JohnC

People have the constitutional right to be stupid.

I blame the owner for not stepping in sooner and ordering the firing of Krueger when it was apparent the team quit on him. There was a clear line of demarcation between the departure when the team played like it was in a stupor and then giving a more energetic effort after Granato took over. Why do you think Sam was traded this offseason?

Sam made it clear through his agent that he was not signing a long term deal here. He was going to be an UFA if he signed the one year deal. And Sam was explicit in some end of game interviews that scoring winning goals in end of season meaningless games meant little to him. Understandably, he wanted out and he was going to position himself to get out. All this was played out in the open.

That's hindsight. I'm sure that after communicating with his agent he believed he could sign him. In the end he wasn't going to go beyond the value he placed on him. That was the right thing to do. As I said in a prior post Ullmark acted in his best interest and so did the organization. When a player is an UFA you don't have total control. There is certainly more to do to address that critical position.

Afraid of answering what? I stated my position on the Ullmark decision. As it stands the goaltending situation is tenuous. That's obvious.

I agree with you that Adams was for the most part was implementing what Krueger wanted done. The players that were brought in were Krueger players. And I agree with you that he is basically starting fresh and is in control. Hopefully, the owners don't interfere too much.

As noted by Paul Hamilton on WGR he wanted a 6 term from Buffalo while Boston offered a 4 yr. term. And he was asking for a higher average salary than what Boston offered him. I hated to see him leave but Adams made the right decision. Play your BS games with someone else.

As I stated before with respect to the Ullmark situation I wholeheartedly agree with how he handled it. Ullmark acted in his interest and the GM acted in what he believed to be his best interest. Am I satisfied with the goaltending situation as it stands? No. I'm hoping for additional moves. TBD!

Jack wanted out just as Risto and Reinhart wanted out. And I have no criticisms for their sentiments. And it is understandable that McCabe wouldn't want to be part of another rebuild. As you noted the GM in his end of season interviews talked with all the players. After the interviews he repeatedly publicly stated that he wanted players that wanted to be here and be part of the rebuild. What's obvious is obvious.

With respect to the Ullmark situation I absolutely believe that he handled it right. Giving him a 6 yr term and a higher average than he got from Boston would have been a mistake similar to the contract mistake that was made with Skinner. He placed a value on a player and had the judgment and fortitude to abide by his decision.

At this point the debate about whether Adams was a good hire is a moot point. He certainly wasn't the most experienced or equipped for that position. Regardless, he was the hire and he is in place. The ownership needs to allow him to do his job without much interference and then make a judgment on his performance. For the most part I liked what he has done. Granato was the right hire and our draft seemed to be sound. (Time will better tell.) I also liked the hiring of Karmanos as the assistant GM and the analytic person. What I like about Adams is that he is a collaborator and recognizes what he does and doesn't know. Overall, I believe he has handled the Jack situation. Because of his complicated health situation it has made it an even more challenging trade situation for him. He just needs the time and space to do his job.

You are absolutely right. In addition to the big difference in the sports what the Bills have demonstrated is that when your top people are high quality they will in time put together a winning operation, assuming that there is little outside interference. The Bills have gone from being a laughingstock operation to a well-respected and admired organization. And that turnabout happened fairly quickly after the McDermott and Beane hiring. Staffing matters!

As you highlight pro football is a lot different than pro hockey because of the structure of the contracts. There is more player movement in football than hockey. But except for those long term and expensive contracts there is also a lot of player movement. In hockey players are drafted at a young age and it takes time to develop them. That's not so much the case in football. In the end what matters isn't how you assemble talent as it is that you do it. Good management makes more wiser personnel decisions than they do make mistakes. No front office is going to get every personnel decision right. But it is your body of work that is reflected in your record that indicates how competent it is. When you compare the current football operation to the hockey operation over the past few years the contrast is stark.

If you want to add talent to a franchise that lacks sufficient talent then you make some reasonable accommodations to get that done. The amount of money the Sabres would have to assume in the Minnesota deal that was described would be spread out over years. It would be far from being burdensome. Coming up with reasons not to do something is easy. Getting something done when it is your best option is an opportunity that should be taken, IMHO.

If by assuming some of the Jack contract the return would bring you back at least two high end prospects plus some high draft picks I would do that in a heartbeat. The prospects would still be on the ELCs so there will be a lot more salary going out than being brought in. It should also be noted that the Sabres have plenty of cap space so assuming some of Jack's contract should be easy to handle. What it comes down to is if you can get a deal that meets your baseline return, then why refuse it if there are no better offers? It wasn't that long ago that the Sabres traded ROR St. Louis before his bonus kicked in for a paltry return. It was reported that Carolina was willing to offer much more in a ROR deal if the Sabres would have paid the player's bonus. The Sabres said no and ended getting little in his trade. What's worse than making a glaring mistake is repeating it!

