Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
You could lay out 50 million reasons why it didn't work out between Mike Babcock and the Buffalo Sabres. A contact worth $50 million over eight years was reportedly offered by Sabres owner Terry Pegula and their GM, Tim Murray, and it was something Babcock's team took back up the QEW to Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan. The Leafs ponied up and Babcock is now the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The process is done, and for a lot of people, there's a bit "Thank God" that can be placed a the end of that sentence.
Interesting to see the reactions from various sources out there, but all of them pretty much mention the Buffalo Sabres as the "jilted lover" in all of this. Which is fine, because the Pegula and Co. pretty much gave Babcock all they could offer him and in the end he chose the Queen of Hockey over the Queen City. "When you think about the Toronto Maple Leafs -- the most iconic franchise, in my view, in the world -- I think that that had an appeal to Mike Babcock that other markets just couldn't match," said TSN's Craig Button on ctv news.ca.
“I wanted to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs," was what Babcock ultimately said about his final decision.
Showing posts with label jerry sullivan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jerry sullivan. Show all posts
Friday, May 22, 2015
Friday, February 6, 2015
The great Ted Nolan debate
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the 2014-15 season for the Buffalo Sabres is a throw away season. It doesn't mean things can't be accomplished (however minute these accomplishments might be) but on the whole, this team was destined to test the depths of the league standings from the get-go.
At the beginning of the season I was of the opinion that a bottom-three finish was in the offing for the Sabres and it looks as if my expectations were a bit high. At the beginning of the season, surely expectations varied throughout Sabreland, including the management team and coaches, about where they would end up. But after a 14-game losing streak, it's safe to say that nearly everyone's on the same page now.
That being said, the great debate has shifted slightly from the value of Tyler Myers and of Cody Hodgson's worth, to the future of head coach, Ted Nolan.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the 2014-15 season for the Buffalo Sabres is a throw away season. It doesn't mean things can't be accomplished (however minute these accomplishments might be) but on the whole, this team was destined to test the depths of the league standings from the get-go.
At the beginning of the season I was of the opinion that a bottom-three finish was in the offing for the Sabres and it looks as if my expectations were a bit high. At the beginning of the season, surely expectations varied throughout Sabreland, including the management team and coaches, about where they would end up. But after a 14-game losing streak, it's safe to say that nearly everyone's on the same page now.
That being said, the great debate has shifted slightly from the value of Tyler Myers and of Cody Hodgson's worth, to the future of head coach, Ted Nolan.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Defending Pegula and Regier
Back in the summer of 2011 when new Sabres owner Terry Pegula was making waves by throwing big money at free agents, he was also investing heavily in other, less flashy areas of the organization. "There is no NHL salary cap on scouting budgets or player development budgets, " he said at his first presser declaring that he planned on increasing those budgets.
More scouts in the field and a Sabres Combine for draft prospects were amongst the areas receiving additional finances.
In direct contrast to the immediacy of his free agent splurge, the benefits of an increased focus upon scouting and player development wouldn't be seen for at least a few years down the road.
It looked to be a two-fold approach to their goal of the winning the Stanley Cup: a direct influx of free agent talent for an immediate, short-term run into the playoffs while underneath the surface, a feeder group of prospects would be developing for long-term success.
Unfortunately for the team and it's fans, the short-term plan imploded. The team did not move forward with an augmented core, missed the playoffs two years running and had their worst finish in 10 years last season.
To make matters worse for an increasingly impatient media and fan-base, Regier, the GM who built the team, is now in charge of breaking it down and rebuilding it.
As the team gets ready for the draft, picking at the highest slot since 2003, the entire Pegula regime is under attack. And the source of this disdain is Regier with tertiary disgust being thrown at Pegula for keeping his GM on board.
The Buffalo News' Jerry Sullivan calls it "Trouble in hockey heaven" as he takes Pegula to task in a recent article. Sullivan and his understudy, Bucky Gleason, have never hidden their contempt for Regier and undeniably and unabashedly want to see his ass shown the door.
Sullivan has been railing against Regier, and at times directly attacking Pegula because of Regier, for a couple of years, "It has become a joyless, redundant exercise," he wrote, "to criticize the Sabres and their owner, Terry Pegula. You're whispering into a tornado of denial, helpless in the face of one man's refusal to entertain the wide-held notion that his general manager might be a problem."
The source for Sullivan's latest rant was Pegula's appearance on WGR's Hockey Hotline, a Sabres radio show with direct ties to the organization.
With these five words Pegula sent the media into a frenzy, "What has [Regier] done wrong?"
Pegula was said to be in hiding by his detractors. His team stumbled on the ice this season and he had not made a public appearance to talk about his hockey team since January when he announced Regier's contract extension. Everyone, especially the sports department at the Buffalo News, wanted answers.
In the interview on GR, they were instead treated to a somewhat smug rebuttle of Regier's critics. An obviously irritated owner was sticking by his GM.
What has Regier done wrong? Those in Sabreland have a littany of transgressions from which to choose from when it comes to his decisions over the last 16 years. But they forget that Pegula is looking only at Regier's job performance for the two-plus years he's owned the team. Pegula has stated this time and again.
A mere two days after Pegula made his appeareance, Regier held the Sabres annual draft presser and blew up every GM wannabe's dream scenario by stating simply and honestly, "to move [from 8th in the draft] up into those top [three-five] spots will be extremely difficult if not impossible."
This was yet another transgression. It dashed NHL-13 fantasies of trading goalie Ryan Miller, Mikhail Grigorenko and the 8th pick to Colorado for the 1st overall pick and a chance to draft Nathan MacKinnon.
Unlike other times when there was an outcry for honesty and transparency, the truth of Regier's statement was an unwelcomed bucket of cold water. A large portion of the fan base, it would seem, wanted to go on believing that there actually was a chance to move up and draft a potential superstar.
In an epic rant on WGR, afternoon co-host Chris "Bulldog" Parker blasted that mentality, "That's how bad it is?" he barked at host Mike Schoppsie. "You wanna pretend that something might happen that isn't really going to happen?"
"You wanted them to suspend belief for ten more days that they might be able to draft Nathan MacKinnon. That's what you were hoping for out of them?
HOLY COW!!!"
Although the Sabres short-term plan was rocked like the Milan Lucic steamroll of Ryan Miller, the long-term team-building plan is still in place.
The fruits of this process are still well beyond Pegula's stated three-year Stanley Cup plan. But the foundation is beginning to take shape.
The Sabres' scouting staff has increased significantly including a larger overseas presence like the hiring of Fredrik Andersson who is scouring Europe to unearth latter-rounds goalie gems.
He found Linus Ullmark, last year's sixth round pick, who's rising fast on the Sabres depth chart.
Ullmark was one of many prospects brougth to Buffalo to attend the Sabres Combine, something that was a dream of head amateur scout Kevin Devine under the previous regime. With Pegula's financial resources and commitment to scouting and player development, Devine's dream became a reality. Draft prospects now hit the ice at the F'N Center while the organization gets a first-hand look at what they have to offer.
There has also been a fundamental change in the players that the Sabres want to build with.
At his first presser Pegula stated that he wants "not only statistically good players but winners, gritty players." Anyone who's watched the team since 2007 knows that this team was generally the opposite of that. The previous core could put up numbers, but they were routinely described as "easy to play against."
Two faces of Regier's old core, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville--both consistently amongst the top-three scorers on the team but lacking grit--were traded. The bellweather of the Sabres' philosophical change in players might be the trading of Roy for gritty winger Steve Ott in the 2012 off season.
In Pegula's GR interview this past week, he stressed his affinity for "hard workers" and pointed to Zemgus Girgensons who was drafted with the second of the Sabres two 1st-round picks last year, a pick Regier traded up for.
Johan Larsson, part of the Pominville trade, was also pointed to as a hard worker by Pegula.
Both Girgensons and Larsson look to be a big part of the team's "new core" going forward, a core that follows Pegula's stated desire to land "not only statistically good players, but winners, gritty players."
These are players targeted by Pegula's hockey ops team headed by Regier.
The media and fans have seen Regier's team-building prior to Pegula and it was a failure save for two seasons. Pegula, on the other hand, looks at what his GM has done in the two years since he took over the team. Regier was given his marching orders and has impressed his boss. That's what Pegula is looking at when he asked the question "what has he done wrong?"
In this battle between disenchanted fans/irate media members and Pegula, I choose to side with the owner.
I really don't think Regier's done much wrong since the decision was made to purge his core. To the contrary, I think he's pulled off some impressive trades.
If Regier's role and main focus right now is to acquire the assets that others within the organization deem fit to build with, great. I think he's done an outstanding job thus-far.
And if you choose to look at this defense of Pegula and Regier as coming from someone drunk from drinking the kool-aid. So be it.
I like the long-term building blocks and right now I don't care that Reiger's in charge. I hold no grudges, nor do I take anything personally when it comes to the team and how it's run.
