The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

[Dr. Lecter]

We all know they messed that up (more Drury than Briere, imo)

But they apparently learned their lesson. Since then they have:

1. Signed Miller long term.
2. Signed Roy longterm
3. Signed Hecht to an extension.
4. Signed Goose longterm.
5. Signed Vanek longterm (Albeit being forced to do so)
6. and now, have Pominville signed long term.

They have a solid core, especially when adding in young guys like Sekera, Weber, Stafford, Kaleta, etc and the addition of Rivet (3 years left on his deal!)

It has been a productive offseason.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

There is no denying this.

[Dr. Lecter]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

And, I almost forgot, they did not cave in and overpay the over-rated Campbell and were able to trade him for (in essence) Rivet and a 1st pick by just adding a 3rd round pick!

[Dr. Pepper]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

i just wrote this in the other thread but it makes more sense here so ill re-post...

just think, if we had re-signed drury, briere, and campbell (any 2 of the 3) theres no way in hell we keep vanek miller and pominville. somehow the whole free agent debacle of the past couple years is swinging back in our favor. didnt see that one coming..

[Philagape]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

Learning on the job sucks.
The only way to make up for their mistakes is for the team they've put together since then to achieve the same level as the one they destroyed. Then and only then. If that doesn't happen, then this FO will and should forever be known as the destroyer of a contender.

[SabreEleven]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

and don't forget the nice talent they have in Roches...errrrr...Portland.

[Dr. Lecter]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

Learning on the job sucks.
The only way to make up for their mistakes is for the team they've put together since then to achieve the same level as the one they destroyed. Then and only then. If that doesn't happen, then this FO will and should forever be known as the destroyer of a contender.

Except in the day and age of FA, you don't keep all of your players.

[Philagape]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

Except in the day and age of FA, you don't keep all of your players.

You said yourself they "messed up." Seems our only difference is in the words we use. I try to use words the reflect the magnitude of going from a legit Cup contender to out of the playoffs.

[Dr. Lecter]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

You said yourself they "messed up." Seems our only difference is in the words we use. I try to use words the reflect the magnitude of going from a legit Cup contender to out of the playoffs.

The point is they would have lost players regardless and since then have been doing much better playing the system.

[Philagape]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

The point is they would have lost players regardless and since then have been doing much better playing the system.

We've discussed the player specifics ad nauseum, but if the "since then" makes up for before "then," then I'll be positive.

[Ebenezer]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

"learned" or as I have said all along...."planned and took the bullet". You don't keep your job for 10 years by learning on the job...this was all planned, plotted and executed...i will still contend that had they not made it to the conference finals against Carolina they would have started the process sooner...they caved to public pressure the first year to take another run...not the second.

[Philagape]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

It shouldn't take public pressure to take a run at the Stanley Cup. That's the reason the team exists. Everything they do at all times should be to take a run, and to try to keep it going when there is one, even if some of the future needs to be sacrificed.

[Ebenezer]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

It shouldn't take public pressure to take a run at the Stanley Cup. That's the reason the team exists. Everything they do at all times should be to take a run, and to try to keep it going when there is one, even if some of the future needs to be sacrificed.

Nobody had a clue what the "New NHL" would look like coming out of the lockout. One could turn the coin over and say the Sabres got "lucky" and all of a sudden they were in the conference finals. They weren't exactly gang busters going into the lock-out remember? There was no talk about keeping the team together and making long term anything until they got to games 5-7 of the Carolina series. "Successful businesses" think long term. Fans think short term. I have told you before that the Sabres may have jeopardized a real run at a cup by doing exactly what YOU wanted them to do. Keep Briere. I still say they had no intents on signing him after the Carolina series but caved. They could have let him walk, signed a big defensemen and maybe beaten Ottawa.

Future needs? I'd love to win a cup but so much has to fall in line. Give me a 1st or 2nd place club for 20 years and I will try to capture lightning. It's a more successful platform than throwing all the eggs into one basket and being down to your 8, 9, and 10 defensemen. In other words, too much could go wrong on a one or two year plan.

[Philagape]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

We haven't had a first or second place club for 20 years, so that's not an option.

I'd rather take a real shot, then rebuild. By real I mean not a 1-2 year run, but 3-4. If you're always thinking about the future, then the present is neglected. I don't want to be mediocre now so we can be mediocre later.

Successful sports teams try to win championships. A team that has to sacrifice that to be a "successful business" -- especially when in the NHL, business success is tied to playoff success -- doesn't deserve to exist.

[OpIv37]

Re: The Sabres Front Office Since Losing Drury and Briere

"learned" or as I have said all along...."planned and took the bullet". You don't keep your job for 10 years by learning on the job...this was all planned, plotted and executed...i will still contend that had they not made it to the conference finals against Carolina they would have started the process sooner...they caved to public pressure the first year to take another run...not the second.

so... your contention was that, in 2005 or 2006, the Sabres' FO thought that Drury and Briere couldn't get the job done and that we'd be better off with Pominville, Roy and Vanek? That's ****ing insane.

We may actually be better off with Pominville, Roy and Vanek, but there was no way they would have known that 2 1/2 years ago. So far, we haven't been better with them and we don't even know NOW if that setup is going to be better.

I'll admit that the FO seems to have learned their less on paper (results will show if they've actually learned or not). But this is a crackpot theory up there with "the government caused 9/11". Don't worry- I'm sure JD will believe you.