You can have your protests, your walkouts, your boycotts. Those never work, and are frankly for way more proactive people than myself. Everybody knows that the best way to express one's displeasure is through song, so here is what I propose:

For every home game for the rest of the season, we make sure that they play this song

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (via YeahYeahYeahsVEVO)

until heads actually do roll in some form and a change is made. For those who don't know, the Sabres created the Sabretunes twitter account which takes song suggestions from twitter users. You can make a song suggestion by tweeting the name of the song to the account.

The best thing about it is how subversive it is. I'm pretty sure I've heard the song before played at the arena. It could also just as easily refer to the other team, but those in the know will know what is actually going on. So who's with me?

Why bother with a fancy table, we're playing the Blues at 8pm and everything sucks. Let's at least start off cheerful. We usually do well with pictures of Derek Roy as a ridiculous anime character, but he hasn't scored in forever. We sometimes have Thomas Vanek with the world on his shoulders, but he hasn't scored much either. So I vote we start with random memes. For that, here's a picture of a kitty:

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Let me start by stating in no way shape or form have I given up on this season yet (Though maybe I have blinders on). While this season isn't panning out like most of us had hoped, I have to look at the grand scheme of things before I break out my pitchfork and my Fire Regier sign. First thing I would like to take a look at is next years team as this years team as far as Darcy is concerned is for the most part complete excluding maybe a deal at the deadline (examining next years team will give us better insight into how realistic a deadline deal that will please the fans is). All the numbers I post here will be courtesy of stolen from capgeek.

We'll start with the UFA's and RFA's for next year.

UFA's

Brad Boyes, Jochen Hecht, Paul Guastad, Colin Stuart

RFA's

Marc Andre Grangani, Tyler Ennis, Patrick Kaleta, TJ Brennan

Cap Space $6,753,810

Its obvious that the sabres want to pick up a top level player in the coming free agency, if they want to do that they will need to clear up some cap space, I would expect them to let Boyes, Stuart and Guastad walk. I would expect them to either resign Hecht to a low contract or deal him to a contender at the deadline for a draft pick or a prospect and then try and resign him. I also expect Leopold to be dealt for picks/prospects. Ennis and Brennan will both be tendered and any offer sheets will be matched. Gragnani and Kaleta I believe will either be traded at the deadline or will be tendered but any offer sheets the sabres will take the compensation and run. Ennis's injury plagued season may have done us a favor and cost him some money but I expect something along the lines of Sekera's current contract (2.75 million dollar cap hit). TJ Brennan I could see as a two way 1 million a year for 2 years. That would take us to roughly 6 million under the cap.

I believe that the sabres will trade for one of next summers top free agents at the deadline in order to get a headstart on the negotiations and to get him to see "hockey heaven". When I look at the crop of next years free agents the candadite that seems to match best with the sabres is Zach Parise (Gasp! It's not a centerman?). Once again next years class of centerman is weak to say the least. With that being said for multiple reasons the devils make the perfect trading partners for the sabres. First they are clearly not going to resign Parise. Second they aren't going to resign him because they are currently running a tight budget. This second reason is the big one, because of all of the years under Golisano Darcy knows exactly what the Devils are looking for in a tough financial spot, good deals on mediocre players and they want prospects and draft picks. Enter the Sabres, mediocre players and prospects aplenty.

Predicted Deadline Trade

Sabres Get

Zach Parise 6.00 cap hit

Devils Get

Drew Stafford 4.00 cap hit, Brad Boyes 4.00 cap hit, Corey Tropp, Money to cover the rest of Boyes Salary for the year

Trading Drew Stafford satisfies the fans and the media, Brad Boyes contract is up at the end of the year and we are paying for him to be a Devil so that we can fit in Parise under the cap this year, Corey Tropp is what the Devils really want because he has one more year then he can be tendered, Drew Stafford gives them a right now NHL winger to put into their lineup. The only reason this trade works is because the Devils know that Parise is a goner.