The Sabres are on the right track. A slower track than anyone anticipated or desired, but the right one none the less.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/regier-is-the-right-man-for-sabres-for-now/article14900235/ Oct. 16, 2013
More scouts in the field and a Sabres Combine for draft prospects were amongst the areas receiving additional finances.
In direct contrast to the immediacy of his free agent splurge, the benefits of an increased focus upon scouting and player development wouldn't be seen for at least a few years down the road.
It looked to be a two-fold approach to their goal of the winning the Stanley Cup: a direct influx of free agent talent for an immediate, short-term run into the playoffs while underneath the surface, a feeder group of prospects would be developing for long-term success.
Unfortunately for the team and it's fans, the short-term plan imploded. The team did not move forward with an augmented core, missed the playoffs two years running and had their worst finish in 10 years last season.
To make matters worse for an increasingly impatient media and fan-base, Regier, the GM who built the team, is now in charge of breaking it down and rebuilding it.
As the team gets ready for the draft, picking at the highest slot since 2003, the entire Pegula regime is under attack. And the source of this disdain is Regier with tertiary disgust being thrown at Pegula for keeping his GM on board.
The Buffalo News' Jerry Sullivan calls it "Trouble in hockey heaven" as he takes Pegula to task in a recent article. Sullivan and his understudy, Bucky Gleason, have never hidden their contempt for Regier and undeniably and unabashedly want to see his ass shown the door.
Sullivan has been railing against Regier, and at times directly attacking Pegula because of Regier, for a couple of years, "It has become a joyless, redundant exercise," he wrote, "to criticize the Sabres and their owner, Terry Pegula. You're whispering into a tornado of denial, helpless in the face of one man's refusal to entertain the wide-held notion that his general manager might be a problem."
The source for Sullivan's latest rant was Pegula's appearance on WGR's Hockey Hotline, a Sabres radio show with direct ties to the organization.
With these five words Pegula sent the media into a frenzy, "What has [Regier] done wrong?"
Pegula was said to be in hiding by his detractors. His team stumbled on the ice this season and he had not made a public appearance to talk about his hockey team since January when he announced Regier's contract extension. Everyone, especially the sports department at the Buffalo News, wanted answers.
In the interview on GR, they were instead treated to a somewhat smug rebuttle of Regier's critics. An obviously irritated owner was sticking by his GM.
What has Regier done wrong? Those in Sabreland have a littany of transgressions from which to choose from when it comes to his decisions over the last 16 years. But they forget that Pegula is looking only at Regier's job performance for the two-plus years he's owned the team. Pegula has stated this time and again.
A mere two days after Pegula made his appeareance, Regier held the Sabres annual draft presser and blew up every GM wannabe's dream scenario by stating simply and honestly, "to move [from 8th in the draft] up into those top [three-five] spots will be extremely difficult if not impossible."
This was yet another transgression. It dashed NHL-13 fantasies of trading goalie Ryan Miller, Mikhail Grigorenko and the 8th pick to Colorado for the 1st overall pick and a chance to draft Nathan MacKinnon.
Unlike other times when there was an outcry for honesty and transparency, the truth of Regier's statement was an unwelcomed bucket of cold water. A large portion of the fan base, it would seem, wanted to go on believing that there actually was a chance to move up and draft a potential superstar.
In an epic rant on WGR, afternoon co-host Chris "Bulldog" Parker blasted that mentality, "That's how bad it is?" he barked at host Mike Schoppsie. "You wanna pretend that something might happen that isn't really going to happen?"
"You wanted them to suspend belief for ten more days that they might be able to draft Nathan MacKinnon. That's what you were hoping for out of them?
HOLY COW!!!"
Although the Sabres short-term plan was rocked like the Milan Lucic steamroll of Ryan Miller, the long-term team-building plan is still in place.
The fruits of this process are still well beyond Pegula's stated three-year Stanley Cup plan. But the foundation is beginning to take shape.
The Sabres' scouting staff has increased significantly including a larger overseas presence like the hiring of Fredrik Andersson who is scouring Europe to unearth latter-rounds goalie gems.
He found Linus Ullmark, last year's sixth round pick, who's rising fast on the Sabres depth chart.
Ullmark was one of many prospects brougth to Buffalo to attend the Sabres Combine, something that was a dream of head amateur scout Kevin Devine under the previous regime. With Pegula's financial resources and commitment to scouting and player development, Devine's dream became a reality. Draft prospects now hit the ice at the F'N Center while the organization gets a first-hand look at what they have to offer.
There has also been a fundamental change in the players that the Sabres want to build with.
At his first presser Pegula stated that he wants "not only statistically good players but winners, gritty players." Anyone who's watched the team since 2007 knows that this team was generally the opposite of that. The previous core could put up numbers, but they were routinely described as "easy to play against."
Two faces of Regier's old core, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville--both consistently amongst the top-three scorers on the team but lacking grit--were traded. The bellweather of the Sabres' philosophical change in players might be the trading of Roy for gritty winger Steve Ott in the 2012 off season.
In Pegula's GR interview this past week, he stressed his affinity for "hard workers" and pointed to Zemgus Girgensons who was drafted with the second of the Sabres two 1st-round picks last year, a pick Regier traded up for.
Johan Larsson, part of the Pominville trade, was also pointed to as a hard worker by Pegula.
Both Girgensons and Larsson look to be a big part of the team's "new core" going forward, a core that follows Pegula's stated desire to land "not only statistically good players, but winners, gritty players."
These are players targeted by Pegula's hockey ops team headed by Regier.
The media and fans have seen Regier's team-building prior to Pegula and it was a failure save for two seasons. Pegula, on the other hand, looks at what his GM has done in the two years since he took over the team. Regier was given his marching orders and has impressed his boss. That's what Pegula is looking at when he asked the question "what has he done wrong?"
In this battle between disenchanted fans/irate media members and Pegula, I choose to side with the owner.
I really don't think Regier's done much wrong since the decision was made to purge his core. To the contrary, I think he's pulled off some impressive trades.
If Regier's role and main focus right now is to acquire the assets that others within the organization deem fit to build with, great. I think he's done an outstanding job thus-far.
And if you choose to look at this defense of Pegula and Regier as coming from someone drunk from drinking the kool-aid. So be it.
I like the long-term building blocks and right now I don't care that Reiger's in charge. I hold no grudges, nor do I take anything personally when it comes to the team and how it's run.
The Sabres are on the right track. A slower track than anyone anticipated or desired, but the right one none the less.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/regier-is-the-right-man-for-sabres-for-now/article14900235/ Oct. 16, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Grab some popcorn. Pegula vs. Sullivan cage-match on the horizon?
It all goes back to when Terry Pegula met the Buffalo News editorial board shortly after taking over the reigns of the Buffalo Sabres.
This is the quote from Pegula that has stuck in the craw of Sports Editor Jerry Sullivan for over two years, "I think part of the quit in this team comes from the media. Has anybody said anything good about this team recently?"
At the time the Sabres were outside a playoff spot on February 24, 2011 and they were folding the tent on numerous occasions, especially at home. So, there really wasn't much good to say about the team.
In defense of the Buffalo News, media outlets and Sabres fans here and abroad, this had been going on for three of the previous four years.
Views varied on who was to blame for the demise of the team since the end of the 2006/07 season. Certainly July 1, 2007 had a lot to do with it. And even if Pegula didn't immediately get the connection between that date and the departure of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, he knew their names and knew the circumstances under which they left.
What's worse is that the Tom Golisano regime compounded that mistake by letting it happen again when they allowed Hank Tallinder and Toni Lydman walk. The Sabres were coming off of a first place finish in the division, rookie defenseman Tyler Myers won the Calder Cup, Ryan Miller won the Vezina and the team looked like it had a shot to make a deep run in the playoffs.
The reasoning behind those four players departing was money and/or term. That's why at his initial press conference Pegula stated that he wanted to retain quality players.
The face of those decisions, whether he was for or against them, was GM Darcy Regier.
The Buffalo News writers lead by Sullivan and Bucky Gleason, as well as a strong contingent of fans did not forget those decisions. They did not forget a lot of the negatives with Regier at the fore as GM. And there were plenty dating back to Dominik Hasek and Michael Peca--two fan favorites who left the team on less than amicable terms.
The News', lead by Sullivan and Gleason let Sabres-nation know on numerous occasions that they wanted Pegula to throw Regier's ass out the door.
It didn't happen and still hasn't happened. Which is probably the root cause of their consternation.
Gleason ripped Regier after the 2007 debacle. Some choice quotes via billszone.com:
And Regier was still GM.
After the "Meet the Board" session, the News ended up backing off of the "negativity," or what they viewed as their version of "hard-core journalism" and adopted an "OK, show me what ya got" approach.
Here's what transpired between then and this past weekend:
To make matters worse, just before the season started, Regier received yet another extension, this time from Pegula, which drove the News crazy.
In all fairness, it was an extension believed to be based upon a number of moves that were made with Pegula in charge.
Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff, Cody Hodgson, Nasville's 2012 first-round pick, Steve Ott, all coming to Buffalo for virtually nothing sans Derek Roy.
The team continued to struggle and Regier continued to dismantle the team to the point where the Sabres are now the youngest team in Hockey with a bevy of youngins and a multitude of picks in this year's draft.
What's gotten everyones blood boiling is that Regier created this mess. He was the architect of a team on the decline--from the Stanley Cup Finals to two "new-NHL" Eastern Conference Finals, to two first-round playoff exits to two consecutive non-playoff seasons.
He went from building for the future while adding for the present last trade-deadline to an outright rebuild this year.
Yet, he's still the GM and it looks as if he "ain't goin' nowhere."
Making matters worse is that the owner hasn't talked to the media about the state of his team. Nor has he commented on the firing of Ruff. The long-time coach was still a favorite in Buffalo and received the benefit of the doubt on many occasions. Plus, Pegula infamously uttered these words at his initial presser, "Lindy ain't goin' nowhere."
Now you have it.
With animosity towards a "Teflon" GM dating back seven years, a simmering in the News' belly for two years after Pegula's "negativity" accusation, with boos raining down on an inferior product at the F'N Center, a fired coach and an owner who has not commented on his team for nearly a year, the Buffalo media gathered for a press conference at the groundbreaking for Pegula's $172M Harbor Center project.
Despite their professional demeanor, the group of Buffalo News writers were fit to be tied. They were gonna get in there and get some answers, for the people.
They fired some loaded questions at Pegula, and the owner, much to the chagrin of the self-proclaimed "conduits of the people" was evasive, and short with his answers. Even getting a little testy.
Mike Harrington of the News was the first to get one in for his team and asked Pegula, "How tough was it emotionally for Lindy to get fired for you?"
To which Pegula responded, "I don't need to answer that now. This is a different topic today."
Harrington pressed on, "But people want to hear from you, you haven't had the chance to speak on it."
"Why don't you figure that one out" was Pegula's reply.
"But people want to hear about it, people want to hear about it," continued Harrington as the owner turned his attention to another reporter.
After a Harbor Center question, Sullivan jumped into the fray blaring his trumpet, "You're not gonna talk about hockey today and you want our cooperation today," he blurted out, "Can we get your assurance you'll come out this year and you will talk about the team at the end of the season?"
"We'll see. We'll see."
Sullivan didn't like getting blown off like that and he spent the next two days letting the sports community know.
On Sunday he released a piece, Try as he might, Pegula just doesn't get it.
"Pegula has been an evasive figure, over the last year or so." Sullivan wrote. "He didn’t bother to comment after the Sabres missed the playoffs last year. He still hasn’t commented on his decision to fire Lindy Ruff two months ago."
What Sullivan wanted was answers. He got none and was none too thrilled about it.
"There’s an aloof, even flippant, quality to the man." he wrote. "It’s as if Pegula feels he should be above criticism from the media. He has only reinforced the suspicions I had on his first day in town, when he said the writers from our newspaper were partly responsible for the Sabres’ struggles."
Sullivan wasn't finished as he loaded up for his weekly spot on WGR's Howard Simon Show yesterday.
He talked of standing with Ted Black after the event. Apparently his congenial conversation was interrupted by Pegula who said to Black, "Watch what you say, Ted. They're tough guys." Sullivan didn't take too kindly to that.
Maybe he was trying to be funny, like Sullivan said.
Or maybe Pegula has a real disdain for Sullivan and his counterparts and awkwardly tried to mask it.
After that little tidbit, Sullivan didn't mince words concerning his view of Pegula either, "He's not that smart."
"There's some arrogance there. Back to the original day he came into our editorial board meeting, I felt this guy was an odd duck and he didn't get the public side of this or the media side of this."
Sullivan summed up his encounter with Pegula, his ill-will towards the Sabres owner, Pegula's relationship with him as the sports editor and Pegula's view of the media in general, "It was the height of arrogance. A billionaire who wants people to believe he's just a regular guy. I heard the word flippant about him and it's kind of what it is. It's like [Pegula saying] 'I'm above this. You guys are gnats, you media people.'"
Ouch.
An owner who's viewed as aloof and flippant by a group with an inferiority complex.
Yessir. The honeymoon's over.
Arrogant. Flippant. Gnats. Tough guy. Odd Duck.
Them's fightin' words and looks as if this is shaping up to be a pretty good cage match between the owner and the sports editor.
Grab some popcorn.
This should be fun.
This is the quote from Pegula that has stuck in the craw of Sports Editor Jerry Sullivan for over two years, "I think part of the quit in this team comes from the media. Has anybody said anything good about this team recently?"
At the time the Sabres were outside a playoff spot on February 24, 2011 and they were folding the tent on numerous occasions, especially at home. So, there really wasn't much good to say about the team.
In defense of the Buffalo News, media outlets and Sabres fans here and abroad, this had been going on for three of the previous four years.
Views varied on who was to blame for the demise of the team since the end of the 2006/07 season. Certainly July 1, 2007 had a lot to do with it. And even if Pegula didn't immediately get the connection between that date and the departure of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, he knew their names and knew the circumstances under which they left.
What's worse is that the Tom Golisano regime compounded that mistake by letting it happen again when they allowed Hank Tallinder and Toni Lydman walk. The Sabres were coming off of a first place finish in the division, rookie defenseman Tyler Myers won the Calder Cup, Ryan Miller won the Vezina and the team looked like it had a shot to make a deep run in the playoffs.
The reasoning behind those four players departing was money and/or term. That's why at his initial press conference Pegula stated that he wanted to retain quality players.
The face of those decisions, whether he was for or against them, was GM Darcy Regier.
The Buffalo News writers lead by Sullivan and Bucky Gleason, as well as a strong contingent of fans did not forget those decisions. They did not forget a lot of the negatives with Regier at the fore as GM. And there were plenty dating back to Dominik Hasek and Michael Peca--two fan favorites who left the team on less than amicable terms.
The News', lead by Sullivan and Gleason let Sabres-nation know on numerous occasions that they wanted Pegula to throw Regier's ass out the door.
It didn't happen and still hasn't happened. Which is probably the root cause of their consternation.
Gleason ripped Regier after the 2007 debacle. Some choice quotes via billszone.com:
- The Sabres’ gross miscalculation concerning [Drury and Briere] will cost them plenty of fans, which translates to plenty of money. It’s bad business.
- Here I was last summer praising Regier for locking up his younger players. It actually looked like the guy finally understood the importance of keeping good people. Come to find out, his real genius is keeping his job. How it has continued for a decade and counting is one of the true sports mysteries
- Regier has alienated scouts, players, front-office types and fans for years and still came away relatively unscathed.
- It’s safe to assume a proud hockey town feels like it was kicked in the stomach by the very team it supported, not the leaders who departed. Good thing the Sabres kept coach Lindy Ruff, at least for now. Let’s just call the Sabres’ situation what it is, the biggest personnel blunder in the history of the franchise. The Ottawa Senators fired John Muckler after he helped them reach the Stanley Cup finals because he didn’t do enough at the trade deadline. The Sabres gave Regier a contract extension for doing nothing since the deadline.
And Regier was still GM.
After the "Meet the Board" session, the News ended up backing off of the "negativity," or what they viewed as their version of "hard-core journalism" and adopted an "OK, show me what ya got" approach.
Here's what transpired between then and this past weekend:
- The Sabres made the playoffs that season but were bounced in the first round again
- The 2011 off-season offered a jolt of optimism as Regier went after whatever premier players were available and landed some pretty well-known names, an anamoly in recent Sabres history
- Expectations were high for the 2011/12 season, but the team missed the playoffs. It was the third time in five seasons.
- In 2012 the lockout hit, teams hit the ice in 2013, the Sabres went into an early tailspin and longtime coach Lindy Ruff was fired.
To make matters worse, just before the season started, Regier received yet another extension, this time from Pegula, which drove the News crazy.
In all fairness, it was an extension believed to be based upon a number of moves that were made with Pegula in charge.
Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff, Cody Hodgson, Nasville's 2012 first-round pick, Steve Ott, all coming to Buffalo for virtually nothing sans Derek Roy.
The team continued to struggle and Regier continued to dismantle the team to the point where the Sabres are now the youngest team in Hockey with a bevy of youngins and a multitude of picks in this year's draft.
What's gotten everyones blood boiling is that Regier created this mess. He was the architect of a team on the decline--from the Stanley Cup Finals to two "new-NHL" Eastern Conference Finals, to two first-round playoff exits to two consecutive non-playoff seasons.
He went from building for the future while adding for the present last trade-deadline to an outright rebuild this year.
Yet, he's still the GM and it looks as if he "ain't goin' nowhere."
