forget Pittsburgh and Chicago... Sabres should rebuild like the Avalanche!

[DetDannyWilliams]

DENVER — When the Sabres started their rebuild talk, they brought up Pittsburgh and Chicago as clubs to emulate. Sure, those teams are great role models, but it would be just as wise to mimic Colorado.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabres-nhl/avs-young-impressive-skaters-bury-sabres-20140201

[JATMtheJATM]

the sabres should rebuild like the sabres. take other teams models, but tweak them as necessary. right now, draft draft and draft some more.

i trust murray. the sabres are in fine hands. they have lots of youth at all positions. theyll be fine.

[Downinfloflo]

No special secret to it...You either get lucky in the draft, Or you don't.

[JATMtheJATM]

No special secret to it...You either get lucky in the draft, Or you don't.

in the later rounds, sure. thats part of it. top picks though rarely miss. its unlikely the sabres would have to hold their breaths on a pick this year.

[Downinfloflo]

in the later rounds, sure. thats part of it. top picks though rarely miss. its unlikely the sabres would have to hold their breaths on a pick this year.

That's far from the truth,And something I been telling you for over a year,But you hold onto it as some kind of security blanket.

Just because someone was drafted in the top 5 or in the 1st round does not mean he will be anything more then roster filler.

I understand tho, The Sabres are a complete mess and you need something to hold on to for hope. (Just like a Bills fan)

The draft is not fool proof, The Rangers 4th line is basically made up of 1st round draft picks, And one of them was drafted 4th overall.

Go back and look at the draft results, It's 50-50 at best...It's crazy when you look at the past draft results and see a **** load of them don't even play more then 2 seasons in the NHL.

And it get's worse from the 2nd round on.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/index.html

[JATMtheJATM]

of course its not fool proof. but misses in the top 5 are pretty rare. they may not become the superstar they were projected, but its more likely then not theyll become a highly productive player. thats why when they do miss, its a name few ever forget.

i dont sit around and hope they develop. i expect them to, and until they dont, im going to assume projections come to fruition, im also patient. ill allow the kids a few years to develop.

[Downinfloflo]

of course its not fool proof. but misses in the top 5 are pretty rare. they may not become the superstar they were projected, but its more likely then not theyll become a highly productive player. thats why when they do miss, its a name few ever forget.

Look at 2008...The only guy worth a **** was Stamkos.

The rest of the 1st rounders that year have struggled to score 60 goals in total,And that's after 5 years in the NHL....

[JATMtheJATM]

Look at 2008...The only guy worth a **** was Stamkos.

The rest of the 1st rounders that year have struggled to score 60 goals in total,And that's after 5 years in the NHL....

some drafts are stronger then others, obviously.

odds are if you draft in the top 5, you are going to get a useful, productive player. there are always exceptions, but i dont go into prospects expecting them to be exceptions.

[Downinfloflo]

some drafts are stronger then others, obviously.

odds are if you draft in the top 5, you are going to get a useful, productive player. there are always exceptions, but i dont go into prospects expecting them to be exceptions.

Name some Buffalo Sabre draft picks that are helping Buffalo today?

How many of their 1st rounders from the last 10 years are helping them win games?

[JATMtheJATM]

Name some Buffalo Sabre draft picks that are helping Buffalo today?

How many of their 1st rounders from the last 10 years are helping them win games?

the problem with the sabres isnt that their picks suck. its that they always draft depth players. second/third liners. they havnt been able to secure top end talent since really vanek. you dont win with a bunch of second and third liners. you need top end talent. the sabres have done well drafting NHL talent, but not top end talent.

players like stafford, ennis, myers. theyve had good, productive seasons. obviously, stafford has dropped off, ennis doesnt have the help to contribute further, and myers is a work in progress.

then you got younger guys like pysyk, girgs, ect who arent ready to help yet. they need more time.

those teams all built through the draft, im not sure why you assume the sabres cant as well.

[swiper]

the sabres should rebuild like the sabres. take other teams models, but tweak them as necessary. right now, draft draft and draft some more.

i trust murray. the sabres are in fine hands. they have lots of youth at all positions. theyll be fine.

Why? He's proven nothing. Everyone trusted Pegula too. He's been disappointing. Unless your a real fan of the new carpet he installed in the locker room. Leino was his doing.

[JATMtheJATM]

Why? He's proven nothing. Everyone trusted Pegula too. He's been disappointing. Unless your a real fan of the new carpet he installed in the locker room. Leino was his doing.

i guess murray identified several outstanding players with anahiem and ottawa, and they drafted them. with the sabres building through the draft right now, i trust his track record. jury is still out on him regarding trades and UFA signings, obviously.

[Downinfloflo]

the problem with the sabres isnt that their picks suck. its that they always draft depth players. second/third liners. they havnt been able to secure top end talent since really vanek. you dont win with a bunch of second and third liners. you need top end talent. the sabres have done well drafting NHL talent, but not top end talent.

players like stafford, ennis, myers. theyve had good, productive seasons. obviously, stafford has dropped off, ennis doesnt have the help to contribute further, and myers is a work in progress.

then you got younger guys like pysyk, girgs, ect who arent ready to help yet. they need more time.

those teams all built through the draft, im not sure why you assume the sabres cant as well.

