Tweet
Some good stuff. Some stuff that is questionable.
Brian Campbell’s latest stance on his contract talks — Don’t call me, I’ll call you — is just what the Buffalo Sabres deserve given their infuriating dysfunction.
They’ve bungled negotiations with another marquee player. They’ve further angered their fan base. And they’ve re-established their ignorance on the issue of team chemistry. There you have it. The season’s first hat trick.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor did it crumble in a day. But apparently that’s only because Tom Golisano wasn’t around to undermine the empire.
Campbell retreated to a noble position Monday, saying he no longer would discuss anything to do with his contract for fear it would become a lingering distraction to his teammates. That’s all well and good, except that it already has become a distraction, with sensible minds absolving Campbell of all blame. At this time last year the Sabres clung to their organizational policy of shutting down negotiations once the season commenced. They submitted that talking turkey while the pucks were flying might drive a wedge among the playing ranks. Given the circumstances, they had a smidgeon of justification. Both their co-captains were impending free agents, and to negotiate with one could alienate the other. Striving to satisfy both promised to result in a resounding backfire. So they buried the checkbook although they engaged in furtive talks with Chris Drury and tabled an impending resolution.
On the flip side, by reaching agreement with neither Drury nor Daniel Briere the Sabres gave the other 18 players reason to believe the organization had abandoned the concept of sustained success. Matching Edmonton’s excessive summertime offer for Thomas Vanek may have temporarily appeased a disenchanted fan base but it also invited those on the roster to ask, “What the heck is going on? How are we better off?” The stalemate with Campbell brings them full circle.
Goaltender Ryan Miller attempted to rally the troops and pacify fans in the aftermath of the Drury-Briere exodus. He reminded everyone that the sky wasn’t falling, that the sun would rise.
Trouble is, while the sun still ascends, the Sabres have been in free fall during a stretch that has the team
frequently on the road and frequently matched against the Eastern Conference elite. They’re neither a good team nor an exceedingly bad team but most definitely one that’ll be challenged to make the playoffs. And even should they qualify, their fate has one round and out written all over it. It’s quite a comedown from two seasons that prompted the question: Is this the year?
The lack of foresight on the part of the owner astounds. Golisano rode in to a hero’s welcome upon purchasing the bankrupt franchise for way below market value. He stands to make a cool $100 million or so when he dumps it. All indications are that he’s in this for investment reasons only, not because he’s driven to win a championship or even tickled by the thought of being a perennial contender. The team could have locked up Drury, Briere, Vanek and Campbell for a yearly figure approximate to what they’re paying Vanek, Derek Roy and Jochen Hecht and Tim Connolly. Oops.
The last paragraph is questionable at best. And, if they had done so, the News woulod be lamenting letting the younger players, including a 40 goal scorer go.
And "with sensible minds absolving Campbell of all blame." is assuming a lot, without talking about what offers were made.
Brian Campbell’s latest stance on his contract talks — Don’t call me, I’ll call you — is just what the Buffalo Sabres deserve given their infuriating dysfunction.
They’ve bungled negotiations with another marquee player. They’ve further angered their fan base. And they’ve re-established their ignorance on the issue of team chemistry. There you have it. The season’s first hat trick.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor did it crumble in a day. But apparently that’s only because Tom Golisano wasn’t around to undermine the empire.
Campbell retreated to a noble position Monday, saying he no longer would discuss anything to do with his contract for fear it would become a lingering distraction to his teammates. That’s all well and good, except that it already has become a distraction, with sensible minds absolving Campbell of all blame. At this time last year the Sabres clung to their organizational policy of shutting down negotiations once the season commenced. They submitted that talking turkey while the pucks were flying might drive a wedge among the playing ranks. Given the circumstances, they had a smidgeon of justification. Both their co-captains were impending free agents, and to negotiate with one could alienate the other. Striving to satisfy both promised to result in a resounding backfire. So they buried the checkbook although they engaged in furtive talks with Chris Drury and tabled an impending resolution.
On the flip side, by reaching agreement with neither Drury nor Daniel Briere the Sabres gave the other 18 players reason to believe the organization had abandoned the concept of sustained success. Matching Edmonton’s excessive summertime offer for Thomas Vanek may have temporarily appeased a disenchanted fan base but it also invited those on the roster to ask, “What the heck is going on? How are we better off?” The stalemate with Campbell brings them full circle.
Goaltender Ryan Miller attempted to rally the troops and pacify fans in the aftermath of the Drury-Briere exodus. He reminded everyone that the sky wasn’t falling, that the sun would rise.
Trouble is, while the sun still ascends, the Sabres have been in free fall during a stretch that has the team
frequently on the road and frequently matched against the Eastern Conference elite. They’re neither a good team nor an exceedingly bad team but most definitely one that’ll be challenged to make the playoffs. And even should they qualify, their fate has one round and out written all over it. It’s quite a comedown from two seasons that prompted the question: Is this the year?
The lack of foresight on the part of the owner astounds. Golisano rode in to a hero’s welcome upon purchasing the bankrupt franchise for way below market value. He stands to make a cool $100 million or so when he dumps it. All indications are that he’s in this for investment reasons only, not because he’s driven to win a championship or even tickled by the thought of being a perennial contender. The team could have locked up Drury, Briere, Vanek and Campbell for a yearly figure approximate to what they’re paying Vanek, Derek Roy and Jochen Hecht and Tim Connolly. Oops.
The last paragraph is questionable at best. And, if they had done so, the News woulod be lamenting letting the younger players, including a 40 goal scorer go.
And "with sensible minds absolving Campbell of all blame." is assuming a lot, without talking about what offers were made.
Comment