Baker Fairburn Hockey Show – January 24, 2024 – West not best as Sabres begin trip

Baker Fairburn Hockey Show – January 24, 2024 – West not best as Sabres begin trip

All right the baker Fairburn hockey show is live Wednesday evening January 24th 2024 we’ll let some people get in here Matthew but um happy Wednesday since you and I were last together Matthew the Sabers have uh dropped two straight games one at home which was a big game

To Tampa dropping a 3-1 decision there really needed that one they packed their bag they get on the bird out west and they open a three game West Coast trip on Tuesday evening last night with a 4-2 loss to Anaheim but I think that game wasn’t as close as the final score

Indicates it was a three- nothing score I think through probably what 54 minutes or so sabr pull the goalie and get a couple quick ones but it seems like Groundhog Day here Matthew too I want to say with this team it’s uh they show signs of Life can’t sustain really

Anything offensively breakdowns but I thought the Anaheim game last night was just had a different vibe a different flavor than some of the other shortcomings that we’ve seen in this first half plus of the Season you you feel the same way about that that game was just a cluster from kind start to

Finish yeah the way they came out was you know Kevin here in the chat says he turned the game off when it was three to nothing and that the poor effort was shocking U he said it was first time all year that he’s done that which I give

Kevin a lot of credit if that’s the first time all year that he’s done that because there’s been other games where it would have been Justified but that one I definitely don’t blame you given the you know you got the late start on the East Coast right the 10 o’clock

Start and yeah you know you got bagr on the call uh you know not everybody’s you know have they won a game besides like I think Halloween where Tage had a bunch of goals and against Detroit have they won another game that BCI gross has called it seems like he’s like the angel

Of death for this team it seems it seems he’s not the best of luck especially this year and they go down three nothing to one of the worst teams in the NHL entering a road trip where the talk is about the urgency right and the the need for points and putting a streak

Together and that’s the effort that they came out with and so once again after the game we we’ve got Don Granado talking about compete level and these buzzword that are feeling empty at the moment and I think that’s the you know probably why Kevin uses the word shocking that that here they

Are in late January at this point and it’s the same thing there’s no urgency no energy really early in that game after a tough loss against Tampa where they played okay but not you know these are losses that you could chalk up as you know tough nights if

They were stacking points elsewhere but they’re not and so I think there’s a lot of common problems popping up and it’s why the conversation is going to keep coming back to Don Granado behind the bench unfortunately for him because I think part of it is how this roster was built

But sometimes the first solution that a general manager looks for is to swap out the coach and figure out if a different voice can spark something in the group but I don’t know it feels too little too late for that at this point doesn’t it

You know you I don’t know um I was thinking about it a little bit today I don’t know if it’s too late I mean there’s two scenarios we’ve discussed them ad nauseum on this show you keep them and you make a move in the offseason you disrupt things but then

You know we talked about the Vancouver situation from a year ago when they brought in taket they installed the new system and it allowed them to kind of get ahead and get a good jump on this season in Vancouver and that’s kind of where I’m at and I’m not one of these

Guys that is calling for jobs a lot of times or I’m out you know head hunting trying to I’m I’m pretty I’m I usually I think I’m reading the situation kind of understand the Sab budget understanding kind of how they’ve uh built a long-term strategy here but

They have too much talent on the team and I don’t even think it’s a Kevin Adams I think you hit it the reason that he should do it now is to freshen up that voice and get that Talent going it’s not cover your ass if you’re the general manager because that’s

Another play that a lot of uh Executives make is okay I’m going to make a move on the coach to buy myself some time and see if that no I think it’s for the group of guys that you have I that’s where I’m at right now and it’s you know

You you’re in the room with Don Granado I know you appreciate him as a human being I don’t have any I have no reason to not like him as a person other than he’s not getting the job done and that and it’s a business that’s it for me and I’m I’m

Not one of these people to call like I said I don’t do that but that’s where I’m at with this group right now now because then because you need to know about these players that you have the talents there they could be two moves away maybe from getting some guys in

There to change the look of the team to drag some of those other guys into the battle but you don’t know until you get a new voice and I think that’s where I’m at I’m looking at that Vancouver thing when when we started talking about that last

Week when you let it sink in a little bit it seems like that’s the move and see if you can replicate what the Canucks have done this year I I tend to agree and I’m with you in that I always have a hesitation especially you know being

There daily and you know you want to be judicious about like you said calling for people’s jobs and and things like that but I remember when Don Granado signed his contract extension he felt like that wasn’t job security I remember him mentioning that in the press conference immediately after he he

Understands the business right and he said this is nice it’s a a good gesture but I also know without results the contract alone isn’t job security it might be a level of job security because this particular owner has paid a lot of people to not work for him and Don

Granado’s new contract hasn’t even kicked in yet right it starts in 2024 2025 and goes through the 25 26 Season uh at a reported salary of just under two million which to Terry Pula is not a tremendous amount of money because you know there’s a lot of people

This week in Western New York that are antsy for perhaps a new football coach that is a much more expensive Endeavor because Shan mcdermid is under contract through 2027 salary unknown but you know that number of years he’s a top 10 coach in the NFL market rate suggests you’re looking

At at least $30 million to pay him not to coach for you so completely different ballparks different situations but some similarities in that I think it’s fair to wonder you know in each case has this guy taken us as far as as we can go as a

Franchise that’s what I think Terry Pula needs to be asking of both of his teams and now should really be turning his I don’t think they’re making a move uh you know with the football team which should save some money to if he needs to make one with the hockey team because that’s

A reality right like the financial reality of the sabes is that you know we’ve talked about it you know that they aren’t the biggest Benders in hockey right now uh whether it’s on staff or players and I actually think there should be Financial motivation Chris to do this

