Thorny

I get that but I did say sub 900. If UPL goes on a statistics-altering run, that can assuredly be a mind-changing run, too If all we see is more of the same, instead, I’d be surprised if KA had a different conclusion than me

Sorry I knew you’d respond right away I was just curious as to what you’d say if I typed that

Absolute bullsh*t

He won’t? Or can’t? Are you supposing he won’t look for an addition this summer? If we made the playoffs this year with a couple sub 900 dudes and Legend Craig it wouldn’t change my evaluation that entering into next season with that GT set up would be an exceptionally frivolous play If Levi comes in and is immediately good, to end the year, I might chose to be a biased fan and believe in the magic.

Under 20 contracts don’t count? Didn’t know

As the Sabres get better, and the expectations change, time old cliches that are so because they are often true come back into play for the first time in a decade: a bird in hand is worth 2 in the bush even if bloom has a chance to be better, the chance isn’t what is priority, anymore: respectfully I think there’s a bit of forest people are missing here to climb individual trees. The *actuality* of what we are gaining is the play, because we are at a stage where the ends justify the means: specific targets - when you are rebuilding you must win trades, as a rule, by value. When you try to win, you can lose battles to win the war wife don’t call me QuickDraw for nothin

So he gets wrong and I get WRONG 😉

It’s becoming not plausibly believable that a team with playoff aspirations could enter into a season via 2023-24 with the tenders we have in system currently Of course we COULD make it but it’s leaving a ton to chance that would seem a frivolous play based on how ready for prime time much of the rest looks That is to say, failing to address G if in any way it can be addressed would be a very poor value play. We can afford to pay what it takes. The opportunity cost lost is a much greater consideration than asset loss, here, could possibly be

His mom’s got it going on

Exactly! And who was the GM making the call on Hagel? moves and even lack there-of are merely a reflection of aptitude. Botterill didn’t properly evaluate his prospect - it wasn’t that he MOVED a prospect, he picked the wrong guy I already know I’m correct on this cause it lines up with Botterill’s well documented CHL bias again, trades are a Tool. a tool I want Adams wielding because I trust him to select, among other things, the correct prospects ie suspects to move on from, and, notably, when to do so

We’ve moved on from a prospect who ranks higher relatively in his group designation than Stillman does in his? I think? I THINK Bloom would be regarded as a slightly better than average depth prospect? Stillman a below average NHL depth defender? I think it says something. Continually shifting priority

Wouldn’t worry about it the ref usually fishes the puck out after a goal and takes it to the dot

Thank god rah rah ya whatever - yesterday was tough to watch re: kids getting slammed to ice no bueno

I think “hold the fort” is my biggest contention with @JohnCs post and considering it’s his stated opinion I’ll implore him to change it: respectfully, “hold the fort” betrays a mindset that I believe is a misreading of our current state: we are well past “hold the fort” stage: our core is blossoming and will be in bloom (sans josh) next season: it’s time to *maximize the primes* of our key guys, while we still have cheap talent on ELC! Thompson, Skinner, Tuch, Dahlin - the time is now Holding the fort, biding time next season? mistake Huge mistake imo

Our goalies aren’t average!

Bringing Comrie back would be a farce he hasn’t proven anything, in a decade (arguably proof enough) when he DOES play, this season, his numbers are poor if we SERIOUSLY think we “don’t know what we have in him”, next season is assuredly, assuredly not the time to find out, likely to the detriment of our emerging core HELL no. Holding the rest of the roster hostage to “let’s give this beloved boy another chance” would be a massive red X against KA and I’m really quite on the bandwagon if you’ve been reading my content

Shiny new toy nothing more And re UPL: that Anderson has more in significantly fewer starts doesn’t look great on UPL either, especially when the target he’s falling well short of isn’t even our aspiration

We gave him even more support than UPL usually gets, in the WPG game, even if our goal total was less. I know this because Comrie was so underworked that night in winnipeg I stood by the glass and had a 7 minute conversation with him during the play about Yellowstone

More interested in what they do for GT next season, at this point, honestly. Entering into an evaluation year w/question marks in net is one thing, we couldn’t in good faith claim our realistic goal was playoffs next year imo if we enter into the year with UPL as #1 As you mention, the GT situation for 2022/23 as it stands Is What It Is. Play CA as much as his body allows and pray

Good point - he WAS a prospect being seen on those levels. Maybe it’s just bias because I was always the “hold your horses” guy in the bloom threads, but I think this trade actually makes me actively happy: I already knew Adams had a reasonably savvy aptitude as a GM, don’t really need this deal to prove it to me (though obviously hope it’s not a swing and miss), but the confirmation he’s not married to these drafted prospects that some are even saying is “the future” is the real pearl in this deal. I’ve already said I trusted KA’s skills, and that not only was trading picks and prospects ok, but necessary, and a good potential way to mine value. Him going ahead and doing exactly that isn’t a red flag, it’s the opposite, and I’m certainly not going to haggle against player addition quality in this deal when the guy we moved was exactly a guy I pointed to as a reasonable prospect but good currency piece

From our perspective this is fair but (and I hate being this guy) it appears Adams is looking at different numbers re: players ie their specific stylistic fit and isolating numbers from similar situations in the past. So it could be a thing where the conclusions you are drawing here or what I or other draw might look accurate based on the info we have (Bear the better play) but if we had the full slate of data we’d potentially feel different

His tweets are on Private now I see? Not much sense linking him

Botterill traded more picks than Murray this is a recording Looks like I was right on this front that his production was nothing to write home about

Haven’t read thread yet so apologies for overlap This is one I’m going to want to keep my eye on, re: Adams and his team’s pursuit of another reclamation project that they are presumably attempting to “Jost”. The player doesn’t appear on the surface to be a significant addition, so I’d assume w/o other moves Adams will be under the microscope for this one. But we still could see another move. There’s often some sort of family or personal connection with so many of Adams’ moves: it’s something that I honestly do not have a positive knee jerk reaction to whenever I see it, but in this case my fears in the past have been proven incorrect. Hard to really doubt KA right now with his establishing track record, let’s see how this guy does. Mostly I just hope it means Dahlin isn’t going to IR

A first line all acquired, coincidentally, through trade. I like that last line, someone should write a song about it. - - - I support your plight, as a fan, but personally as an analyst I don’t even need to see a move from KA: I just need to know he’s open to them. From all accounts he is, and it’s not insignificantly more than some even posting here. I kinda trust his judgment now shrug emoji I feel like nino was a just missed it situation possibly, timing wise. Trades are a tool. If you trust your GM’s aptitude, relative to the rest of the GMs league wide, their direct competition, any tool that is able to exploit that advantage is one I would prefer to see wielded. I’m firm on that position, truthfully. But listening closely and not pulling the trigger is still wielding. Again I’m just pretty adamant and pretty certain for Adams that he’s truly open to potential outside improvement