JohnC

Do you believe that if Risto is traded that the return can be a top six forward, most likely a second-line forward? With respect to a shutdown defenseman I don't see that type of acquisition being made unless it is a return for a Jack trade. There is a limited number of that type of elite defensemen that teams are very reluctant to shed such a valuable commodity. Having a well-rounded blue line unit and responsible forward play can help to compensate for the lack of a blue line ace.

I have a respectful but fundamental disagreement on the issue of player development. For most prospects playing games at the lower levels enhances development compared to being a practice player. I consider Mitts as a good example of my perspective. He was rushed and overwhelmed. When he got more playing time and responsibility in the AHL he was more prepared to handle the rigors of the NHL.

Is Peterka capable of being a second-line player or is he more of a third-line player? Is Quinn capable of being s first-line player or is he more of a second-line player?

I didn't say that the Sabres would have made the playoffs if Granato was behind the bench at the start of the season and we had another goalie. (Not saying you said I did.) But I don't think that it is an outlandish projection to make that under him and with better goaltending even with an incomplete roster and with a normal schedule this team would have been at an 80-82 point level. That is significantly better than being at the bottom feeding level we were at this year. After the losing streak was broken and with minimal practice time this team was earning around a point a game (9-11-2) and it was done with third tier goalies. I said it before and I will say it again that if this offseason is handled smartly this team should be contending for a lower tier playoff spot. And it will be disappointing that at the minimum this team wasn't playing meaningful games up to the finish of the season. The starting point to that goal is solidifying the goaltending.

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with your stance. There certainly are rare exceptions such as Dahlin or Jack who are better suited to start off in the NHL. However, the advantage for most prospects is to get more playing time and various roles in the lower league. The issue for most of these young players isn't so much as paying the price as it is the maturation and development process. There is a learning curve and mastering something usually takes time and patience. Trust the process!

I'm hoping that the organization doesn't make the same mistake with Quinn it made by rushing Mitts. Getting a lot of playing time with more roles in the AHL will serve him and the franchise better. Allowing Arttu time in Rochester helped him be better prepared when he moved up to the NHL.

I disagree with your conclusion that the evidence is on your side. What the evidence clearly demonstrates from the ROR deal is that because it was rushed/forced it turned out to be a disaster. I think KA and what should be chastened owners are smart enough to recognize that the ROR deal is a model of what not to do when making a deal. KA certainly recognizes that he has a valuable asset in Jack. If he decides to parlay it I'm confident that he is smart enough to get good value back.

If Jack and Reinhart are on the roster next season (???) and Ullmark is signed and a quality backup is brought in I would say that this is a lower tiered playoff team. I'm very much counting on the younger players continuing on with their progression. If Jack and Reinhart are not on the roster then the next question is what is the return?

The timeline for that horizon is next year. And even when that particular clause kicks in giving him a say where he can be dealt that still doesn't mean that he has to be dealt. If you can't get good value for him then you keep him. I'm not arguing whether to deal him or not. The only condition for a trade is if dealt the return has to be comparable or near comparable to the value going out. As example would I trade Jack to the Rangers for Kakko and LaFreniere? My response is yes.

The takeaway is that the Granato coaching method is the opposite of the Krueger method. Granato was invested in his players while Krueger was invested in his system. If Granato would have coached this team right from the start it would have been a middle of the pack team instead of a bottom-feeding team. And as the article describes Granato's practices were more rigorous, purposeful and relevant to the games in contrast to Krueger's approach.

The problem as exemplified by the ROR disgruntlement scenario isn't that he was dealt. The problem was the return. There was no necessity to move him if a balanced deal couldn't be made. By many accounts what drove the trade was the impending bonus deadline. The lesson to be learned from that boondoggle is that if you can't get the right deal for a player you want to move then have the fortitude to be patient and wait for a better deal. The organization forced its own hand by setting a deadline when it wasn't necessary.

I didn't say that you made such a projection. What I'm saying is that there has to be an urgency attached to whatever strategy is made for the dealt players (if that comes to pass) that the return must be contributing players more so than futures. Getting contributing players can also be young players---they are not mutually exclusive. I disagree with you that this team doesn't need to go for an immediate playoff push. Being in a playoff push doesn't mean being a cup contender; it means being a lower playoff contender where a lot of teams are bunched together competing for a spot. I think that is a reasonable and doable goal. Another season of not having meaningful games at the end of the season is going to erode even more an eroding fan base.

Odds are that some combination of Jack, Rino and Risto will not be back next season, maybe none. But if the 80 point season that some are projecting next year means that another unserious season will be added to the previous number of seasons with no meaningful end of season games then that will be another brick added on top of this already flatten franchise. That shouldn't be acceptable to the waning fanbase and to the owners. Because of the wretched history of dysfunction of this Pegula franchise there isn't much regard/owners for them by the other owners and those involved in the business. The Pegulas have earned their low ratings, if not scorn, for their ineptitude. The point I'm getting at here is that I don't believe that the Pegulas are going to instruct their GM to clear the decks and start another rebuild. My belief/hope is that the Peuglas are going to demonstrate a greater degree of urgency to get this franchise back on track sooner rather than later. What does that mean? It means that whatever players are dispatched by the GM the returns need be of a value that allows this franchise to be a playoff contending team. Is that attainable? It could be but I'm not sure.

The door is open and I am driving the Granato bus. Welcome aboard and have a seat. Remember, passengers are not allowed to eat, smoke or play music without earpieces while on board. On this bus noted for courtesy youngsters are expected to get up and offer their seat when oldsters are standing. The attributes you want with a coaching hire already have been displayed. He is good working with young players, he holds everyone accountable and coaches a style that is most suitable to the talent on hand and is entertaining to watch. He has shown an ability to alter the roles of his players when needed. If you can retrieve his exit interview with the media it is obvious that he has the pulse of this team and is prepared to assume a permanent HC job. When the horse is already in the barn it is not necessary to look in the pasture for the horse you want to saddle up.

