JohnC

Is Marco Rossi a potential #1C?

This is a critical offseason for the Sabres and the owners. It can't be disputed that this franchise has been stumbling since the Pegula reign. And it is evident that the fanbase has steadily eroded to point of also losing the next generation of fans. That's a frightening thought. Odds are that a few of our high profile and core players will be dealt. How this franchise manages these trades and rebuilds the roster will go a long way in either giving hope or further despair to the exhausted fanbase. The critical issue right now is not so much about the upcoming wins and losses although that is an important issue. The issue is whether this current staff can run a professional operation that will be able to compete with the other well run organizations. This franchise has deservedly lost a lot of credibility. It's way past due to show that it is capable of getting back on track. I'm hoping this front office will make enough right decisions this offseason that that will lay the groundwork for future success.

Attached is a 12 minute link of an interview with Steve Shields on WGR. He works on the Michigan hockey player development staff. He mostly talks about Power, and at the end of the interview he talks about Eric Portillo, a goalie prospect for us. I want to make it clear that I don't want to come off as a zealot on drafting Power. There are also compelling reasons to draft other highly rated prospects such as Beniers and Ecklund. My belief is that in the long run Power will prove to be a stellar player for us. And those who think differently may eventually turn out to be right. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy

I used to be a harsh critic of Ralph as an owner. On the other hand I credit him for the way he handled his estate that led to the Bills remaining in western NY. And because of that I do not criticize him while he RIP. In the end his balance sheet is more good than bad. Very often a story-line is not necessarily black and white. You may not be aware that here are also shades of gray in the box of crayons.

Does the first letter in his name start with B? And is the second letter is O? And is the third letter R? I'm ready to make a guess: By the process of elimination it must be Miller.

You are not being cryptic. You are being redundant.

I don't doubt that TG had higher offers to buy the team. He said that. But whether he would have been allowed to do it under a commissioner who was determined to keep the franchise in Buffalo is another matter, as you point out. Tom Golisano bought a team whose finances were very entangled and an indecipherable mess. In relatively short order he cleaned up the books and put the organization on a strict budget. Not only did he put the finances in order he paid vendors what they were due although he wasn't obligated to do so because of the bankruptcy rules. That was the right thing to do and the honorable thing to do that a lot of business people would not have done so after purchasing an enterprise in bankruptcy. The end result is that TG sold the restored franchise to the Pegulas and walked away with a tidy profit. Good for him. As a hockey fan I very much appreciated how he handled his hockey business, a sport that he had little interest in.

Attached is a 26 min segment on the Instigator Show with NRD NHL Rumor Daily. In the segment there is much talk about what is swirling about the Sabre trades. He also predicted that Seattle will take Borgen in the expansion draft. The guest is a anonymous. He said because of his anonymity people in organizations are more willing to talk to him. He also felt that Minnesota and the Rangers are very interested in a Jack deal. He said that although the Rangers are not inclined to deal Lafreniere or Kakko they have a rich system to provide a lot of good young players and prospects. Good hockey talk that matches some of the discussions on this board. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/the-instigators-with-andrew-peters-and-craig-rivet

I wouldn't give up our first for Zegras because there is a potential for getting another top shelf young player and keeping the pick. As an example if a deal is made with the Rangers maybe Lafreniere might be included or if a deal is made with LA maybe Turcotte or Byfield could be included with us still keeping the pick. With a little more thought I would be receptive to swapping picks with Anaheim to acquire Zegras. But from Anaheim's perspective it would make little sense. So it is very unlikely. At this point if you asked me if I would trade Jack to Anaheim for Zegras and 3OA I would say yes. As I have stated before the more I read about Power from a number of sources the more I am committed to taking unless there are some unexpected enticing offers which I don't expect.

If you are arguing giving up our first pick for Zegras without getting Anaheim's pick I say absolutely not. That wouldn't make sense at all. If you are suggesting exchanging first round picks while getting Zegras I still say no. The best approach is to select Power and then see what you can get for Jack. If it doesn't reach the level of fair-value then just keep Jack. Let's keep it simple, be smart and take Power. Overthinking an issue is not the smartest way to act. @dudacek, you are starting to chase a goose and it is getting away from you. Why get invovled in a goose chase when the obvious thing to do is right in front of you?

This is a 15 segment with John Shannon from NHL Insider on WGR. He talks about the draft and some other topics. He has Power as the best player in this draft. He talks about some upper tier prospects. After listening to many analysts I am more resolute that the Sabres should take Power with the first pick. It has gotten way beyond the tipping point to the degree that I am irretrievable. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy

The Sabres are not obligated to trade him if the offers don't match their expectation. And it is very unlikely that Eichel would hold out if not dealt. It wouldn't be in his interest.

