BURN IT TO THE GROUND! Or Not?

Sorry about the spelling mistakes – I don’t know how Myers slipped through.

He must have gotten by me high, glove side.

I think the hard thing, as a fan, even a passionate fan, is that you don’t hear Lindy talk about the kind of system they want to play. I’ve not been a fan of another hockey team, but you hear other people around the league talk about Detroit’s puck possession, you hear Ken Hitchcock talk about the kind of play he wants out of players, but you don’t hear that kind of thing from Lindy.

It’s easy to embrace Roy’s “35pts in 35 games” 2010-11 campaign and project that over the course of 82 games, blah blah blah … But where’s the consideration that with Connolly gone, the Sabres are now fully identifying with and looking to Roy as a role model and leader on this team (wears an ‘A’) when his conduct and play on the ice, to me, suggest the very issues we as fans have with this team, especially since Lucic’s hit: THE SABRES ARE SOFT AND WHINY. Not that Tim was any different, but consistently, from drafting and grooming to playing this ‘Sabres style’ hockey, Buffalo has gone after players that will ultimately lead us nowhere. The post about bringing JP Dumont-style players back into the fold was spot on. Where’s the grit? Where’s the raw intensity? Who’s an actual leader on this team? I can’t see one, not this year at least. The team is more and more a reflection of the sad state of the city itself. I like Buffalo, but it’s hard to believe this team can win. Not with relying on Derek Roy as your “top” center. Of course, this was well addressed by fans before the season began. At this point I’d easily see Myers off to bring in a top center to build an identity (and eventually a team) around. I’d also bring Kassian into the mix to play out the year, but what do I know?

The veteran guys on this team are the kids from ‘05-’06 and there’s a fair number of them starting. After the Neil hit on Drury, Stafford was the first guy in there to respond. Can you see him doing that for say, Jason Pominville? I can’t. I’m not sure why.
When everybody is on the same level, it’s hard for guys to hold each other accountable.
To Darcy’s credit, I think he tried to address this in the past – Grier, Niedermayer, Rivet. I think Grier worked to some extent but all of those guys had so little left in the tank it’s hard to create the same kind of chemistry.

I think Stafford was drafted with leadership expectations. He was, if I remember correctly, the captain of his World Juniors Team.

In the words of Mike Lafontaine (in A Mighty Wind) “Wha Happened?”

Do the Sabres not have enough glue guys – or are their glue guys not good enough?

When I say glue guys, I mean guys who hate to lose, and are willing to get on guys about not doing the right thing. If you look around the league, the Penguins have had Sidney Crosby as their glue guy, and as their superstar, since they’ve been good.

It seems to me like our glue guys have been marginal NHL players – Gaustad, Grier, Niedermayer, Rivet.

Is the leadership issue a problem with the coach being too powerful – is his presence/ego just so huMANgous big that there isn’t room for a powerful player leader?

I don’t think that Lindy is a bad coach – at all – but is there kind of a chicken/egg situation with the coach’s personality and the lack of a true locker room leader?

You might be right – but you know, Don Cherry doesn’t like it, so it must be bad.

Or you could argue that his draft picks significantly overperform their expected value.

If the sabres can get good play in the next 2-3 years out of their current young guns (Armia, Kassian, Foligno, etc) and significantly up the scoring potential and speed of the third and fourth lines, they’ll be dangerous again.

Plus, I don’t think that Roy, Stafford, Leino, Gebe, and Ennis will all have carreer worst/injury ridden years all at the same time again.

and the GM. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.. They are the only constants in this under-producing century. Somebody wake up Pegula!