NAF

Does anyone else really not care so much about who the Sabres take with their first round draft picks? Of course I want them to take the best player and pick someone among what is regarded as consensus top 3-4, but I just feel like the draft is such a crapshoot that it's unreasonable to get pissed at Adams for picking the "wrong" player of those top 3-4.

Would definitely be interested in Schmidt. He has a pretty bad cap hit. If the Sabres are committed to trading Eichel and rebuilding, taking on salary in exchange for picks and prospects is great way to restock prospect pools. Schmidt also has a good resume as a solid 2/3 defenseman.

Agree with your first point, but there are tons of guys that can provide leadership that aren't traffic cones on the ice. If I'm GMKA/Granato and am looking to improve the team Okposo wouldn't get very much playing time.

A fair point, especially considering failures with Bylsma and Botterill. I do however, like what I'm reading from this article: https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/penguins-hire-sam-ventura-as-director-of-hockey-research/c-289961770 "...Ventura previously co-founded the hockey analytics website war-on-ice.com before joining the Penguins in a part-time role. In addition to his work with the Pens, Ventura spent two years as a visiting assistant professor of statistics at Carnegie Mellon University from 2015-17. Ventura has earned a Bachelor's (2010; Computational Finance and Statistics), a Masters of Science (2011; Statistics) and PhD (2015; Statistics) degrees from Carnegie Mellon." He definitely seems like a smart guy.

I think there is zero chance Eichel fetches Zegras AND Drysdale, and close to zero chance Eichel fetches one of Zegras/Drysdale and 3OA. Personally I have no interest in Drysdale, but would be happy with Zegras, Henrique, and Comtois as a base for an Eichel trade.

I don't really blame Adams for the trade -- Hall sucked and tanked his value, then utilized his NMC and made executing a trade beneficial to the Sabres near impossible. I like Bjork and think Bjork and a second is a decent return concerning the circumstances.

I am a bit concerned that what we saw out of Granato at the end of last season isn't what we're going to get at the beginning of next season. I remember seeing that xGF numbers were lower under Granato than they were under Krueger (?!), or maybe it was that shooting percentages were far higher under Granato than Krueger. Maybe I'm misremembering those stats but I do believe something indicated puckluck was better under Granato than under Krueger, and that we should expect some regression to the mean.

Not too much IMO. It baffles me that teams like Anaheim, LA, and NYR aren't willing to part with Zegras, Byfield, and Lafreniere. Eichel is a top ten player in the league when healthy. All three of those prospects have yet to show *anything* at the NHL level. I suppose there is something to be said for the neck injury, but still.

Power it is then.

Saw this idea elsewhere: Would you trade 1OA to Seattle in exchange for 2OA and the condition that they select Okposo? I probably would. I don't trust the organization to make the correct choice between Power and Beniers. Not only would this trade rid us of Okposo, but it makes the decision between the two far easier -- just select the remaining player at 2OA.

Forgive me -- maybe I'm being a homer but I really feel like this isn't nearly enough. We're losing Bjork (who I have actually enjoyed watching) and taking on Fleury? This trade is essentially a late first, a second, a solid second liner in Tuch, and an A-/B+ prospect in Krebs for Eichel, a player who, when healthy, is considered a top ten forward in the league. Unlikely, but I think if we throw in a second rounder and Vegas adds Cody Glass I'd be more okay with it.

If the choice is between a first rounder and a B level blue chip prospect I'd honestly rather have the prospect. Given the Sabres' disappointing track record with late firsts I'd take the bird in hand over the two in the bush. He may not be considering the Bobrovsky deal.

Put the league on notice. Nobody beats the Sabres 19 straight! As a side note this was the one game of the losing streak I bet the opposing team. Serves me right I suppose.

Exactly how I feel. And even if the rumor is true I don't even know if Rutherford can fix this mess. It just seems like everything that the organization touches turns to ash.

Does anyone even watch anymore?

Are the Sabres are the worst organization in American professional sports (of football, baseball, hockey and basketball)? I don't really follow baseball but can't think of a football or basketball team worse than them. Maybe the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Charlotte Hornets are worse but I'm really having a hard time coming up with anything else.

This has aged like milk

Olofssson

I don't love Krueger as a coach. He makes questionable lineup decisions and speaks gibberish to the media. However, I don't believe firing him is justified for a few reasons: He has barely coached 1 full NHL season. Injuries and COVID have ravaged the team. The team has had ***** puck luck so far. XGF numbers are far higher than actual GF. I believe I saw somewhere that a number of our players have been experiencing record low shooting percentages. If we fire him, then what? At a certain point it just seems like no degree of coaching expertise can help this organization. IMO the only thing that can save our franchise is a Lou Lamoriello. Also firing him so early furthers the notion among executives that the Pegulas go through coaches and GMs too quickly. Perhaps enough so that it rubs potential coaching replacements like Gallant, Boudreau and Julien the wrong way. I think the organization should wait until the end of the season at least before firing him.

Remember when Sabres games were postponed due to COVID? Those were the days...

I wasn't really bothered by the whole Skinner thing because I thought he was getting good chances. However, putting Okposo in the lineup I can't abide. He is a black hole on both ends of the ice. He has hands that move like feet and feet that move like bricks. There is a direct correlation between when Okposo was put into the lineup and when the Eakin - Rieder line became bad. I don't care how much leadership he brings if he can't play NHL level hockey. Please spare us from 21.

I don't agree with the people saying the tank was the worst blunder. Rather, I think the moves and structure around the tank are what put the Sabres in a downward spiral. I think tanking is an okay move if you have ... a) Patience - Tim Murray thought he could speed up the rebuild by trading all of our picks and prospects for NHL ready players. It backfired horribly -- I think the Evander Kane trade was just as bad as some of the other moves on the list. b) Scouting Capabilities - Look back on the 2013 - 2017 drafts. It is embarrassing how few non-first round picks have panned out for the team. Even our first round picks are rarely the best players around their draft position. Additionally, professional scouting would have (hopefully) prevented the team from signing Okposo and Moulson to huge contracts. c) Competent Executives - This one is sort of self explanatory. Tim Murray was a terrible GM and Botterill wasn't far behind.

How in gods name did Hall win MVP? All he does is turn the puck over.

I believe he has to be protected as he has a NMC.