Sabres At The Crossroads
The Buffalo Sabres are nearing the boiling point after their weekend of ineptitude versus the Flyers. Tonight they take on the New York Rangers, and one ponders what is the correct amount of critical mass before it sends this organization into oblivion?
There was a large quantity of frustration amongst not only fans but broadcasters on the post-game radio show – the likes of which have truly been unmatched in recent memory. There is always criticism – that’s what talk shows are all about – but there was a decided edge to Sunday evening’s program that had not been felt in a long time. Anger and frustration by not just callers but the radio crew taking the calls. It is, of course, warranted.
Part of the problem is there is seemingly no end in sight. The problems, the same problems, never end. Just review this article from The Hockey News in 2017: Terry Pegula created Sabres mess, now he needs to fix it then get out of the way. It has not aged well. Of course, neither have the Sabres.
Listen to any post-game show and they sound alike from 2021, 2017, 2015, 2012. The names change but the problems remain the same, and it is not just the lack of scoring, but the seemingly lack of motivation. There are times it looks like up and down this roster – they just don’t care. Every head coach that has come in since 2011 thinks they can turn it around, and, of course, they cannot. It really matters not who the head coach is – the Sabres Way is to tune them out. When the lines hit the ice it becomes carte blanche totally void of anything that may have been discussed in a practice. I quite understand there is a frustration level with Ralph Kruger as well, especially in his press conferences, but my counter argument is that, quite frankly, it doesn’t matter. Whether or not he is forthcoming with injuries, or if he and Eichel are on the same page can be a heated debate but in truth it only serves as a smoke screen to the larger problem at hand – the roster itself has no heart, and one of the most glaring examples of this came from Eichel’s comments in Sunday’s post-game.
“The guys have stuck together, no one’s turned on each other, it’s a positive mindset,” Sabres captain Jack Eichel said. “It’s just, currently it’s not working for us. No one feels sorry for us in this league. We don’t feel sorry for ourselves.” – Jack Eichel.
That quote is revealing. No one’s turned on each other, it’s a positive mindset. There in lies the problem. Given the ineptitude of this organization over the last decade, the absolute sense of discombobulation they have exhibited on the ice, how can it be that, according to that quote, no one has turned on each other? People often laughed at the New York Yankees’ Bronx Zoo of the late 1970s. Everyone was arguing with everyone. The Bickering Bills of the late 80s and early 90s, but they both had one thing in common – a unification toward winning a championship. The Yankees of course did, and the Bills as we know went to consecutive Super Bowls. So how can it be that it is a positive mindset and that no one has turned on each other? The only real answer can be losing is acceptable. What a far cry that statement is from the sole purpose [for the Sabres] is to win the Stanley Cup.
I’m not from Missouri, nor have I ever set foot in the state, but there is a lot of Missouri in me. I never look at words. I look at actions. I look at what people do (so much so different supervisors have had me on interview teams over the years). Based on what the Sabres have done over the previous decade has truly been extraordinary. They have skirted leadership issues and have attempted to address anything and everything except the actual problem that the team has no heart or desire. They bring in player friendly coaches, they consult analytics, all of which independently have their own merit, but doesn’t address the biggest issue with this particular team. They overpay sub-par talent to multi-year deals and constrict themselves to a slow death with the salary cap, and consistently ignore the fact that the needle of improvement never moves with this team. This is a team that tanked and still didn’t get the top over all pick. The fact that Connor McDavid landed in Edmonton was Buffalo Sports karma at its best.
Eichel states, It’s a positive mindset. How can that even be? There are times in all of our lives when things are pretty bleak, and it is important to remain focused and positive toward a goal in spite of our detractors. However, there are other times that it is equally acceptable to become infuriated, smash a water cooler with a bat, and say, I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore! Enough of the player friendly positive coaches. In a different situation it would be acceptable. Not with the Sabres. It’s okay to sometimes be angry otherwise you’re only lying to yourself. The first solution to solving any problem is admitting you have a problem to begin with. Anger leads to motivation. Motivation leads to desire. This team has neither. No one’s turned on each other. This nonsense that It’s a positive mindset and No one’s turned on each other is not healthy – it is acceptance of the status quo, and until someone gets angry – truly angry – the Sabres as a professional sports team will continue to meander aimlessly until they get the right personnel in the front office or fold up their tents and move to another season. Either way the team is, ironically, at a critical crossroads in their history.
It has been 9 years, 10 months, 4 days since the Sabres’ last playoff game. Just in case you were wondering.