Maverick

The chart below shows that Lindy is 100% right. Statistically, the turnaround in the @BuffaloSabres season started when Dahlin came back from Sweden and Benson and Norris returned from injuries. It had nothing to do with the change in GM. @ByMHarrington @LLysowski @MatthewFairburn @ByTimGraham @Matt_Bove @pham1717 @JeremyWGR @SneakyJoeSports @SabresPR @sabresource1 @AfterLeWhistle @spittinchiclets @BillHoppeNHL @CMDeDominicis @Schopptalk @NotTheJoeMarino @Mike_Bundt @diebytheblade @OwenP29 @PatrickMoranTB @lebronstein @Sabremetrix @TrainwreckSprts @TheSabreReport @LockedOnSabres @SabresBuzz @SabresFunStats @TheChargingBUF @SabresPlays @RobRayNBradMay

@SabresBuzz 100%. His play is a big part of the turnaround. When he came back from Sweden, the Sabres were just 5-8-4 and Dahlin was -11 with just 1 goal and 8 assists. Since his return, the Sabres are 38-12-2 and Dahlin is +22 with 13 goals, 40 assists, and 53 points in 52 games.

Captain Rasmus Dahlin will be a Norris Trophy candidate this season. 3-0 #SabreHood ⚔️

@HighHoetheDorio @SabresStats Building it. The turnaround started when the best players returned to the lineup. Pretty simple.

@SabresStats What was that old GM of yours doing to that poor team lol

Ok, this one blows my mind… The #Sabres are now 32-6-2 in their last 40 games. No team has had more wins in a 40 game stretch of a season since the 1995 Detroit Red Wings (33). 🤯

@BC45golf @SabresStats This is quite literally GMKA's team.

@SabresStats Speaks loudly about KA’s “management” skills. He had none.

@SabresFunStats Skinner's contract is the big issue next year.

No. Done with him Ehrhoff and Hodgson

@GrizGoal @JamesRadio Agreed. Young players becoming men explains part of the improvement as well, as predicted by aging curves.

@Inside1Buffalo @JamesRadio I do think Doan has been one of the biggest drivers. Having that level of extra effort shift after shift can be infectious. The structure has also changed to allow the dmen to play free and not be handicapped. But the talent was there the structure and team play was not.

The craziest thing about the Sabres to me is after 14+ years, one day they were great and that’s it. No build up. No signs of progress. No inching up standings year after year. Just bam. Great hockey team.

@kiebals_don @JamesRadio Not sure if I would wish that on anyone :) But, someone will pick him up. Turning around the @BuffaloSabres in just 5 years after all of the previous craziness was heroic, if you ask me. Most people in hockey get that, even if a few BUF fans don't.

@Inside1Buffalo @JamesRadio You have a point, here’s hoping Toronto sees it this way and makes him their GM after this year!

@Taglialoro @JamesRadio They are 38-12-2 since Dahlin returned from Sweden. They were 14-11-4 with Dahlin in the lineup PRIOR to GMKA being let go. Do you really think that the GM matters more than players like Dahlin, UPL, Benson, and Norris being in the lineup? Come on - this isn't even a debate.

@Inside1Buffalo @JamesRadio What are you talking about? The Sabres are 29-6-3 since they fired Adams.

@SabresFunStats Nobody killed him. He just wasn't good. Sometimes we do judge players too early and the Sabres have a long history of putting young players in positions that they aren't ready for. But, the opposite happened here; he played in the minors.

I disagree. In order to fizzle, you have to have an initial spark. He didn’t.

@Ade780 Couldn't agree more.

I mean this in the most polite way possible… who gives a shit? If other team fans want to hop along, right on. If they don’t, oh well. This is the best Sabres season in nearly two decades. Irrelevant things like this, won’t make or break a thing here. Just Win it, Win it all.

@DerekKramer49 100%.

One of the weirdest energies online is flexing "I've been here the whole time." We're all here to enjoy it and there is no trophy for longevity. Over the years, watching them was a job. Let's just have some fun. And newbies, welcome to the chaos known as the Buffalo Sabres.

