JohnC

I listened to most of the interview and I think you are reading too much into the comparison between them. Their situations are different from a player standpoint and contract standpoint. I agree with you that he believes in the potential of Tage. However, the GM has pegged the more established Kahun at a certain value and it appears that Kahun and his agent want to go beyond that range. I'm hoping that the a deal can get worked out. We should know fairly soon after Kahun's agent scans the market whether he can get a much better contract somewhere else. I wouldn't be surprised if he could get more money elsewhere but would it be enough to leave a situation that is favorable to him?

That's the point. The player who will replace him supposedly would get less money than he wanted to get. There are analytics for evaluating players and there are also salary analytics for positions. The money you intend to dedicate for a first line player is going to be more than the money you dedicate for a second, and a second liner is going to be more than a third liner. If the GM believes that Kahun is a third line winger then there is a third line range for him. If he wants more than the designated range and he believes he can get it in the market then he will enter the market as a free agent. I like Kahun a lot. He's a versatile player and a heady player. I consider him to be a solid to good third line player. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he can play on the second line but in my assessment that would be a stretch. Kahun surely realizes that the Sabres are a good situation for him. Is the situation worth taking less than what he can get elsewhere? It depends on what the disparity is between the Sabre offer and the market offer. I'm hoping that a deal can be worked out. If not then so be it. It will be a reflection of the harsher economics of the NHL that every team has to contend with.

Thanks for that evaluation. It seems that you are saying that Raymond has a more well-rounded game. But even that with advantage if Quinn is the better goal scorer that is an asset that has to be given a lot of weight. I'm not using that scoring talent to offset the advantages that you describe Raymond has but in emphasizing Quinn's goal scoring talent is a good argument to make justifying the pick.

If you look at Quinn two years ago and then consider the leap he made last year and project from there how can anyone consider this an unreasonable pick? As you point out he was selected closely to the range where he was projected at. If Quinn develops anywhere near the players you compared him to then this is a superb pick. I understand why because of analytics people prefer other players but when dealing with players who are so young and have different growth rates then analytics should be a factor but not so dominating a factor that it overshadows a longer time frame in projecting one's play. I would like your opinion and other opinions (@LGR4GM/Brawndo /others) on comparing Detroit's pick of Lucas Raymond and our pick of Quinn. Is there much of a difference between the two?

You hit on the essential question: What is the upside? The Sabre staff projects that he will be a better prospect in time. As you keenly point out that Draisaitl was evaluated behind Reinhart and Bennett and he is better than both now. It seems that his size and potential to add to his frame was a factor in his selection over some of the other prospect that went right after him. Only time will tell whether this was the right pick. I agree with you that this was an Adams selection and not an owner's pick.

No you are not. All the analysts on the the draft show thought this was an excellent pick. It appears that one of the prime reasons that he went before some other highly touted players is that he is a little bigger than the others. I would have been happy if the Sabres instead took Perfetti or Rossi. I understand why they made this pick and I'm happy with it.

This was a good deal for the player and for the team. If he becomes a good third line player or with some luck a second line player his contract will at worst be worth the money and at best a bargain. The Sabres have invested in him as a prospect and it appears that he is at the point where he can be a contributing player.

It appears that the both of you are suggesting that Rossi might be the pick despite the fact that the early indications were that they were leaning toward Perfetti. Yzerman is a cagey GM with an independent streak. He is intriguing to follow.

What did you want the front office to do? Not sign him and let him walk? What you are suggesting is letting a young player with potential leave and create another void on the roster that needs to be addressed. That makes little sense.

If Detroit has the choice between taking Rossi or Perfetti which prospect do they take?

What would make the disappointment of drafting a defenseman fade quickly is adding second line forward/s through trades this offseason. If Sanderson or Drysdale are the highest rated players on the board when our pick comes up then one of them should be the selection. That's how well run operations conduct business.

I doubt that the Sabres sign Skinner at a reduced salary if ROR was still on the team. Botts stated on a radio interview when talking about the Skinner signing that he was able to sign Skinner to a contract after trading ROR because there was new cap space to work with. He stressed the point that the Skinner signing should be factored in when evaluating the ROR trade. Is there merit to his argument? I'm not sure. It's a fair point to believe that the Skinner contract was too rich for his value. On the other hand it also a fair point to acknowledge that when competing with other teams for free agent talent that Buffalo would have to pay a premium to entice a player of his caliber to come to this franchise and market. It also should be noted that his prolific goal scoring was more of a value to a team noted for its lack of goal scorers.

When in doubt trust your eyes. I have nothing against him and root for him. But I haven't seen much progression to his game. And the biggest deficiency that I see is that I haven't seen enough passion in his play to make me believe that he can consistently turn it on.

