Come on now peeps, fellow fansl, friends, hockey comrades. It is time to call in the chips for some new pieces to the puzzle. After a great run, the team has reverted to what is was proposed to be. Let us join together to make a plea for new blood. I am calling for a 3 way trade to bring Sharp, Vesteeg and Barker here. Who else among us have had enough. Who will answer the call?

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Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

Chicago isn't going to trade key players away until the summer. If you're going to fantasize about player trades, at least think about teams that will trade and players that are on the market.

i can say mid season slump. it happens. in an 80+ game season, its not all gonna be sunshine and rainbows unfortunately. We were spoiled earlier on. Hopefully the Olympic break does this team good. Rest up, Get their heads back on straight, Come back and try and get a winning streak going again, get their confidence back. There's still much hockey to be played.

Please go speak to San Jose, Washington, New Jersey, Pittsburg, Vancouver, Ottawa, Los Angelas or Chicago. I would love all of those teams to hit "their" slumps at this time. Oh, whats that? They won't? Well then, Can someone please call Darcy and convince him to bring Sharp, Vesteeg and Barcker from Chicago to Buffalo. Any takers now that we know the truth about this current team (as if we didn't already know the truth.)

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Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

While I haven't thought of Buffalo as anything more than a 2nd tier team this season, this tough stretch doesn't make me think much much worse of the team. It sucks to lose points and allow the Senators to keep beating them and possibly/probably give up the division, but how much does it really change? They'll either finish 3rd and probably win a 1st rd series against a mediocre team, and then lose to a better team 2nd rd, or they'll finish 5th and lose to a better team (Pitt) in the 1st rd.

One way or another the biggest factor is how the team is playing the last ten games or so before the playoffs. Last season (if they hadn't shit away the first 70 games) they would have been a very hard team to play if they made the playoffs. There's not much different this season, aside from having already put themselves in an almost certain position to make the playoffs. They need a rest, practice time, and a good push at the end of the season...then anything can happen.

These last ten games haven't changed any of that. Well, except that many overly optimistic fans have been given a little dose of reality, and the overly emotional fans are flipping out.

I understand what your saying Sabresfansince1980. I have been a fan since this team came to pass by the way. But the reality of the situation is much more than what you state I am afraid.
The truth is 40 years without a cup, 12 years under the current management/coaching team, a bankruptcy time period, a rebuild, a tear down and this is what we have left. In my opinion, any fan that truly kids themself into thinking this current roster is worth a shit is lying to themselves.

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Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

I've watched my Yankees win plenty of titles after suffering through 1981-1996. I've watched my old Redskins win three SBs, and my current team (the Bucs) win a SB in 2003. I've also watched these teams stink for long periods of time. I accept that the Sabres are one of those teams in other leagues, like the Saints, Falcons, Oilers, Orioles, Pirates, etc, that won't have a top notch organization with a top rate team on a regular basis. That's just the way it is. There will be at least one season though, where things fall into place and the Sabres win the Cup. I just hope I'm still alive when it happens, otherwise I refuse to spiral downward into an emotional mess over the Sabres. I'm determined to fall just shy of professional therapy each and every spring.

As long as Lalime is shipped out of here I will be happy, they do not really need to do anything drastic.

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just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

Hey, to lose a few games cuz you played Lalime is ok, we can survive that, but playing Miller beyond his fatigue level, thus ruining our season, is not survivable. I can think of maybe 2 people responsible for this happening. One might be a GM who didn't get a semi-reliable back-up, and the other might be the coach who refused to play said unreliable back-up, even realizing the consequences(lesson learned last year).

I don't blame Lalime for his bad play, he is what he is. It ain't like the guy comes to the rink hungover daily worrying if he got herpes from some slamhog the night before(I do realize you weren't bashing Patty). He comes, plays his best, and loses. Why, because he's paid to.

You mean the Devils who are on a 4-5-1 run right now? The team that was 3-6-1 in their last 10 earlier in the week? That slump that they're not hitting?

"Mid season" slump?? The Sabres just played their 57th regular season game -- with only 23 games to go, dunno that I'd call that a "whole lot of hockey" yet to be played . . .


.

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“This is a good building to play in,” Roy said. “It’s kind of quiet.”

-- forward Derek Roy, following the Sabres' 2-1 OT win over the Atlanta Thrashers on Jan. 14, 2010, a game where the home team drew just over 11,000 fans {the ninth time in 22 home games they failed to draw 12,000}

And, what is the difference between the Buffalo Sabres and both of those organizations?

Both have owners who INVEST into making their teams better, and have a goal of winning EVERY YEAR {at least the 'Skins did when Jack Kent Cooke owned them.}

The Sabres have an owner who invests in things like third jerseys, bringing the Winter Classic to Buffalo and the World Junior Championships to HSBC, then bitches about taxes and runs off to Florida.

Both also have GM's that GO OUT and GET the talent needed be successful when pieces are missing.

The Sabres have a GM that stands pat with the same coach who's missed the playoffs 5 of the past 7 years, and believes in keeping the same "core guys" {Roy, Poms, Vanek, Goose, etc.} together for years, thinking that one of these days, they'll just magically become a clone of Malkin, Crosby, and Staal . . .

.

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“This is a good building to play in,” Roy said. “It’s kind of quiet.”

-- forward Derek Roy, following the Sabres' 2-1 OT win over the Atlanta Thrashers on Jan. 14, 2010, a game where the home team drew just over 11,000 fans {the ninth time in 22 home games they failed to draw 12,000}

I agree, and I still take my hat off to em for getting where there at. I was more mad about the Carolina loss than the Colombus one. But I wish Darcy would make a move. It sure would be nice to see the boys stick to some teams down the stretch and into the playoffs.

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Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

Ah, the old '5 in 7' argument.

A great way to ignore the turmoil that the franchise was in, and cherry pick the stats that try to make your point.

Nobody was screaming about how bad Darcy was in 05-06. Nobody was yelling about how bad these players were in 06-07.

It's like this, but less delicious.

I don't quite follow your math.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

I will have to say something here on this Squanto. Let's call a spade a spade on this one. No one was complaining those years because the team put an entertaining, exciting, successful product on the ice. The 2 main elements of that team (Drury and Briere) were the core reasons some of the current roster players saw successful stats. Lets call it as it is, Roy, Staffords rookie season, Pomminville and Vanek were 4 players that are capable I am sure, of success, but at the end of the day, the 2 players mentioned that are missing had a major impact of some of these players.
I don't find it unreasonable to ask why Darcy wouldn't make the same analysis and attempt to find a couple of players that would fit nicely into the system.

I would think Sharp and Versteeg from Chicago might fit that mold (just a fans opinion however, not an expert). The D could use someone as well.
All the sarcasm for my "The Sky Is Falling" post, put aside. I am anticipating some move from the team, regardless as to the current slump or a successful run. Isn't it the GM's job to be constantly looking for ways to better the team?
His current remarks to the press haven't really inspired many fans.

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Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

So we are back to an 80 game schedule then?

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In all fairness, the Penguins tanked below a playoff spot, came back strong to land 6th, and went on to win the cup.

And don't cite specific players, because it takes a team to do that.

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Wheelhouse

I think everyone here can.

Unless of course they have a condition not allowing them to speak or they have a foot/fist/sock or some other (which will go unmentioned) item wedged in their mouths

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If it's a tight squeeze, spit on it! - NyI

He's a middling AHL player who had the good fortune of a drunk arbitrator. - The Squanto re: Tim Kennedy