DarthEbriate

The presser or the proof of a heartbeat?

Note: One superstar in Hasek. Those posted '99 games are amazing fun. They're all tense because they're generally low-scoring, but in each of the Eastern match-ups it's apparent the Sabres are the better "team". A nasty, forechecking, speed wagon of 2Cs and shot blocking. No matter which team came out of the West, that Sabres squad would have been underdogs. (Just go and look at the who's who of Dallas, Detroit, and Colorado of the late '90s.) But that was a really good team. And yes, they'd punish today's Sabres roster into submission whether playing by '99 rules or 2020 rules and officiating. (Although Eichel would still be the most talented skater on the ice and would get his points ala Mats Sundin, but it wouldn't matter in a playoff series.)

Eichel has to make what he deserves. He was drafted to a bad team, but he's not entitled to anything and he chose to re-sign here long-term. As to approving trading him, sure they would. They care about their reputation and they're generally empathetic as well. If Eichel lashes out and starts going AWOL or just starts collecting his paychecks, or if he demands a trade, they'll clear it. Remember, if Gretzky can be traded, anyone can be traded. I always go back to the simple (and agreeably soooo over-the-top trade it's not really viable except that it happened) Herschel Walker trade. Buffalo stinks (like the Cowboys did) so they have they own high draft capital. If some team offers a Herschel Walker deal for Eichel I would take it, because I trust in my own GM-capability that I can ice half a team in what I get in exchange. It's riskier in the NHL than the NFL because the draft picks are younger, but still the overall the assets could net half a roster. Note: I wouldn't accept a Herschel trade until after I see what I have in Dahlin and Cozens (ala Aikman and Irvin/Norton, who were already on the Cowboys at the time of the trade. If I trust them, then it's a done deal).

You may fire (JBot) when ready....

Rebellions Stanley Cups are built on hope. I also believe in Eichel and I'm tossing in Dahlin. They can make this happen, but they can't do it alone. I think JBot is capable enough to give them a chance if the breaks go their way and he learns/improves on the job with experience. Nothing JBot has done thus has shown me he will make it easy for them, or will build the team into a top-notch franchise that competes year-in and year-out (e.g. formerly Detroit, currently TB and Boston). Thankfully, you don't need to be an annual top-notch team to get the breaks in the playoffs and earn a Cup. There's always hope in sports.

A-ha! But there are 31 teams in the league... oh... excluding Vegas. Errrm... <cape-loosening neck tug plus the cartoon sound, you know the sound... you're making it now>

This is all too true. We aren't in a cap hell. And we won't be threatened by it until we extend Dahlin. Once we have Eichel and Dahlin both at 10+ or so (wrench caveat: salary cap TBD once the COVID economy settles) then JBot will have the opportunity to put us into cap troubles. That's when we'll need a cap-savvy GM (be it JBot or his successor). JBot has "kicked the can down the road" to refer to the article, or been treading water, when really we needed to take advantage of having 2 excellent young players who aren't yet breaking the bank.

If you play it backwards you get a really good lentil soup recipe. OK, let's track it.

Don't act so surprised, your highness. You weren't on any cap savings quest this season. JBot must be mistaking ROR & Skinner. We let Kane go and replaced his salary (plus) with Skinner, not ROR. More accurately, trading for ROR allowed St. Louis the "resources and cap space" to maintain themselves as a Cup contender because Bozak was younger-better Berglund, and Schenn is a solid center in his own right. As to the main cruxes: 1) It's in the middle of the article. We brought in more salary for ROR than he cost us... for nearly 0% of the production. 2) We have a boatload of RFAs this year. This is great if Seattle is picking from our roster this year, nearly everyone important is easily protected. Except of course, expansion is next year. And to sign these RFAs is going to cost nearly all the space we have (unless some team tries to pry away Olofsson at $10M/year and we take the 4 first-round picks...). and 3) Kahun looks like a good pickup, but it was a bad pickup for a full season because his and Dahlin's bonuses (albeit saved by ending the year early), put the team in a further bind. This would be OK if not for ... replacing Scandella's salary with Frolik's salary. That $4M was a terrible add-on. I still like some of the things JBot has done. I liked some of the things every GM has done the last 10 years... but cap genius is not on his resume.

Unnnlimmmitted powwwwwerrrrr!