Making matters worse is that the owner hasn't talked to the media about the state of his team. Nor has he commented on the firing of Ruff. The long-time coach was still a favorite in Buffalo and received the benefit of the doubt on many occasions. Plus, Pegula infamously uttered these words at his initial presser, "Lindy ain't goin' nowhere."
Now you have it.
With animosity towards a "Teflon" GM dating back seven years, a simmering in the News' belly for two years after Pegula's "negativity" accusation, with boos raining down on an inferior product at the F'N Center, a fired coach and an owner who has not commented on his team for nearly a year, the Buffalo media gathered for a press conference at the groundbreaking for Pegula's $172M Harbor Center project.
Despite their professional demeanor, the group of Buffalo News writers were fit to be tied. They were gonna get in there and get some answers, for the people.
They fired some loaded questions at Pegula, and the owner, much to the chagrin of the self-proclaimed "conduits of the people" was evasive, and short with his answers. Even getting a little testy.
Mike Harrington of the News was the first to get one in for his team and asked Pegula, "How tough was it emotionally for Lindy to get fired for you?"
To which Pegula responded, "I don't need to answer that now. This is a different topic today."
Harrington pressed on, "But people want to hear from you, you haven't had the chance to speak on it."
"Why don't you figure that one out" was Pegula's reply.
"But people want to hear about it, people want to hear about it," continued Harrington as the owner turned his attention to another reporter.
After a Harbor Center question, Sullivan jumped into the fray blaring his trumpet, "You're not gonna talk about hockey today and you want our cooperation today," he blurted out, "Can we get your assurance you'll come out this year and you will talk about the team at the end of the season?"
"We'll see. We'll see."
Sullivan didn't like getting blown off like that and he spent the next two days letting the sports community know.
On Sunday he released a piece, Try as he might, Pegula just doesn't get it.
"Pegula has been an evasive figure, over the last year or so." Sullivan wrote. "He didn’t bother to comment after the Sabres missed the playoffs last year. He still hasn’t commented on his decision to fire Lindy Ruff two months ago."
What Sullivan wanted was answers. He got none and was none too thrilled about it.
"There’s an aloof, even flippant, quality to the man." he wrote. "It’s as if Pegula feels he should be above criticism from the media. He has only reinforced the suspicions I had on his first day in town, when he said the writers from our newspaper were partly responsible for the Sabres’ struggles."
Sullivan wasn't finished as he loaded up for his weekly spot on WGR's Howard Simon Show yesterday.
He talked of standing with Ted Black after the event. Apparently his congenial conversation was interrupted by Pegula who said to Black, "Watch what you say, Ted. They're tough guys." Sullivan didn't take too kindly to that.
Maybe he was trying to be funny, like Sullivan said.
Or maybe Pegula has a real disdain for Sullivan and his counterparts and awkwardly tried to mask it.
After that little tidbit, Sullivan didn't mince words concerning his view of Pegula either, "He's not that smart."
"There's some arrogance there. Back to the original day he came into our editorial board meeting, I felt this guy was an odd duck and he didn't get the public side of this or the media side of this."
Sullivan summed up his encounter with Pegula, his ill-will towards the Sabres owner, Pegula's relationship with him as the sports editor and Pegula's view of the media in general, "It was the height of arrogance. A billionaire who wants people to believe he's just a regular guy. I heard the word flippant about him and it's kind of what it is. It's like [Pegula saying] 'I'm above this. You guys are gnats, you media people.'"
Ouch.
An owner who's viewed as aloof and flippant by a group with an inferiority complex.
Yessir. The honeymoon's over.
Arrogant. Flippant. Gnats. Tough guy. Odd Duck.
Them's fightin' words and looks as if this is shaping up to be a pretty good cage match between the owner and the sports editor.
Grab some popcorn.
This should be fun.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
It wouldn't surprise me if the Buffalo Bills end up with...
a linebacker as their first round pick in the 2012 draft.
Where they pick him could be another story, but they could be lookin' real hard at the position.
Originally it looked as if they would shore up the left tackle spot with Reilly Reiff out of Iowa, which would be a safe pick for the team. Many are looking at tackle as a weakness and one of the main reasons the team had an NFL-high 25 interceptions last seasons.
But, conversely, the Bills gave up an NFL-low 23 sacks last season. Coach Chan Gailey has them running a quick-read, quick-release passing offense and the extremities can be attributed to a number of factors including Fitz being off the mark in the first instance and the his ability to run through his reads quickly in the second.
One would think that the loss of C Eric Wood was more of a factor than anything else when it came to the offensive line. Gailey has a way of hiding flaws through his schemes, and he did that very well again last season.
Other picks set for Buffalo with the #10 overall were Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd and Alabama S Mark Barron. Both of those are possibilities, yet both are positions on the team that aren't necessarily devoid of talent.
Jerry Sullivan is right when he says, "Dots connect the Bills to linebacker from BC."
The linebacker he mentioned is Boston College's Luke Kuechly.
The Bills linebackers are a good group, weaker than the safety or wide receiver positions, but stronger than the offensive tackles. But the traits that Kuechly brings to the table make him someone who would be hard to pass up.
First and foremost Kuechly is a football player, nothin' fancy, just a persistent ball-hawk. He also is very intelligent, has great instincts and can cover. He's been called one of the "safest picks in the draft" and "a rare talent who will be a very good player for a long time."
Mock drafts have Kuechly within the Bills range, right around the 9-12 spot, although some have him going as high as Tampa Bay at #5. Miami's in a pivotal spot with the #8 pick. Most have them taking QB Ryan Tannehill, but they could be looking at Kuechly as another Zach Thomas and pluck him.
If he's there at #10, the Bills would do themselves a favor by drafting a Thomas/Brian Urlacher-type linebacker who can call the defense and drive the defense with his relentless motor.
No worries if Kuechly is gone, there will still be a very talented player available with the pick. And the Bills will have the option of either having a good fit (would WR Justin Blackmon be there) or a player like Barron who isn't necessarily what they need, but would be hard to pass up.)
They could very well drop down in the draft. Dallas at #14 is said to be drooling over Barron as is San Diego (#18.)
Cincinnati has two first round picks (#'s 17 and 22) and would love to find a complimentary receiver for AJ Green. Should Blackmon drop to the Bills, you could bet they'd be calling.
The drop down target may be another linebacker, Boise State wrecking ball Shea McLellin.
Originally, the fast-rising McLellin could have been a possibility at #41, but he's rising up into the mid-lower teens.
McClellin is another "football player" and the Bills have serious intrest in him.
WGR's Scouting Session #2 included McClellin. West coast scout Matt Hand was gushing over him.
"Oh, man. I tell you what that's a character/football player alert," he said. "Unbelievable. He's a 100% football player, all he wants to do is play football."
But the kicker from Hand, "We interviewed him a lot at the Senior Bowl, we stayed in contact, he spent time here. He really loves Buffalo. That's a guy. We love him, and he loves us."
How far down could the Bills drop and still get him?
Dallas at #14 would almost assure McClellin is in a Bills uniform. Cincinnati's #17 might get it done. Anything beyond that would be a risk.
Here's my original mock draft from March 18 for the Bills' first three rounds:
Here are two scenarios for today's first round:
Kuechly #9 to Carolina--preseason debut: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/12/4719228/rookie-linebacker-luke-kuechly.html
McClellin #19 to Chicago--preseason debut:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-09/sports/ct-spt-0810-side-bears-chicago--20120810_1_defensive-coordinator-rod-marinelli-bears-jersey-israel-idonije
Reiff #23 to Detroit
Criner #168 to Oakland
Where they pick him could be another story, but they could be lookin' real hard at the position.
Originally it looked as if they would shore up the left tackle spot with Reilly Reiff out of Iowa, which would be a safe pick for the team. Many are looking at tackle as a weakness and one of the main reasons the team had an NFL-high 25 interceptions last seasons.
But, conversely, the Bills gave up an NFL-low 23 sacks last season. Coach Chan Gailey has them running a quick-read, quick-release passing offense and the extremities can be attributed to a number of factors including Fitz being off the mark in the first instance and the his ability to run through his reads quickly in the second.
One would think that the loss of C Eric Wood was more of a factor than anything else when it came to the offensive line. Gailey has a way of hiding flaws through his schemes, and he did that very well again last season.
Other picks set for Buffalo with the #10 overall were Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd and Alabama S Mark Barron. Both of those are possibilities, yet both are positions on the team that aren't necessarily devoid of talent.
Jerry Sullivan is right when he says, "Dots connect the Bills to linebacker from BC."
The linebacker he mentioned is Boston College's Luke Kuechly.
The Bills linebackers are a good group, weaker than the safety or wide receiver positions, but stronger than the offensive tackles. But the traits that Kuechly brings to the table make him someone who would be hard to pass up.
First and foremost Kuechly is a football player, nothin' fancy, just a persistent ball-hawk. He also is very intelligent, has great instincts and can cover. He's been called one of the "safest picks in the draft" and "a rare talent who will be a very good player for a long time."