If he can refurbish his career Washington would be a good landing spot for him. They are building up the roster and keeping their eyes out for an opportunity to bring in a long term franchise qb. Washington had their eyes on Stafford this offseason but the price got too rich for them.

I disagree with your evaluation of the draft. As you noted they drafted players who fit in well with their system and philosophy. It's not glitzy but it is sound. That's the plan that is being followed. The execution is exceptional. That's good drafting.

If this deal is as described and the Sabres refused to retain some of Jack's salary I will be upset and disillusioned to the extent of considering walking away. As you stated the Sabres may be 4 yrs or so away from being a cup contender but at least there will be some hope about the prospects for this franchise. Just because a team isn't a legitimate cup contending team doesn't mean that it can't be an entertaining and competitive team.

If Adams follows the McBeane model of rebuilding with the players that fit what they want to accomplish and culling out the players that don't fit in with their blueprint for the type of roster they want to construct I believe that this roster can be remade in two to three years. Although the Sabres have and will shed some of their established core players the GM will not be starting from scratch. We do have a young core to build around. And we have a few good players in the AHL pipeline who are close to being ready i.e. a year or two away. One of the main reasons that the Bills have been able to make a rather rapid turnaround is because their drafting has been solid. For the most part there is nothing dazzling about their selections that have included a number of value picks in the mid-rounds. And if you review their free agent pickups they are players who fit in well. Other than Diggs I can't recall a high profile free agent acquisition or trade exchange. In general I like would Adams has done. He's had some tough luck that he couldn't control. Jack being injured and thus being devalued on the market hurt with bringing in some good pieces. And Ullmark upping his contract demands with us beyond his value created a big hole at the backstop position. To Adams credit although keeping Ullmark was important his value demands didn't match his talent level. That showed good discipline and judgment on the part of the GM. The big issue is whether the owners will be willing to give this regime the time needed to do what is required to do to successfully rework this roster.

Let me put it a different way. They did try to build around Jack but for a variety of reasons were unsuccessful at doing it to the degree that they needed to. One of the essential things a GM has to do when assembling talent is making sure that the pieces fit (as you noted). It didn't happen to the extent it needed to as their dismal record indicates. The Pegula era has gone on for a decade. During that ignominious period this franchise has floundered. There are a number of people who are not satisfied with KA as our GM. To his credit he has at least a plan and without taking diverting shortcuts he seems determined to execute it. Hopefully, he will be given enough time to do it. .

I agree with you that well run organizations smartly manage their caps. But as you noted once the adjustment period runs its course contracts in general will increase proportionally with the increase in the cap. That was my point.

No doubt that the cap will go up. But so will player salaries that will absorb that increase. Building a team while the team has a high performing qb on a rookie contract is essential. Once that rookie qb contract runs out and is replaced with an exorbitant second contract tough personnel decisions will still have to be made.

When you are a top tier talent and play on a bad team your production is going to be wasted. He lacked the support required for the team to succeed. That's the heart of the problem for this failed franchise. The Sabres had more than enough time to bring in players or develop players in their system to thicken the roster. However, bad personnel decisions and the constant changing of the staff created an instability within the organization that couldn't be overcome. The hockey world has a dim view of this franchise under the stewardship of the Pegulas. They have earned the league wide scorn. All you have to do is check the record. It's embarrassing.

I agree with you that Mitts and his line mates played well under Granato than under Krueger. That comment can apply to every player on the roster after the coaching change. The Mitts line that included Asplund and Thompson would on a more complete team be a solid third line in time. And when I categorize that line at a third line level I am denigrating the line. It's an important role. Reinhart showed that he could be a good second or maybe even a solid first line center. Jack is definitely a first line center. Mitts doesn't come close to that level play. What happens on bad teams with a dearth of talent is that players end up playing a higher role than their talent level. That was evident on our blue line. A third pairing caliber of player ends up playing as a second pairing and gets skewered for his play. The reality is that the player is playing a role beyond his what he is suited for. That pattern of inflating a player's role is going to become evident this season. I liked what I saw from Mitts last season and still see some upside. I thought he was a lost cause but he turned out to be a pleasant surprise. My point here is don't get carried away with your assessment of Mitts.

When it gets to the point that the posting of an emoji becomes the last straw motivating someone to do something that may not be in one's best interest then we have entered the realm of irrationality. Is the emoji a signal that Jack doesn't want to be here? If it does, so what! That's already known. Just as it is already known that the organization wants to move on from him. You don't need to look for hidden meanings when the parties involved are upfront with their intentions. There are plenty of reasons to criticize the organization. How they are handling the Jack situation is not one of them. They are not responding to the commotion (perceived or real) from the other side. They will make a deal when it is the right deal. If it can't be done sooner, then it will be done later. This is the period of time in the offseason prior to training where there isn't much happening. The imaginations and conspiracies are running amok.