Sabres On Pace To Set Some New NHL Records - Yes or No?

[Winged_Wheel88]

Does anyone know when IPW gets out of rehab this time?

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Decided to dust this one off, since they're starting out so wonderfully this year.

1) Fewest points in a season: 24, by the 1974-75 Washington Capitals.

2) Fewest wins: 8, by the 1974-75 Caps.

3) Fewest goals: 133, by the 1953-54 Chicago Blackhawks.

4) Most shutout losses: 16, by the 2006-07 Columbus Blue Jackets.

5) Worst power play percentage: 9.35 percent, by the 1997-98 Tampa Bay Lightning.

Currently they'd be on pace for:
1) 33 points
2) 16 wins (though only 8 regulation/OT)
3) 82 goals
4) 33 shutouts (yes, you read that right)
5) 0%

Amazingly enough, they're actually ahead of Carolina in 1 & 2 and tied with Minnesota for 5. Though Buffalo has had 6 more attempts (32 vs. 26), so I guess you could say they're still worse.

Worth mentioning that there are more games played today than back then (although not by much - only 2 more), and we also have the OTL point that those teams didn't (and OT, for that matter).

I think they can break the goals, PP% and most times shutout.

 

[forty_three]

Decided to dust this one off, since they're starting out so wonderfully this year.

1) Fewest points in a season: 24, by the 1974-75 Washington Capitals.

2) Fewest wins: 8, by the 1974-75 Caps.

3) Fewest goals: 133, by the 1953-54 Chicago Blackhawks.

4) Most shutout losses: 16, by the 2006-07 Columbus Blue Jackets.

5) Worst power play percentage: 9.35 percent, by the 1997-98 Tampa Bay Lightning.

Currently they'd be on pace for:
1) 33 points
2) 16 wins (though only 8 regulation/OT)
3) 82 goals
4) 33 shutouts (yes, you read that right)
5) 0%

Amazingly enough, they're actually ahead of Carolina in 1 & 2 and tied with Minnesota for 5. Though Buffalo has had 6 more attempts (32 vs. 26), so I guess you could say they're still worse.

Sorry, but I am really rooting for this. I would accept 17.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

Worth mentioning that there are more games played today than back then (although not by much - only 2 more), and we also have the OTL point that those teams didn't (and OT, for that matter).

I think they can break the goals, PP% and most times shutout.

Yeah, I wasn't in the mood to get into winning % and what-not. In some of the updates during last season I did account for the SO (counting those wins as ties) and the longer season.

The NHL for whatever reason (OK, I know the reason, it's the same reason we have the shootout, etc.) tracks records in absolutes rather than relative % or without even a caveat like saying the Lions are the only team to be winless in a 16 game season.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

Sorry, but I am really rooting for this. I would accept 17.

The numbers are unreal. They've been shutout in 4 of their last 6. Statistics and common sense tell us that's simply not possible to maintain that pace, but I could see them having a legit shot at that record.

 

[Abe Vigoda]

Can the next Sabres draft pick pull an Eric Lindros?

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Can the next Sabres draft pick pull an Eric Lindros?

Doubt that would ever happen today. Too much money on the table to be fucking around.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Can the next Sabres draft pick pull an Eric Lindros?

No chance that happens. Pegula is a good owner. I'm just not sold on the GM or the Scouts. Of course it doesn't really matter if they have a top 2 pick in 2015. It's going to be interesting if they can get Dylan Strome along with McDavid. They're kicking butt in the OHl right now.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

No chance that happens. Pegula is a good owner. I'm just not sold on the GM or the Scouts. Of course it doesn't really matter if they have a top 2 pick in 2015. It's going to be interesting if they can get Dylan Strome along with McDavid. They're kicking butt in the OHl right now.

I don't think the owner had much to do with Eric Lindros' situation in Quebec City...

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I don't think the owner had much to do with Eric Lindros' situation in Quebec City...

All we have to do is take a look at the Sabres roster. They have a lot of UFA's at the end of the season. Pegula will spend the money necessary to improve the team. The only thing holding the team back will be the decisions made by the GM in terms of who he signs. Regier did horrible with his signings. Murray didn't do any better this offseason. I can't believe he gave Moulson 5 years.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

All we have to do is take a look at the Sabres roster. They have a lot of UFA's at the end of the season. Pegula will spend the money necessary to improve the team. The only thing holding the team back will be the decisions made by the GM in terms of who he signs. Regier did horrible with his signings. Murray didn't do any better this offseason. I can't believe he gave Moulson 5 years.

