An attempt to be humorous and logical about the Buffalo Sports Scene.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

If Bucky Gleason was a blogger.


Don't look at me like that

Oh boy another editorial on Sabres management by a newspaper columnist in something less then the Buffalo News. Hopefully he agrees with me, good ol Bucky Gleason. Because we all know I speak the truth when it deals with the Sabres.

Numbers dispel theory the Sabres are Cheap

Wait is that supposed to be sarcastic?

It’s amazing how one resplendent mistake can mislabel an organization. Yes, the Sabres have gone techie in their scouting approach, foregoing overpriced airline tickets for a quiet night in front of the big screen. And yes, they’ve decided not to make splashy unrestricted free-agent signings, although that’s hardly proven a sure-fire recipe for success in today’s NHL (see the meager accomplishments of the Rangers and Leafs).

Again, are you trying to make sense here? I don't like where this is going.

And sure, they swapped an all-star defenseman at the trade deadline when it was obvious he wouldn’t sign at a reasonable rate.

But 5 FOR 25! 5/25! 5/25!

But truth be told, the Sabres aren’t cheap. They’ve tried to be innovative, and have indeed been frugal with free agent dollars, but just a tiny bit of number crunching shows this cheapskate reputation is unfounded.

Wait innovative? Number Crunching? You are going to use facts to prove a point? AHHHHH!!!!

Of the four teams with 19 players signed, the Sabres have the highest payroll. Their current cap hit is just over $46 million, and three teams with more players under contract have lower payrolls. Buffalo has plenty of wiggle room — about $10 million right now — but hardly so much that it’s embarrassing.

But they don't spend money on Marian Hossa and people don't want to be here, because they don't spend money on people. How can they not be cheap. Who cares how much they have spent, its how much they don't spend. His reasoning is making my head hurt!

They like Paul Gaustad’s grit and paid him accordingly. They weren’t getting enough from Dmitri Kalinin and showed him the door. They wanted another affordable, but capable defenseman, and swung a smart deal for Craig Rivet. They couldn’t get a fair offer for Maxim Afinogenov, so they’ll give him another chance.

There have not been, and have almost never been, impulse buys when it comes to the Sabres.

Expect Jason Pominville to get a long-term deal in the next few months, and Ryan Miller to follow. Miller’s will be for bigger bucks, but both are cornerstones of the future.

But what about Drury? Briere? Campbell?????? They totally didn't get anything for Kalinin. But no impulse buys shows that the Sabres aren't a real organization. How are players supposed to respect them if they don't give out ridiculous contracts to overrated players? Pominville and Miller will sign? But they are cheap.

If the Sabres felt there was a good chance they were losing Miller, they’d have scooped up McCollum, who was one of the highest players left on the board when they took Tyler Ennis with their second first-round pick. The Sabres decided against taking a goalie in all eight picks.

It’s just another sign that Regier and Quinn don’t waver from their master plan.

Master Plan? HAHAHAHAHA, to what embarrass the city of Buffalo? (High fives Jerry Sullivan)

So why do teams feel the Sabres are unreasonable?

Simple. Since they gambled and missed on Chris Drury, it snowballed into losing Danny Briere. That gave an ugly tinge to Brian Campbell’s departure, even though it wound up a shrewd maneuver.

Finally, some sense here. Its obvious the Sabres organization doesn't know what they are doing and should let ol' Bucky here take the reigns. I totally would win a bazillion cups if I were the Gm. 5/25 for everyone around!

The Sabres are in good shape in almost every regard. There’s plenty of young talent, a decent amount of cap space and expiring contracts in Afinogenov, Tim Connolly and Ales Kotalik that will only help the future landscape.

Will solid footing be enough to convince the rest of the league they’re on the right path? Tough to say.

Sometimes a few bad steps make it look like you’re always stumbling.

Wait, good shape? In every regard? What are you doing Schmitt? Trying to make the people in Buffalo trust in this organization? You are ruining years of work of mine, to try to be GM of the Sabres. Have you not read my work? Its brilliant and thats why you work at the Niagara Gazette? Who reads that?

Well time to go back to my new column on how overpaying players is going to ruin the NHL.

1 comment:

Heather B. said...

Wow, my head is reeling from reading a column that includes things like facts and numbers.

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Buffalo, NY, United States
A Stay at home dad, who has more hot takes then your average stay at home dad.

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