Mock drafts have Kuechly within the Bills range, right around the 9-12 spot, although some have him going as high as Tampa Bay at #5. Miami's in a pivotal spot with the #8 pick. Most have them taking QB Ryan Tannehill, but they could be looking at Kuechly as another Zach Thomas and pluck him.
If he's there at #10, the Bills would do themselves a favor by drafting a Thomas/Brian Urlacher-type linebacker who can call the defense and drive the defense with his relentless motor.
No worries if Kuechly is gone, there will still be a very talented player available with the pick. And the Bills will have the option of either having a good fit (would WR Justin Blackmon be there) or a player like Barron who isn't necessarily what they need, but would be hard to pass up.)
They could very well drop down in the draft. Dallas at #14 is said to be drooling over Barron as is San Diego (#18.)
Cincinnati has two first round picks (#'s 17 and 22) and would love to find a complimentary receiver for AJ Green. Should Blackmon drop to the Bills, you could bet they'd be calling.
The drop down target may be another linebacker, Boise State wrecking ball Shea McLellin.
Originally, the fast-rising McLellin could have been a possibility at #41, but he's rising up into the mid-lower teens.
McClellin is another "football player" and the Bills have serious intrest in him.
WGR's Scouting Session #2 included McClellin. West coast scout Matt Hand was gushing over him.
"Oh, man. I tell you what that's a character/football player alert," he said. "Unbelievable. He's a 100% football player, all he wants to do is play football."
But the kicker from Hand, "We interviewed him a lot at the Senior Bowl, we stayed in contact, he spent time here. He really loves Buffalo. That's a guy. We love him, and he loves us."
How far down could the Bills drop and still get him?
Dallas at #14 would almost assure McClellin is in a Bills uniform. Cincinnati's #17 might get it done. Anything beyond that would be a risk.
Here's my original mock draft from March 18 for the Bills' first three rounds:
- 1st round, #10--OT Reilly Reiff
- 2nd round, #41--OLB Shea McClellin
- 3rd round, #72--WR Juron Criner
Here are two scenarios for today's first round:
- LB Luke Kuechly at #10
- trade down with Dallas for Shea McClellin at #14
Kuechly #9 to Carolina--preseason debut: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/12/4719228/rookie-linebacker-luke-kuechly.html
McClellin #19 to Chicago--preseason debut:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-09/sports/ct-spt-0810-side-bears-chicago--20120810_1_defensive-coordinator-rod-marinelli-bears-jersey-israel-idonije
Reiff #23 to Detroit
Criner #168 to Oakland
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Ted Black takes some heat on WGR from fans
"I appreciate the 15 year frustration that the fans of the franchise have. I and [Owner] Terry [Pegula] judge everyone--not singularly focused on [GM] Darcy [Regier] and [Head Coach] Lindy [Ruff]--on the performance since we've been there."
--Team President Ted Black on the Howard Simon Show Thursday
There you have it.
Overall the Sabres are 55-36-15 since they took over. They have made the playoffs once going 3-4 losing in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers and missed the playoffs this season.
Since they took over some major changes in philosophy have taken place--specifically the financial aspect. The financial constraints of the previous regime were eliminated.
Some of the highlights:
And as they headed into the 2011-12 season, the Sabres also did something unheard of in the previous regime--bury contracts in the minors.
For years we've seen teams like the Philadelphia Flyers go hog-wild spending and end up burying contracts in the minors to get under the cap. This last season the Sabres did that. Kotalik and his $3M as well as Shoane Morrison and his $2M were jettisoned from the team as the Sabres got themselves under the $64.3M league salary cap.
Obviously, owner Terry Pegula put his money where his mouth was.
That's all well and good, but long-suffering Sabres' fans saw only the bottom line-the Sabres failed to make the playoffs.
For most years they saw a "core" put together by Regier and coached by Ruff fail to get past the first round of the playoffs. They see Regier "married" to his core and Ruff seemingly unable to get his team to reach and/or exceed their talent-levels. They point to players like Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek who had sub-par years statistically this past season and the teams' slow start/drive for the playoffs as yet another year of failure.
But Black did not see it that way. He said, "Sometimes winning and success are not the same thing."
That was a lawyer-like, public relations gem thrown at the fan-base to keep the torches and pitch-forks at bay.
For the entire season, Black had talked about winning the Stanley Cup. Pegula's motto, "From this day forward, the reason for the Sabres existence is to win the Stanley Cup." is on a plaque in the dressing room.
Missing the playoffs constitutes an epic failure on the part of the organization and Black stood in the pocket to take the heat for Pegula. Not only that, he'll be taking heat from the media for not having a end of year press conference with Regier and Ruff, saying "The epitaph for this season has been written over the last week. I think we're singularly focused on next year. I think otherwise [a year-end press conference this season] just turns into, 'we're just going to wallow in despair' and I don't think any of us want to do that."
The Buffalo News' Jerry Sullivan already jumped on that with an piece entitled, Sabre's brass comes across thin-skinned. "Evidently," Sullivan wrote, "Pegula did not feel compelled to explain why he kept his general manager and coach for a 16th season. For now, at least, Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff will be spared the indignity of having to speak for themselves."
Sullivan bashes the organization, even going as far as bringing up hydro-fracking (the source of Pegula's wealth) and the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State scandal (Pegula's alum.) In what's sure to be the first shot in potential media war with the Pegula regime, Sullivan is rallying the masses behind him when he writes, "Fans deserve answers, especially from Ruff and Regier."
If Black can "appreciate 15 years of frustration the fans have" he's probably just starting to feel the wrath of 15 years of pent up incredulity and rage at keeping the status quo.
Grab some popcorn.
--Team President Ted Black on the Howard Simon Show Thursday
There you have it.
Overall the Sabres are 55-36-15 since they took over. They have made the playoffs once going 3-4 losing in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers and missed the playoffs this season.
Since they took over some major changes in philosophy have taken place--specifically the financial aspect. The financial constraints of the previous regime were eliminated.
Some of the highlights:
- Brad Boyes and his $4m/yr. contract through the 2011-12 season was brought on board (for a second round pick) at the 2011 trade deadline.
- The team convinced Calgary Flames veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr to waive his no-trade clause to come to Buffalo. He came to the Sabres along with former Sabre Ales Kotalik and a second round pick for Chris Butler and Paul Byron.
- The Sabres traded a fourth round pick to the NY Islanders for the rights to former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff whom they promplty signed to a front-loaded ($10M in the first year, $8M in the second, $13M in bounuses over those first two years,) 10-year/$40M contract. The 29 year-old will have an actual total salary of $6M over the last four years of the deal with a cap-hit of $4M.
- After putting together a package to lure top free agent center Brad Richards to Buffalo, the Sabres signed free agent Ville Leino when Richards opted for the NY Rangers. They signed the winger/(hopeful) centerman to a six-year, $27M contract with $9M in signing bonuses over the first two years and a cap-hit of $4.5M.
- RFA forward Drew Stafford--who had an injury-shortened, "breakout" season--was signed to a straight-up, 4 yr./$16M contract in early June.
- RFA defenseman Andrej Sekera was locked up for four years, $11M with most of it front-loaded to the tune of $4.75M in signing bonuses over the first two seasons.
- Defenseman Tyler Myers, who had one year left on his entry-level contract was signed to a 7 yr./$38.5M contract extension with a $10M signing bonus that is paid July 1, 2012.
And as they headed into the 2011-12 season, the Sabres also did something unheard of in the previous regime--bury contracts in the minors.
For years we've seen teams like the Philadelphia Flyers go hog-wild spending and end up burying contracts in the minors to get under the cap. This last season the Sabres did that. Kotalik and his $3M as well as Shoane Morrison and his $2M were jettisoned from the team as the Sabres got themselves under the $64.3M league salary cap.
Obviously, owner Terry Pegula put his money where his mouth was.
That's all well and good, but long-suffering Sabres' fans saw only the bottom line-the Sabres failed to make the playoffs.
For most years they saw a "core" put together by Regier and coached by Ruff fail to get past the first round of the playoffs. They see Regier "married" to his core and Ruff seemingly unable to get his team to reach and/or exceed their talent-levels. They point to players like Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek who had sub-par years statistically this past season and the teams' slow start/drive for the playoffs as yet another year of failure.
But Black did not see it that way. He said, "Sometimes winning and success are not the same thing."
That was a lawyer-like, public relations gem thrown at the fan-base to keep the torches and pitch-forks at bay.
For the entire season, Black had talked about winning the Stanley Cup. Pegula's motto, "From this day forward, the reason for the Sabres existence is to win the Stanley Cup." is on a plaque in the dressing room.
Missing the playoffs constitutes an epic failure on the part of the organization and Black stood in the pocket to take the heat for Pegula. Not only that, he'll be taking heat from the media for not having a end of year press conference with Regier and Ruff, saying "The epitaph for this season has been written over the last week. I think we're singularly focused on next year. I think otherwise [a year-end press conference this season] just turns into, 'we're just going to wallow in despair' and I don't think any of us want to do that."
