JohnC

When you have three first round picks you should come away with a good assessment by most analysts. What sticks out is that I haven't heard anyone say that any of the picks were reaches or surprises. So far, every pick made sense and was easy to justify. The franchise is functioning in a smart and effective manner. From an overview standpoint you can see the direction this franchise is moving toward. There is a recognizable plan that is being implemented. Reason to be optimistic. Last night was a good evening! https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/nhl-draft-winners-losers-2022-round-1/gbybxcgmzptpbyro5wjkf2dd

The Washington Post noted that the Capitals are interested in Kuemper. If that is the case they definitely are dispatching one of their current netminders.

As you make clear you have to understand where your team is at relative to where it wants to go when making personnel decisions. There is a balance between the future and the present. As you acknowledge before you can get to the serious cup contending stage you have to get to being a fringe playoff contending team. You have to ask yourself where are you on the league ladder measuring stick? Are you on the bottom, middle or near the top? I believe, and I think many others also believe, that this team has amassed enough talent to become a fringe playoff contending team this season. It just seems to me that what would derail that attainable aspiration this year is the goalie situation. If that position can be reasonably addressed, this team can continue moving up that competitive ladder. That would be progress.

I'm not a draftnik and don't pretend to be. But Lekkerimak seems to come up in a variety of draft sites associated with our first pick. Adams has positioned this team to be one of the prominent drafting teams tonight. This is exciting.

It was a lack of foresight in having some better options if not able to sign your UFA goalie.

Did you forget last year and the void we had at the position?

The family members don't get the work visas. The player applies for a work visa, and it gets scrutinized for approval or not by the American Embassy. A while back I remember a Russian intelligence agent who defected to the US. He was in protective custody by the state department in an out of the way countryside hideaway. The Russians were able to get him on the phone. They put his family back in Russia including wife, parents and kids on the line. He was asked if he loved his family. He got the message and returned to Russia. He was killed by a firing squad. Under the Putin regime there have been a number of Russian poisonings of defectors and critics in foreign countries by nuclear isotopes. This is a brutal and vindictive regime. I'm not suggesting that the family back home will necessarily be killed. But they would be harassed in a variety of ways such as a loss of employment. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/06/alexander-litvinenko-and-the-most-radioactive-towel-in-history

It's easier for a player to get out but what happens to the family that is left behind. This is a brutal regime that will unmercifully exact revenge on the family. And this is also a regime that will cross borders and boldly take deadly action against people who have gone against the regime. It's a terrible situation for the prospects who are pursuing a dream of playing in the NHL.

What's his value? If he decides to stay in school doesn't he become a free agent after the college season?

It seems that the interest in the team is coming back. A good sign. If the GM made a mildly bold move to get a goalie it would quicken the pace of the return of the fans.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Butcher-Shop/Redlinski-Meats-321533154600/

This issue was talked about on WGR with a hockey reporter. The issue really isn't will the Russian prospects eventually be able to come to North America because they likely will. The issue is will these prospects have to stay in Russia longer and have their development curtailed compared to coming to NA sooner and using the lower hockey leagues and training facilities to prepare to become NHL players. Will their development be slowed and stifled? Maybe? There are plenty of young Russian players playing in the Russian leagues now who are not getting much playing time because older players are getting the ice time. That certainly has to be a consideration when deciding whether to take a Russian prospect over another prospect. Maybe these issues aren't disqualifying but they certainly are being considered by most teams. The flip side to this issue is that because Buffalo has a bevy of picks they are in a better position to select a Russian player who has fallen in the draft below their ranking. This is a case where being bold and judicious are two sides of the same coin.

