Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

[chernobylwraiths]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

I want the Sabres to win, but right now, I can accept them losing. I do NOT get upset at a win, though I know it doesn't help them now, but I will never cheer for the other team or boo when your team is winning either.

By the way, I was under the assumption that the Sabres tried to sign Vanek and Miller to contract extentions and were rebuffed by the players, so of course they had to try to get what they could for them. They weren't going to win anytime soon WITH them, so they certainly wanted to get something for them before they left.

Positioning your team for a shot at one of the best talents to come along in many years is just smart, as long as you know you have no chance at winning now. What would signing older vets for huge salaries to try and make 8th place accomplish? They still don't have the goaltending.

[OpIv37]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

I want the Sabres to win, but right now, I can accept them losing. I do NOT get upset at a win, though I know it doesn't help them now, but I will never cheer for the other team or boo when your team is winning either.

By the way, I was under the assumption that the Sabres tried to sign Vanek and Miller to contract extentions and were rebuffed by the players, so of course they had to try to get what they could for them. They weren't going to win anytime soon WITH them, so they certainly wanted to get something for them before they left.

Positioning your team for a shot at one of the best talents to come along in many years is just smart, as long as you know you have no chance at winning now. What would signing older vets for huge salaries to try and make 8th place accomplish? They still don't have the goaltending.

This is what I said on the first page of this thread and what Spiked and FloFlo don't seem to get. They make it sound like the Sabres were a competitive team that suddenly decided to throw in the towel after watching some YouTube clips of McDavid. The team was trying to win with the guys they had and it didn't work. Miller definitely wasn't coming back and Vanek probably wasn't either.

The team had two choices: break it down and start over, or spend up to the cap on overpriced vets to try to win now. If they had done the latter, it would have been 2-3 years of sneaking in as the 7th or 8th seed and losing in the first round followed by 2-3 years of salary cap hell that would result in needing to break it down anyway.

[coastal]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

This is what I said on the first page of this thread and what Spiked and FloFlo don't seem to get. They make it sound like the Sabres were a competitive team that suddenly decided to throw in the towel after watching some YouTube clips of McDavid. The team was trying to win with the guys they had and it didn't work. Miller definitely wasn't coming back and Vanek probably wasn't either.

The team had two choices: break it down and start over, or spend up to the cap on overpriced vets to try to win now. If they had done the latter, it would have been 2-3 years of sneaking in as the 7th or 8th seed and losing in the first round followed by 2-3 years of salary cap hell that would result in needing to break it down anyway.

This

[JATMtheJATM]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

Vanek rejected the league max from buffalo. He wanted to go to minny

[trapezeus]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

curious on how this tank/rebuild is going to effect the goalies.

they are relatively young and they are getting pounded on in some games. i wonder if this means the sabres really need to have a drafted goalie come in once there is a real team to compete.

and i don't think they are tanking. i think they are that bad. they are very young and the games get out of control quickly. it's not like they are close games and then they let in a late 3rd period goal. they are getting outhustled and outworked from the get go.

the talent level isn't there and where talent is good, they are very young.

[Guest]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

So you tell players who are upcoming FAs that your intention is to tank the team for a couple of years in a brilliant rebuilding strategy and then you are surprised they don't want to sign on?

[coastal]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

curious on how this tank/rebuild is going to effect the goalies.

they are relatively young and they are getting pounded on in some games. i wonder if this means the sabres really need to have a drafted goalie come in once there is a real team to compete.

and i don't think they are tanking. i think they are that bad. they are very young and the games get out of control quickly. it's not like they are close games and then they let in a late 3rd period goal. they are getting outhustled and outworked from the get go.

the talent level isn't there and where talent is good, they are very young.