The Buffalo News' Jerry Sullivan already jumped on that with an piece entitled, Sabre's brass comes across thin-skinned. "Evidently," Sullivan wrote, "Pegula did not feel compelled to explain why he kept his general manager and coach for a 16th season. For now, at least, Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff will be spared the indignity of having to speak for themselves."
Sullivan bashes the organization, even going as far as bringing up hydro-fracking (the source of Pegula's wealth) and the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State scandal (Pegula's alum.) In what's sure to be the first shot in potential media war with the Pegula regime, Sullivan is rallying the masses behind him when he writes, "Fans deserve answers, especially from Ruff and Regier."
If Black can "appreciate 15 years of frustration the fans have" he's probably just starting to feel the wrath of 15 years of pent up incredulity and rage at keeping the status quo.
Grab some popcorn.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
It's All In Lindy Ruff's Hands
Jerry Sullivan, in his ever so meekly titled editorial, Sabres Must Put Up Or Shut Up, threw down the gauntlet.
"For too long," Sullivan writes early, "Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff have had a built-in excuse for failing to win. It became convenient to hide behind miserly, dysfunctional or simply non-existent ownership. When they lost in the playoffs, they didn't have the tools. When Regier came up small at the trade deadline, his hands were tied. When Ruff's power play sputtered in big games, or when he abandoned his backup goaltender, it was because the owner wouldn't pay what it took to put them over the top."
True enough. Mmmmm, generally speaking.
Now that the Pegula era is in full swing with unprecedented moves from the draft through the beginning of free agency on July 1, Sullivan has a point when he says, "on paper, Regier may have assembled the best team in his 14 years on the job as Buffalo's GM."
Fair Enough. Mmmmmmaybe.
This year, "the pressure," as Sullivan states, "falls squarely (up)on Ruff, who will be expected to make it work."
And, there's the rub.
Well, at least from the media.
Ruff has had Sabres Owner Terry Pegula's backing from day one mainly because Ruff has made it work under the aforementioned conditions. And Pegula continued his support of Ruff in a recent Bucky Gleason piece with a little shot at Sullivan, "I've heard some comments, 'It's time to put up or shut up. You say you want to win and all this stuff,'" he said. "Well, isn't that why every team should exist?"
The pressure of coaching and winning in the NHL doesn't seem to bother Ruff that much. Hell, he knows the expectations that are upon him, his staff and his team. In the Gleason piece Pegula was tempering immediate expectations when Ruff interrupted, "No, Terry, we do have to win now. You know what? Winning now is good. That's not bad, Terry, that's good. And we need to know that."
Ruff's a pro and has been on the hot seat before, most recently last October as his team slumped to the bottom of the standings.
During his weekly appearance on WGR's Howard Simon Show at the time, Ruff was asked the tough questions about where the blame lies, about the players possibly "tuning him out," about his job security, etc...and he was pretty straightforward.
Two lines stand out from the appearance, "we're digging in," he said during one question and, "we'll find ways to win," was the other (click here for access to the Ruff interview on WGR.) Oddly enough, those words rang true.
The team eventually dug in and found ways to win enough games to make it into the playoffs as a #7-seed in the Eastern Conference. Just what got them there--a harmonic convergence that included coaching, the Pegula-effect, divine intervention at the insistence of the late "Rico" Martin, the Derek Roy injury, the play of Jhonas Enroth, the Myers turn-around, the emergence of Thomas Vanek as a leader, among other things--is a matter for endless discussion. But, the fact is, the Sabres pulled off a minor miracle to get into the playoffs. And they almost pulled off an upset in the first round.
The argument as to how much influence Ruff had on the turn-around makes for great blog-fodder as well. And the debate as to whether or not Ruff is a top-notch coach, which has gone back and forth for years, will continue.
On the one side (my preferred side,) he's done well and adapted his approach to the players he's had. During his tenure, the team never had a top-three draft pick, never traded for a top-notch player in his prime and never landed any of the top free agents July 1. Yet, he was able to get the most out of what he was given, taking his teams farther than they should have gone.
On the other side, he's never coached the team to a Stanley Cup in 13 seasons behind the bench, although he has had some pretty good teams.
If you're going to judge Ruff (or any coach,) one interesting way to do it is to look at what his former players have done once they moved on to greener pastures via unrestricted free agency. Namely what they did as Sabres, what they received contract-wise upon leaving and how their production fared away from Lindy Ruff and his coaching staff.
Although I'm not a reader of Sports Illustrated, a fan on another site--one who happens to think that the smallest Sabre, Gerbe, will get 75pts--posted the following link which leads to Sports Illustrated's Free Agent Busts.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0906/nhl.free.agent.busts/
The impetus behind his post was the constant talk of free agent over payments and, specifically, the Sabres' giving UFA, Ville Lieno, $27M for a career high 19-goal season.
What SI did was compile a list of the top-26 (kind of an odd number, eh?) free agent busts.
(The fact that the NY Rangers have signed the most free agent busts, eight, is irrelevant here. Just wanted to point it out.)
Of note, though, is the fact that former Sabres successfully coached by Lindy Ruff took three of the top 13 spots:
Brian Campbell
Chicago Blackhawks, 2008
An All-Star in Buffalo and noted 2008 deadline trade to San Jose, the 29-year old blueliner got an eight-year, $56.8 million deal from the 'Hawks. Campbell became an onerous $7 million cap hit who logged just 20:28 of ice time in the playoffs while Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith became the No. 1 pair in Chicago. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, but were caught in a salary cap squeeze so tight they had to trade off valuable support players. In June 2011, Campbell waived his no-trade clause and was dealt to Florida, which needed his paycheck to reach the cap floor.
Chris Drury
New York Rangers, 2007
Hardly a bad player, but the Rangers gave too much (5 years, $35.25 million) to a center who brought little more than intangibles to their mix. Drury scored 47 goals during his first two seasons with New York, but was a bust as the pivot on Jaromir Jagr's top line in 2007-08. In June 2011, the Rangers bought out the final year of Drury's contract in order to free up $3.3 million worth of cap space. He was to receive $3.35 million from New York over the next two years.
Jay McKee
St. Louis Blues, 2006
The shot-blocking blueliner out of Buffalo got a four-year, $16 million deal from St. Louis where his stay was marred by injuries and low productivity, prompting the Blues to buy out the final year of his deal.
We all rememember what those three brought to the team--Campbell's hit on RJ Umberger as well as his offensive accumen. Drury's leadership and scoring ability (30-plus goals twice with Buffalo.) McKee's stay-at-home, shot-blocking toughness and leadership.
In retrospect they all went from a situation that brought out the best in their games to ones that showed a signifcant reduction in production.
Not every player, though, faltered after leaving the Sabres, some continued their success:
The frustration that the media and fans have stems from the lack of a Stanley Cup during Ruff's tenure. They'll point to the Hasek years, and the two years post-lockout as teams that, maybe, should have won the cup. And many, like Sullivan, are ready to say that there are no excues now, even though the team still has some holes that were not properly filled by Regier's spending spree.
When you look at the team as it is right now, with strong goaltending, a solid, veteran d-corp with mobility and grit, strength on the wings, and (hopefully) adequate centers, most of the pieces seem to be in place for a good playoff run.
Back in 2005/06 and 2006/07, when the Sabres were on a level playing field financially with the rest of the league because of the cap, the Sabres went deep into the playoffs. And Pegula has put this team on a level playing field once again.
A good touch from Ruff and his staff should be enough to get the team that far this season. And with some timely bounces and a little luck, the team just might fullfill Pegula's stated desire to see a parade down Delaware Avenue within the next three years.
If it's all in Lindy Ruff's hands for that duration, I think the Sabres are in good hands. And if the team can pull off a championship under Lindy Ruff maybe it will be Sullivan who will be the one to finally shut up.
"For too long," Sullivan writes early, "Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff have had a built-in excuse for failing to win. It became convenient to hide behind miserly, dysfunctional or simply non-existent ownership. When they lost in the playoffs, they didn't have the tools. When Regier came up small at the trade deadline, his hands were tied. When Ruff's power play sputtered in big games, or when he abandoned his backup goaltender, it was because the owner wouldn't pay what it took to put them over the top."
True enough. Mmmmm, generally speaking.
Now that the Pegula era is in full swing with unprecedented moves from the draft through the beginning of free agency on July 1, Sullivan has a point when he says, "on paper, Regier may have assembled the best team in his 14 years on the job as Buffalo's GM."
Fair Enough. Mmmmmmaybe.
This year, "the pressure," as Sullivan states, "falls squarely (up)on Ruff, who will be expected to make it work."
And, there's the rub.
Well, at least from the media.
Ruff has had Sabres Owner Terry Pegula's backing from day one mainly because Ruff has made it work under the aforementioned conditions. And Pegula continued his support of Ruff in a recent Bucky Gleason piece with a little shot at Sullivan, "I've heard some comments, 'It's time to put up or shut up. You say you want to win and all this stuff,'" he said. "Well, isn't that why every team should exist?"
