Jan 7th 2016
Jan 7th 2016----
another installment of rants: Buffalo Sabres: second worst record in NHL; third least amount of goals scored. Columbus Blue Jackets: worst record in NHL and dropping fast. What do both teams have in common (other than their terrible 2015-16 records)? What do these two teams lack that EVERY other NHL team has (many of whom have a multitude of them)? Keep guessing...Buffalo has one and Columbus has zero...That's right, it's a European forward. Why is it that Chicago can find Panarin from the KHL, Terevainin, and Anisimov; why is it that Detroit can find Tatar, Nyquist, Zetterberg and Datzuyk; Why does Boston find Krejci and get Erickson? Why does Montreal find Plecanic, Florida Barkov, Colorado Llandesgog, Flyers Vorachek, and on and on and on....
We have a nice third line two-way center/wing named Girgensons. It almost seems as though the Sabres have an aversion to drafting or trading for Euro's under the old-line dinosaur mentality that Europeans are soft and not made for the NHL. Finland has won two of the past three World Junior Championships. Sweeden and Russia are always in the mix at the World Juniors yet we continually draft NA players like Fashing, Cornel, Lemieux, Compfer, Hurley, Bailey and Baptiste when other more skilled Euro's get passed up. IMHO this is not a coincidence but, rather is something that is ingrained in the head of GM TM. The rest of the league understands that in order to score you need some guys with speed. Drafting guys with third line upside in the 2nd round year after year makes me wonder about him. He did the tank very well and we got 23 and 15. The O'Reilly trade was great. The Myers/Stafford/Lemeuix/Armia and 1st round pick for Kane and Bogosian looks worse and worse each day (Stafford has 14 goals and Myers is much better than Bogosian-much less the rest of the deal). The Lehner deal is a question mark although giving up a first for an unproven goalie is alot. What he got (or didn't get) for Mitchell, Flynn, Neuverth, Enroth, etc..., all of whom are playing regular shifts for playoff teams). Trading McNab and Parker and two 2nd rounders for Fashing and Delauriers and the signings of Moulson and Gionta to long term deals at their ages also now looks like it's problematic and will result in the Pegulas once again buying out someone again.
For all the joy in Mudville/Buffalo when Tim Murray was hired and Darcy Regier fired the joy has long since gone stale. ANYONE can select a team bad enough to lose and finish last if they try hard enough. anyone can take the 2nd pick in the draft and pick 23 or 15. It takes good GM's to find Tatar and Nyquist at the end of round one or in round two. It takes good GMs to find Panarin a 24 year old from the KHL and bring him here... So far I've seen one great trade, a bunch of questionable if not outright bad trades and a bunch of big slowfooted North Ameicans getting drafted and languishing in the minors. Not impressed with GM TM.
