JohnC

As you noted Risto's strengths and weaknesses are evident. There has been talk for the past couple of years that his minutes would be curtailed and he would be going against the second rather than top lines. That has not happened to the extent that it needs to. With the development of Dahlin and Joki there is more reason to believe that his role will be lowered a tad and his minutes limited. That should benefit him. Where I disagree with you is that I believe that it is Krueger more so than the owner who is enamored with his rugged (although not always thoughtful) style of play. Last year was Krueger's first year coaching this team. So there is still a feeling out and learning process going on between the players and the coaching staff. Hopefully, with the better understanding what the players are capable of and what the coach wants the puzzle pieces will fit together better.

Risto certain has his liabilities regarding reading plays and decision-making. But one attribute that he has is that he is a hitter in a unit that lacks it. And that is an attribute that Krueger has acknowledged on more than a few occasions. Other than McCabe the other blue liners are more skaters than physical players. And it should be noted that for a big defender Risto can skate. If Montour is the more likely candidate to be moved Miller is an acceptable replacement. Montour is the better player but he is also the more marketable player. I like Montour and have felt that he wasn't utilized in a role that accentuated his best qualities. But even when acknowledging that there is still a great need to ship an extra defensive asset out to get a return that adds to the forward line.

With the Montour discussion you bring up a key issue of how to build a roster. The Sabres do have talent (acknowledged not enough). But the talent on the roster is not well distributed. And not only is it not well distributed there is a degree of incoherency to it that doesn't allow for it to be fully maximized. You astutely point this out in the Montour trade discussion. If Krueger is philosophically wedded to a system and is working with players that don't align with his conception of how to play then the pieces have to be moved. When discussing a trade sometimes the more important issue isn't who is the better player but rather who is the better fit for this team. It is not inconceivable that you can deal the better player for the lesser player and end up upgrading your roster because it ends up being better balanced.

As a Sabre would you consider him worth the price? And do you consider him to be a second-line caliber of player? If he is a second line player and plays a more hard charging style of play then the price quotes that you posted would make him a reasonable player to acquire.

While I can understand why Vegas would want to trade Marchessault who is making $6 M I don't see the Sabres interesting in such a high cost player. As you pointed out the acquisition of Staal lessens the need to go all out and deplete the bank of our assets to fill the 2C spot. Although Staal isn't a long term answer he provides the organization more options in scanning the market for good deals this offseason.

I'm presenting this question to the more schooled members of this board: Is Saad without question a second line forward? And is his hefty salary commensurate with his production capabilities. I'm not just talking about scoring but including his all around game when evaluating him.

The tooth gap facilitates the proper pronunciation. And with Iron Mike I would rather have his voice in my head than his fist in my face. 🤡

You are pithy. 🍺

From a player standpoint he would be a good addition but from a salary and cap standpoint I'm not sure you will be getting enough bang for the buck. However, in order to make this deal or a similar deal to work we wouldn't have to trade away an equal salary away so much as shed a contract that will somewhat offset this relatively high cost player. What is encouraging is that it seems as if the brain trust is trying to reshape the roster by bringing in tougher players i.e. perimeter and finesse players are not wanted. And what is also encouraging is that in this market there are teams that will be forced to put up for sale good players in order to manage their cap and salary structure. There are options to select from. https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/video/saads-best-of-2019-20/t-277437096/c-5416567 https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/video/saad-on-offseason-plans/t-277437096/c-5409604

A firm no thank you on the Kessel consideration. If you have to qualify your position on a player by saying "if he is motivated and working hard" the underlying issue and criticism of the player is that he isn't always a full effort player. The Sabres don't need that uneven attitude and play. The Sabres are far from being a good team. There are going to be predictable periods of struggle with such an incomplete team. We need players who become more resolute and fade less when times are tough. Again, no thank you on Kessel. Let another team deal with this fading odd duck.

If you look at your draft assets primarily through the lense of money and the length of the control of assets then your view is unassailable. But that is a view that is a somewhat detached from what the main goal should be i.e. building a successful franchise. The Sabres are in a situation that is dire. It's on ice performance is currently mediocre and has been for a decade. To make matters even worse it is a boring product in what is essentially an entertainment business. The fanbase is steadily eroding. Although a large portion of the arena seats are sold through season ticket sales it disguises the reality that a lot of people don't even bother attending the games for tickets that are 10 cents on the dollar. I have heard WGR commentary by the radio hosts say countless times that they don't even like talking about the Sabres because they are tired of repeating the same exasperating storyline. This apathetic attitude comes from a sports station that covers only two pro sports. That's pathetic! This year the roster will have a number of young players on the roster. Last year, the franchise had two first round draft picks. So using this year's first round pick to acquire a still youthful genuine second line player has to be seriously considered. The argument that it is mortgaging the future is a weak argument. If a fair-value return can't be made for the pick then of course you keep it. If a deal for a player who can immediately contribute can be made then it should be made. This team needs an immediate jolt to wake up a franchise and fanbase that has become something worse than lethargic, namely apathetic. The future is now!

