Did Darcy Ruin the Sabres Chances this Year?

[comericatigers]

Darcy may have ruined the sabres chances this year. The defense is unable to keep up with the league's elite offensive players nor can our defense score--This is Darcy's fault. On Alfredson's (however you spell his name) goal the Sabres had three guys on him and he still scored. When teams make a move at the trading deadline it usually enables that team to kick it up a notch and go into the playoffs hot. The last time the Sabres went deep into the playoffs and the Stanley Cup we added Juneau, Sanderson, Heinz, and Gilmour. The sabres should have repeated history. Not making a move has kept them in neutral.

I hope the Sabres break out of this and I know Darcy built a good team, but Darcy could have done more.

[SabresMB3]

I wouldnt say not making a move this year is a "bad decision" I mean we were battling for first place with the core of players that we had, and it just seams right now we are rolling over and playing dead, i dont know if its the injuries keeping up, or just the year off it taking its toll in endurance but we are not looking good against the elite teams this year. I do believe we should have done something to solidify the defensive corps. I honestly dont believe we can win the cup this year by the way we are playing. I have to say I am still a believer we can win it all, just we need some help from some underdogs to knock out the Sens or the Canes

[two4trippn]

To answer the thread - NO he didnt. He created the club which put themselves in their elite position which is beginning to slip a bit. I'd rather slip now and correct it before the playoffs start. We're complaining about a club projected to be 10th-12th in the east that could still go deep into the playoffs without a major in season tweak.

[TheAnswer74]

As bad as this team is playing at times during this stretch, they have played some good teams and they have had some bad luck.

[CoachC.]

....The last time the Sabres went deep into the playoffs and the Stanley Cup we added Juneau, Sanderson, Heinz, and Gilmour.....

That's not true.

All of those players were acquired at different times, not the year we went to the Cup finals. Juneau was the only one that year we got at the deadline (1999).

Sanderson was acquired the off-season before (May, 1998).
Gilmour came aboard the following year at the deadline (March, 2000).
Heinz was acquired the year after that (two years after the Cup; March, 2001).

Interestingly enough, take a look at who we did get at the deadline the year we went to the finals and the following year. Some of these guys are our core group NOW and had nothing to do with that run: (Miller and Roy with draft picks, and Dumont in the Gilmour deal).

March 11,1999
Matt Barnaby to Pittsburgh for Stu Barnes

March 23,1999
Mike Wilson to Florida for Rhett Warrener and a 1999 5th round draft pick (Ryan Miller)

March 23,1999
Derek Plante to Dallas for 1999 2nd round draft pick (Michael Zigomanis)

March 23,1999
Alexei Tezikov to Washington for Joe Juneau and a 2000 4th round draft pick (Tim Preston) (Sabres 4th round pick sent later as compensation)

WENT TO CUP FINALS

And take a look at the following year's deadline when the same thing happened:

January 24,2000
A 2000 8th round pick, and a 6th round pick in 2001 to Los Angeles for Vladimir Tsyplakov, 8th round pick in 2001 (Marek Dubec)

March 10,2000
Cory Sarich, Wayne Primeau, Brian Holzinger and a 2000 3rd round draft pick to Tampa Bay for Chris Gratton and a 2001 2nd round draft pick (Derek Roy).

March 10,2000
Michal Grosek to Chicago for Doug Gilmour and Jean-Pierre Dumont

LOST IN FIRST ROUND (Philly).

Looking at all of this, I'd say we robbed some teams pretty bad over that time period (partly because we've drafted well with the picks), but we had to wait 6-7 years to know it.

[smashingt2312]

Well i would of like to seen some like Willie Mitchell come in, but i dont think that it sunk the season, first of all this is the worst stretch we've had this year, all teams go through this, plus we dont have connoly and hecht, two big playmakers, Darcy did nothing wrong, so everyone chill.

[Thumper]

That's not true.

All of those players were acquired at different times, not the year we went to the Cup finals. Juneau was the only one that year we got at the deadline (1999).


That is correct! Thanks for pointing that out.


Sanderson was acquired the off-season before (May, 1998).


Actually, Regier's first deal as GM of the Buffalo Sabres was trading Brad May to Vancouver for Geoff Sanderson. I'm pretty sure it was just before the trade deadline.

He followed that with a trade for Paul Kruse. I believe it was Dawe for Kruse.


Interestingly enough, take a look at who we did get at the deadline the year we went to the finals and the following year. Some of these guys are our core group NOW and had nothing to do with that run: (Miller and Roy with draft picks, and Dumont in the Gilmour deal).