Attached is a WGR link from the Howard and Jeremy Show. Within this link are two hockey segments that deal with the draft and league player moves. The Kris Baker segment which is about 15 min focuses on prospects in the Sabre system. Interestingly, the one Sabre prospect he gushed the most over was Levi. The other segment is with Dave Panotta, Editor-and Chief of the Fourth Period. This is a 10 min segment. Much of the discussion related to player movement in the league. When asked about the goalie market for Buffalo he felt that a trade is the most likely avenue to acquire one. Good hockey talk. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

I hope you are feeling better. Are you taking any medications or just riding it out? Family members in California are getting hit a second time. This plague is going to be with us for a long time.

Probably so. Wanting and getting something are two different issues. Getting a goalie such as MAF would certainly energize the fan base and bring in a lot more customers to the arena. The thought of Marty Biron interviewing MAF is a delightful thought.

The Sabres are going to be at or near the bottom of cap expenditures. I have no problem with that because even as a lower expenditure team they can still make the few beneficial additions that will better round out the roster. Most people agree that the priority is getting a goalie.

I agree that we are all guessing on what the GM is going to do on this issue. My inclination is that he isn't giving any goalie $5 M per year even on a two year deal.

I have no clue where Fleury is going to sign. Would he take a discount contract to go to a contender, even as a backup? Or is he trying to get as much $$$ as he can as he career reaches the end of the line? I can't say for sure. But I just don't see him coming to Buffalo because I don't believe the GM is going to pay him at the level where it would be his worthwhile to come here. My sense is that the GM prefers spending at best mid-tier money for a goalie he eventually brings in.

I agree with most of the decisions that the GM has made in the rebuild. However, I am perplexed at his apparent casual attitude in addressing the goalie situation. It makes no sense to me. If he doesn't meaningfully address the position, it will undercut the good work he has done in restocking the roster. There are still opportunities to bring in another credible goalie. But it seems as days pass by the number of options decline. Keep an eye out for a deal with Washington. One of their goalies is rumored to be moved.

Yes, theoretically the GM could sign Letang and Malkin and not hurt re-signing his young players in the future. But what is the probability that he would do so? It is very small and improbable. That's the point that I'm making. Your second paragraph concisely states what almost everyone on the board agrees with. I don't understand the commotion.

I don't understand your "dogmatic interpretation" about my comments. What I have said is that the GM has clearly stated what his strategy will be in how he rebuilds the roster. And without question he has adhered to it. He has been up front about not being a high expenditure franchise now so he can be in a better situation in the future when a wave of his young core players enter into their next contracts.

You have missed my point on my comments on KA. What I have said about him is that he is fully transparent about what he is going to do. There is no hidden agenda. He has repeatedly publicly stated on what his strategy is to rebuild this roster. If you disagree with it, then that is fine. But what he is doing and the direction he is taking in this endeavor should not be a mystery to anyone. He is doing exactly what he said he would be doing since his installation.

You don't have to listen to what Elliot Friedman has to say about the cap and money because it isn't a secret. The GM has publicly stated about how he is going to spend the cap in the present and the future. There is no hidden agenda. He's leaving money on the table now so he can have it when the young core needs extensions.

The injury factor certainly is a concern. The player that I'm more concerned about regarding an injury derailing a career is UPL. The coach has stated that during training camp he felt that Mitts was one of his best players. That's certainly encouraging. But what makes me optimistic about this upcoming season (goalie still an overriding issue) is that the roster is starting to create some depth where it can absorb an injury and not be devastated by it. At the center position you have to add Krebs, Tage and Cozens to the center mix. My point is that although I'm expecting Mitts to become a good contributing player, I'm not counting on him to be an invaluable player who can't be replaced.

There has been speculation that eventually she will be exchanged for a notorious Russian arms dealer. Like you, I wouldn't be surprised if she had a small amount of drugs with her. But this was a staged arrest with the higher authorities involved in this hostage taking. The end result of this hostage taking is going to be no foreign players in any sport are going to play in Russia. Russia has become a mafia-like gangster government running a criminal operation. https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Brittney-Griner-Russia-prisoner-exchange-merchant-17279763.php