So you're saying the problem is the Sabres don't draft high enough?

Out of the 250 or so players who get drafted each year, Only a handful are going to make an impact in the NHL no matter how high or how low they get drafted.

In 2004 the Hawks drafted Cam Barker 3rd overall, How's he doing?

The Black Hawks also drafted in the top 10 for 5 years strait and 4 of them picks were top 6...That's a lot of crappy seasons.

And the Penguins had 4 top 5 picks in a row.

The Hawks and Pens also got lucky with the 2004 NHL lock out, They got back to back top picks with out even playing.

So if Buffalo is going to take the Hawks and Penguins route like you say they can, You're looking at a 6 year rebuild minimum.

The Sabres would have to be picking in the top five for at least 5 years like those teams did.

YIKES!!!

[JATMtheJATM]

sure, 5 or 6 years would probably be the minimum, if they were starting from scratch. they are not. thats why their prospect pool is rated number 2 in all of the NHL.

for every exception to the high draft rule, their are dozens who meet their potential. its not a guarantee, but im not going to look at it with expectations of a prospect to miss. if the sabres draft top 3, odds are, they are drafting a future impact player.

also, didnt we already go over the penguins rebuild? it happened in 5 years, missing the playoffs 4 seasons. the sabres are not starting from scratch. the rebuild really started at the end of 11-12, and they have some real exciting prospects because of it.

[Downinfloflo]

sure, 5 or 6 years would probably be the minimum, if they were starting from scratch. they are not. thats why their prospect pool is rated number 2 in all of the NHL.

for every exception to the high draft rule, their are dozens who meet their potential. its not a guarantee, but im not going to look at it with expectations of a prospect to miss. if the sabres draft top 3, odds are, they are drafting a future impact player.

also, didnt we already go over the penguins rebuild? it happened in 5 years, missing the playoffs 4 seasons. the sabres are not starting from scratch. the rebuild really started at the end of 11-12, and they have some real exciting prospects because of it.

Come on man...The Sabres have yet to hit their rock bottom.

Rankings of prospects are just for fans..It means nothing, The only thing that counts is how you play at the NHL level.

You will be watching some really ruff hockey for years to come.

[JATMtheJATM]

Come on man...The Sabres have yet to hit their rock bottom.

Rankings of prospects are just for fans..It means nothing, The only thing that counts is how you play at the NHL level.

You will be watching some really ruff hockey for years to come.

maybe. maybe not. its not in my hands. im personally really excited about the future of the team. im not the only one either.

[Downinfloflo]

maybe. maybe not. its not in my hands. im personally really excited about the future of the team. im not the only one either.

Well...the only thing you have is "Hope"..That's what your entire argument is based on.

I have mentioned the Sabres will be like the Oilers, Piles, Panthers, Flames...You say, No,No...

Then you bring up the Penguins and Hawks as examples, Well both of those teams drafted high for 5 years strait.

Then you say,No,No...The Sabres are ahead of them..Because some sports writer says you're prospects are ranked #2.

But, The Sabres are the worst team the NHL has seen in 60 years, So that means the guys the Sabres have drafted have failed.

You have a rookie team President and a rookie General Manager, Neither of those guys have ever done this before.

Here are the Sabres prospects... http://www.hockeysfuture.com/teams/buffalo_sabres/


Top 5 Prospects: 1. Mikhail Grigorenko, C; 2. Rasmus Ristolainen, D; 3. Brayden McNabb, D; 4. Mark Pysyk, D; 5. Matt Hackett, G.

Good luck....

[JATMtheJATM]

i like how you use hockeyfuture to discredit my claims that the team in on correct path, when thats the publication that has them at number 2. all those players are projected to be first/second line/pairing players and hackett, a starting goaltender.

by the way, all 5 of those prospects are highly regarded prospects. not scrubs.

the guys the sabres drafted that you claimed failed, most arent even on the team yet. so thats completely moot as well.

furthermore, what the hell does it matter? why do you get so upset about the fact that a sabres fan is optimistic about the teams future on that teams message board?

[Downinfloflo]

i like how you use hockeyfuture to discredit my claims that the team in on correct path, when thats the publication that has them at number 2. all those players are projected to be first/second line/pairing players and hackett, a starting goaltender.

by the way, all 5 of those prospects are highly regarded prospects. not scrubs.

the guys the sabres drafted that you claimed failed, most arent even on the team yet. so thats completely moot as well.

furthermore, what the hell does it matter? why do you get so upset about the fact that a sabres fan is optimistic about the teams future on that teams message board?

LOL....Yes That's why I used hockeys future because it's nonsense..And that's what I knew you were looking at.

And yes the guys the Sabres drafted are gone, Yet you think the draft is going to save you, And do it in 3 years..HAHAHA!!

I'm not upset about anything, You're doing everything you can to deny reality...And that's why I do it, You need some reality in you're fantasy dream world.

[JATMtheJATM]

LOL....Yes That's why I used hockeys future because it's nonsense..And that's what I knew you were looking at.

