You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?
The NHL is taking their break for the 4 Nations Whoopitydoo Fest. A tournament that nobody wanted or asked for. That in itself should be a candidate for something that grinds my gears. (Shout out to Peter Griffin for this) Luckily for Gary Bettman, I had three other things in mind already. Things that irk, bother or quite frankly, piss me off in Sabre Land. Through the eyes of a disgruntled, yet mildly optimistic Buffalo hockey fan.
Some of these you might agree with, some might mean nothing to you. These are just things that gnaw away at me, from recent events to decisions of the past. Bring your own hockey gripes if you have some yourself. These can be Sabres or NHL related.
1) Kaapo Kakko’s Deep Discount Price
The role of a big body defensive forward was not something New York fans envisioned when the Blueshirts drafted Kaapo Kakko second overall back in 2019. But that is the role he ended up playing mostly with the Rangers. He had been stuck in the bottom 6 for years, not playing much with the top end talent New York. has. His offensive game developed slowly until year four when he scored 18 goals and 40 points. But even after that breakthrough, Kakko was still regulated to bottom 6 minutes mostly. Spending all that time with mostly checkers and grinders, his defensive game developed nicely. He uses his big body well and his backcheck is pretty strong. He sometimes showed flashes of his skill but for the most part, Kakko played the role he was asked to. As a result, he was never the offensive force the Rangers hoped him to be. But he was also not given many opportunities to be that player either. It was all rather perplexing.
Fast forward to last December. When the Rangers moved Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, I think most of us were surprised at the return. The Rags got defender Will Borgen and 2 picks in the 2025 draft, a 3rd and a 6th rounder. This was hardly a big haul for such a high draft pick and player investment. But New York created that low value for Kakko themselves with how they utilized him. Since the deal, Kakko has played top six minutes with Seattle. He has 5 goals and 17 points in 23 games with the Kraken. Before that he had 4 goals and 14 points in 30 games with New York. A noticeable shift in production and an opportunity to show off the offensive side of his game. Now why does this grind my gears exactly? I will tell you.
Where the hell was Kevyn Adams in all this? Surely he was aware that the Rags were shopping Kakko. Surely he would see the value in adding such a player. A six year veteran with good size (six foot, one inch tall and 215 pounds) who is also defensively responsible. He is young too, turning 24 years old in just a few days. A big-bodied player with skill who hasn’t really had the chance to showcase it yet. I don’t envision Kakko as a sudden superstar player now that he has escaped New York. But I do think he is capable of 50-60 points a year in the top six of any team. The cost Seattle paid for his services was a steal. There is no doubt in my mind that the Sabres could have made a better offer to the Rags than the Kraken did. Borgen, a 2025 3rd and a 2025 6th rounder? How about an offer of Henri Jokiharju, our 2025 2nd and our 2026 2nd? That easily beats what the Kraken paid and isn’t too much to give up on our end. Joker is probably gone anyways by all accounts, we need to utilize his value. And for those who say that Jokiharju is a free agent this summer, well so was Borgen. But he signed a nice new 5 year deal with New York. Maybe we have to pay a same Conference tax and add a 2025 5th rounder too. (because New York wanted to ship him out West) Or maybe we needed to swap out Joker for Sammy, if the Rangers preferred him. The point is, we had the assets to GET IT DONE and Adams didn’t. He missed out on what should have been a huge addition to the Sabres. Trading Joker and the two 2nds gets a deal done in my mind. If not, arrange another package deal for Kakko that beats Seattle’s offer but doesn’t hurt us much either. We had the opportunity and resources to outbid the small cost that the Kraken gave up and Kevyn Adams failed. Or worse yet, he didn’t even try. For his inability to GET IT DONE, he wins the Golden Shitburger Award.
The White Stripes
No, I am not discussing the musical group of the same name. When the Sabres ditched the navy blue uniforms and brought back the royal blue, many people were very happy. (including this guy) But they kept one aspect of those navy blues that I didn’t like and incorporated it into the current royals. Those extra thin white stripes on the outer gold stripes of the uniform. This design is on the sleeves and bottoms of the jerseys and on the socks as well. As most of you know, the original uniforms had just 3 gold stripes. The only white in the originals was in the logo. That said, I don’t mind some tinkering and adding some white into the striping. But I am not a fan of this current design. Those thin white stripes look shoehorned in, an afterthought. It looks convoluted too. Here is a diagram to help you visualize.
Having done drawing, painting, photography and digital design, I tend to look at things with an artistic eye. So maybe I am being too critical of this. Even so, I rather see a return to the original gold striping only OR one individual white stripe between two golds like in the concept above. I think either is a cleaner, simpler look to what we have now. Every time I watch the Sabres my eye is drawn to that awkward design. I hope one day they switch it back to the original look or try the concept look instead. And I didn’t even mention the jersey collars. I would much prefer going back to the gold trim as opposed to the all blue we have now.
Marcus Foligno
What were we thinking shipping this player out? I know it has been years now but Foligno is still doing his thing for the Wild. And Buffalo has had nothing to show for this deal for several years now. Flashback to 2011-12 when Foligno was a rookie with the Sabres. He had 13 points in 14 games. The Buffalo born Marcus, son of Sabres legend Mike Foligno, made an offensive splash to start. Maybe that production was mistakenly expected of him because of that early success? It seems so. But he later established himself as the true hockey player he is, a bottom 6 grinder. A rough and tough player who scored about 25 points a year. He played that part on some pretty bad Sabres teams for the next 5 years. But he probably wasn’t utilized enough in that role for Buffalo which is why they foolishly dealt him. For trading Foligno (along with Tyler Ennis) the Sabres got a few seasons out of Marco Scandella before he moved on. They also got two more years from Jason Pominville before he retired. Meanwhile, Foligno embraced a bigger role with Minnesota and became a monster player in the physical game. Marcus consistently leads the Wild in hitting or is right near the top. He is also their main tough guy, being one of the league’s best fighters. Nobody is laying a dirty hit on one of Foligno’s teammates without a visit from him.
So why does this piss me off? Because all I have to do is remember all the softy teams Buffalo has iced since Foligno’s departure. Having a player like him over those 8 seasons would have been invaluable. How many times were the Sabres beat down in the hitting department during that period? How many times did we not have a player to answer the bell? When we missed the playoffs by 1 point just a few seasons back, they were high scoring but lacked real toughness. I bet Foligno on that same team earns us a playoff spot. He would have made a real difference. So many times liberties were taken with our players. That would not have happened on his watch. How many examples did Buffalo’s embarrassing lack of physicality show? Remember those games getting outhit 25-5? Pathetic. We have been missing a player of Foligno’s caliber for a long time now. If he were here all those years, I bet the Sabres have better overall success. Better point totals on the season. Better respect from incoming teams. And at least one playoff appearance.
If Foligno was here now, Tage Thompson does not get injured in that New jersey game. Because Marcus would have addressed it beforehand after the Zucker goal and late crosscheck. We need a player like him again. A heart and soul tough guy who looks out for his teammates and can handle things when called upon. We traded away the exact type of player we have desperately needed for years, with little return for it too. And that really grinds my gears.