Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - Are The WRONG People Running The Buffalo Sabres?? | BB Clips

Episode Date: December 9, 2025

Boomer, Pinder & Rhett dive into the Buffalo Sabres after their 7-4 loss to the Flames, and it just feels like nothing ever changes. Rhett says, “It’s been too long,” and the guys question whether the people running the organization are the right ones — from GM Kevyn Adams to the coaching staff. Too many nights it looks like this team just doesn’t give a rat’s ass. There are smart hockey people out there… so why can’t the Sabres ever get this right?VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/Xuhb9665uWk#nhl #nhlshorts #nhlplayoffs #nhlpredictions #nhlhockey #nhlpicks #stanleycup #stanleycupfinal #buffalosabres #buffalo #buffalobills CHECK OUT OUR STUFF ⬇️BARN BURNER MERCHhttps://nationgear.ca/collections/shirts/FlamesnationBARN BURNER SHORTS https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj_bcGtvvo-cW2DHEDZ6dEO5ePDmlhZc9&si=jo8iNGxT4ImhS2Y8📲 Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fnbarnburner/X (Twitter): https://x.com/barnburnerfn?lang=en🎧 Listen on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/barn-burner-boomer-pinder-with-rhett-warrener/id1648562889Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mc6Qd5U22R2zbMlQ7RxIiProducer: Jack Haverstock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What was the tone for the Sabres? My take is that if how would I, how would I, there, it's been too long. Mm-hmm. Yeah. What they're watching isn't the end of the world, but they've seen it. It's just a steady diet of this. It's a rerun that's been running for over a decade. It's like everyone likes mac and cheese.

If you had it for 12 years in a row, three meals a day, God, you'd be done with mac and cheese. Love this. It's passable. It's not terribly healthy. It's not great, but it'll fill you. There was a shot of Ryan McLeod skating towards the bench. It was maybe in the third period. And you could see it's here in this hockey game.

It's December. You may lose this game. But it was, you could just see that there. It's another night where we're probably going to lose, where we thought we could maybe win. We got to within a goal. The goal doesn't count. We get back to within a goal.

And then they score to go up by two shortly thereafter. after it just well their dog shirt in their own end who or shizzle for shizzle this is what kills disturbingly bad and just let me finish and they're not committed to winning no they don't know how to win they're they're out there and they're kind of zipping around and then they look good for well gee that's nice play tom's a great show yeah and then it's like do you know how to play hockey are you are you playing hockey? Or we just, is it? So I was the crazy human that in my ball prediction said, I think they're going to make playoffs.

And I think this roster's good enough to when you look at, I just think this is absolutely the wrong coach. We have Robin, but Rob has to go on the broadcast. Rob's isn't going to say sell the team, fire this guy, get rid of the GM. Like you can't show up and do your job if you're saying those things. And I don't know that he believes that to be true

or not, but I would, you know, I think if you put a lie detector on him, probably say, yeah, they can use his reset here. They've gone through a lot of coaches. They put a guy in place to be GM that's never run a team before. He was on the business side. Like, it's just how do you have a team so young without structure? Like the one thing that should be top of your list is structure when you're coaching younger players. And they're just, they have no structure.

Well, Lindy's been there. This is his second year. The guys that he's working with have been there for a lot. Yeah, the staff's been there a long time. And Lindy was never a structured guy so much as he probably can motivate guys and rah, raw. He was fine. Some guys say he wasn't good. Rich, I think, went out of his way to talk about, like, that's not a structured team. And that was the last Lindy Rough Stop, which I think was in New Jersey. And, you know, he knows more than I do, obviously. But I just thought a guy like Huska is what they need, someone that's like fellas,

if we're going to have a chance to win, there's a certain way we have to play. And instead, they're just trading chances. Yeah. As one of the youngest teams in the league with nobody that's won anything outside of maybe talk. Like, how in the world can you operate your club that way? the GM that's like, yeah, we'll give you Dylan Cousins, take an injury pro and less player and give you a second. Like, it's just mismanagement all over. And I know everyone loves the owner because he owns the bills and he saved the team from bankruptcy, but he has put the

wrong people in charge. Yeah, you can question who he's hired. You can't question his. Right. And so desire to win. Does he want to win? Yeah. Has he put the right people in place? No. I don't think, yeah. And it's like, was Kevin Adams ever a candidate anywhere before he was given the rains? No. I wonder how easy or difficult it is to get you need good hockey people. How easier difficult is that to do in Buffalo? I know for a fact there were good hockey people stiffing around. Yeah. And so the question is like how 30 are they? I know. Scottie Bowman lives in Buffalo. Is that is he a good hockey? I feel like he knows the sport well. Yeah. Like maybe. And I'm not saying that his, he's put his name in that no in the hat. But I'm just saying that.

Bring them on. Trust me, the no trade lists that guys have, Buffalo's on every effing one of them, all of them. Every no trade out there has Buffalo on that list. So I get the guys don't want to get traded there. But it's one of 32 jobs if you're a GM or a coach or I mean. You know what I mean? So say you do have someone that you consider to be very hockey savvy saying that,

it's going to be hard to get any kind of a deal done in terms of as far as a trade because I agree with you. I think that that's probably at the top of most guys' lists. I don't know they have no trades. When you try to fix bufflers and we have to make a trade. But that's what I'm, so you're kind of taking trades out of the equation.

