nfreeman

I sure hope you’re right, but I don’t see why they would wait to announce a deal if they have agreed to one.

Sounds great. What could possibly go wrong?

FWIW, KA stated quite definitively in his presser yesterday that he wants Linus to be their #1 next year. I don’t think he would’ve said it that way if he were lowballing Linus, although I’d also guess KA’s offer didn’t blow Linus away. So I think Linus at this point wants to see what his options are.

There we go. Hopium!!

It’s worth noting that 6 other teams passed on Eklund too.

Forton was really glowing about Polty in his presser yesterday. Said he sees him as a legit NHL power forward with high skill.

I have no idea which if any of these 3 goalie prospects will develop into a legit NHL starter, but I sure like having another bite at the apple.

Yes. The steps they take in net will be the key factor IMHO in evaluating whether they are trying to lose. I really hope that they are not doing so and will take real action on goaltending. If they do not, I will be deeply unhappy and will feel betrayed. Now this is a perspective I can get behind, unlike my initial reaction to the OP. A tank now, like the first one, would be a stupid abomination. Fair response. Certainly KA is accountable and needs to execute the remains to be seen items.

It should also be noted that he was almost certainly on board with the Reino trade as well.

If he was willing to sign a year ago but not this summer, he shouldn’t have claimed that he was willing to sign long-term without clarifying that very important distinction.

My question is whether he was prepared to sign long term this summer? Or did he mean instead of the last couple of bridge deals? I agree -- if he signs in the next few weeks with Florida, the return we got looks much worse. Did he say that?

Yes -- as I mentioned upthread, this is a reasonable view, although I don't agree with it. But "he should've gotten more" is just irrational. He's been on the market for months. This is what the market delivered.

So you think he received a better offer before today but didn't accept it? Why would he have done so? And what do you think someone offered that is better than what KA got?

Why would KA have accepted a worse offer than the one someone else made? I get that you want more and are PO'd, and you are hardly alone in feeling that way, but it is simply irrational to think that he didn't take the best offer.

Maybe the Sabres are due for some good fortune and him turning into a really good goalie is part of the payoff. This is a killer batch of hopium I'm on.

Again: do you think KA received better offers but chose this one?

For anyone saying that KA should've gotten more: do you not think this was the best offer he got? I get being disappointed in the return, but wanting more is different from expecting your GM to get more. Again: if you think KA screwed this up -- how, specifically, did he do so?

Do you not think KA took the best offer he received?

We'll never know, of course, but I really doubt that there were any offers that included a better 1st-rounder or one of the offeror's top 2 or 3 prospects. If he doesn't sign an extension in the next couple of weeks with Florida, it'll be more evidence that he wants to go to UFA. If that's the case, it caps the amount other teams are willing to pay. Now this is a valid and reasonable position. I guess it comes down to KA's assessment of the benefits of turning the page and only having guys around who want to be here vs the benefits of having Reino play 1C and shield Cozens and Mitts. I tend to agree with KA on the importance of moving out the guys who don't want to be here, but it's reasonable to feel differently.

It was $20. I'll designate Roswell Park Hospital in Buffalo as the charity. Sorry about this sir. I know he's one of your favorites. If it's any consolation, I think he'll have a solid career wherever he ends up, and that he's going to sign with a good team, so you'll probably going to be able to enjoy watching him in the playoffs sooner than would've been the case had he stayed here. Hall almost certainly wouldn't have signed here without the NMC.

I'd guess that Reino refused to sign an extension with Florida.

These 2 Russian kids are going to love playing with Kaprizov when KA gets him from Minny for Eichel.

I know I said that I didn't think Reino would sign an extension as part of a trade, but contract talks with the Panthers do seem like a pretty likely reason for the delay in finalizing this.

A nifty Russian! First such Sabre since Max? NHL Central Scouting had him #18 overall, FWIW. Edit: it was #18 among Euro/Russians, evidently. Whoops.

Respectfully, I think the bolded is nuts. OK, but making the roster worse next season doesn't equate to not prioritizing talent.