Buffalo, NY -- Buffalo Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn joined WGR's Brian Koziol and Nick Mendola at the Sabres' Draft Party at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery on Friday, and told them to basically expect business as usual during this upcoming offseason; in other words, no major free agent splash will be coming on July 1st. Rather, Quinn and the rest of the Sabres' brass plan on waiting in the wings to make any acquisitions, as they have in past years with Chris Drury, Craig Rivet, and Toni Lydman.
"I think where the real rubber meets the road is from July 6th on," Quinn told Brian and Nick. "Most of the success of the Sabres comes from the development from within. Where you're going to see the improvement is from further development of people that need to get better." He specifically mentioned Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek as players who still haven't reached their full potential.
Quinn didn't shy away from his opinion on the free agent hype that begins on the first of July every year. "Are the big boys going to get their money? I would say, 'probably,' " he said. "But, those deals have never turned out great for a team in the last five years. I'd love for somebody to name one." He cited the upcoming expiration of the NHL's collective bargaining agreement as a major reason why Sabres fans shouldn't expect a major splash. "The teams that have those big contracts that went beyond the collective bargaining agreement last time . . . got burned," Quinn said. "I'd love to get on the radio here and say that we're going to make some blockbuster trade, and I don't see that as our avenue for success."
"I would suspect that a lot of people won't be happy with me saying what I just said, but I think that they're going to be real happy if it's successful," Quinn noted. "It doesn't mean we won't add. I believe we will."
Quinn also weighed in on the trade made earlier in the evening that saw Chris Pronger head from Anaheim to Philadelphia in exchange for Luca Sbisa, Joffrey Lupul, and a pair of first-round picks. "I'm not sure about that trade. [The Flyers] gave up a really good, promising defenseman . . . and they didn't solve their cap problems in the process. They actually made them grow by a million dollars, so I'm not sure."
This guy is a big time loser,always has and always been.
06/27/2009 11:43AM
Funny
I guess that "top-to-bottom" assessment revealed that everything is great and nothing needs to change. Phheew! Thanks Larry for the re-assurance because we were worried that there was a problem.
06/27/2009 11:47AM
Expert on Talent
Who else loves his evaluation of Philly's trade? Didn't know he was now an expert on talent. Given his assessment on our young players, Flyers fans should be laughing at that comment.
06/27/2009 11:55AM
T2B Evaluation?
So.... what's the verdict on that?
06/27/2009 12:19PM
Actually everything he said is right on
Yes it's frustrating that the management almost never makes any moves. I think some trades are long overdue. However, what he said about free agency is 100% correct. There is not a single player who has gotten big dollars on July 1 that has come close to living up to their contract. Briere and Drury? Not even close. Briere's contract will hang over the Flyers for years. In fact, they have plenty of young studs now and it almost looks like they will have trouble keeping some of them in the future because of their cap issues. In other words, that Briere contract could cost them a cup (who knows). I agree thatthe Pronger trade is brutal. Pronger's past his prime and they gave up a lot, and still have cap problems. It's a headscratcher, but if they go deep next year you can't argue with it.
06/27/2009 2:15PM
Please
Will someone by this idiot a tinker toy set and let him build something other than a hockey team? When it comes to building a hockey team this guy is a loser. He couldn't pour pi$$ out of his boot even if the directions were on the bottom.
06/27/2009 3:13PM
get rid of this guy
as long as this guy is involved in hockey decisions the team will never contend. we dont need a blockbuster, but a move here and there would help. quinn you suck. go develop a parking lot and leave the hockey decisions to darcy, lindy, and the rest of the hockey minds
06/27/2009 3:36PM
Truth
I think he forgot a word in there.
It's "Success MUST come from within".
The Sabres can't play ball like some of the bigger teams. They can't/don't want to spend to the cap (most of the time). The reasons for this are varied. Makes no sense to analyze it though, because it's completely out of the control of fans.
They're also not sharp enough to get the most out of free agency either, and they've shown they don't necessarily have a good eye for spotting the kind of talent and attitude that it takes to get into the playoffs.
I think Quinn is being sincere, it's just that he's basically intimating that it'll take a small miracle for the Sabres to be capable of winning the Cup. They'll never be a consistent contender.
06/27/2009 5:25PM
RobertsGloria
I still would like to see Tallinder and Hecht moved. Hecht will be difficult if not impossible to move.
06/27/2009 5:27PM
Nathan Paetsch
Why is he in Lindy's doghouse? Play him on D or O or trade him.
06/27/2009 5:30PM
This website
Is a bigger problem then Quinn
06/27/2009 10:00PM
Playoffs
Rangers, Blackhawks and Flyers made the playoffs. Those blockbuster free agents were really a bust EH?
06/28/2009 12:44AM
Success from within = satisfied with mediocrity
Improvement from the players within, eh? Let me ask this, do you really have good enough players when you finish in 10th place consecutive seasons? Uhhhh, I think not. Quinn just doesn't get it. Your results are indicative of the quality of talent that you have, plain and simple. You expect more out of Vanek and Roy? Vanek would have had close to 50 if not for the broken jaw, while Roy has averaged about 75 points the last two years. What more can you expect of them?
06/28/2009 2:42PM
Great Picture quinn
Seriously, can he get a regular picture, like him behind a desk or in front of the waterfront that will never be..
To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 1 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 2 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; tournament; WGR; Jeremy White; Golf; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 3 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 4 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 5 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 6 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 7 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 8 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala;
E-Mail Story
Print Story
