Sabres In Desperate Need of Change w/ Paul Hamilton | The Jeremy and Joe Show

Sabres In Desperate Need of Change w/ Paul Hamilton | The Jeremy and Joe Show

Paul, the Sabres lost last night and uh they said a thing that they said and they’ve said before and I said to Joe said, “Imagine a New York Jets player saying something like this, saying, “We think we’re too good and you play for the Sabres.” Like, it’s kind of amazing that that’s one of their go-tos. Lindy Ruff said they wanted it to be easy. Matia Samuelson said too many passengers. It is a very familiar refrain from a team that loses so often. Yeah, I I think every and they were all very honest about it and that’s why I wrote basically all their all their quotes. They said they can say it better than I’m saying it. Um because I’m going to say exactly what they’re saying. And but but the problem is how many times have we heard these quotes over the years? You know, some guys wanted it easy. We got outworked. Some guys are passengers. We get too high on ourselves. as we went into battles casual and soft. It was a lack of respect for the game of hockey. That one was new. I have not heard that one before. That was from Tage Thompson. Um but the rest of them I’ve heard before. I And I I said I Brian and I had this conversation in pregame. I said, you know, they they can’t too many times I’ve heard this team talk about how they took a team too too too lightly, you know. How in the world can a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 14 years, who currently are in last place in the Eastern Conference, take any team to lightly? How I don’t understand how that can happen? Who Who do you think you are? I mean, that you can take the St. Louis Blues or the Calgary Flames, who are two of the worst three teams in the league who are playing on back-to-back nights and they’re backup goalenders. How can you take them too easy? I mean, that’s that’s what I don’t understand. And and Lindy Ruff and Don Granado and just insert name can only do so much. And that’s where I what I liked what Samuelson said. He goes, “We’re the ones that put the skates on. They don’t they can give us the game plan. They can tell us how to play, but we got to go do it and we have to go do it.” And they don’t. Which tells me, I mean, they say there’s accountability in that locker room where I mean, you can tell me all you want there’s accountability in that locker room. Then how does how does last night happen the way it happens? You can you can lose game you can get goalied the the Blues game they got more goalie than what happened last night. Um but they got goalied by a guy who had some of the worst goalending numbers in the National Hockey League at the time. Um but that doesn’t that doesn’t explain last night. And I I just I can’t I have no explanation for you. You can’t understand how, and I hear this every year, a couple of times a year from these guys. And it’s true. It’s not like they’re making it up. It’s true. How do you guys get full of yourselves after two games? And it wasn’t even two full games, right? And you’re still you’re still in last place even through those two games. Yeah. You came back in the third period and won and came storming back and won a hockey game. And then you did dominate the Edmonton Oilers and made made turn Conor McDavid. It was the worst game I’ve ever seen Conor McDavid play. Totally shut him down. How do you go out and do that and then come back and not ready to play in the next game because because it’s the worst team in the league. Well, when Samuelson says that, Paul, like there were too many passengers last night, it can be different answers for different games. Who was that true of last night? You think? pretty much the whole team. I mean, I saw Malenstein really digging hard. I saw Krebs really digging hard uh to try to win battles and and and barrel in that. I I don’t know. I’d be hardressed to think of too many others. I I thought Rasmus Dian started off pretty well, but most of the guys didn’t. I thought he did. Um it wasn’t Colton Ellis’s night. I It’s the first night I’ve seen him with the, you know, kicking rebounds all over the place. Um he his rebound control was is so good and that was one of the things that really struck me watching him play is the rebounds are right around his pads and he can cover it. He can move the puck. I mean uh the first the first goal was a rebound that he he had bounce out on him. It just it wasn’t a typical Colton Ellis game either. Um so that’s why I mean it was from top to bottom that uh they they just didn’t they didn’t show up as a team. It’s it’s as simple as that. And and I I’m I’m here to tell you they’re in the bottom of the Eastern Conference on merit that it’s not a fluke. I mean, they’re not there because, oh, they’ve had so many injuries, so many bad breaks, they this, they’ve had that. They’re there because they deserve to be there because they are the worst team in the Eastern Conference right now. Um they don’t need and they don’t need to be. the Edmonton game and the comeback in the Detroit game shows you that all right, I understand injuries are part of it. I But those two games show you that they they can they can win hockey games even with all the injuries if they just go out and play the way they’re supposed to play. You know the are they Stanley Cup contenders w with no but they can win hockey games. They don’t have to be the worst team in the Eastern Conference. But part of the reason they are the worst team in the Eastern Conference is because they pull off stuff like this where where you don’t even recognize them as hockey players. And and I just I I I want to know where the accountability is in that locker room. Well, Paul, that’s a great question. We said earlier that when Kevin Adams made the change coach from Don Granado to Lindy Ruff, one of the things he said was, “I know the answer.” And it was all about accountability. And here we are like this this, you know, this this buzz phrase about accountability