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Buffalo Sports
DON'T GET ME STARTED had my mind going back a dozen months - practically one year - after watching the Buffalo Sabres slip to its 6th straight winless game in a 5-3 loss to Atlanta Sunday afternoon.
Not only did they lose to the Thrashers, but they are also slipping down the standings in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres and Thrashers were tied going into the game and now Buffalo is fading. Things have to change.
A year ago, Buffalo began that journey that would win them the President's Cup as the best regular season team in the NHL. Optimism was high; fans were ecstatic; the players were joined together; visions of the Stanley Cup danced in everyone's head from the players to the fans.
Then it happened. The policy: "No negotiations during the season." Bingo......Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, high scorers and co-captains of the team decided to wait until free agency beckoned. Conversations with the dynamic duo were practically zilch.
Lindy Ruff signed an extension before free agency, locking him into Buffalo. He was probably surprised - if not shocked - when Briere and Drury decided to part company with the Sabres - or is it better to say that the Sabres allowed them to part company. Of course, before them were the likes of Jay McKee; J.P. Dumont; Grier. They were all very productive players who are now performing with other teams. In return Buffalo signed Jaro Spacek for probably more than what McKee would have settled for.
Oh, did I mention that they simply said goodbye to Ty Conklin, last year's backup to Ryan Miller? Pittsburgh picked him up and Conklin picked up Pittsburgh with his play that included giving up only one goal in the recent two games these teams played against each other. Conklin has been solid. Buffalo has Theibault who gave up the winning goal against Ottawa (plus an additional one) in a 5-3 Sabres loss.
Where oh where did it go wrong. I'm convinced that this goes beyond Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier. It goes up to the big offices where final decisions are made. Who signs off on everyint - Larry Quinn? Tom Golisano? Mr. Golisano has been well received as the "savior" of the franchise when it was in trouble. He's the one who Paychex the players.
Bucky Gleason in his Sunday column expressed similar sentiments....mentioning Larry Quinn, Tom Golisano, and the "bean counter."
Imagine that Briere - Drury - Vanek might have been had for a total of about $15 million a season over the next few years. There's no need going into Vanek's deal - we've covered that before. And there's no use going into all the details of what happened with the departing stars a year ago.
Now there's the future and, based on the present, it might not look too bright. They have some young players in the lineup.....a lineup that has great difficulty scoring goals. When you have to rely on MacArthur to score against Atlanta....and Ryan scoring a goal against Ottawa, you come to realize how badly the fans miss Drury and Briere who were potent. Opposing teams couldn't match lines against them. Today, they concentrate on Buffalo's "top" line that hasn't been denting the net with any consistency.
The future? Unless there's a big push to sign Brian Campbell, the longer he goes unsigned fans will know that he might wait until the offers begin pouring into his agent's office. Believe me they will be big offers. Campbell has indicated he would want to remain in Buffalo. Isn't that what the departed players were saying a year ago?
If Campbell leaves - that will leave a big hole. Then there's the other exciting player (who's been getting critical attention) that might be eyeing employment elsewhere once his deal is up. That's Maxim Afinogenov. Say what you will, but Maxie is an exciting player to watch.
A year ago - 12 months ago - the Sabres made their big push to the top of the standings in the league. Now, they are in a fight to finish in a playoff spot. Even if they make the playoffs, many fans don't feel optimistic that they will go beyond the first or second round. Now that they're on the bottom of the Conference Standings, the only way they can go is up.
BUT, when Atlanta is ahead of them at the half-way point of the season, you know the battle is on. The Sabres haven't picked up two points in any game over the past half dozen games. They're going to be facing some tough competition this month when most of the games are on the road.
Then there is Ryan Miller. In the last two games, he's given up 7 goals (he was pulled against Ottawa after giving up three goals.) Against the Thrashers Miller let in goals that would have been routine saves a year ago. The one that hurt was that he didn't fully cover the left side of the cage when the puck slipped by him. His forte was stopping breakaways but Hossa ripped one before he could move. Those "easy" goals have been coming up lately.
With so much star power having bolted the Sabres, fans who forked up a lot of dough for season tickets will be weighing their options once this campaing is over.
We've said it before - the smart businessman (and Tom Golisano is one smart business guy) protects the investment. That the Sabres didn't protect the great team by not inking Drury and Briere when the opportunity might have been there - shows that the front office is paying for it now.....and maybe in the future. Again we're absolving Ruff and Regier. Lindy is a coach and deals with the hand dealt him. This season he was slipped jokers....and they weren't wild. Regier answers to his bosses.
It's hoped that the Sabres can turn it around and rip off a 6-game winning streak - 12 points - to move up in the standings. This would perk up the fans who are squeezing their knuckles hoping the Sabres can squeeze out a win here or there.
Failure to secure a post-season slot may have these fans squeezing their wallets. During the Thrashers game, there was a visual graphic informing fans that tickets were available for Atlanta's next visit to Buffalo. That's a strange message considering the great number of sellouts in the past two years.
Oh well.....it will be interesting to see how Mr. Golisano will react if the club continues its slide. Certainly, it would be nice if Mr. Golisano would come out with a statement - any statement. He could come out saying he's disappointed in the position the Sabres are in; he could come out say "have faith - the club is going to turn it around;" and......dare I say it.....he could come out and say, "Next season I will give them the tools to get the job done" on Don't Get Me Started.
© Copyright 2008 by Speakupwny.com
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