JohnC

Within this link is a 12 min segment with Sam Cosentino from Sportsnet on WGR's Howard and Jeremy Show talking about the draft. He described the player rankings as volatile. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

Within this WGR link from the Howard and Jeremy Show is a 12 min segment talking about the draft. He characterized the player rankings as volatile. At the end of the segment he talks about Power and Jack Quinn. He described Power as a given established player. He also glowed about Jack Quinn. Interestingly, he said that he believes could play center. Also within this link is a 20 min Marty Biron segment talking about goalies and how the organization is going to address this offseason. He sees the goalie market as being murky and he didn't see the Sabres being very active this offseason. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

Strict adherence to a topic is unlikely in a forum. That's the nature of the beast.

I didn't say that Ullmark would sign if Adams matched Boston's offer. Ullmark wanted a richer contract from Buffalo than what he was offered from Boston. The GM declined without having much of a fallback option.

What's the likelihood of the Sabres adding a Kane and Cambell/Fleury salaries to this year's roster? I would say it borders on nonexistent. If I'm going to add a rich contract, I would dedicate it to the goalie position and after that to a blueliner. I don't believe that signing Kane would have any sway with Campbell or whoever. The issue for whichever goalie is the specific contract. I have no criticism of the ownership. I believe, as you do, that the hockey people are running the operation with the appropriate consultation with the owners when it is called for. As I have said many times before, overall, I like what KA has done other than with the goalie situation. I reside in the seating section that is reserved for the optimists.

Not signing Ullmark last year or having a better option will have an impact on this team this year. And the team improving 10 pts last year with better goalie play is not insignificant. It would be an indication of a team moving up the ranks and better positioning itself for the near future. Success breeds more success. And it certainly has a positive influence for attendance.

I agree with you that I also doubt that a Kane trade happens. The Sabres are more likely to be a low cap team this year. I just don't see them moving into the midrange cap level. The Bishop trade for a contract signals that more austere financial approach to this upcoming season. I'm not saying that it is the wrong approach to take at this time.

I agree with you that a Kane trade is not going to happen for a myriad of reasons (your words). There is an infinitesimal chance that the Sabres would trade for Kane this season. Maybe at a later stage but not in the foreseeable future. If you were discussing a goalie or even a defenseman transaction, then that is a completely different scenario.

We'll just have to wait and see how much is spent this year. The acquisition of the Bishop contract indicates an austere spending strategy for this season. Repeating what I have said in prior posts I'm not concerned how much or how little is spent on the roster. There are things that can still be addressed within the framework of a low cap payroll.

I attributed the Ranger scenario to @MattPie for a Kane trade on my first post on the topic. I try to be fair and give credit with my attributions. It's difficult and would be too bulky to do it for every post on a particular topic.

I disagree. The Sabres would have been at least a 10 pt better team with Ullmark. The notion of culture and development being stifled with better netminding last year makes no sense at all. Success breeds more success. And success puts more paying customers in the seats.

The signing of Kane under his current contract goes against everything that the GM has espoused. The Sabres are again going to be a low-budget team this season. (I'm fine with that.) In no way does a Kane signing through a trade this offseason fall within the GM's stated plans in how he wants to rebuild this roster. The likelihood of a deal for him this offseason is so improbable that the word infinitesimal applies here.

The Ullmark non-signing is a big deal that has reverberated into this season. The GM miscalculated. And it hurt the team. I didn't say that Ullmark would sign if Adams matched Boston. He wanted a richer contract from Buffalo. The GM should have paid it.

What makes this situation Kafkaesque is the hope that the GM can come up with an Ullmark caliber of goalie. The GM ended up hurting the team with a self-inflicted wound. Stupid is stupid! No, I wont!

Be patient---it's coming. 😃

I know I will elicit a blistering reflexive comment from @LGR4GM but not signing Ullmark last year at the contract that he was willing to sign for was a mistake. It put this franchise in a bad situation not only last year but also this year. A little more foresight and flexibility would have better served this franchise. This is a case where the GM outsmarted himself. This was a glaringly bad decision.