And yes the guys the Sabres drafted are gone, Yet you think the draft is going to save you, And do it in 3 years..HAHAHA!!

I'm not upset about anything, You're doing everything you can to deny reality...And that's why I do it, You need some reality in you're fantasy dream world.

haha, hockeys future is far from nonsense. id have to believe them over some random guy on a message board who claims that 19 and 20 year olds are busts. so, im obviously not the only one in this conversation removed from reality.

the guys the sabres have drafted are gone? wtf are you talking about? you mean the ones that arent even on the team yet?

[Downinfloflo]

haha, hockeys future is far from nonsense. id have to believe them over some random guy on a message board who claims that 19 and 20 year olds are busts. so, im obviously not the only one in this conversation removed from reality.

the guys the sabres have drafted are gone? wtf are you talking about? you mean the ones that arent even on the team yet?

You live in fantasy land.

[JATMtheJATM]

You live in fantasy land.

no, i live in realism. im excited about the teams direction, and im not the only one. for whatever reason, you want to piss on that, and while its cute watching you try, its also clear you dont know what you are talking about.

[Downinfloflo]

no, i live in realism. im excited about the teams direction, and im not the only one. for whatever reason, you want to piss on that, and while its cute watching you try, its also clear you dont know what you are talking about.

Like I said before, You have nothing to back up anything you say but "HOPE"..

As for the Sabres future, If they get any worse they would be an AHL team..

You used the Penguins and Hawks as you're bench mark,Yet both of them drafted at the top for 5 years strait, and you say the Sabres are in better shape then those teams were when they started their rebuild.

Yet here we have the Sabres as the worst team the NHL has seen in over 60 years.

Tell me again who don't know what their talking about?

One of us uses facts, And you use, Hope..

[JATMtheJATM]

Like I said before, You have nothing to back up anything you say but "HOPE"..

As for the Sabres future, If they get any worse they would be an AHL team..

You used the Penguins and Hawks as you're bench mark,Yet both of them drafted at the top for 5 years strait, and you say the Sabres are in better shape then those teams were when they started their rebuild.

Yet here we have the Sabres as the worst team the NHL has seen in over 60 years.

Tell me again who don't know what their talking about?

One of us uses facts, And you use, Hope..

no, i said the sabres arent starting from scratch. try to follow along.

[Downinfloflo]

no, i said the sabres arent starting from scratch. try to follow along.

Damn can you read??

Where did I say that?

You said the Sabres are ahead of the Penguins and Hawks in regards to their rebuilds when they started.

See what happens when hope is all you got? You stumble..

[JATMtheJATM]

Damn can you read??

Where did I say that?

You said the Sabres are ahead of the Penguins and Hawks in regards to their rebuilds when they started.

See what happens when hope is all you got? You stumble..

are the sabres ahead of the penguins and hawks when their rebuilds started? yeah. the sabres have had 2 years of rebuild already under them. theyve acquired a pretty good stable of prospects and picks.

[Downinfloflo]

are the sabres ahead of the penguins and hawks when their rebuilds started? yeah. the sabres have had 2 years of rebuild already under them. theyve acquired a pretty good stable of prospects and picks.

I remember from the Range, You were thinking playoffs and beyond when the Sabres signed Ott.

[JATMtheJATM]

I remember from the Range, You were thinking playoffs and beyond when the Sabres signed Ott.
thats right, i was. well, they didnt sign ott. but yes, i thought that 11-12 was just a down year and that otts character would improve the club. i also thought leino would have a better year (and in his very short season, he did)

but as time has passed, it was obvious the teams core couldnt get it done. so darcy began dismantling it.

[JATMtheJATM]

i apologize, floflo. i do think you know alot about the sport. obviously, we have very different outlooks on the sport. i was being an ass. my apologies.

perhaps, going forward, we should keep our differences to a minimum, because then things get personal and it takes away from the discussion. i dont mind if you disagree with me, or i shouldnt mind as much.

[Downinfloflo]

i apologize, floflo. i do think you know alot about the sport. obviously, we have very different outlooks on the sport. i was being an ass. my apologies.

perhaps, going forward, we should keep our differences to a minimum, because then things get personal and it takes away from the discussion. i dont mind if you disagree with me, or i shouldnt mind as much.

Don't take it personal, I don't...me and you are the only ones here that really talk about it.

You love your team and I respect that.

[JATMtheJATM]

Don't take it personal, I don't...me and you are the only ones here that really talk about it.

You love your team and I respect that.

i dont either. i just have a real optimistic outlook on the kids. obviously some will miss, but we will see.

[Ginger Vitis]

Look at 2008...The only guy worth a **** was Stamkos.

The rest of the 1st rounders that year have struggled to score 60 goals in total,And that's after 5 years in the NHL....

Jordan Eberle and Cody Hodgson have combined for 103 goals.. And you must being referring to just forwards because Drew Doughty and Alex Pietrangelo and Erik Karlsson are all friggen good NHL players

[mightysimi]

The pittsburgh model is get lucky and win a lottery for a once in a generation player.