JohnC

If Skinner can be put in a situation where he can get 30 plus goals then his contract wouldn't be such a concern. Two years ago he was added to a team that had a dearth of goal scorers and ended up scoring 40 goals. His plus/minus was 0. Last year was certainly a down year playing 59 games and scoring only 14 goals with a plus/minus of -26. Was last year an aberration where he struggled to adjust to the new coach with his new system? Let's face it playing on the second line or lower last year was a situation that didn't enhance so much as encumber him. Based on how he was used last year it was apparent that Skinner was not a Krueger type of player. I'm hoping that the HC will be a little more accommodating to Skinner's weaknesses so that his scoring assets can be accentuated. As I said before getting him back to form will be a factor in whether the team is successful or not.

As far as the line combinations go I have preferences just like everyone else but I'm not worried how they shake out. That's what training camp and preseason games are to determine. Right now it appears that Hall and Jack will be playing together and probably Reinhart. The key player in my mind regarding the makeup of the top two lines and most notably on the second line is Skinner. For me one of the keys to success this season is putting Skinner in a position to succeed. If he can regain his scoring form then our offense will take a quantum leap forward. I'm not worried about Cozens, Tage or Olofsson's roles are or what lines they will be placed on. Including Cozens each of they players will demonstrate what they can or not handle and accordingly they will earn their positions and roles. It seems you are determined to protect Cozens and not give him too much responsibility. The model to follow for Cozens is the Chicago approach on how they handled Kirby Dach. They started him off on the wing with limited playing time and as the season advanced he moved up on his ice time and assignment. In every training camp there are unsuspecting surprises where a player/s play above or below expectation. My guess is Tage can be on the positive side and establish himself as a player ready to go. This is going to be a fun camp.

If Ullmark or Reinhart or Hall play well this team will succeed in this upcoming season. Will it make them difficult to re-sign or more appealing on the market? Of course it will. What's the option? The incentive is for them to play well as it is for every player on this team and player in the league. To worry about players playing too well because it will affect their next contract is wasted energy. The challenges that the Sabres will face in the season following this one is the same cap challenges that almost every team goes through. That's an inescapable part of the business. For me what will be an even greater incentive for some of our prime players to stay with the Sabres is for this team to be successful and be a serious team. There will always be tough contract choices to make. The business side of the hockey business will work itself out. I'm more concerned about fielding a competitive team this year and not worried about the year following. The attention should be on the present and less so on the future. Especially when our ignominious past has existed for so long.

I wouldn't say that he is a better passer than Eichel or Dahlin but I would be comfortable in saying that he is on par with them in a less dynamic way . Eichel and Dahlin can be dazzling passers but I won't say that either of them is more of an instinctive or subtle passer. In my opinion Dahlin has the most growth potential in that area.

If the Sabres bring up Jonas Johansson during the season could he be considered an exposed goalie?

What Sam is not is a natural top two line center. The Sabres had a desperate need for a second line center last year yet the staff decided not to play him there. Sam certainly has center traits such as intelligence and instincts. But he still can use those important traits as a winger on one of the top two lines.

With the signing of Reinhart we have at least five players who are genuine top two line players. There are those who argue that Reinhart should/could be centering a third line in order to upgrade that lower line and better balance out the lines. That doesn't seem to me to be the best approach to take. Instead, the smarter approach to take is put your top six players on the top two lines. My preference is for Sam to be on the Jack line because they already have good chemistry, and with the addition of Hall it should be even more of a potent line. The addition of Staal and Hall not only builds up the top two lines but it allows for other players to start off on the lower lines and work their way up the ranks. It wouldn't be surprising if one of the trio of Cozens, Tage and Olofsson finishes trading camp by earning a spot on the second line. But that still means that with the addition of Eakins that a credible third line can be constructed that improves the secondary scoring for this team.

Your last sentence resonated with me. I don't understand how anyone can be dissatisfied with his consistent level of play that gets better each year. The specialness to his game is not eye popping dynamic plays. It is the subtle nature of reading plays and setting up plays. And added to the cerebral nature of his game is that he is one of the few players who is gritty enough to play around the net and create some disturbances instead of play around the periphery like too many of the other soft players. Needless to say I'm a big Sam fan.