The Pressure Is Always On the Coach
The pressure of coaching and winning in the NHL doesn't seem to bother Ruff that much. Hell, he knows the expectations that are upon him, his staff and his team. In the Gleason piece Pegula was tempering immediate expectations when Ruff interrupted, "No, Terry, we do have to win now. You know what? Winning now is good. That's not bad, Terry, that's good. And we need to know that."
Ruff's a pro and has been on the hot seat before, most recently last October as his team slumped to the bottom of the standings.
During his weekly appearance on WGR's Howard Simon Show at the time, Ruff was asked the tough questions about where the blame lies, about the players possibly "tuning him out," about his job security, etc...and he was pretty straightforward.
Two lines stand out from the appearance, "we're digging in," he said during one question and, "we'll find ways to win," was the other (click here for access to the Ruff interview on WGR.) Oddly enough, those words rang true.
The team eventually dug in and found ways to win enough games to make it into the playoffs as a #7-seed in the Eastern Conference. Just what got them there--a harmonic convergence that included coaching, the Pegula-effect, divine intervention at the insistence of the late "Rico" Martin, the Derek Roy injury, the play of Jhonas Enroth, the Myers turn-around, the emergence of Thomas Vanek as a leader, among other things--is a matter for endless discussion. But, the fact is, the Sabres pulled off a minor miracle to get into the playoffs. And they almost pulled off an upset in the first round.
The argument as to how much influence Ruff had on the turn-around makes for great blog-fodder as well. And the debate as to whether or not Ruff is a top-notch coach, which has gone back and forth for years, will continue.
On the one side (my preferred side,) he's done well and adapted his approach to the players he's had. During his tenure, the team never had a top-three draft pick, never traded for a top-notch player in his prime and never landed any of the top free agents July 1. Yet, he was able to get the most out of what he was given, taking his teams farther than they should have gone.
On the other side, he's never coached the team to a Stanley Cup in 13 seasons behind the bench, although he has had some pretty good teams.
Follow the money
If you're going to judge Ruff (or any coach,) one interesting way to do it is to look at what his former players have done once they moved on to greener pastures via unrestricted free agency. Namely what they did as Sabres, what they received contract-wise upon leaving and how their production fared away from Lindy Ruff and his coaching staff.
Although I'm not a reader of Sports Illustrated, a fan on another site--one who happens to think that the smallest Sabre, Gerbe, will get 75pts--posted the following link which leads to Sports Illustrated's Free Agent Busts.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0906/nhl.free.agent.busts/
The impetus behind his post was the constant talk of free agent over payments and, specifically, the Sabres' giving UFA, Ville Lieno, $27M for a career high 19-goal season.
What SI did was compile a list of the top-26 (kind of an odd number, eh?) free agent busts.
(The fact that the NY Rangers have signed the most free agent busts, eight, is irrelevant here. Just wanted to point it out.)
Of note, though, is the fact that former Sabres successfully coached by Lindy Ruff took three of the top 13 spots:
- #3--Brian Campbell
- #7--Chris Drury
- #13--Jay Mckee
Brian Campbell
Chicago Blackhawks, 2008
An All-Star in Buffalo and noted 2008 deadline trade to San Jose, the 29-year old blueliner got an eight-year, $56.8 million deal from the 'Hawks. Campbell became an onerous $7 million cap hit who logged just 20:28 of ice time in the playoffs while Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith became the No. 1 pair in Chicago. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, but were caught in a salary cap squeeze so tight they had to trade off valuable support players. In June 2011, Campbell waived his no-trade clause and was dealt to Florida, which needed his paycheck to reach the cap floor.
Chris Drury
New York Rangers, 2007
Hardly a bad player, but the Rangers gave too much (5 years, $35.25 million) to a center who brought little more than intangibles to their mix. Drury scored 47 goals during his first two seasons with New York, but was a bust as the pivot on Jaromir Jagr's top line in 2007-08. In June 2011, the Rangers bought out the final year of Drury's contract in order to free up $3.3 million worth of cap space. He was to receive $3.35 million from New York over the next two years.
Jay McKee
St. Louis Blues, 2006
The shot-blocking blueliner out of Buffalo got a four-year, $16 million deal from St. Louis where his stay was marred by injuries and low productivity, prompting the Blues to buy out the final year of his deal.
We all rememember what those three brought to the team--Campbell's hit on RJ Umberger as well as his offensive accumen. Drury's leadership and scoring ability (30-plus goals twice with Buffalo.) McKee's stay-at-home, shot-blocking toughness and leadership.
In retrospect they all went from a situation that brought out the best in their games to ones that showed a signifcant reduction in production.
Not every player, though, faltered after leaving the Sabres, some continued their success:
- Daniel Briere plays as well as he's ever played since his career took off in Buffalo.
- JP Dumont, part of the 2000 Gilmor/Grosek deal, excelled once he arrived in Buffalo and continued that trend well into his career in Nashville.
- Clarke MacArthur had a career year last year in Toronto exceeding expectations.
- Toni Lydman lead he NHL in +/- with Anaheim last year.
The Sabres Are In Good Hands
The frustration that the media and fans have stems from the lack of a Stanley Cup during Ruff's tenure. They'll point to the Hasek years, and the two years post-lockout as teams that, maybe, should have won the cup. And many, like Sullivan, are ready to say that there are no excues now, even though the team still has some holes that were not properly filled by Regier's spending spree.
When you look at the team as it is right now, with strong goaltending, a solid, veteran d-corp with mobility and grit, strength on the wings, and (hopefully) adequate centers, most of the pieces seem to be in place for a good playoff run.
Back in 2005/06 and 2006/07, when the Sabres were on a level playing field financially with the rest of the league because of the cap, the Sabres went deep into the playoffs. And Pegula has put this team on a level playing field once again.
A good touch from Ruff and his staff should be enough to get the team that far this season. And with some timely bounces and a little luck, the team just might fullfill Pegula's stated desire to see a parade down Delaware Avenue within the next three years.
If it's all in Lindy Ruff's hands for that duration, I think the Sabres are in good hands. And if the team can pull off a championship under Lindy Ruff maybe it will be Sullivan who will be the one to finally shut up.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
the knit-one, purl-two nominee #1
a look at some really crabby, whiny, sourpuss content from major media sources in the buffalo area concerning the bills and the sabres
***nominee #1--jerry sullivan, the buffalo news, dec. 13, 2010***the set-up...the buffalo bills grind out a hard-fought victory in inclement weather vs. the cleveland browns to push their record to 3-10...except for one poor performance over the previous six weeks, the bills have been playing very well in losing causes and have shown a willingness to play hard even when there's nothing at stake, except for losing a shot at the #1 overall pick and the chance to draft consensus #1 pick, qb, andrew luck, who may or may not declare himself eligible:
Look, I don't mean to come off as a Grinch. The Bills won another home game Sunday. They finally beat the Browns, 13-6, after three years of excruciating losses. They were the tougher, more resilient team. The usual cast of plucky upstarts played their hearts out. People who were blacked out might have missed something, after all.
Still, I feel strangely unmoved by it all. Maybe it's the long season, or the oppression of the holidays. This online shopping has my head all twisted around. But really, what does it mean? In the big picture, what is the long-term significance of the Bills beating another mediocre opponent and raising their record to 3-10?
You can say good-bye to Andrew Luck, for one thing. This victory pretty much assures the Bills will not finish with the worst record and the right to select the NFL's next great quarterback in the draft -- assuming, of course, that Luck decides to turn pro, and that he doesn't change his mind if it means coming to play in Buffalo.
This victory might even prevent the Bills from taking the top defensive player in the draft, or the second quarterback if they're so inclined. OK, it's hard to have confidence in Tom Modrak and his scouts regardless of where they pick. But at some point, it would be nice to pick from the cream of the crop and maybe get it right for once.
It's understandable if some fans want to cherish every win and hope it leads to bigger things down the road. There's a learning curve with young athletes, and Chan Gailey, the head coach, believes his team has been growing up over the last two months.
"I think I learn something every time I go out there about 'em," Gailey said. "I think I've known their character. I think they are understanding a little better about winning as a team. Nobody goes out there and wins by themselves. I think they're understanding it doesn't just have to be one side of the ball or the other. They can win as a team and win different ways. Hopefully, we can build on this. We'll see."
There's a lot to like about this team. The offense, defense and special teams complemented each other against the Browns. The coaches had them ready. George Edwards, the beleaguered defensive coordinator, made some shrewd adjustments on his defensive line after Cleveland's opening drive.
The Bills got contributions from a slew of underestimated players who are fighting for their jobs in the league, guys like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Donald Jones, Stevie Johnson, Bryan Scott, Jonathan Stupar and Arthur Moats. The Bills are riding a bunch of players who were drafted low, or not at all.
