2023-24 NHL Season Thread.

[Rennadrel]

The Pegula family has managed to reach the pinnacle of incompetence in the NHL. I think Terry has officially beaten out Harold Ballard for the most incompetent owner ever when it comes to hiring competent people to build a competitive team. How the hell anyone actually would hire that old gizzard Kreuger in the first place is beyond me. The guy hasn't won fuck all in the NHL, and no, the European leagues and tournaments aren't even in the same ballpark as far as quality of competition and player skill goes.

[eschatological]

The Pegula family has managed to reach the pinnacle of incompetence in the NHL. I think Terry has officially beaten out Harold Ballard for the most incompetent owner ever when it comes to hiring competent people to build a competitive team. How the hell anyone actually would hire that old gizzard Kreuger in the first place is beyond me. The guy hasn't won fuck all in the NHL, and no, the European leagues and tournaments aren't even in the same ballpark as far as quality of competition and player skill goes.

And yet the Bills, who they also own, are one of the best run franchises in the NFL.

They bought the Sabres first, and the general consensus around town is that once they got into the billion dollar NFL franchise business, they stopped really caring about the Sabres.

[Rennadrel]

And yet the Bills, who they also own, are one of the best run franchises in the NFL.

They bought the Sabres first, and the general consensus around town is that once they got into the billion dollar NFL franchise business, they stopped really caring about the Sabres.

It took 25 years for Buffalo to stop being a laughing stock in the NFL.

[eschatological]

It took 25 years for Buffalo to stop being a laughing stock in the NFL.

Yeah, but they only bought the Bills in 2015, 2 years after the Sabres, and were very successful within 5 years.

[Rennadrel]

I think this is the first time in my life that the Leafs will actually win their division. 17 games to go, 6 points up on second. Should be a fun playoffs for sure.

[Rennadrel]

Kinda crazy that they haven’t done it in 21 years. I’m half expecting a collapse.

I guess they have then. Despite the powerplay being anemic right now, they are cruising along at 5 on 5, which really is going to matter a ton in the playoffs.

[eschatological]

Sabres had 301 people attend their last game. 1% of arena capacity, even though 25% is open.

LOL.

[Nazrark]

Sabres had 301 people attend their last game. 1% of arena capacity, even though 25% is open.

LOL.

The Jets and Browns are about the only teams I've ever seen hit rock bottom. The Sabres will finally be that third team. Teams have been pretty badly run for a couple years. But for it to be this bad for this long. Yikes.

[Rennadrel]

At least Buffalo has played better the last couple of games, but I seriously don't get what kind of direction they are going in as a team.

There's a few teams that I think will be seeing changes this year just because they've been awful. I don't expect Torts and Kek to have jobs in Columbus after this season. The Dubois/Laine trade has been a tire fire for them more than it has been for the Jets.

Dallas has been hot garbage this year after being decent for like two seasons. Dunno if they will rebuild or if some coaching changes get made. I wonder how long before the Sharks and Ducks search for new coaches and GMs to start their rebuilds properly, but all I know if they are stuck with those albatross contracts like Karlsson due to the flat cap.

[eschatological]

We're sitting Taylor Hall today, all but guaranteeing we're trading him before the deadline next Monday.

[Rennadrel]

Palmeiri and Zajac going to the Isles is a good trade, though I don't think it helps put them over the top. The playoffs are going to be a lot of fun.

[Nazrark]

At least Buffalo has played better the last couple of games, but I seriously don't get what kind of direction they are going in as a team.

There's a few teams that I think will be seeing changes this year just because they've been awful. I don't expect Torts and Kek to have jobs in Columbus after this season. The Dubois/Laine trade has been a tire fire for them more than it has been for the Jets.

Dallas has been hot garbage this year after being decent for like two seasons. Dunno if they will rebuild or if some coaching changes get made. I wonder how long before the Sharks and Ducks search for new coaches and GMs to start their rebuilds properly, but all I know if they are stuck with those albatross contracts like Karlsson due to the flat cap.

I don't think I've seen the Jets get burned on a trade so far. Even the media knows that Chevy doesn't like to make moves. But when he does, it hasn't not worked out for us.

[jackofwind]

Sabres had 301 people attend their last game. 1% of arena capacity, even though 25% is open.

LOL.

It's so bad that I can't even find it funny anymore.

I used to like laughing at how perennially bad Buffalo was in the modern era, even though Hasek as a Sabre is one of my personal favorite players. I loved the schadenfreude of them tanking for McDavid and missing him. Now I see how they're spiraling with no direction and no real hope of coming out of the tailspin and it just makes me hurt for them and their longterm fans.

The League wants parity and right now it seems more and more like they will need to step somehow in re: ownership and management to get it, because the support is certainly not coming willingly from Pegula.

