DarthEbriate

Interesting side note just appeared on TSN's trade trackre. Boston retained 25% of Backes' salary. So, not quite as strong of a cap refresh for Boston as originally thought.

I like the deal a lot from Boston's perspective. The cap savings are big; the Kase contract is tiny. If he's a piece for the future, great. If not, it's easy to move or flip next year. On the ANH side, it means their timeline to compete is greater than 2 years. So target the Ducks!

Therein lies the difference. They're in win-now mode; we're rebuilding and we won't toss a 1st for a 3rd line winger/with 2W potential. Boston's top-of-the-standings 1st is their equivalent of 2nd-for-a-rental. Plus, they get cap space for next season to make one more run before a) Chara retires and b) the expansion and c) CBA redo. They're going for it and then will rebuild on the fly in the new world of 21-22 (and probably stay pretty darn good).

Exactly. If somehow we could have swung Bogo, our 2nd, and a sweetener for it -- great. But ANH wants picks. The key is at the end of next year: is Kase re-signed to 4.5M? or 7M? Or is he left as UFA? Or is he extended this year and then left unprotected to SEA? Boston gave up a 1st for cap relief and some potential. The injuries are the concerning thing.

He misses a lot of games. For Boston it's a good move to clear salary a year early and to get a person for the playoffs. Long-term I'm not sure it's anything spectacular from Boston's side unless Kase is a playoff beast or gets/stays healthy.

The Backes contract was bad, but not super long term.

We can expose Dahlin in the draft, then trade picks to Seattle not to take him.

This is my memory as well. Draisaitl was viewed as the next tier down -- 4-6 range. Edit: Provided this is undoctored --- Draisaitl didn't get too much love by the draft pundits: http://www.mynhldraft.com/2014-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings/ As to overall theme of the cap management -- we'll see soon enough. We're up against the cap this season but no longer in hell. Okposo's is the sole remaining overpayment for position on the books. (My definition being: Skinner is having a bad year and playing 2LW, but was paid as a 1LW). Okposo was paid as a 1-2W, but is a 4W and his production is as such.) The fully armed and operational JBot roster starts this summer after he gets to rebuild via UFA with plenty of cash. How much does Reino get? Olofsson? The 2C we've been needing for 2 years? And -- less importantly, but critical to the cap, who fills the side roles currently held by Sobotka and Vesey? Is Angry Larry gone? And are we right back into cap mismanagement when Dahlin comes due next offseason? Sadly, only time will tell whether we look back at this offseason as the reason we're contenders or the reason JBot is gone and the whole thing needs to be reset with the next GM's vision of a roster.

Additionally, at the AHL/organizational level, too. JBot has rebuilt the D pipeline. That is something good he's accomplished. Will they all work out? No, but there are options that can be played or moved for years out. Edit: Although, with the exception of Dahlin -- it could come down to personal preference of playing style. GMTM wanted heavy (and slow); JBot wants puck-moving and some wheels.

Except we play really well on Saturday mornings and Pitt could be caught looking ahead to their Sunday showdown with the Caps (backup goalie for us, etc.). We win and we're in! Wait... we win and JBot sees progress rather than necessary adjustments.

Neatly done, thank you. Or rather --- We need a statement, not a manifesto. Prepare a single reactor ignition at a time.

We traded for 2015-17 Conor Sheary and 2010-2014 Patrik Berglund....

Is Scandella one of those ebay treks where you start with a $1 and just swap things online until you've converted that dollar into a Honus Wagner rookie card? Scandella eventually purchases the entire FLA roster to merge with our own (just as the Rochester Panthsabremerks once predicted)?

What if we trade Frolik for a 2nd and a conditional 4th? Everybody wins and we achieve balance in the Moulson. ?

Dreger's phone was hot about Kane... because someone asked him. No need to analyze it further.

The 24-hour news cycle needs content, alas there isn't sufficient content to support it. They could make one announcement per day like they would have 20 years ago and it'd be much more valuable. But the national sports reporter's role is to provide the baseline and also allow GMs to safely share filtered information with each other and the masses while the more pertinent information is worked on. Someone of the talking heads has to be on screen because news is entertainment.

^ add in that pucks are cylinders instead of balls, ruts in the ice, refs who pocket their whistles in tie games once the 3rd period starts or try to even out the calls so they're not to blame, fighting is permitted but not punishable by ejection, and dashers and uprights that create caroms... its charm is that it may be the most chaotic sport in the world. Measuring it should be in how many times you're on the edge of your seat, how often you don't look at your phone, and your heart rate.

Agreed - we need our pick this year. But I wouldn't worry about Montour's salary escalating like that... his numbers don't bear that out. He doesn't play PP and points are what really pay. Risto is our best asset to trade. He has played point on PP, has put up 40+ points, and he's 6'4" and strong. He can't fight but he can be physical. He's played huge minutes at times, but has shown he can't handle it over a season -- put for a playoff run, possibly. Like you, I would prefer not to move him either because he balances our soft defense, but he gets the most from another team.

After some research --- Torchic's really going to need put on height and weight in the offseason to be effective in the corners.

But what we tell each other (and ourselves) is true... from a certain point of view. We just need to remember that our goal is the same (hopefully), namely that the Sabres win a championship, and if not (as only one team wins per season), are at least entertaining and bring joy. And we should always do so with respect for ourselves and others. ^ says the person who quotes Star Wars on a hockey message board... which doesn't even make sense.

It could be a chocobo?

Cap-wise I don't think we can do Kane and Skinner without moving Okposo, but all other things equal, yes. (And some key "yeah, buts" of if ROR isn't played 24 minutes a game, and if Eichel/Reino continue to improve as they have, and Olofsson appears as he has, and Lehner gets pay-cut prove it and still cleans himself up off the ice, which may not have been possible in Buffalo.) But yes --- Add ROR's game to the 2nd line (Kane/Skinner-ROR-MoJo). Add Lehner's career .918 (and recent .92+ except for his one poor year with us behind a caved-in roster) to our net and make Ullmark the backup, and yes... that looks like a playoff contender in the East on paper. At least good enough to give it a go. Maybe not Tampa level, but solid.

And rightfully so. After all, this is a hockey message board on a Wednesday before the trade deadline with a team that is a decade since a playoff berth... this is exactly the place for wild speculation and hearsay, random thoughts, and what-ifs. If not, well, there's not much to tell.

He needs the bigger, rockier, forceful guy. The Niedermayer to the Stephens. The Lydman to the Tallinder. That's OK. He might be great with Samuelsson in a couple years.

Sekera... now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. (Except earlier this year when we played against him and I remembered him.) I'm still of the Lydman/Montour mindset, that if we get the right partner (his inner Tallinder) for him, Montour becomes a truly good #2 guy. And he's a top-4 if he just plays with whomever. So general @Randall Flagg, count me in as a Team Montour.