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Sabres management's bad poker face?

The Sabres brass is crying about the Oilers doing this to poor old them like a bunch of incompetent lttle cry babies. It is part of the rules, the option is there for all teams to make runs at restricted FA's, not just the Oilers. Now they are turning it into a personal vandetta, what a joke. They are quickly being the laughing stock of the NHL and I love seeing it unfold. Edmonton didn't even have an interest in Vanek for that money but the Sabres showed their poker face, Edmonton bluffed and the Sabres called. Pathetic. Now they want to whine and go on about how the next time the Oiler's have a big restricted FA they are going to offer him a big contract. Won't it be funny when the Oilers don't match and take their 4 first picks and stick them with another huge OVERPAID contract? Oh, the irony of dealing with morons. As Kevin Lowe said, it is a business. Also, this could have all been avoided if they were smart and locked up Vanek 2 weeks ago..... Like Florida did with Nathan Horton. 6 years at 24 million. They shelled out atleast an extra 20 million dollars on poor managemant and screwed themselves for years to come. So now what do they do? Blame Edmonton, it is their fault that they can't run a team is what they will want you to believe. They should look in the mirror if they want someone to blame. I also find it hilarious that the next few years are expected to be very strong drafts with a ton of future superstars coming along. They even say that one (John Tavares) is the next Crosby. I must say, what a bunch of incompentent babies. Something else that gets lost in this is what it does in terms of players going to arbritation, it gives them more money. They can go into their hearing with the Vanek contract in hand and say, if he is worth this, then I am worth this, driving up their value. Is this Edmonton's fault or Buffalo's fault? I can guarantee you that had Buffalo offered Vanek 7 years/35 million last week.... He would have been signed, sealed and delivered. Again, who's fault is that? Yeah, Vancouver whined too, that doesn't make it right. Also, Edmonton is small market AND, the restricted FA rule isn't just there for nothing. It is part of the CBA, any team can utilize it and Clarke and Lowe did it properly. Etiquette? This isn't a game of golf, it's a business, one that Sabres management obviously doesn't know how to manage. Also, to tell them they would match ANY offer is pure stupidity. 288-good point

Public Comments

1. Quite the rant Bob and as usual bang on the money. The Sabres management is a laughing stock, but we must keep in mind they take orders from the owner who may in fact be the real issue. I don't blame the guy as a businessman for wanting to make a buck from the team but when you are that close to winning a cup, why don't you do everything in your power to finish the job. The Vanek move looked like damage control after losing Briere and Drury but honestly it also made them look like a bunch of incompetent boobs.
2. The fact is most people in the hockey world think that sending offer sheets to restricted free agents is bad sportsmanship. The whining and compliaining isn't unique to Buffalo. If you remember I believe 2 years ago Bobby Clarke offered Ryan Kesler $1.9 million, much less money, and Vancouver managment also became very upset. I don't blame Buffalo they did lose 2 of their star players to big market teams, so you can understand why they aren't delighted. Fact is your not supposed to offer restricted free agent contracts, bad etiquitte, I don't blame Kevin Lowe because his team fking sucks and he wants to solve that, but you gotta understand Buffalo's position on this
3. I honestly didn't think Buffalo could be whining without hockey actually being played, but yet they prove me wrong. First it's seemingly every team in the league except for them diving, then it cases of mysterious elbows being thrown, add in the "referees against us" angle from the fans, and we end up with complaints about the way the business is run. Buffalo management must have been feeling the heat from the fans after both their co-captains bolted, so they felt they had to save face by not letting their top goal scorer go too. I think are so upset because all of a sudden they feel their hand was forced into the deal. Tough luck boys, deal with it. I do think Edmonton management has been subpar for a number of years now, but this moves almost makes them look pretty clever, compared to Buffalo anyway. We'll have to wait and see if Buffalo will keep their word about forcing RFAs. Edmonton has Stoll, Nilsson and Pouliot as RFAs after next season, I can't wait to see Buffalo play hardball for them. And to my knowledge, Buffalo still hadn't made Vanek an offer, even after Drury and Briere were off the market. Why DID they wait so long? After D & B left, you think they would have made somewhat of an effort to lock up the next guy on the priority chart. It gives the impression they didn't care until another team did.
4. I agree with you. Ive lived in Buffalo all my life (not very long). I've always loved hockey when i was little. I've pretty much always followed the Sabres except for their management until like 1 or 2 seasons before the lockout. In today's newspaper, The Buffalo News, darcy regier said "We do a good job with our signings. We do. We choose to do it hte way we do it. You can argue the timing of them or not. Things are always evolving and we're always trying to find a better way. To say it's as simple as going to a player early and he'll sign a contract, I'vebeen doing contracts for 15 or 20 years. It doesn't happen." Thats hilarious, every one would disagree with him.
5. Bob, are you noticing a social pattern here? Sabres bandwagoners here are whining and being little crybabies, and, in your own words describing Sabres' management, "incompetent little cry babies." Maybe it's just the city.
6. GO SABRES!!!