Because each year in the NHL each year you don’t make the playoffs you’re missing out on money you’re missing out on revenue from home games that goes directly into your pocket it’s not like the NFL where it’s a revenue share and it’s a cash cow and you’re making money hand over fist

That playoff Revenue can can make or break you if you go 13 years without it in a league where half the teams make it you’re in rough shape and so the two two million four million you know just under four million whatever it might be plus the money to hire a new

Coach that could if you become a playoff team year after year that pays for itself if you start selling out the building they are second to last in the league in average capacity in the arena right now yeah and it’s actually gotten better lately right they they improved

Over seon nowhere close to average and still you know you throw out the coyotes they’re you know 100% every night but there’s only 4,000 people in there so that’s Revenue wise you know hurting I think they’re fifth or sixth frer high school gym right pretty much I mean you

Know they’re practically playing in Harbor Center the the they’re like fifth or sixth lowest in total just the total ra number of attendance average per game but just from capacity they’re second to last behind you know ahead of only the sharks so and that’s not a reason to make a

Move that’s not you know but it it has to be all factored in in a sport where we’ve mentioned coaches get changed out a lot and since we last recorded Patrick W is now the coach of the Islanders a team that was in the playoffs last year a team that’s hung

Around you know the the Wild Card conversation year after year and they’re in the Wild Card conversation right now and they made a move a lot of teams have made a move and there’s five now in the NHL this season and I would argue that the Sabers are one of the most

Underperforming teams in the NHL so the patience piece of it you know I can see but after Tuesday night some of the answers I don’t know it felt like they were to come out like that in a game of that nature and then to be returning to

Some of the same answers not a lot of anger it seemed like from Don Granado more so resignation or or you know being defeated deflated you know those were the words that came to mind watching him that’s where you start to wonder now you were following this team closer than I I was

When the Ralph Krueger Fiasco finally came to an end that took a long time and so I don’t know how close Terry Pula Kevin Adams are on this one this is a guy that they I think like even more than they liked Krueger and and he’s done better he has done a lot

Of good things which we don’t need to qualify every time we talk about this but he has done some good things for this franchise so I think it may be something that isn’t doesn’t happen as quickly as people might want it to happen and maybe doesn’t happen this

Season at all I don’t know couple weeks ago I was asking you how much the injuries played a part in the sabers where their placement is in the standings given them the benefit of the doubt when you watch that game on Tuesday and the importance of the game

Coming off the Tampa loss coming off a disappointing home stand we talked about it when they were at home they what was it a six game home stand we said you got to win four of them they won three of them they fell short there that effort on Tuesday the guys

Weren’t ready to play the coach’s job coaches in the NHL from my perspective amongst I think their highest ranking priorities coaches they don’t teach guys how to score their job really is to prevent guys from the other team from scoring but more importantly it’s to get

All of the guys together and get them ready to play and I don’t think that they came out ready again how many first periods do we need to see where they’re flat they don’t have the jump they get behind early it’s regression when you do the comparison mcder McDermot has a huge

Business case to keep his job playoffs the regression you can argue there’s been regression but it hasn’t been that steep negative regression the Sabers have gone through this year they are set right now to have the sixth best Lottery ODS I covered the draft every year I’m

Tired of talking about the Top 10 Prospects in the draft tired of it and this roster coming off last season where they missed a playoff by one point there’s no reason that we should be talking about that this year there’s no reason that we should be seeing this team consistently come out

Flat coach has to get his guys ready and I don’t I’m not saying necessarily that Granado doesn’t have the ability to do it it might be just it’s not working his message is not being consumed and digested by the group it’s a young group but you’re you’re not going to

Change 10 guys you’re not going to change 15 guys in the room you can change one guy give them a fresh voice and there’s guys out there from the outside because that’s the other part of this you could sit there and piss and moan about making a coaching change to

Wake the guys up you can’t do it unless you have a plan and in this market it has to come from outside of the bubble that they have that they’re operating in right now again I don’t it’s an uncomfortable conversation for me because I don’t do

It I don’t look at it from the fan lens either you know where I get like really emotionally wrapped up I just watching the product and seeing all the talent that these guys have and them consistently come up short that’s my conclusion so I don’t

Know you know I don’t and I I think you’re right though when you talk about um the Krueger and it took a while and they dragged it out and are we going to do that again we might I don’t know I’m just saying what I would do if I had any

Influence if I’m sitting there in the boardroom and they’re like what Chris what do you think we should do got to make a move on the coach it’d be a very quick reflex answer that’s kind of where I’m at so I don’t know it’s tough man um yeah like we’ve talked about

There’s only so much you know as we’ve started to navigate and turn from the idea that they could make the playoffs this year which seems to have vanished odds are very very small as we’ve turned our attention to what happens next right is it you run it

Back with the same roster are there tweaks to be made which players are tradable which how can you give this lineup a look like you mentioned this is the easiest way to get a different look to get a different Matthew spark I don’t want to I don’t want to just interject but you

Have all these young players that have upside people like everybody on the roster there’s someone that’s G to have an opinion oh trade uh Cousins trade so and so cousins has a ton of upside no one’s talking about Benson right but like all these guys Tage Thompson still

Has upside he still has a ceiling to achieve the coach really doesn’t the coach is who he is who he was last year is who he is this year is who he’s going to be tomorrow that’s why I don’t think you need to do a ton of surgery necessarily

On the roster you try the voice that’s guiding that roster coach isn’t going to develop into something else the coach is the coach that’s who he is you know what I mean I think that’s what is part of this what’s pushing me really like jam this message out there from My

Lens Yeah It’s tricky because he is a firsttime NHL head coach So in theory there is this idea I think with Kevin Adams and Don Granado that they can learn and grow on the job which I think they can but I think to your point the

