dudacek

Not sure you got my point there: I think it is quite possible that the Sabres failed to do an NHL-calibre homework check on any of their acquisitions. How many live viewings by how many scouts, how much tape watched by how many scouts? How many hockey numbers crunched by how many analytics people? How many contract numbers crunched by how many salary cap people? How much digging into mindset and character with how many insiders? How many debates by how many seasoned hockey executives? Instead of a professional-standard routine of checks and balances, I think the Sabres may have had one guy say "I know him and like him" (Krueger: Rieder, Hall; Adams: Staal) and made their move. It explains why no one else was willing to play anything close to what Hall and Eakin (and Girgensons) got, and why Staal was available so cheaply. Other teams had done their homework.

In retrospect, Adams off-season look like the moves of a well-informed fan without the benefit of fresh scouting information: "Eakin looked good in the playoffs with Vegas" "Staal's numbers are still great in Minnesota" "Taylor Hall was an MVP".

@thewookie1 raises a relevant point with Zibenijad's contract, but he's looking at the other two as worst-case scenarios. Georgiev is an OK NHL starter and he still has room for growth. Fox is the best asset in your package. I don't think the Rangers would be willing to trade Fox with the other pieces you included. They're aren't going to give up an elite prospect (certainly among the top 10 U20s in the world), a legit NHL goalie AND their best defenceman (cheap and under team control for a while) to upgrade from Zib to Eichel. If I'm the Sabres, the Rangers have to include Fox or Lafreniere or no deal, then add significantly. If I'm the Rangers, there is no way the Sabres are getting both.

Thing about Tage (Bryson is like this too) is that they try things. The Sabres so rarely try to beat somebody.

I'd take either of those deals in a second. I'll be ecstatic if we get a late first on its own for Hall.

Is the type of return I think is in the ballpark: the lesser Eichel to replace him on the roster, the high-end Grade A prospect, and the emerging player in a position of need. The Sabres may have to toss a lesser asset back to get the Rangers to say yes.

Adams isn't going after Strome. His moves will be geared toward acquiring Chris Drury/Rod Brind'Amour/Kevyn Adams/Jay McKee "burn to win" types. Trust me, it will be our new flavour of the day.

One in nine people vaccinated isn't even close to amount needed to slow transmission. Even 50 per cent means that half the people you come in contact with are potential carriers.

This, times 1,000. People get so stupid when projecting prospects: "there's no way we're giving up Lafreniere" Of course you are, if Lafreniere hits his ceiling, he's still not as good as Eichel. These two together wouldn't get me to bite, but for me, one of the guys coming back has to be at least as good as Reinhart, and one of the prospects has be at least as rated as Cozens... ..unless you get prospect basket that carries — in addition to being overflowing with talent — the cap space to acquire another Reinhart by other means.

Different voice is always interesting. Did we really ever like the pressers from Housley and Bylsma?

He is very Sobotka, isn't he? Just has to pass the puck into the corner a few times when he has it in the slot and he'll get there.

Interesting and perhaps predictable that the worst Sabres included Risto, Reinhart, Olofsson and Hall. Staal, definitely predictably, joined them. Skinner, also predictably, played like he was having fun again. Mittelstadt, Cozens (what the hell happened to him in the second?) and Bryson showed flashes of good and bad. Get used to seeing that a lot down the stretch. The fact that a 31-year-old who has played two games in a year, and hadn't played an NHL game since 2016, let in four and still had the best Sabres goalie performance by a guy not named Linus all year tells you all you need to know about Carter and JJ.

Rod is Pacific Northwest boy. Seattle, oddly, has no coach yet. Hmmm......

I will be shocked if the majority of our UFAs arent gone in three weeks. You don’t trade your third-string goalie when your starter is injured, let alone for a sixth-rounder, if you aren’t in full spring cleaning mode. And dumping UFAs for assets is rebuilding GM 101. (The fact Botterill turned Bogosian, Scandella/Frolik, Larsson and Vesey into absolutely nothing and even gave up a pick for Wayne Simmonds is more evidence of his failures)

Johansson had to play something like 26 NHL games this season in order to remain an RFA. He will be a UFA and the Sabres got an asset they could for a player they were unlikely to re-sign. He's a borderline prospect at best. It's like trading Justin Bailey for Taylor Leier.

Tell that to Dustin Byfuglien

Seems fair. Hope this marks a trend that every UFA will be dumped for whatever asset we can get.

It's interesting to read elsewhere that some Avs fans are hoping it's Compher going the other way — he's an outsized contract they want to dump due to a bad season.

In three seasons, Botterill's team never did reach the sad heights of the team GMTM got fired for. And if it was headed up, how do you explain this season, with Botterill's coach, Botterill's blueline, and Botterill's goalies? (And we all know Botterill didn't really acquire any worthwhile forwards). Jason Botterill was an utter disaster and this current mess is largely of his making.

He will be a UFA this summer if he doesn’t hit a games played clause that he will not hit. I think Granato neglected to add the word “yet”

The only difference is this time Buffalo insisted the game be played in the desperate hope their season might be cancelled.

My preference is a player in his early 20s who is a spare part in Colorado but has some upside that we can give an opportunity down the stretch after cleaning out all our UFAs.

He’s headed to Colorado along with Risto and a pick for Alex Newhook. These kinda things happen to the Sabres all the time.

Botterill's chief scout, Jankowski, was hired directly from Hockey Canada. (Agree with your point on needing staff with diverse backgrounds and connection, just pointing it out)

This, given the rumoured interest. Or, as likely, one of JJ, Hutton or Tokarski is hurt and they need a body for the taxi squad.