JohnC

We are for the most part in accord. And we are in accord on the PK issue and the goaltending factor in its diminution. There is no doubt that with the addition of Staal and Hall the roster has been upgraded. And if you add in the fact that last year we had a lot of young players (Dahlin, Joki, Tage etc) on this roster whose trajectory is still upward. It is expected that with the internal improvement it should be an elevating factor. I won't say that last year's roster was a playoff roster because as you well know it was an incomplete roster. Simply too many holes. On the other hand with a little more attention to detail like the PK it was a fringe playoff caliber team not far away from qualifying for the playoffs. And another uplifting factor is that many of the players will be more familiar with Krueger's philosophy/system of responsible full rink play.

Right now the call up option is Jonas Johansson. Is he good enough? I don't know? I'm queasy about the situation.

Let's stand back and assess the roster. The top two lines however they end up being constituted are staffed with players who meet the standard of players who genuinely fit those roles. Because of the acquisitions of Hall and Staal it will push players to lower lines where they are better suited. The defensive corps without question has enough quality players to put together a genuine first and second pairing unit. Dahlin, Joki, Risto, Montour and stretching it a bit McCabe. There is enough talent within the group to spread to the third and lower pairing to make this unit a solid to good unit. There will probably be some player shuffling becomes of some overlapping attributes but in general this is a solid to good unit. The big question mark that is widely recognized is the goaltending. If Ullmark continues his upward trajectory as he did last season then he should be a solid goaltender. The big question mark and a bigger issue in a season with a compressed schedule is Hutton. Are his eye issues resolved? I don't know. Can he return to form and become an adequate backup? I'm not sure. Marty Biron has often stated that as long as Hutton is not over-used he is not troubled having him as a backup. It shouldn't be forgotten that the Sabres brought in some mid-tier players who should help to upgrade the PK, a major deficiency last year. With the added talent, the internal improvement and tightening of play on the PK and goaltending this is a very competitive to good team.

Attached is a 14 min interview with Krueger on WGR. He talks about the Hall acquisition and his knowledge of the player and person. He also superficially goes into the possible line combinations. It appears that he has already put some thought into where on the lines Olofsson and Cozens fit. He also talks about the other recent acquisitions. It's apparent that Krueger has a philosophy on how to build a roster and that it is his concepts that are being implemented by the GM. https://www.radio.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy

Your post reminds me how what initially transpires is not how things will ultimately transpire. Montreal drafted Sergachev and then traded him to Tampa for Drouin who was one of the top picks in the draft. We drafted Nylander and then traded him for Jokiharju. Casey may still be a work in progress or a bust. We still don't know for sure. Taylor Hall was the first pick for Edmonton and then was traded to Jersey and then went to Phoenix. Now he is in Buffalo. There is nothing static about initially good decisions or less good decisions. The decision that you think is an up decision can turn into a down decision and the down decision can ultimately turn out to be an up decision in the long run. It's a crazy business.

There are potentially multiple repercussions resulting from the signing of Hall. It is difficult to calculate what they will be for future roster and contract considerations. As it stands I still stand by my view that it is very improbable that Reinhart will not be a member of one of the top two lines. The primary reason is that he has been a good and consistent first and second line player. Throughout the team's oscillating performances he has been a dependable player. Another reason why I strongly believe that he will continue to be a first or second line player is his style of play. He is more of a facilitator than a primary goal scorer that can balance out one of the top two lines he would be on. Whether he is on a Jack line or a separate Hall line he will seamlessly blend the particular line and balance it out. If as you suggest he does become a third line player then from a contract standpoint he wouldn't be worth the cost as a third line player. With respect to the issue of future contracts for Hall and Reinhart I'm not going to look ahead. If both players play at premier levels and it lifts this bedraggled franchise into the playoffs and relevancy then I'm confident that the contract/s situation will work itself out. Right now I'm going to be more present oriented than future oriented. It's better to enjoy the day than fret about the future.

I don't see any circumstance in which Reinhart is not on one of the top two lines.

