Predict what the Sabres will do this Season

[SabreEleven]

We do this every summer so I thought it would be a good time. With not to many impact players left a FA and the Sabres will never sign them anyway, how will the Sabres finish is this up coming season? I'm giving more option than just making the playoffs. Your vote will be public and we'll probably revisit this thread come next April.

[JD]

Missing the playoffs this year are grounds for a house cleaning. If we're not in the postseason, it's only because they didn't do their job this offseason and they have nobody to blame but themselves.

[OpIv37]

I'm going for "limp into the playoffs and get destroyed in the first round."

[trapezeus]

in 10 game stretches

1-10 - above .500. team says, "we haven't even hit our stride." Stafford, Connolley, etc all playing well.

10-20 - just above .500 team, "we can still play better"

20-30 - playing good teams, losing. beating bad teams.

30-40 - same thing enter slump. everyone plays awful. "it's little things we aren't doing right. we'll have it fixed in no time.

40-50 - full on slump. fans are ready to trade everyone.

50-60 - break the slump still hovering around .500 overall. barely in the playoffs

60-70 - now barely out of playoffs

70-84 - buckle down and get the 8 spot or 7 spot.

beat overhyped top or 2nd seed. We all get into it.

2nd round - face a team that we beat regularly during the regular season. Lose in 5.

Darcy and co says, "we told you. we did better than last year. we just need ot get some pieces." they resign connolley to a 4 year deal worth $6.8MM.

Offseason *****ing, july we sign no one, we release ennis because he wanted a parking space.

new season, rinse and repeat.

[RockStar36]

They'll make the playoffs and it won't be "barely".

[Dr. Lecter]

I'm going for "limp into the playoffs and get destroyed in the first round."


:homer:

[Dr. Lecter]

This team had problems from January to April. This team traded Lydman and Tallinder and for Leopold and Morrisonn, two guys that are "tougher" but are not as good overall. I like Niedermayer. That should be an upgrade. Miller will likely struggle to match last year's output. (not that she will be bad, but will he excel?) They have a ton of back to back games. Can Lalime be good enough, or will the team be good enough in front of him?

Will Myers have problems without Tallinder? Can he adjust? How will the team react to the Kenendy situation?

I can see them finishing 10th in the conference, 2 - 4 points out of the playoffs.

[Dr. Lecter]

And I hate being negative. That is not in my character.

[chernobylwraiths]

This team had problems from January to April. This team traded Lydman and Tallinder and for Leopold and Morrisonn, two guys that are "tougher" but are not as good overall. I like Niedermayer. That should be an upgrade. Miller will likely struggle to match last year's output. (not that she will be bad, but will he excel?) They have a ton of back to back games. Can Lalime be good enough, or will the team be good enough in front of him?

Will Myers have problems without Tallinder? Can he adjust? How will the team react to the Kenendy situation?

I can see them finishing 10th in the conference, 2 - 4 points out of the playoffs.

I know he has been known to let in the occasional soft goal, but that's a little harsh.

[Dr. Lecter]

I know he has been known to let in the occasional soft goal, but that's a little harsh.


I was thinking of Connolly and Roy. The mistake is understandable.

[chernobylwraiths]

I was thinking of Connolly and Roy. The mistake is understandable.

Quite!

[rbochan]

I'm just wondering if Roy will show up before December this season.

[RockStar36]

This team had problems from January to April. This team traded Lydman and Tallinder and for Leopold and Morrisonn, two guys that are "tougher" but are not as good overall. I like Niedermayer. That should be an upgrade. Miller will likely struggle to match last year's output. (not that she will be bad, but will he excel?) They have a ton of back to back games. Can Lalime be good enough, or will the team be good enough in front of him?

Will Myers have problems without Tallinder? Can he adjust? How will the team react to the Kenendy situation?

I can see them finishing 10th in the conference, 2 - 4 points out of the playoffs.

I actually think Leopold + Morrisonn will be an upgrade over Tallinder + Lydman. I plan on actually researching this a little more once I'm off vacation but that is my gut reaction.

I think Miller will also be just as good. This year he won't have the added pressure of the Olympics plus the added work load. For as many back to back games as the Sabres have, they also won't have a schedule crammed with games to accommodate the Olympic break.

[OpIv37]

I'm just wondering if Roy will show up before December this season.

I'm wondering if Stafford or Pominville will show up after December this season.

[RockStar36]

I'm wondering if Stafford or Pominville will show up after December this season.

Considering the fact that Hecht and Kaleta were the only two forwards last year who improved from the prior year, there is a ton of room for improvement with the "core" since apparently trading some of them isn't in the plans.

[Ebenezer]

They will play 82 regular season games....

OK, seriously? Second in the division. Hard to predict where that puts them in the conference because it is so hard to guess what everybody else will do and where injuries will occur...I'll go with 7th.

[Jan Reimers]

Miller is still at the top of his game, Myers will be even better, Ennis will give the offense a spark, and the remaining core of the team - except for Tallinder and Lydman - will be back. Morrison and Leopold should give us some toughness.

They won their division last year with all of the core "bums" like Pominville, Roy, Connolly, Stafford, et. al., and I expect nothing less this year.

[Ebenezer]

They will play 82 regular season games....

OK, seriously? Second in the division. Hard to predict where that puts them in the conference because it is so hard to guess what everybody else will do and where injuries will occur...I'll go with 7th.
:party:

[chernobylwraiths]

:party:

3rd in the division

[Ebenezer]

3rd in the division
meh...they were still tied in points...lost on a tie-breaker.

[OpIv37]

I'm going for "limp into the playoffs and get destroyed in the first round."
I was right on barely making the playoffs. As far as "limping in", guess it depends on your definition of limping. We barely qualified so from that standpoint we limped in, but the reason we made it was 3 months of very good hockey and we ended the season hot. So, that isn't exactly limping.