Weave

So, Zibanijad, Buchnevich, does that work? I realize term isn't on our side with Z. Don't know about Buchnevich. Can we make a win-win with those two as the base?

It's been a bad Sabres news day. Don't piss in my evening whiskey.

My gut tells me if Jack goes, Sam goes too, so we'll still need that 1C. In a classic, something for now and something for later trade it might look more like Zibanejad and LaFreinere plus. Or how about a blockbuster where Jack AND Sam go to the Rags? What would that look like? Mid career 1C, not youth.

I'm envisioning a trade with a team that wants to upgrade 1C, so yes, we get their 1C plus for our 1C. I don't see a swap of RW's as the likely trade for Sam. I don't know why. Unless it would be a mutual change of scenery thing. Otherwise I feel like we move our 1RW and get something else back and we now have a 1RW hole to fill.

I think it would have to be up there. Richards/Carter was probably bigger because Philly was a really, really good team at the time of the trade (if my memory is accurate). Not gonna lie. This is all very intriguing to me. I don't need a star coming back for Jack if I can fill 2-3 holes (including 1C) with very good players. I'm actually more concerned about how we replace Sam. At minimum we'll have a hole at 1RW and I don't think we get a 1RW back. What would be the point of the team picking Sam up, right? Weird that a Sam trade would be more concerning to me.

Given I have received almost no joy from this team over the last 7 years, I am looking forward to this part.

If you are planning to do it, it is tanking.

Nah. 05-06 Sabres will be the model. Four 2nd lines. Not four 4th lines. Noone wins with four 4th lines. Most of the last 7 years have looked like that.

4 lines with 2 guys that can’t skate, 1 guy that can’t score, and without a Hasek level goalie? Yeah, that would be a train wreck.

Its the Matt Ellis of plus sides.

***** this.

The post season interviews now fully illuminate the scope of the mess. The return for the Trade of Jack will be hampered by his injury situation. He’s officially damaged goods until proven otherwise. And the return for the Trade of Sam is muddled by his contract situation. There is no certainty regarding cost or term. How much does that limit the return we get for Sam? This is pretty close to worst case scenario.

Well, the offseason gameplan just got a bit bigger, eh?

The whole damned team had lost their love for the game.

He had trouble controlling rebounds, which is a kiss of death for a goalie. I think NHL is not his ceiling, but he did yeoman's work in a tough situation.

He drafted more players than Botteril. This is a tired, worn non-factual point.

He was a surprise for sure. Excellent? Depends on where your bar was set I guess.

Well stated. On paper those players were huge additions. Given their personalities, it didn’t work out.

These trades are almost always something for now plus something for later. Veteran center and a young center or center prospect is typical.

We’d have cap space for flexibility. If we were to move Jack it would have to be part of a win now move because Sam would be the next to want out if we have another year floundering in the desert.

absolutely a good top 6 wing should be on out priority shopping list either way, but the importance goes way up if our center spine suddenly gets 5 yrs younger.

We’d need to make another deal for at least 1 good, established top 6 wing to make it a win next year situation.

Yes. I seem to recall that post season player meetings were the impetus behind DBs firing.

"Longing" is overstating it by a fair amount. Recognizing that they were the best of a bad lot and we did not have a sense of how much worse it could get is closer to what is being conveyed here. Housley underperformed Bylsma by a fair amount and RK came along and said hold my beer. Botteril proved to be in over his head and KA is now running things using training wheels. The circus went from a school gymnasium to 3 rings in an arena. What a ***** show.

Desire to be here is my guess. And a coaching change around the same time.