dudacek

I don’t think this coinciding with the Brind’Amour timing was coincidental. The meeting today was either to offer him the job, or tell him it was being offered to someone else. I wonder if it was Donnie all along, unless Rod shook loose. I wonder how serious all these other interviews were. I also wonder if the Florida trip is a rubber stamp, or a final test - the “second interview” I wonder how much interaction Donnie has had with Terry?

There is nothing we’ve seen yet to indicate this is about cutting costs. Prior to being hired as GM, Adams was brought in to review the culture of the team, mostly off the ice. It would be natural for him to continue that on the ice. It would not be entirely surprising to learn that he has concluded that Jack’s approach and attitude is standing in the way of a needed culture shift. It would be even less surprising to learn that someone further up the food chain has grown tired of Jack’s approach and attitude and instructed him to move on. We can only go by what we’ve observed in the past and how it applies to the present.

Thanks. I should have checked. It doesn’t invalidate my opinion, but it does shift it; Turcotte may not be as far behind Comtois as I thought on the development curve. Separately, I wonder if that “fair” offer the Rangers made last summer is still on the table, or if Jack’s injury or the GM switch moved it? Does some version of Chytil, Buchnevich, 15 OA and Strome still look awful compared to what we are now steeling ourselves for?

Lebrun says Sabres asking teams for lots of futures: https://www.tsn.ca/radio/ottawa-1200/lebrun-i-m-hearing-that-the-sabres-are-looking-for-a-lot-of-futures-in-return-for-eichel-1.1656366 Says he ranks the bidders as: 1. LA 2. Minnesota 3. Anaheim and to a certain extent Columbus, with three 1st-round picks and no top centres

3 is definitely a lot better than 8 I like the concept of Turcotte. I am not convinced about the player. Comtois is just a year older and already making an NHL impact. No contest for me. The adds could change that.

You know that stuff about the market sure seems to be ringing true with Sam and Jack. Jack is a $50 million investment with questions about his leadership and health. Not everyone is going to step up to the plate. Sam is a blank slate contract with a history of being reasonable and no character or health questions whatsoever. Sounds like half the league is knocking at our door. I know I'm going to be disappointed with Jack's return. I think we might be pleasantly surprised by Sam's

That's part of what I was getting at in the dawning thread: moving those guys essentially closes the book on the tank.

I have been operating under the premise that Jack is being auctioned off with the understanding that the buyer has done their medical homework and expects that he will fully recover. I would suggest that a buyer putting a top 10 pick on the table supports that; they wouldn't do it for damaged goods. But if we are auctioning him off at an obvious "health risk" discount, as @SDS believes, we are playing an extraordinarily dangerous game and Adams needs to be fully accountable for what happens. He does not have to trade him. He can wait to see if his value returns.

Nothing in there but speculation. But @nfreemanneeds to give this reporter a call. "He’s a speedy playmaker..."

Thanks for posting. I've been expecting this point of view and surprised that we haven't seen more of it. We are going to be trading an elite talent for a grab bag of parts. No one will be impressed by the return. It will feel like the O'Reilly trade. For us oldsters, it will feel like the Alex Mogilny trade. The ROR return was even worse than it appeared. Hopefully, this trade skews more to the Mogilny trade over time. But get ready, it's happening. (PS: Comtois is better than you think. He's definitely top 6 and hard to play against. He's good enough that I worry that they won't trade him. He will help.)

He’s trading him. He’s too far down the path to stop. And we will not win the deal.

