nfreeman

Was he accused of betting against SJ in those games?

My 2 cents: - The Agents' statement was pretty carefully worded. It didn't say that the Sabres' docs had recommended the surgery that Jack wants -- only that they had determined that "a surgical procedure was required." So I don't think the Sabres were ever on board with the disk replacement that Jack wants. - It now seems pretty clear that Jack hasn't responded to rest/rehab and that some kind of surgery will be needed. That means the risk has increased that he doesn't regain his previous form, and it makes other GMs less willing to spend big to acquire Jack. This in turn means that if KA sticks to his guns a trade before the season starts is less likely. - It does not sound like Jack has initiated the appeal procedure provided in the CBA. I would guess that is because his agents think he would likely lose the appeal -- and once that happens, they will have zero rights to influence the medical process. It would also hurt their ability to pressure the Sabres or any other team to let him have the surgery, because another adjudicator will have ruled against it. - Jack still has no interest in taking the $50MM risk that the surgery fails. This is all about him pushing the Sabres to take that risk. - Bottom line is that Jack has zero real rights here and the agents are trying to use the media to pressure the Sabres into doing something that is against their interests. This is what his agents should do, but there is no need for KA to give in.

I would be very surprised if a $2MM salary chunk were all that stands between KA and an Eichel deal.

I think the bolded is likely correct and I think it's a terrible plan. But maybe UPL will prove me wrong. That would be nice. Well, there were posters here saying that the Sabres and Linus were very close to a deal, but I didn't interpret KA's words on Linus this way. I interpreted his statements as "we want Linus, and we hope we can reach a deal with him, but it needs to be on a deal that makes sense for us." Based on Vogl's tweets, which were probably sourced from Linus' agent, and based on KA's repeated statements about prioritizing flexibility and not boxing out younger players, I don't think the Sabres were willing to go longer than 2 years -- which made Linus' decision on the Bruins' offer a no-brainer. I think there is a very good likelihood that KA's decision on how much term to offer Linus turns out to be catastrophic. We'll see.

In theory yes. Not sure how likely it is. KA also said he wanted to sign Dahlin to a long-term deal, which could still be a prep-for-sale move but probably not consistent with an expected sale in the next year. I guess we’ll see. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if you’re right.

This is obnoxious.

Well, Vogl tweeted earlier today something to the effect that the Sabres only wanted another 1-year (or perhaps 2-year) deal -- so if that's true, KA wasn't willing to go to 4 years, which would be consistent with not wanting to "box out" UPL.

I think you're off target here. You made this point early and often in the Risto context -- and Risto was traded for a handsome return, followed quickly by Reinhart, who also wanted out. Holding onto Eichel for a few months longer than would be ideal in order to maximize the return doesn't belie KA's assertion that he only wants guys who want to be here. It just doesn't. Do you not think he'll be traded?

Dammit. I can't help it. I like KA. Either he's lying through his teeth and slashing costs at TP's directive in anticipation of a sale of the team, which means I'm getting played, or he really believes in his plan, including believing that a 4-year deal for Ullmark would've interfered with the plan, and he's determined to see it through. I still need to see a real goalie brought in.

https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloSabres/videos/312179293927016

Thanks PTR. Sorry for looking a gift link in the mouth, but I was hoping for a video link -- anyone got one of those?

Anyone got a link?

The most precious thing of all -- an NHL team that could one day reward us for all of this anguish.

I hate to say it, but I think @GASabresIUFAN might get his wish. As @dudacek has been saying, it just seems hard to avoid the conclusion that TP has decided to sell the team and is keeping costs down and avoiding long-term commitments in order to make the financial picture attractive to potential buyers. To which I'll say: be careful what you wish for. I hope I'm wrong.

Has anyone seen any indication as to whether the Sabres are going to bring in another goalie? Or is this all we're getting? If it's the latter, I'm probably done watching them until they become a real team again.

If there isn't another, much better, goalie brought in, then I think they are trying to lose.

Awesome.

Has anyone in the history of mankind ever left Southern California for Hamilton? I believe Roger is as unavailable as it gets.

KA needed to overpay to keep him and chose not to do so. Although to be fair we don't know what Ullmark would've accepted, and it might've been an outrageous number, since Ullmark was negotiating with the Sabres for the past few weeks, there almost certainly was a deal he would've taken. I'll say it again: if KA doesn't have and execute a good Plan B for goaltending, he'll be, until he proves otherwise, just the latest bozo GM that TP has handed the reins to.

And just like that, WNY has run dry of Hopium.

Exactly. Good franchises benefit in these situations and crappy ones get worse. You reap what you sow.

Fair question. It seemed like the 2 threads were very much intertwined, so I merged the old one into Brawndo's new one and kept Brawndo's title. But maybe your approach would've been better.

That's correct, and about a million goalies joined new teams today. KA should've gotten one of them as an insurance policy against Linus leaving. KA now finds himself needing to trade for a goalie. I wonder how those negotiations will go? I'll wait for the outcome, but this looks like a debacle right now.

This is a real test for KA. If he doesn't have, and execute, a good plan B on this it will be a huge black mark for him.

Well, it seems like he’s been negotiating with the Sabres for a while, so he was open to coming back. But your point is fair — maybe if Colorado is an option and the money is respectable, the Sabres’ offer won’t matter.