JohnC

I disagree with your comments about Dahlin. As for Power I'm hoping that he lives up to his lofty draft status. The consensus of the draft analysts categorized him as an elite prospect. With respect to future of our blue line grouping it looks bright if you include Samuelsson, Johnson, Dahlin, Power and Joki. It's taking time to form but it is materializing.

I agree with you that there isn't going to be a quick return for a contribution from Levi. My guess would be 2-3 yrs. down the road. The shame of the Reinhart saga is that he could have been secured a couple of years ago. It's like taking a step forward only to then take two steps back. What was surprising is that it appears that that Risto returned more assets than Reinhart did. I would never have predicted that.

I was as much of a fan of Sam as anyone here. He undoubtedly would have been an anchor player for us. The failure to keep him in the fold was a reflection of the organization's incompetence. It is beyond being exasperated to know that he was willing to sign an extension a year or two before his contract would run out. A mistake is a mistake. So you move on. As @LGR4GMpointed out if Levi turns out to be our #1 netminder in a year or two then the complexion of that deal becomes a little bit more rosy. And based on his early play in top tier college hockey that is not an outlandish hope.

Dahlin like all players will be a better player when surrounded by more talent. I see that steadily happening now. And it helps that he is being coached by someone who has a more enlightened approach to the game.

I agree with your point that you don't know for certain who will turn out to be the best prospect. But I qualified my comment with the word arguably that he was the consensus best prospect. Even if other players turn out to be better than he turns out to be I still consider his selection as the right selection at the time.

Arguably we got the best player in this past draft.

Within a year or so the Sabres will add Peterka, Quinn, Power and Samuelsson to the Buffalo roster. Assuming that there will be a Jack trade another player or two could be added to next year's roster. The rebuilding strategy to grow the young core is being executed. Stay the course.

You left who the preeminent doctor who approved of the surgery. https://www.google.com/search?q=dr.+irwin+corey&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS802US802&oq=Dr.+Irwin+Core&aqs=chrome.0.0i355i512j46i512j69i57j0i512j0i22i30l2.6616j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

This is simply Bullshiit! It is bloody con job. I paid for the hockey Directv hockey package with the expectations to have the ability to watch all the games with them and some games on other not for pay sports stations. I'm being hustled by fraudster in pinstriped suits.

This is Bullshiiit!

Do you know if DirecTv NHL hockey package will cover this game? It didn't indicate that it will on the schedule. If not I'll be upset! This is BullShiiit!

Trust me my optimism on this issue is not unbridled. I'm aware that it's very likely that Jack will eventually be dealt. I just feel strongly that if you have a significant asset, even if is currently diminished, then that asset should not be dealt for less than full value. And because of his injury status it is going to take time for the value to be restored. As I have stated before I believe that KA is handling this situation very well.

I'm aware that the organization wants to move him and the player wants out. That's the situation right now. However, the stance by the GM is that he wants a high return back for him. Most people agree with that position. As of now the market indicates a severe diminution of his value because of his questionable health status. It is likely that a long time is going to pass before he will be dealt in order for his value to be restored. There is a good chance that it might not happen until the offseason. Can the situation change and the bad blood between the parties change to accommodation? I believe so. Most people don't.

The point that I and a very few others have been making is that the situation with the team and the organization was in a downward spiral. And with Granato as the coach there is a completely different environment in which a healthy Jack would not only thrive but also significantly benefit the team. So far in this early stage of the season this team is doing well. That' encouraging. However, it still lacks talent to be considered a serious team. Jettisoning one of the top players in the league (when healthy) for pennies on the dollar in my opinion is the wrong approach to take.

I don't understand what you are getting at. The simple solution is just don't respond back. I say this with no rancor.

Very illuminating due to the contextualizing of the issue. Quite a contrast compared to the caricaturing and demonizing of a player on this topic. I understand why there are different/conflicting perspectives coming from the organization and the player. It's a multifaceted and complex issue that too many people try to simplify. It's not about good guys and bad guys. Each party to this saga is trying to act in their own best interest. In the real world life isn't always simple.

Within this WGR link is a 17 min segment with Seth Appert, the coach of the Amerks, talking about the young players on the team. He talks about the young players and what they are doing in their developmental process. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy

As @Thornyaptly stated very nuanced and an incisive analysis of the situation.

Name a Sabre coach who has directly or indirectly described Jack as a problem in the locker room? Name a player who has directly or indirectly described Jack as a problem in the locker room? There is a negative narrative being made and advanced without supporting evidence. The demonizing of a player without supporting evidence is not fair or right.

You nailed it. That's exactly the point that @Thornyand I have made on this topic. I reject this demonizing of this particular player. It is not right and fair.

I agree with you that Adams doesn't want Eichel back. However, there were arguments made that he wouldn't fit in with a Granato coached team. I strenuously disagree with that point. His talents clearly do match with the style of play that the coach wants his team to play. And there were repeated comments that Eichel was a cancer in the room. Again, I disagree with that unfair characterization of him and his character. There were a number of comments made about the disharmony of the room with Jack and harmony without him. I disagree with the notion that locker rooms in most sports are a sacred space comprised of a group of blood brothers. That's a big stretch from reality. More often than not the locker room is made up of disparate personalities that play hard for each other and then after the games go their separate ways. The idyllic scene in the room is not as real as many believe it to be.

I have heard Granato speak warmly about Jack and express empathy for what he is going through. The coach pointed out that one of the most talented players in the world whose life and identity revolve around a game he has passion for has for an extended period of time had the game taken away from him. And he pointed out that there are no guarantees that he might ever play again or if he does return to the ice might never be the player he was because of his injury. You don't think that Jack is aware that there are risks and things might not work out as he wants it to? The harsh critics seem to forget that before he is a hockey player he is a human being who is undergoing a very challenging period of time where his life has been in many respects uprooted. It seems that Granato has a good grasp on the concept of " compassion" while many people who are looking in don't.

I'm very confident that Granato will work out how best to use Jack. Whether that is maximum minutes or a reduction of minutes this very adroit coach will work out a schedule that will most benefit the team.

He is not a locker room problem. He might not be warmly embraced or chummy with everyone in the room but that doesn't make him a malignant presence. You and the majority of contributors here have this naive misconception that locker rooms are only populated with best of friends. That idyllic view has little resemblance to the reality of locker rooms in all sports or even workplaces in general. The Buffalo Bills in their hay day were called the bickering Bills. But when it came to playing they were effective. The notion that Jack couldn't fit in or even adjust to a Granato coached team is a product of one's animus toward a player. What's happening here is that a jaundiced view of a player is influencing one's perception of how much he can help this team.

I don't deny that the organization has conclusively made a decision to move on. However, sometimes over time the situation can change.