Oops! Artoo! Get us off Autopilut! You did it, Artoo! Edit: Good on Pilut for reading the signs. So many stockpiled D and he wasn't getting a look. 3rd pairing guy could've been a solid Woolley type maybe one day, and he could have taken over for Redmond as the guy in Rochester. But it could be much better to be somewhat closer to home particularly in the current climate. But there goes some of the depth.

7 or fewer wins in 20 games would get it done. But more so than the record I think it would be a visible disconnect between GM and coach. For example, if JBot acquires a player (let’s call him Colin Miller 2.0) and the player cannot find the ice... that’s a problem. Or if JBot’s centers are Eichel, Mitts, Cozens, Lazar and it becomes clear that 3 of the 4 are unready for that level of work... then the Bot has to be deactivated. Like peel and eat? Or unwrap the whole thing and then split the ramen into two “wafers”? And did you sprinkle the powder on it?

I always wear my codpiece when I terminate Imperial officers. It makes for a good story or sitcom device.

Never fear. The hologram was never even recorded for transmission.

I was going to snarkily say Casey Fitzgerald as a D-turned-forward... but nope. He was drafted in 2016. ?

Agreed --- and I selected a name arbitrarily, probably because he's older and on a crappy team that's been bandied about as Risto-trade-fodder. It could have been any name. Cirelli. McDavid. Whatever. More to the point is that if Ristolainen can't get us what we want, then we have to give another resource (or big FA contract to what appears a fairly middling free agent class for centers) that does have value. The problem (JBot's doing) is that we have so little of value to trade because the entire team is UFA/RFA this offseason. The only players worth trading are the ones we want to build around. And I'd include Reinhart in that core. The only time I can be talked into giving up the best player is if I'm getting an absolute ransom in return (Herschel Walker-style). But those trades are completely unknowable until after Emmitt Smith is selected (which required an additional packaging of said received pick).

I'm not saying it's a good idea, just a possibility with no one biting on Risto the past few years. If Anaheim wanted to get younger and continue a teardown, and could do a sign-and-trade so they lock up Reinhart, they could send Henrique in return. Then, add whatever additions on both sides to balance it, then it could become a viable hockey trade.

I'm guessing Reinhart has higher trade value. So, maybe he could garner a 2C.

Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly? Good. I should hate to leave a garrison here.

Likewise -- I think my top 5 is pretty static now, but the bottom 5 continue to change. The question is: does a desert island disc list just comprise of a single album (1 vinyl, 1 disc), or is it the entire album (a double vinyl)? Because I can see myself cheating --- sure, Stop Making Sense is the obvious choice, but I might take The Name of This Band is Talking Heads so I can get more tunes. Eventually, I'd process the visuals from the SMS film onto the track versions of TNOTBITH and dance away on the island just fine.

RIP Jimmy Cobb.

Well... but all of the teams in the NFL played 16 games, the Bills had a winning record, and the NFL didn't suddenly allow 4 additional teams into the wild card round between weeks 15 and 16 in the season. It's not like the Bills were 7-9 and got the wildcard over a 9-7 team from the AFC West. Being angry about backing in seems... unhealthy. Did the Packers worry about how they got into the playoffs in 2003? Hell no. In fact, it was a celebration of how the Vikings viked it (once again). Heck, the Vikes were 6-1 and the Packers 3-4 and... ah, it was beautiful! Quintessential Vikings! The mayor of Green Bay even gave Nate Poole a key to the city and the Packers gave him tickets and transit to the wildcard game. https://milwaukeerecord.com/sports/15-years-ago-a-cardinals-receiver-became-a-wisconsin-sports-hero-remembering-nathan-poole/. And of course, the Packers got their comeuppance later in the playoffs... 4th and 26. Embrace the experience and the run, the joy and the pain.

With the added caveat that all 7 have the opportunity for #1.

I'm especially concerned that JBot sees Kahun, Mitts, and Cozens all playing center in Buffalo next season because he has MoJo and Lazar as capable supports. Now -- in 2022-23, maybe it does go Eichel, Cozens, Kahun, Mitts and we're just flying up and down the ice. But always in motion is the future.

Agreed on not sending him back down, just pointing out that the option is still there in the event he's not ready or we somehow sign/acquire sufficient forwards to keep him off the roster. I think Cozens would have gotten his 9 games last year if he hadn't broken his thumb.