JJFIVEOH

I only see one source of smoke......................... :angel:

I'm not familiar enough with the Kings prospects to offer an educated opinion. Since I'm opposed to almost any trade, I don't have much to offer. Keep in mind, regardless of who everybody thinks is a reasonable offer for Kane, Maatta is out for 6 weeks. So he won't be available for most of the stretch run.

Isn't that the basis for most trades? :P

Many were against trading him way before he took over the goal lead. Some, like me, were against it from the start of the season. His recent success has brought out the undecideds.

Like Derek Grant?

That's fine, and I agree to a point. They are developing and nobody was really on the same page yet. But, so was the defense and they haven't been healthy all year. I don't think a #1 defensemen makes up for the loss of Kane. Especially when they have to pay everybody. Get rid of one of Franson/Gorges (Franson is a UFA so he may be gone anyways) and make the other the #7 D-man. Re-sign Kulikov and focus on getting another #3/4 guy and another #5/6 guy.

If you need to go into a shell to the point where you are dead last in scoring, on par to match the tank years, just because you lost one player (any player, your best player, whatever) then your offense isn't one of your strengths. It's not strong enough to where you trade one of your biggest keys to pick up a player to bolster your defensive depth. I agree, it was a huge loss of the best player. But not tank offense loss. You should be still halfway competitive, and they weren't. With Kane, you have that guy who can help carry the team if/when they loss another key player. You don't trade him for defensive depth.

If they need to go into a defensive shell/mindset because of the loss of one player......... I'd say that's a weakness.

Did those pivotal losses come at a time when they were dead last in the league in scoring? While 2-3 of the top six D-men were out on any given game? Some might say today was one of the best all around games they've played all year despite giving up 39 low quality shots. Against a hot Blues team. Was it coincidence that it happened to be the first time all year that all top six D-men were in the lineup together?

I've already told you how. And I've mentioned it in this thread. You agreed to disagree. You don't trade one of the few strengths you have in what is overall still a weakness, to address another weakness that's not as weak as you think it is.

And that's just it, it's not an area of strength yet. Just two months ago this team was dead last in scoring so trading what little you have contributing to one of your weaknesses.......... to address another weakness, makes no sense. That's what I wish some here would understand. They will get better, this will be a high scoring team. But until then you have to address the defense situation in other ways.

Trade him while is value is high!

Rob showed it on the BFLO broadcast, lol. He was picking on Pang for being so short his head didn't hit the crossbar, and he's so cute you want to stick him in your pocket. :lol:

Yeah, I'm not a big fan either. If they had three guys it might take away from DD a little bit.

I like Rob Ray for the entertainment factor. But most teams I've watched have a play by play guy, a color guy and an on-ice guy. They have Rob doing too much. I'd like to see Marty step in so they have three guys. Some nights Dunleavy can call game, RJ can do other............ some nights Rob can be on the ice with Marty up top with RJ/DD, some nights Marty can be on the ice with Rob up top with RJ/DD. That way there's four different combinations, it breaks the monotony.

And that's just it, everybody keeps throwing Kulikov out with yesterday's trash because of what he has (or hasn't) done all year. I've watched him since his rookie year and he brings much more than he has shown. He won't put up points like Risto, but he can move the puck. He's physical, fairly fast and can eat a ton of minutes. There's a reason why he is a 2/3 D-man. The Sabres have two players who can fill the holes that need to be addressed and people want to trade one and let the other walk. I don't get it.

Of course he needs help. Not first line help, depth help. You can address depth without dealing Kane.

The problem isn't that Risto doesn't have a partner the problem is depth in that there isn't a decent 5/6 pair to be had on this team. If you improved the depth there wouldn't be as much of a burden on the top pair all the time. Kane is too valuable to be used in a trade for a pair of 3-6 D-men.

Fair enough. But what exactly are you trying to prove here? And it seems like we got the better of the deal there, Bogosian has been the healthier of the two.

Everybody thinks I'm angry anyways, so it wouldn't be any different from that perspective. :D

You're right, he replaced them with NHL ready top 4 D-men in Kulikov and Bogosian.

But, why would they?

I wouldn't take Flower if they sent over a 2nd rounder with him AND retained 100% of his salary.

That's a fair explanation. Not too long ago the Sabres were in the bottom of theeague in scoring (two months the ago). They've moved up considerably.

Fleury? Really?