Message is going to be the message right the messenger is going to be the messenger Don Granado might come up with some better Concepts or better drills or different ideas for how to shut certain teams down and might better learn to navigate the pressure deliver his messages but they’re still coming from

The same person and I think in this sport in particular the reason you see changes happen as often as you do is because sometimes those messages just wear out right sometimes a new voice a different style of voice with a different background a different pedigree whatever it may be can wake up

The group and it should not absolve Kevin Adams completely of doing other things to make this team better but yeah when you isolate the factors of what’s Happening why they’re losing games how these games are unfolding it’s hard not to arrive at that conclusion they’re getting great goal

Tending lately I thought they got decent goal tending on Tuesday night I thought UPL 33 something like that 30 plus saves had a 915 save percentage in that goal tending this season on the whole isn’t a very big problem for the team and so the problem is you know regression

Offensively power play power play like there there’s these you know slow starts power play uh you know inconsistent compete level inability to win three games in a row players have responsibility of course in all of that right they’re the ones out there playing but all of those things feel like

Coaching to me power play not having an answer from the second half of last season until now you’re drawing up schemes if there’s somewhere where your coaching Acumen and your scheme can come through most it’s on the power play right you can draw things up and and move things

Around and they’ve been flat all year to your point if there’s one place where your ability to get through can come out it’s how your team starts games and this has to be unbelievably frustrating for Don Granado because I’ve had people ask me is it is there something wrong with his

System or are guys not you know I don’t believe that right I don’t believe that this guy doesn’t know hockey I don’t you know I think he’s a really he’s a good coach it’s just not working with this group right now it’s just a it’s just a

Bad match in this moment and that is on the players as much as it is on Don Granado and that going back to some of our earlier conversations is part of why you know I started to entertain this idea in this this conversation because these guys need to be be woken

Up it feels like there’s too much talent for this to be the result and they need to do some work on the roster too but there’s just too much there for this to be happening like you can’t be losing to the ducks like that you know if John

Gibson stole the game that would have been one thing but you can’t lose to them like that you can’t lose to a backup goalie in the Tampa Bay Lightning in a must-win game at home you know two three nothing shutouts against the Sharks and the Blackhawks you know two of the worst

Teams in hockey by goal differential and in the standings I don’t know if that gave them some sort of false sense of confidence like they were turning things around but neither win was emphatic or impressive no but they could have used it it could have been a confidence boost it could

Have been but it wasn’t but it wasn’t if they had false confidence going into the Lightning game that’s their own their own fault because those were not you know those were not confidence boosting wins uh on the scoreboard or or on the ice just watching them so yeah it’s it’s

Tough because there were injuries that that hurt them early in the year and you know certainly didn’t help Don Granado’s case I also noticed a few things we mentioned I I think we mentioned on the show Don Granado bringing up Jack Quinn you know repeatedly when talking about injuries

Which is funny to me because it was an offseason thing and there was a window of opportunity to take action and make that not a problem for your first 30 games which lies at the general manager’s feet after Saturday’s game and this is what we call a segue Chris I’m about to

Shift gears on you so I hope you’re ready after Saturday’s game he was talking about going to the net right they were playing too much on the perimeter and he mentioned that that’s a character trait that some players have when asked you know whether it was a mentality that

The team needs to have night after night he said it’s just a character trait that some players have I asked him on Monday and he said you know whether he believes that can be developed which he does I mean how could a guy with a development background like

Don ronado not think anything could be developed but his reflex to say it was a character trait that some players have made me wonder whether he feels or whether they actually have enough players on the roster who have that trait right now the answer is obviously no right they don’t but is that

A you know admission from Don Granado of hey I want the guys to go to the net might just not be in the fabric of enough of these guys and you know I in my story after the game on Saturday I included their shot charts from from this season because I was

Curious because it felt like I’d heard it so many times right uh we played a little too much on the perimeter we wanted an easy game from guys in the locker room or Don Granado we got to have more of a a net mentality a drive

The net mentality and get to the front of the net and so I looked up the shot chart and this season’s is glaring I mean the middle of the ice is just dark blue last seasons in the slot there’s a lot of red they were able to get to Middle ice and

Create high danger chances in that slot area but the very front of the net dark blue to which I thought maybe this is just how the game is is played I don’t want to blame the Sabers if this is a leag wide thing so NHL is a paint game

So I pulled up the Bruins shot chart it is dark red in front of the net sort of red over in poster spot and that’s it it’s right in front of the net and that’s the best team in the NHL that is not to say you just need a bunch of

Goons that post up in front of the net it’s to say that is a skill that is lacking on this team Zack Benson is a net front player right like a guy that understands how to get there and as he gets stronger and more experienced I think will be better at finishing Around

The Net but they have guys that should be dominant Around the Net based on their physical stature and their Puck skills and they’re not so can you drill that into some of these guys maybe but so far uh dong verado hasn’t been able to do it not

Consistently enough and you look at some of these games they’re winning you look at last night uh when they’re scoring goals at the end Jordan Greenways right in front of the net it’s not always that the guy in front of the net is tipping or getting the rebound even setting up the

Screen or you know huge it’s it’s massive it’s such a big part of the game you watch every night how some goals are scored they’re not scored from where the the Sabers shoot from most often that’s for sure and you know I think that is something a lot of these

Guys need to learn or Kevin Adams needs to find more guys who’ve already learned it well yeah so when we’re talking about doing roster surgery whether it’s you know you start that process now looking for a hockey trade or you address it in the off season identifying those guys

That have that character flaw not a character trait where they don’t go to that it’s a character flaw if you’re playing hockey and you’re not going to the net if you know it’s a paint game those are the guys that you got to put on your list