A big part of that was leverage. When Regier was throwing Pegula's money around he had a team that was a competitor, so it wasn't hard to convince guys to come play there.

Murray has no such luxury, so he has to overpay, whether it be salary, length, NMC/NTC, etc. to convince guys to play for a team that everyone knows is going nowhere for a few years at least.

Some of these are guys on the downsides of their career and know they're not likely to get any looks from real competitors (Gionta) and others are guys that you have to throw a bit more job security at (Moulson).

I said at the time of the Moulson signing that I would have preferred something like 4 years $24M ($6M AAV) rather than the 5/$25M, but I'm sure Moulson said he wanted longer term because he knows the first few years (at least) are going to be thrown away on a team that's not going to stand a chance of winning anything.

I'm thinking it's probably because they're a cash rich team. They've got no problem with some dead money in a few years if they need to do a buyout on the last year or two of the contract. Won't be a major cap issue either because they'll have a lot of guys on ELC contracts still.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

What's going on with Grigorenko?

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

What's going on with Grigorenko?

Finally old enough to play in the AHL this year so they sent him there.

I think he's first on the call-up list when injuries hit down the middle.

I also think it's the right move. He had a good camp/preseason and is probably good enough to play for this team already, but I think it's better for him to play for a competitive team.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Finally old enough to play in the AHL this year so they sent him there.

I think he's first on the call-up list when injuries hit down the middle.

I also think it's the right move. He had a good camp/preseason and is probably good enough to play for this team already, but I think it's better for him to play for a competitive team.

I get what your saying, but he's in the final year of his ELC. Is he going to be willing to take less & continue to pursue a NHL career or do what Burmistrov did to Winnipeg?

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

I get what your saying, but he's in the final year of his ELC. Is he going to be willing to take less & continue to pursue a NHL career or do what Burmistrov did to Winnipeg?

He'll get his time in Buffalo this year. He'll be the first call-up when the injuries set in and I think he'll spend some time there anyhow on a rotational basis.

Publicly at least he seems to have changed his attitude for the better these last couple seasons and I think he still wants to play in the NHL.

Obviously you never know what's gonna happen if a KHL team drives a dump truck of cash up to his front door, but he seems like he wants to be in N. America.

Big difference vs. Burmistrov too is that Burmistrov went back to his home town team as a UFA, whereas (I think) Grigorenko would be required to go to CSKA since they drafted him and he's from the complete opposite side of the country. Burmistrov also spent three years in the Kazan development program, so his ties to the organization and league were a bit deeper.

 

[buffhockey]

Does anyone know when IPW gets out of rehab this time?

Rehab - he on an extended vacation with the "family"

 

[tducey]

Yeah, think Grigorenko will be a good 1 but he could lost in the shuffle in Buffalo if Buffalo gets one of Mcdavid or Eichel in the 2015 draft.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

Yeah, think Grigorenko will be a good 1 but he could lost in the shuffle in Buffalo if Buffalo gets one of Mcdavid or Eichel in the 2015 draft.

A couple of the other guys can easily move the wing if things work out.

Personally I'm salivating at the thought of in a few years having developed McDavid/Eichel, Reinhart, Girgensons, and Grigorenko down the middle.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I hope things work out with Grigorenko, but he's got so much to prove & will have already completed his ELC. The one issue I have with the way the Sabres are handling their young players is it's similar to what Edmonton is doing. Some of these guys are going to demand big contracts after their first three years. Just like Eberle, Hall & Nugent-Hopkins. Paying them won't be a problem. Surrounding them with help could be down the line. Hopefully it becomes a nice problem to have. Only time will tell of course.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

I hope things work out with Grigorenko, but he's got so much to prove & will have already completed his ELC. The one issue I have with the way the Sabres are handling their young players is it's similar to what Edmonton is doing. Some of these guys are going to demand big contracts after their first three years. Just like Eberle, Hall & Nugent-Hopkins. Paying them won't be a problem. Surrounding them with help could be down the line. Hopefully it becomes a nice problem to have. Only time will tell of course.

Yeah, I'm not sure how much he could reasonably expect to get unless he spends significant time in the NHL this year.

I didn't like the way Regier handled the situation by burning that first year of his ELC even though he had shown very little to justify it through 9 games.

Since then though I feel like they've handled it well. He was kind of a bitch last year and they stuck to their guns. This year his attitude seems to have changed and he seems to be working hard rather than just bitching.