I also thought that the Zemgus contract was a little high. But what it indicates to me is that Girgs is a player that Krueger valued and wanted to retain. He's and end to end gritty player that last year's team didn't have an abundance of. So although it was higher than I expected it's not a contract that I'm going to be upset with. I have a different take on the Hall vs Reinhart contract implications. I believe that Reinhart is identified as one of the core players and that an effort will be made to keep him for the long term. And I believe the best way to make Buffalo an attractive place for Hall to play is for the team to succeed and allow him to showcase his talents on a serious team. If Hall shines as a player and Reinhart shines as a player the contract challenges will be worked out.

I have a different interpretation of the signing. A short term contract was agreed to by both parties because it was in their respective interests. If Sam wanted to move on he would have gone to arbitration. This agreement indicates both sides are buying time for the market to adjust to a more favorable setting.

You took a shot and hit the bulls eye. 🍺

This is a good deal for Sam because it buys him more time for the virus hockey economy to works its way through this revenue depression cycle. And If Sam is included with Hall on the Jack line it will allow him to burnish his stats making a more compelling case for a bigger and longer term contract in a (hopefully) healthier economic environment. It seems that every thing that this new front office is doing makes sense. There is a coherency and soundness to how they are handling personnel and in their handling of contracts. With the exception of the stunningly surprising Hall signing there is a sound and systematic way they are going about their business. This regime understands this altered market and knows how to maneuver within it. As others have said this is a good deal for Sam and for the organization. I'm upbeat about the operation.

Okposo has thicker legs and bigger butt that makes him better suited to park himself in front of the net.

I don't expect Okposo to play on the first PP unit. But what he does well compared to the two youngsters you listed is that he is willing to position himself in front of the net and pay the price. He and Reinhart seem to be the two most willing players to do the dirty work. I thought that on the few occasions when Krueger put Risto in front of the net on the PP he was effective.

The GM brought in Staal, Eakins and Hall and gave up only one player, Johansson. And to put a cherry on the Staal transaction it resulted in a net cap saving. And as you noted these few transactions resulted in not only in upgrading the roster but also reshaping and better balancing the roster. So instead of using more assets to address the 2C position and top one or two line forward spot we still have some remaining assets to parlay for other needs. With the exception of the surprising Hall signing the other moves were simply smart and well targeted deals.

You give an excellent and understandable explanation but because I am so thickheaded it still leaves me a little confused. If the Sabres decide to give him a one year term what is his status after the year?

This offseason has been one of the most intriguing offseasons in a long time. There is a new GM with a second year HC who seems to be very influential in the roster reshuffling and remaking of the roster. What's notable is not the quantity of transactions but that the few consequential acquisitions that were made in Staal, Hall and Eakins deals reflect not only individual players but an alteration in style of play. And I expect more deals to be made this offseason. I just speak for myself but this offseason has been a fun offseason for me.

If the Taylor Hall topic wasn't fun for you then you must be dour by nature. What the Sabres are going through with contracts, free agency and arbitration is what all teams are going through. The business of sports is about the business of sports. note: I didn't intend to highlight this post. It periodically inexplicably happens to me

Okay, let's go with $2.75----$3.00. Does that seem like it's more in the ballpark?

What Linus can't argue is that he has played many/enough games to indicate what his long term status is as a goaltender. So what is probably going to happen is that he will get an in-between number between $2.5----2.75 on a short term deal. The more interesting issue is the outcome of Reinhart in the hearings. I'm more interest in the term than the money. Will it be a lengthy term to lock him up (pre arbitration) or will this be a short term deal that will allow him to be an UFA in the next couple of years.

I agree with you that the Blue Jays ended up in Buffalo as a last resort location. But the point is that it worked out well for the organization. With respect to allowing attendance in basketball I'm not sure that those approvals can be assumed at this point because the infection rate numbers are still rising for most locations. And it should be noted that revenue from the limited attendance is not the central focus. The focus is on having games and clawing some money back from the more lucrative TV contracts

The arbitration awards would mostly likely correspond to the comparable salaries of players who have similar statistics. The incentive will probably be for the players and organization to settle on short term deals prior to arbitration and hope that the economic environment will get better in a couple of years.

It worked out well for the Toronto Blue Jays. One problem if it came to pass is the scheduling of the arena for the basketball team and the hockey games for numerous teams.

My proceeding post was not attempting to be encompassing of each of the GMs. It responded to what each did and intentionally did not intermingle their actions.

The Sabres need another year or maybe two before they can absorb KO's contract if he is bought in order for it to be feasible. As it stands because of his contract he is immovable. In this point of his career he is a solid lower line player. As you well know the problem with his contract is not its dollar amount as it is the term. Very often when you make a bad acquisition that turns out to be also a bad business decision you just have to live with the consequences.