Of you know there’s two buckets of players that you’re going to have I’m going with these guys next year these guys I’m willing to part with I think on the size thing also I wonder if this is going to start to because you know the bigger players

Are going to be the ones that naturally are going to have more of that effect in front of the net just talked about Greenways one of their biggest forwards probably is their biggest forward right besides Tage and when you’re looking to maybe move some of the other currency the prospects

That you have you have a lot of smaller guys that are Dynamic offensive players maybe you start to say in your my mind okay you know what I love their skill level but they might not have that physical makeup of what I need my team to be down

The road hopefully these are all learnings because it’s not working with this group I don’t think I don’t think they’re like a ton of moves away I don’t think it’s like that I don’t think it’s radical start with the coach the message and then some tweaks from there in small

Pieces to see I hear what you’re saying about the off season you know I didn’t see this coming I shared that with you five episodes ago just shocked at the outcome after watching the team last year and thinking that they were gonna have that year-over-year growth good relationship between the

Coaching staff and the players didn’t happen right I didn’t see it coming maybe that relationship is a little too comfortable with the coach and the players that’s a possibility too I mean and part of why we talk about it’s not it doesn’t have to be an indictment

Of dong ronado as a hockey coach as a you know knowledgeable hockey person like the analogies that that get brought up you know is is going from Mark Jackson to to Steve Kerr uh Doug Collins to Phil Jackson you know the the Bulls going from Doug Collins to Phil Jackson and the Warriors

Going from from from Mark Jackson to to Steve Kerr the Buccaneers going from Tony duny to John Gruden right you know the Don Granado was good for that development stage and I think the question everybody always had was when it was time to compete would he be ready

For that stage because it is a different ball game right I’ve often wondered if they made the playoffs this staff is so inexperienced not just on Granado but who on that staff would would know how to how to game plan how to set the practice schedule how to you know they’d

Probably be leaning on guys like Eric Johnson in some regard and and that’s you know when you talk about hitting that next phase that’s where sometimes just finding that new voice finding that that more experienced blend of coaches CU I don’t think it just the head coach here I

Think there’s a staff wide inexperience that you know a lot of this Falls at at all of their their Feats in a sense but yeah it doesn’t feel like it needs to be drastic that the more I’ve gone through and and we’ll have plenty of time because that’s what the

Second half of the season is going to end up being is figuring out who should you know who some of these guys are frankly uh we had Brian Cummings in the chat you know mentioning like what if Tage is just a 35 goal guy what if tuck

Is just a 25 goal guy what if cousins is just a 20- goal guy you know if all three of those things are true then that’s a major bummer for how the core has been put together but it’s also a possibility that last year was a bit of

An anomaly production-wise for some of these players but I think you start to find that out in the second half of the season and your point you figure out which pieces need to be subbed in and out and I think that is I actually for a while kind of

Threw my hands up and thought well it’s too late to get the new coach bump so what’s the point no it’s not but it’s not too late to bring in a new coach and figure out who works with that guy and how and get his system working and all

Those things and evaluate that way so it’s you’re you’re going to be more effective in the offseason Mak the adjustments to the roster if you know what the system is and who’s acclimating to that system you’re going to know who you have to roll with next year if you

Make that move on the coach now you talked about uh Doug Collins and Phil Jackson and I remember watching those Bulls teams man Phil Jackson put structure into that team I don’t know about the dung de Gruden thing I don’t know but I know the Bulls had structure

When Phil Jackson was put on that and once they had the structure they can go out and get an idiot you know like Rodman and all that stuff because they had structure you know and that’s another point that they probably are there you can see it on the

Ice the team right now is lacking structure not to go back to the coach you tried to segue out of this well no but it’s all part of it but it keeps coming back yeah it all fits and I part of structure too and part of the value

Of that is guys knowing their roles right because I think a common refrain about the Sabers team is too many of the same type of player which I think is true to an extent but it’s it’s part of the it’s part of the identity that they’ve

Formed or the lack of identity is that not enough guys have defined roles and even the ones that do it’s sort of feels like like pton Krebs feels like he now has a defined role but he feels like he was kind of shoehorned in there and without an

Opportunity to find a different role and I think it it might just be time for a more experienced set of eyes and a steadier hand to come in and kind of assess things because if you get an experienced coach who’s been around a winner and you know understands all that you almost

Have two in one if you get the right guy right where it’s Kevin Adams isn’t experienced as a GM either so you almost want some of that a guy that not to say you’re going to give him full Personnel control but a guy that that can take

Control a little bit and and gonna help ad actually be more Ive at his job exactly and and identify and demand certain things because even if Don Granado shares blame with Kevin Adams which he does because you know part of this is how the roster was made up part

Of it is not adding more depth at forward not getting a legit top four defenseman some of these things that show your that I think set the tone of comfortability that everything last year was was AOK that was that was General Manager as well but you know Don Granado has some involvement to

What extent is hard to to really say but if you get kind of that that old school doesn’t even have to be old school but experienced you know personality in the room to say no we need this or this guy doesn’t fit like like rod brenor in

Carolina right who and I’m not saying go get Rod brenor by all means if he’s available pounce on that but I don’t think he would come here but I’m saying Rod brenor when he got to Carolina was was one of the first things he did got rid of Jeff Skinner it was

Just a matter of that guy is not gonna play for me right like he doesn’t go to the right areas of the ice he’s just not my kind of player so very black and white decision boom he wasn’t trying to get he wasn’t gonna put a square peg

Through a round hole I love that and maybe you need some of that with all of this similar type of player all this Talent all these prospects maybe you can come in and look and say you almost need an outside set of eyes I think because

You have stock piled so much talent in the pipeline and so many young promising players that I think Kevin Adams and Kevin Adams is big on developing relationships in the locker room I think it’s a big deal I think it’s a net positive but one of the drawbacks

