I keep hearing commentators suggest that too many Sabres are not motivated enough or are too complacent.

Every time I hear that, my first thought is: Are these guys professionals? Of course they are....so HOW is it possible that they can even allow themselves to play with sub-par effort while cashing paychecks for amounts that most fans would need a winning lottery ticket to see. Seriously, think about it: Vanek alone gets paid over $85,000 PER GAME! And don't tell me it's not about the money for these athletes, because ultimately, IT IS.

These guys are PAID to be motivated, PERIOD.

Maybe, in spite of what the front office tells everybody, they aren't as talented as they were originally thought to be, save Miller (who carried them last season).

So which is it:
Are they just not "motivated" whatever that means, or are they just not talented enough to really make a run?

I still think they'll get it together.

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Wheelhouse

Well, Vanek gets his $85,000.00 per game no matter how he does, so unless you get a guy in his contract year, money's not a big motivator...

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"Let's just trap Sekera in the caverns underneath HSBC arena." -BlueandYellow

Reporter: "Steve, you guys now lead the league in defensive scoring."
Montador: "It's probably because of how good-looking we are."

I think sometimes fans put athletes on too high of a pedestal and forget that they are just people. Take away the huge paychecks and their ability to play a sport at a professional level and there isn't much separation between "them" and "us". Signing big contracts worth millions of dollars isn't going to instantly make that player a better hockey player. Vanek didn't magically become a better hockey player all because he signed that huge contract. They are human beings, and they, like everyone else, have other distractions and priorities going on in their world that can leave them unfocused and take away from their peformance on the ice.

I feel as though sometimes fans have this chip on their shoulder and they think that certain players or a sports organization as a whole "owes" them something. They want to see these multimillionaire athletes competiting at a top level each and every night. Dare to dream.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

Without getting into too much detail, I have had certain jobs in my career that were pretty lucrative and I ALWAYS felt an obligation to my employers to go all-out at all times, not calling in sick when I really should have, etc. Why the dedication? Two reasons: Professionalism AND a feeling that I owed my employers who were paying me an amount of money that you feel lucky to be paid.

THAT is why I get annoyed hearing about "motivation". For $85,000 per game, you better leave it all on the ice EVERY NIGHT. And I don't really mean to just single out Vanek.

Yes, athletes are only human, but humans can go apeshit trying to score and/or win a battle EVERY NIGHT. THAT is what they are paid to do. Anything less is unprofessional.

I make good money, and I go above and beyond as much as I can because of that fact. I feel that I owe it to my employer to give maximum effort because of what I am paid.

That being said, there are days where i'm not as productive as I could be. Maybe I'm sick, maybe I'm a bit mentally burned out. It happens, it's human nature. I don't think professional athletes are any different.

I don't disagree with anything you said, but realistically that's not going to happen every night on any team, in any sport.

Part of being a professional in any setting is to set aside anything that might be going on in your personal life that can detract from your production. But people get lazy. People lose focus. People take their job/their paycheck for granted. It's just the way it is, for better or for worse.

I'm not saying that when I watch the Sabres give a half-assed effort on the ice I think that it's okay. But I can't expect perfection from them night in and night out because it simply just isn't going to be the case.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

Agreed.

Athletes are people too, and we hold them to ridiculous standards. We bash Drew Stafford for being in a band. Really? He's not allowed to have a hobby? Toni Lydman was in a band and no one cared. There are definitely players that don't show up as often, or in the capacity that they should, but some of the fault is ours for expecting too much.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

if youre going to use they are paid to be motivated, then i'll counter with they are paid because the are talented

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FIGHTER OF THE NIGHTMAN

"on the ice now for buffalo, looking for the pass, and gets it, afinogenov, couldnt get the shot away, now HE DOES, HE SCORES!!!! HOLY MACKEREL ROLE THE HIGH LIGHT FILM, MAXIM AFINOGENOV, WHAT A MOVE!!!!.... thats not fair... that was unbelievable"
-R.J. and Lorenz

There is a wide spectrum encompassing the degrees of talent possessed by athletes. Generally speaking, they are paid with the expectation that they will either perform as well as they have in the past or will meet the potential that they are believed to possess. They are NEVER actually paid for how good they are at the moment. That's because they aren't paid at the end of each game. (imagine the possibilities if THAT was the case!)

You can point to many cases where teams ended up on the short end of the stick...and visa-versa.

Want a clinic on how to play the game perfectly? See Tim Thomas. (not by design, of course, but it sure worked out nicely for him)

I think some of their players are more talented then they even realize, take for example Roy. How in the fuck has he never scored 100 points in an NHL season? I just don't know how that has not happened. Then again Kovalev never did either. Myers has no idea how much he can thoroughly dominate the NHL. Miller is kind of aware of his Awesomeness, but I think even he knows he can be even more consistent. Vanek is a guy who needs some arrogance or swagger in his game, he's got 50 goal talent. Lethal shot power, quick release, great hands, and most importantly he loves the front of the net. To get 40 you have to go hard to the net and he does. He should have 3-5 by now.

