JohnC

The choo choo train that you are riding on is the same one I am riding on. I'm hoping that the goalie issue is a priority for him this offseason. I'm attaching a link from the Buffalo News that addresses this issue. https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/inside-the-sabres-questions-in-goal-loom-large-with-prospects-going-back-to-school/article_b2da8cc2-be58-11ec-b96b-bbf8502aa148.html

I simply have a different take on KA's first year. KA was not part of the hockey operations when he was hired to be the GM to replace the fired Botterill. So, he was not entering the job as a hockey strongman who had the authority to do what he wanted to do. I strongly believe (opinion) that Krueger and/or Pegula (as @Curt stated) were influential when KA took over as a GM in the hockey operation. If you recall this franchise was in turmoil and was not a typically run franchise. The owner was very involved in the decisions. The new GM didn't have the influence that he does have now. He had to bide his team and convince the owner to allow him to follow a rebuilding course that he was advocating for. There were also some reports (speculation) that the owner wanted Krueger to finish out the year because he was tired of paying off contracts for people who were no longer working. The team's disastrous descent gave the GM more than enough ammo to convince the owner to fire Krueger sooner rather than later. So I'm going to be more lenient than you are when assessing KA's performance in his first year because the situation that he took over was more convoluted and complicated than with other more normally run franchises. Again, that's my opinion.

You are correct that Reinhart would have signed a long-term deal years before if it were offered to him. He said so. But in typical fashion the organization blundered by not offering/signing him to a long term deal when it had an opportunity to do so. After that, when his contract was running out he made it known that he when he got to his UFA status he was going seek other opportunities. When an organization consistently makes bad judgments they predictably lose more than they win.

If Krebs wasn't added to the Jack deal I doubt that a deal with Vegas would have been made. It's understood that this youngster needs to get stronger but as a Sabre he is a keeper.

Too much conspiracy thinking for my taste. You are starting to frighten me.

I'm not sure what you are getting at. KA did have a plan when he first got the job. But the problem is that the owner did not agree to it. Eventually the owner did.

Players such as Krebs and Samuelsson are benefiting more from a developmental standpoint playing with Buffalo than if they were in Rochester helping the team to make a playoff push. As @dudacek stated Rochester is there to serve the needs of the Sabres and not vice versa.

Another distinction he had in comparison to previous GMs is that right from the start he had a blueprint that was appropriate for our franchise at the particular time. He believed in his rebuild strategy and has adhered to it. There were no deviations from it for a quick fix even when this team was facing turbulence. And it is my opinion that his most consequential move was the hiring of Granato to guide his young ship. He was the right coach for the time, circumstance and for the players he was presiding over.

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/senator-chuck-schumer-calling-on-federal-government-to-help-save-uss-the-sullivans/71-f2aa3993-cb09-458f-b3bc-c5c8cc8c81e6

Both of us are agreeing that both parties in this divorce wanted a separation from each other. There was no secret on what each's preference was. When KA assumed the GM position, he wanted to enact a major overhaul of the roster that involved jettisoning the former core that included Jack, Reinhart and Risto. Each of these three made it known to the organization that they wanted out. It was not a secret that both Risto and Reinhart were not going to re-sign when their contracts expired. However, as you pointed out the owner was not on board to that dramatic remake of the roster at that time. To KA's credit he handled the situation with a great deal of dexterity and diplomacy when dealing with the owner. He bided his time and let the situation disastrously unfold as he expected it to. Once the team plunged into the abyss in Krueger's second year the owner was convinced that the rebuild strategy that the GM was calling for was the right thing to do. And it certainly was an appealing factor for the owner that the payroll was going to be significantly slashed if KA's rebuild plan was implemented. During this changing of direction KA spoke on numerous occasions on WGR on what his vision was for this troubled franchise. His model was Carolina when it won the SC. He stated that he wanted to remake the roster so that it didn't center around a star player but rather he wanted to broaden out the talent so as not to become so dependent on any one player. In the end what Jack desired is the same thing that KA desired. As I have repeatedly stated the trade of Jack worked out well for him and it helped to accelerate the rebuilding and restructuring of the roster. Overall, I credit KA for doing a good job in systematically accomplishing what he set up to accomplish. And as like you my biggest criticism of him is how he handled the goalie situation. It wasn't so much not signing Ullmark to a new contract as it was not having an adequate fallback position if it a deal couldn't be worked out.

A line composed of Asplund/Gerg/Okposo would be an excellent fourth line. This would be more of a stopper than a scoring line. If you can get somewhere in the range of Okposo scoring 15 goals and Asplund and Gergs in the 10-12 range, I wouldn't be bothered with their lack of scoring potency. And every once in a while you can move Okposo up to a higher line for him to be given more scoring opportunities. As far as the face-off deficiency sometimes you just have to live with a deficiency in order to benefit for what they give you in other aspects of the game.

Assuming he returns to health I consider him to be an elite player but not generational.

I have made this comment on numerous postings. Jack being traded was the right thing for him. The organization trading Jack and getting a good return was the right thing to do for the organization. It worked out for each party. As far as Jack's long-term health that has yet to be determined.

Jack made it known to Adams that he wanted out. I don't believe that it really distressed Adams that much because he wanted to do a major rebuild as soon as he took over. My understanding is that Terry Pegula was hesitant about a clean-slate type of rebuild. Jack making it clear to Adams that he didn't want to be here simplified things for him as far as moving on.