Is a a little too much personal connection right where it’s it’s hard to move on from guys and it’s hard to make make difficult decisions whereas some of these GMS sit up in the office and don’t guys don’t ever see them but they’re able to make cold calculated moves that

That can push the thing forward and so maybe an outside set of eyes who has enough experience to be able to shape the roster could come in and say yeah you know what th this Prospect I can’t I can’t forecast where he fits He’s Got Talent though he’s got value I

Just can’t forecast where he is for me and in my system and that’s hard to do at the moment when you’ve had multiple years of building and drafting with all the same people in the room all the same voices and everybody says well we love this guy

We picked him at X Y andz pick Seth’s been raving about him in Rochester and and he’s been doing great things and you know somebody could come outside and just pull a rod brenor and be like yeah that guy can’t play for me but let’s get let’s get something for

Him let’s get this type of guy instead you mentioned AER and you know they play the same system in Rochester they mirror systems you know you’re not going to play one system in the farm and one system up here that’s the other part of the puzzle when you bring in a new coach

That system that gets installed in Buffalo has to be installed in Rochester and is Seth AER the guy right so it’s an all of a sudden there is a trickle down effect there you gotta you gotta do it man you have to do it sooner if you

Already know what the end of the the book is you know the end of the movie Just let’s just get to it it’s like think it’s gonna work yeah there should be urgency and not to you know bring up too much football here but I I feel like there’s parallels in the

Situation even though they’re at very different stages right the mcdermitt’s got a nice CV to point to right for why he shouldn’t lose his job but I think the the camp that is in hey maybe strive for better on that is because because they have one of the best quarterbacks

On the planet and so it’s a matter of each year that passes by where you miss an opportunity you know there’s a chance to freshen things up or go for it or have an offensive mind or whatever whatever argument people want to use for this hockey team I feel similarly

Because of all the things that we’re talking about there’s Talent here and each year that passes by some of these guys get older but that’s not even my main concern each year that passes by this hockey Market does not deserve it Chris like 13 years it’s going to be an

NHL record half the teams make the playoffs you think you would have done it by accident at some point so like each year that passes by is doing damage to to the the market the fan base the the interest and I think people come back when the team wins because it’s fun

And the building will be full and it’s filled up at times over the last two years I don’t worry that it’ll be permanently damaged but it’s like let’s go let’s get let’s let’s get this thing back like it’s right there the pieces are there right there no that’s my whole

Point man like it doesn’t need to be torn down it’s not the Krueger situation it’s not you know it’s it’s right there it was right there this year if they had you know played better at different times or caught slightly better injury luck may I don’t know if the injury luck

Really would have done much but if they had just played more to their potential or found a rhythm earlier in the season gotten some confidence I don’t know what but it is right there like There’s Hope for as soon as next season that they can get you know

Into that playoff conversation again but there needs to be some action you can’t just you can’t expect the players to show urgency or you know whatever one at at the top it’s not there is what I that’s what I think and I feel like it wasn’t there

Last offseason when I expected more of it my first I took this job in May or June of 2022 so that offseason coming in I kind of expected to be a quieter one kind of expected it to be a you know that last year was going to be the let the young

Guys go let it ride and and I thought last summer was like okay here we go it’s going to be a busy busy off season in some respect maybe there’s a big move somewhere maybe there’s and there was just a few few small signings filling out the depth

Bringing a lot of guys back kind of running it back with the same group and that needs to change I think there needs to be some urgency somewhere and I think you know we’ve kind of identified the easiest place to start Sabers are five and five in their last 10

468 win percentage on the season after they win tonight inevitable conversation it always happens by the way no it always happens um you know they’ll have 46 points after they win tonight but they’ll still be you know they have 44 points right now so coming into the game they’re nine

Points back at the final wild card spot that’s you know they’re in they’re beyond the danger zone at this point um not saying impossible we’ve seen it we’ve seen it happen before but I don’t know if lightning strikes twice like this is like St Louis territory you know

When St Louis was like January one that year they won the cup they were like like pretty much where Buffalo is in the standings well that happens how many times in a lifetime but um and they fired their coach right and they fired yeah it happened in November I think and

It took a while to get everybody up to speed and the whole thing but yeah it doesn’t happen often for a reason one um bright spot from the Anaheim loss I thought Thompson actually played like he cared he was getting a little more physical I don’t know if it’s because

His dad was watching you know what I mean but that was encouraging and you can say who cares they lost the game well you don’t see it all the time you haven’t seen it every night from him this year when he does it it stands out I wanted to point that out

Because if they are going to improve if the status quo is the same with the Personnel that this guy the team Tage has to do that every game what do we say at the top get those guys are going to drag their teammates into things pull

The you know pull everyone up I thought that was encouraging um but man guys like falling on their face like Clifton I felt bad for Clifton man topek like I know that [ __ ] happens but not that was at the worst time Ryan Johnson fell best skater on the team

Right I was gonna say it’s like um so man yeah it’s just um you know hopefully we don’t see that again I do think they’re going to win the game tonight but I guess my my whole thing too just I’m I’m gonna go back to the coach when you were on your

Leave in December we had the fire Granado chant and Dalene was like from here on in we’re playing for Don I don’t know man is it going that is it really that’s why I mentioned the record they’re five and five in their last 10 I don’t know if they’re playing

For Don it doesn’t feel like it not in the first periods they they playing for themselves they did against Toronto and yeah but it’s not lasting longer than a game or two and they played great against Vancouver right they don’t get a goal Demco has a great game it’s just a

Quality hockey game where you lose one nothing to a really good team and after that you have those that should have been the momentum the the Mojo that they’ve been searching for it’s like there we are against the best team one of the best teams in hockey

