JohnC

Being constantly negative is exhausting. For a long time, the Sabres have been an irrelevant NHL team. Just maybe, the tide might be changing into a more positive spot. I really believe that if the front office handles this offseason smartly, it will inch up the ranks from irrelevancy to respectability. One step at a time moving forward instead of backward.

An inconsistent goalie is an inadequate goalie.

The Ullmark departure really hurt the team. The GM didn’t have an adequate fallback position for the goalie who was URFA. It ended up being a reverberating mistake.

The organization through its generation of foolishness created its own unattractive destination reputation. The only thing that is going to change that ugly reality is having some success.

Isn’t so much more fun talking about potential and made deals than to talk about the organization!!!

The trading of JJP makes a Robertson deal to be unlikely. I’m not sure what it would take to get Ehlers?

I agree with you. You got to give up something to get something. If we can get a Rust type talent for a reasonable price, then we should go for it. Timidity is not the right trait for this time.

You are astute and perspicacious.

We need another top 6 forward added to the mix.

We both agree that there is still a lot to do to reach the minimum of qualifying for the playoffs this season. We should get a better sense of whether the organization is on the right track after tonight.

The answer is to make better personnel decisions. The issue isn’t about a particular good or bad deal. It’s the body of work.

It’s a good deal for the Sabres and for the player. It gives him an opportunity to demonstrate what his value will be in the not too distant future.

You didn’t accurately read my posts on the JJP trade. As a singular deal I consider it to be a good/reasonable deal for us. In a wider context with likely upcoming trade/s that deal should look even better from the vantage of ending up with a better and more balanced roster. When all is said and done it is the end product that should be the focal point when judging the transactions.

The grades mean absolutely little without giving the context of the deal/s. Are the Sabres better with this deal and another deal that most likely will be made due to the cost saving from the JJP deal after he signed his contract? For the sake of discussion, if Rust is added to the roster that came to fruition because we didn't have to sign JJP, then the combined deals seem to result in a better and mature roster. Adding Doan, Kesselring and Rust in my opinion does improve the roster in a variety of ways even if the JJP departure is factored in. It seems that you are just being reflexively negative. If you stand back a little and take a broader view I think you will have a more positive take on the eventual tabulation. Still TBD.

I look on a Rust acquisition and how it impacts Quinn a little differently. If Rust is added, then Quinn has to compete for a top two-line spot and would probably end up on a third line. Internal competition is exactly what we what want and need. And having depth and thickening the roster is the position you want to be in for a long and grinding season replete with injuries. Sliding any player down because another player earned moving up is a good situation to be in.

What is Montreal trading?

Our views mostly coincide. Where I slightly have a different view is that I’m not necessarily looking for a blockbuster deal. What I want are deals that improve and better shape (balance) the roster. With day to day exhibitions of competence you move forward; with constantly changing of plans you create consternation that gets you nowhere. I’m so freaking tired of this back and forth nonsense which is a roadmap to nowhere.

Everyone knows why. It’s not a mystery to anyone inside and outsize of this discredited franchise. When you dig a deep hole you have to climb out of it. There’s no magical and quick solutions. It’s about making smart decisions on a day to day basis.

I've stated this in a prior post that what I will be watching is what the organization does with the added cap room? ( @Taro T keenly brought up this issue.) If the owner pockets it instead of utilizing it, then we have our answer about the seriousness of the owner to compete. The question comes down to is whether this is a serious Pegula franchise or a third-rate Micky Mouse unserious Pegula franchise???

As you keenly noted, a finesse player/team is more aesthetically pleasing to watch than a grittier player/team. Usually, the grittier team succeeds more than the finesse team in the NHL. It's a tough league where you have to handle the rigors of a hard style of play from the opposition, night in and out.

You hit on a key issue to be watched: i.e. what is done with the added cap space following this trade. Will it be utilized or will it be pocketed? If the hockey operation continues to lag spending wise compared to other franchises, then you know exactly how serious the owner is in running a competitive franchise.

It's not unusual to judge trades on the basis of who won or lost the trade. However, especially in this case, that's not how the deal should be evaluated. Based on the fact that JJP wasn't able to come to terms with Buffalo while immediately coming to terms with Utah after the trade makes it abundantly clear that he didn't want to be here. I wanted to keep JJP. But if he was going to be dealt the expectation was that the return would address other areas of need. By that measure, it did. It added a big defenseman and grittier forward. Most people who follow the Sabres acknowledge that this roster needed to be reshaped to become a less finesse-oriented team to a harder to play team. So we gave up a young scorer who was a lackluster two-way player. The bottom line is that you give up something of value to get something back in value. And that's exactly what happened here. And it should be noted that if there are additional follow up deal/s that contribute to reshaping the lineup, the JJP deal would look even better in the larger context.

Respectfully but strenuously disagree with your conclusions. It’s not so much about rearranging chairs as it is replacing some chairs. I expect some additional transactions. Then we will be in a better position to judge.

Could you give me some advice in investing? You have soothsaying talents. 😃

Scoring isn't the issue that plagued this team last year. It was the lack of defending from the blueline and forward units. This trade should help in that area.I expect Quinn to have an uptick year. And also, Kulich should be more productive after getting a lot of playing time last year. There has to be a better balance between both sides of the puck. And from that perspective, this deal partially addresses that imbalance. Based on his immediate signing with Utah, one can fairly assume that he didn't want to be here. From that context, this was a reasonable deal. It's certainly not a blockbuster deal but it is a deal that better balances out the roster from an offensive/defensive ratio.