MakinItLookMean wrote:
i agree slesh...he should have shipped lydman, tallinder, and who ever else he could have...build for next year and beyond....this team is going now where this year....
it would be nice to get weber in the line up so he could get some seasoning for next year
Thanks MILM, I think I did go a little over board on the drama, but its not because I sit here fuming. Its more of a drill the point home kind of thing. I run my business the same way, and its very successful. By no means does that mean I am a GM of a sports franchise, but what it does show people about me is that I am passionate about this team, this area. I walked away from a couple of solar and wind projects to focus on a rather large project for WNY. Not the best business environment, but its where my heart is.
Anyways, the points I make are methodical, they're not just rants and raves, I think you and others will understand after this little listing.
Darcy Regier is responsible for the product on the ice, period. He holds the title of GM, he makes the decisions, regardless of speculation on Quinn or TG, the face of these decisions is always going to be the GM.
Lets start with Darcy and Ruff in the Hasek era. Darcy did not have vision on what he had in Hasek, by this failure he made some franchise changing mistakes. First off, he didn't do an immediate impact study in a timely fashion. By the time he did realize what he had in Hasek, it was to late. A more aggressive approach and the no goal in game 6 may have become a non issue if he had acted swiftly and BOLDLY to bring in the front end help needed to push them to an even greater front end team, thereby potentially reducing the pressure on Hasek.
Lets skip ahead to the bankruptcy, not much of his doing, but we lived through it. Then the lock out, and this is what truly baffles me here, His team brought in the right components, showing me atleast, they went in the right direction, but following the build up to the 2 season run (05-06/06-07) complete incompetence set in at the management level. His inability to sign Drury and Briere and the subsequent decision to let them both walk is actually quite monumental in a franchises history. There is a rule that should be followed, and it should lead into the present day organization. Never let an asset walk for nothing unless you get something in return. Now how does this pan out for D/B? Well, Darcy took a rather careless risk that they would shoot for the cup in 06-07 but he knew full well they had no intention of signing both players, he took a huge gamble and figured one of them would resign. How he worked it, Drury first then Briere or vice versa is irrelevant, the risk he took cost the organization heavily in lost future potential. This was the second sign of incompotence from his decisions.
Now, you go into the off season and you have a core of young up and comers, but you have no data to support how they are going to gel (chemistry) or play together with the loss of the D/B. He made no significant moves to bring in any impact players to join this core group of youth and went for the build from with in method. This sounds great. But lets clear 2 major points up on this here. First the Vanek Affair (as I like to call it), he was correct in signing Vanek. You'll often see me post that we should have taken the 4 1st rounders, I say that half heartedly, Vaneks performance has only declined this season in all honesty, we'll get to this later. Then there was the Pomminville contract, this is another decision that gave clear indication he is incompetent. I never would have given Pommers 5 mil a season, as a matter of fact, before I joined these forums or the original forums, I was stating he should have received 4 mil a season, 5 years, flat.
Now on to the rebuild, 07-08 was a season waiting to happen, and every one knew it. 08-09 showed much more promise with Miller entering his prime and had built his skill level. Do we make the playoffs last season if Miller and Vanek don't go down? Ya, I believe so. But do we do anything towards a championship? Absolutely not. And here is the reason why, this current roster can't do it. Period. There is no conversation to have beyond this statement, it is what it is.
So, now we come back to this season, we have 2 UFA defense men who could have been moved at the deadline, even if its for picks, its worth it. Darcy could have packaged together those picks with MacArthur or Stafford as roster players to bring in a RWer. Horton? maybe, Boyes, maybe, Penner, maybe. The point is, Darcy did nothing to attempt to solidify a top 2 scoring line. Torres won't resign here, even with Toronto in its current state, Torres has stated its been his dream to play for his home town team and Burke has stated thats his kind of player.
So, if you look at it from a rebuilding stand point, we have Ennis, Weber, Gragnani, Mancari ready to come up.
Thats a C, RWer, 1 Offensive d man (Gragnani), 1 Defensive d man (Weber). People don't seem to realize, when Dineen makes statements that Gragnani is ready, he's ready. Its another one of those, it is what it is.
So lets look at the defense first. Lydman is sure to walk this off season. What is Darcy going to do?
Here is what I see left prior to FA day. Myers, Rivet, Montador, Butler and Sekera. Does Tallinder get resigned? I doubt it, but its iffy right now. If you look at realistically, no, he doesn't, that leaves room for Sekera and Weber.
Butler is a total loss to me, this kid just does not have what it takes, big body but he refuses to use it, also he lacks focus and it shows. Thats just my opinion though.
So basically we can say that we may see a move for a really good D man in the off season. Rivet traded? Maybe.
Now to the forwards, and this is even a bigger mess. First question, who are you going to build around? For all of the talk I have witnessed in the media, on multiple boards and else where, it is apparantly clear this team lacks a #1 Center.
Ok, so, who to target then?
http://www.nhlnumbers.com/freeagents.ph ... &type=noneDon't know how accurate that list is, but, take your pick. What's it going to cost the Sabres? If not a UFA, then a trade on draft day for a top line center? Perhaps, Darcy has yet to surprise us in 12 years with this, so I'll say no, but hey, ya never know, this could be a part of the now infamous "THE PLAN".
So, lets go back to Wingers, and lets assume they get their #1 center. Is Vanek the LW, nothing else on LW looks promising, so lets say he is, now who is the RWer? Hmmmm.........
And we can go on like this attempting to build a team, but the point is right there for everyone to see. Darcy is going to have to assemble many parts to put together a winner. Which brings me back to my opinion on his incompotence.
He knew, he knew he was going to have to rebuild this team, yet he made no significant moves the past 2 off seasons as well as the past 2 trade deadlines to bring in impact players with existing contracts. I have to tell ya, he didn't make much of an effort.
Other teams are blowing up their rosters to rebuild, Darcy is not a competent GM in my opinion, and should be fired for dereliction of duty. To me, as a fan anyways, I want a winner, he has had the time to produce, he has not been successful, 12 years is plenty enough to achieve this. I am sorry to everyone else, but my assesment of the BUFFALO SABRES GM will never change, this man is not the man that can do it.
As for Ruff, he is a good coach, Darcy has not given him the tools to complete the job.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
.
