And I just want to clarify, this isn’t just a Ristolainin thread, this is my thesis for why the old core didn’t succeed here.
I have a few theories:
1) They mostly skipped development and threw them directly into the NHL with bad coaching and bad initial expectations (2014-2015, please don't win guys!)
2) They transplanted the NHL veterans from not Buffalo, and that mattered. Places like Buffalo, Calgary, Winnipeg, they REALLY need a core of NHL contributors that have already bought into the organization and the city to show the young guys the way. Bogosian, Kane, and O'Reilly didn't give a shit. Thus, we eventually got Jack not giving a shit.
3) The Eichel-OReilly NHL team was never built completely. Murray cowboy'd assets for big names, but they missed key pieces to roster composition at the time. Namely, a defense. Josh f***ing Gorges was his top pair D.
4) Because of #3, by 2016, their prospect pool depth was spent. They had nothing coming in the near term.
5) Tim Murray, draft guru, was a myth. He couldn't hit on a 2nd round pick to save his life. Kevyn Adams found as many top 6 forwards in 2020, with an 8th and 34th pick, as Murray did in 2 full draft in 2014 and 2015 with TWO 2nd overall picks.
6) Pegula impatience. Building a prospect pool that becomes a contender takes time. He was in too much of a hurry early on to rush guys who weren't ready (Risto, Grigorenko, Zadorov).
The Tim Murray era was a story of bad development and asset management, and too much focus on one player they never got (McDavid).
The Jason Botterill era was confusion and stupidity compounding daily. The only good thing about Botterill's era is he mismanaged the team so bad that we got high picks still, and those high picks weren't wasted (he and his staff also were better drafters than Saint Murray).
The Kevyn Adams era is still being written. He got the Sabres back from literal hell to the bubble, and has a GIGANTIC cache of assets to go even further. He's done the best, by far.