It's understood by all parties involved in the trades that when Jack and Samson get dealt we are losing the better players. That doesn't mean that the returns in the long run won't make the roster better. If I had my preference I would want to keep both of our players. But that isn't going to happen. So you adjust to the situation as best you can.

His pops is the type of guy you would like to sit next to in the neighborhood tavern and share some brews with. From the clip it Alex comes off as a mature kid beyond his years who also has a passion for the game. Wouldn't it be exciting to come away with Turcotte and Zegras as pieces from a Jack and Samson trade?

The sentiment that you are expressing corresponds to my sentiment about him. He has been given time to physically mature and be prepared to play at a NHL level. That forbearance has run its course. It's now time for him to show if he can play in this league or if he is nothing but a insignificant fringe player who periodically can tantalize you with a skilled play. Those are the type of players that you simply can't rely on. Am I a hopeful about his prospects? I just can't say. And not being able to be more decisive about him is in itself an indictment of him. If he can elevate his baseline of play it would be helpful in the rebuilding of the roster with the younger core. Now he needs to show it if he can. I'm not giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Tage will never be a player who will attain a high-level of hockey intelligence like Reinhart has. If you don't have it you don't have it. But I'm more optimistic than you are that he can raise his intelligence quotient a little more to the point of adequacy. If hard coaching doesn't work this year then he will fade into oblivion.

You are astutely hitting on the issue that will determine whether he can play in this league. The parts are there to his game but they are not working in unison or on a regular basis. With him there are times that when his episodic play will tantalize you. However, when you tally his overall production per ice time it is doesn't come close to meeting one's expectation. He needs hard coaching and to be held to account. I believe under Granato he will get it. Tage has had more than enough time to grow into his body and be acclimated to the NHL game. It's put up or take a hike time.

If the Anaheim deal materializes with Zegras included in the deal with their first pick I would be ecstatic. Many reports indicate they are holding firm on keeping Zegras.

I would say Dahlin benefited the most with Mitts being the second most beneficiary of the Granato effect. I thought the Asplund/Mitts combo fit well together where each player fed off of each other. Of the veterans I thought that Okposo was revitalized as a player under Granato. The one player who needs to step up his game is Thompson. Granato was not going to allow him to play an unfocused and meandering style of play. When Thompson played too loosely and lost his connection to his linemates the coach intervened and took away his minutes, and even sat him. That got his attention. Coming into camp he needs to show some urgency and recognize that if he doesn't seize the opportunity he has that he will fall by the wayside. It's time to put up or sink into the pool of mediocrity and irrelevance.

He's 18 yrs old with a high level of work ethic. You don't think his assets will get better and his liabilities turned into non-issues as he gets older? In the recent tournament the former NHL coach started him off with limited ice team and then significantly increased his ice time as the tournament progressed. His trajectory is higher than you are assigning to him now.

The more I hear about him from analysts the more confirmed I am with my stance. Of course there is no unanimity as to who should be the first pick. No question there are good arguments for other players but in my mind not only is he the safest pick but also has a lot of upside. My next option would be Beniers. If you look at the decisions that Adams has made in bringing in staff such as Karmonos, Ventura, Granato, putting together the expansion list etc they all fall within the boundary of being fundamentally sound decisions that are not reaches or acting outside of the box. A Power selection would fall in this same safe category.

I do believe they will be drafting Power. No need to discuss because we will soon find out.

Girgensons might have been a player that Seattle would be interested in but his contract is too rich for what he has to offer. Odds are that Miller is a player they would most consider.

I very much doubt that Zemgus would be protected. It's more likely that Risto will be protected with the expectation that he will be soon traded. I'm not putting much stock in judging this front office based on their expansion list. As far as I'm concerned it is an inconsequential issue for this organization. On the other hand the issue I will be closely following is the return on our traded players. That's where judging the FO's performance is my focus of attention.

I have listened to Marty Biron talk about this issue on a more than a few occasions. Each time he has emphasized that there will be plenty of mid-level goalies who will competing with each other on the market. He has also emphasized that although he wants Ullmark back he feels that the Sabres shouldn't over spend for him. I like Ullmark a lot. He has steadily improved in his development. But let's be fair-minded in our evaluation of him. He is at best a mid-tier starting goalie who has concerning durability issues. I'm confident that when the market opens up or through trades the Sabres will have more than enough goalie options to choose from. I'm just not as exercised by this issue as you are. My biggest concern is the return on our traded assets.