But I'm tired of getting up on my chair and applauding them for trying hard and not quitting. They're supposed to try hard. They're professional athletes, and handsomely paid regardless of where they were drafted. They're still 3-10. Fans have the right to demand that management surrounds them with elite players who can help them make the transition from feel-good losers to legitimate contenders.
Gailey says they can build on this. Maybe. We heard that sort of happy talk every year from Dick Jauron, when they were playing hard and stringing together 7-9 seasons like faulty Christmas lights.
Last year, they finished 3-3 under Perry Fewell after Jauron was finally shown the door. Lots to build on, right? Gailey came in and took away the starting jobs of Fitzpatrick and Jackson, who had led last year's stirring finish. They bolted to an 0-8 start. That's building on the previous season's successes?
The truth is, one season doesn't often blend into another in the NFL. Each season is a distinct entity. Sure, the Bills have some players to build around. But until they find some real stars in the draft, they're not going to build anything truly meaningful. It'll be the usual flimsy structure, a tenement of lowered standards.
Maybe Sunday's win left me flat be cause I had seen it so many times before. Watching Jake Delhomme throw side-armed flutterballs wasn't exactly new. I watched it just last year, in Carolina. The Bills won, 20-9. Delhomme threw for 325 yards, but had three interceptions. He was even worse this year, passing for 86 yards.
Delhomme is a backup now. So the Bills have two home wins this year, both against backups. The forgettable Shaun Hill of the Lions was the other. Last year, they beat Mark Sanchez as a skittish rookie. They beat Chad Henne. The Bills beat a lot of weak quarterbacks in the dark decade. What they never do is beat the good ones.
When a team shows up with a solid running game and a top-flight QB, the Bills go to pieces. Whoopie. They beat Jake Delhomme again! Beat Tom Brady for once, and I'll get excited.
After the debacle in Minnesota, Gailey said he had learned something about his team. He wouldn't elaborate, but I wondered if his team's overall lack of talent had begun to sink in. The Bills rebounded nicely against the Browns. They got back to playing the way they had over a competitive six-game stretch.
They're a resilient bunch, it's true. Maybe they'll steal one of the next three against their AFC East rivals and tack a 4-4 finish on that 0-8 start. You can't expect them to care if it drops them in the draft. But if they hope to be a real contender, management needs to nail some high draft picks and supplement their core of overachievers.
Otherwise, all this good feeling won't amount to much. Celebrate the guys for competing so hard. But hold this organization to a higher standard. Don't allow the people who put the team in this mess to wave around a 3-10 record as some sign of progress.
sullivan throws in some truisms, but, c'mon, this teams less than one full season into the gailey regime...what they've done should be lauded...and although i do agree that buffalo bills fans throughout the "dark decade" over react by glorifying positive steps forward, ya gotta give this bunch of no-names alot of credit...even if it means missing out on the highly-touted, all-universe, future hall-of-fame quarterback who hasn't even declared for the draft, much less taken an nfl snap...
Monday, October 25, 2010
if i were a devils fan, i'd be ticked
if i was a devils fan who attended the game last night, i'd be ticked...ilya kovalchuk was a healthy scratch, martin brodeur was on the bench until johan hedberg (in his first start of the season) got the hook and the devils, outside of the first two minutes, played an incredibly listless game...
on kovalchuk: it was speculated, according to msg analyst ron duguay, that kovalchuk and devils head coach john mclean had a spat...no further information has been released but this is what mclean had to say, “That’s between him and I,” MacLean said, “That was my decision"...and he did not elaborate on the reasons for scratching the two-time 50-goal scorer...
kovalchuk is an incredible offensive player, an elite sniper in the nhl...perhaps mclean found his defensive play offensive as well...who knows, but one thing for sure, the off-season turbulence is affecting the devils, who are off to a 2-5-1 start...
brodeur was given the night off, until he was summoned half-way through the game...hedberg, who had a 12-2-2 record vs. buffalo and a gaa of 2.25, got the hook after giving up four goals on 15 shots...
the sabres played a totally different team in the devils...basically they had a pretty easy night...some notes:
--mike weber had a solid game after a rough first couple of shifts and looked real confident in his first game of the season patrolling the blueline
--it seems as if tyler myers needs to add an extra inch to his stick, and maybe he should dump the composite stick for a wood one...it's as if the puck is always half-an-inch out of reach (maybe because myers grew an inch since last season) and is bouncing off his stick more often than not...yeah, he's having a rough start, but there will come a time where the game will slow down and it will start making sense again...he's going through some changes--height, weight, opposition, d-partner...kinda like going through puberty all over again
--chris butler seems to be rounding into his'08/9 form, which is a good thing
it'll be interesting to see how these three acquit themselves throughout the season...as of now andrej sekera and butler have had the most ice-time, and of the two, buts has looked much better...it seems as if the game has slowed for him
tyler ennis has been on a line with vets rob niedermayer and mike grier...as mentioned in another blog here, it's a good thing...the gripes from sabredom have been about him wasting his talents on the third line with checkers and defensive-minded players were at a fever-pitch when this line was announced...just to remind everyone, danny gare came into the league as a scorer and spent his rookie campaign with don luce and craig ramsay, two of the best defensive forwards in the league...he had a 50-goal rookie season...
on hank tallinder: jerry sullivan of the buffalo news brings up the point that maybe tyler myers is having a poor start because of the loss of hank tallinder...the article is more about the loss of tim kennedy, but he ties in hank as well...as part of "the core" hank really didn't do much for me...yes he had a comeback year last season, and that can be attributed more to myers than anything, but he was one of the biggest wusses on the team...two instances where he failed to protect his goalie, the face of the franchise--the scott gomez (nyr) hit on ryan miller and the chris phillips (ott) hit on miller as well...totally inexcusable...
lack of compete was a hallmark of henrik tallinder when he was in buffalo...it seems as if tallinder carried it with him to new jersey as exemplified in a play where 5'6" nathan gerbe out-competes 6'4" tallinder for the puck setting up a bang-bang, derek roy to thomas vanek goal...
myers will shake his heebie-jeebies...as for hank?...so long and thanx for all the fish
on kovalchuk: it was speculated, according to msg analyst ron duguay, that kovalchuk and devils head coach john mclean had a spat...no further information has been released but this is what mclean had to say, “That’s between him and I,” MacLean said, “That was my decision"...and he did not elaborate on the reasons for scratching the two-time 50-goal scorer...
kovalchuk is an incredible offensive player, an elite sniper in the nhl...perhaps mclean found his defensive play offensive as well...who knows, but one thing for sure, the off-season turbulence is affecting the devils, who are off to a 2-5-1 start...
brodeur was given the night off, until he was summoned half-way through the game...hedberg, who had a 12-2-2 record vs. buffalo and a gaa of 2.25, got the hook after giving up four goals on 15 shots...
the sabres played a totally different team in the devils...basically they had a pretty easy night...some notes:
--mike weber had a solid game after a rough first couple of shifts and looked real confident in his first game of the season patrolling the blueline
--it seems as if tyler myers needs to add an extra inch to his stick, and maybe he should dump the composite stick for a wood one...it's as if the puck is always half-an-inch out of reach (maybe because myers grew an inch since last season) and is bouncing off his stick more often than not...yeah, he's having a rough start, but there will come a time where the game will slow down and it will start making sense again...he's going through some changes--height, weight, opposition, d-partner...kinda like going through puberty all over again
--chris butler seems to be rounding into his'08/9 form, which is a good thing
it'll be interesting to see how these three acquit themselves throughout the season...as of now andrej sekera and butler have had the most ice-time, and of the two, buts has looked much better...it seems as if the game has slowed for him
tyler ennis has been on a line with vets rob niedermayer and mike grier...as mentioned in another blog here, it's a good thing...the gripes from sabredom have been about him wasting his talents on the third line with checkers and defensive-minded players were at a fever-pitch when this line was announced...just to remind everyone, danny gare came into the league as a scorer and spent his rookie campaign with don luce and craig ramsay, two of the best defensive forwards in the league...he had a 50-goal rookie season...
on hank tallinder: jerry sullivan of the buffalo news brings up the point that maybe tyler myers is having a poor start because of the loss of hank tallinder...the article is more about the loss of tim kennedy, but he ties in hank as well...as part of "the core" hank really didn't do much for me...yes he had a comeback year last season, and that can be attributed more to myers than anything, but he was one of the biggest wusses on the team...two instances where he failed to protect his goalie, the face of the franchise--the scott gomez (nyr) hit on ryan miller and the chris phillips (ott) hit on miller as well...totally inexcusable...
lack of compete was a hallmark of henrik tallinder when he was in buffalo...it seems as if tallinder carried it with him to new jersey as exemplified in a play where 5'6" nathan gerbe out-competes 6'4" tallinder for the puck setting up a bang-bang, derek roy to thomas vanek goal...
myers will shake his heebie-jeebies...as for hank?...so long and thanx for all the fish
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