I can't blame EVERY guy on the team except Miller. The "down year" thing only holds water if it's one or two guys. This year it's a team wide thing, and you can use the word blame if you want, but I think a coaching change is in order. I believe any other team would have gone that route as well.

A stance apparently shared by most clubs, seeing as we're always reminded how there's been 170 coaching changes since Ruff took the helm. It's said in amazement, as an oddity. Because it is.

Hmm, I don't like to use the word "blame" unless it's a physical certainty. Blaming someone else for your own personal behavior leads to that its-not-my-fault mentality people today seem to subscribe to. I would tend to feel that it is no more than 50% Ruff's fault. There appears to be a lack of strong leadership in the locker room. If the leader(s) is the one having an off year, and there aren't others to pick up the slack, then you've got a team in need. You can't "follow" a coach; you can only take direction from him. You need to have leaders among the players, and I think that we have been lacking that for too long. We need a pool of leadership talent, not just one or two guys. Think of it as having cut off the head and the body dies. With the legendary Hydra when you cut off the head 2 more grew in its place.

Wow, I went pretty far afield in this! LOL You've really gotten me thinking tonight. I appreciate the exercise.

Now I'm wandering off thinking about the Team culture; we need a definite one of those too.

It's easy to look like a 40 goal scorer when you're playing on the third line.

_________________
Wheelhouse

Name one!

I'm sick of that straw man argument anyways. If a line is racking up 200 points, there's no way opposing coaches play against them as if they were "3rd liners". You can call it a 3rd line, but that ain't the way the opposition looks at it. Bottom line, Vanek's goal-scoring is diminishing, and we aren't paying him $7 million+ to be a good 2-way player. Can't you just feel the trends by watching the games ffs?????/ I don't care how many secondary assists a guy had in 2006.

Yes.

_________________
"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

Any other Town, and they'd have literally lynched their GM and Coach by now. No other town has ever been more accepting of mediocrity longer than have the fans in Buffalo, and on these boards.

Most Coaches and GM's don't get even a 1 year mulligan from ownership; let alone the fans. Even those that have actually won championships don't get much slack if they stumble afterwards. Mike Keenan has publicly stated this on several occasions.

Most Sabres fans know only of Lindy and Darcy in Buffalo. The thought there are better people available just doesn't register most often.

_________________
"I'll rap you with my cane; you pencil necked geek!!"

-Bowler, imitating Freddy Blassie, at the very first M & G.

Couldn't agree more. I still don't like Darcy even after the Hodgson move. I like Hodgson but I still feel this team needed Kassian. They are both rookies and you can't expect them to be fully groomed already. Plus I think Vancouver moved Hodgson because Jordan Schroeder will be there soon and he's a pretty darn good player.

You felt we "needed" Kassian? What exactly was he doing that Hodgson isn't? Because he sure as hell didn't fight and score points.

_________________
"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

Kassian is a type of player that doesn't come along that often. A big guy that can skate, hit, fight and score. Yes he didn't do much hitting with us but power forwards take awhile to develop. Plus in playoff games his size and skill down in the corners become huge, plus this team already lacks toughness.

He's a good player, he's going to have good games. And as he gets comfortable he will have many good games. Kassian is without any doubt in my mind well on his way to becoming a strong 20 goal power forward. A star? Probably not, I think he will level out slightly better than a Malone but not quite as useful as a Lucic.

_________________
"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

Kassian is good in the corners but he is NOT a good skater. I have no idea where you're getting that from.

_________________
I am, you know I am. I am Canadian.
#1 Hockey Nation.

Big guys that can skate, Myers is really the only one of them on this team. Kassian could not skate as well as Pominville, Kaleta, Roy, Ennis or Gerbe at all.

If Kassian could skate as well as Ennis, then it would be a different story.

_________________

And Hodgson has how many goals for us so far??

This deal will take a year to assess...

However; like it or don't; Kassian has shown more so far after the trade...

_________________
"I'll rap you with my cane; you pencil necked geek!!"

-Bowler, imitating Freddy Blassie, at the very first M & G.

He may not skate well but he can hold onto a puck, like no one's business, while litterally pushing off defenders left and right. Name a player on this current squad who can handle the puck with one hand and fight off defenders with the other, for a sustained period of time. Kassian could do that and that was a skill we definitely needed the other night....

As Howie stated above, Hogdson hasn't done anything for the Sabres yet. Not saying he won't but I don't see this kid doing a whole hell of a lot in the final sixteen games. It's going to take time for him to get use to the fans putting him on such a pedestal.

_________________

How?

Hodsgon has created more chances than Kassian did while with this team. He has two points. And his goal was nothing of skill either. A rebound that came straight to his stick with a wide open net.

_________________

it wasnt a wide open net...our goalie was in it. Although I agree the puck came right to his stick, I think miller couldnt see the shot coming, which is why he appeared to make no move to stop it. I'd say half luck half skill.

I will say this much about Hodgson he will be a good player for us and even though he hasn't scored yet he has created chances for others. What people don't understand is they are basing everything on what Kassian is right now. The guy isn't fully developed yet. What a few of us keep saying is he will be missed for what he can do with the puck down low while holding off defenders. Plus you throw in his size and toughness who will defend Ennis or someone else on this team when they get lit up. This team is lacking size and toughness in the worst possible way and just because they can get away with it during the season doesn't mean they can in the playoffs. Lets face it people who really gives two shit's about how we play during the season because the playoffs is a totally different game. More injuries, guys hitting and hustling more and bigger players seem to last longer during the grind of long 7 game series. Yes Kassian didn't bring it every night but how many guys are going to playing with Ellis. Not saying I don't like Ellis but lets face it he's not going to setup many plays and he surely isn't going to finish many of them off either.

Vancouver seemed to do pretty well in the playoffs without a huge guy.

If Thomas hadn't been in net, Vancouver would have won the Stanley Cup last year. Pittsburgh won the cup with two small guys scoring everything and Fluery playing well enough to win. I don't remember them ever knocking guys around in the playoffs. Detroit is a bigger team, but they don't hit much, outside of getting Kronwalled. Chicago, please, Toews and Kane and Hossa, huge pussies in the league, none of them would fight.

The only teams that used much of a physical presence to win were the Ducks, and to a slightly smaller bit The Bruins. The Bruins didn't hit everything that moved to the cup, they won it because of Tim Thomas stopping everything that came his way.

I really don't see how size has anything to do with winning a Stanley Cup based on all the evidence of the teams that have won the cup in the past 6 years.

_________________