If smart people can use buzzwords to sound important then dumb people should also have the right use buzzwords to sound important. Not to allow that right would be discriminatory. I'm against discrimination in any form. 🤡

Cliches are meant to distort the literal truth. It is my humble birthright to be allowed the privilege of being literally inaccurate and imprecise. 🤡

I not using the logic of the past to make decisions for the present. I'm looking at the current situation and making a decision where it is expected that the young player that I already know can play at a first or second line NHL level is being exchanged for a prospect who may or may not turn out to be a first or second line NHL player two to three years down the road. Because we already have Cozens is a reason to be willing to trade this year's first round pick, and is not a reason not to. As I stated before we will be playing a number of youngsters this upcoming season so there shouldn't be much of a fear of mortgaging the future. If you want to maximize the return on Jack and Dahlin you need to upgrade the roster sooner rather than later. Running gets you to your destination quicker than slow walking. The future is now.

Nope. Just keep slinging those buzzwords until you wear down the opposition. 🤡

There are rarely guarantees on prospects except for the elite ones. It is abundantly evident that Casey is a player that was grossly mishandled by rushing him into league before he was physically and maturely ready. He should have played another year in college and then kept in the AHL until he earned the right to be moved up to the NHL. What his critics sometimes forget (including me) is that he is still very young. He is 21 and will be 22 in November. He's a player is that I just don't know if he will ever make the jump to the big league. If he comes into camp exceptionally fit with a determination to earn a spot on the roster that would be a major bonus for the organization. He's getting close to the point in this organization where he has to "show you" he belongs and if he can't then a fresh start would be the best thing for the player and organization.

Sometimes when you speak "jargon" talk you can fake your way around the room. At least for the short term until you are discovered. 🤡

I understand your position and it is certainly a reasonable position to take. I would also add that in most years I would have the same view of retaining a highly valued first round pick. But not this year. If in this year the Sabres were drafting in the top 3 I would be more receptive to your stance. But we are not. We are drafting in the 8 spot where the probable pick won't be ready for the NHL until two or three years down the road. On top of that odds are that the pick at the spot this year won't be a first line player but more likely a second line player. If the Sabres had a trade offer for a player such as Cirelli or Monahan for our pick (plus other considerations) I would leap at that offer. If I can get a first or even a second line player who is around 24-25 yrs old and can contribute right away then that would be too enticing an offer to decline. And it also has to be factored in that the Sabres will be playing a number of younger and cheaper players this year in order to stay within the established budget. So I don't see us dealing a first round pick this year as mortgaging the future in any appreciable way. The future is now!

I understand your position but disagree with it. There is no doubt that the oppressive economic conditions will affect the hockey operations. (As it does for almost every team.) But that doesn't mean that you can't be creative and enterprising when making deals. There are ways to work within these turbulent waters that are already standard practices in the cap era. If you trade a high pick for a good player with a fairly sizeable contract then you still can absorb that contract by shedding a player/contract of a player on the team. You may not get a perfect balance between the player coming in versus the player going out but you can get a deal done that improves and better balances the roster. (The Stall trade for Johansson is an example of that.) The best response when faced with a more austere way of conducting business is to be more creative and nimble. Being forced to change from how you had conducted business that brought you disappointing results is not necessarily a bad thing because it can also present you opportunities to do things more smartly.

In the pro sports I'm usually a believer in building around the draft picks. This year, if the Sabres can trade the pick in a deal that will get you a mid-20 aged second line player I would make the trade. This upcoming roster is going to have a collection of young players on the roster. We can afford to use this first round pick in a deal without hurting our future. The future is now.

If you want Skinner to score more than 30 goals then put him on the Jack line. The Reinhart/Jack/Skinner line is one of the better first lines in the league. If the first line is going to get more minutes than the lower lines then put together a line that will produce the most. I like Krueger as a coach. I didn't like the way he handled Skinner last year. As a defensive player Skinner has a tendency to float. In utilizing Skinner he needs to accentuate his positive attributes as a sniper and not be so caught up with his defensive liabilities. When the calculation is made his assets trump his deficiencies.

I feel less befuddled now. 🤡

Please do not use double negatives to make a point. It drives me crazy and makes me more confused than I already am. 🤡

The better alternative probably won't be cheaper. With the next season being very compressed the backup will be playing more games than normal. So if an upgrade is available there is more of a need to make a change.