The fans had good reasons to be invisible. What's worse than losing hockey is boring hockey. That shouldn't be the case now.

Now with the signing of Hall the excitement of the fan base has been stoked. However, because of the virus it is very likely that fans won't be allowed into the arena, or if so, only on a limited basis. It would be such a dramatic change from usually having a quiet arena turn into a lively and boisterous arena creating an exciting environment. I just hope that this dangerous health situation soon changes so we can all go back to normal living.

The Sabres now have four tremendous shooters/snipers on their roster: Jack, Hall, Olofsson and Skinner. What makes these players even more effective is that all of them (even Olofsson to a lesser extent) are good skaters. That skating talent in itself will allow them to create space for themselves. Not only is this team more talented but it will be more entertaining to watch.

No matter how the two lines are configured we have enough genuine top two lines players to put together two excellent lines. It also takes the scoring pressure off of the Jack line and forces the opposition to defend two lines instead of entering each came with the focus on stopping only one scoring line. I still believe/hope that even with the signing of Hall that the organization gets a deal done with Reinhart. Beyond the hockey aspect of this surprising and monumental deal it gives a boost to the hockey fans who have for so long become dispirited and have steadily faded away. As I and others have said patience is a virtue. This is a case where the organization smartly let the market play out and then was able to take advantage of how it shook out. To say the least this is exciting.

The Sabres might still bring in a veteran to replace Hutton but the pickings are getting slim. The next option could be Jonas Johansson who will start off in Rochester. He was brought up last year when Ullmark went down. The odds are small but if the Sabres could make a Fleury signing financially work it would be a significant transaction for this organization.

Krueger on WGR's the Instigator Show said that he envisions Cozens's starting off on the wing to put him in a less stressful learning situation and allowing him to acclimate to the NHL. Because Cozen's will gain little going back to the juniors where he excelled and due to the fact that he is too young to be sent to the AHL it is probable that he will be on the Sabrer roster. And it is not out of the question that he starts on the wing on the second line.

Marty Biron who is frequently on WGR has stated on numerous occasions that he didn't believe that addressing the goalie situation should be a priority. His repeated lamentation was that the organization needed to bring in players and develop players within the system who can score. I'm sure the organization would not be adverse to upgrade the backup goalie but if they couldn't it do for a reasonable price they probably wouldn't do it. Others have brought up the possibility of bringing in Fleury with the hope that Vegas would pay some of the contract and take Hutton. If the Sabres then dealt a player such as Montour or Miller for picks, saving on a contract, that a Fleury deal was not an outlandish thought. Upgrading the goalie position would make a big difference.

It takes courage to be patient. As you point out there will be some good value picks that will become available that could make our roster better. It shouldn't be surprising that sometimes the cheaper and lesser talent is a better value acquisition than the more expensive talent. It allows you more flexibility to address other needs than if a more expensive player was acquired that would limit your options to address other needs. The normal contract expectation for the mid-tier players (good players) is different than what it was prior to the virus era. It's like musical chairs for this large group of players. They are risking being left out of the money grab if they wait too long for the future better deals that don't materialize. Organizations that know how to be patient and selective will be able to adjust to this turbulent and unsettling environment. Just because fans panic to the moment shouldn't mean that smart front offices should get caught up in the frenzy.

With respect to the highlighted segment you and I are in accord. That was my point. Is there an official statement that the owners are going to institute a hard cap that is smaller than the league designated cap? No, for the simple reason that the owners are not willing to make a declarative statement on the internal cap other than being clear that business is not going to be conducted as it has in the past. Then what followed? The scouting department and associated costs were dramatically cut and staff in general have been let go. These were not inconsequential changes! Most often what is most telling is not what is said but what is done. Based on what has been done post Botterill with respect to cutting costs it isn't a grand leap to draw a conclusion. I acknowledge that there isn't an official statement coming from the organization. But that doesn't mean that you can't make obvious judgments based on the actions after the Botterill departure. What I am saying is that I don't believe that the Sabres will spend up to the cap. I'm not criticizing that response because it is an understandable and a reasonable response to the substantial loss of revenue. The Sabres were losing a boatload of money in what was considered normal times. The expectation is that they will be losing more in this abnormal virus induced business climate. So the expectation of not spending up to the cap should not be surprising for the Sabres and many other franchises. If there is an internal cap (and I believe there is) I don't consider it to be catastrophic from a competitive standpoint if it is handled smartly. What is the internal cap? My guess is that it will be between 72-75 M. If that is the figure it is workable.