I agree that it would be difficult to trade Kane due to his gilded contract even if the player was amenable to being dealt. I brought up the Rangers because if they seriously wanted the player they would be in a better position to take him on than most teams. As far as for the Sabres, there is zero chance that KA would trade for him not only because of his contract but he doesn't fit in with how he is constructing this rebuild. That is not to say that Kane wouldn't help this team.

Someone else mentioned it but if the Blackhawks wanted to move him and Kane was receptive to a trade the Rangers would be a good destination for him to land. NYR have a rich farm system and are in position to give up some assets. The Rangers are ready to compete for the cup now. Kane would certainly help to add scoring beyond their top line. If the Sabres were better situated at the goalie position I would be less resistant to the idea of him coming here. But if the team is going to shed some assets or add to their payroll they have to address the backstop position first.

Why are you so quick to make a judgment on Rosen? I'm not saying you are right or wrong. At this point I simply don't know if he was a good pick or not. It just seems that you are prematurely making a judgment on Rosen. It might be wiser to wait a little longer to see how he plays and develops while he is in North America.

That incident happened 13 years ago. He was arrested and pled guilty to a disorderly conduct charge. He publicly apologized for the assault to the cabbie. What he did was wrong and there is no excuse for it. The next issue is how has he acted since the bad behavior. From what I can gather after that incident 13 year ago he has behaved responsibly.

Trading for Kane doesn't make sense for the Sabres for a variety of reasons. Why would they take on his salary when the expectation is that the Sabres are going to be a bottom level cap team again? And why would it give up an assets for him when the Sabres are still in a rebuilding stage? The organization's financial austerity strategy was signaled when the GM essentially acquired a salary for Biship, who is injured, in order to meet the cap floor. There is no question that Kane is still a top tier player who would improve this team for the short-term. But it would be at the expense of one of our developing players that this organization already has in the fold. If the Sabres are going to take on a hefty contract or give one out I would rather see the money directed toward a goalie and blue line help. The scenario of Chicago trading Kane is not an improbable scenario. Chicago is in a rebuilding mode, and trading of Kane for future assets could help accelerate their rebuild. Although the Sabres trading Kane doesn't make much sense it certainly would for a team such as the Rangers as @MattPie suggested in a later post.

Do you think he would be worth taking with our second pick in the first round?

Mirochnichenko might be worth the moderate risk of taking a player with a health history and Russian background with our second first round pick. If I knew he would still be on the board with our last first round pick, that would even be better. But it is less likely he would still be available at that later point. From what I have read he was considered a top ten talent before dealing with cancer.

There's no chance that Vegas could add Bergeron onto their payroll and stay within the cap (as you noted). I'm sure what Cassidy is hoping for is Jack, Mark Stone and Lehner to return to full health. If Jack, Mark Stone and Lehner do return to form, then Cassidy who was fired from his job and ends up in a good situation coaching a very competitive team. The coaching business is a tough and precarious field of endeavor to be in. Bouncing around is not a lot of fun. But bouncing into good situations makes it a lot more tolerable.

The hope is that what was an unappealing situation last year with the clear intention of uprooting the old core has changed to the point where the franchise has been stabilized and is now on an upward trajectory. The performance of this team the last third portion of the season should demonstrate that this is now a competitive team with serious aspirations. (side note: a good debate is whether the team play of the last third of the season meant much for the upcoming season????) The hope is that Tuch becomes the model that other players are willing to follow. He was dealt from an upper tier team to a lower tier team that was in a rebuilding mode. He embraced the challenge of coming to this new team and enthusiastically led it. The end result for him as a player was that his role was expanded and he ended up having his best year. I'm hoping that a goalie like Campbell (or other goalies on the market) can see that if he comes here he will not only be able to garner a generous contract but also be with a competitive team. Our roster is disproportionately loaded with a lot of young talent with a lot of upside. Compared to the team's outlook last year the situation is so much better for goalies interested in finding a good situation for themselves from a business and professional standpoint.