Usually when a team defeats one of the better NHL clubs in the Western Conference, the initial knee-jerk reaction doesn’t include firing the team’s GM of 15 years and the head coach of only 51 games. However, that is what exactly Buffalo Sabres’ owner Terry Pegula did to Darcy Regier and Ron Rolston. It’s simply the time for a change is the message that Pegula is trying to get across with his decision.
Change is for sure needed as the Buffalo Sabres are 20 games into the season and are posting a 4-15-1 record with only nine points, good enough for dead last in the NHL.
With Regier and Rolston out, Pegula has decided to put his team in the hands of a couple of former NHL players. The (new) role of President of Hockey Operations goes to current Hockey Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine and the interim head coach position goes to Ted Nolan.
Pat LaFontaine’s stats as a Sabre : 158G, 227A in 268games
LaFontaine is no stranger to the city of Buffalo; he was a former captain of the club and accumulated 268 total games. He is NOT regarded as the general manager of the team, however; one of his first tasks as the President will be to pick the right man for the job and then proceed to oversee all the hockey related decisions.
Ted Nolan gets behind another NHL bench as coach. He hasn’t held such a responsibility since the summer of 2008 when he was the bench boss for the cross state Islanders.
Ted Nolan’s NHL coaching record : 147-140 in 327 games
HOW DID THE SABRES GET THIS BAD???
Looking back as far as the 2006-07 season, the Sabres were absolutely stacked. The team itself collected 113 points and had 6 players reach 60 points or more. Buffalo was lead offensively by guys like Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville. The back end had Brian Campbell, Teppo Numminen and Jaroslav Spacek. The goalie tandem was fairly reliable with Ryan Miller and Martin Biron. The squad couldn’t get past the Ottawa Senators in the third round of the playoffs, and hasn’t got into the 2nd round since.
The Sabres were eventually dismantled and players like Drury and Briere were basically sent into free agency in the prime of their careers with absolutely no return.
Others like Campbell, Roy, Pominville and (most recently) Vanek were slowly traded away in exchange for assets that were never equivalent, the likes of which include Tyler Ennis, Adam Pardy, Steve Ott and Matt Hackett…just to name a few.
Unfortunately for Ryan Miller, he remains in the city with a goalie market that seems to be diminishing by the day.
Either way, the mismanagement of valuable assets and the inability to pull the trigger while these players were at the height of their value are the two largest contributing factors to why this team is where it is today.
Chris Drury and Daniel Briere during the years of the BuffaSlug
CORE PLAYERS
Assessing the team as it stands now, there ARE some really good players that can be great supporting players. However, the Sabres definitely don’t have a bonafide guy that they can build around.
CODY HODGSON – He’s currently the leading scorer of the team at 15 points. I’m pretty confident in saying HE IS their best player not named “Ryan Miller”. At the ripe age of 23 and locked until 2018-19, don’t expect him to go anywhere.
MARCUS FOLIGNO – He has all the potential to be a real gritty guy that everyone hates to play against. Everyone wants a guy like him. If he can continue the development and put more pucks in the twine he can be a Sabre for quite some time. Very Milan Lucic-esque.
ZEMGUS GIRGENSONS – BIG, YOUNG, CENTER…nuff said
MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO – See “Zemgus Girgensons”
TYLER MYERS – He hasn’t really hit his full stride since an absolutely stellar rookie season in 2009-10. At the moment his value has been at an all-time low. Buffalo’s better off starting a rebuild with him being their prize piece on the blue line than watching him flourish elsewhere.
Cody “The Sabretooth” Hodgson
PIECES THAT SHOULD BE MOVED
RYAN MILLER – The market might not be the best right now, but standing pat is even worse (see Luongo-Schneider saga). Buffalo is all too familiar with watching pending free agents leave for nothing. Getting anything is better than nothing.
MATT MOULSON – Once again, the pending free agent rule applies. Even though he is new to the blue and gold, his colours need to be switched soon. Only getting a 1st and 2nd rounder for Thomas Vanek just looks gross.
STEVE OTT – He may have been given the role of captain recently, but don’t expect that to last long. He was once one of the more prized trading pieces in Dallas and I’m sure he will be again this year with the truculence and experience he embodies at just under $3 million for the rest of the season.
JOHN SCOTT – If they can get an extra bucket of pucks for practice….make the move.
VILLE LEINO – You might as well have thrown $4.5 million into the trash. Only team that will take him will be the Rochester Americans.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
In the past two years at the NHL Draft, the Sabres have snagged 4 first round picks: Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Zadorov, Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons, all of whom are playing right now. So the fact that their cupboards are somewhat stocked is a plus. Not to mention that they have two more picks in the first round going into this summer (NYI 1st Rounder). I wouldn’t be surprised if they collected another closer to the deadline as well.
SO, WHAT’S THE PLAN?
The conventional “rebuild” entails simply tanking and performing poorly. If Pat LaFontaine were smart he would hire a GM that would have this ideology. Looking at junior players that are coming up in the next couple of drafts, the Sabres should be feeling giddy. Players like Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos and John Tavares have literally turned over the faces of the franchises that they play for. Connor McDavid is an exceptional prospect that has the hype (such as thoses players did) and has the play to back it up. His draft year isn’t for another year, but he has everything needed to turn the city of Buffalo around if he is given the chance.
Connor McDavid – Erie Otters Centre.
The long road for Buffalo Sabres fans is just beginning and the rebuild is in the very early stages. However, if the team now overseen by La-La-La-Lafontaine and Ted Nolan do it right, the Buffalo Sabres have all the tools to build something great and bring them back to the French Connection Days. Hopefully by that time a goal in the crease won’t halt them from getting a sip from the Cup.
FANTASTIC FORE 