Is this that darkest moment before the dawn? February 20, 2013 was a significant day for the Buffalo Sabres. On that day, the Sabres fired Lindy Ruff after nearly 15 years, officially drawing to a close the most successful run in franchise history, straddling two eras, the Hasek years, and the post-lockout years. It also officially marked the start of the tank years, the least successful run in franchise history, eight nightmarish years that began with intentional losing and has continued with a revolving door of bad executives, bad draft picks, bad players and bad spirits. Sometime before the end of July, another significant day will dawn. On that day, the last of the tank fruit - Ristolainen, Eichel, Reinhart - will be scrubbed away from the franchise. A handful of young players, unblemished by the stink of the tank will arrive to complement a new coach and the bright-eyed group that finished the season. Our neophyte GM will finish hiring his people and begin to put his stamp on the organization. I don’t expect to be happy with the return of these trades, or with the new hirings, or the results next year. I don’t blame the players who are being discarded. But I am weary. I am beaten. I want to move on. I crave new, something fresh to fire my ambition. I crave hope. The proverb says the definition of stupid is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. This does not feel good, but it at least feels different. And I can’t help but feel that with this off-season, for better or for worse, a page is being turned. And whatever story these new Sabres become, it won’t be the story of the tank. Maybe this story will be a better one. I’m ready.

I think you might be Jack’s biggest supporter left on here now.

I wonder if there will be outrage over the Eichel trade. I don’t sense that here, mostly fatalism, and less love for the player than most would expect.

If Risto truly is a #4 then there is a limited market for him ahead of the ED. 4s don’t get protected. That said, that might be moot if the Devils are poking around. Risto might be the 1st or 2nd guy on their blueline chart.

And it looks like @Randall Flagg also called this shot as well, @Weave Hope we’re all as good as calling this one as we were with the ROR deal. As to the OP, Jack gets done first. He’s the highest priority, he’s the one Kevyn actually wants to trade, and his return dictates what’s next. And his medical treatment is something all parties want underway as soon as possible.

Assuming we sign him, Elvis is worth an early 2nd. An early 2nd and 5OA is good value for Sam, IMO. I can see us throwing in a sweetener, but not two other assets almost equivalent to Elvis on their own. But we can all see it happening.

(The Ducks veteran in my scenario isn’t a dump, more like a cap equalizer. He will help the Sabres next year, but he won’t be part of their long-term plans. Might even be a Rakell or a Manson. The more value he has, the more the Sabres add. Might be a 4th added to Jack. Might be Johnson. I’m worried our guy might be Henrique.)

I don’t see it happening. Compare it to Peca, Wilson and a 1st for Mogilny. Comtois will be a top-six forward and a tone-setter like Peca, and he’s more proven. The prospect, be it Perreault or someone else, is the Wilson. We just hope he fulfills his potential better. And the pick is top 3, not top 15, which is the 1C premium.

Looks like @LGR4GM beat me to it, at least the main parts. The guts of the deal will Comtois and 3OA for Eichel. The Sabres will also get a 2ndary prospect and a well-paid veteran. The Ducks will get a lesser Sabres piece depending on the quality of their two lesser pieces.

I think from previous conversations you tend to draw sharper lines between prospects than I do. To answer your question, if I had Beniers, I would not trade him for Cozens. If I had Cozens, I would not trade him for Beniers. I consider them roughly on par in terms of ability, very much the type of player I would want on my team, and project each developing into a Ryan-O'Reilly level NHL player. Zegras I see as more of a Willie Nylander/Mitch Marner type, with a higher offensive ceiling than Beniers/Cozens, a lower floor, and less all-round utility.

Not disagreeing with your point — the deal is going to be short of what we want, regardless of return — but I am disagreeing with 3OA being below Dylan Cozens, or Trevor Zegras for that matter. Those two still have that fresh off dominating the WJC sheen on them, but they project as top-6 to 1st-line; they probably aren't franchise guys. 3OA should be Eklund or Beniers, so of a similar tier. They are on par perhaps, but not below.

Friedman’s comment about Anaheim “keeping their powder dry” and preparing “something big” are getting way too little play, IMO. As I pointed out in the Ducks Shopping thread, there are too many matching parts and needs for this not to be a serious consideration.

Eklund just gives off that Backstrom/Petterson vibe: talented Swede undervalued in a year with no obvious franchise guy.

This is a valid argument. It does not at all fit with the messaging coming out of Vancouver and where they seem to see themselves.