With Stafford being the only player signed through next year that currently has a cap hit on an NHL roster that brings next years salary cap down to 10 Million under the cap to sign Parise to an extention (think Erhoff's deal structure but worth more money). After that the sabres cap commitments drop considerably, after signings it would be around 15 million under the cap for 2013-2014 with the lineup for next season looking like this:

Vanek Hecht Parise

Ennis Roy Pominville

Adam Leino Kassian

Ellis* McCormick Foligno*

Myers McNabb

Erhoff Regehr

Sekera Weber

Miller

Enroth

*Players likely to be in the minors and replaced by short term free agent deals with spare money

Notable Players seasoning in the lower ranks, TJ Brennan, Joe Finley, Mark Pysyk, Joel Armia, Jerome Guathier Leduc, Drew Scheistel

Yep, its been heck of a season. At this point I have moved my Sabre emotions from the "hey we can still win" column over to the "Lets talk top 5 pick" Column.

Lets face it, our team is steamrolling its way to the draft lottery, and if it keeps going this way...all the way to a real shot at #1 overall..and that's where I got to thinking.

For this year's draft, a few things are given:

1. The top 2 prospects in the draft are all but set in stone. According to most reports Nail Yakupov and Mikail Grigorenko are far and away the top to kids in this year's class

2. Darcy Regier doesn't like Russians. Since being burned by his 1st round pick in 2000 (Kryukov), Darcy has only selected 4 Russians in the draft...NONE higher than the 4th round. In fact, he hasn't draft ANY Russians since 2005.

So, knowing those 2 things and assuming that Regier still runs this team @ the draft this summer...are we looking at the Sabres passing on top level talent? My thought is 100% YES.

How should we value our current players? What players can the Sabres actually get?

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I have been biting my tongue for some time now. I am not the kind of guy to say "fire the coach and trade some guys" but enough is enough. This isn't working. Some players are not trying. Some are unhappy. Some are worth something if we do this NOW.

1) Roy. I love Roy, but he isn;t working out in Buffalo anymore. $4M cap hit, UFA at the end of next season.

2) Boyes. Another guy I really like but not worth the $4M cap hit either. UFA at end of this season.

3) Hecht. Been coming around, but he is worth something to other reams. $3.5M hit, UFA end of this season.

4) Miller. Yes, Miller. Our team's identity is in a slump. He has a bad attitude and I don;t think he's ever coming back to form. $6.25 hit, UFA in 2014, many teams would take him.

5) Sekera. Anyone who knows me knows that I think Sekera is grossly overrated. He is not worth the $2.75M. Plus we have about 87 defencemen hanging around so I'm sure we can replace him easily.

6) Even though this doesn't free up cash, and even though I love the guy, maybe it's time for Lindy to go as well. I don;t know what it's like in the locker room, but the boys don't seem motivated anymore. Perhaps they are not responding to him?

All that being said, Miller probably won't be dealt, but I can see Roy, Boyes, and Hecht being shipped out, along with some young guys. Getting the top 3 out of here would free up $11.5M to work with. Maybe we dump a couple lower salaries as well freeing up around $13M total? That opens the door to signing a marquee player, plus a few "good" players, and we bring up some of the young talent to replace those which we lose. Let the debate begin.....

I'm trying to gather data for a possible study/article. Follow after the jump for the details.

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Where do the Sabres go from here?

Was last nights’ 5-0 shellacking at the hands of the evil Red Wings the proverbial bottom for the stinking Sabres?

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You don't have to follow statistics to know that the current configuration of the Buffalo Sabres has gone horriblly, horribly off the tracks. Night after night, this current team lacks an answer for each opposing team, and winds up on the grossly short end of the score. Forget all the hoopla about injuries .. every single team in the league gets more than its fair share of injuries, yet somehow reaches down from within themselves and manages to put together a respectable record to remain in the playoff hunt. So here comes the inevitable tarot reading ... this team no longer has a coach that can motivate this team. It is time for management to face facts, and find a new coach to send a message to this team. Lindy Ruff must go.

Ruff dodged the bullet last year when, suddenly infused with a new owner with deep pockets and an invigorating hockey sensibility, the team somehow found the heart they had previously been sorely lacking all season long, went on a surreal run commencing after the All-Star Break, then once again ran out of gas in the playoffs against the Flyers.

Expectations were raised. Suddenly, new hope seemed to come from this new owner, and fans everywhere, even here in Florida, looked forward to a resurgence in our Buffalo Sabres. But it hasn't shaken out that way, and you can't blame injuries; the players themselves would debunk that sorry explanation in a New York Minute.

