nfreeman

Well, I think there's a chicken-egg situation here. If Adams has decided that Eichel needs to go, this decision almost certainly arose from Eichel's behavior and/or injury. If the injury drove Adams' decision, we'll probably know in due time based on how much of his peak form Eichel regains. If Eichel's behavior drove KA's decision, it's likely that the behavior consisted largely of giving off a loud and unmistakeable "holy crap what a Micky Mouse organization this is, we're never going to win, and all I want is to GTFO of here" vibe -- and if that's the case, isn't that pretty close to him forcing his way out? Now, it's also possible -- not likely, but possible -- that Eichel's behavior was not the result of him enduring year after year of suckitude, revolving doors at coach and GM, etc., but rather him being one of those rare, highly toxic individuals whom no one can stand to be around. If you're inclined toward that theory, here's something from the Athletic today:

Excellent. He is one of my all-time favorite Sabres. Letting him go as a FA in 2006 was an under-the-radar major blunder.

I don't think they're getting a top-10 pick for Reino unless the Sabres add significant sweeteners.

Interesting. Newhook was drafted #16 overall in 2019. He's 5'10", 190 lbs. He turns 21 in January. He's Canadian (from Newfoundland), but attended Boston College for 2 years after being drafted. In his D+1 year, 2019-2020, the end of which was terminated by Covid, he put up 42 pts in 34 games at BC. Last season, in his D+2 year, he had 16 pts in 12 games at BC, had 3 pts in 6 games for Colorado and 9 pts in 8 games for their AHL team. He looks like a real blue-chip C prospect.

If you like QT, here is a pretty good podcast with him as the guest that I just listened to and enjoyed yesterday: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-picture/id1439252196?i=1000527228167

Interesting. He has a PhD in stats from Carnegie Mellon, which is an excellent university, and he co-founded War on Ice, which is a well-regarded hockey analytics site. He was also involved in salary-cap planning and the planning/interaction between the Pens and their AHL team. This seems like a pretty senior-level hire. Good for KA, and good for the Sabres for being able to bring in a guy like this.

I don't disagree that Skinner needs a real NHL center, but at the same time I thought his goal-scoring decline was not due to lack of chances generated by his center as much as it was a failure by him to make the elite in-tight moves to bury his chances that he was able to convert a couple of seasons ago. I think that is mostly about confidence and feeling it and maybe DG can help him get it back.

They might also decide they’d rather let Landeskog go and use the cap space on Eichel, which IMHO would be a case of them outsmarting themselves.

And goaltending!!

This is obnoxious.

If DG can unlock Skinner, it will be quite an accomplishment and will make a difference on the ice. I think he might be able to do it. Skinner to me looked last season like he had lost his mojo. DG seems like an underachieving-forward-whisperer. It would sure be nice to add a 40-goal scorer back into the mix. We’ll see.

My wife and I watched “No Sudden Moves”, the new Stephen Soderbergh HBO movie with a bunch of big names in the cast. Pretty disappointing. I give it a C-plus.

Here's some more false hope. The theory goes like this: - KA thinks Eichel's injury is bad enough that it's pretty likely -- not certain, but pretty likely -- he'll never fully recover, and the best move is to trade him if he can get a good return. - KA also has decided that he can't trade Eichel for an embarrassing pittance because he knows the franchise is already viewed as Siberia-like and he's trying to restore credibility. - Eichel's condition has not improved with the rest/rehab program and he still wants the surgery -- which is likely why KA said yesterday that the team still opposes the surgery, and is likely why KA hasn't shared Eichel's medical records with other teams. - The other GMs are spooked by the injury, but they're still in touch with KA, but have not made a good enough offer for KA to accept. - There is a distinct possibility that no one makes a good enough offer without seeing Eichel on the ice and looking awesome again. - The stalemate carries over into the season and what's this? Eichel looks awesome, the Sabres' new goalie tandem of MAF and Freddy Andersen is killing it, Donnie Meatballs has them playing fast, hard and together, Dahlin is really cooking, Cozens looks like a growing force, Mattias Samuelsson and Will Borgen are stopping and pounding the opposition, and the Sabres are 14-6-3 and Jack is having the time of his freaking life... - And if you're really hankering for hope -- why not throw Reino, in the last year of his deal but still not entirely closed off to an extension if the team can finally look alive -- in there too? I feel your pain brother.

There are plenty of ways to communicate this that are better than telling someone to "***** right off."

He didn't "get scolded." You told him to "**** right off." That is poor behavior, which you are well past being too old to engage in, and is not how we communicate here.

I think if there had been positive news on his health, we would've heard about it, as it's very much in both the Sabres' and Eichel's interests to make that known. So I think the resolution is a trade.

Yowza! What tawdry vice item is @New Scotland (NS) reaching for? @Radar -- Please stick around. Among other reasons, you'll want to see the answer to that question.

Let's chill out a bit in here please.

It's also worth noting that "TP is a fan of Owen Power" is a very different statement from "TP has instructed KA to draft Owen Power."

Old San Juan is a hidden gem.

Well, he wasn't my first choice, but he knows enough hockey and has coached enough that it might work. If he succeeds it will be a great story. I sure hope KA gives him a better roster than we saw last year.

That might be the right career move for him. I heard him call a Sabres game and he was indeed good at it. Somewhat related: I listened to a podcast with Dunleavy from a month or so ago and I actually found him quite likable.

Excellent breakdown in the OP. I think they are probably going to trade both of them, and Eichel will bring more in return. But the injury discount will bring Eichel's return much closer to Reino's return than would've been the case before last season.

But there are a lot of spoken words supporting the theory that the injury is the main issue — at least as many as support your interpretation.

It’s certainly possible that Eichel’s attitude is the primary driver. I do think though that KA understands how precious a franchise center is, that he had a front row seat to the ROR debacle and understands what a crippling blow it was, and that as a former player he knows that young players can change their minds and often do when the environment around them improves. I also think that KA is smart and ruthless enough to realize that it may be impossible for Jack to regain his prior form and that it therefore may be in the Sabres’ best interests to let somebody else bear the risk and hope for the best on the injury. I also think that if the injury is KA’s primary driver, it’s in KA’s best interests not to make that known.