Man, there’s been so much going on lately, and I have been so poor at commenting, i wonder if I still have ANY readers. I was away on vacation from February 18th through the 28th, and while I was in touch with the Sabres world, I didn’t have the ability to really comment on it.
Of course, while I was gone, three fairly big events happened in the Sabres world. The first being the largest: Terry Pegula and his family taking over the ownership / management of the Sabres. A lot has been said elsewhere about his desire to spend money, his being a fan of the team, and the whole comment “the Sabres are about winning a Stanley Cup.”
First of all, I want to say that 75 % of what’s said by anyone involved in any team is meaningless. For instance, the comments about winning the Stanley Cup. First of all, is any owner NOT going to say this? What makes Terry Pegula stating the fact any different from any other owner. Perhaps a team like the Phoenix Coyotes wouldn’t be saying this right now – as in “Our main goal is not to collapse as a franchise” – but in general, all owners are going to make these statements. So, as far as this goes, don’t tell me, show me.
But, there’s an awful lot to like in what Terry Pegula has said. In particular, the emotionality he projected at his press conference, it projects that fact that he really, really cares and understands what it means to be a fan, and what it would mean to this city and its fans to put a winning product on the ice. I beleive whole-heartedly in his sincerity at to what he wants to do…but that still doesn’t mean that he can pull it off.
Even the discussion of “spending what it takes”. That’s good, more money available for the scouting department, player developement, and coaching should improve their chances…but again, it needs to be done WISELY. There are plenty of examples of teams spending like crazy and not being successful, and that’s BEFORE the days of a salary cap.
I can’t know this yet, but I think Terry Pegula understands this too. So far, he’s brought in people (Ted Black and Ken Sawyer) that have experience in an organization that have been successful. He has to this point held on to Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff, and while I am personally of the opinion that Darcy Regier should be dismissed early in the off-season, I can respect his decision not to respond with an immediate dismissal of either of these Sabres mainstays. I would hope (and again this is just supposition) that he wants a chance to get an impression on these two men and how receptive they are to his way of operating.
As stated before, much of what is said in public is meaningless…so when Terry Pegula says “Darcy Regier ain’t goin’ nowhere!”, what does that really mean? All it means is “I’m not firing him right now.” And what sense would replacing Regier at this stage do? The least necessary a GM is within an organization is front the end of the trade deadline to the start of the off-season. The one exception being I suppose he could start contract negotiations with UFAs, but typically if it hasn’t been done by now, they are more than likely going to wait until the season is over. The same goes for Regier comments of the last week. Of COURSE he’s going to say how much he likes working with the new ownership. Picture this in your own life….your current boss lets it be known he’s going to retire, and the new boss comes in with his staff. What are you going to say when the company newsletter comes to interview you a few weeks later…”Geez, I’m not sure about these guys!”…of course not, you will praise them effusively…right?
But, the one comment Darcy has made that sticks with me is when talking about proposals for an expanded scouting department…I’m paraphrasing here, but he said that Mr Pegula felt that the original proposal was too help back, and he asked Darcy whether this was so, and Darcy said that he was so used to being told “no” that he didn’t feel comfortable putting out what he most wanted. This to me, says an awful lot about how the old regime works, and how the new regime will work. Whether Darcy (or Lindy) have a place in that regime has yet to be determined in my mind, and I am pretty confident in ownerships mind. But, I wouldn’t put it past Darcy being here for a while longer, but would expect the leash to be much shorter than it used to be. Unfettered, he will be expected to deliver an improved hockey team in short order.
I’d like to comment on something that is almost to me the MOST telling thing about the start of the Pegula era, that this is a family affair. He introduced his wife and children at the press conference, and not just a “here’s my wife and kids” sense, but in a “these are the people that make up my family” sense. I get the feeling that his wife will be involved in the organization, and that while his kids won’t be specifically involved, they will be a presence. In particular, his children are providing a window into what may be the first “media generation” ownership. Two of his daughters have been posting heavily on Twitter and Jessie Pegula has begun writing her own blog which includes commentary and videos of her and her family. (I hesitate to provide the link to it, but it isn’t hard to find.) Perhaps I am reading too much into it, and perhaps it is just coming across as excitement at the start of a new venture, but you get the feeling that this family will be involved with this team for a very, very long time.
So, early on I mentioned 3 events that occurred while I was gone, though the other two are to me strongly linked with the new ownership. The first is the waiving of Craig Rivet, and the second is the trade for Brad Boyes.
Let’s face it, Craig Rivet is at the end of his career. He really isn’t of too old an age to play, but in the last two years he has certainly lost his ability. I don’t know if it is injury or a loss of desire, but whatever the reason, the Sabres were paying him $3.5 million to sit in the press box. What the Sabres did in waiving him and allowing Columbus to pick him up is let Columbus take on half of his cap and half of his salary. This is something they NEVER did under Golisano/Quinn. But, doesn’t it make sense…if your going to pay a guy $3.5 million not to play on your team, isn’t it better to pay him $1.75 million not to play on your team? In truth, you are saving money, and freeing up a roster spot. Why not? Again, it only makes sense, but you really get the feeling the “old Sabres” would never have done it.
Then, the trade for Brad Boyes at the deadline. Yes, we can be disappointed that they didn’t send any of the dead-wood on this team out the door, but doing so is harder than it looks to the casual fan. And, you can tell that they basically decided “No rental players, but we want to improve this team.” And that’s what they did with Boyes. Exactly what we’re going to get with him is a big question mark…he broke out well in his third and fourth professional seasons, scoring 76 goals in two seasons between 2007 and 2009. Then, last year he dropped to 14 goals and 42 points, and this year has seen only a slight improvement, with 13 g, 43 p in 63 games. However, I think this was a good move. While his contract is a tad big, it’s not over burdensome ($4 million per) and he has one more year on his contract.) Can he return some of his goal-scoring touch in a different system? Even if he provides 25 goals next season, it’s an addition that prove more than worthy of the 2nd round pick that was lost in the trade. (In my view, ANY non-first round pick is up for grabs, as prospects are so hard to predict and so far from being worth-while.)
So, for all that, I didn’t even touch on the teams play or there chances for a playoff berth. I think anyone would think they have a realistic shot. The team sits 2 points out of a playoff spot, with 2 games in hand. Even the seventh spot is well within reach, and in general they are playing pretty solid hockey. Of the teams vying for those spots (Carolina, NY Rangers, and Buffalo) they are statistically tied, but having two/three games in hand is actually a good thing in this case…as if you think about it, they have the opportunity to get 15 % more points than the Rangers do. (The Rangers can at most get 34 more points, while the Sabres have a shot at 40.) The Rangers and Hurricanes have been moving backward of late, while as the Sabres have been moving forward.
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Peter Scheidle