I read Joe's epic "don't care about the Sabres anymore" rant. At the end, he had a call out for anyone who knows where to put a comma and would want to write about the Sabres. For one, I still care. Call me an optimist, apologist, or blind fool, but I like hockey and like to believe I can put a different spin on it. Whether or not people want to read what I have to say is a different story.
1-6-1
Those are the numbers that matter right? That’s where everyone is tracking the progress of this year’s iteration of the Buffalo Sabres. And it’s disappointing. I am the most optimistic, apologist (though I don’t like using that word) and looking-for-the-silver-lining fan out there, and even I am disappointed.
The powerplay still sucks, still can’t play a full 3 periods, still relying on Miller to steal games, and still can’t score. But as disappointed as I am, fed up as I may be, I still smiled (and jumped up and down in my living room) when Miller stoned Tavares, and the relief-filled Sabres poured over the boards.
But that was just 1. What about the other 6? Or even 7?
Since we’re not even a Clarkson suspension into the season, I’m not ready to close the book on the season yet. I may be in the minority, but I’m not ready to say goodbye to Miller or Vanek yet (Stafford on the other hand, I am). So I want to take this chance to take a run through the different tiers of the organization and preach the optimist point of view.
The Players:
You’ve heard it before: the Sabres are the youngest team in the league. While this fact generally leads people to start talking about inexperience, and how players have to develop, I think one important component is totally left out of the conversation when talking about the young guys on the roster – the lack of playing together. The biggest thing that has stuck out to me, in the small sample of games we have, is the lack of chemistry. A missed pass here and there, defensive miscommunications, etc.
Now don’t get me wrong, these are things that have to be coached and fixed (and I’ll get to that later) but I think a big part of it comes from the fact that for a lot of these players, it’s the first 8 “real” games they have ever played together. For anyone who has ever played, getting into a groove with your teammates is one of the things that can take painstakingly long. On many other teams, their rookies have been playing together in the minors, most of the new kids here skipped Rochester.
As for the veterans, I’ll only talk about the Captain system. I like it. I think it’s better than the last shared captaincy because there is a clear cut division of who is responsible when, and I love the fact that the Sabres want to take Ott’s chippy and gritty attitude on the road with them and keep Vanek’s stalwart responsibility as a focus at home.
The Coach:
I don’t like Rolston. I hope I’m wrong but I think he was a bad choice for this team. Now I know he is great at development, and that’s what we need, but at the start he was an uninspiring selection. This season he quickly went from an uninspiring selection to seemingly inept. The biggest things the Sabres failed at last year were powerplays and trying to get through a game. Neither of those were fixed. Neither of those even showed improvement. We still get scored on early, and fast, and I think that comes down to how the players are being motivated to play from the moment they step out on the ice.
Colorado looks like they are playing scared; scared of having the sound of Patrick Roy ringing in their ears. Damn do they look motivated. Rolston does not seem like the “light a fire under the ass” type and that’s what this team needs. Especially the young guys.
The GM:
Continuing with putting me on the wrong side of the argument – I love Regier. 2 years ago, when we needed Centers, he made moves (read: turning Paul Gaustad into a first round pick) that got us 2 highly touted centers. Or defense was sub-par last year, and so he drafted a D-man who now starts. He understands the draft. I mentioned Gaustad, but let’s remember he turned Kassian, a potential troublemaker & suspension machine, into a top-line center. He turned Roy, another unmotivated player who was criticized for his character into Ott, who enthusiastically stepped in to be an anchor in an increasingly rocky time for the team. Regier knows the system, knows the organization’s needs, and goes after it. My only knock on him is the coaching.
The Owner:
Everyone needs to shut up and stop complaining about Pegula. He has absolutely nothing to do with the team and its performance. He has given the team a blank check and bottomless wallet to do whatever they want. He is motivated for success and wants to bankroll Buffalo to it’s first championship. Does no one remember what it was like before him that they already have started bitching?! Does no one realize that if Pegula was around the whole Brier/Drury fiasco probably wouldn’t have happened because he would just throw money at them? Pegula has unchained the franchise, pumped so much money into it, and honestly? If I was him and read what Buffalo fans say about me, I would have just said fuck it and taken my Bagillion dollars to some other team. So seriously Buffalo – don’t ruin the one really great thing we have.
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