You have to build. You have to really. You have to be a Winnipeg. And don't kid yourself. Edmonton's in the same boat except they got McDavid. And we're in the same boat here in Calgary. They're not, you can pick up the odd stray free agent. But why are they coming here?

Because you're paying them more. It's not for the atmosphere. This team's good. It's different. But at this juncture, yes. Yeah, but it's the same for the sabers. If the sabers are good, it's different. If I'm not quite there.

So if you're, you think if you're a top five team for a decade that it doesn't change. Well, top of a decade. I'm not even talking with that. Like the Flames went and got Markstrom at the top of the market and Tannib when he was highly sought after. Blake Coleman when there was hot pursuit.

Like they paid the most. Markstrom was offered more by Edmonton by the next year. But it was close. Okay. Well, who are you comparing it to? Buffalo. Who are you comparing Markstrom was going to sign in? Evan.

But again, it was like it wasn't like it was the fifth guy down the tonal ball. That was the top goal in the market. When this team's good, they've had success in free agency. But I don't know that I can say that about Buffalo. Like I'm trying to think of a high profile for region signing that. And I don't know.

They've never done. They've never had the opportunity to do it. And it's almost a moot. They did sign. And we criticized as soon as Pagula got the team. He said, go ahead. Erhoff.

And he signed it. bunch of guys and then we said well you're an idiot so it was interesting when taylor hall went there in a one year deal i thought that was a smart move that was a no lose kind of scenario where if he does play well they had tons of cap space and that's the owner saying yeah yeah go ahead we'll spend the money it's not the owner saying he won't spend the money no it's been mismanaged yeah and they missed the biggest thing and it's stupid and boring to continually harp on they missed out on mac david their whole plan was McDavid. The whole decade was spent thinking, we're going to get McDavid.

Well, that's chapter one. And then chapter two is, you know, alienating your superstar who went second overall. Yeah. We're trading them for magic beats. You do need to pivot after the McDavid thing. Does it happen? Eichl's a great player. Has a cup.

And he's captain. He's going to the Olympics. That's a superstar. But they look. But they're that sour. They let that sound. But we were saying the same things about the Sabres then as we are now when they had Ikel. It's like, well, what's up with the Sabers?

Well, they've got, you know, they're just starting. They've got some young players. I don't know why they're not able to bring it around. And so since then, who have they brought in that's either A, an established winning head coach or B, an established winning GM? Well, okay, well, I think you're being a bit of a dick, and I'm going to have to defend some guys. Lindy Ruff does have a resume. Like, I'm not.

So when he was hired, you were like, yes, you're like, who it's going to work? Well, you're saying two different things. Are you asking me, was I interested in hiring? Did I think Lindy Ruff was the right guy for the job? No, but you're saying that they're hiring people that don't win and that's bullshit. No, no. So I guess we'll reframe it. Like they continue to roll green GMs and coaches that don't seem to fit.

Like Ralph Kruger, not a fit. Don Granato was working, I believe, at Wisconsin or is an assistant somewhere before that. But other teams have taken stabs at college coaches. I'm not sure. But I'm just saying, like, they've never said, screw this. Here's 10 million bucks a year. Steve Iserman. That's not true.

They tried to get Babcom. How could he sit go pouncing? And that would have been... And it would have been a mistake. 15 years ago, yeah, yeah. So that was the last time that took a big cut. I mean, he would have given structure, but I don't know. I'm not, it's the shitty part of it is I'm not disagreeing with you.

I don't know. They've completely mismanaged it. And it's funny. I think it's funny because we sit here on our high horse in Calgary and think we're so great. And if you go back, they actually have more playoff. A lot of separate. Yeah. And it's quite similar in Kachuk leaves.

has success. Bennett leaves has success. Like we have lost guys that have gone to some of the same teams that the Sabers sent guys and won Stanley Cups. It's like, there's just a different temperature when you kind of were making the playoffs every other year for the better part of a decade versus 14 years in a row with missing. That's just, it's just record breaking. It's what we talk to. Some Cleveland Brown shit.

So does that include this year? No, 15 will be this year. 15. Yeah, because they're. Well, and again. like the conversation last. The conversation started.

What's the mood or what's the commentary? I'm sick of it. Yeah. They want to have some hope. How could you have hope watching that team for the last 14 years? And F me. Their D effort is freaking shameful. Structures broo.

And on paper, you should like a lot of that. We talk about Bowen Byram. Love this guy. Top end pick. Right? Oh, Power is a first overall. Tange Thompson's first overall. But on the back end, that should be a good young defense.

And it just looked like a carnival. It was, as Jamie would call it, it was dog park defense. It was dog park defense. And that's why I keep coming back to coaching with this team. And I do agree with that because you can't watch this and go, well, he's got them dialed in. They're playing structured and sound. They are, I mean, neither team, it was an interesting game because both teams were pretty loose. Yeah.