[eschatological]

The League wants parity and right now it seems more and more like they will need to step somehow in re: ownership and management to get it, because the support is certainly not coming willingly from Pegula.

Which is hilarious, since Pegula is one of the richest owners in the NHL, because he also owns the NFL franchise.

I think parity is fine in the NHL. We just have been godawful in terms of roster moves and drafting outside of, eh, like the top 10.

And TBF to the Sabres "in the modern era," the Sabres have one of the best win percentages in the NHL up to like 2006, which is when we were last in the Stanley Cup Finals. And we were in the playoffs in 2011. It's just the past decade which has been fucking awful. Maybe because I'm used to it with a 19 year playoff drought in football, but the Sabres playoff drought doesn't weigh on me so much yet.

[Rennadrel]

Which is hilarious, since Pegula is one of the richest owners in the NHL, because he also owns the NFL franchise.

I think parity is fine in the NHL. We just have been godawful in terms of roster moves and drafting outside of, eh, like the top 10.

And TBF to the Sabres "in the modern era," the Sabres have one of the best win percentages in the NHL up to like 2006, which is when we were last in the Stanley Cup Finals. And we were in the playoffs in 2011. It's just the past decade which has been fucking awful. Maybe because I'm used to it with a 19 year playoff drought in football, but the Sabres playoff drought doesn't weigh on me so much yet.

Yet the Sabres valuation in 2020 was only 385 million, 29th in the league. Just because Pegula has money doesn't mean he is investing it in the organization. The only teams worth less are the Blue Jackets, Panthers and Coyotes, respectively. Not to mention he needs to get his hands off operations and let people who have that experience do their jobs.

Of course, team valuations are based on ticket sales, value of the arena, merchandise sales and TV ratings, among other things.

[jackofwind]

Yet the Sabres valuation in 2020 was only 385 million, 29th in the league. Just because Pegula has money doesn't mean he is investing it in the organization. The only teams worth less are the Blue Jackets, Panthers and Coyotes, respectively. Not to mention he needs to get his hands off operations and let people who have that experience do their jobs.

Of course, team valuations are based on ticket sales, value of the arena, merchandise sales and TV ratings, among other things.

Yeah that's kind of what I meant - Pegula is loaded but he doesn't seem to spend his money on the Sabres organization, which is a real shame.

Imagine a world where we had a Canucks-Sabres SCF, what a rush that would be.

[eschatological]

Yet the Sabres valuation in 2020 was only 385 million, 29th in the league. Just because Pegula has money doesn't mean he is investing it in the organization. The only teams worth less are the Blue Jackets, Panthers and Coyotes, respectively. Not to mention he needs to get his hands off operations and let people who have that experience do their jobs.

Of course, team valuations are based on ticket sales, value of the arena, merchandise sales and TV ratings, among other things.

Buffalo is consistently the top U.S. market during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and usually drops to maybe like #2 to whichever American team is in the Stanley Cup Finals. I think we were #2 to Boston when they went to the Cup, etc. so the TV ratings are there. The arena isn't new, but it isn't awful. The Pegulas have done a bit to make it more of an entertainment complex, but it definitely needs to be updated.

The rest is all based on the (lack of) success of the team. That place was packed for years when I was a kid into my teenage year (in the mid to late 90s). Even up to 2011 it was pretty packed consistently.

A Sabres-any Canadian team would be wild. I'd prefer Sabres-Oilers just for Eichel vs. McDavid, but I don't think that's happening any time ever, especially once Jack gets sick of us and peaces out.

[Rennadrel]

It's almost playoff time. Looking forward to it.

[eschatological]

Exit interviews for the Sabres today. Infamous in Buffalo after Ryan O'Reilly said a couple years ago that he had "lost his love of the game" playing for the Sabres, forcing the team to trade him for peanuts to the Blues, where he won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe the next year.

Today, Jack Eichel said he's 1) been playing hurt, 2) he sought a second opinion on his injury, 3) the team won't let him follow the advice of the outside physician, which was surgery and a quick recovery, and 4) he's felt "upset" and "a bit disconnected" from the team and their thought process.

After similarly wary words from Sam Reinhart before him, it looks like Jack's done in Buffalo. I wouldn't be surprised if Sam is on the way out too, along with Ristolainen and Ullmark (our only competent goalie who is injured all the time).

Edit: I mean, check out some of these answers to these questions:
https://twitter.com/SabresPlays/stat...11832210407427
The followup question immediately after this answer:
https://twitter.com/TheChargingBUF/s...93051270619139

(The beginning of some of his answers in the last tweet starts here: https://twitter.com/TheChargingBUF/s...84458781663237)

[draynay]

Reading an article on it, "Right now, for me, the most important thing now is to try to get healthy, figure out a way to be available to play hockey next year, wherever that might be"
OOF