JohnC

Risto isn't demanding to get out. He basically told the organization that he is comfortable with whatever they do. If the GM believes that it is in the best interest of the team to keep him for now then that is what he should do. If the GM doesn't feel that his value will diminish if he is traded at a late time then what's the problem if he is kept or moved at a later time. When all GMs talk about their roster they are not making absolute public statements because that isn't how communications are done at that level. It's not unusual that public comments don't match private comments with other organizations.

At first under the Pegulas the Bills weren't very well run. They are now. If the owners learn the right lessons from their turbulent Bills' experience just maybe they can change their course of action with the Sabres. Hypocrite to what?

I have a different take on the Risto compared to the Jack and Samson situation. With Jack and Samson this offseason is the time to get the biggest return for them. Samson because of his contract leverage and Jack for a variety of reasons that have been well chronicled. With Risto I think he can hold his value if he remained on the roster and then dealt at the trade deadline if that was the direction the organization wanted to go. I have a minority view on Risto. My belief is that If used differently as a 2b defenseman where his game is simplified then his talents can be maximized. I believe that airing him with McCabe would be a good complementing pairing.

I would love to keep him. I admire his game and consistency. But unless he signs a multi-year contract soon I think he will be dealt especially when his value is at the max.

Anyone who doesn't believe that Jack, Reinhart and Risto will be dealt is not listening to what is explicitly being stated by the GM, the person responsible for making personnel decisions. This isn't a situation where rumors are emanating from anonymous sources from the bowels of the organization. It's coming from the top of the organizational pyramid. What is bluntly stated is: If you don't want to be here we don't want you. What made the biggest impression on me is that although Adams as a GM is inexperienced he is receptive to going outside his realm and learning from others. And that includes not only those involved in hockey but also outside the sport. What Krueger could have learned from Adams is that it is better to listen than to talk. You expand your knowledge base and are more willing to change and adapt.

In a post by @Flashsabreyesterday he listed Dach, 11th pick, Boqvist and Reichel.

If the Sabres had to choose between an Anaheim offer of Zegras, Comtois and their 3OA or a Chicago deal for Kirby Dach, their first round pick and a couple of previously mentioned players from their roster which one would be the better offer?

When you are at the quarter slots you put in coins not paper. 🤑

The primary reason why the scouting department wasn't quickly re-staffed is because the scouts are contractually obligated to the teams they are working for. You can't right now hire a scout away from another team because they have proprietary knowledge. It's my understanding that scouts are hired on a year to year basis.

What deepened not only the players' but also the fans' impression that the organization was spiraling towards a crash was playing for a stubborn coach who had a prehistoric notion of how to play a modern game in the NHL. Doubling down on an approach that didn't work instead of trying something else was an not only self-defeating but it was hideously stupid. The bottom line is that there were many reasons why the fans and players got disillusioned with the situation.

I disagree because from what the Peulas stated if Botts was willing to go along with the staff dismantlement he would have been able to keep his job. After a number of meetings with the owners he continued to decline to go along with the new business model. So he was dismissed. At the time of instituting the change the pandemic was ravaging their hospitality business along with their hockey business. The cash flow in those businesses was ravaged. And their thinking had to be since the team wasn't doing well while they were spending why not just spend less and weather the financial storm. Where is the organization right now? It is trying to reconstitute the scouting department that was torn down and steadily rebuild the staffing. It's not too difficult to understand their reasoning for doing what they did. But in the end it didn't work. It shouldn't be forgotten that the Sabres had the worst record in the NHL. A dubious distinction reflective of their mismanagement.

After reading the News story I thought how absurdly stupid the owners and the organization were in their austerity strategy. There were released staff members who had contracts that still had to be paid. If you add the Botterill and then Krueger contracts costs the owners didn't really save money. The end result of this so called reorganization is that it set the franchise back to the point where it is now scrambling to get back to where it started. Just senseless.

No one is expecting KA to make magical deals for Jack, Samson or Risto (if he is moved). But that is not to say that he can't come away after trading these players with a good return. Will the value coming in match the value going out? Not necessarily. But that is not to say that after the expected trades the end result is that the roster won't have more promising young players than it did before the trade process started.

We simply are going to disagree on what is the driving force to trade Jack if that comes to pass. As I stated on previous posts after listening to KA's interview to the press after the Jack "disconnect" post season interview I'm much more inclined to believe (to the point of confidence) that the GM wants the player out as much as the player wants out. And little of that has to do with Jack's health status as much as the GM wants to clear the deck of players who are not fully on board. And it appears (my belief) that Jack and his reps have made his feelings clear on this issue. As you state there's no need to go in circles on this issue. At this point if he gets dealt it really doesn't matter what the main reason is for the relocation as it does what the outcome turns out to be. And at this point a fresh start for Jack may be the best thing for him and a fresh start for the Sabres under the young GM may be the best thing for the organization.