What is going to happen this offseason? I don't know. Is the offseason going to contain some catastrophic deals that set this franchise back again, and again, or will there be some judicious deals that better balances the roster and improves it? I don't know. Will Jack heal well (including his abdominal injury from the previous year) or will he be impaired and be a less dynamic and more frustrated player? I don't know. If Jack and Reinhart are kept and the goaltending is upgraded and the younger players continue with their upward trajectory is this team with some additional tweaks a playoff team next year? I think so but can't say for sure. I understand your trepidation about the offseason and the impending transactions. Based on this befuddled franchise's history your anxiety is well grounded. However, I have a different sensation than you have. Although I am queasy about it I'm also excited about it.

LaFreniere and Kakko, individually, will never be as good as Eichel. That's understood. What has to be considered is whether Jack wants to be with the Sabres and is all in. If the answer is probably not or not sure then the next best course of action is to get as much in return as possible. It's my belief that in the not too distant future both LaFreniere and Kakko will be first line caliber of players. And with those additions it will thicken the talent pool on the roster and provide a greater reserve of talent to absorb the inevitable depletion due to injuries. When the situation is not what you want it to be you have to respond to it as the best you can.

Based on his performance he has led this team. In an environment of turbulence he has been our most stable player. This team has many problems; he's not one of them. Without a doubt for a faltering team he is not part of the problem but rather an important factor for a solution.

All the points you made are valid. But the bigger issue consuming this passionate player is his challenging health situation. The one description that can't be applied to Jack is being complacent. He is a workout warrior in the offseason. He trains to the max. Maybe to the point that he is hurting himself? Now he is in a situation where because of his health status the game has been taken away from him. You don't think that being forced to be a spectator is crushing him? Not being able to play in games is bad enough but he has a number of lingering injuries that call for him to dramatically limit his physical activity all together. Let's not forget that not only does he have the neck and disc injury to deal with but he has had to deal with a stubborn abdominal injury from a prior season that seems resistant to healing. I agree with the organization's more conservative and cautionary approach to Jack's injury. It is recommended by the medical experts and grounded on "best practices" for that type of injury. However, it's not too difficult to understand Jack's frustration and to an extent lashing out. The best thing to do is for all the parties to step back and wait and see how the medical issue plays out. That's not easy to do in this hyper-volatile media environment.

How about Jack for Kakko and LaFreniere? I would go for it.

Nothing is easy in this situation. But as our recent history with ROR illustrates is that making a precipitous unbalanced deal in order to get rid of a player not only doesn't help the situation it sets the franchise back. If the Rangers wanted to trade for Jack I would be agreeable to it if we got back Kakko and LaFreniere. If that type of deal doesn't materialize with them or any other trade proposal then the organization should bide its time and wait for a fair offer.

Yes.

The issue with Eichel is that he has an unresolved disc issue and has a lingering abdominal problem that hasn't been clearly diagnosed. When healthy he is a supreme asset. In my view it would be a mistake to panic and trade him for less than a reasonable/generous return. It would be a mistake to jump the gun and take what you can get sooner than later approach. And on the flip side of the equation if Jack was determined to get out of this turbulent franchise it would be in his interest to get the health issues resolved and so that he can showcase his talents and expand his market.

How can Eichel be traded when his health status is in question? As it stands he is not going to pass a physical for us or any interested team. It is in the interest of the organization to get him back healthy and back to playing at an elite level so that his value can be enhanced. This is a tough situation compounded by the Reinhart contract situation which in my view (and apparently your view) the more immediate concern.

The reverberating transaction that undercut the assets already on the roster and the intended added talents to the roster was the hiring of Krueger as the HC. It was an intriguing out of the box hire that turned out to be a disaster. The organization took a coach who was successful coaching a less talented Swiss team against more talented teams. His philosophy was to focus on stifling the more potent opposition and play a close to the vest game. That restrictive approach to hockey was not going to work with the more free flowing game played by talented offensive players in the NHL. The poster child for his preordained doomed approach is the suffocating of his own talent is exemplified by the play of Dahlin. He took a talented player with an expansive game and reduced it to a smaller and limited game. This organization has made a lot of bad personnel decisions. But hiring Krueger and keeping him on longer than they should have was a crushing mistake that set this franchise back. I am a strong advocate for Granato. I thought he did a marvelous job under the circumstances. Others argue for hiring a coach with more experience. I'm not saying they are wrong; it's simply a difference of opinion. The priority is for this befuddled franchise to do their due diligence and make a sound coaching hire and then get to the task of putting the roster pieces back together.

I agree with you that Sam is more likely to be traded than Jack. My sense is that he is tired playing for such a erratic franchise that hasn't come close to sniffing the playoffs during his career. As he has publicly stated the standard scenario for him is not only not making the playoffs but not even coming close to playing meaningful end of season games. How dispiriting that must be for him? How do you think he feels when he sees Taylor Hall forcing the Sabres to trade him to a team he wants to go to and ends up thriving with his new team and playing in the playoffs? Sam has been our most consistent performer playing for one of the most inept franchises in the league. How many coaches and GMs has he played for? Well now to a degree he has the leverage to force a change. It doesn't matter if the organization is willing to give him an extended contract. If he wants to be somewhere else he will be in a position of leverage with his upcoming UFA status (as you noted) to force a change. Because of the systemic incompetence of this turbulent organization it has created a franchise well known for its futility. It's become a destination where players not only don't want to come to but also a place where they want to get out of. When you constantly crap on yourself you can't hide from the stink!