Right now and like I said they had those two three to nothing shutouts against the Sharks and and the Blackhawks but did those feel like like Ojo boosters you know not totally so yeah that that struck me too right that the fire Donnie chants you know at the last handful of

Home games haven’t been there but do we feel like the team has dramatically or emphatically stated with its play that they are playing for Donnie no and that’s I just whole point I don’t see I just don’t I haven’t seen it since then you know you’re playing like a 500 hockey

Team around there I don’t know the the exact record since that that game was Columbus on the 23rd I think right so it’s been a month and I don’t know that we’d say it’s been a dramatic turnaround since that game so and a lot of it’s not that they’re

Running into bad luck or they’re getting bad goal tending or you know it’s compete level same things that keep coming up not getting to the net same thing no not getting to the net compete level guys are competing there’s more color to that though the comment that

You got that was Saturday right when when Granado said that comment about the character trade go into the net you’re starting to get a little more color he’s starting to share more in a way is he’s sharing more to maybe the guys will hear what he’s saying and motivate them

Here’s the thing my in my private life away from hockey I have a job worked for the same company for 20 years wa a very trying year I got a new boss this year we’ve been working our ass off with my new boss that I report

To that’s also part of it it’s it’s a business those guys just play a game for their job but it’s a business they need a new boss yeah I mean it’s human Psychology was I was I a little comfortable before I got my new boss yeah yeah was I napping in that recliner

That I put in my office yeah maybe maybe from time to time if I had a break in the schedule sure absolutely you know but anyways I just wanted to share I mean you know people can say that’s a bad example it’s not it’s the only example I know because

That’s my job and that’s their job I think that’s came in and it’s say hey man you know and my team’s grinding I got a couple people that report to me they got the message from me saying hey we gotta start kicking some ass you know no more [ __ ] and we’re killing it

Right now we’re grinding I could see the same thing happening um all is not lost anyways they’re gonna win the game tonight though they’re gonna win the game tonight James mentions they’re 75 and one since the Columbus blowout so S5 and one yeah I guess they are because they

Had a little bit of yeah they went three and three at home I don’t know you’re only as good as yesterday’s press clippings they’ve lost two in a row so it’s and two of those wins well yeah I know three of those wins were the worst worst teams in hockey Chicago

Ottawa and San Jose teams they should be we’re at 48 minutes or so let’s clear out some uh comments and get you on your way it’s a 10:45 start tonight we’re already stepping on duff back huh yeah we don’t want to you know step on duff

Marty I don’t want to step on Duffer and Marty um what do we got here let’s throw a spike up here this stuff has been going on in Buffalo since 0708 those Roy vanic Stafford years to Country Club attitude I don’t know I’m not down there

Matthew would have a better read on that but uh it could there’s sometimes maybe I get that sense a little bit Yeah Yeah but again I’m just speculating I can’t say that for a fact by all means Matthew if you see something fire it up um Chan there’s some Chan commentary in

Here yeah there were people talking about deals that were realistic or deals that weren’t made in action from Kevin Adams and the two tra that come to mind uh that Medford Jared brings up are Matt Murray which Matt Murray nicked and CH which they sounded somewhat close on but

Weren’t willing to part with certain prospects oddly enough Chan might be available again sounds like Chan or Shabbat is gonna have to go out of there Chan probably didn’t wouldn’t fix all their problems he’s got you know but he’s a he might be available again so

Was that a good deal to pass on maybe I don’t know um how he would have fit in here guy that likes to run the power play when two guys are already kind of doing it but to the previous comment about the country club attitude what a little competition for

The top two power play spots on the League’s 27th ranked power play have been a bad thing yeah I mean I would go and I I would kick tires because I mean any gives you flexibility to make additional moves you know not all moves are just made singularly and he’s gonna

Have to pay you’re gonna have to pay them all this stuff but the idea that well you can’t go get another power play quarterback when you got your two power play quarterbacks you know well hey Medford Jared is that is that Medford Massachusetts I think I know who that is

If you could throw that in the comment I think that’s an old school Jared sorry I I want to sneak that in Medford Matt sure is all right JJ um Cummings the Avalanche might have to sacrifice Gerard to Phil holes at up front at the deadline yeah um smish offensive guy he’s got

Something going on this year too doesn’t Gerard have uh is he playing right now I’ve lost track Sam Gerard Stephen caner wants to bet me a cocktail that the Savers lose to the Kings I’ll bet a cocktail sa’s gonna win tonight sa’s gonna win tonight that’s just how it goes Stephen

That’s not um wishful thinking it’s like anytime we feel like they’re low except for like I think they lost four in a row at one point this year I want to say like late November somewhere around there um other than that whenever we’re like feeling the doom and GL boom like

You feel like it can’t get any lower they win a game that’s just kind of where I’m coming from on that Stephen um but I’ll bet you cocktail on that absolutely I like tequila all right we’re shaking on it we got it here here’s a question for you Chris and I

Don’t somebody mentioned while we were talking about netfront I believe somebody mentioned ESO rosan and I’d be curious from your Vantage Point watching these guys who has some of that in the system like who are the guys to to watch that maybe maybe they do have some home I know they

They got rid of Cedar Quist who was sort of the yeah always had capped upside but had some of that yeah he just didn’t have the foot speed to play so like guys I think that like have a legitimate chance um p topov and Russia gets to the net um

He’s always around the net that’s his mentality he’s downhill just one more year after this one is one more year one more year um Jake Rashard who’s a freshman a Yukon is a big fixture in front of the net with Yukon playing on their second line right now um got off

To a hot start now he’s he’s kind of that dual threat he’s got a really good shot from range but he sets up um you know back to the goalie got kind of a big ass you know like he uses his body to take the goalie’s eyes away but he’s