You succinctly made Jack's case as to why he wants to be moved; and correspondingly made a case why he should be moved.

Then we go back to your original post. The driving issue for the GM wanting to move Jack has less to do with his health status (although it is a factor) than it does to to do with Jack wanting a change. From the young GM's perspective the issue then becomes whether the player's desire to move on is incompatible with the team attitude he is trying to create. It seems to me that both sides of the table have come to the same conclusion that a change is in the best interest for the parties involved.

If we can get something in the vicinity of what you are suggesting and if you combine it with a potential Jack haul then our roster will be thickened with a lot of good young players with plenty of upside. Will the team be better with the departure of our two prime players? Maybe not in the short run but in the not too distant future it would be a very competitive team. If handled smartly this offseason could result in a lot of positive feelings that originated from a lot of negative feelings about this franchise.

What do you think the return could be for a Samson and Risto tandem?

The plug on Krueger should have been pulled sooner. I don't know any other organization that would have tolerated such a disastrous situation as long as it did. It became even more evident when you compare how the level of play dramatically improved after the coaching change. It was a ridiculous situation.

I agree with everything you said. My ire is directed toward the organization and not the players wanting out. Ideally, Jack and Sam would be kept and be surrounded with more talent. The irony is that belatedly there is a growing young core that is ready to provide more support for Jack and Sam. However, when one side of the relationship doesn't want what the other side of the relationship wants then you have to adjust to the new reality. My sense is that the markers have been drawn and they can't be erased. So you have no choice other than to make the best of the situation that you can. Given what I have said I want to make it clear that if you can't get a reasonable deal for Jack then you keep him until you can get it. No more ROR fiasco deals that set you back! If a trade proposal is made by Anaheim that doesn't include Zegras and a top pick then the phone should be put down.

Some people have the odd notion that to save a village you have to nuclear bomb it out of existence and then start anew. ☠️

Do you really believe that the Sabres are going to be able to hoodwink a trading partner over Jack's health status? Do you really believe that a team would give up a bounty of assets for a player who turns out to be damaged goods? I'm very confident that teams serious about trading for Jack will do their due diligence. Will there be risks on his future health status? There are always some risks that will be factored in the equation. Jack's attitude doesn't have to rise to the level of toxicity to reach a point where the GM feels that it is in the organization's best interest that he be moved, especially if he wants a fresh start. My opinion: I'm sure that the driving force here is that Jack (and even Samson and Risto) is frustrated with the situation here and don't want to be here any longer. There is no secret about their dissatisfaction with the situation and organization. And although KA is an inexperienced GM he isn't so clueless not to be able to recognize their unhappiness here. To me this is a case where the players are not the bad guys. This inevitable divorce of players wanting out happens in all sports. In badly run organizations this type of disgruntled situation happens more often than with well run franchises. Look at the Green Bay and Rogers bad blood saga. I'm not happy that the situation has devolved to this but it is time to move on. And that's the thinking I believe that KA has.

There has never been a hint from anyone inside or outside the organization questioning Reinhart's effort and desire. Throughout his time in Buffalo he has been our most consistent player while playing for an organization shrouded in the fog of mediocrity. Your negative opinion is your opinion, you are entitled to it. I strenuously disagree with it. Even with players on winning teams that doesn't guarantee warm relations with the press. That's the human element that you won't be able to eliminate. Whatever the relationship is between any particular player/s I simply don't care. That's for them to work out.

Granato may be a first time coach at the NHL level but he has had a myriad of experience at many other levels. It should be forgotten that he was a coach of the year in the AHL. And although it was for a short stint he did more than a commendable job last year taking over for Krueger. What Granato excels at his previous job is developing young talent. If he is selected that attribute is critically important with the young roster he will be working with. I can't criticize anyone who is wary of Adams because of his inexperience at the position he holds because it is true.

I discount Hamilton's comments on Reinhart. This friction has been going on for a while. Ullmark also has a very frayed relationship with Hamilton. No one can question the attitude of Reinhart. He is one of the most honest and consistent players on the roster. Reinhart has in a classy and dignified way expressed his frustration with the status quo situation with this team not playing end of the season meaningful games. When all is said and done Reinhart will express his intention not through words but through the way he negotiates a contract. If he is not willing to have more than a one year deal that will give him an out the following year. My expectation is that he is going to be moved.