The Sabres went to the former GM and told him that he had to radically cut the staff. He would not agree to it. He was subsequently fired. Immediately afterward the staff and associated operating costs were dramatically cut. The coaching staff was asked to take a pay cut. They did. They then were asked to take another cut. They said no. What I am attempting to demonstrate is that there is an actual tough response to cutting expenses that include spending on players. What is going on in Buffalo with the internal cap is going on elsewhere in the league due to the loss of revenue for the league in general. It has been reported that Arizona may have an internal cap of less than $70 M. Business is not being done as usual because of the dramatic loss of revenue in this virus era. I'm very confident that the Sabres will not be spending up to the designated league cap. Although it is not openly acknowledged (as you put it) by the organization it is widely reported by people who follow the team. What's going on here is going on in many places. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nhl/report-sabres-could-face-an-internal-salary-cap/ar-BB18W0Qt https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2020/09/sabres-coaches-declined-pay-cut-team-considering-internal-salary-cap.html

And so am I.

The bottom line is that it doesn't seem that the Sabres were interested in retaining him. And I'm not sure he was interested in coming back? What's obvious is that there weren't many teams that were interesting in bidding for his specialty services. He ended up going to a team with most likely with the lowest payroll in the league for a paltry contract. I really don't believe that his loss is going to have a tangible effect. In my humble opinion there is too much analysis for a transaction that isn't as consequential as many are making it out to be. I wish Larry well in Arizona.

That's exactly the point for a team that is not going to spend to the designated cap. You cut where you can at the lower level so that you can add to the higher lines.

I think Lazar is a better offensive player. That is not to say that is his role. Larson did excel at puck possession but that didn't translate into conversions. I'm happy that Larsson found another place to play and hopefully refresh his game. But I'm not bothered very much by his departure.

Larsson was a fourth line player who had a defensive role. He was replaced by a player for almost half the price. The way teams are handling the cap is to pay the lower lines less in order to pay the premium price for the top two lines. It is unfair to compare Lazar offensive stats with Larry's stats because Lazar didn't come close to having the regular playing time. Playing intermittently is a challenge that skews when making comparisons.

I'm not suggesting that Lazar is a scoring dynamo. But because he is a better skater than Larsson he will have more scoring opportunities. Again, I appreciated the effort Larry brought to the team but I'm not distressed by his departure. His market value for the team that signed him wasat bargain bin level. He was replaced by a player who can play his role more than adequately and do it for almost half the price. From an analytical standpoint it was a good deal.

He did value Larsson. But the calculation was made that he could be replaced with a cheaper player who could offer more scoring. There were cost/benefit tradeoff calculations made. The organization sought to seek an alternative that was cheaper, more offensively capable and a faster skater. Don't dismiss the speed aspect in the calculation.

If the fourth line in its new composition adds more scoring then it will be more of a contributing line. The Larry line was mostly defensively oriented with little offensive contribution. I expect the reconstituted fourth line to be still more of a defensive line but more able to make an offensive contribution. For a team that doesn't have enough scoring coming from its lower lines I will accept the tradeoff. Angry Larry got a $1.4 X 2 deal from Arizona. That was his market value. With the Sabres he fulfilled his role. But he was far from being an indispensable player. Lazar is not the defensive stalwart that Larsson is but the tradeoff is he has more offensive capability and is a faster skater. With a cheaper price I will accept that tradeoff. I just think that you are overanalyzing his departure. For me the plusses and the minuses balance out.