I want the Subban kid

[DetDannyWilliams]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

err/ i think its 02-03-04

they made the east finals in 01, losing to the devils.

but losing doesnt mean its a tank. rebuilding the proper way often has a lot of losses for a while. the sabres are doing it the right way.

the Penguins made the playoffs in 02 because they faced the Sabres Stu Barnes had the GW in OT I was at that game, God how much I miss Gary Thorne and ESPN National Hockey Night he is 10x's better than Dave Strader and even Doc "Drive" Emerick" and the other guys on NBCSN

[JATMtheJATM]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

the Penguins made the playoffs in 02 because they faced the Sabres Stu Barnes had the GW in OT I was at that game, God how much I miss Gary Thorne and ESPN National Hockey Night he is 10x's better than Dave Strader and even Doc "Drive" Emerick" and the other guys on NBCSN

That was 2001. The peca hold out year.

[Guest]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

"They're built to finish 30th and they will finish 30th as the worst team in the last decade. If you want to call it tanking or not, it's obvious what they are doing.

They are built to finish 30th because they have assembled a team so devoid of actual NHL experience/skill that any other outcome is highly unlikely.

Adding Meszaros, Gorges and Gionta for $12M+ a year means you ensure you'll get very little hockey bang for your bucks. Keeping Stafford/Stewart for a whole season while everyone knows they'll be traded means they'll just go through the motions. Having zero center depth means they'll get killed night in and night out. Having two backup goalies means that over a whole season, you won't get good enough goaltending to ruin the plan.

I realize you guys will never admit to this because tanking is frowned upon but you guys know as well as everyone else that this team is built to lose and they are doing it in a more spectacular fashion than any team in the cap era."

[Skooby]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

We suck really bad talent wise, by design.

[swiper]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

Vanek rejected the league max from buffalo. He wanted to go to minny

And with only 10 goals in 49 games with a (-10) we should all be glad Minnesota took him away from us. Can we call them on Hodgson too?

[JATMtheJATM]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

And with only 10 goals in 49 games with a (-10) we should all be glad Minnesota took him away from us. Can we call them on Hodgson too?

well, technically the isles took him. even if the pick is a later first, at this rate, the sabres won that trade by a mile. its nice to see moulson (also having a bad year) really liking buffalo and coming back.

[gebobs]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

Is that really the point?

Sabre fans had very little respect (as opposed to sympathy) previously from other NHL fans but their excitement over losing for 2 seasons will bring them to new lows.

The NHL has and will again change the draft lottery rules to prevent this. It will be known as The Buffalo Loser Rule.

Oh please...The Sabres have had one top 5 pick and one other top 10 pick in the past 11 drafts and all of sudden it's a Buffalo problem?

'04-'07: Chicago #3,7,3,1
'09-'14: NYI #1,5,5,4,15,5
'08-'13: Colorado #3,17,2,11*,1 (*traded)
'10-'14: Florida #3,3,23,2,1
'03-'06: Pittsburgh #1,2,1,2

And in case none of that seems so much worse than the Sabres, here's the big kahune:
'10-'14: Edmonton picks #3,7,1,1,1

Let's see which of our teams have had the most top 10 picks of the last 30 first rounders, shall we?

Sabres: 4
Bruins: 10
Rangers: 8

[JATMtheJATM]

Re: Tanking or trying? Sabres answer

Oh please...The Sabres have had one top 5 pick and one other top 10 pick in the past 11 drafts and all of sudden it's a Buffalo problem?

'04-'07: Chicago #3,7,3,1
'09-'14: NYI #1,5,5,4,15,5
'08-'13: Colorado #3,17,2,11*,1 (*traded)
'10-'14: Florida #3,3,23,2,1
'03-'06: Pittsburgh #1,2,1,2

And in case none of that seems so much worse than the Sabres, here's the big kahune:
'10-'14: Edmonton picks #3,7,1,1,1

Let's see which of our teams have had the most top 10 picks of the last 30 first rounders, shall we?

Sabres: 4
Bruins: 10
Rangers: 8

but. but. but.....

ITS THE SABRES!