I'm not trying to be flippant or dismissive. But the Jack comparison to Tage is an easy call for me. I'm not talking about the current Jack who is not close to being the same player as he previously was due to the surgery. I'm hoping that with an offseason he returns to full health and form. The situation that Jack was subjected to here was from an organizational standpoint tumultuous. How many different coaches did he play for? There were too many short-term transactions that were made that ended up setting this franchise back even more. It was a bad situation and he longer wanted to be a part of it. Just like ROR, Reinhart, Risto, McCabe, Montour etc. In any rebuild (in any sport) the organization has to determine who wants to be a part of it and who doesn't. He didn't want to undergo it. He felt that his career was being squandered and his mind-set focused on being somewhere else. Many people are upset with him for having that self-preservation/best interest attitude but I'm not one of them. The GM recognized it and made a decision to move on and start afresh. There were reports that he wanted to start the rebuild a year sooner but couldn't convince the owner to go along. In the end both sides on this issue/divide got what they felt was reasonable in the trade. I miss @Thorny also. You didn't have to always agree with him to recognize that his points were valid and well reasoned. On the issue of the organization and its commitment to win he had plenty of scathing comments to offer. Again, the Jack and Tage comparison is not a difficult issue for me. However, it would have been interesting to see how a healthy Jack would play under Granato. That shipped has long sailed off.

I did answer your question but you are not receptive to it because you are too invested in your hostility to the player. Jack's lack of success can be attributed to the gross dysfunction if the organization, team talent and coaching. There was a multiplicity of factors why the team he was on failed to succeed.

I am not being biased. I'm making a cold blooded judgment that should be obvious to most people, except those who have an animus toward the departed player. Jack was stuck in a dysfunctional organization that was going to start another rebuild. Understandably, he didn't want to be part of another rebuild. It's obvious to all that Tage is much taller than Jack. When Jack is healthy Tage is a pigmy talent-wise compared to Jack. It's not even a close call.

Everything (skating, strength of shot, driving the play, passing etc.) except his shooting accuracy compared to Tage. When healthy Jack is an elite NHL player. At his best Tage is a good NHL player.

What makes Granato captivating to listen to is that he is a true believer in what he is espousing. He's an Elmer Gantry without the hustle. What I'm intrigued with is that it is evident that he is good at working with a young roster that is developing. The next question becomes is how good of a coach is he with a developed roster and with an expectation to be a good team? That's the next issue and the big challenge. I'm a Granato fan with admitted biases about him. But on the second issue with how he performs with a more mature roster that is still an open question.

To underscore what you said in a WGR interview Granato was asked early on in the season when the Sabres were accumulating losses if he was getting discouraged. In his inimitable upbeat way he said absolutely not. He said that his most important goal for this season was to get better. He emphasized that what he saw in practice and in games was that his players were committed to getting better. He made the point that as long as they had the attitude and belief that they would get better that he was satisfied that the process that he believed in was working.

Anyone who thinks that Tage is a better player than Jack is making their judgment with a hometown bias. Jack is a much more dynamic player than Tage will ever be. Jack was out of hockey for more than a year and underwent surgery to his neck. How he is currently player after his return now is nowhere near how much better he will be next year after having an offseason. There is a lot of animosity toward Jack that clouds people's view of him as a person and player. However, from a talent standpoint he is a top tier player in this league while Tage is showing that he is a good player in this league. The one advantage I would give Tage is his shooting accuracy. Although Jack has a harder shot Tage has a more accurate shot. I said this before so I apologize for the redundancy. The best thing that happened to Jack is that he got traded. And the best thing that happened to this organization is that it got a reasonable return for him that allowed this franchise to reset and accelerate the rebuild. And to bring up another Jack issue how much better or not would this team be with Jack being healthy and playing with Granato as his coach?

The one thing none of us needs to worry about is Granato's ability to work with young players (all players for that matter) and bring them along in their development. He's brilliant at individualizing his approach to each player's talents. He has said many times that making mistakes is part of the learning process. Compare that to Krueger where if you don't adhere to the prescribed script, you either get yanked or your minutes are curtailed? I agree with you that young players are going to have uneven performances. That goes with being inexperienced. But a player like Power, who was the consensus #1 prospect in last year's draft, has shown in his international and college play that the more that he is exposed to, the more he absorbs. I'm not disagreeing with what you said. Your point makes a lot of sense. It's just that after watching him in 4 games I'm more inclined to give him a little more responsibility than you are. There is a maturity to his game that indicates that he can handle the mistakes he will make and learn from them. Just after watching him in the few games I have seen him play I don't think I'm being unrealistic in saying that this guy is going to be a gem.

The sink or swim or immersion into NHL play is the right approach to take with Power. This staff would be foolish to have him spend any time in the AHL. He's got a lot to learn as do any rookie players. What he has demonstrated is his short stint is that not only can he handle playing in this league but he can excel in it. There is no doubt that he will never see any time in the minors unless sent there in a rehabbing assignment.

After being on the phone for an hour and they running a diagnostic I was able to get the game. I saw most of the third period. So because I didn't watch most of the game I'm going to refrain from giving comments about it. However, I did watch the post game show and saw the highlights. VO has gotten his shot back! I hope those who have talked about trading him are now changing their view. He is a valuable asset. I did see Granato's post game comments. He is marvelous in giving a clear and accurate description of the game and has great understanding of his players and their individual makeups. You can see the twinkle in his eyes when commenting on Samuelsson and Power.

I'm now certifiable crazy. Anyone have any extra happy pills?