And lots of special teams, which is annoying. But you got a power score on one shift and get scored on looking like he doesn't know how to skate in the exact same shift. 15, 20, 30 seconds there was like, I don't know what this guy. What is doing? I don't know what he's, I don't know what he is. I don't either. You want him to, for their sake, you want him to be a player. He's overall.

Yeah. He looks the part. He's big. He's got the big. And yes. You look like Chris Pronger. But he also, sorry. He also looks like a guy that if he moves, we'll find his.

Oh, yeah. Right. Oh, yeah. It's like, yeah, you're not going to find it here. You're going to get traded. And Quenville's going to get his hands on you. And he's going to. 100%.

And that's how they, like, they're probably in their third, fourth, or fifth rebuild when you think about it. Like, Reinhart, way better player. Oh, we got a first and a good pile assets for him. Well, he's got two cup rings. Montour, one cup ring. Eichel, one. cup ring. Like they're sending guys out and they're all better everywhere else.

Like cousins, that deals. This. Indefensible. And I'm thinking out loud. And I'm biased because I think Rob Bray would be a great guy for a president of hockey operations. They might miss that role.

Because I don't know who the go between the owner and the GM is. But they've missed something. Yep. With their hirings of the. So something's. misconstrued there, right? Like there's I don't I don't think Pagula is being

cheap. I don't think Pagula's whatever. I think he's trying to win and he's willing to do what it takes to win and to do good in that city. But his analysis of what constitutes a good GM and management group might be off. And what

you're saying is the people he needs to trust for hockey opinions are missing in the organization. And I agree with that entirely. And I think the Rob a perfect one. Like Rob's been around the game his whole bloody life. Do you think Rob would be able to find a good GM and a good coach for a young team? I think he could. Yeah, it's ridiculous for us to try and you could pencil him in as the he knows everyone in the town. He's done everything for the town. He knows all the business people. He's done every charity. He's been involved in all the,

from top to bottom. You could sign him in and go here. Every employee in the building. He knows everybody in the national hockey league because that's the other thing is he's been on the road he's been he's been always in the day to day operation of the n hl for years and years and i'll tell you what rob ray would do he'd go to pagula mr pagula and say listen thank you yeah i really appreciate this i want to bring in another guy that's really smart yeah right and he would surround him with guys that he not me guys that he really trusted and they have like rick dudley has been around the game forever. And if you watch where Rick Dudley is gone,

when he leaves, those teams are good. Leaves him in better shape. Wow. And Rick Dudley lives in Buffalo. Yeah. There are smart hockey people out there. It's like, oh, you guys just like Rob Ray.

I think he's the kind of guy you need because if he gets fired, it's not like his life falls apart. It's like, well, I'll just go back to doing what I was doing before. Maybe I'm doing color commentary or not. He's not going to be devastated, but he's also going to be able to go into the owner's office and say, here's the straight goods.

He's going to be able to be. Set a culture, Brian Burke. They had to go bring Brian Fing Burke here into Calgary because nobody knew what the flames were and he gave him an identity. Bam. You want an identity? Boom. Done. And I do think was Robrey a tough guy.

But I think people view him as being, we even saw it in the chat. Yes, like for a guy, you know, who was throwing punches for a living. This guy's got a good head in the shoulders. Like, he's an intelligent guy. He's a respected guy. He's been in the game for 40 years. And we had Robin yesterday. So we're talking about Rob, but really what we're talking about is the Sabres are missing a hockey experience person to help the owner.

put the right people in place. I do feel for the owner. And I know it's easy to go to the feet of the owner and throw it on them. I don't think it's the owner's fault. Well, we can't, we tried rookie head coaches that didn't work. What about someone who's got, he's one of the top 10 in all time coaches?

Dan Bilesboe is there and he's shit. Like they did get him too. Yeah. So bring in, well, Lindy. Does he know Buffalo? Yes.

Has he been around the team? Yes. Has he got a ton of experience? Yes. Okay. Well, he's not green. He's not a rookie.

He's, A storied coach. Bring him in. Sure. It's not working. Well, I don't begrudged ownership for, oh, you, what the hell are you doing? They tried to give this team a seasoned coach. I don't know about the Kevin Adams thing.

Wow, the thing. I didn't like it to start with. It's odd. But I don't like begrud. If a guy gets an opportunity, go ahead. You're going to show us what you got. Yeah. And he's had a big run.

And he's had plenty of time now. That's the problem is that you've had plenty of time. Your stamp is all over there. and it's not working. And that happens. There are other GMs and coaches that have done the same thing. So you can allow, you can fire him. I don't like calling for a guy's head.

And I'm not saying you have to, but he's at a leash. It's not one year, two, three, four. It's six, seven, or eight years he's been there. That's long enough to understand what you, he's compiled. The Dylan Cousins deal is the perfect analysis of like an awful trade. Like, who would you rather have? younger locked in for the next six years Dylan Cousins or injury prone older center Josh Norris well we definitely like cousins and then okay well there's a second rounder involved well Buffalo gave it

to audibly how in the world how