I agree with your assessment of him as a player and what he needs to do to become an established NHL player. However, I still think that a fresh start somewhere else will serve him well. It seems that he is being bypassed by other young players such as Cozens and Kahun, and most likely a player selected in this draft. One player who I believe the organization has a higher opinion of is Arttu Ruotsalainen. I just don't see Mitts successfully working his way up the franchise ladder into the NHL. Mitts, like Nylander, can intermittently flash some dash. But in between those few tantalizing intervals is a game where he mostly fades away.

It would be in Casey's best interest to have a change of scenery. He needs to be in a new environment where he can have a fresh start and where the new regime would not be bound by the performances of the past.

Do the Sabres sign Skinner to an extension if ROR was on the roster? I'm not sure they would have. I'm not saying that the deal balances out but if Tage becomes a productive third or maybe even second line winger and the defenseman drafted with the first round pick eventually becomes a NHL player or is parlayed for another asset then the deal isn't so skewed. I'm not saying that the loss of ROR wasn't damaging because it was. But sometimes with a longer perspective it becomes a less bad transaction.

He's watching the wrong channel and is not aware of it.

I disagree with a part of your response. Because of the unique financial environment brought on by the virus that has depressed the revenues there are deals that can be made for a pittance that will strengthen the roster. The Sabres still have the ability without trading their pick to bring another second line player. If you add that to the Staal addition it adds up to constructing a second line without giving up much in assets. Even with an in-house cap we still can bring in talent. Our first round pick is a valuable commodity because you are bringing in a high end prospect and having him in your system for an entry level price. In today's NHL world that is a high value asset that is cost effective.

Why not stay at 8 and draft one of those remaining players you listed? Why would a team at 10 trade up to 8 when they can get a similar caliber of player they want? Why try to get cute? Just draft the highest rated player on your board when your turn comes up. Very often when you try to outsmart someone you end up outsmarting yourself.

Perfetti is a super bright person. There is no one in this draft or involved in hockey who can solve the rubic cube quicker than he can.

His salary is not cheap. However, if he is a genuine second line player his contract numbers are not out of bounds, especially if a player like Montour or Miller is moved to make more cap space. We have lower line players such as Gergs and Larsson that can be let go that will help defray some of the cost of the new acquisition. If the Sabres enter the next belated starting season with our two top lines staffed by credible top two line players then this is good situation to be in compared to the previous number of years.

The ideal situation will be for Drysdale and Sanderson to be taken before our turn comes up. What's more probable is that one instead of both defensemen get selected early. As many are saying we should come away with a highly rated prospect. I'm getting excited about the draft but to be honest I'm more excited about the deals that will be made after the draft. In a compressed scheduled season strengthening our goal tending has to be a priority. Our new GM will have an opportunity to reshape and rebalance this roster with a few judicious moves. Will he and his staff seize the opportunity? The Bills are a demonstration in how a smart front office and staff can in relatively short order can dramatically change the culture and psychology of a losing organization.

Attached is a Buffalo News article by Lance Lysowski listing the likely prospects that Buffalo will be considering in the first round. He gives a synopsis of each player and the likelihood of being selection. There are no surprises. The listing mirrors the evaluations of the players that are often given here. How the draft unfolds is unpredictable other than it will not fully follow what the draftniks predict. What is evident is regardless how the picks materialize we should be able to come away with a good prospect. https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/nhl-entry-draft-eight-names-to-know-for-buffalo-sabres-at-no-8/article_b8cd0520-04db-11eb-bbd2-9ff7f64d9220.html

If you were comparing where Cozens will/could be in a couple of years how would you compare the two as 2C players? If a team is going to trade for Danault who has one more year on his contract I would suspect that the team dealing for him would already plan to play him as their long term 2C. (Implicit in my question is how good is Danault?) I don't see Buffalo as being that team. Once the Sabres traded for Staal it made a Danault acquisition very unlikely.

When Tom Golisano took over as the owner he found that the financial books for the franchise were indecipherable and money was comingled with the previous owner's personal and other business entities. One of his first priorities was untangling the tangled finances and straightening out the books. To his credit he took over an insolvent franchise and forced financial discipline on the operation. In relative short order he put the house in order. To Golisano's credit and honor contractors and vendors who were owed money were paid their due even though he was not obligated to pay them because of the bankruptcy laws. In relatively short order he not only put this franchise on a stable footing but made sure that the franchise was going to be sold to someone who was going to keep it in Buffalo. He claimed that he had a higher offer from someone who was not committed to keeping the franchise in Buffalo. He sold the franchise to Pegula and ended up making some money on the deal. Golisano was a good businessman and honorable businessman. With respect to the Golisano edict to Darcy that trades were going to be made on the basis of a $ in for $ out don't be surprised if that trade requirement becomes a standard to a certain extent. It may not be enforced on every deal but when the total costs are tabulated the trade $$$ accounts will be more balanced than before.