Also got he’s also scoring on some deflections those are two that immediately come to mind um I I didn’t see the comment about rosan the one thing I’ll say about rosan as relates to the slot areas he’s getting there more this year he goes to the net he he’s one

Of those guys that takes what’s given to him but I still think there’s more he still has more room to goow rosen’s excellent player though like he he could be very valuable to an NHL lineup even if he’s not scoring because of his speed he kill penalties he’s got a really nice

You know shot that’s the biggest thing though year overy year through his first two seasons in North America is his ability to get to the middle of the ice more and go to the net more um some of the other guys like the big one for me though was pull top off

Um just trying to think you know SEO goes to the middle of the ice he goes to the net but not like those guys soo’s playing center now by the way in moja he’s playing this on the wing this year um other than that I’m just kind of

Scanning the list real quick you know nadoo but nadoo might be more in that um Cedar quis bucket where it’s a foot speed concern he’s got to get a little more explos explosion acceleration out of the blocks if he’s goingon to make it right now he’s scoring goals down in the

Coast league but um other than that you know some of the other guys are too far off you know maa’s got the body but he and he gets there but he’s not I wouldn’t classify him as that that’s it really um the rest of the guys are all

Um you know longer shot prospects found bar wallberg actually is the other guy Wahlberg was the one I was Sting that’s why I wanted I brought the list up because I I knew I was missing an obvious one Wahlberg’s an obvious one I mean we saw it at Team uh for team

Sweden at the world juniors his whole job on that line with oel and leaki was a uh net front guy wins Corner battles big on the boards but he can also move back checks really well crosses the ice goes from one side of the ice to the

Other nice route wins Puck that way I’m going to stop there because I’ll make this a a prospect podcast and I know we don’t want to do that because I can go on all day about this worth mentioning though when we always point out that you

Know it’s not always as easy as plugging guys in from the outside if guys aren’t going to come to Buffalo or no trade Clauses the whole thing James Campbell was the one with the comment and I apologize I had one eye on the chat and and one on our conversation he was

Mentioning rosean as somebody who was not in that mold I believe he says he’s a floater what I see his comment here no James he’s not here I’ll throw it up no he’s not that’s not true that’s not true James and I like James but I also I’ve seen rosane

Develop this year into more of a worker Seth aert and if you don’t want to believe me listen to Seth ater’s comments in his press conferences and his post games constant L praising rosen’s work rate his responsible play this year but you see it when you watch though too he’s out there he’s

Working he’s working thoughts on the lineup tonight let’s talk about the lineup real quick I don’t have it let me pull got it right here it’s uh Benson Olson and Samson are your scratches Skinner Thompson ooso is your Top Line cousins between Quinn and P herka middle stat between Jordan Greenway and

Alex tuck Krebs between zus gurgenson and Robinson and then it’s Dalene and Bryson power and Yoki Haru Ryan Johnson Connor Clifton so some Eric Johnson is on injured reserve he’s on IR so Benson I conceived the scratch he did not have the best game um thus far against Anaheim some

Giveaways but he wasn’t the only one middle stat had a key giveaway on that first goal um this is weird combinations um I have to like kind of just sit back and kind of go through this did they pull him out of a hat put them together Brian Cummings now wants

In on the cocktail bet now that uh geez all right let’s go now that Jacob Bryson’s in the lineup I got I got a bonus or is Brian Cummings calls him minus two so that lineup yeah I’m doubling down on this guys I’m doubling down on this so

We’ve got three uh we’ve got at least two people that that want in on the cocktail action so Spike I probably oh Spike one anyways actually he um bought me a couple fingers at tequila I did have a drink with him in the past but yeah the other guys yeah I’ll I’ll buy

I’ll buy a drink even if they win I don’t care I’m always up for a drink dry uh there is no dry January in my world I may have had a couple uh after work today who’s to say two I only had two I

I had to get out of the house man went to the nice Mexican restaurant couple margaritas whatever drinking water now and I’m coherent it’s that time of year you gotta get you gotta get out of the house Devon Levi’s in net by the way okay so Levi Ando okay so once again

Skinner Thompson ooso Quinn cousins Turka okay Greenway Middle stat tuck that’s got like a Minnesota Vibe tuck I think was uh originally drafted by the wild Greenway also drafted by the wild Casey May someday play for the wild U I’m just kidding University of Minnesota G is the

Most Minnesota guy in the locker room but yeah a lot of Minnesota Pride there boy that’s that’s really interesting yeah yeah I I’ll still I’m still confident doesn’t matter you know again this this proves the point like you know you think they’re low and they’re going

To they’re going to come out I uh and maybe the one thing that worries me about the game tonight is like are the Kings going to be riding High because it’s a copti ceremony he’s their guy he’s their pillar their tent post so maybe uh you know but but here’s

The thing though Sabers better learn some lessons from that game short memory right it’s like um well no no don’t have a short memory actually remember what happened last night come out play hard get off to a good start and we’ll know in the first six minutes if they’re going to win the

Game yeah a lot of people will probably use those for six minutes as a sign of whether they should go to bed or not yeah well there you go you know 10:45 Eastern start for the fans uh anybody gutting this one out I’ll be up with you so feel free to

To send me a a tweet but um I’ll be I give people a lot of credit yeah I’ll be up I did get like a 15 to 18 minute catnap in that’s all I need man so that was from uh 840 to 855 then I got up and

Sent the link out for this podcast and here we are there you go that’s I think I think that’s a good place right it’s 1020 your kids are already in bed right they’re not uh this be crazy late for them if they’re not something has gone horribly wrong since I came down

Here one last one let’s let’s send us out on this because Mike this is a new name in the chat that I don’t recall seeing so thanks Mike G for hopping in and he’s thrown a couple um he’s thrown a couple comments in here one was he has