March 11,1999
Matt Barnaby to Pittsburgh for Stu Barnes

March 23,1999
Mike Wilson to Florida for Rhett Warrener and a 1999 5th round draft pick (Ryan Miller)

March 23,1999
Derek Plante to Dallas for 1999 2nd round draft pick (Michael Zigomanis)

March 23,1999
Alexei Tezikov to Washington for Joe Juneau and a 2000 4th round draft pick (Tim Preston) (Sabres 4th round pick sent later as compensation)

WENT TO CUP FINALS

And take a look at the following year's deadline when the same thing happened:

January 24,2000
A 2000 8th round pick, and a 6th round pick in 2001 to Los Angeles for Vladimir Tsyplakov, 8th round pick in 2001 (Marek Dubec)

March 10,2000
Cory Sarich, Wayne Primeau, Brian Holzinger and a 2000 3rd round draft pick to Tampa Bay for Chris Gratton and a 2001 2nd round draft pick (Derek Roy).

March 10,2000
Michal Grosek to Chicago for Doug Gilmour and Jean-Pierre Dumont

LOST IN FIRST ROUND (Philly).

Looking at all of this, I'd say we robbed some teams pretty bad over that time period (partly because we've drafted well with the picks), but we had to wait 6-7 years to know it.

The rest of this post is great.

[LALAFONTAINE]

Darcy may have ruined the sabres chances this year. The defense is unable to keep up with the league's elite offensive players nor can our defense score--This is Darcy's fault. On Alfredson's (however you spell his name) goal the Sabres had three guys on him and he still scored. When teams make a move at the trading deadline it usually enables that team to kick it up a notch and go into the playoffs hot. The last time the Sabres went deep into the playoffs and the Stanley Cup we added Juneau, Sanderson, Heinz, and Gilmour. The sabres should have repeated history. Not making a move has kept them in neutral.

I hope the Sabres break out of this and I know Darcy built a good team, but Darcy could have done more.

Heinz and Gilmour did not precede a deep run.

That said, we did make moves prior to our 1998 and 1999 runs.

Don't forget the jettisoning of Barnaby, which got rid of a cancer and solidified the Sabres locker room.

[buffjoe]

Sure he could've made a couple of moves to make them a Stanley Cup contender but there is no urgency to win it all this year.

[LALAFONTAINE]

September 24,1997
1998 5th round draft pick (Robert Scuderi) to Pittsburgh for Jason Woolley

September 29,1997
Pat LaFontaine to NY Rangers for 1998 2nd round pick (Andrew Peters) and a conditional pick in the 2000 draft (5th round, not exercised)

November 12,1997
Andrei Trefilov to Chicago for undisclosed draft pick

February 04,1998
Brad May and a 1999 3rd round draft pick to Vancouver for Geoff Sanderson

March 24,1998
Jason Dawe to NY Islanders for Paul Kruse and Jason Holland

Sanderson, Kruse and Holland acquired for May and Dawe. We went to the ECF.

June 18,1998
Steve Shields and a 1998 4th round draft pick to San Jose for Kay Whitmore and a 1998 2nd (Jaroslav Kristek), 5th round draft pick (Expansion draft move)

December 19,1998
Donald Audette to Los Angeles for 1999 2nd round draft pick (Milan Bartovic)

March 11,1999
Matt Barnaby to Pittsburgh for Stu Barnes

March 23,1999
Mike Wilson to Florida for Rhett Warrener and a 1999 5th round draft pick (Ryan Miller)

March 23,1999
Derek Plante to Dallas for 1999 2nd round draft pick (Michael Zigomanis)

March 23,1999
Alexei Tezikov to Washington for Joe Juneau and a 2000 4th round draft pick (Tim Preston) (Sabres 4th round pick sent later as compensation)

We all know how that year turned out.

I thought Regier would make three or four deals, to help the Sabres depth. If Kalinin regains his form and Campbell doesn't become a timebomb and we stay healthy behind the blueline, or Jillson/Fitzpatrick/Janik can come in and play great, then he made the right move.

As I said before, I think we should have made moves. I hope everyone's happy having two starting goaltenders.

[comericatigers]

Thanks for pointing out the exact years of those trades. If I am not mistaken, Heinz and Gilmore helped the Sabres make the playoffs (without diong research we were usually the 7th and/or 8th seed). We needed somebody to help us go deep into the playoffs this year. Darcy didn't do anything for this playoff run. He did at least something for the playoff runs before which ended in 2001 (the end of Hasek).

[Thumper]

At the same time though, Darcy has never had a team so dominating for an entire regular season. This trade deadline was different from every other one Regier has been here for.