yet again is still kind of front and center. So, um, who knows? I I got a joke to to Joe the other day. I I’m I’m waiting for the next big important thing to happen for them. And I don’t know what that is. a trade a 10ame win streak probably not I mean on a real team into somebody getting fired right somebody changed at the top I mean maybe Yarmoka Linan wants to talk publicly about something right somebody speak on something I I don’t know when that’ll happen but it’s a it’s an organization that kind of leaves you you know wanting a lot more in that department yeah no it’s it’s a flawed team there’s no it’s a flawed hockey department it’s a flawed team it’s flawed from the top down I Why is Terry Pagula not doing anything about this? The only thing I can say is he must be satisfied with what he’s seeing. Otherwise, he would have done something about it. So, I I can’t come up with any other answer other than he’s he’s satisfied. He he wanted to be heard. That’s why Jason Botrol was no longer the GM. He found Kevin Adams because he felt he would be heard. And that must be all he cares about because how how long does he got to watch this? I mean, this team this team is worse than it was when Adams took over. So, how long does he have to watch this before he he does anything at all about it? That and the only thing I can surmise is he’s okay with it. He doesn’t see anything wrong. Yeah. the be the best I could I have to work for this, but I feel like the best I could do, Paul, is if I go back to the end of last year, did did it sound like maybe even from Adams directly that maybe he didn’t know if he was going to be back and then maybe there was a consideration to moving on then? And if but if there was, that would get me to well then that’s how I get a change this year is if they’ve already thought about it before, then maybe they would actually do it with the season going off the rails. Well, you know what? They probably sell Terry Pagula in the offseason meetings. Well, we really, you know, we we can build on the end of the season where we did really well. We can build on that. That’s what I what I would assume he got sold, right? What What’s he getting sold right now? Injuries. I’m assuming I’m assuming that now. That’s assumption. I don’t know. I’m not there. I’m not there when Kevin Adams talks to uh Terry Pigula. So, I’m assuming what is he getting sold now? Yeah, that’s right. We have five forwards out. We have this, you know, Dene missed time. Uh Kessle Ring missed time. Um, you know, we the whole, you know, I would imagine that’s what he’s getting fed now. Paul Hamilton on the uh joining us here talking Sabers. His appearance brought to you by Rex on RLEX. We got this. Paul, where where do we go from here with with goalie? Ellis says four of the last five starts last night, as you mentioned, like did not go well for him for Elliot Freeman had an interesting blurb today in 32 thoughts, which was that maybe Lucin is unhappy that he’s not playing because he thinks it’s costing him a shot at the Olympics. Um, not that he’s looked great, I don’t think either, in his four games. So, I don’t know. Play better. Yeah, right. Play better. Um, you want to play Play better. Do you think he’ll get a shot at that now or more of a shot at that? because Ellis underperformed last night. It sounded I think Lindy slipped yesterday. It sounded like Lion was going to play Friday anyway because he was asked why Lion wasn’t backing up and he goes, “Well,” he goes, “You know, we’re trying to get him a rest and and he played a lot of games and everything.” He goes, “And you know, if if we’re if we had we’re planning on playing him Friday or something like that, that gives him a rest.” And and I don’t think he meant to give us the goalie, but I I think he accidentally did. Um, so it sounded like, all right, Ellis is going to need a break. So, you know, he’s gonna play this game and Lion’s gonna play Friday and, um, I’m just taking from what I heard and then maybe Ellis will be back in on Sunday. I mean, it wasn’t a great game for Ellis, but let’s not go too far crazy here. I mean, he’s not going to play every single game great. I mean, he he is going to have an off night someplace. I mean, it was it was the only game I’ve seen him play so far in his young NHL career that that was not good. Um, I’m still I still think he’s a goalender that’s very very good on rebounds normally. Matter of fact, he actually settled that down a little bit as the game went on uh until the third period rolled around. And again, it was he was just part of the problem. I mean, he he he was. So, I y I actually take nothing away from his performance from last night other than see you Sunday. Yep. All right, Paul. Well, tomorrow it’s the Blackhawks, right? Okay. And they’re playing really well, folks. That’s not the same Chicago Blackhawk team you’re thinking of. Yeah. And also, I think they’re they’re like top five in the league with their goalies so far this year. And Baddard, Paul has like him, him and the both the last two first overall picks, right? Baddard and Celibbrini have kind of taken the league over a little bit the last month. But you know what? If they decide they want to play like they did against the Oilers, Bard’s going to have his problems, right? But that’s that’s a pretty big if, isn’t it? Yeah. Yep. Thank you, Paul. Take care. Paul Hamilton, Sabres, uh recap from last night. They played the Flames. They lost. They played the Blackhawks on Friday.

Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase are joined by Buffalo Sabres beat reporter Paul Hamilton to discuss the Sabres brutal 6-2 loss at home to the Calgary Flames. Paul kicks off a somber appearance by explaining just how poor an effort the Sabres put in last night, and discusses the brutally honest comments made by the players and coaches postgame. Paul also speaks on the need for change in the organization, the three goalie situation, and more!

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