Screw sentimentality, and pull the trigger. LINDY RUFF MUST BE REPLACED, FIRED, I DON'T CARE WHAT WORD YOU USE FOR IT. He needs to go, because he is clearly milking the sentimentality card for all it's worth, and no longer motivates his team. They have stopped responding to his particular "methods" of motivation.

Terry Pegula, I'm a Sabre Fan who lives in Tampa Bay, FL. I have followed the Sabres ever since their inception into the NHL in 1970, attended countless games, have seen every single configuration of this team, and never has this team sunk so low as it is right now. If you care one bit about this franchise, and I believe you do, then put sentimentality aside, use your considerable weight as owner of this team, and tell management to PULL THE TRIGGER. LINDY RUFF MUST GO.

The future and well-being of this team are riding on it.

What about Lecavalier for a top line center? He is clearly frustrated in Tampa Bay and the Lightning could use some structure back on the blue line. We have a log jam on D and perhaps this is a trade we could complete! Plus they are struggling in goal and maybe Enroth is appealing to them. I love Enroth but you got to give up something for something. Just a thought and I have always loved Vinny and perhaps getting him back into a real hockey market like Buffalo would inspire him to play better on all cylinders. Does he have a no-trade clause and what would it cost Buffalo? I forget how a winning streak feels since we havent had one for so long! We dont need to blow it up but need a better core! Could this deal happen?! Go Sabres

CAREER REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS

<!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name --> <!-- team name -->

SEASON	TEAM	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	S	S%
1995-1996	Notre Dame Midget Hounds-SMHL	22	52	52	104
1996-1997	Rimouski Oceanic-QMJHL	64	42	61	103		38
1997-1998	Rimouski Oceanic-QMJHL	58	44	71	115		117
1997-1998	Canada-WJC-A	7	1	1	2		4
1998-1999	Lightning	82	13	15	28	-19	23	2	0	2	125	10.4
1999-2000	Lightning	80	25	42	67	-25	43	6	0	3	166	15.1
2000-2001	Lightning	68	23	28	51	-26	66	7	0	3	165	13.9
2000-2001	Canada-WC-A	7	3	2	5		29
2001-2002	Lightning	76	20	17	37	-18	61	5	0	3	164	12.2
2002-2003	Lightning	80	33	45	78	0	39	11	2	3	274	12.0
2003-2004	Lightning	81	32	34	66	23	52	5	2	6	242	13.2
2004-2005	Canada-W-Cup	6	2	5	7	1	8
2004-2005	Ak Bars Kazan-Russia	30	7	9	16		78
2005-2006	Lightning	80	35	40	75	0	90	13	2	7	309	11.3
2005-2006	Canada-Olympics	6	0	3	3		16
2006-2007	Lightning	82	52	56	108	2	44	16	5	7	339	15.3
2007-2008	Lightning	81	40	52	92	-17	89	10	1	7	318	12.6
2008-2009	Lightning	77	29	38	67	-9	54	10	1	6	291	10.0
2009-2010	Lightning	82	24	46	70	-16	63	5	0	3	295	8.1
2010-2011	Lightning	65	25	29	54	-5	43	12	0	5	210	11.9
2011-2012	Lightning	44	17	17	34	-2	42	4	0	5	135	12.6
	NHL TOTALS	978	368	459	827	-112	709	106	13	60	3,033	12.1

CAREER PLAYOFF STATISTICS

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SEASON	TEAM	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	S	S%
1996-1997	Rimouski Oceanic-QMJHL	4	4	3	7		2
1997-1998	Rimouski Oceanic-QMJHL	18	15	26	41		46
2002-2003	Lightning	11	3	3	6	-2	22	1	0	1	32	9.4
2003-2004	Lightning	23	9	7	16	-2	25	2	0	0	76	11.8
2004-2005	Ak Bars Kazan-Russia	4	1	0	1		6
2005-2006	Lightning	5	1	3	4	0	7	1	0	0	17	5.9
2006-2007	Lightning	6	5	2	7	4	10	1	0	1	30	16.7
2010-2011	Lightning	18	6	13	19	6	16	3	0	3	56	10.7
	NHL TOTALS	63	24	28	52	6	80	8	0	5	211	11.4