Nothing will be done. We all know this. And we will all hope for playoffs next year with the same team.
Keep Miller, Rivet, Kaleta, and RJ... Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE ELSE - even the ******* Zamboni driver, can leave and never come back. Management has so royally fucked this team, it's not even funny. I yearn for the days when we had "the hardest working team in hockey". Seems that Mike Grier's ominous parting shot, about the Sabres management "lack of commitment to winning" is ringing true.
Aside from a couple of players on the team, there's no guts, no grit, and no clutchiness. One or two moves won't fix that.
The trade deadline was a disaster. Not only did they make "moves" that weren't worth the paper they were written on, they didn't move one UFA to acquire some picks or prospects (future assets), so, of course, once again, the UFA's will walk away with nothing gained, or be signed to overbloated contracts. Poor asset management over the last 3+ years has given the franchise a mediocre product with some high salaries for players who don't earn them. After Shanghaiing themselves the past few summers, they decided it would be best to lock up long term contracts for a few players who shouldn't have received them... it was a reactionary move from previous mistakes.
For the most part, the team is overpaid mediocrity.
Pominville has gotten roughly $33 million dollars from this franchise based on one good goal vs Ottawa, one signature call from RJ and one season of excellent line mates. Connolly has gotten roughly $18 million dollars from this franchise based on a 7 game stretch in the '06 playoffs and a 15 game stretch from January to February of this season. Your #1 forward who makes $7+ MILLION per season should be leading in TOI, be out for the entire 2 minutes of a PP, and be clutch. Vanek does none of these things, nor does he earn them. How Gaustad ever got his fat contract, is a complete mystery - even though he's about my favorite player on the team. Any one of them of them could be the poster child of the 'Regier Era'.
I saw the '08-'09 season as a transitional season... transitioning to what exactly, I wasn't sure. Today, I still don't know what's going on with the team, what the direction is. There's some AHL talent and some talent in juniors, but in order to climb out of the mud pit, this franchise will have to have more than that. A lot more.
__________________
...Rob
The American Dream isn't an SUV and a house in the suburbs;
it's Don't Tread On Me.
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