#freejame

They’ve gotta have a partner to move those pieces though. It’s going to handcuff them pretty significantly.

Who have likely always been the best player on every team they played for growing up. It’s tough to tell someone what’s always worked for them isn’t going to work anymore. Sometimes to get the point across you’ve gotta let them know without being the nicest guy in town. Wouldn’t Herb Brooks say that’s what assistant coaches are for?

Pretty crazy you can get that lucky for an entire season. This years number are more in line with his career, correct?

How much of that is because they can’t get rid of their large, veteran contracts (Perry, Kesler, Getzlaf)? They just resigned Silferberg, but he’s a good piece for a rebuild. I think if you gave them the option of tearing it down, they would. They just can’t.

When you drive through Brantford it says “home of Wayne Gretzky” and he built a sports complex there. He might not be meaning to pull your leg, but he’s certainly wrong.

Thanks. There’s definitely more tinfoil for leftovers these days without him around—for the good and the bad.

Watching the Jets-Yotes game and they just showed Myers (who finally doesn’t look like a baby), but it got me thinking...what was the disease that GoDD was convinced he had?

You should invest in the athletic...but here’s the relevant portion of the article: JOSH COOPER: Montour was a weapon that I felt the Ducks never properly utilized. He was a great skater who had excellent passing skills and a phenomenal shot. It was almost like his skill set was too unique for them to fully figure out. I think he’ll really flourish in Buffalo with a fresh start. He’ll give the Sabres yet another puck-moving defenseman. Meanwhile, the Ducks did turn him into two assets between Brendan Guhle and a first-round pick. But if I was looking to deal a blueliner, he wouldn’t have been the guy I would have traded. Impact Score: 3 JOHN VOGL: Guhle was once the Sabres’ top defensive prospect, a guy who made such a first impression that Buffalo signed him a month after drafting him. Since 2015, Rasmus Dahlin, Marco Scandella and Lawrence Pilut have flown past him on the left-side depth chart. Enter Montour, who fills a need on the right side. He played on all three pairings in Anaheim. And he’s a playmaker, which coach Phil Housley needs for his system. The pick surrendered will be late in the first round, so this gives Buffalo a needed player now. They still have two first-rounders, too. Impact Score: 3.5 ERIC STEPHENS: Trading Montour to Buffalo for Guhle and a first-round pick in this June’s draft is Anaheim GM Bob Murray not waiting until this summer to make a significant shake-up to his disappointing team. Anaheim could be burned in the long run if the risk-taking Montour turns into a 50-point defenseman. But Murray and his staff also wondered if he’d smooth out the big swings in his play. A recent drop to the third pairing and well-traveled veteran Michael Del Zotto getting more and more ice time was becoming an ominous sign. Guhle can skate but doesn’t have Montour’s offensive upside. The key going forward is how Murray manages that extra first-round selection acquired in the deal, along with what could be a top-10 pick in their own pick. Impact Score: 3 CRAIG CUSTANCE: For as much as teams are constantly scouring the league for good, young defensemen, it’s pretty amazing how many have gone the other way out of Anaheim in recent years. The Ducks lost Shea Theodore in the expansion draft process. They traded Sami Vatanen to get Adam Henrique. And now Montour is gone, in part because he was one of the few moveable contracts that would bring back a strong return. The net gain on these Ducks defensemen deals hasn’t been great but this one has the potential to be the most fruitful. From a Buffalo perspective, this is smart. GM Jason Botterill is trading from his surplus of picks not on a rental but on a 24-year-old, right-shot defenseman who provides offense on a reasonable contract. Those aren’t easy to find. You can’t help but wonder how many other potential buyers might prefer to follow that strategy. Impact Score: 4 SCOTT WHEELER:Montour’s season fits into some kind of weird juxtaposition in that he has played a ton (his 22:40 average ice time ranks 36th among all NHL defensemen) but with really poor results, both in terms of raw outcomes and possession. Part of that can certainly be attributed to the Ducks’ failure to be even reasonably good, and Randy Carlyle’s coaching style and structure – neither of which protects defensemen from being shelled. There are redeeming raw tools in Montour’s game and he’s still reasonably young at 24, but that doesn’t mean he’s magically going to turn around his results in a different system. And the price paid isn’t insignificant. A first-rounder is a first-rounder, even if the Sabres have insulated themselves well with high picks. This feels rushed, when the long game provides safety for a dependable future. It seems, to me, a high price to pay for a defender who may not give you what you’re hoping he gives you. The loss of Guhle isn’t a major factor (he’s a fine young AHL defenceman who may become a low-pairing defender in the NHL) but the first-round pick seems a lot. Impact Score: 2 DOM LUSZCZYSZYN: At first blush, I was befuddled by a team unlikely to make the playoffs trading a first-round pick and an OK prospect for a defenseman from one of the league’s worst defensive teams. That the pick being traded is not Buffalo’s own 2019 first makes the deal slightly more palatable, especially for a team desperate for defensive help, though still likely a slight overpay for a player who doesn’t really move the needle at 5-on-5. To his credit, Montour is a very strong puck-mover – a valuable trait that’s sorely missing from Buffalo’s back end from every defender not named Dahlin – but his play-driving results have been rather pedestrian despite his skill set. Montour is on pace for back-to-back 30-point seasons, but that’s mostly due to opportunity. At 5-on-5, his points-per-60 of 0.76 over the past two seasons ranks 107th. Combine that with his average or worse possession numbers and it paints Montour as a decent second-pairing defender, nothing better, but nothing worse either. That’s a player the Sabres could definitely use as they aim to become competitive, but still likely an overpay especially considering how promising Guhle looked last season (and who hasn’t received much of a chance this season). Impact Score: 3 SCOTT BURNSIDE: I must admit I don’t really get the motivation for Murray to unload a 24-year-old, right-hand shot defenseman who was averaging almost 23 minutes a night in ice time and still has another year on his contract before becoming a restricted free agent. Maybe he felt he really had no other options in trying to shake up his moribund Ducks roster. But I really get why Botterill was more than happy to take on such a player in Montour. The Sabres not only get a talented player who can step in and help this team perhaps make a late push to the playoffs this year but can also become a fixture on a Sabres blue line that already has lots of attractive pieces but needs to get better. The Sabres gave up a prospect in Guhle and a first-round pick (either St. Louis’ or San Jose’s but not their own) but they were trading from a position of strength in that regard and so it is an acceptable risk. It will be interesting to see how Montour responds to playing on a team that has lots of speed and youthful talent, including Dahlin, with whom he may end pairing with. My guess is this is a game-changer for Montour and maybe the Sabres, too. Impact Score: 3.5 KATIE STRANG: Montour is under contract until 2020, comes at a reasonable price tag, fills a need for Buffalo, can log significant minutes on the back end and can chip in offensively; he has five goals and 25 points in 62 games this season for the Ducks. Giving up a first-round pick is steep but we all know that there’s an insane premium on right-handed defensemen at this time of year. Guessing the Sabres feel this is a young guy who will turn out to be the beneficiary of a change of scenery, and you certainly can’t rule that out given the way Anaheim has played this season. Additionally, Montour can certainly eat up minutes, considering he’s averaging almost 23 minutes for game this season for Anaheim, but there are at least some underlying numbers that should provide some cause of concern. This is a steep price, in my opinion, but the Sabres had a trio of first-round picks so can afford to take a gamble here, particularly considering this isn’t a rental. Impact score: 3

