some fans are calling for major changes, like firing head coach lindy ruff and/or regier, or minor changes like firing assistant coach brian mccutcheon (for an inept powerplay)...some are looking to player movement via trade, waive or buyout (names like tim connolly, craig rivet and jochen hecht are being thown about) as a way to shake things up...some put bags over their avatars heads...and some would like to see this:
then there's the group that still bemoans the loss of chris drury and daniel briere...and max afinogenov...and brian campbell...and hank tallinder...and even tim kennedy...fine...whatever...what's done is done, but if you want to wallow in what-shoulda-beens, go ahead...
simple facts:
- the buffalo sabres got booted from the playoffs last season in the first round
- at the end of season press conference, both larry quinn and darcy regier said significant changes need to be made
- the buffalo sabres are 3-6-1 to start the 2010/11 season, their 40th anniversary season
- larry quinn is part owner/managing partner of the buffalo sabres
- quinn has done a great job with the bottom line
- quinn is likes darcy regier as his general manager
- regier helped stabilize a franchise in turmoil when he came on board
- regier built an exciting team for the post-lockout nhl
- those two teams went far and the excitement remained through two non-playoff years, although it diminished until their playoff appearance last season
- regier also has stated that lindy ruff will remain on as coach as long as he's the gm, and there's no reason not to believe he'll remain true to that
- ruff has also been a stabilizing factor for the buffalo sabres during his tenure and he works with the team that was given him
- there has not been a change to the top-six on this team--save the trade of ales kotalik in 2009--post-drury-briere
- there has not been a impact trade to bring a player in since 2003 (drury)
- larry quinn will be with the sabres as managing partner
- darcy regier will remain as general manager at least for this season
- lindy ruff, barring a total collapse, will remain on as coach (his contract also runs out at the end of the season) and with that comes the probability that assistant coaches mccutcheon and james patrick will remain on as well
- because of regier's belief in his core and a myriad of reasons (in his eyes) not to make a significant trade, there (in all probability) will be no movement in the top-six forwards
- because of the turn-over on the back-end with the loss top-four d-men tallinder and toni lydman countered by the additions of jordan leopold and shaone morrisonn, pretty sure that the latter along with captain craig rivet and steve montador will make up the "veteran" part of the d-corps...tyler myers leads they "youth" portion and either andrej sekera, chris butler or mike weber fill the final spot in the line-up while the other two will be in the pressbox...
first off, the extremes are, well....the extremes...this 3-6-1 sabres team is not as talented as regier would think, nor does it have the leadership that he believes...on the other side, there is talent on this team--ryan miller is the reigning vezina winner, there are players like thomas vanek, derek roy and jason pomminville who do produce (although not as much or as consistently as we would like,) the defense--although in a bit of a rut right now--is solid and the bottom-six, veteran role players can--and do--contribute in a significant way to the sabres success both on and off the ice...plus they have two promising rookies in tyler myers and tyler ennis who are contributing...
but, as we all know, a move of significance is needed...since status quo reigns supreme with regier, nothing will probably get done unless this man gets involved:
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| "yeah, i'm ultimately responsible for the buffalo sabres" |
what should he do?...tune in...
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