A 22-year-old who doesn’t remember a good saber Stam that’s unfortunate Mike but Mike’s mentioning why does pagul and Adams remain quiet they need to at least get in front of the mic and talk to fans okay so you you’ll have a take on this just real quick and we’ll end it after

This I don’t I don’t care too much about here and pugula talk honestly because I think that he’s just deleg I I understand why fans want it for me I don’t care I understand fans why fans want it I do um I don’t expect him to have like there’s

No there’s not gonna be teeth to what he says anyways and I think that he’s fully delegated Kevin Adams to just be that spokesperson on the Family’s behalf when it comes to the sabes that’s just my take I don’t know what what do you you probably you are as a journalist that

Covers a team I’m sure that you have an interest in hearing from Terry Pula sure it would be make my job more interesting if he would weigh in if it was like Jerry Jones and the Cowboys right after games and he’s just holding Court it’d be be interesting but even when he does

Speak sometimes there are the last time he spoke you know and fielded questions was after firing bodal and hiring Kevin Adams and there’s some words there that I feel like he won’t Escape until he Prov proves it as far as you know operating economic efficient all these things you know

Somewhat blunt in some of that and so yeah I’m always I always appreciate fans who want to hear from them because so often I hear from people I rarely bring these things up I to the comment I think Kevin Adams is pretty available um and

You know he he’s not you know hiding or anything like that he speaks as regularly as I feel is is necessary um and I think is is pretty accountable in doing so but normally I don’t bring up you know oh this he should talk more Terry should talk more because I feel like

Most fans don’t care so I appreciate the ones who do that you know we know what he’s gonna say that’s part of my whole thing like I I don’t think I’m not trying to let off easy sometimes but sometimes we don’t I I don’t know I find Terry to be kind of

A unpredictable and interesting figure because he doesn’t speak very often that when we’re having this Granado conversation I don’t know he could he could hang out the of the or Terry could W up one day and be like you know what that’s enough and so I don’t know because we don’t

Hear from him very much and because it you know that makes it hard to develop a relationship with them and that makes it hard for I even feel like you know the Inner Circle to necessarily know what he’s going to do it’s it’s kind of hard but you know we

Have some Clues based on you know his be behavior and some of his past words but no it certainly wouldn’t hurt to speak to the fans of this team that are still there after all these years while you’re trying to fill the arena and you know it it it wouldn’t hurt there there’s

Definitely no doubt about that but I don’t have any sort of bone to pick with him that he doesn’t you know it’s his call and doesn’t really change how I view him necessarily because a lot of owners are are the you know the same way Skinner Thompson ooso the new era tonight in

La um aoso did by the way 69% Cory 4 last game Payton kreb 75% zus Genson 77% interesting okay rewarding the captain for for some Jam he showed up late in the game I I didn’t I know I I don’t know maybe I was

Drifting in and out I had a like well I think I texted you I was like I haven’t heard ao’s name like all game long and then he scores but I was like uh I don’t know if that’s good when you don’t hear your captain’s name the game no it’s not great and

That’s you know they’ve tried to spread out the quality that we’re talking about the the guys that have some sort of competitiveness and like to get to the net they’ve tried to spread it out on different lines and mix and match a little bit more even to an extent when

We talk about offensive net driving like Jeff Skinner’s got some of that you know he works Around the Net but not in the you know in the physical sort of way that you might get from ooso so I guess we’ll see we’ll see if the the shakeup

Or what buttons Donnie tries to press here as as his chair gets warmer and warmer I look forward to talking about a sab’s victory over the Kings and then I will just retract everything that I said in the first 30 minutes or so of this podcast I don’t I really don’t think

It’s gonna change I think we kind of know where this is going so anyways if you missed that go back and check it out um all right I’ll let you get rolling um warm-ups are probably already done they’re gonna be on the ice soon let’s get to that we’re an hour in thanks

Everyone it’s a later uh well actually it’s not it’s actually earlier earlier for us uh on the late game but we don’t do pregame very often not a pregame show which just we’re kind of filling that slot with uh Matthew and I getting together in our weekly little shind dig

Here thanks everyone for hopping in thanks for the comments as always if you could please like the video subscribe to the YouTube channel if you haven’t already you can find the baker Fair birt hockey Show Audio Only Spotify Apple wherever you get your podcast leave a festar review talk about how pretty

Matthew is and how not pretty I am did that sound right um but I think that’s it Matthew we’ll come oh you looked like you had something to say and while you’re at by Kevin Snow’s book yeah I was gonna say well next time I want you to put it

Up on the I want you to put that up on the camera so people can check that out I’m glad science of hocky I thought of it because I was looking at our screen here and saw it over my shoulder and thought we’ve never plugged it and there it

Is so go buy that book it’s a it’s a it was a really really fun and good read it came out last year so maybe some people have already bought and read it but if you haven’t buy buy it and if you did buy it then buy another copy and give it

To a friend Snow’s the best the local author Snow’s awesome Snow’s the best snowy was the first guy when he worked for the Sabres way back in 208 when I started my website to uh reach out when he was doing PR at the time sooi was one of the first guys to

Invest in me as a person so he’s uh good and in this space a person in this space so I’m forever uh indebted to Kevin but he’s a hell of a writer too that’s a great book all right for Matthew Fairburn for the production crew out in

Front of my house getting rained on I’m Chris Baker thanks everyone again for the comments questions and we’ll see you again next time

Ahead of the late start in LA, Kris Baker and The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn catch up on all things Buffalo Sabres following a disappointing effort in Anaheim.

The coaching situation is a hot topic in Sabreland with the clock ticking, while new lines combos are unveiled for their matchup with the Kings.

Kris makes a bet with a few beloved livechatters – can he win?