same thing the Rangers did, and he still left. I'd say they made a serious attempt at Drury... they just did it much later than they should have.

[Philagape]

Bucky Gleason just unloads in todays Buff News and I agree.

That is the greatest column ever.

"It doesn’t matter that Philly overpaid for Briere. What matters is the Sabres could have kept their leading scorer without overpaying him. Instead, they did next to nothing, which was simply mindboggling."

"Let’s just call the Sabres’ situation what it is, the biggest personnel blunder in the history of the franchise."

"Regier has alienated scouts, players, front-office types and fans for years"

"His conversation with Regier last summer should have lasted about five seconds.

Golisano: Darcy, it’s Tom, your boss. Yeah, get Chris and Danny signed to contract extensions before they slip away.

Regier: Well, Tom, our policy is that we don’t usually sign players in the last year of . . . Golisano: Darcy, you’re fired. Click."

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/111227.html

[Night Train]

You haven't done your homework then.... They offered Drury basically the same thing the Rangers did, and he still left. I'd say they made a serious attempt at Drury... they just did it much later than they should have.

They offered Drury 7 Mil a year ? I seriously doubt it.

Briere is getting a frontloaded contract with 10 Mil this next season, making him the NHL's highest paid player. The Sabres reportedly offered him 5 Mil a year for 5 years.

The point is, they could have offered both less during the year and gotten one or both to re-sign. Their methods failed miserably. Can't defend them now. The whole locker room knows their next contract will be with another team, unless they're a 2nd,3rd tier player. Dumb