I mean, the athletic is the best sports coverage around and he’s a Sabres writer. Just looking to get an understanding of what someone presumably more knowledgeable about hockey thinks about the trade. No need for whatever this is. Reddit hockey seems to think we crushed the trade too

https://mobile.twitter.com/RK_Stimp/status/1099821556027613185?s=19 Stimson doesn’t seem to like it. Can someone give an explanation as to what I’m looking at and why/if I should be concerned?

The Tkachuk boys square off against each other for the first time in their NHL career tonight (puck is about to drop). Should be a fun game to watch. I read earlier they’ve got about 40 family and friends at the game.

If Dahlin was getting Ristos matchups, he would likely be getting even more “caved in.” The issue is him playing in a role he shouldn’t be playing in. Yes, you can throw anyone out there to get smoked by top competition, but ideally you play the people who are going to limit that damage most effectively. Once Dahlin is capable of getting top matchups and Risto slides down the depth chart, do you really believe his numbers stay the same? The issue is we don’t have a top pairing that can match up.

Beat me to it...

Samson Reinhart is fine ?

Today I learned they’re mourning doves and not morning doves.

Was he on the lockout team? That’s the only time I really followed Rochester as a kid.

Botts was only here 36 games? Why the hell is he so solidified in my memory then...

Yeah, I read the reply and realize I’d come under with a case of the gullibles

Carolina has one of the sickest backends in hockey and Aho is a complete stud. I wouldn’t say they’re “very low skilled.” Kuch has more of a short temper than he does edge. Might be semantics, but he’s only doing stuff when he gets personally offended.

I just posted the other day that I think it’s time to send him down. I’m impressed by his play, but he isn’t what gets us in the post-season and I think development in Rochester will go much further. Does this mean Baloo has a spot now??? Cincinnati????? That can’t be right. Wtf

Yeah, no thank you to either of those. Risto is fine. He’s a 2/3 playing as a 1. When drafted, if you asked anyone if you were happy with him being a 2/3 they would have said “hell yeah!” It’s up to Botts (and to a lesser extent, Dahlin down the road) to make that happen.

Seems a bit much. Elbows down, first time offender, player following through on his shot.

It’s more or less an arms race. Teams are looking to compete with Tampa, Calgary, and Winnipeg so they add parts to their roster. The top teams are looking to add so those other teams can’t compete. Every team can always get better and at some point you need to risk it to get the biscuit.

If that’s the dirtiest hit he’s seen all season, he hasn’t watched enough hockey...would like to see another angle, might change my mind. Certainly not “clean” though.

Seriously? If so, is it a timeout that’s been evenly applied? His behavior is no different from plenty other posts/posters here. Rough edges notwithstanding, he certainly contributes to discuss. And when he does get testy, at least it gives the board something to read.