JohnC

The organization is scouting the zoos for their big time stopper.

Anderson is a funny guy who will be backstopping a sad team. https://www.google.com/search?q=louie+anderson&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS802US802&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=qtR9je1_Nw0MKM%2CW61sB7fqGzOacM%2C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTJvTCWAZVFfIYxsZpdgJ_ib4XfAA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjL07Ptk4fyAhVth_0HHeynD0AQ_h16BAgPEAE&biw=1920&bih=969#imgrc=qtR9je1_Nw0MKM

The hunt for goaltenders is not over. But today Seattle traded Vanacek back to the Capitals for a second round pick. If the Sabres would have offered Seattle a second round pick they would have taken it because we certainly will be drafting higher than Washington. This is another missed opportunity. And it should be recognized that making an offer for Vanacek would have made sense even if Ullmark would have stayed. What this organization has to understand is even with a youth movement you have to give them the proper support in order for them succeed. What's becoming evident is that systemic losing is corrosive in so many ways.

You make a good point that both the front office and the player have an understanding as to what direction the franchise is taking. And both sides of the table recognize that parting ways is the right thing to do for each of their interests. And as you noted the organization was open to moving him last year. So the player shouldn't surprised by the openness in the bidding process. No one should be critical of Jack, Samsnon and Risto preferring to move on and have a chance at starting fresh with teams that are more competitive. And no one should be critical about the organization of wanting to reshuffle the roster that has been stagnating for years. Now it is all about the return.

The front office is looking for players who are consistent.

It doesn't matter what team a deal made with. As like you I will be extremely disappointed if a high end center prospect is not part of the return. Vegas, Minn, Anaheim and LA have assets at that position that would be more than acceptable. That is more of an essential piece of a deal than is a high draft choice. Ideally, both pieces would be part of a deal. Let's get it done!

It's called hedging one's best at an exponential level. In that way no one can say you were wrong when your bet doesn't hit the mark. I know I am not alone in how I feel that I want this Jack issue to be finalized. My standard is not extreme. I simply want a reasonable deal, and want it done sooner rather than later.

I understand your point and it makes sense. You did give an accurate portrayal of how the fans think. My point is simply that this issue is complicated because of Jack's health status. If Jack were healthy the outsized desires of our fans and the fans of the prospective acquiring teams would not only be understandable but also be reasonable. As the Reinhart return demonstrates what fans want isn't always realistic because of some complicating issues. In his case it was his contract status.

Any front office that seriously considers the impulsive desires of its fan base when it makes a consequential decision to acquire an injured star player at the expense of giving up precious assets should be summarily fired for grotesque incompetence. What makes a Jack trade so difficult for both sides of the bargaining table is the player's health status. It's complicated and not an easy call for both the trading and acquiring team.

What does it matter if a goalie prospect is acquired through the draft or trade? The apprenticeship process is so long that there are plenty of opportunities to get a promising prospect from another team's system. That's exactly how it happened when the Sabres got Levi from Florida in the Reinhart deal. If I'm going to use a lower round pick to draft a player I would rather use it on a long shot forward than goalie. If you look at the goalie population there are always a lot of them circulating within the NHL pool of players.

The one thing I like about Linus is that he has gotten better each step of the way in his developmental process. As you point out he played very well for us under very challenging circumstances playing behind an incomplete team and a poorly coached team. The expectation is that he still has some upside to his game. It's imperative that this regime works hard and with urgency to put a good support system (more talent) in front of him.

With the gaping space in the cap if not willing to take back some salary in a player exchange prevents this team from making a deal then shame on this organization.

Getting 4 pieces for an injured Jack might be unrealistic. But getting 3 pieces should be doable. If you examine Minnesota's roster and within their system that includes some attractive prospects (Rossi most appealing) a fair value Jack deal can be envisioned. And if you examine the Anaheim and LA systems there is enough young talent within them that something can be worked out that is fair to both sides of the negotiation. I just think that a priority has to be a high end prospect who is projected to be a near future 1C or 2C. If you asked me to bet money on which team will come to the forefront and make a deal my guess would be Minnesota. But that is not to exclude other teams who have the assets to get a deal done.

If this place is so stressful that you are on the ledge then it's time to take a pause.

Haven't you already said that five hundred times? What's one more goodbye thrown into the mountainous pile.

The difference between our views is that I am less willing to be fleeced than you are. I'm confident that eventually a fair-value deal will get done. If it takes a little longer to get that accomplished then so be it. In poker when you have the upper hand you don't throw your cards on the table because the other player at the table unnerved you with an inauthentic twitch.

In your metric does it matter who dumps who?

Louis C.K. is steadily working his way back from being ostracized to being back in front of the mike. https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/03/11/louis-ck-new-standup/

Is an increase in ex girlfriends a positive or negative metric?

That's my point. What metrics will you use to measure crazy?

You don't need to do any experiments to determine if our fan base is more rational than the NY fan base. Just read some of the posts on this site and you will realize that some of our crowd are just as untethered as their crowd. Fans are fans. It doesn't matter where the location is or even what the sports are because a significant proportion of fans everywhere are out of this world bat shiiit crazy. Try listening to some call-in sports shows. A lot of time it seems that more space invaders are calling in than earthlings.

Do you think Sabre fans are any less unreasonable as Ranger fans? Being unrealistic is the standard no matter what location you are at.

Attached is a 10 min link of Steve Kournianos from TheDraftAnalysis.com on WGR. He gives a very positive summary of the Sabre draft. At the end of the draft he talks well of the goalie pickup in the Reinhart trade. Included in the same line is a 13 min link with the Sabre Director of Amateur Scouting . https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy

I just don't know. The Sabres have been bad for so long. Not doing something that is reasonable to make your term better for the near future is aggravating. On the other hand as you point out we don't know if the report is true or not.

If what is reported is true and the Sabres are unwilling to take back some money then the owner is undercutting his own franchise. It's short-sighted and maddening.