There wasn't much improvements to make. Do I think we should have traded Biron and kept Noronen? Yes. Pay roll reasons, and we would have gotten back more for Biron than we did for Noronen.

But at the same time, every possible playoff team in the entire league was looking for top 4 defensemen. The asking price was most likely ridiculously high for many of them. The defensemen that switched teams at this years deadline wouldn't have cracked our top 4 anyways.

There's a lot of reasons why the roster stayed the same.

[Circusboy39]

Anyone else think the crazy schedule is just wearing these guys down? I mean that's the biggest diffrence I see between now and before. We've got alot of young players, players who haven't even been through an entire NHL schedule before, let alone a condensed one, playing in all kinds of key positions.

I mean who is playing good right now? Briere? He's fresh because he's been out half the year. Everyone else, especialy the defense and rookies are DRAGGING. Not to mention our two biggest additions and the players who turned our back end into such a force for the first half both played all those extra olympic games, along with Drury, Max, and I guess Kotalik to some extent. Maybe that's partly why these players have dropped off a bit recently. I mean Lydman dosen't even practice anymore! To me this team needs a big time breather and unfortunately there isn't one between now and the offseason.

[The REAL Sabres]

If I am not mistaken, Heinz and Gilmore helped the Sabres make the playoffs (without diong research we were usually the 7th and/or 8th seed). We needed somebody to help us go deep into the playoffs this year. Darcy didn't do anything for this playoff run. He did at least something for the playoff runs before which ended in 2001 (the end of Hasek).In 2001, we had a better team than we did in 1999. If it wasn't for Doug Gilmour's valiant back-checking effort, I think we could've went to the Cup that year instead of the Devils (Devils defeated Penguins 4 games to 1 in the Conference Finals after Johan Hedberg got injured in game 7 of our series against Pittsburgh; Devils lost the Cup in seven to Colorado--Ray Bourque blah, blah, blah).

And Steve Heinze will go down in history (til this April at least), as the last Buffalo Sabre to score a goal in the playoffs when he did early in the third period in game 7. Also, it was Hasek's last appearance as a Sabre and closed the greatest chapter in Sabres history.

BTW, we were 5th that year and beat Philly in six in the Conference Quarterfinals (hmm, that reminds me: stay tuned for another thread by me in the near future).

Oh, and to answer the question: "did Darcy Ruin the Sabres Chances this Year?"...

No. I have a lot of faith in Ruff teams in the playoffs.

[Hockeystud1414]

Lets see what happens in the playoffs. I think if we start to slip down to 7th or 8th place in the conference and lose in the first round, then darcy needs to be fired. But if we start turning things around, and start winning again, then we'll see. It's too hard to really determine right now.

[LALAFONTAINE]

At the same time though, Darcy has never had a team so dominating for an entire regular season. This trade deadline was different from every other one Regier has been here for.

There wasn't much improvements to make. Do I think we should have traded Biron and kept Noronen? Yes. Pay roll reasons, and we would have gotten back more for Biron than we did for Noronen.

But at the same time, every possible playoff team in the entire league was looking for top 4 defensemen. The asking price was most likely ridiculously high for many of them. The defensemen that switched teams at this years deadline wouldn't have cracked our top 4 anyways.

There's a lot of reasons why the roster stayed the same.

The Sabres played extremely well to close 1998 and to start 1999. And then Matt Barnababy started whining and disrupting chemistry. The Sabres had the top record for calendar 1998. And Regier showed no reluctance to play around with that team.

[LALAFONTAINE]

No. I have a lot of faith in Ruff teams in the playoffs.

Exactly. I'm having trouble thinking of a coach I'd rather have.

[two4trippn]

Gee the way Miller is playing since the Olympic break, he may have saved them by keeping Biron. Sometimes the moves you dont make are better than those who wish you had.

[McD]

Ruff needs to step it up. These guys are getting owned, and they don't seem to know how to fix it or seem to care.

[Iggy72]

12 more games to fix it, with the Flyers and the Rangers coming on strong.

Pax.
Iggy72

[MikePeca27]

I was accused of beating a dead horse when i brought this up lol

[smashingt2312]

Thanks for pointing out the exact years of those trades. If I am not mistaken, Heinz and Gilmore helped the Sabres make the playoffs (without diong research we were usually the 7th and/or 8th seed). We needed somebody to help us go deep into the playoffs this year. Darcy didn't do anything for this playoff run. He did at least something for the playoff runs before which ended in 2001 (the end of Hasek).

The year we got them we were ranked 5th if i believe, we had a stacked team and we had like 98 points and peat philly in the first round, then it was when the penguins beat us, had that miraculous comeback. We had audette too.