They got a few players that are highly overrated, but I'm not gonna name names.

They haven't found their legs yet, I think the skilled guys need a couple of games with TOO MUCH ice time. They need better conditioning.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

I would agree with this.

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Wheelhouse

I think you hit the nail on the head with Vanek, XPF. Of course, it's well known that his confidence issue is what will determine what kind of season he has. If he ever discovers his arrogance or swagger, watch out.

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mechaphil

Remember how he opened the 08-09 season (maybe it was last year... my memory is failing me right now)? Came out on a tear and basically carried the Sabres to a hot start. And he did it by moving his feet, carrying the puck by himself... WINNING ONE ON ONE BATTLES WITH THE PUCK ON THE BLADE OF HIS STICK.

He did it for 10 or so games. Then it disappeared.

I hope he's putting in big time work on his foot speed in the offseasons, but his play hasn't hinted at all that he has... which is too bad.

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Wheelhouse

It was 08/09, you're right. He was scoring 2 goals a game for a stretch of two weeks it seems. Then he went to scoring three goals ever two games or so. Then his production vanished.

Of course, I think Vanek ought to be put back on the PK...he had great chemistry on the kill and was a threat to score shortie every shift.

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mechaphil

You sound like Darcy.

You also sound like you're talking about a bunch of rookies who have just broken into the league and their future is there for the taking. Fact is, a number of these guys, particularly Vanek and Roy, are in their mid-upper 20's. More likely than not, if you aren't setting the world on fire by that time in most sports, you're not going to.

And what makes you say Vanek is a 50-goal scorer? Where did that come from? He's never done that and there's no indication he ever will. He's been in the league for 7 years and is a habitually streaky player.

There are tons more "very talented" players in all sports who never do very well because of many different physical or mental reasons. The great names in sports either don't have these issues or overcome them early-on.

The reason I said you sound like Darcy is because you are talking yourself out of the need to make key changes to the core of this team. THAT has been and remains essential if this team is to be an actual, not incidental, cup contender.

You know, sometimes it takes 8 years before a single player becomes great.

Not every star player is born overnight as you are trying to say.

Ryan Miller was not what he was early in his career, he showed the promise and finally has delivered what we hoped he could be.

Luongo was terrible early in his career but he is a guy you can count on to win games for them.

Not everyone is going to be a Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos, or Lemuiex and basically score 50 goals in a single year or 100 points their second year.

Honestly, we say Kane and Toews are superstar players, right? Shouldn't the superstar players be over a PPG by this time in their career. 3 years into the league and neither are PPG players yet.

Hossa, isn't he a superstar? He's not a PPG player either in his career.

I mean, it does take a few years for certain players to really peak. Vanek is not old and is probably just hitting his prime this year or next. He has already scored 43 goals in one year, he can surely do it again if he just gets that swagger he needs. Roy is a guy who should be over a PPG with the way he has been playing this year, and actually watch out for Stafford to even have a good year. We all seem to forget Stafford is only 24, and only on his second NHL contract.

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I'm not sure why, but many goalies seem to find their groove later on average than forwards and D. The examples you gave illustrate this. Also, the one I broguht up, Tim Thomas, is a more extreme example.

Excellent players usually establish themselves as that before they get to be 27-28. That really is the case in most sports, hockey included.

The Sabres that I think will be a lot better in time and/or finally turn the corner:

Tyler Ennis (he will be excellent in a few years))
Drew Stafford (one of the only top liners who will get better)
Tyler Meyers (superstar D-man by age 25. )

The rest, IMHO, are playing at their max capacity, or are rookies who will not pan out much in the long run.

Footnote to all this:
Ryan Miller: If this team doesn't get their shit together in the next few seasons, I hope for his sake he can go somewhere else and get the trophy he deserves. I hate seeing top talent get bogged down surrounded by mediocrity.
Thomas Vanek: I like Vanek, but I think he is a head case. Great talent translates to great performance by having indestructable confidence. There is a very short list of players who can manage that and Vanek is not on it. He will probably always be streaky because of his confidence issues. If he is having trouble scoring, it snowballs in his head. While it's easier said than done, that just can't happen.

Vanek has the ability to score 50 goals in an NHL season. Period. There's maybe 20 other players in the NHL this season that could realistically achieve that goal and he's one of them. If a lack of confidence is a mental illness then sign me up for shock therapy. It's really not much of a stretch to call a 2 time 40 goal scorer who is still only 27 years old, a potential 50 goal scorer. Don't get me wrong, I'm not belittling the feat to try and make Vanek sound better than he his, scoring 50 goals in an NHL season in todays game is one of the toughest things to accomplish in all of sports. If you don't want to do it, and if you don't have an unwavering belief that you can, then you certainly wont.

Having said all of that, I still think Vanek+more for Malkin would be a good deal.

By the way, ALL scorers are streaky.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

I think if they were motivated for most games, we would be really good. We're fast, we have some skilled players, we have the best goalie in the world. There is no reason we should be struggling like this.