The prior year the Sabres didn't have Norris, Doan, Lyon, Timmins, Kesselring, or Metsa. In addition, Samuelsson hadn't taken the step forward that he has this year. And younger guys continued to get better as they approach peak athletic age (how many players are having career years).

@Inside1Buffalo @JamesRadio But what about last season?

Imagine blaming Brandon Beane for a bad season if Josh Allen gets hurt. Good teams win when their best players are in the lineup and playing well. Period. You don't need to like GMKA but Sabres fans should recognize what everyone outside BUF understands - that GMKA turned this franchise around in just 5 years.

the "apologize to Kevyn Adams bc he built this team" posts drive me crazy bc yeah he did, but I have a very prominent person in the organization that said he was a plague morale wise to everyone - this has been a blatant *vibe* change above all else

Sabres fans may have the lowest IQ. The season turned when the team's best players returned to the lineup. When Dahlin returned from Sweden, the team was just 5-8-4 and he was -11 with just 1 goal and 8 assists, Since his return (and the return of UPL, Norris, and Benson) the Sabres are 38-12-2 and Dahlin is +22 with 13 goals and 40 assists. The Sabres were 14-11-4 with Dahlin in the lineup before GMKA was let go. The change in GM didn't matter - the best players returning to the lineup did.

@TayAllDay1026 @JamesRadio The turn happened when Dahlin returned from Sweden. The Sabres were 5-8-4 then and Dahlin was -11 with just 1 goal and 8 assists in 14 games. Since then, the Sabres are 38-12-2 and Dahlin is +22 with 13 goals and 40 assists during that span.

@Inside1Buffalo @JamesRadio This is sarcasm right? Your first point is delusional. They were the worst team in the conference in his 6th year. He was an absolute embarrassment. Its not a coincidence they got better once he was kicked out the door.

Way too much talk about the change in GM and not enough talk about the team's best player. Sabres were 5-8-4 when Dahlin returned from Sweden. He was -11 with just 1 goal and 8 assists in his first 14 games. Since his return, the Sabres are 38-12-2 and Dahlin is +22 with 13 goals, 40 assists, and 53 points in 52 games. You win when your best players are in the lineup and playing well. This isn't rocket science. Credit the players and the coaches - not the change in GM.

@diamonddangles4 @JamesRadio The Dahlin data tells the real story, as you know. The Sabres were 5-8-3 when he returned from Sweden. He had just 1 goal and 8 assists and was -11 then. Since his return, the Sabres are 38-12-2 and Dahlin is +22 with 13 goals, 40 assists, and 53 points in the last 52 games.

@Inside1Buffalo @JamesRadio I know I watch them closely

100%. Also, Dahlin has been a different player since he returned from Sweden. Before returning, the Sabres were 5-8-4. During that span, Dahlin had 1 goal and 8 assists in 14 games with a -11 plus/minus. Since his return, the Sabres are 38-12-2. Dahlin has 13 goals, 40 assists, and 53 points in 52 games with a plus/minus of +22 during that span.

@JamesRadio We were missing Doan, Norris and Malenstyn. Sometimes all it takes is 3 pieces. Beck is the player Greenway wishes he was. And please don’t forget about Lyon. He has kept us in more than a few games.

@GrizGoal @JamesRadio Agreed. Adding Lyon, Norris, Doan, and D depth made a huge difference. So, too did young players maturing - like Samuelsson.

@JamesRadio I disagree. There was signs of progress & talent through the lineup the last few years. What theyve lacked isoverall work ethic and players holding one another accountable and playing as a team. That changed this season.

@JRobFreedom @JamesRadio All it took was the best players returning to the lineup. The turn happened PRIOR to GMKA being let go. Sabres were 14-11-4 with Dahlin in the lineup before GMKA was fired. And, then UPL, Norris, and Benson returned. The rest is history.

@JamesRadio All it took was firing the GM who assembled the roster and the roster started doing well lol

@diamonddangles4 @JamesRadio Not really. The turn occurred when their best players returned to the lineup. Imagine what the Bills would look like without Allen.

@Inside1Buffalo @JamesRadio True but weird timing